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← Vie et miracles de saint Louis by Guillaume de Saint-Pathus/Book 1 · La Vie de monseigneur saint Loys
Chapter 13VieStLoys.1.13

De vigueur de pacience

Patience in Captivity and Sickness

Saint Louis endures the hardships of his imprisonment in Egypt with remarkable patience and humility.

[Illegible source fragment]1 A bitter drink is gladly taken when it is given for the sake of health—and the blessed Saint Louis understood this so well that of his own good will he suffered harsh and heavy things, intending to have the love of Our Lord and in the hope of everlasting salvation.2 We see a few examples of this patience. The first time he crossed the sea, when he and his people had landed at Damietta, the whole army went on campaign as far as Mansourah.3 And when they were there and could not go any farther, they turned back, and on the return they made, the Saracens came upon them with a great army.4 for nearly all of those in our army were gravely ill, and they were defeated and taken there by the Saracens.5 After the blessed king and his brothers—my lord Alphonse and my lord Charles—were captured, and his brother, my lord Robert, had died, no one from his household remained with the holy king except for one man named Ysembart. Even when others arrived later, they couldn't serve because they were all sick.6 So, Ysembart did the cooking for the holy king, making bread out of meat and flour he brought from the sultan's court.7 The blessed king was so sick that his teeth were loose and shifting, his face was pale and sallow, and he suffered from a severe intestinal flux; he had grown so thin that his spine stood out with startling sharpness.8 It fell to Ysembart to attend to the blessed king’s every need, even helping him undress.9 And yet, as the said Ysembart—who was a man of mature years and of means—said under oath, he never then saw the blessed king angry or stirred up over it, nor murmuring at anything; but in all patience and gentleness he bore and endured his said illnesses and the great adversity of his people, and was always at prayer.10 And the holy king had lost his clothes, so that a poor man had taken off his green outer coat and given it to him, and he wore it every day in that time until clothing came to him afterward from Damietta.11

The Humble King and His Household

The king demonstrates gentle mercy toward his negligent servants, prioritizing their well-being over his own comfort.

Once, while in Paris, the blessed king left his chamber to hear legal business and cases. After hearing business for a long time, he returned to his chamber accompanied only by a single knight who lodged with him. When he was in his room, none of the chamberlains or the others who were supposed to guard it—even though there were sixteen of them, including chamber valets and the king's bed stewards—were there.12 They were called for throughout the courtyard, the garden, and other parts of the house, but they couldn't be found to provide the service they were supposed to.1314 Although the knight wanted to perform the service due to him, the blessed king wouldn't allow it.15 And when one of the chamberlains and the others already named had come back to the chamber and learned that the blessed king had not found a soul who would even just keep the chamber, they were deeply distressed and very afraid, so that they did not dare come before him, and they complained of themselves before Brother Pierre of the Order of the Trinity, who helped the blessed king say his hours and was a close and trusted intimate of the king.16 And when the holy king, who wanted to go to the cases, saw them—for they had already come back—he said to them, with his hands drawn out from under his cloak: "And where are all of you coming from?17 I can't find anyone at all to help with my needs, even though a single one of you—even the least among you—would have been enough."18 " He said nothing else to them; instead he went off to his cases.19 And when the business was finished—when he had come back down to his chamber after the cases were done—and his chamberlains and the others dared not appear before him, Brother Pierre of the Trinity told him that his chamberlains dared not come before him unless he was gracious toward them and had them called in.20 He had them called, and he laughed, appearing joyful and glad, and said to them, "Come, come." You're sad because of the wrong you've done; I forgive you for it.21 Just make sure you don't do it again from now on." And when the king wanted to go that same day, after his midday rest, to the wood of Vincennes, which is a league from Paris, one of his chamberlains did not put the blessed king's dry bread into the chests where it usually was—the dry bread he was accustomed to eat. Instead he put it in another chest and kept the key, and he did not come to Vincennes either, but stayed in Paris.22 When the blessed king arrived at Vincennes and wanted supper, they asked for that dish, but it couldn't be found in the chests for which they had keys, because it was in one of the chests whose keys the chamberlain mentioned above had kept.23 When the chamberlains wanted to break open the chest where they thought the dish was, the blessed king wouldn't allow it, so he had to eat his supper in his cloak. There was a man named Jean who had been King Philip's watchman, as he used to say, and who slept in the king's chamber so he could always tend the fire, both in summer and winter.24 Now it happened once, when the blessed king had had that illness, that one evening, just as he was about to get into bed, he wanted to look at the redness of the leg mentioned above.25 At that the said Jean lit a wax candle and held it over the holy king's leg, and the king was looking at his leg and examining it, for it hurt him a great deal, since it was then red and swollen just as it used to be at other times when the illness was upon him.2627 And so it happened that the said Jean the Watchman, carelessly holding the candle over the leg, let a drop full of fire fall on the blessed king's leg at the place that was swollen and where he was in pain.28 So the blessed king, who was sitting on the bed, stretched out on the bed from the pain he felt and said: "Ah! Jean! And that Jean answered the same way: "Ah! I've wronged you! And the blessed king answered: "Jean, my grandfather dismissed you from his household for a lesser thing.29 For the said Jean had told the holy king and my lord Pierre de Laon and others of the chamber that King Philip had thrown him out of his household because he had put logs on the fire that crackled as they burned.30 And yet the said my lord Pierre de Laon swore that he never at any time saw that the king was for this reason moved in the least against the said Jean; on the contrary, he always kept him in his service just as before.

