History Of The Lombards

26.

At the same time our blessed father Benedetto also shone for the merits of his extraordinary life and apostolic virtues, first in Subiaco, a place forty miles from Rome and then in the citadel of Cassino also called "La Rocca". As is known, the Blessed Pope Gregory in his Dialogues drafted his biography with beautiful style. I too, in my own small way, have listed his miracles in "elegiac meter" one by one, arranging them in the individual couplets as follows:

Whence I will begin with your triumphs, O blessed saint

with the accumulation of your virtues whence will I begin?

Glory to you, blessed father, who reveals your merit with the name itself!

Shining light of the century, Glory to you, blessed!

Norcia, how much you can join the praise, or you exalted for those who, so great, you raised;

O you who bring the sun to the world, Norcia, how much you can join in praise.

O boyish decoration, which transcends its years with costumes

And the old men overtake, or boyish decorum!

Your flower, O paradise, did not care for what is blooming in the world,

Your flower did not cure the splendour of Rome, o paradise.

Bitterly the nurse gathers the pieces of the broken vase,

Pleased can return the nurse's recomposed vase.

Those who have the name of Rome hide the recluse among the rocks;

he who has the name of Rome offers the help of his pity.

From Lauds to you, Christ, the caves hidden from all mortals resound;

But you know them well, the lairs of Lodi resound to you.

The colds, the freezing winds, the snows animatedly endured for three years;

In love for God do not cure colds, freezing winds, snows.

Deception by veneration is accepted, thefts that inspire piety are praised;

Since man consecrated to God has nourished himself with it, deception is accepted.

It gives the signal that food has come, but the bruise wants to oppose;

Nonetheless, the other faith gives the signal that food has come.

According to the rite, those who listen to Christ celebrate the feast;

By feeding those who fast, according to the rite, they celebrate the feast.

Greedy shepherds bring welcome sustenance to the cave

But they bring back pleasing food to soothed souls.

Fire extinguishers fire, while the flesh tears the brambles;

The carnal fire is extinguished by the celestial fire.

An unjust death is hidden, but from afar he warns it shrewd;

The unjust death hidden does not bear the weapons of the cross.

They correct the mind that wanders slight rods and discipline it;

Slight rods close out the plague that is wandering.

A stream of perennial water flows from the native rock;

the arid hearts irrigate the wave of perennial water.

At the bottom of the whirlpool you had come down, fold like a scythe detached from the handle;

it rose to the surface, leaving the bottom of the eddy.

Dropped into the water while waiting for his father's order, he survives;

runs on the water, while waiting at the order of the father.

The wave led the way to those who were ready for the master's order;

to those who did not know where he was running, the wave made the road.

And you, little child, are drawn on the wave and do not drown;

and intervene, true witness too, little boy.

The perfidious hearts stirred by evil stimuli are attracted;

inflamed from hell perfidious hearts become sad.

The crow takes the food offered to him by benign hands;

and in command takes the deadly food away from the crow.

It pains the holy heart that his enemy died in the fall;

through the guilt of the disciple the holy heart hurts;

On the pleasant banks of the glorious Liri guides accompany you;

from heaven you fell to the pleasant banks of the Liri.

Iniquitous snake, you rage stripped of the woods and the area;

for the peoples you have lost, O unjust serpent, you are raging.

Evil you are on top, go away: let the marble be placed on the walls;

His order bends you: go away, wicked you're on.

You can see a voracious fire rising with false flames;

but you, shining Gemma, do not see that voracious fire.

As he pulls up the wall, his brother's bowels torn;

The brother comes back to safety as he pulls up the wall.

What has been done in secret appears, the gluttons are revealed;

the fact appears secretly.

Ferocious tyrant, the nets of your deception are in vain.

receive a brake on your life, fierce tyrant.

The high walls of Nuka by no enemy will be torn down;

a whirlwind - he says - knocks down the excellent walls of Numa.

You are beaten by the fierce enemy, because you do not offer the sacred gift to the altar;

You offer the sacred gift to the altar; you are beaten by the fierce enemy.

