Vita Wenceslai (Legenda Gumpoldi)
The Enemy's Treachery
The diabolical enemy works through Wenceslas's brother Boleslav, who is driven by cursed perversity and wicked rage to plot the destruction of good works and seize the kingdom.
But the fraudulent enemy, most impure in his scheming — plotting with cunning and deceitful passion to destroy such works, if he ever could, with the least possible delay — is his brother Boleslav, younger in age but cursed in the perversity of his mind and the vileness of his deeds, driven by a diabolical impulse, armed with the fury and wickedness of rage against the man of God, eager to seize the kingdom with a brotherly hand, since with the wicked daring of his ministers he has tried to set mortal snares of destruction for himself as best he could.
Divine Predestination Affirmed
Despite opposition, divine predestination ensures that what is deferred will come to pass in its proper time.
But by divine predestination it is established with certainty that the matter, though deferred, would nevertheless come about in its own time.
A Vow to Build Christ's Church
Wenceslas vows to build a church dedicated to Christ and the blessed martyr Vitus through the noble craftsmanship of good works.
Now, after a short time had passed, the man dear to God bound himself by a vow to a salutary purpose, pledging that, with God granting it, he would build the church with the noble craftsmanship of good works, to be dedicated to the honor of Christ and his victorious champion, the blessed martyr Vitus.
Seeking the Bishop's Blessing
Wenceslas sends legates to Bishop Tuto at Regensburg, humbly petitioning him to consecrate the church with his approval.
Without delay, energetic in action and burning with zeal for his purpose, he sends legates to the royal seat at Regensburg, and entreats Bishop Tuto—a man of complete uprightness, whose diocese encloses all of Bohemia—with humble petition, asking that the same work might be consecrated to God with his permission and approval.
Read the original Latin
At fraudulenta hostis inpurissimi machinatione huiusmodi operum affectibus, astu, si umquam poterit, antiquo perimendis, minimum retardante, frater eius Bolezlav aetate minor, mentis perversitate et actuum qualitate execrandus, diabolico tactu instinctus, furoris nequitia contra virum dei saevienter armatus, regni fraterna manu rapiendi cupidus, cum nefario ministrorum ausu mortales exitii insidias sibi tendere quam plurimum conatus est. Sed divinitus praedestinacione rem, postmodum tamen futuram, tum fuisse certum constat dilatam. Iam parvo interiacente tempore vir deo carus voto salutari propositum obligavit, se deo donante aecclesiam nobili operum artificio constructurum, Christi eam victoriosique athletae eius beati Viti martiris honori dicandam. Nec mora, instat impiger facti, fervens autem propositi, missis Ratesponae sedi regiae legatariis, Tutonem episcopum, totius probitatis virum, cuius diocesi tota subcluditur Boemia, supplici rogatu, quo idem opus deo sacrandum eius licentia et assensu fieret, implorat.
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