Endurance of Public Insult and Poverty

Saint Louis models Christ-like patience by welcoming the poor and responding to public verbal abuse with humility and charity.

And when the holy king went one Good Friday through the churches, giving coins to the poor who came to him, he forbade his sergeants to keep the poor from coming near him.31 Because of this, the poor jostled the blessed king so hard that they nearly knocked him over.32 He took it all patiently. Even though he was hard-pressed by the poor who followed him for alms—and who sometimes even climbed onto his feet because of the crush—he couldn't stand to have his ushers or attendants push them back. Instead, he told them to leave the people alone, saying that Jesus Christ endured more for us on a day like today than he was enduring for Him.33 And he was going barefoot then, and he wore hose down to his feet.34 He endured many persecutions with patience. Indeed, as it happened that a woman named Sarrete was pleading a case in the blessed king's court against my lord Jean de Fucilleuse, a knight, and one time when the parlement was sitting in Paris and the blessed king had come down from his chamber, the said woman, who was at the foot of the stairs, said to him: "Fie!35 Shame!36 Should you be king of France!37 It would be far better if someone else were king than you; for you're only king of the Friars Minor and the Friars Preachers and of the priests and the clerks.38 It's a great harm that you're king of France, and it's a great wonder that you haven't been thrown out of the kingdom.39 >?40 When the blessed king's servants wanted to beat her and throw her out, he spoke up and ordered them not to touch her or push her away.41 And when he had listened to her carefully and thoroughly, he spoke and answered with a smile: "Indeed, you speak the truth; I'm not worthy to be king." If it had pleased Our Lord, it would have been better for someone else, who knew how to govern the kingdom better, to be king instead of me.42 Then the blessed king ordered one of his chamberlains to give her some money, and people believe it was forty sous.43 A great many people were present for the events described above.