In the future he sees every enclosure of the flock given to a lineage;

but that same lineage rebuilds every enclosure of the flock.

O servant friend of fraud, you are screwed by the serpent's enticements;

but you are not prey to the serpent, a servant friend of fraud.

Silent mind, keep quiet: do not murmur of those who see silent thoughts;

everything is revealed to the prophet; shut up, mind proud.

Foods brought down from heaven cast out black hunger;

and at the same time the black hunger of the mind is chased away.

All hearts are amazed that you without a body are present;

that you in view disturb, the hearts are all amazed.

At the command of the voice they try to stop the tongues;

they flee the sepulchre under the command of the voice.

they are not allowed to remain in command during the rite;

together with the sacred rites in command of the voice.

The earth is split and the buried body is rejected from the womb;

at your command the broken earth holds the body in its womb.

The perfidious dragon seduces the fugitive to hurry;

but the evil dragon blocks the forbidden path.

A deadly disease has shaken the gold catkin of the head;

at his command he escaped g and the deadly disease.

Merciful he promises to those who need it the fawn metal without having it;

by the work of heaven the pitiful finds the metal fawn.

You, worthy of compassion, Chuli spot snakeskin poisons;

get your skin intact as before, or worthy of compassion.

Fans bounce the rugged rocks off the glass, nor can they break it;

the harsh rocks remain intact the glass.

Why dispenser, hesitate to offer a drop of the jar?

Look: the jars are overflowing. Why do you hesitate?

How can you have medicine that you have no hope of salvation;

You who always give death, how can you have medicine?

Ah, miserable old man, you fall upon the blows of the enemy;

but suddenly you come back to yourself, old miserable.

The barbarian's ropes shake innocent hands;

The barbarian's ropes are united by themselves.

That superb horse screams threatening cries,

prostrate on the ground lies that superb horse.

Around the neck the father carries the beloved body of the extinct son;

the father carries the alive son around his neck.

Everything wins love: with the rain he bound his sister the blessed;

sleep stays away from the eyelids, everything wins love.

Accept for its simplicity, fly into the sky like a dove;

Reaches the kingdom of heaven, for its simplicity.

Or embraced God, to whom the whole universe is revealed,

you that the arcane manifest.

In a sphere of fire the righteous one rises into the ether;

to which a sacred love burned or a sphere of fire closes.

Three times called came who must witness the prodigy;

precious for the love of his father, three times called he comes.

O good leader, who by exhorting to fight reinforces the spirits by example

I throw you first among the weapons, good leader, exhort to fight.

Sufficient signs he did leaving common life;

rushing to life, he made suitable signs.

A regular psalmist, he never gave rest to his plectrum;

singing to God the assiduous psalmist died.

Those who had only one heart, encloses the same sepulchre;

The same glory surrounds those who had one heart.

A splendid street appeared, lit with corpuscle torches;

a way by which the splendid ascent Saint appeared.

Reached the rocky fence, in his rambling he gets salvation;

escapes his rambling, reached the rocky fence.

Poor verses composed the supplicant servant on offer;

exile, poor, weak, poor verses he composed.

Accept they are, please, or guide them to the path of heaven;

O Father Benedetto, please accept them.

We also composed a hymn in the "iambic meter Archilochus", which contains the individual miracles of the same Father Benedict:

Briskly, Brothers, Come;

in Chorus we join in singing;

we live the joys of this

radiant holiday.

On these days Benedict

showing us the arduous path,

our father, went up to the golden kingdom,

taking the prize for his work.

As a new star shone,

that clears the mists of the world.

Still on the threshold of life

escape from the flowering meadows of the century.

Powerful to work miracles,

by the breath of God inspired,

shone by wonders and predicted

what the future held.

Intended to feed many,

reconstitutes the sieve of the wheat;

choosing for himself narrow prison,

fire extinguishers with fire.

With the weapon of the Cross he breaks

the cup that carries the poison;

discipline the wandering mind

with the mild scourge of the body.

Flow streams from the rocks;

iron returns from the bottom of the water;

obeying runs on the waves;

with a mantle the child escapes to death.

