Tag: Liutprand of Cremona

This is part 3 of 3. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

Nam dum statuto tempore rex Papiam tenderet, et memorati obviam ei exirent, episcopus libenter, ut ei imperatum fuerat, fecit. rex itaque omnes capere, ut Samson consilium dederat, iussit. confestim igitur Gezo Samson traditus, utroque lumine privatur, et lingua, quae in regem blasphemiam dixerat, ei absciditur. o factum bene, si sicut caecus, ita et mutus cunctis extitisset temporibus! sed o scelus, quoniam lingua abscisa loquelam non perdidit, secundum Grecorum fabulas, oculorum privatione vitam sibi protelavit, quae multis ad perniciem usque in praesentem diem esse non desiit. fabulae vero ludum, cur caeci plurimum vivant, secundum Grecorum ineptiam hic inseramus, quae talis est: Ζευς καὶ Ηρα ηρισαν περι αφροδισιῶν, της πλειονα ἐχει ηδομας εν τη συννουσῖα· και τότε Τιρεσίαν Εβρου υιον εζήτησαν. οὕτως γὰρ εν ταις αμφοτέραις φύσεσοι μεταμορφώθη, επιδι δράκοντα επατησεν. οὕτος οὔν κατα της Ηρας απεφκυνατο, καὶ Ηρα οργισθεῖσα ἐπήρωσεν ἀυτὸν, Ζευς δὲ εχαρίσατο ἀυτῶ πολοῖς ζήσαι ετεσι, και ὀσα ελεγεν μαντικα λεγειν. Zeus ke Ira irisan peri afrodision, tis pliona echi idomas en ti synnusia; ke tote Tiresian Euru yon ezitisan, utos gar en tes amfoteres fysesi metamorfothi epidi draconta epatisen. utos un cata tis Iras apefkynato, ke Ira orgisthisa epirosen auton, Zeus de echarisato auto polis zise etesi, ke osa elegen mantica legin.* haec est interpretatio: Iuppiter et Iuno contenderunt de amoribus, quis plures haberet libidines in coitu. et tunc Tiresiam Euri filium quaesiverunt. iste enim in utrisque naturis transmutatus est, quia draconem calcavit. hic ergo contra Iunonem pronuntiavit. et Iuno irata excaecavit eum. Iuppiter autem donavit ei multis vivere annis, et quanta diceret, divinando dicere. sed redeamus ad rem. Gezo, ut praediximus, membris defoedato, substantia illius diripitur. ceteri complures custodie mancipantur. Walpertus in crastinum capite truncatur, thesaurus eius infinitus diripitur; Cristina uxor illius capitur, et ut thesauros occultos tradat, diversis crucibus laniatur. crevit extunc non solum Papiae, sed et in omnes Italiae fines regis timor; neque hunc ut reges ceteros floccipendere, verum modis omnibus honorare.

* (sic!)

(Liutprand of Cremona, Antapodosis, 3.41)

For when the king headed towards Pavia at the appointed time and the aforementioned people went out toward him, the bishop obligingly did as he had been instructed; then the king ordered all to be captured, as Samson had advised. Thereupon, with Gezo quickly handed over to Samson, he was deprived of both eyes, and the tongue with which he had spoken blasphemies against the king was cut out. O, how well done if he had lived out all his time as a blind man, and mute! But—O wickedness!—he did not lose his speech with his tongue cut out, and, as in the fables of the Greeks, by the removal of his eyes he extended his life, so that until the present day he has not faltered in many wickednesses. We insert here, exactly as it is, a fable, indeed a joke, about why blind people live long, according to the clumsiness of the Greeks: Zeus and Hera disagreed about love, specifically, about who had more pleasure in sex, women or men. And then they inquired of Tiresias, son of Everes. For he had already been transformed into both genders, since he had stepped upon a dragon. He therefore pronounced against Hera, and she, angered, blinded him. So Zeus gave him the gift of living for many years and that everything he should pronounce, he should pronounce as an accurate prophecy. But let us get back to the issue. Once Gezo had been severed from his organs, as we said above, his wealth was seized; most of the other man were handed over to guards; Walpert was quickly beheaded; his boundless treasure was scattered; his wife Cristina was seized and tormented with various tortures so that she hand over the hidden treasures. From this time there grew great fear of the king not only at Pavia but throughout the territories of Italy; nor was this one treated as a nonentity, like other kings, but was honored in every way. (tr. Paolo Squatriti)

