De desolacione terre Galindie.
The Galindians Multiply and Turn to Cruelty
The Galindians overpopulate their land and, decreeing that only males be kept for war, cut off the breasts of their wives to prevent the secret nurturing of girls.
The Galindians grew and, as if sprouting up, were multiplied, and were strengthened exceedingly, and filled their own land, so that it could no longer sustain them. If a male is born, kill him; if a female, spare her. So it seemed good to them by decree that whatever was born of the female sex would be killed, and the males would be kept for war.1 And while this decree was not taking effect — because the women, seeing the beauty of the newborn, secretly kept them — for that reason, by common counsel and consent, so that every means of nourishing boys might be removed, they cut off the breasts of all their wives.2
The Prophetess Commands War Without Arms
The wronged women appeal to their sacred prophetess, who commands them to wage war on the Christians unarmed; they obey and raid Christian lands, carrying off plunder and captives.
Over this contemptible and detestable act, the women, angered, approached a certain lady who, according to their custom, was regarded as sacred and a prophetess, at whose authority the affairs of that land were governed in every detail, seeking to have wholesome provision made for them in this matter. She, having compassion on her own sex, summoned the more powerful women of the whole land to herself and said to them: "Your gods wish that you all wage war against the Christians without arms or iron or any means of defense." When this was heard, they immediately obeyed, and all who were fit for war set out with glad hearts toward the nearest Christian land. There, beyond the evils they had done, they carried off plunder of men and of beasts of burden. — Chronicle of the Land of Prussia.3
Part III
A brief editorial marker indicating the transition to Part III of the chronicle.
Part III.4
The Unarmed Host Is Destroyed and Galindia Laid Waste
The Galindians lead away countless captives, but escaped prisoners reveal to the Christians that the enemy army is entirely unarmed; the Christians attack and slaughter them all, after which neighboring nations enslave the survivors and the land of Galindia is left desolate.
They led away an innumerable number of captives. On their return, some of the captives who had secretly escaped came back to the Christians and reported that in the entire army of the unbelievers there were no weapons at all, nor anything else by which they could defend themselves — counseling them in good faith to follow up boldly and attack. Encouraged by these words, the Christians followed in a great crowd, rushed upon them, and killed them all without any defense whatsoever. When this became known, the Sudovians and other neighboring nations entered the aforesaid land of Galindia and led away the women and children and others who had been left behind into perpetual servitude — and so that land remains desolate to this present day.
Read the original Latin
Galindite creverunt et quasi germinantes multiplicati sunt, et roborati nimis, et inpleverunt terram suam, sic quod eos non potuit ammodo sustinere. si masculus natus fuerit, interficite ipsum, si femina reservatef, ita ergo istis videbatur consultum, quod quicquid nasceretur sexus feminini, occideretur, et masculi ad bellum servarentur. Et dum hoc edictog non proficerent, quia mulieres videntes eleganciam nascencium conservabant occulte eas, idcirco de communi consilio et consensu, ut omnis materia nutriendi pueros tolleretur, omnium uxorum suarum ubera preciderunt. Super quo contemptu et detestabili facto mulieres indignate accesserunt ad quandam dominam, que secundum ritum ipsorum sacra et prophetissa reputabatur, ad cujus imperium hujus terre facta singula regebantur, petentes sibi super hoc negocio salubriter provideri. Que compaciens sexui suo, convocatis ad se pocioribus tocius terre, ait ad eos: dii vestri volunt, ut omnes sine armis et ferro vel aliquo defensionis amminiculo contra Cristianos bellum moveatis. Quo audito statim obediunt, et omnes, qui ad bellum habiles fuerant, ad viciniorem Cristianorum terram leto animo1* sunt profecti. Ubi preter aha mala, que fecerant, predam hominura et jumentorum CRONICA TERRE PRESSTE. PARS III.
innumerabilem abduxerunt. In reditu quidam de captivis occulte fugientes, reversi ad fideles, nunciaverunt eis, quod in tote infidelium exercitu non essent aliqua arma nee aliud aliquida, quo se possent defendere, consulentes bona fide, ut ad impugnandum eos viriliter sequerentur. De quibus verbis animati Cristiani, cum magna turba secuti, irruerunt in eos, et omnes sine defensione ali qua occiderunt, quo percepto Sudowite et alie naciones vicine intraverunt terram Galindie predictam, et mulieres et parvulos et alios, qui relicti fuerant, in servitutem perpetuam deduxerunt, sicque terra illa usque in presentem diem remanet desolata.
Notes
- 1 ↩The form 'reservatef' is corrupt; the normalized reading treats it as 'reservate' (imperative plural of reservo, 'spare, keep back').
- 2 ↩The form 'edictog' is corrupt; the normalized reading treats it as 'edicto' (ablative of edictum, 'decree').
- 3 ↩The form 'hominura' is corrupt; the normalized reading treats it as 'hominum' (genitive plural of homo, 'men'). The words 'CRONICA TERRE PRESSTE' appear to be a rubric or scribal insertion marking the chronicle source, rendered here as a closing attribution.
- 4 ↩This is a rubric or section heading, not a narrative sentence.
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