The hidden poison is revealed;

the winged executes the commands.

A collapse crushes the enemy;

the roaring lion comes back.

The motionless stone becomes light;

the imaginary stake disappears.

Those who were shattered are healthy;

the abuse committed elsewhere is revealed.

Shrewd king, you are exposed;

unjust that you oppress, you are put to flight.

You are already known, events of the future;

your mysteries no longer hide, O heart.

The foundations are laid in the dream;

the earth rejects corpses.

The fugitive is formed from the dragon;

coins rain the ether.

The crystal resists rock;

the jars are overflowing with oil.

Your sight melts the chains;

the dead come back to life.

The power of such a great light

it is overcome by the desire of the sister

the more one loves, the more to force

that he sees flying to the sky.

A splendour shines in the night

unknown to the people first;

the whole globe can be seen in it,

and in the flames the Saint jump.

Among these things he made it clear with his pick

admirable realities, similar to nectar;

in fact he drew a precise line

of consecrated life for the followers.

But you, now a powerful guide for your children,

be propitious to the sighs of the flock;

blaze it for good and beware of the snake

to follow you in your path.

I want to report here about a fact that Blessed Gregory does not mention in the life of St. Benedict, our founding father. When, by divine inspiration, he came from Subiaco to these places where he now rests, he was followed by three crows that he used to feed, they flew around him for fifty miles. Arriving here at a crossroads, two angels appeared in the form of young men to show him the way to take. Always here lived a Servant of God in a humble hut to which heaven had said: "Take care of these places, another friend is here". Arriving here, in the Rocca di Cassino, Benedetto mortified himself in a severe and continuous abstinence, above all, in the time of Lent he lived a retreat, away from the worries of the world. I found these news in the song of the poet Marco, who came to visit Benedict and composed some verses in his praise, I don't report them below because I don't want to lengthen my story too much. Heaven was surely the one who led Benedict to this fertile place under which a luxuriant valley lies: he wanted a congregation of many monks to meet here, just as it actually happened, thanks to the guidance of God.

Once I have finished narrating these things, which I could not leave out, I return to our story.

27.

Audoino, King of the Lombards, had Rodelinda as his wife, this generated a son, Alboino, suitable for war and valiant in action. Died Audoino, the tenth king was therefore Alboino who became him with the votes of all. The many exploits of Alboino made him famous and Clotario, King of the Franks, wanted to join him by giving him his daughter Clotsuinda as wife, from this union only a daughter was born, Albsuinda.

At the same time Turisindo, King of the Gepids, died, followed by Cunimondo. The latter, wanting to avenge the old wrongs suffered, broke the peace treaty with the Lombards and prepared the war. Alboino had made a perpetual pact with the Avars, those who were once called Huns and only later Avars, named after their King. Alboino left for the war provoked by the Gepids and while the latter, from various directions, moved against of him, as per agreements made with the Lombard King, the Avars invaded the territory of the Gepids. A sad messenger reached Cunimondo with the news that the Avars had entered their lands. Depressed in morale, faced with an anguished choice, Cunimondo decided to face the Lombards first and urging them to battle added that after winning them they would drive the Huns out of their homeland.

The inevitable battle was waged with all forces, the Lombards were victors and cruelly raged on the Gepids with such fury that they massacred them almost completely, so much so that those who brought the news of the extermination barely escaped. In that battle Alboino killed Cunimondo and, taking his head off, made a glass to drink, on the type of what are called "scala" with them and "patera" in Latin. He also took prisoner the daughter of King Gepides named Rosmunda and a multitude of men and women of all ages. Alboino, given that Clotsunda had died, took Rosmunda as his wife to his future ruin, as it became clear. With that victory the Lombards collected a great wealth. The lineage of the Gepids was destroyed, those who escaped ended up subject in part to the Lombards and in part under the harsh yoke of the Hun empire that still occupies their homeland.

The name of Alboino, however, rose to great fame, so much so that at Bavari, Sassoni and other men who speak the same language, his deeds, luck in war, valor in battle and glory are told. Under his rule, the Lombards also manufactured many new weapons of particular shape as is still told today.

