The Fieschi Letter in English and Latin

This post is designed to be a reference for future use. It is the full text of the Fieschi letter in English translation and in the original Latin, together with a word-for-word literal translation of the second half of the Letter, the section that the Auramala Project is concerned with verifying. We recommend the word-for-word translation, as it is the version which allows non-Latin speakers to get closest to the original text, and understand what we are dealing with. This is the text I will refer back to in later posts discussing the Letter and its contents.

It must be said, however, that the original document contains many abbreviations (conventional at the time), there are crossed-out words in some places, and some words and terms have dots placed under them. These graphic markings, which we cannot reproduce here, all had a meaning for the scribe and the people for whom the document was made. We will be discussing them in greater detail in a later post, as soon as we receive permission to publish our high-resolution images of the document from the Montpellier Archives.

First, the English translation:

In the name of the Lord, Amen. That which I heard of the confession of your father I wrote by my own hand and afterwards I took care to make it known to your highness.  First he says that feeling England in subversion against him, afterwards on the admonition of your mother, he withdrew from his family in the castle of the Earl Marshal by the sea, which is called Chepstow. Afterwards, driven by fear, he took a barque with lords Hugh Despenser and the Earl of Arundel and several others and made his way by sea to Glamorgan, and there he was captured, together with the said Lord Hugh and Master Robert Baldock; and they were captured by Lord Henry of Lancaster, and they led him to the castle of Kenilworth, and others were kept elsewhere at various places; and there he lost the crown by the insistence of many. Afterwards you were subsequently crowned on the feast of Candlemas next following. Finally they sent him to the castle of Berkeley. Afterwards the servant who was keeping him, after some little time, said to your father: Lord, Lord Thomas Gurney and Lord Simon Bereford, knights, have come with the purpose of killing you. If it pleases, I shall give you my clothes,  that you may better be able to escape. Then with the said clothes, as night was near, he went out of the prison; and when he had reached the last door without resistance, because he was not recognised, he found the porter sleeping, whom he quickly killed; and having got the keys of the door, he opened the door and went out, with his keeper who was keeping him. The said knights who had come to kill him, seeing that he had thus fled, fearing the indignation of the queen, even the danger to their persons, thought to put that aforesaid porter, his heart having been extracted, in a box, and maliciously presented to the queen the heart and body of the aforesaid porter as the body of your father, and as the body of the said king the said porter was buried in Gloucester. And after he had gone out of the prisons of the aforesaid castle, he was received in the castle of Corfe with his companion who was keeping him in the prisons by Lord Thomas, castellan of the said castle, the lord being ignorant, Lord John Maltravers, lord of the said Thomas, in which castle he was secretly for a year and a half.  Afterwards, having heard that the Earl of Kent, because he said he was alive, had been beheaded, he took a ship with his said keeper and with the consent and counsel of the said Thomas, who had received him, crossed into Ireland, where he was for nine months. Afterwards, fearing lest he be recognised there, having taken the habit of a hermit, he came back to England and landed at the port of Sandwich, and in the same habit crossed the sea to Sluys. Afterwards he turned his steps in Normandy and from Normandy, as many, going across through Languedoc, came to Avignon, where, having given a florin to the servant of the pope, sent by the said servant a document to Pope John, which pope had him called to him, and held him secretly and honourably for a further fifteen days. Finally, after various discussions, all things having been considered, permission having been received, he went to Paris, and from Paris to Brabant, from Brabant to Cologne so that out of devotion he might see The Three Kings, and leaving Cologne he crossed over Germany, that is to say, he headed for Milan in Lombardy, and from Milan he entered a certain hermitage of the castle of Milascio, in which hermitage he stayed for two years and a half; and because war overran the said castle, he changed himself to the castle of Cecima in another hermitage of the diocese of Pavia in Lombardy, and he was in this last hermitage for two years or thereabouts, always the recluse, doing penance and praying to God for you and other sinners.

In testimony of which I caused my seal to be affixed for the consideration of Your Highness. Your Manuele de Fieschi, notary the lord pope, your devoted servant.

