Legenda maior Sancti Stephani regis
The Merciful King
Stephen makes mercy his first principle, embracing Christ in the poor and secretly giving alms.
Among all the gifts of heavenly mercy divinely granted to the blessed king, those that hold first place for earning the joys of eternal life are the ones that above all should be counted and recorded. For in all his blessed works he meant this to be the first principle—what he had contemplated from the Gospel with the faithful eye of his heart, through the testimony of Truth itself saying: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy," and in another place: "Give, and it will be given to you."1 So with such great arms of mercy and devotion he embraced Christ's poor—indeed Christ in them—that no guest or pilgrim ever left him sad without the comfort of some kindness. He arranged for daily expenses to be made without fail for the relief of the needy; he used to spend his night watches at the feet of Christ's faithful, skillfully and cheerfully hiding alms in the poor's bosom, intending to comfort the needy Christ in his members for a time, so that he himself, finding the chamber of heavenly life filled with every delight, might deserve to rejoice forever.2
The Night of Grace
During a secret almsgiving, Stephen's beard is torn by the poor; he rejoices and prays to Mary, resolving to never close his heart to those in need.
One night, moved by a spiritual prompting, he went out alone without anyone knowing, carrying a small bag filled with God's gift, and set out as usual to visit Christ's little flock. Immediately, the poor, scrambling for the money of that heavenly treasure about to be distributed, bore witness to the man of God by tearing out his beard.3 Filled with joy at this, the soldier of Christ found his fullest refuge in the most blessed Mother of the Creator of all. Prostrate on the ground and giving thanks, he cried out: "Heavenly Queen, and my Queen: the one you established as king, your soldiers have honored in this way." If some adversary had inflicted this on me, I would avenge my wrongs through your help.4 Knowing then, Lady, that through this I am made worthy of eternal happiness, I rejoice beyond measure, giving thanks with the comforting words of our Savior, which he used to comfort his disciples when he said: "Not a hair of your head will perish."✦5 After saying this, the man of God, realizing that he had been visited by heavenly grace and filled with a spiritual gift, resolved never to shut the doors of his heart to those who sought help. And from then on, both through himself and through others—especially through Christ's servants and household, the clergy and monks—he had the resources given to him from heaven stored up as lasting stores in eternal treasures through the hands of the poor.
Witnesses and Foundations
Blessed Gunther testifies to Stephen's generosity, and Stephen founds the monastery of Bæli, where Gerard begins a contemplative life and later becomes a martyr.
Blessed Gunther — a monk from secular nobility and a hermit, forever sharing with him in heavenly life — testifies to this. Drawn by the generosity of that charitable prince, he used to visit him often from the land of Bohemia. For whenever he lit up the king's court with the brilliance of his arrival, the royal treasury placed under his care was soon emptied — its wealth distributed to the poor, both foreign and local, to widows and orphans, to monasteries and churches.6 Also, at the bidding of that servant of God, the king, devoted to God, founded the monastery called Bæli and enriched it with every good thing. There, the monk Gerard, coming from Venice, began to live the contemplative life. He, chosen as bishop by heavenly appointment, was stoned after the holy king's death amid an upheaval against the Christian faith, and through the gift of spiritual grace was made worthy of the fellowship of martyrdom.
Read the original Latin
Inter omnia superne miserationis beneficia beato regi divinitus concessa pre omnibus sunt illa dinumeranda scriptisque commendanda, que locum primum obtinent ad eternae vite gaudia promerenda. In omnibus enim factis suis felicibus illud intendebat æsse principium, quod ex ævangelio fideli pectoris contemplatus est visu per veritatis ipsius testimoniumdicentis: 'beati misericordes, quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur', et in alio loco: 'date et dabitur vobis'. Tantis igitur misericordie et pietatis brachiis Christi pauperes, immo Christum in ipsis amplexabatur, quod nullus umquam hospes et peregrinus ab eo sine benignitatis alicuius solamine tristis abscessit. Ad recreationem egenorum cottidianas expensas indesinenter fieri instituit, nocturnas vigilias in Christi fidelium pedibus, in abscondendis in sinum pauperum elemosinis agiliter et ylariter transigere solebat, egenum Christum in membris suis consolari deliberans temporaliter, ut ipse vite cælestis cameram cunctis delectamentis refertam inveniens iocundari meruerit eternaliter.
Quadam vero nocte spirituali monitu tactus, nemine sciente solus plenum dono Dei gerens sacculum, Christi pusillum gregem solito more perrexit visitare, statimque pauperes distribuende cælestis thesauri pecunie distrahentes, viri Dei ævulsione barbe prebuerunt testimonium. Ob hoc gaudio repletus miles Christi maximum confugium fecit ad beatissimam creatoris omnium genitricem, prostratus terre gratias agens sic exclamavit: ,,Regina celestis et mea, quem tu regem statuisti, milites tui sic honoraverunt. Si ab aliquo adversario mihi hoc illatum fuisset, meas iniurias per tuum ulciscerer adminiculum. Sciens ergo, domina, per hoc æterna felicitate dignum nimus exulto, gratias agens salvatoris nostri verbis consolatoriis, quibus discipulos suos consolatus est dicens: 'Capillus de capite vestro non peribit'.'' His dictis se vir Dei celesti gratia percipiens visitatum et spirituali carismate perfusum, cordis ianuas opem querentibus numquam claudere decrevit et per se deinceps et per alios, sed precipue per Christi servos et familiares: clericos et monachos, celitus sibi datas facultates in eternis thesauris permanentes per manus pauperum fecit collocari.
Huius rei testimonium perhibet in æternum cum ipso celestis vite particeps monachus ex seculari nobilitate et heræmita, beatus Guntherus, qui liberalitate caritativi principis illectus solebat eum sepius de terra Boæmorum visitare. Quotienscunque enim curiam ipsius adventus sui fulgore perlustravit, camera regis sub manu sua posita prægrinis egenis et indigenis, viduis et orphanis, cænobiis et æcclesiis distributa re, quam continebat, in brevi fuit exinanita. Ad nutum etiam ipsius servi Dei, rex Deo devotus monasterium, quod Bæli nuncupatur, incipiens, omnibus bonis ditavit, ubi monachus Gerardus de Venetia veniens vitam contemplativam agere cepit. Qui constitutione superna pontifex ælectus post obitum sancti regis instante disturbatione Christianitatis lapidatus est, et per donum gratie spiritualis dignus effectus est consortio martyrii.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.10.30;Luke.12.7 — But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Luke.12.7 — But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Notes
- 1 ↩Normalized æsse as esse; testimoniumdicentis read as testimonium dicentis.
- 2 ↩ylariter taken as hilariter, 'cheerfully'.
- 3 ↩The legend presents the poor's rough scramble—tearing the king's beard—as paradoxical honor and 'testimony' to him as a man of God, which the following sentences treat as cause for joy rather than insult.
- 4 ↩Counterfactual: he would seek Mary's aid against a true enemy's insult; here the beard-pulling by the poor is not treated as injury to avenge but as honor that makes him rejoice.
- 5 ↩Source reads 'nimus'; almost certainly a scribal error for 'nimis' (exceedingly). Translated as 'beyond measure'.
- 6 ↩Latin prægrinis is read as peregrinis (foreigners/pilgrims), a common medieval spelling.
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