De roideur de penitence
The Discipline of the Body
Saint Louis begins his path of holiness by embracing bodily mortification, specifically through rigorous fasting and dietary restraint.
Because the beginning of our salvation is when we start to hate what we love, to grieve over what we used to delight in, to embrace what we feared, to pursue what we fled from, and to desire what we despised—and these are the things that bodily mortification and penance bring fully about—the blessed Saint1 Louis, seeing this, mortified his body in many ways; he was very austere and hard on himself regarding food and drink, as will appear hereafter.2 Now although the blessed king gladly ate large fish, nevertheless he often left the large ones that were brought to him and had little fish brought for his own mouth, and of those he ate.3 And sometimes he had the large fish that were set before him cut into pieces, so that it would look as if he had eaten of them; and yet then he ate neither of those large fish nor of other fish. Instead, pottage alone was enough for him, and he had those fish put into the alms.4 People believe he did this out of abstinence.5 After he returned from overseas, although he greatly loved large pike and other delicious fish, and people would buy them and set them before him at the table, he did not eat them. Quite often in Lent, he drank only water so that, as people believe, he might restrain his appetite.6 Furthermore, the blessed king, both before he went overseas and after he returned from there, always fasted on every Friday of the whole year, except when the Nativity of Our Lord fell on a Friday; for then he ate meat for the dignity of the feast.7
Austerity and Vigilance
The King extends his ascetic life to include frequent fasting, long vigils, simple bedding, and the wearing of a hair shirt.
Furthermore, he fasted every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.8 During his first voyage overseas, the blessed king began fasting for fifteen days before Pentecost, and he continued that same fast for the rest of his life. He also refrained from eating every dish set before him, a practice people believe he undertook out of abstinence and for the sake of God. And the blessed king kept long vigils in the service of God. After returning from his first voyage overseas, he never slept on straw or feathers. Instead, his bed was made of wood and carried with him wherever he went; on it, they laid a cotton mattress covered with a coarse cloth—not silk—and he slept there without any other bedding.9 It is firmly believed that every Good Friday, and throughout every Lent after his return from overseas, he wore a hair shirt against his bare skin on all Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.10
Secret Penance and Humility
Saint Louis performs his most severe penances in private, including flagellation, barefoot pilgrimages, and strict control over his demeanor.
He performed his penances as secretly as he could, avoiding his chamberlains so that none of them, except for one, knew how harsh his penances were. He used three cords joined together, about a foot and a half long, each with four or five knots. Every Friday throughout the year, and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during Lent, he would carefully check every corner of his room to ensure no one was there. Then, he would lock the door and stay inside with Brother Geoffrey of Beaulieu, of the Order of Preachers, for a long time.11 And it was believed and said among the chamberlains, and outside his room, that then the blessed king would confess at that time to the said brother, and that then the said brother would discipline him with those cords. Once, the blessed king walked barefoot from Nogent-l'Artaud to the church of Our Lady of Chartres, five leagues away. He was so exhausted by the journey that he couldn't have finished the walk without leaning on a knight or his other companions, as was evident from his posture. Afterward, he suffered physically for a long time because of the journey, and he would sometimes complain about it.12 Along with this, the blessed king refrained from laughing as much as he could every Friday, and if he caught himself laughing, he would stop immediately. He never wore a coif on a Friday.13
Read the original Latin
Pour ce que le commencement de nostre sauvement est quant nous commençons a haïr ce que nos aimons, a nous doloir de ce dont nous nos esleecions, a embracier ce (pio nous doutions, a ensievre ce que nous fuions, a desirrer ce que nos despisions, les queles choses mortificacion corporele et penitance font lere phinement, li benoiez saint F. oys, ce regardant, son cors mortifia en moût de manières; car il fu mont austères et durs a soi en boivrcs et en mengiers, si com il apert ci après. Que ja soit ce que li benoiez/ rois menjast volontiers granz poissons, nonpourquant il lessoit moût de foiz les granz qui li estoient aportez et fesoit aporter pour sa bouche petiz poissonnez des quels ilmenjoit. Et aucune foiz il fesoit depecier par pièces les granz poissons qui estoient aportez devant lui, pour ce que il parust que il en eust mengié, et toutevoies il ne menjoit adonques de ces granz poissons ', ne d'autres poissons', ainçois li soufisoit le seul potige, et hiisoit mètre ces poissons en l'aumône. Et croit l'en (jue il fesoit ce par abstinence. Et puis que il revint d'outre mer, ja soit ce que il amast moût granz luz et autres poissons delicieus et que l'en les achctast et portast l'en devant lui a la table, nonpour(uant il n'en menjoit pas, ainçois estoient toutevoies la bovoit il en Quaiesme assez souvent, pour ce, si comme l'en croit, que il refrenast son apetit . De lechiel li benoiez rois, ainçois que il alast outre mer et puis que il en revint, il geunoit touzjors touz les jours de vendredi de tout l'an, fors quant li jours de la Nativité Nostre Seigneur cheoit au jour de vendredi, car adonques il menjoit char pour la hautece de la feste.