End of the First Book

Second book

1.

While the fame of the continuous victories of the Lombards spread everywhere, Narsete, "Cartulario Imperiale" and governor in Italy, was busy preparing the war against Totila the Goth. Having already been the federated Lombards of the Empire, Narsete sent ambassadors to Alboino asking him to provide an auxiliary contingent for the imminent war against the Goths. Alboino sent a contingent of selected men who arrived in Italy by crossing the Gulf of the Adriatic Sea. These allies of the Romans took part in the battles by defeating and exterminating the Goths, also killing King Totila, honoured and full of gifts, they returned to their lands.

For as long as they remained stationed in Pannonia, the Lombards were Federations of the Roman Republic and helped them against their enemies.

2.

In those years Narsete undertook a war against Duke Buccellino. King Franco Teodeberto, when he returned to Gaul, had left him in Italy together with another Duke, Amingo; they had the task of subjugating the whole peninsula. Buccellino sent rich gifts to his King, these were part of the great accumulated booty, and while he was preparing to winter in Campania, he was reached and won by Narsete in a hard battle in the place known as Tanneto. In the battle Buccellino himself was killed. Later Amingo tried to bring help to Windin, a Goto Count who had rebelled against Narsete, both were defeated by the Roman general, Windin was sent into exile in Constantinople while Amingo was killed by the sword of Narsete. A third Duke, Leutarius, Buccellino's brother, laden with much booty, tried to return to his homeland, but between Verona and Trento, near Lake Benaco, he died of illness.

3.

Narsete still had to wage war against Sindualdo, King of Brioni, a part of the lineage of Eruli that Odoacer brought with him when he came to Italy. To Sindualdo, Narsete had given many privileges as an ally of Rome, but then Sindualdo, taken with pride and a desire to reign, rebelled against Narsete. He defeated him in battle and captured him, then Sindualdo ended up hanging from a high beam.

In addition to this, Patrick Narsete, through General Digisteo, a strong and belligerent man, occupied the whole of Italy. Narsete arrived in Italy as Cartulario but thanks to his value he obtained the Patriziato. He was a pious man, of Catholic religion, generous with the poor and zealous in the restoration of churches. So fervent in vigils and prayers that he obtained victory more with supplications to God than with arms.

4.

At the time when Narsete governed Italy, a very serious plague broke out in the province of Liguria. Suddenly stains appeared in the houses, on doors, vases and clothes, when someone tried to clean them they became even more evident. After a year, men had glands the size of a walnut or date gland in the groin and other delicate parts of the body. This was followed by a strong fever that led to death in three days. Those who made it through the three days had a good chance of surviving. Everywhere there were mourning and tears, and since the word had spread among the people that those who left their homes could survive, they were abandoned, empty, only the dogs remained to keep them. The flocks were left alone in the pastures, without shepherds to watch over them. Where before you could see villages and camps full of people, now they were deserted and abandoned because everyone had fled. The children fled, leaving the corpses of their parents unburied, the parents fled, leaving their children in strong fevers. Those who lingered and remained to give a pitiful burial according to ancient customs, were infected and in turn remained unburied. In giving the last honour to the corpse of the deceased he left his corpse without the honour of burial.

The places returned to primordial silence, no voices in the fields, no whistling of shepherds, no danger of beasts for cattle, no danger for domestic birds. The harvest, which already had to be reaped, waited in vain for the reaper, the vineyard, already without leaves, and with the reddish grapes, remained unharmed on the vine while winter was already looming.

Silence reigned supreme, where before the trumpets of war and the roar of arms were heard, no traveller and no bandits, yet there were corpses as far as the eye could see. The shepherds' shelters had become tombs for men, and the dwellings dens for the beasts. But this misfortune struck only the Romans within Italian territory, as far as the border with the Alemanni and Bavarians.

While this was happening in Italy, Justinian died and in Constantinople Justin II (The Second) took the leadership of the state. Narsete instead captured Vitale, bishop of the city of Altino, who had long before fled to Agunto in the Kingdom of the Franks and condemned him to exile in Sicily.

