| Quotation |
Adest Alaricus, trepidam Romam obsidet turbat inrumpit, dato tamen praecepto prius, ut si qui in sancta loca praecipueque in sanctorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli basilicas confugissent, hos inprimis inuiolatos securosque esse sinerent, tum deinde in quantum possent praedae inhiantes a sanguine temperarent. 2 Accidit quoque, quo magis illa urbis inruptio indignatione Dei acta quam hostis fortitudine probaretur, ut beatus Innocentius, Romanae urbis episcopus, tamquam iustus Loth subtractus a Sodomis occulta prouidentia Dei apud Rauennam tunc positus, peccatoris populi non uideret excidium. 3 Discurrentibus per urbem barbaris forte unus Gothorum idemque potens et Christianus sacram Deo uirginem iam aetate prouectam, in quadam ecclesiastica domo reperit, cumque ab ea aurum argentumque honeste exposceret, 4 illa fideli constantia esse apud se plurimum et mox proferendum spopondit ac protulit, cumque expositis opibus attonitum barbarum magnitudine pondere pulchritudine, ignota etiam uasorum qualitate intellegeret, uirgo Christi ad barbarum ait: 5 haec Petri apostoli sacra ministeria sunt. praesume, si audes; de facto tu uideris. ego quia defendere nequeo, tenere non audeo. 6 Barbarus uero ad reuerentiam religionis timore Dei et fide uirginis motus ad Alaricum haec per nuntium rettulit: qui continuo reportari ad apostoli basilicam uniuersa ut erant uasa imperauit, 7 uirginem etiam simulque omnes qui se adiungerent Christianos eodem cum defensione deduci. ea domus a sanctis sedibus longe ut ferunt et medio interiectu urbis aberat. 8 Itaque magno spectaculo omnium disposita per singulos singula et super capita elata palam aurea atque argentea uasa portantur; exertis undique ad defensionem gladiis pia pompa munitur; 9 hymnum Deo Romanis barbarisque concinentibus publice canitur; personat late in excidio urbis salutis tuba omnesque etiam in abditis latentes inuitat ac pulsat; 10 concurrunt undique ad uasa Petri uasa Christi, plurimi etiam pagani Christianis professione etsi non fide admiscentur et per hoc tamen ad tempus, quo magis confundantur, euadunt; quanto copiosius adgregantur Romani confugientes, tanto auidius circumfunduntur barbari defensores. 11 O sacra et ineffabilis diuini iudicii discretio! o sanctum istud et salutare flumen, quod parua exortum domo, dum beato alueo in sanctorum sedes tendit, oberrantes periclitantesque animas in salutis sinum pia rapacitate peruexit! 12 O praeclara illa Christianae militiae tuba, quae generaliter cunctos dulcissimo ad uitam modulamine inuitans, quos ad salutem inoboedientes non suscitauit, inexcusabiles reliquit ad mortem. 13 Mysterium hoc, quod in transferendis uasis, dicendis hymnis, ducendis populis fuit, tamquam magnum cribrum fuisse arbitror, per quod ex congregatione populi Romani tamquam ex magna massa frumenti per omnia ex uniuerso ambitu ciuitatis latebrarum foramina effluxere grana uiua siue occasione siue ueritate commota; 14 omnia tamen de praesenti salute credentia ex horreo dominicae praeparationis accepta sunt, reliqua uero uelut stercora et uelut paleae, ipsa uel incredulitate uel inoboedientia praeiudicata, ad exterminium atque incendium remanserunt. quis haec perpendere plenis miraculis, quis praedicare dignis laudibus queat?
15 Tertia die barbari quam ingressi urbem fuerant sponte discedunt, facto quidem aliquantarum aedium incendio sed ne tanto quidem quantum septingentesimo conditionis eius anno casus effecerat. 16 Nam si exhibitam Neronis imperatoris sui spectaculis inflammationem recenseam, procul dubio nulla conparatione aequiperabitur secundum id, quod excitauerat lasciuia principis, hoc, quod nunc intulit ira uictoris. 17 Neque uero Gallorum meminisse in huiusmodi conlatione debeo, qui continuo paene anni spatio incensae euersaeque urbis adtritos cineres possederunt. 18 et ne quisquam forte dubitaret ad correptionem superbae lasciuae et blasphemae ciuitatis hostibus fuisse permissum, eodem tempore clarissima urbis loca fulminibus diruta sunt, quae inflammari ab hostibus nequiuerunt. |
| Translation |
1. Alaric came, besieged, threw into panic, and burst into Rome as she
trembled, but he first gave the order that whoever had fled to the holy places,
above all to the basilicas of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, were to be left
safe and unharmed. He also told his men that as far as possible, they must
refrain from shedding blood in their hunger for booty.