NOTE: The Greek lines are obviously full of mistakes. Here’s my attempt at reconstructing them (one verb seems to elude me):

Ζεὺς καὶ Ἥρα ἤρισαν περὶ ἀφροδισιῶν, τίς πλείονας ἔχει ἡδονὰς ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ· καὶ τότε Τειρεσίαν Εὐήρους υἱὸν ἐζήτησαν. οὕτως γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἀμφοτέραις φύσεσι ἐμεταμορφώθη, ἐπειδὴ δράκοντα ἐπάτησεν. οὕτος οὖν κατὰ τῆς Ἥρας ἀπεψηφίσατο(??), καὶ Ἥρα ὀργισθεῖσα ἐπήρωσεν αὐτόν, Ζεὺς δὲ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ πολλοῖς ζῆσαι ἔτεσι, καὶ ὅσα ἔλεγεν μαντικὰ λέγειν.

This is part 2 of 3. Part 1 is here. Part 3 is here.

His auditis, furorem cuncti animi mitigarunt. solus Gezo in qua prius fuerat protervia manens, operam dabat, quo omnes super regem irruerent eumque morte turpissima cruciarent. verum disponente Deo, affectus eius pravus effectum habere non potuit. reversi igitur ad regem nuntii, prout viderant et audierant, enarrarunt. igitur rex Hugo haec omnia quasi pro nichilo mente subdola ducens, Papia egressus, longe alio properare festinat, missisque circumcirca libris, milites suos ad se venire praecepit. quos inter Samson praepotens comes advenerat, qui iam dicto Gezoni inimicissimus erat. is denique regem ut vidit, eum ita convenit: ‘sollicitum te equidem de urbanis rebus contra te tumultuose et moleste his diebus actis intueor; verum si me audis mihique obtemperas, suis ipsi laqueis capientur. alter enim, qui melius consilium dare possit quam ego, non facile inveniri potest; tibi vero ipsi certe nemo melius dabit. unum tamen peto, ut dum capti mea opera fuerint, Gezo cum omni sua ypostasi meis tradatur in manibus.’ quem dum dari sibi a rege audivit, adiecit: ‘Leo, Ticinensis episcopus civitatis, Walperto et Gezoni non habetur amicus; ii sane quocumque possunt ei omnimodis adversantur. scitis denique, moris esse, regi ab aliis locis Papiam tendenti cives forciores extra urbem occurrere. mandate itaque clam episcopo, ut dum tempore statuto Papiam veneritis, et ipsi nobis extra urbem obviam venerint, portas civitatis omnes serrare faciat, clavesque sibi retineat, quo dum capere eos ceperimus, nec in urbem confugere, nec ab urbe possint auxilium expectare.’ quod et factum est.
(Liutprand of Cremona, Antapodosis, 3.40-41)

Having heard these words, all the rebels mitigated their wrath. Only Gezo remained, clinging to the original wickedness, and urged that all should rush upon the king and torment him with a most dishonorable death; but truly, with God disposing it thus, his wicked desire could not take effect. Once the messengers returned to the king, they related exactly what they had seen and heard. Therefore, King Hugh mulled over all these events in his subtle mind while pretending they were insignificant. Having left Pavia, he hastened to go far away, and, having sent around written orders, he instructed his soldiers to come to him. Among them came the mighty count Samson, who was especially hostile to the aforesaid Gezo. When he saw the king, he spoke to him thus: “I observe that you are worried by the things that were done against you in the city, tumultuously and harmfully, during these past days; truly, if you listen to and obey me, they shall be caught in their own nets. Another man who could give you better advice than I could not easily be found; certainly no one will hand them over to you more skillfully. I ask only one thing: namely, that, when they have been captured by my endeavors, Gezo be given over into my hands with his whole entourage.” When he heard that Gezo would indeed be surrendered by the king, he added: “Leo, the bishop of the city of the Ticinians, is not a friend of Walpert and Gezo: clearly they oppose him by all means whenever they can. You know it to be the custom for the greater citizens to come out of the city to welcome the king arriving in Pavia from some other parts. Therefore, send a message secretly to the bishop so that, when you shall come to Pavia at the appointed time, and they shall advance toward you from the city, he have all the gateways of the city closed and keep the keys himself. In this way, when we begin to capture them, they may neither flee back into the city nor expect any help from within it.” And this was done. (tr. Paolo Squatriti)

This is part 1 of 3. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here.

