Legenda Aurea, Julian the Hospitaller.

The legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller is one of the better narratives in the Legenda Aurea. As often, the origin of this saint is unknown and he is in all likelihood a completely fictitious character. His story takes up the motive of the inescapability of fate: Julian is told by a deer that he will kill his parents, and in order to make this prediction undone Julian leaves his house and travels far away. His parents are searching for him, come to his abode and yes, what has been predicted befalls. It is with some alteration a Christian version of King Oedipus, but Julian and his faithful spouse will be redeemed.

 acobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, de sancto Iuliano.

 ...] Fuit etiam alius Iulianus, qui utrumque parentem, nesciens, occidit. Cumque is Iulianus, praedictus iuvenis ac nobilis, quadam die venationi insisteret et quendam cervum repertum insequeretur. Subito cervus versus eum divino nutu se vertit eique dixit: "Tu me insequeris, qui patris et matris tuae occisor eris!" Quod ille audiens vehementer extimuit et, ne sibi forte contingeret, quod a cervo audierat, relictis omnibus clam discessit. Ad regionem remotam pervenit ibique cuidam principi adhaesit et tam strenue ubique et in bello et in pace se habuit, quod princeps eum militem fecit et quandam castellanam viduam in coniugem ei tradidit et castellum pro dote accepit.

 lius: various saints with the name Julianus are mentioned at the beginning of this legend

cumque: and when

praedictus: already mentioned

venationi insisteret: set out for hunting

cervum repertum: a deer he discovered

nutus –us (m.): nod, hint, command

subito: suddenly

occisor (m.): murderer

extimesco –ui (-ere): become very afraid

forte: by chance

contingo –tigi -tactum (-ere): to happen, befall

clam: secretly

cuidam principi adhaesit: he joined some ruler

strenue: strenuously

se habeo: to behave

castellanam viduam: a widow who had a castle

in conjugem trado: to give in marriage

pro dote accepit: accepted as dowry (the subject is now Iulianus, note that it is the widow/bride who had to provide for the dowry)

 nterea parentes Iuliani pro amissione filii Iuliani nimium dolentes vagabundi ubique pergebant et filium suum sollicite quaerebant. Tandem ad castrum, ubi Iulianus praeerat, devenerunt. Tunc autem Iulianus a castro casu recesserat. Quos cum uxor Iuliani vidisset et, quinam essent, inquisivisset, et illi omnia, quae filio suo acciderant, enarrassent, intellexit, quod viri sui parentes erant, ut puto, quia hoc a viro suo forte frequenter audierat. Ipsos igitur benigne suscepit et pro amore viri sui lectum iis dimisit et ipsa sibi alibi lectulum collocavit. Facto autem mane, castellana ad ecclesiam perrexit et ecce Iulianus mane veniens in thalamum quasi uxorem suam excitaturus intravit et inveniens duos pariter dormientes, uxorem cum adultero suo, silenter extracto gladio, ambos pariter interemit. Exiens autem domum vidit uxorem eius ab ecclesia revertentem et admirans interrogavit, quinam essent illi, qui in suo lecto dormirent. At illa ait: "Parentes vestri sunt, qui vos diutissime quaesierunt, et eos in vestro thalamo collocavi." Quod ille audiens paene exanimis effectus amarissime flere coepit ac dicere: "Heu miser, quid faciam! Quia dulcissimos meos parentes occidi. Ecce impletum est verbum cervi, quod, dum vitare volui, miserrimus adimplevi. Iam vale, soror dulcissima, quia de cetero non quiescam, donec sciam, quod Deus poenitentiam meam acceperit." Cui illa: "Absit, dulcissime frater, ut te deseram et sine me abeas, sed quae fui tecum particeps gaudii, ero particeps et doloris."

 missio –nis (f.): loss

nimium dolentes vagabundi:  exceedingly mourning, they were roaming (-bundus is in later Latin an alternative for the participle present active, hence vagabond)

ubique: everywhere

tandem: finally

sollicite: anxiously

pergo perrexi perrectum (-ere): to go forward, hasten

devenio deveni (-ire): to reach

casu: by chance

suscipio –cepi –ceptum (-ere): to take up, receive

lectum/lectulum: bed (lectulum is a diminutive)

colloco (-are): to put, place

alibi: elsewhere

facto mane: when it was morning (mane is an adverb)

thalamus: bedroom

quasi excitaturus: as for awakening

pariter: side by side

interimo or interemo emi, emptum, or emtum: to kill

admiror –atus: to wonder

diutissime: for a very long time

exanimis effectus: having become half death, fainting

amarus: bitter

coepio coepi coeptum (-ere): to start, begin

de cetero: further on

absit: it will not happen/ it shall not be

particeps –cipis (f., m.): partner

 

