De saintee de continence
The King's Personal Chastity
Saint Louis practiced rigorous personal continence and sought to live a life of purity, even contemplating religious life.
Who is there who doesn't know that continence is owed to the flesh? For by continence the human body is held in check so that it doesn't slip into deadly pleasures. The blessed Saint Louis kept continence in marriage, as the things that follow make clear.1 For when he was young and gracious and beloved by everyone, through the provision of his mother and of the wise men of the kingdom of France, he took as his wife the eldest daughter of the count of Provence—that is, my lady Margaret. And when the blessed king was privately with her—he who had been taught by the counsel of the great Angel of Counsel, that is, of the blessed Son of God, and who had been formed by the example of Tobit—before he touched her he set himself to prayer for three nights and taught her to do the same in prayer before he approached her, as the said lady later recalled.2 And still the blessed Saint Louis practiced continence throughout all of Advent and throughout all of Lent, and beyond that on certain days each week, and also on vigils and on the days of the great feasts, and over and above that, on the feast days when he was accustomed to receive the true Body of Our Lord, for several days before Communion and several days after.3 Likewise, the man who was so zealous for chastity spent several years before his death longing to reach full perfection; he firmly resolved with a devout heart that if his eldest son came of age and the queen, his wife, consented, he would enter religious life.4 And when he had told this plan in secret to the said queen and ordered her not to tell it to anyone, she set before him sound reasons against it and would not agree that he should enter religious life—God perhaps providing something better, namely that he would be more useful in his first estate, keeping the kingdom in peace and promoting and advancing the affairs of the kingdom and of all holy Church. There was complete purity in the holy king: never in the time when he was growing up, nor in the time of his youth, nor at any time, could those who were with him in the times mentioned above and who lived long with him see or notice that the blessed king had any familiarity or suspicious conversation with any woman other than his own, nor did they ever hear anyone say or slander any word about his incontinence.5 Throughout the whole of Lent and on every Friday and Saturday, the blessed king refrained from the queen's company.6 Blessed Saint Louis very gladly kept good, honest, and just men in his company, and he just as gladly avoided the company and conversation of the wicked and those he knew to be living in sin.7 Wrongdoers and those who spoke foully displeased him above all else.
Purifying the Royal Household
The king enforced strict moral standards within his court, punishing those who failed to live in purity or who used foul language.
He wanted his household to be so pure that if anyone swore foully by God or by the blessed Virgin Mary, he had them thrown out of his house immediately. And likewise, those who were found to have committed fornication or other foul acts he punished thoroughly according to the offense. And if he could learn that anyone of his household had committed any mortal sin, he threw him out of his court and his household. And because two men of his household failed to fast one day in Lent when they ought to have fasted, he had them dismissed from his household.8 It often happened that he had members of his household imprisoned if they were caught sinning with a woman or swearing by God's name.9 Sometimes he conducted inquiries within his household to see if anyone was committing fornication or adultery, or living dishonestly in any other way.10 If he discovered that anyone was living in fornication or adultery, or speaking foul abuse against God and the saints, he either threw them out of his court and household or ensured they were punished according to their offenses.11 When the blessed king, at the time of his first crossing, intended to stay a long while overseas, he had all those of his household summoned and carefully admonished them to live chastely and honorably, since they had come there and were in God's service and in his own; and he told them that those who could not and would not consent and live chastely should ask leave to go home, and he would grant it and treat them well as he ought—but no one asked leave then.12 And afterward, when the blessed king had heard that some of his household were living dishonestly, he had an inquiry made in which all those of his household took an oath. And because it was found that sixteen or seventeen of them were not keeping continence well—even though some of them were very much in his favor—he nevertheless had them dismissed from his household and his retinue.13 Even though they had him urgently begged to let them return and be restored to his favor and his household, for all that they could never obtain it for three months or four.14 But after this, when an Easter day came, the pleas were so great that he forgave them, and he told them beforehand that if they ever did such a thing again, they would be severely punished without remission.15
Read the original Latin
Qui est cil qui ne set que continence soit deue a la char? Car par continence est cors humain restreint que il ne se coule en mortex deliz. Li benoiet saint Loys tint continence de mariage, si com il apert par les choses qui ensivent. Car, quant il fu joene et gracieus et amable a toute gent, par la porveance de sa mère et des sages du roiaume de France, il prist a femme l'ainsnee fille au conte de Prouvence, c'est a savoir ma dame Marguerite. Et quant li benoiez rois fu secreement avecques li, cil qui fu enseignié du conseil du grant ange du conseil , c'est du benoiet Filz Dieu, et qui fu enfourmé de l'essample de Thobie, avant que il atochast a li, il se mist a ouroison iij nuiz et li enseigna a fere ausi en oroisons ainçois que il aprochast, si comme la dite dame recorda après. Et encores li benoiez sainz Loys se contenoit par tout l'Avent et par toute la Quarantaine, et avecques ce en certains jours chascune semaine, et ausi es vegiles et es jours des granz festes, et par desus ce, es jours des festcs es queles il avoit acoustumé a recevoir le vrai cors Nostre Seigneur, par pluseurs jours devant la communion et pluseurs jours après.