5.

Narsete, having conquered every Gota lineage in Italy and also the others we have mentioned before, put together such riches of gold, silver and other precious things, arousing great envy in those Romans whom he had defended and protected from many enemies. Their hatred produced a message that they secretly sent to Augustus Justin and his wife Sophia, a message that read: "The Romans are pleased to be slaves of both Goths and Greeks, since we are ruled by a eunuch, Narsete, and kept us oppressed in slavery, and our pious prince ignores him. Deliver us from his hands, or we shall surely deliver the city of Rome and with it ourselves, to the heathen. Upon learning of this, Narsete answered with these words: "If I have acted badly with the Romans, I will have bad. The emperor, outraged with Narsete, sent Longinus to Italy as Prefect to take his place.

Narsete, intimidated by these things and especially by Princess Sophia, did not dare return to Constantinople. About this, it is said that the Emperor's wife, knowing that Narsete was a eunuch, said that he would put him with the girls in the gynoecium to unravel the woollen hanks. And it seems that Narsete replied, "I will weave such a plot for her that as long as she is alive he will not be able to free her. But then, frightened and upset by the princess' hatred, he retired to Naples, a city in Campania, and there sent messengers to the Lombard people inviting them to leave the poor land of Pannonia to come and conquer the much richer Italy. To tempt them to conquer, he sent many types of fruit and other products of which Italy was rich. The Longobards welcomed that message also because they had been waiting for him for a long time and wanted to do this feat, anticipating its many advantages. And immediately in the sky of Italy swords of fire appeared in the night, an omen of that blood that will be shed for this enterprise.

6.

Alboino, who had decided to leave in Italy with the Lombards, asked for help from his old friends, the Saxons, because he wanted to have as many warriors as possible to complete the conquest. And the Saxons came to him, twenty thousand warriors, with wives and children, as agreed, determined to participate in the conquest.

Upon learning of this, Clotarius and Sigybertus took the opportunity to settle Swabians and other peoples in the territories left free by the Saxons.

7.

Alboino left the lands of the Longobards, Pannonia, to his Huns friends but with the pact that if they were forced to return, the Avars would return those fields to the Longobards. So the Longobards, having collected all their belongings, with wives and children, quickly set off for Italy. They had lived in Pannonia for forty-two years, they came out in April, at the time of the "first call", the day after Easter which in that year, according to calculations, fell on the first of April, when 568 years had already passed since the incarnation of the Lord.

8.

When King Alboin reached the border with Italy with the whole army and the multitude of people in tow, he climbed a mountain that rose in those places and from there he contemplated that part of Italy as far as the eye could see. From that moment on, that mountain was called "Del Re". It is said that wild bison also live on that mountain and it is not surprising because Pannonia is close by and there these animals are prolific. An old man worthy of faith told me that on that mountain he saw a skin of a killed bison on which up to fifteen men could lie down.

9.

From there Alboino entered the province of Venice, practically without encountering resistance, the capital of the region is the city, or rather, the fortress of Cividale del Friuli. And immediately he began to think about who would give the command of that region. Italy to the south-east is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea and then by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the south-west, to the north and north-west is protected by the high Alps, which have no passages except narrow gorges and high passes, to the north-east instead, in that area bordering Pannonia, has a fairly easy passage. Reflecting on which Duke to put at the head of Cividale del Friuli, he chose Gisulfo, a man skilled in all things who was also his nephew and his Squire, who in their language is called "marphis". Gisulfo said that he would not have accepted the government of that region if he had not been assigned the "Fara" chosen by him, and Alboino granted it to him, Gisulfo also asked for herds of good horses, this too was granted to him. So he chose among the noblest Fare of Lombards and obtained great honours and the title of Duke.

10.

In the years when the Lombards invaded Italy, the Frankish Kingdom was divided into four parts by the sons of the late King Clotarius. The first, Ariperto, settled in Paris, the second, Guntramno, ruled in Orleans, Perico put his throne in Suisson, from where his father Clotarius had reigned, and Sigibertus ruled the city of Metz.

