De quadam tradicione.
The Chamberlain's Conditional Pledge
The captured chamberlain Lethowinus pledges to surrender Gartham castle in exchange for his freedom, and three brothers release him according to a planned arrangement.
At this time a certain Lethowinus, who had been chamberlain of the king of the Lethowini, was captured and held in the castle of Balga. Under penalty of his own life, he bound himself to hand over the castle of Gartham into the hands of the brothers, if he were freed from his chains. To him, three brothers, having decided on the manner and the time in which these things could be done, allowed him to go away freely.1
Warning and Hidden Betrayal
Lethowinus warns the king of the brothers' plan while traveling to him, revealing his betrayal of their scheme.
But while he was on his way to the king, he warned him in advance about all these things.
The King's Ambush and Divine Rescue
Brother Henry of Płock marches unaware into a planned ambush, but a captured scout's warning reveals the king's trap, and the brothers give thanks to God for their merciful deliverance and safe return.
Brother Henry of Płock, the great commander — unaware of this hidden betrayal — set out with many brothers and five thousand warriors. As he approached the castle of Garthe, they seized one old man from among the king's scouts, who, to escape death, warned the brothers in this way: he claimed that the king with a great force of his army had pitched his camp around Gartham, and had arranged it so that while the brothers crossed the river Memel with half of his force, the king himself with his men was to rush upon them and slaughter them, and afterwards the other half was to follow.23 When they heard this, the brothers — who had thus mercifully freed them from so grave a danger — gave thanks to God, and returned unharmed to their own people.4
Read the original Latin
Hoc tempore quidam Lethowinus, qui camerarius fuerat regis Lethowinorum, captus detinebatur in Castro Balga, qui sub pena capitis sui obligavit se castrum Gartham tradere in manus fratrum, si a vinculis solveretur. Cui fra tres credentes, Statute modo et tempore, quo hec fieri possent, ipsum abire libere permiseruntf. Sed dum veniret ad regem, de his omnibus premunivit eum. Frater Henricus de Ploczke commendator magnus hujus occulte tradicionis nescius cum multis fratribus et v milibus pugnatorum profectus est, et dum appropinquaret Castro Garthe, de exploratoribus regis virum unum senem ce perunt, qui ut mortem evaderet, premunivit fratres in hunc modum asserens, quod rex cum magna potencia exercitus sui castra metatus esset circa Gartham, et sic ordinasset, quod dum fratres cum media parte exercitus sui transivissent fluvium Memele, ipse cum suis deberet irruere in ipsos, etg trucidare, et postea partem aliam sequi. Quo audito, fratres deo, qui eos sic misericorditer a tarn gravi periculo liberavit, gracias referentes incolumes ad propria sunt reversi.
Notes
- 1 ↩The manuscript reads 'permiseruntf' — treated as a scribal error for 'permiserunt' (they allowed).
- 2 ↩The manuscript reads 'ce perunt' — uncertain reading, treated as 'ceperunt' (they seized/took).
- 3 ↩The manuscript reads 'etg' — treated as a scribal error for 'et' (and).
- 4 ↩The manuscript reads 'tarn' — treated as a scribal error for 'tam' (so).
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