Tunc insimul recedentes iuxta quoddam magnum flumen, ubi multi periclitabantur. Quoddam hospitale maximum statuerunt, ut ibi poenitentiam facerent et omnes, qui vellent transire fluvium, incessanter transveherent et hospitio universos pauperes reciperent. Post multum vero temporis media nocte, dum Iulianus fessus quiesceret et gelu grave esset, audivit vocem miserabiliter lamentantem ac Iulianum, ut se traduceret fluvium, lugubri voce invocantem. Quod ille audiens concitus surrexit et iam gelu deficientem inveniens in domum suam portavit et ignem accendens ipsum calefacere studuit. Sed cum calefieri non posset et, ne ibi deficeret, timeret, ipsum in lectulum suum portavit et diligenter cooperuit. Post paululum ille, qui sic infirmus et quasi leprosus apparuerat, splendidus scandit ad aethera et hospiti suo dixit: "Iuliane, Dominus misit me ad te mandans tibi, quod tuam poenitentiam acceptavit et ambo post modicum in Domino quiescetis." Sicque ille disparuit et Iulianus cum uxore sua post modicum plenus bonis operibus et eleemosynis in Domino requievit. [. . .]

insimul: at the same time

periclitor: to be in danger

hospitale -is (n.): guesthouse

incessanter: incessantly, continuously

hospitium: hospitality

fessus: exhausted

gelu gelus (n.): frost, cold

Iulianum, ut se traduceret fluvium, lugubri voce invocantem: someone calling Julian with pitiable voice, that he would transport him over the river

gelu deficientem: exhausted by cold

ipsum calefacere studuit: tried to warm him

calefieri is the passive of calefacere

et, ne ibi deficeret, timeret = et timeret, ne ibi deficeret

cooperio –rui -rtum (-ire): to cover

paululum: a short time

scando - -  (-ere): to climb, ascend

mandans (here) announcing

ambo: you two

post modicum: after a short while

elemosyna/ eleemosyna: alms, mercy

 

Translation (modernized) by William Caxton (1483)

 Another Julian there was that slew his father and mother by ignorance. And this man was noble and young, and gladly went for to hunt. And one time among all other he found an hart which returned toward him, and said to him, thou huntest me that shall slay thy father and mother. Hereof was he much abashed and afeard, and for dread, that it should not happen to him that the hart had said to him, he went privily away that no man knew thereof, and found a prince noble and great to whom he put him in service. And he proved so well in battle and in services in his palace, that he was so much in the prince’s grace that he made him knight and gave to him a rich widow of a castle, and for her dower he received the castle. And when his father and mother knew that he was thus gone they put them in the way for to seek him in many places. And so long they went till they came to the castle where he dwelt, but then he was gone out, and they found his wife. And when she saw them she inquired diligently who they were, and when they had said and recounted what was happened of their son, she knew verily that they were the father and mother of her husband, and received them much charitably, and gave to them her own bed, and made another for herself. And on the morn the wife of Julian went to the church, and her husband came home whiles she was at church, and entered into his chamber for to awake his wife. And he saw twain in his bed, and had weened that it had been a man that had lain with his wife, and slew them both with his sword, and after, went out and saw his wife coming from church. Then he was much abashed and demanded of his wife who they were that lay in his bed, then she said that they were his father and his mother, which had long sought him, and she had laid them in his bed. Then he swooned and was almost dead, and began to weep bitterly and cry, alas! caitiff that I am, what shall I do that have slain my father and my mother? Now it is happened that I supposed to have eschewed, and said to his wife: Adieu and farewell, my right dear love, I shall never rest till that I shall have knowledge if God will pardon and forgive me this that I have done, and that I shall have worthy penance therefor. And she answered: Right dear love, God forbid that ye should go without me, like as I have had joy with you, so will I have pain and heaviness. Then departed they and went till they came to a great river over which much folk passed, where they edified an hospital much great for to harbour poor people, and there do their penance in bearing men over that would pass.

 

After long time Saint Julian slept about midnight, sore travailed, and it was frozen and much cold, and he heard a voice lamenting and crying that said: Julian come and help us over. And anon he arose, and went over and found one almost dead for cold, and anon he took him and bare him to the fire and did great labour to chauffe and warm him. And when he saw that he could not be chauffed ne warm, he bare him in to his bed, and covered him the best wise he might. And anon after, he that was so sick and appeared as he had been measell, he saw all shining ascending to heaven, and said to Saint Julian his host: Julian, our Lord hath sent me to thee, and sendeth thee word that he hath accepted thy penance. And a while after Saint Julian and his wife rendered unto God their souls and departed out of this world.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_the_Hospitaller