In this same period was Pope the Most Holy Benedict.

At the head of the city of Aquileia was the blessed Patriarch Paul, who, fearing Longobard barbarism, took refuge on the island of Grado taking away the treasure of the church of Aquileia.

In the winter that preceded the arrival of the Longobards, a lot of snow fell on the plain as it usually does on the peaks of the Alps and then in summer the harvest was abundant as it had not been remembered for a long time.

Also in these years, the Huns, or rather the Avars, heard of Clotarius' death and attacked his son Sigibertus, but he confronted them in Thuringia on the river Elbe, eviscerated them and then at their request granted them peace. Sigibertus was given in marriage Brunechilde who came from Spain, she gave him a son named Childeberto.

Then, again, the Avars attacked Sigibertus in the same places of the previous battle and this time they won and massacred the Franco army.

11.

In this year Narsete returned to Rome from Campania but died shortly afterwards, his body was put in an ark of lead, and with all his wealth he was sent to Constantinople.

12.

When Alboino arrived in the river of Piave, the bishop of Treviso, Felice, met him and Alboino allowed him to keep all the Church's goods, showing himself benevolent and confirmed this with the "Prammatica Sanzione".

13.

Having named this Felice, I want to speak here of the venerable and most holy Fortunato who tells us that Felice was his companion. Fortunato whom I am about to tell you about was born in a place called Valdobbiadene not far from the castle of Ceneda and the city of Treviso. He was raised in Ravenna where he became famous in the art of grammar, rhetoric and even metrics. Having both pain in their eyes, they went together to the basilica of the blessed Paolo and Giovanni located inside the city walls. Here there is an altar built in honour of Blessed Martin the Confessor, there, on a window there is a lamp to make light. With the oil of that lamp, Fortunato and Felice put their eyes together and immediately the pain in their eyes healed, as they wished. For this reason Fortunato always venerated Blessed Martino and shortly before the Lombards invaded his homeland he went to Tours to visit the tomb of the saint. Fortunato himself tells us in verse about his journey through the currents of the Tagliamento, Ragogna, Osoppo, the Julian Alps, the fortress of Agunto, the rivers Drava and Birro, the lands of the Brioni, the city of Augusta, bathed by the Beer and the Lech. After coming to Tours, and having fulfilled his vow, he settled in Poitiers where he wrote, in prose and verse, many lives of the saints. In Poitiers he was ordained first a priest and then a bishop, and now rests there buried with worthy honours. There he also wrote the life of Blessed Martin, four books in hexameter. And he wrote many other carmata in sweet and learned language, hymns for Christian festivities and for friends. He went on pilgrimage to his tomb as Apro, the abbot of those places, asked him to do, and composed this epitaph.

Clear in wit, lively in feeling, suave in idiom

Whose sweet melody many pages make one laugh,

Fortunato, top of the poets and venerable in the deeds,

Born in Ausonia, he is buried in this land.

From his consecrated mouth we know the deeds of the ancient saints.

That we are on the path of light.

Blessed Gaul, shining with such precious gems,

To whose light the darkness of the night escapes you!

These verses I, little one, have written in humble meter,

That, O holy one, his glory may not be unknown among the peoples.

And thou return the wretched one; for thy merits most illustrious

Pray, blissful, the righteous judge not to disdain me.

I have gladly told of this great man so that his countrymen may not be ignorant of his deeds. Now let us resume the story.

14.

Alboino conquered Vicenza, Verona and the other cities of Venice, leaving aside Padua, Monselice and Mantua. The region of the Veneti not only includes the few islands that we call Venezie but also all those lands that go from Pannonia to the river Adda. This is proved by the books "Annali", where it is clearly stated that Bergamo belongs to Venice. Lake Benaco is also considered a lake of Venice, we know this from the book of "Stories" where it says "Benaco is a lake of Venice, and from this comes out the river Mincio". The Latin "Veneti" corresponds to the Greek "Eneti" and even if in Latin it has an extra letter the meaning is "Worthy of praise". Istria is also part of Venice and all these lands are one province.