Et ausi cil qui estoit jalons de chastee, par pluseurs anz avant qu'il trespassast, desirranz avenir a toute perfection, proposa fermement de cuer dévot que, se son ainsné fiuz venoit en aage et la royne sa femme si cousentoit, il enlerroit en rclijion. Et com il ot dit en secré cest propos a la dite royne et commandé que ele ne le deist a nule persone, elle li moustra raisons prouvables au contraire ne ne se volt acorder a ce que il entrast en religion , Dieu pourveant par aventure aucune chose meilleur, c'est a savoir que il seroit plus proufitable en son premier estât a garder le roiaume en pes et pourmovoir et avancier les besoignes du roiaume et de toute sainte Eglise. Toute netee fu eu saint roy, ne onques el tens que il crut, ne eu tens de sa jouvente, ne en nul tens cil qui avecques lui furent es tens desus diz et qui longuement conversèrent avecques lui, ne porent veoir ne apercevoir que li benoiez rois eust nule familiarité ne ' soupeconneuse conversacion avecques nule femme autre que la seue, ne onques il n'oïrent dire ne detrere aucune parole de s'incontinence. Et en tout le tens de Quaresme et en touz les jours de vendredi et de samedi li benoiez rois se tenoit de la compaignie de la royne. Li benoiez saint Loys avoit très volentiers bons hommes' honestes et justes en sa compaignie ' et très volentiers eschivoit la compaignie et la conversacion des mauves et de ccus que il savoit qui fussent en pechié. Et les maufeteurs et cil qui parloient ledement li desplesoient sus toutes choses.
Il vouloit que sa mesniee fussent de si grant purté que, se aucuns qui fust de sa mesniee jurast ledement de Dieu ou de la benoiete virge Marie, il les fesoit tantost bouter hors de son hostel. Et ensement ceus qui estoient trouvez que il eussent fet fornicacion ' ou autres ledes choses, il punissoit très bien selon le metfet Et se il peust savoir que nul de son hostel feist aucun pechié mortel, il le boutoit hors de sa court et de sa mesniee. Et pour ce que deus homes qui estoient de sa inesniee ne jeûnèrent pas un jour de Quaresnie que il deussent avoir jeune, il leur fist donner congié de son hostel. Et moût souvent avenoit que il fesoit mètre en prison cens de sa mesniee qui estoient trouvé que il eussent pechié en Femme ou qui fesoient les seremenz de Dieu. Et aucune foiz fesoit fere enquestes sus sa mesniee pour savoir se il en " y avoit nul qui feissent lornicacion ou avoutire ou se il se menoient deslionestement en aucune autre manière. Et se il peust trouver que aucuns tussent en fornicacion et en avoutire ou que il deissent vilain blâme contre Dieu et contre les sainz, il les boutoit hors de sa court et de son mesnage ou il fussent puniz selon ce que leur mefFez " le requeissent.
