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← Vie et miracles de saint Louis by Guillaume de Saint-Pathus/Book 1 · La Vie de monseigneur saint Loys
Chapter 20VieStLoys.1.20

De sa longue perseverance et de son trespas glorieux

The King's Final Suffering

Saint Louis endures the hardships of the crusade in Tunis, falling into a final, grievous illness.

Because perseverance alone is crowned among all other virtues—it alone earns glory for the good and the crown for the virtues—blessed Saint Louis persevered for a very long time in works of charity, justice, compassion, humility, devotion, and holiness.1 And after he had spent all his time in this way, he ended gloriously in the service of God, where he was with his sons—whom he exposed to death as far as lay in him—in the lands of the enemies of the Holy Cross and of the Christian faith, where he passed from this world.2 During his second crossing, while they were overseas in the land of Tunis and had pitched their tents, the Saracens launched such a great assault against the Christian army that the blessed king had to arm himself several times between day and night. .3 …times; for this reason, because of these things and because of the…4 …hardships that the blessed king suffered while there, he fell into grievous illnesses—namely, continuous fevers and dysentery—and lay sick5 three6 weeks or about that; and at the beginning of his aforesaid illness, before he was much weighed down, he said his matins and all the other hours with one of his chaplains while lying in his bed.

Devotion on the Sickbed

The king maintains a life of constant prayer, liturgical devotion, and sacramental reception throughout his illness.

And with all this, his chaplains chanted the Mass and all the other canonical hours there in a loud voice and to music, and every day a Mass without chant was said in his presence in a low voice. The cross was set before his bed and before his eyes—placed there by the holy king's own command when he began to grow more seriously ill—and he looked at it very often, turned his eyes toward it, adored it with joined hands, and had it brought to him every day, especially in the morning when he was fasting, and kissed it with great devotion and great reverence and embraced it. Again, during that same illness, he often gave thanks to God, his Creator, for the illness just mentioned, and very often recited and repeated the Our Father, the Miserere mei Deus, and the Credo in Deum. And once the blessed king began to fall ill and to lie in the illness already mentioned, of which he died, he would speak as if always to himself, saying, as people believe, psalms and prayers, and he often wiped his eyes and often praised and blessed God.7 Throughout his illness, he frequently made his confession to Brother Geoffrey of Beaulieu, of the Order of Preachers.8 And along with this, during his illness, the blessed king asked for the Body of Jesus Christ, and he had it and received it several times.9 Once, when they brought the Body of Jesus Christ into his room for him to receive, the saint—ill and weak as he was—threw himself from his bed onto the ground, though those around him quickly spread his mantle over him.10 The blessed king remained bowed to the ground in prayer for a long while before receiving the Body of Jesus Christ, which he then took while kneeling on the floor with great devotion. He could not get back into bed by himself, so those present helped him back.11 The blessed king asked for the last anointing and was anointed before speech failed him.

The Holy Passing

In his final days, Saint Louis intercedes for his people and commends his spirit to God, passing away in imitation of Christ.

At last he was12 four.13 There were days when he didn't speak, but his memory was still good; he would raise his joined hands toward heaven, sometimes striking his breast. He recognized people, as shown by the signs he made, and he continued to eat and drink, though only a little. He would signal with his hand when he didn't want something, just as people do when refusing, or when he wanted something, as people do when they desire it.14 Although he was greatly afflicted while they were anointing him—speaking only very little and softly—the blessed king still moved his lips when the others recited the psalms.15 On the Sunday before his death, Brother Geoffroy de Beaulieu brought him the Body of Jesus Christ. When he entered the room where the blessed king lay ill, the king was out of bed, kneeling on the ground with his hands joined beside his bed.16 And likewise, on the night before the day he was to pass away, while he was resting, he sighed and said softly: "O Jerusalem!✦17 O Jerusalem! On Monday, the day after the feast of Saint Bartholomew, the blessed king raised his joined hands to heaven and said, "Lord God, have mercy on this people who remain here, and lead them into their land, so that they may not fall into the hands of their enemies and be forced to deny your holy name."✦1819 A little while after this, that blessed king said in Latin, "Father, I commend my spirit into your keeping."✦20 After saying this, he spoke no more; a little later, around the hour of vespers, he passed from this world to Our Lord, on the day after the feast of the blessed apostle Saint Bartholomew, in the year of grace2122 one thousand23 two hundred24 sixty and ten.25 around the hour of none, in which the Son of God, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for the life of the world—to whom belong all praise, honor, and glory through the everlasting ages.✦✦26 Amen.

