De destructione castri Oukaymd prima.
A Secret Plea for Deliverance
A grieving Lithuanian castellan secretly seeks baptism and rescue from pagan error through a humble plea to Brother Volrad.
In the time of this master, in the year of our Lord 1201, a certain Lithuanian called Drayko, a castellan from Oukaym, grieving that he had been deceived for so long by diabolical deceit, and wishing to set aside the worship of idols and devote himself to the service of the true and living God, secretly sent his son Pinnon to Brother Volrad, the commendator of Raganita, humbly and devoutly beseeching him to free him from the error of paganism and from the hands of the infidels.
God's Wondrous Providence
The Teutonic brothers advance on Oukaym, and by God's providence the castle's watch falls to Drayko on the very night of their approach.
This commendator, with the counsel of the master, advanced with an army against the castle of Oukaym — and behold, God is wondrous in all his works — whose providence had supremely ordained this most necessary thing: that while the brothers were approaching to attack the aforesaid castle, on that very night the watch and guard of the castle fell to the aforesaid Drayko.✦
The Fall of Oukaym
Drayko opens the gate in secret, the brothers enter, and all in the castle are killed except one wounded survivor.
So when the brothers' army drew near, he secretly opened the gate of the castle, and the brothers entered and killed all of them except one — namely the son of Sudargus, who was however seriously wounded.
Baptism and Burning
The castle is burned, captives are taken, and Drayko with his household is led to Raganita and baptized.
After capturing the women and children, they burned the castle and its suburb to the ground. And the aforesaid Drayko was led to Raganita with his whole household and was baptized.
Read the original Latin
Hujus magistri tempore anno domini mccci quidam Lethowinus dictusDrayko castrensis de Oukaym dolens, se tamdiu fraude diabolica deceptum, volensque ydolorum cultura postposita dei veri et vivi servicio mancipari, secrete filium suum Pinnonem misit fratri Volrado commendatori de Raganita 2, supplicans humiliter et devote, ut ipsum a gentilitatis errore et infidelium manibus liberaret. Qui commendator de consilio magistri cum exercitu processit contra castrum Oukaym, et ecce mirabilis deus in omnibus operibus suis, cujus providencia hoc summe necessarium ordinavit, quod dum fratres ad impugnandum dictum cas trum accederent, ipsa nocte vigilia et custodia castri dicto Dra^koni competebat. Unde appropinquante exercitu fratrum, portam castri secrete aperuit, et fratres intrantes omnes preter ununi, scilicet filium Sudargi, graviter tarnen vulneratum, occiderunt. Captis mulieribus et parvulis castruma cum suburbio fundilus cremaverunt, dictusque Drayko deductus usque Raganitam cum tota familia est baptizatus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.32.4 — For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as by the heat of summer. Selah.
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