De destructione terre Masovie.
The Deaf Serpent Rejects Peace and Baptism
While Christians laid down arms in hope of lasting peace, the pagan enemy refused the Pope's counsel and the Sacrament of baptism, turning instead to the destruction of the faithful.
So once peace had been established — while the brothers and other Christians in the lands of Livonia and Prussia and neighboring regions fully believed that from now on no battles should be fought, and were already preparing to forge their swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles — that same profane enemy of the faith and of the faithful stopped up his ears, like a deaf snake, against the saving counsels of the Lord Pope, laid before him through the aforementioned messengers with all diligence; for while he ought to have been thinking about his salvation and that of his people — namely, how he might worthily and with due reverence receive the Sacrament of baptism, following in the footsteps of his predecessors — he turned all his effort to the destruction of the faith and of the faithful.
David of Gartha Invades Masovia
The pagan castellan David led a strong army into Masovia on December 11th, targeting the bishop of Płock's city.
For he arranged that his castellan David from Gartha entered the land of Masovia on the 11th of December with a strong army, and the city of the bishop of Płock, which is called —
Devastation of Churches and Estates
David's forces plundered and burned 130 estates, religious properties, thirty parish churches, and chapels dedicated to God's praise.
NovembPoltus, and 130 estates of the aforementioned bishop and duke of Masovia, and many properties of religious men and nobles, and thirty parish churches and chapels with many oratories dedicated to the praise of God — all these he devastated by plundering and burning.
Sacrilege, Slaughter, and Captivity
Church sacraments and vestments were profaned; over two thousand were killed or led into perpetual captivity.
Church Sacraments, vestments, and others of both sexes — more than two thousand destroyed — some he slaughtered, others he led away into perpetual captivity.
Read the original Latin
Firmata igitur pace, dum fratres et alii cristifidelcs terre Lyvonie etPrussie et aliarum parcium vicinarum indubitanter crederent, quod non deberent a modo prelia exerceri, et jam disponerent gladios suos conflare in vomeres, et lanceas in falces, idem prophanus fidei hostis et fidelium, tanquam aspis surcla, obturavit aures suas ad salutaria monita domini pape, per dictos nuncios eidem cum omni diligencia proposita, quia dum de salute sua et suorum cogitare debuerat, quomodo scilicet posset digne et cum reverencia debita suscipere baptismatis sacramentum, ipse sequens vestigia predecessorum suorum, totum conatum suum in destructionem fidei et fidelium convertit. Ordinavit enim, quod David castellanus suus de Gartha cum valido exercitu intravit terram Ma sovie xi Kalendas Decembris *, et civitatem episcopi Ploczensis, que dicitur. NovembPoltus, et cxxx villas dicti episcopi et ducis Masovie, religiosorumque et nobilium plura predia, ecclesias parochiales xxx et capellas cum multis oratoriis, ad laudem dei dedicatas, rapina et incendio devastavit. Sacramenta ecclesie, vestes alios promiscui sexus ultra nii milia peremita, aliquos trucidando, alias in captivitatem perpetuam deducendo.
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