De sa merveilleuse conversacion en croissance
A Youth Dedicated to Holiness
Saint Louis spent his formative years in purposeful, holy growth rather than worldly vanity.
The season of growth, fit for enduring hard work, for putting skill to use, and for training the body through deeds—that earliest age so good for poor mortals—blessed Saint Louis did not waste in vain; rather he passed through it holily, as one who knew well that the best things last.
The King's Gentle Discipline
Louis demonstrated self-mastery and mercy in his corrections, avoiding oaths and maintaining a humble, simple speech.
Just as with a full jug the purest water runs out first and the muddy settles, so it was with him in every way: rather, he very gently rebuked those who sometimes did something that might have angered him, and he corrected them saying these words: "Be still," or "Be at peace."1 "Don't do such things again, or you might pay the price for it," he would say, or something similar.2 He always addressed everyone using the plural form. He didn't swear oaths to back up his words, but instead spoke in plain, simple language.✦3
Devotion Over Worldly Song
Louis replaced worldly songs with Marian hymns, fostering a household environment centered on prayer.
Nor did he sing the songs of the world, nor did he allow those of his household to sing them; rather he commanded one of his squires—who used to sing such things well in the time of his youth—to stop singing those songs and had him learn some antiphons of Our Lady and this hymn, Ave maris stella, even though it was hard to learn; and that squire, and the blessed king himself, would sometimes sing these same pieces with that squire.4
Read the original Latin
Le tens de croissance covenable a travaux endurer, a engins embesoignier, a cors par oevres exerclter, premier jour très bon a chetiz mortels, ne fouy pas le benoiet saint Loys en vain, ainçois le trespassa saintement comme cil qui savoit bien que les meilleurs choses remaignent. Tout ausi comme en la cruche pleine, que le premier qui est très pur en court hors et ce qui est trouble s'assiet, tout ausi en mil" en aucune nuiniere', ainçois rcpienoit très doucement ceus qui aucune loiz ("esoient chose de quoi il portoit estre couroucié et les corrigoif en disant ces paroles : « Reposez « vos ou soiez en pès. Ne l'êtes pas des ore en avant tex « choses, car vos en pourriez bien porter' la poine, » ou il leur disoit paroles semblables. Et a chascun il parloit tozjours en plurer -, Ne il n'afermoit pas en ses paroles par seremenf les choses que il disoit, ainçois disoit communément de sinqile parole. Ne il ne chantoit pas les cliançons du monde, ne ne soufroit pas (|ue cil qui estoient de sa mesniee les chantassent, pnrq/i'i/ h sciisf, ainz commanda a un sien esc/tie/, qui bien chantoit teles choses el tens de sa jouvcntcf"', que il se tenisf de teles cliançons chanter et li (ist aprendre aucunes antienes de Notre Dame et cest hvmpne : (( Ave maris slella, » comment que ce l'ust fort chose a aprendre; et cilescuieret il meesmes' benoiez rois chantoit aucune foiz ces choses nieesnies destis dites avec cel' escuier.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Jas.5.12 — Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear — not by heaven, not by earth, not by any other oath. But let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No' be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
Notes
- 1 ↩Normalized corrupt spans: mil/nuiniere → lui en aucune maniere; rcpienoit → reprenoit; loiz → foiz; esoient → fesoient; corrigoif → corrigeoit; pès → pais.
- 2 ↩Normalized Ne l'êtes → Ne le faites (do not do); quoted speech continues his gentle correction from s2.
- 3 ↩en plurer almost certainly en plurier/pluriel: addressing each person with polite/plural vous, a known trait in the Louis vita tradition. seremenf → serement; sinqile → simple.
- 4 ↩Heavy OCR cleanup: cliançons→chançons; mesniee→mesnie; esc/tie→escuier; jouvcntcf→joventé; antienes→antiennes; hvmpne→ympne; slella→stella; l'ust→fust; cilescuieret→cil escuier et; nieesnies destis→meesmes dessus.
Vie et miracles de saint Louis by Guillaume de Saint-Pathus companion
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