Read the original Latin

OUI i. sr Di>: vi(;uKUH dk pacienck " Aspre bevriige est volontiers pris qui est donné en entencion de santé; la quele chose li benoiet saint Loys entendi si bien que il soufri de sa bonne volenté aspresreA- et griés en entencw/«) d'avoir l'amour de Nostre Seigneur et en espérance d'avoir salut pardurablc. De la quele pacience voions aucuns essamples. La première (oiz que il passa la mer, comme il et les siens fussent deseenduz en Damiete, tout l'ost ala ostoiant jusques a la Massore. Et coni il fussent la et ne peussent aler outre, il retournèrent, et el retour que il firent, les Sarrazins vindrent seur eus a grant ost. car touz ceus a bien pou de nostre ost estoient malades griement, et furent desconfiz et priz ilecques des Sarrazins. Et comme li benoiez rois et ses frei-es, c'est a savoir mon seigneur Alfons et mon seigneur' Challes fussent pris et mon seigneur Robert, son frère, mort, il ne demora avec(ues le saint roy nul de sa mesniee fors un qui avoit nom Ysembart ', tout soit ce que aucuns y venissent après qui toutevoies ne pooient servir, car il estoient touz"" malades. Donc li diz Ysembars / fesoit la cuisine pour le saint roy et fesoit pain de chars et de Airine ' que il aportolt de la cour au Soudan.

Et li benoiez rois estoit si malades que les denz de la bouche li hochoient ' et movoient, et sa cliai- estoit pale et teinte et avoit flux de ventre trop ' griel , et estoit si megres que les os de l'eschine de son dos estoient merveilleusement aguz. Et couvenoit que li diz Yseinbarz ' portasl le benoiet roy a toutes ses neccessitez et neis que il le deseouvi-ist -. Et nonpourqiiant, si comme H diz Ysembarz « qui estoit homme de meiir aage et riche dit par son serement, il ne vit onques le benoiet '■ roi lors irié ne escommeu pour ce, ne murmurant de nule chose; mes en toute pacience et en debonnercté portoit et sostenoit ses dites mahadies et hi grant aversité de ses genz et estoit touzjours en oroison. Et li sainz rois avoit perdu ses robes, si que un povre homme avoit despoillié son secot de vert et li avoit donné, et il le vestoit chascun jour en cel tens jusques a tant que dras li vindrent après de Damiete. Et une foiz li benoiez rois estoit a Paris, et issi de sa chambre pour oir les besoignes et les causes. Et com il eust esté moût longuement as besoignes oir, il revint en sa chambre et un chevalier tant seulement avec lui qui gisoit en sa chambre.

Et com il fust en sa chambre , nul des chambellens ne des autres qui dévoient garder sa chambre et Tavoient acoustumé a fere, — ja soit ce que il lussent xvj entre chambellens et valiez de chambre et sommeliers du lit le/ rov, — n'iS furent. Apelez par le paies et par le jardin et par autres parties de l'osteH, iP ne porent estre trouvez pour servir le, si com il dévoient lere. Et ja soit ce que li diz chevaliers li vousist fere le service que l'en li devoit adonques fere, li benoiez rois ne le volt J soufrir. Et comme l'un des chambellens et les antres deviint diz fussent re\i>enHz a la chambie et il eussent entendu que li benoiez '" rois n'eust atne trouvé qui gardast neis seulement la chambre, il furent niout dolenz et se doutèrent moût, si que il n'osoient venir devant lui et se complaignoicnt " d'eus meemes devant frère Pierres de l'ordre de la Tiinilé, qui aidoil an henoiel" roy a dire ses heures et esloit moût sccré du roy et familier. Et comme H sainz rois qui voh>it\ rnler as causes, les"' veist, car il estoient ja revenuz, il leur dist, ses mains tretes desouz sa chape : « Et dont « venez vos touz? Ja ne/ puis ge A' avoir nul homme a « mes besoinz, et nonpourquant un seul m'en soufisist, neis « le mendre de vous. »

Onques autre chose ne leur dist, ainçois lala a ses causes. Et finees les besoignes', com il refust descendu en sa chambre quant les causes furent finees, et ses chambellens ne les autres n'osassent apparoir devant lui, frère Pierres de la Trinité li dist que ses chambellens n'osoient venir devant lui, se il ne fust debonneres vers eus et se il ne les fesoit apcler. Et il les fist lors apeler et rist et sembla que il fust joieus et liez, et leur dist : « Venez, venez. Vos estes tristes pour ce que vos avez « melTet; je le vous pardoinz. Gardez vos que vous ne « faciez d'ore en avant einsi. » Et comme li rois vousist aler en ce meemes jour, après dormir sus jour, au bois de Vicennes qui est a une lieue de Paris, un de ses chambellenz ne mist pas le secot"' du benoiet roy es cofres ou il souloit estre, eu quel secot " il avoit acoustumé a mengier ; ainçois le mist en un autre cofre et retint la clef, ne ne vint pas a Vincennes , ainçois demora a Paris.

