Vita Wenceslai (Legenda Gumpoldi)
The Vigil Before Betrayal
Wenceslaus spends the night in prayer and almsgiving, aware of his coming passion, then rises at dawn for the church office.
Then, as the next night wore on, he spent the hours in the most diligent devotion of prayers and almsgiving, aware of what was to come, and in his devotion he stayed awake all night, prepared to suffer death for Christ's sake. But when morning's crow had passed and the duty of the early hour was done, the bell was struck and he didn't linger in bed, but rose, as was his custom, and hurried into the church, applying himself to the night office and morning hymns with humble attentiveness; after many prayers he turned home, and let his weary body get a little sleep.
The Wolf Falls Upon the Lamb
Boleslaus rushes upon his holy brother like a wolf upon a lamb, blocking his path with drawn sword.
As the first light of dawn was now reddening, Boleslaus — that man who must be recorded with a curse — the brother of that holy man and the author of this wickedness, didn't forget the treachery he had earlier secretly plotted against the innocent man. Like a wolf, he came rushing from the opposite direction to tear the lamb apart in ambush, advancing furiously with several accomplices equally guilty of this crime, his sword drawn, and blocked the path of that innocent man in the middle of the road.
A Brother's Greeting, a Brother's Blow
Wenceslaus greets Boleslaus with love and gratitude, but the treacherous brother strikes him, yet the blows are miraculously repelled.
The holy man himself received him with the gentlest kindness, greeting him: 'Hail, beloved brother!' 'Let immense thanks be given to your love by us, because you arranged yesterday's feast with honor and served us well and with great warmth.' The wretch made no answer to such a kind greeting, but drew his sword at once and struck the holy man on the top of the head with all his strength, saying: 'I'll prepare a better feast for you today!' But the blade bounced back and gave no sign of a wound at that moment, and a second blow followed. When that blow did no more harm than the first, and he tried to strike a third time, the sword fell from the terrified soldier's hand with one sweeping stroke.
Mercy Over Vengeance
Wenceslaus seizes his brother but refuses to shed his blood, urging him to carry out the deserved punishment.
Saint Wenceslaus immediately seizes him by the hair and, poising his hand over the head of his now defenseless wicked brother, says, "Do you see this, you wretched creature?" May the destruction of your cruelty be turned back against you! "Look!" How am I kept from becoming the shedder of my brother's blood? But I will not have your blood, my brother, be sought from my hand at the final reckoning.1 Take your sword; carry out the punishment that's owed — don't put it off any longer!2
The Coward's Cry and Complicit Witnesses
Boleslaus calls for help, pretending he is the victim, while his accomplices rush up feigning ignorance of the plot.
The wicked brother takes up his sword again, and fearing he's about to be overcome, shouts loudly, calling his comrades to his aid; he pretends he was forced and that he's only fighting back against an attack his brother made on him first.3 His comrades, summoned with a great shout, soon rush up, asking what the disturbance is about as if they knew nothing of the crime; but they can feel their lord's fierce anger.4
The Martyr's Passion and Glory
Wenceslaus is struck down by his brother and his companions, his body torn apart, and his soul is borne by angels into the heavenly kingdom.
And now, with the one who struck the sacred head dealing a fourth blow—at least a shattering one—they all rush in together with weapons, eagerly piercing his limbs with lances and swords. The wounded body is laid low on the ground, half-alive. Again and again the savage blows of swords grow frequent; innocent blood is poured out, and the body, empty of all blemish, is torn to pieces as if by dogs. The most holy soul, stripped from the fleshly dwelling of its body under so many wounds and torments, borne up with noble triumph by angelic hands, about to see the face of the highest Rewarder with joy, and about to sit among the glorious ranks of martyrs through eternity, enters on the fourth of the Kalends of October into the fellowship of the heavenly kingdom with everlasting gladness.
Read the original Latin
Noctis autem sequentis cursu, orationum ac elemesinarum curiosissima desudans instantia, futuri conscius, mortis pro Christo iura pati devotus pernoctavit. Redeunte autem post gallicinia matutinalis horae officio, pulso signaculo, non segnis thoro, ut iam est solitus, prosiliens, aecclesiamque properando ingressus, cantum noc- turnalem laudesque matutinales modesta intentans auscultacione, post plurimas oraciones domum lassis membris aliquantum somno reficiendis divertitur. Rubente jam primum aurora, execrabili memoria scribendus Bolezlaus, viri sancti germanus, perversitatis auctor, quae prius arma contra innocentem latenter commoverit non inmemor, specu quo latuit, more lupino, cum ex adverso agnum furtiue lacerandum irruit, ipse cum aliquot sequacibus huic sceleri comparibus furibunde progressus, et mucrone succinctus, viro simplici media via obvius restitit. Quem sanctus ipse mitissima inter salutando benignitate ita alloquitur: Ave, frater dilecte! grates inmensae dilectioni tuae a nobis sint relatae, quia honorifice disposito heri convivio bene nobis et satis iucunde ministrasti. Tam dulci pessimus ille non respondens allocutioni, sed extracto cicius ense, in sancti capitis verticem, ut fortius valet, percutiens, ait: Melius hodie tibi praeparavero convivium! Sed ferro resiliente et nec vulneris tandem signum annotante, geminatur ictus. Quo nihilo magis laedente, tercio ferire cum velit, una cum extenso ictu ensis manu territi militis excidit.
Quem statim sanctus Vencezlaus per capulum surripiens et supra scelerosum fratris iam inermis verticem manu librans: Vidisne, inguit, o funeste? Verti in te posset tuae crudelitatis exitium. En! unde prohibeor fraterni sanguinis fieri effusor? Sed nolo, de manu mea ultimo examine sanguis, o frater, tuus guaeratur in me. Recipe gladium, matura supplicium; guae sunt agenda ne differas in longum! Resumpto iterum frater impius ferro, altum guasi vinci metuens clamat, in auxilium sui socios vocat, se quasi coactum et a fratris impetu prius laesum repugnare simulat. Mox socii magno clamore vocati accurrunt, causam dguasi sceleris inscii de tumultu guaerunt, domini sui fervidam sentiunt iram.
Eogue iam tunc sceleris auctore quarta vice sacrum caput per ictum saltim confringente, omnes simul armis irruunt, certatim membra lanceis gladiisgue perfodiunt. Corpus sauciatum humi prosternitur semivivum. Crebrescunt iterum iterumque saevae gladiorum percussiones; san- guis innocuus effunditur, corpus labe vacuum minutatim quasi a canibus laceratur. Anima sacratissima carnei clausura domicilii sub tot vulnerum exuta tormentis, nobili triumpho angelicis subvecta manibus, summi remuneratoris aspectum gaudio visura, et inter gloriosos martirum ordines per aevum consessura, sub 4 Kalendarum Octobrium perpetuo laetantia regni coelestis ingreditur consortia.
Notes
- 1 ↩"ultimo examine" rendered as "final reckoning" to convey the sense of a last judgment or ultimate scrutiny; could also mean "last trial/test."
- 2 ↩"guae sunt agenda" (for quae agenda sunt) rendered as "that's owed" to convey the gerundive sense of things that must be done; could also mean "what needs to be done."
- 3 ↩"Resumpto" could be imperative ("Take up again!") or ablative absolute ("Having been taken up again"); rendered as narrative indicative "takes up" reading it as a third-person narrative description of the brother's action.
- 4 ↩"dguasi" (quasi) rendered as "as if" to convey the pretense of ignorance; the spelling is a source variant.
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