De rechiet" il jeunoit chascune semaine el jour de lundi', de mecredi et de samedi . Quant li benoiez rois estoit outre mer eu tens de son premier passage, il commençoit a jeûner xv jors devant la feste de Penthecouste , la quele jeune il garda ensement puis touzjours jusques a son deces. De rechief il ne menjoit pas de touz les mes que l'en metoit devant lui, et croit l'en que il le fesoit par abstinence et pour Dieu. Et li benoiez rois veilloit moût el service Dieu. Puis que il revint d'outre mer el tens de son premier passage, il ne gisoit nule foiz sus fuerre ne sus plume; ainçois estoit son lit ordené de fust qui estoit porté en quel(y//< lieu que il alast après lui, sus le quel l'en metoit un materaz de coton coni'ert de palliot non pas de soie, et ilecques il gesoit sanz autre fuerre. L'en croit fermement que ehascun jour du Saint Vendredi et ausi en ehascun Quaresme puis que il revint d'outre mer, touz les jors de lundi, de mecredi et de vendredi, il portoit la haire a sa char nue '.
Et nonpourquant il fesoit le plus secreement que il onques pooit teles penitances et se gardoit de ses chambellens, si que nul d'eus, fors un seul, ne savoit les aspretez des penitances que il fesoit. 11 avoit iij cordeles ensemble jointes longues près de pié et demi, et chascune de ces cordeles avoit iiij neus ou v '\ et touz les jours de veiulredi par tout l'an, et en (uaresnie es jours de lundi, de niectedi et de vendredi , il cerchoit niout bien sa chambre par touz les angles que nul n'i de//iorast ilec(pies, et donques il clooit Tuis et demoroit enclos avec Frère Ciiefroi de Biaulieu , de l'ordre des Preecheeurs, dedenz la chambre ou il estoient longuement ensemble. Et estoit creu et dit entre les chambellens et hors de sa chambre que lors li benoiez rois se confessoit adoncjues au dit frère et que adonques li diz frères le disciplinoit des dites cordeles. Et une foiz li benoiez rois ala nuz piez de Nogent l'Erenibertjusques a l'église de Nostre Dame de Chartres, qui est loing de la dite église par v lieues ou il fu moût travaillié, SI que il ne peust pas avoir acompli tant de voie se il ne se fust apuié seur un chevalier ou sus ses autres compaignons, si com il aparoit a son port, et après il li en fu lonc tens de pis en sa persone por ce que il avoit enipris pour fere tele voie et s'en complaigiioit aucune foiz. Et avecques ce Il benoiez rois se tenoit tant com il pooit de rire toz les jours de vendredi, et se il commençast aucune foiz a rire que il ne s'en preist garde, tantost il delessoit"' a rire. Et nule foiz au jour de vendredi il ne niuoit coife.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source has corrupted «ce (pio nous doutions» (read as «ce que nous doutions») and «font lere phinement» (read as «font leur finement» / «parfaitement», “bring fully about”). Sentence is artificially cut mid-name before s2.
- 2 ↩Opening «oys» completes «Loys» from s1. «boivrcs» read as «boivres» (drink).
- 3 ↩«li benoiez/ rois» and «ilmenjoit» treated as «li benoiez rois» and «il menjoit».
- 4 ↩«potige» read as «potage» (pottage/soup); «hiisoit mètre» read as «fesoit metre» (had put).
- 5 ↩«(jue» read as «que».
- 6 ↩Middle clause «ainçois estoient toutevoies la bovoit il en Quaiesme assez souvent» is corrupt. Most plausible sense taken as water-drinking in Lent («l'eau bovoit il…») to curb appetite; «achctast» = «achetast», «nonpour(uant» = «nonpourquant», «Quaiesme» = «Quaresme».
- 7 ↩«De lechiel» read as «De rechief» (cf. neighboring «De rechief» / «De rechiet»); «geunoit» as «jeunoit».
- 8 ↩Source surface 'De rechiet' is taken as OF 'De rechief' ('again / furthermore'), matching the clear form in s3.
- 9 ↩Normalized garbled spans: 'quel(y//< lieu' → 'quelque lieu' (wherever); 'coni'ert' → 'couvert' (covered). 'palliot' rendered as a plain/coarse covering fabric opposed to silk.
- 10 ↩Source 'ehascun' read as OF 'chascun' ('each / every'), twice.
- 11 ↩Normalized heavily corrupt OCR: Il for 11; vendredi for veiulredi; quaresme for (uaresnie; mecredi for niectedi; mout for niout; demorast ilecques for de//iorast ilec(pies; l'uis for Tuis; Giefroi for Ciiefroi; Preecheurs for Preecheeurs. Sense: discipline cords and private enclosure with his Dominican confessor.
- 12 ↩Place-name 'Nogent l'Erenibert' treated as intended Nogent-l'Artaud (common Pathus reading); 'enipris' as enpris; 'complaigiioit' as complaignoit. 'de la dite église' taken as distance from the starting place to Chartres (five leagues).
- 13 ↩Source 'niuoit coife' read as metoit coife (put on a coif/head-covering), a penitential bareheaded practice; alternative n'usoit coife is close in sense.
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