Et donques quant li benoiez rois vint a Vincennes et il volt souper, l'en demanda cel secot; mes il ne pot estre trouvé es cofres des quex les clés estoient ilecques, car il estoit en un des cofres dont li chambellenz desus diz avoit retenues les clés. Donc comme li chambellent vosissent brisier le cofre cl quel il cuidoient que li secoz fust, li benoiez rois ne volt soufrir, pour quoi il convint que il soupast en sa chape apelé JeJuin, (/ni avolt esté guete du roy Phelipe ', si corn il tlisoit, et il gisoit por ce en sa chambre que il gardast tozjouis le feu et en esté et en yver. Or avint une foiz, comme li benoiez rois eust eu celé maladie cjue, a un soir, ainsi com il volt entrer en son lit, il volt veoir la rougeur de la jambe desus " dite. De quoi li diz Jehans aluma une chandele de cire et la tcnoit sus la jambe du saint roy, et il veoit sa jambe et la regarcloit qui moût li doloit, car ele estoit adonques rouge et enflée ausi comme ele souloit estre autre foiz quant la maladie se declinoit. De quoi il avint que li diz Jehan la Ciuete desaviseement tenant la chandele sus la jambe, une goûte pleinne de feu chei sus la jam)e du benoiet roy eu lieu qui estoit enflé et lu ou il se douloit. Donc li benoiez rois qui se seoit eu lit, pour la doleur que il ot s'estendi seur le lit et dist : « Ha !

Jehan ! » Et celui Jehan respondi ensement : <-< Ha! je vos ai malfet! » Et li benoiez rois respondi ; « Jehan, mon aionl vos donna « pour mendre chose congié de son hostel. » Car li diz Jehans avoit dit au saint roy et a mon seigneur Pierres de Loon et a autres de la chambre que li rois Phelipes l'avoit bouté hors de son hostel pour ce que il avoit mis busches el feu qui croissoient en ardant. Et nonpourquant li diz mon seigneur Pierres de Loon " dit par son serement que onques a nul tens il n'aperçut que il fust pour ce de riens meu contre le dit Jehan, ainçois le tint touzjors en son service einsi comme devant. Et comme li sainz rois alast un jour du Saint Vendredi par les églises, donnant deniers as/ povres qui venoient a lui, il defendoit a ses serganz que il ne défendissent pas as» povres (ue il n'aprochassent pas ' a lui.

Par la (piele chose les povres deboutoient si le benoief roy que a bien lou (ue il ne le fesoient cheoir. Et il prenoit tout en pncience; car, ja soit" que il fusl mont apressé des povres qui le sivoient pour recevoir s'aumone, qui aucune Ibiz niontoient neis sus ses piez pour la multitude d'eus, nonpourquant il ne pooit soufrir (ue les huissiers et les autres qui estoient eutour lui boutassent arrière les povres; ainçois disoit que l'en lessast et que « niout plus sostint pour nous Jhesu (( Crist a tel jour comme hui que je ne soustien por lui. » Et aloit adonques nuz piez et avoit chances jusquesas piez. Et il ot mont de persecucions que il soustint en pacience. Certes, com einsi fust que une femme qui avoit non Sarrete pledast en la court du benoief" roy a mon seigneur Jehan de Fucilleuse, chevalier', et une foiz quant le parlement seoit a Paris et li benoiez» rois fust descendu de sa chambre, la dite femme (|ui (u e) pie des degrez li dist : a Fi ! fi ! Deusses tu estre roi de France !