Now, the ‘original’ Latin:

Archives departementales d’Herault, Montpellier, GM 23, Cart. de Mag. Reg. A, fol. 86r.

In nomine Domini amen. Ea que audivi ex confessione patris vestri manu mea propria scripsci et propterea ad vestri dominacionem intimari curavi. Primo dicit quod sentiens Angliam in subversione contra ipsum, propterea monitu matris vestre, recessit a familia sua in castro Comitis Marescali supra mare, quod vocatur Gesosta. Postea, timore ductus, ascendit barcham unam con dominis Ugone Dispenssario et comiti Arundele et aliquibus aliis, et aplicuit in Glomorgam supra mare, et ibi fuit captus, una con domino dicto Ugone et magistro Roberto de Baldoli; et fuerunt capti per dominum Henricum de Longo Castello, et duxerunt ipsum in castro Chilon- gurda, et alii fuerunt alibi ad loca diversa; et ibi perdidit coronam ad requisicionem multorum. Postea subsequenter fuistis coronatus in proximiori festo Sancte Marie de la Candelor. Ultimum miserunt eum ad castrum de Berchele. Postea famulus qui custodiebat ipsum, post aliqua tempora, dixit patri vestro: Domine, dominus Thomas de Gornay et dominus Symon Desberfort, milites, venerunt causa interficiendi vos. Si placet, dabo vobis raubas meas, ut melius evadere possitis. Tunc con dictis raubis, hora quasi notis, exivit carcerem; et dum pervenisset usque ad ultimum ostium sine resistencia, quia non cognoscebatur, invenit ostiarium dormientem, quem subito interfecit; et receptis clavibus ostii, aperuit ostium et exivit, et custos suus qui eum custodiebat. Videntes dicti milites qui venerant ad interficiendum ipsum quod sic recesserat, dubitantes indignacionem regine, ymo periculum personarum, deliberarunt istum predictum porterium, extracto sibi corde, ponere in una cusia, et cor et corpus predicti proterii ut corpus patris vestri malicicse regine presentarunt, et ut corpus regis dictus porterius in Glocesta’ fuit sepultus. Et postquam exivit carceres castri antedicti, fuit receptatus in castro de Corf con socio suo qui custodiebat ipsum in carceribus per dominum Thomam, castellanum dicti castri, ignorante domino, domino Johanne Maltraverse, domino dicti Thome, in quo castro secrete fuit per annum cum dimidio. Postea, audito quod comes Cancii, quia dixerat eum vivere, fuerat decapitatus, ascendit unam navem cum dicto custode suo, et de voluntate et consilio dicti Thome qui ipsum receptaverat, et transivit in Yrlandam, ubi fuit per viiii menses. Postea dubitans ne ibi cognosceretur, recepto habitu unius heremite, redivit in Angliam, et aplicuit ad portum de Sandvic, et in eodem habitu transivit mare apud Sclusam. Postea diresit gressus suos in Normandia[m], et de Normandia, ut in pluribus, transeundo per Linguam Octanam, venit Avinionem, ubi, dato uno floreno uni servienti pape, misit per dictum servientem unam cedulam pape Johanni, qui papa eum ad se vocari fecit, et ipsum secrete tenuit honorifice ultra xv dies. Finaliter, post tractatus diversos, consideratis omnibus, recepta licencia, ivit Parisius, et de Parisius in Braybantia[m], de Braybantia in Coloniam, ut videret iii reges causa devocionis, et recedendo de Colonia per Alemaniam transivit sive peresit Mediolanum in Lombardiam, et de Mediolano intravit quoddam heremitorium castri Milasci, in quo heremitorio stetit per duos annos68 cum dimidio; et quia dicto castro guerra supervenit, mutavit se in castro Cecime, in alio heremitorio diocesis Papiensis in Lombardiam, et fuit in isto ultimo heremitorio per duos annos vel circa, semper inclusus, agendo penitenciam, et Deum pro vobis et aliis peccatoribus orando.

In quorum testimonium, sigillum, contemplacione vestre dominacionis, duxi apponen- dum. Vester Manuel de Flisco, domini pape notarius, devotus servitor vester.