Comme li benoiez rois, el tens de son premier passage, eust en propos que il fust par ' lonc tens outre mer, il fist apeler touz ceux qui estoient de sa mesniee et les amonesta diligaument que il vesquissent chastement et honestement, puis que il estoient ilec(ues venuz et estoient eu service Dieu et el sien, et leur dist que cil qui ne se porroient et vodroient consentir et vivre chastement, que il demandassent congié de revenir et il leur donroit et feroit bien si com il devroit ; mes nul ne demanda adonques congié. Et quant ce vint apriès, comme li benoiez rois eust oy dire que aucuns de sa mesniee vesquissent deslionestement, il fist fere une enqueste en la quele touz cens de sa mesniee jurèrent. Et pour ce que il fu trouvé que xvj ou xvij d'eus ne tenoient pas bien continence, tout fust il einsi que aucuns d'iceus fussent moût bien de lui, nonpourquant il leur fist donner congié de sou hostel et de sa mesniee. Etja soit ce que il le (eisscnt moût proier (juc il revenissent et repérassent en sa grâce et en sa mesniee, onques pour ce ne porent empêtrer de lij mois ou de iiij. Mes après ce, (liant ' vint a un jour de Pasques, les prières furent si graiiz (|ue il leur pardonna, et leur dist avant ({ue, se il fesoient une autre foiz telc chose, il seroicnt ariemcnt puniz et sanz relaschier.
Notes
- 1 ↩Old French continence de mariage means chastity within the married state—ordered restraint of marital relations—not celibacy or refusal of marriage.
- 2 ↩grant ange du conseil echoes the traditional title of Christ as the Angel of Great Counsel (cf. Isa 9:6 Vulgate magni consilii angelus). The Tobit model is the three nights of prayer before consummation (Tob 8).
- 3 ↩Source festcs read as festes (feasts); sense is clear from parallel es jours des granz festes.
- 4 ↩Source shows OCR/print damage: jalons→jaloux (zealous), enlerroit→entreroit (would enter), rclijion→religion (religious life). Translated on the intended readings.
- 5 ↩netee = neteté, purity/cleanness of life; familiarité / soupeçonneuse conversacion here mean compromising intimacy or suspicious dealings, not mere social acquaintance.
- 6 ↩se tenoit de la compaignie de la royne: marital abstinence (continence), not mere social avoidance—consistent with the chapter on continence and with section 1's seasonal abstinence.
- 7 ↩ccus read as ceus (those); stray apostrophes in the source ignored.
- 8 ↩Reading inesniee as mesniee (household), and Quaresnie as Quaresme (Lent).
- 9 ↩fesoient les seremenz de Dieu: sworn oaths by God / taking God's name in vain (cf. foul swearing in s1); rendered as taking oaths by God's name.
- 10 ↩Reading lornicacion as fornicacion (fornication).
- 11 ↩Reading tussent as fussent (were); mefFez as meffez (offenses).
- 12 ↩Reading ilec(ues as ileques ('there') and estoient eu service as estoient el service ('were in the service'). 'Premier passage' is the crusading overseas crossing.
- 13 ↩moût bien de lui: close to the king / high in his favor, not necessarily morally good.
- 14 ↩Corrupt witness reconstructed as: Etja soit ce que il le feissent mout proier que il revenissent et repérassent en sa grâce et en sa mesniee, onques pour ce ne porent empêtrer de iij mois ou de iiij. 'Grâce' here is royal favor, not divine grace. 'lij' read as iij (3) beside iiij (4).
- 15 ↩Corrupt witness reconstructed as: Mes après ce, quant vint a un jour de Pasques, les prières furent si granz que il leur pardonna, et leur dist avant que, se il fesoient une autre foiz tele chose, il seroient asprement puniz et sanz relaschier. 'ariemcnt' rendered as 'severely' (likely asprement/griement).
Vie et miracles de saint Louis by Guillaume de Saint-Pathus companion
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