Mont miex (ust « cue un autre fust roi que tu; car tu es roy tant seulement « des Frères Meneurs et des Frères Preecheurs et des « prestres et des clers. Giant damage est que tu es roy de (( France, et c'est ' grant merveille que tu n'es bouté hors « du roiaume. >? Et comme les seroanz du benoiet rov la vosissent batre et bouter hors, il dist et commanda que il ne la touchassent ne boutassent. Et quant il l'ot bien' escoutee et diligaument, il dist et respondi ■/ en sousriant : « Certes, « VOS dites voir; je ne suis pas digne d'estre roy. Et se il (( eust pieu a Nostre Seigneur, ce eust esté miex que un « autre eust esté rov que je", qui miex seust gouverner le « roiaunie. » Et lors commanda li benoiez rois a un de ses chambellens que il li donnast de l'argent, et croit l'en \1 s.

Et mont de persones estoient présentes es choses desus dites.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source reading 'OUI i.' is unrecoverable OCR noise, not continuous Old French prose. No intended sense can be reconstructed without a cleaner witness.
  2. 2 ↩Normalized through heavy OCR corruption: opening rubric fragment reconstructed as chapter title 'De vigueur de pacience' (already given as chapter_title); 'Aspre bevriige' → aspre bevrage; 'aspresreA-' → asprescez (harsh/bitter things); 'entencw' → entencion; 'pardurablc' → pardurable. Translation begins at the proverb proper.
  3. 3 ↩Reconstructed '(oiz' → foiz; 'deseenduz' → descenduz; 'Massore' = al-Mansurah (Mansourah).
  4. 4 ↩'coni' reconstructed as 'com'/'comme' (when).
  5. 5 ↩'a bien pou' taken as 'nearly / almost all' (à bien peu de...); if read more strictly as 'except for very few,' the sense is the same.
  6. 6 ↩'frei-es' → freres; 'avec(ues' → avecques; 'mesniee' = household/retinue. Alfons = Alphonse (of Poitiers); Challes = Charles (of Anjou); Robert = Robert (of Artois).
  7. 7 ↩'Airine' corrected to farine (flour). 'chars' taken as OF char 'flesh/meat'; the phrase is literally 'bread of meat and of flour' brought from the sultan's court.
  8. 8 ↩Reading corrupted forms as chair (face/flesh), grief/griés (severe), and related OCR breaks in the normalized Old French.
  9. 9 ↩Reading portasl as portast and deseouvi-ist as deseouvr/desouvrir (to undress/uncover him).
  10. 10 ↩Reading nonpourqiiant as nonpourquant, meiir as meür, debonnercté as debonnereté, mahadies as maladies, and hi as la before grant aversité.
  11. 11 ↩secot de vert rendered as green outer coat/surcoat; Old French sot/sotcote-type garment.
  12. 12 ↩Normalized corrupt OCR forms: Tavoient→l'avoient; lussent→fussent; le/ rov→le roy; n'iS→n'i.
  13. 13 ↩paies is corrupt; rendered as 'courtyard' (possible païs/pavés/parvis/praies of the ostel grounds).
  14. 14 ↩Normalized: osteH→ostel; iP→il; lere→fere.
  15. 15 ↩Stray J before soufrir treated as OCR noise.
  16. 16 ↩Normalized many OCR corruptions: antres→autres; devant diz; revenuz; chambre; ame trouvé; mout dolenz; complaignoient; Trinité; aidoit au benoiet roy; estoit; secré.
  17. 17 ↩Normalized: H→li; voh>it rnler→voloit aler; les veist.
  18. 18 ↩Normalized: Ja ne puis ge avoir; nonpourquant; un seul m'en soufisist; neis le mendre de vous.
  19. 19 ↩Normalized reading takes `lala` as `ala` / `s'en ala` ('went off'); `causes` is judicial business, continuing the previous section.
  20. 20 ↩`apcler` read as `apeler` ('call / summon'); `debonneres` as gracious/kind (`debonnaire`).