Read the original Latin

Pour ce que persévérance est seule coronnee entre les autres vertuz, ele seule désert as bons' gloire, as'" vertuz couronne; pour ce est ce que li benoiet" saint Loys persévéra par très loue tens es oevres de charité, de justise, de pité, d'umilité, de devocion et de saintee ". Et puis que il ot tout son tens despendu einsi 'j il fina glorieusement eu servise Dieu ou il estoit avecques ses fiuz, les quex il abandonna a mort, de tant com en lui ("u, es terres des anemis de la sainte Croiz et de la foy crestienne ou il trespassa de cest siècle. Car com, el tens de son secont passage, il fussent outre mer en la terre ' de Tunes, et eussent ilec tendu leur tentes, et si grant assaut fust des Sarrazins contre l'ost des Crestiens, il convint aucune foiz le benoiet roy armer entre jour et nuit . . foiz; por quoi por ces choses et por les <z? /7-es travaus que li benoiez rois soufri/ quant il fu la, il chei en griez maladies, c'est a savoir en fièvres continues et en flux de ventre et jut malade . iij. semaines ou environ ; et el commencement de sa maladie devant dite, ainçois que il fust moût aggrevé, il disoit ses matines et les autres heures toutes avec un de ses chapelains gisant en son lit.

Et avecques tout ce, par ses chapelains la messe et toutes les autres heures canoniaus estoient ilecques chantées a haute voiz et a note, et messe sanz note estoit dite en sa présence a basse voiz chascun jor. La croiz estoit mise devant son lit et devant ses euz, la quele i fu mise par le commandement du saint roy meesmes quant il commença a agfreorier, et la r«gardoit mont très souvent et rtjdreçoit vers lui ses euz et l'aouroit a mains jointes et la se fesoit chascun jour aporter, meesmement au matin quant il estoit jeun, et la besoit par grant devocion et par grant révérence et l'embraçoit. De rechief en la dite maladie, il rendoit souvent grâces a Dieu, son créateur, de sa maladie devant dite, et disoit très souvent et recommençoit Pater noster et Miserere niei Deus et Credo in Deum.

Et puis que li benoiez o rois commença a estre malades et jesir en la maladie devant dite de la quele il morut, il parloit ansi comme touzjours a soi meesmes, disant, si comme l'en croit, siaumes et oroisons, et terdoit sovent ses euz et looit et bcneissoit souvent Dieu. Et el tens de sa maladie, il se confessa souvent a frerc (lieffroy de Biaulieu, de l'ordre des" Preecheeurs. Et avecques ce, cl tens de sa maladie, li benoiez rois donianda le cors Jhesu Crist et l'ot et reçut pluseurs foiz. VA adonques une foiz, quant il devoit recevoir le cors Jhesu Crist et l'en li portoit, et cil qui le portoit entra dans sa chambre, li sainz qui si estoit malades et febles, se geta de son lit a terre, mes cil qui estoient entour lui estendirent tantost son mantel sus lui. Etilecques fu li benoiez rois assez lonouement enclin a terre en oroisons, ainçois que il receust le cors Jhesu Crist, lequel il reçut après ilecques a genouz a terre en grant devocion, ne ne pot par soi rentrer el '-' lit ; ainçois le remistrent el lit cil qui la estoient. Li benoiez rois requist la derreniere onction et fu ennuilié ainçois que la parole li faillist.

A la parfin il fu . iiij. jours que il ne parloit pas, mes il avoit adonques bon mémoire et tendoit ses mains jointes au ciel et batoit son pis/ aucune foiz, et connoissoit les genz, si com il apparoit par les signes que il fesoit, et menjoit etbevoit, tout fust ce pou, et fesoit signe de sa main quant il ne voloit nule chose, si comme font cil' qui aucune chose refusent, ou quant il vouloit aucune chose, si comme font cil qui aucune chose desirrent. j Et ja soit ce que il fust moût aggrevé, endementieres que l'en l'ennuilloit si que il parloit mont pou haut, nonpourquant quant les autres disoient les siaumes en la manière li benoiez rois mouvoit les lèvres. Et le jour du dyemenche, /e joi- projichahi devant sa mort, frère Giefroy de Biaulieu li porta le cors Jhesu Crist; et com il fust entré en la chambre en la quele li benoiez'" vois jisoit nialacles, il estoit hors tle son lit a genouz, a' terre, a mains jointes delez son lit . Et ensement, en la nuit devant le jour que il trespassast, endementieres que il se reposoit, il souspiia et dist bassement : « 0 Jérusalem ! (( O Jérusalem! » Et el" jor de/ lundi, l'endemain de la saint Bertelemi, li benoiez » rois tendi ses mains jointes au ciel et dist : « Biau sires Diex, aies merci de ce pueple qui (( ici dentenre et le condui en son pais, que il ne chiee en « la main de ses anemis et que il ne soit contreinf a u renier ton saint nom.

» Et après ce un pou de tens, icelui ' benoiet roy-/ dist ces paroles en latin : « Père, je com(c mant mon esperit en ta garde. » Et quant il ot ce dit, il ne parla puis, mes un pou de tens après, entour heure de vespres', trespassa de cest siècle a Nostre Seigneur' l'endemain de la (este du benoiet'" apostre saint Bertelemi, en l'an de grâce . m. ij'". lx. et . x. entour l'eure de nonne, en la quele li filz Dieu Jhesu Crist morut en la croiz por la vie du monde, au quel toute loenge est, enneur et gloire par les siècles pardiirables.

Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.23.37;Luke.13.34 — Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you — how often I desired to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Luke.13.34 — O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
  2. ↩2Sam.24.14 — Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercies are many; but let me not fall into the hand of man."
  3. ↩Luke.23.46 — And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.
  4. ↩Mark.15.33-Mark.15.37;Matt.27.45-Matt.27.50;Luke.23.44-Luke.23.46 — And when the sixth hour had come, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. Mark.15.34 — And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark.15.35 — And some of those standing by, when they heard it, said, 'Look, he is calling Elijah.' Mark.15.36 — And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, 'Let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.' Mark.15.37 — And Jesus, having cried out with a loud voice, breathed his last. Matt.27.45 — Now from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. Matt.27.46 — And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Matt.27.47 — Some of those standing there, when they heard it, were saying, "This man is calling for Elijah." Matt.27.48 — And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. Matt.27.49 — But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah comes to save him.' But another, taking a spear, pierced his side, and out came water and blood. Matt.27.50 — Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Luke.23.44 — And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. Luke.23.45 — the sun was darkened, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Luke.23.46 — And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.
  5. ↩John.6.51 — I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Reading «très loue tens» as «très long tens» (a very long time), matching the chapter title on his long perseverance.
  2. 2 ↩Reading «eu servise Dieu» as «en servise Dieu» and «de tant com en lui ("u» as «de tant com en lui fu» (as far as lay in him).
  3. 3 ↩Input is only a stray period from OCR/segmentation of the previous sentence; no independent clause to translate.
  4. 4 ↩Fragment almost certainly continues the previous sentence and leads into s6: intended sense is «Por quoi, por ces choses et por les travaus…» (Therefore, because of these things and because of the hardships…).
  5. 5 ↩Stripping OCR noise «/7-» and «/» around «es travaus…soufri»; continuous reading with s5: because of those things and the hardships he suffered there, he fell ill.
  6. 6 ↩Roman numeral «iij.» continues into s8 as «three weeks or about that».
  7. 7 ↩Source surface has 'benoiez o rois' (likely OCR noise for 'benoiez rois') and 'bcneissoit' (for 'beneissoit', 'blessed'); translated on the corrected reading.
  8. 8 ↩Source has 'frerc (lieffroy de Biaulieu' and garbled quote marks around 'Preecheeurs'; read as 'frère Gieffroy de Biaulieu' (Dominicans), matching the same confessor named in the following section.
  9. 9 ↩Source 'cl tens' and 'donianda' treated as 'el tens' and 'demanda' (asked for).
  10. 10 ↩Leading 'VA' looks like catchword or OCR debris before 'adonques'; sense taken from 'adonques une foiz' ('then one time').
  11. 11 ↩'Etilecques' read as 'Et ilecques' (And there); stray '-' before 'lit' ignored as typographic noise.
  12. 12 ↩OCR/print split: this fragment continues through s2–s3 as 'A la parfin il fu iiij. jours que…' ('At last he went four days without speaking…').
  13. 13 ↩Roman numeral 'iiij.' = 4; belongs with s1 and s3 as 'four days'.
  14. 14 ↩Normalized 'etbevoit' as 'et bevoit' (and drank); 'pis/' as breast (pis).
  15. 15 ↩Leading 'j' treated as OCR/print debris. 'ennuilloit' read as anointing with oil (extreme unction), continuing the last-anointing narrative of 1.20.3.s6. 'siaumes' = psalms.
  16. 16 ↩Heavily garbled middle ('/e joi- projichahi', 'vois', 'nialacles', 'hors tle') restored as 'prochain devant sa mort', 'rois', 'malades', 'hors de son lit' from context and parallel 1.20.3 Communion scene.
  17. 17 ↩Opening quote mark and '0' read as vocative 'O'.
  18. 18 ↩Restored 'dentenre' as 'demeure' (remain/dwell); 'contreinf a u renier' as 'contraint à renier' (forced to deny). Quote marks and OCR debris stripped.
  19. 19 ↩'ce pueple qui ici demeure' is the crusading host/people with him; 'son pais' is their homeland (France), not the heavenly country.
  20. 20 ↩Source has corrupted "com(c mant"; read as Old French "commant" (commend), matching the Latin dying prayer.
  21. 21 ↩Source "(este" read as "feste" (feast). Trailing year continues in the following numeral fragments.
  22. 22 ↩This sentence places the death "around the hour of vespers," while s8 places it "around the hour of none" (the traditional hour of Christ's death). Both readings are translated as written.
  23. 23 ↩Roman numeral fragment "m." in the year of grace; together with s4–s7 almost certainly intends 1270 (M.CC.LX et X / mil deux cens soixante et dix).
  24. 24 ↩Source reads "ij'" with OCR junk; most plausible intended reading is CC / ij. c. (two hundred) as part of the year 1270, not bare "two."
  25. 25 ↩Completes the year formula: one thousand two hundred sixty and ten = 1270.
  26. 26 ↩Source "pardiirables" read as "pardurables" (everlasting).

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