His temporibus Walpertus et Gezo, praenomine Heverardus, Papiae praepotentes iudices erant. causa autem potentiae Walperti haec erat, quoniam Cumis, ditissimo in loco, filium suum Petrum episcopum fecerat, Rozam vero, gnatam suam, Gilleberto comiti palatii coniugio sotiaverat. ea tamen tempestate uterque defunctus erat. Ticinensis itaque, quod est Papiensis, populus omnis ad hunc convenerat, causasque omnes et controversias ante eum deliberabat. participatione denique potentiae huius memoratus Gezo, praenomine Heverardus, quoniam quadam affinitate ei iungebatur, praepotens habebatur. qui nobilitatem suam pravis moribus deturpabat. fuit enim ambitiosus nimis, cupidus, invidus, seditiosus, iuris corruptor, praeceptorum Dei immemor; quod Deus non passus est abire inultum; et ne diutius protraham sermonem, Catilinae omnino similis, qui sicut consulem et rei publicae defensorem Marcum Tullium Ciceronem conabatur occidere, ita et hic regem Hugonem morti molitus est tradere. quadam enim die, dum nichil mali suspicans rex Hugo Papie cum paucis degeret, hic seditione facta voluit super eum irruere; sed Walperto, qui non tam ferocis animi erat, remorante, tardatus est. nec minus etiam eos rex Hugo suis rhetoricis et melle dulcioribus elogiis ab incepto furore compescuit. dum enim seditionem super se exhortam atque in domo Walperti congregatam esse cognosceret, huiusmodi omnes per internuntios sermone convenit: ‘quid est, quod tantopere, viri fortes, tamque insperate contra dominum, immo regem, vestrum commoti estis? si quippiam quod displiceat actum est, consolidetur. neque enim sera emendatio reprehendi solet, praesertim si nulla neglegentia praetermissa est.’
(Liutprand of Cremona, Antapodosis, 3.39-40)

In those times Walpert and Gezo, whose first name was Heverard, were very powerful judges in Pavia. The reason for Walpert’s power was this: that he had made his son Peter bishop in that very wealthy place, Como, and joined his daughter Roza in marriage to the count of the palace Gislebert. At that same time both Peter and Gislebert had died. All the people of Ticino, that is, the Pavians, had come to Walpert and were debating all cases and controversies before him. In addition, mindufl of his share of the power, Gezo, whose first name was Heverard, because he was joined to him by a certain affinity, was regarded as the powerful one; but Gezo spoiled hi own nobility by his wicked ways. For he was very ambitious, avid, envious, seditious, a corrupter of the law, forgetful of God’s teachings—something which God does not tolerate without vengeance; and, lest I drag out my speech any longer, Gezo was in every way similar to Catiline and, just as Catiline was trying to kill the consul and defender of the Roman Republic Cicero, similarly this Gezo schemed to put King Hugh to death. For on a certain day, while King Hugh, suspecting no evil, stayed in Pavia with a few followers, this Gezo, having organized a revolt, wanted to rush upon him; but with Walpert, who was not of equally savage spirit, lagging behind, the plan was postponed. Nor did King Hugh play a lesser role in restraining them from the rampage they had launched with his rhetorical and honey-sweet praises. For when he learned that a revolt against him had broken out and the rebels had assembled in the house of Walpert, through intermediaries he addressed them all with a speech like this: “Why, O strong men, are you so suddenly aroused against your lord, your king, even? If something was done that displeased you, let it be compensated for. For it is not usual that a late correction is despised, especially if no negligence has been overlooked.” (tr. Paolo Squatriti)