  21. 21 ↩`melTet` / `« melTet` read as `mesfet` / `mesfait` ('wrong / misdeed').
  22. 22 ↩`secot` rendered as the king's dry bread (a simple dry loaf/rusk he ate); next section confirms it is food kept under lock for his supper.
  23. 23 ↩OF secot: physical food vessel/dish the king was used to eating from (cf. 1.13.4); rendered 'dish'.
  24. 24 ↩Normalized text is corrupt: 'chambellent'→chamberlains; 'cl quel'→en quel; 'secoz'→secot/dish; 'JeJuin'→Jehan; '(/ni avolt'→qui avoit; 'si corn il tlisoit'→si com il disoit. 'en sa chape' taken as dining still in his cloak (without full service); Jean may be loosely attached by source damage. Plausible sense retained with review flag.
  25. 25 ↩'cjue' read as 'que'; 'celé maladie' as 'cele maladie' (that illness).
  26. 26 ↩'quant la maladie se declinoit': OF décliner of illness can mean abating or running its course; rendered 'when the illness was upon him' for the symptomatic red-and-swollen stage.
  27. 27 ↩'tcnoit'→tenoit; 'regarcloit'→regardoit.
  28. 28 ↩'Jehan la Ciuete' read as epithet Jehan la Guete ('Jean the Watchman'), matching 'guete du roy Phelipe' in s2; 'desaviseement' = heedlessly; 'jam)e'→jambe; 'lu ou'→là où.
  29. 29 ↩Normalized aionl as aïeul, 'grandfather' (Philip II Augustus, Louis IX's grandfather).
  30. 30 ↩qui croissoient en ardant: rendered as logs that crackled while burning (green/sputtering wood); could also be read as wood that made the fire swell as it burned.
  31. 31 ↩Normalized OCR debris (as/, as», (ue, stray apostrophe) to as povres que il n'aprochassent pas a lui.
  32. 32 ↩Normalized corrupt OCR: likely 'Par la quelle chose... que a bien pou que il ne le fesoient cheoir' (for which reason... almost made him fall); '(piele' read as 'quelle', 'lou (ue' as 'pou que', 'benoief' as 'benoiet'.
  33. 33 ↩Corrected readings assumed: 'pacience' for 'pncience'; 'fust' for 'fusl'; 'aucune foiz montoient' for 'aucune Ibiz niontoient'; 'entour' for 'eutour'; 'que' for '(ue'; and speech 'il ot plus sostint' for '« niout plus sostint'. Good Friday context from neighboring section.
  34. 34 ↩'chances' read as 'chauces' (hose/leggings); 'jusquesas' as 'jusques as'.
  35. 35 ↩Normalized '(|ui (u e) pie des degrez' as 'qui fu el pie des degrez' (who was at the foot of the stairs); 'benoief/benoiez»' as 'benoiet/benoiez'; speech opener 'a Fi' as '« Fi'.
  36. 36 ↩'Fi!' is a contemptuous interjection; modern 'Fie!' preserves the scorn without slang.
  37. 37 ↩Indignant/sarcastic 'Deusses tu estre...' continues in the next section as a tirade against Louis as only king of friars and clerks; rendered as scornful rhetorical challenge, not a genuine obligation.
  38. 38 ↩Normalized garbled reading Mont miex (ust cue → Mont miex fust que; Frères Meneurs = Franciscans (Friars Minor); Frères Preecheurs = Dominicans (Friars Preachers).
  39. 39 ↩Normalized Giant damage → Grant damage (OCR/g for G confusion).
  40. 40 ↩Source token >? appears to be non-linguistic OCR debris (likely residual quotation punctuation), not a recoverable Old French clause.
  41. 41 ↩Normalized seroanz → serjanz (servants); rov → roy (king).
  42. 42 ↩Normalized pieu → pleu (pleased); rov → roy; roiaunie → roiaume.
  43. 43 ↩Closing amount reading croit l'en \1 s. is corrupt; most plausible restoration is xl s. (forty sous), a common manuscript figure. Alternative amounts remain possible.

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