2. And in order to show all the more that this storming of the City was
brought about by God’s displeasure rather than the enemy’s valour, it came
to pass that in the same way as Lot the Just was taken away from Sodom by
God’s hidden providence, the blessed Innocent, the bishop of the Church of
Rome, at that time had his seat at Ravenna in order that he should not see
the destruction of his sinful people.
3. As the barbarians rampaged through the City, it happened that in a
certain convent one of the Goths, a powerful, Christian man, came across
an elderly virgin, who had dedicated her life to God. When he asked her,
politely, for gold and silver, 4. steadfast in her faith, she promised him that
she had a great deal and would soon bring it forth, and brought it forth.
When she saw that the barbarian was astounded by the size, weight, and
beauty of what she had brought out, but had no idea of the nature of the
vessels, Christ’s virgin said to him, 5. ‘These are the sacred vessels of the
Apostle Peter, take them, if you dare, and you will be judged by your act. I
dare not keep them, as I cannot protect them.’ 6. The barbarian was moved
to religious awe through his fear of God and the virgin’s faith, and sent a
messenger to tell Alaric about these matters. He immediately ordered that
all the vessels should be taken back, just as they had been found, to the
basilica of the Apostle 7. and that the virgin and any other Christians who
might join her be taken there with the same degree of protection. They say
that her convent was in the other half of the City, far away from the holy
sites, 8. and so each piece was given to a different individual, and they all
carried the gold and silver vessels openly above their heads, providing a
great spectacle for all to see. This pious parade was protected by drawn
swords on every side, 9. and Romans and barbarians joined together
in singing openly a hymn of praise to God. The trumpet of salvation sent
its note far and wide as the City fell, calling out and rousing up even all
those who were in hiding. 10. From all sides the vessels of Christ came
running to the vessels of Peter – even many pagans joined the Christians,
professing, though not possessing, the faith and in this way managed to save
themselves for that time when they would be all the more undone – and
the more the Romans gathered here in their flight, the more eagerly the
barbarians surrounded and defended them.
11. O sacred and ineffable discernment of Divine Judgment! O what
a holy river of salvation, which rose in a small home, and, as it ran its
blessed course to the seats of the saints, piously snatched up wandering
souls in danger and carried them off to the bosom of salvation! 12. O
glorious trumpet of Christ’s army, which, while calling all alike to life with
its sweet music, does not rouse up the disobedient to salvation, but rather
leaves them, devoid of excuses, to death. 13. This mystery of the parade of
vessels, singing of hymns, and leading forth of the people was, I believe,
like a great sieve through which out of the assembled population of Rome,
just like out of a great mass of corn, living grains set in motion either by
circumstances or by the truth, passed through all the hidden gates of the
city along all the circumference of its walls. 14. All those who believed
in their present salvation were received from the granary prepared by the
Lord, while those left, already condemned because of their lack of belief
or disobedience, remained to be burnt and destroyed like dung and straw.
Who can fully understand these miracles or praise them as they deserve?
15. On the third day after the barbarians had entered the city, they
departed of their own free will. A number of buildings had been set
alight, but not on the scale of the disaster that had occurred in the 700th year
from the City’s foundation. 16. For, if I were to recall the fire that the
Romans’ own emperor Nero brought about for his own amusement, it would
be beyond doubt that this second fire, started by an emperor’s dissipation,
could not be likened to this one, brought on by the victor’s wrath. 17. Nor
ought I to recall the Gauls’ sack of Rome as something similar – they held
Rome, treading on the ashes of the burnt, ruined city for almost a year. 18. And so that no one should doubt that the enemy was allowed to do this
in order to punish the arrogant, debauched, blasphemy of the town, at this
same time the most famous buildings in the City which the enemy was
unable to set alight were destroyed by lightning. |
