De quodam milite Swantepolci.
The Timid Knight
A knight of Swantepolcus is introduced, whose paralyzing fear of the Teutonic brothers causes his very guts to tremble at the mere mention of their name.
There was a certain knight from the household of Swantepolcus who feared the brothers of the Teutonic Order so greatly that his guts trembled whenever he heard their names recited.
The Duke's Cruel Sport
Duke Swantepolcus, seeking amusement during a village retreat, devises a prank to send a scout to report on the brothers' approach, intending to watch the timid knight's reaction.
So it happened at this time that the same duke, looking for some amusement, withdrew to a certain village. And to heighten the fun, he summoned several other knights to join him and said, 'Let's send a servant out to the fields — someone who'll hurry back after the first course to report whether the brothers are arriving with an army. Then we'll see how that timid knight handles himself.' Since this plan pleased them greatly, a messenger was sent to carry out this task.
The Messenger's Terror
The scout encounters the armed Teutonic brothers nearby and returns in a panic, pale and weeping, warning that the brothers are truly coming with an army.
Now the brothers, who had been warned of this, had come not far from the said village when the messenger had already gone out. Seeing the brothers coming with armed men, he was stunned — and turned pale from overwhelming fear. With great weeping and sword drawn, he returned to Swantepolcus and said, 'Quick, get up and retreat from here, because the brothers are truly coming with an army!'
Flight and Laughter
The conspirators laugh at the prank's success as the timid knight leaps over the table and flees, while the messenger repeats his desperate warning.
The ones who had arranged all this burst out laughing. But that timid knight, hearing the name of the brothers, immediately leaped over the table and fled. But the messenger, repeating his earlier words, cried out to his neighbor.
The Brothers' Vengeance
The Teutonic brothers pursue the fleeing duke, killing his servant at a river and capturing and slaying the rest of his household who remained behind.
So the duke withdrew with one servant while the others laughed. A certain brother who had been assigned to this task followed them, and when he caught up with them at a certain river — though he couldn't seize the duke himself — he killed the servant. The other brothers captured and killed whoever else from his household was there.
Read the original Latin
Fuit quidam miles de familia Swantepolci, qui fratres clomus Theutonice adeo formidabat, quod viscera ejus contremuerint, dum audiret eorum nomina recitari. Unde accidit hoc tempore, quod idem dux causa solacii secessit ad quandam villam, et ad majorem gaudii excitacionemc vocavit quosdam alios milites ad se et ait: mittamus unum famulum ad campos, qui post primum ferculum festinus revertatur, et referat fratres cum exercitu advenire, et videamus, quomodo iste miles timidus se disponat. Quod cum eis multum placeret, missus fuit nuncius ad hujusmodi negocium peragendum. Fratres autem, quibus hoc proditum fuit, cum venissent non longe a dicta vilJa, nuncius jam exierat, et videns fratres cum armigeris venientes, stupefactus et pre nimio timore pallidus effectus, cum planclu magno et extracto gladio reversus ad Swantepolcum, ait: cito surgite ei recedite, quia revera fratres cum exercitu veniunt. Illi, qui hoc preordinaverant, riserunt, sed miles ille timidus audiens nomen fratrum, statim saliit ultra mensam, et recessit. Sed nuncius ingeminans verba priora, vicino. Unde dux aliis ridentibus recessit cum uno famulo, quem quidam frater, qui ad hoc fuerat deputatus, sequens, in quodam flumine, dum ducem non posset comprehendere, famulum interfecit, alii fratres ceperunt et occiderunt, quidquid ibi de familia sua mansit.
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