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
