Caput 2
The Star of Grace at Birth
From the moment of his birth, Ladislaus already displayed the grace that marked him for kingship, prefigured in the beauty of body and mind given by the Creator, and was fittingly named Ladislaus.
And so blessed King Ladislaus, like a new star risen from among the stars, from the very start of his birth already showed forth the purpose of God's grace in the bearing of his body and soul. And once born, the little infant already showed what kind of king he was going to be. By the Creator's providence, of course—who is described as fairer in form than the sons of men, and of boundless wisdom—He laid foundations of good hope and of the dignity still to come after His own likeness in the deputy of His work, so that from the first forming of him the graceful boy might show, by the beauty of body and mind, whose place he had been born to hold when grown.1 So, as he emerged amid these first gifts of grace, he was named Ladislaus.
The Name That Foretells Vocation
The name Ladislaus itself is unpacked through etymology as 'praise given by God to the peoples,' revealing that his very name prophesied his role as a divinely-given ruler and a glory to his nation.
And that name, to be sure, seems to have been given him not without a foreshadowing of what was to come. For if we play on the etymology of his name, Ladislaus is said to mean something like "praise given by God to the peoples." For laos means "people," and dosis means "giving," "what is given," or "a gift."2 The first syllable of his name is laus by paragoge; he was truly a praise given to the peoples, because it was a blessed nation and a praiseworthy people to have such a prince arise among them.3 It was a glory to be visited by such a great ruler, granted by God.
Read the original Latin
Beatus itaque rex Ladislaus, tamquam de syderibus nouum sydus exortus, in ipso natiuitatis sue exordio gracie dei propositum habitu corporis et animi preferebat. et natus monstrabat infantulus qualis esset rex futurus.
prouidencia nimirum conditoris, qui speciosus forma pre filiis hominum et innumerabilis sapiencie describitur, sic ad similitudinem suam in operis sui uicario bone spei ac uenture dignitatis fundamenta coniecit, ut ex prima composicione, decore sui corporis et mentis elegans puer ostenderet, cuius uicem adultus tenere natus esset. in hys itaque primis gracie donis exortus Ladislaus est uocatus.
quod utique non sine presagio futurorum uidetur eidem esse impositum. nam si ethymologie nominis eius alludamus, Ladislaus quasi laus diuinitus data populis dicitur. laos enim populus interpretatur, dosis autem dans uel datum siue dacio. prima uero sillaba nominis eius laus est per paragogen, ipse quidem laus data erat populis, quia reuera beata gens et laudabilis populus, in quo talis princeps surrexerat. gloriosum extitit tanto rectore diuinitus concesso uisitari.
Notes
- 1 ↩operis sui vicario: the king as God's earthly deputy or vicar in the work of rule; not a clerical title here.
- 2 ↩Medieval Greek etymology: laos (λαός) = people; dosis (δόσις) = giving/gift. The threefold gloss dans / datum / dacio is retained as alternative renderings of the same root idea.
- 3 ↩per paragogen: technical rhetorical term for lengthening a form by adding a letter or syllable, used here in the medieval name-play that links La- in Ladislaus to Latin laus.
Legenda Sancti Ladislai regis (Life of Saint Ladislaus of Hungary) companion
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