Finally, the word-for-word translation of the second half (from the prison-break onwards). You will find in brackets prepositions, pronouns and other words that are implicit in the case or tense of the Latin word being translated.  We would love you to check the text with your trusty Latin-English dictionary, but you should look for the words NOT in brackets in the English.

et	postquam	exivit	carceres	castri	antedicti
and	after	(he) exited	(the) prison	(of the) castle	aforementioned

fuit	receptatus	in	castro	de	Corf	con	socio
(he) was	received	in	(the) castle	of	Corf	with	friend

suo	qui	custodiebat	ipsum	in	carceribus	per
his	which	gaurded	him	in	(the) prison	By means of

dominum	Thomam	castellanum	dicti	castri
sir	Thomas	(the) castellan	(of the) said	castle

ignorante	domino	domino	Iohanne
(being) ignorant	(the) lord	sir	John

Maltraverse	domino	dicti	Thome
Maltraverse	lord	(of) said	Thomas

in	quo	castro	secrete	fuit	per	annum	cum
in	which	castle	secretly	(he) was	for	(a) year	with

dimidio	postea	audito	quod	comes	Cancii	quia
half	afterwards	heard	that	(the) count	(of) Kent	because

dixerat	eum	vivere	fuerat	decapitatus	ascendit
(he) had said	him	to live	(he) had been	decapitated	ascended

unam	navim	cum	dicto	custode	suo	et	de
a	ship	with	said	guardian	his	and	by (the)

voluntate	et	consilio	dicti	Thome	qui	ipsum
will	and	counsel	(of) said	Thomas	who	him

receptaverat	et	transivit	in	Yrlandam	ubi	fuit	per
(had) received	and	crossed	to	Ireland	where	(he) was	for

viiii	menses	postea	dubitans	ne	ibi
viiii	months	afterwards	doubting	that	there

cognosceretur	recepto	habitu	unius	heremite
(he) might be recognised	received	(the) habit	(of) a	hermit

redivit	in	Angliam	et	applicuit	ad	portum
(he) returned	to	England	and	(he) landed	at	(the) port

de	Sandvic	et	in	eodem	habitu	transivit
of	Sandwich	and	in	that same	habit	(he) crossed

mare	apud	Sclusam	postea	diresit	gressus
by sea	at	Sluys	afterwards	(he) directed	steps

suos	in	Normandiam	et	de	Normandia	ut	in	pluribus
his	to	Normandy	and	from	Normandy	as	(-)	many

transeundo	per	Linguam	Occitanam	venit	Avinionem
crossing	through	Lingua	d’Oc	(he) came	(to) Avignon

ubi	dato	uno	floreno	uni	servienti	pape
where	given	a	floren	(to) one	servant	(of the) Pope

misit	per	dictum	servientem	unam	cedulam
(he) sent	by	said	servant	a	note

pape	Johanni	qui	papa	eum	ad	se	vocari
(to) Pope	John	which	Pope	him	to	himself	call

fecit	et	ipsum	secrete	tenuit	honorifice	ultra	xv
(he) made	and	him	secretly	held	honorably	further	xv

dies	finaliter	post	tractatus	diversos	consideratis
days	finally	after	discussions	many	considered

omnibus	recepta	licencia	ivit	Parisius	et	de
everything	received	license	(he) went	(to) Paris	and	from

Parisius	in	Braybantiam	de	Braybantia	in	Coloniam	ut
Paris	to	Brabant	from	Brabant	to	Cologne	so as

videret	iii	reges	causa	devocionis	et	recedendo
(he) could see	iii	kings	due to	devotion	and	leaving

de	Colonia	per	Alemaniam	transivit	sive
from	Cologne	through	Germany	(he) crossed	or

peresit	Mediolanum	in	Lombardiam	et	de
(he) came	to Milano	in	Lombardy	and	from

Mediolano	intravit	quoddam	heremitorium	castri
Milan	(he) entered	a certain	hermitage	(of) castle

Milasci	in	quo	heremitorio	stetit	per	duos
Milascio	in	which	hermitage	(he) stayed	for	two

annos	cum	dimidio	et	quia	dicto
years	with	half	and	because	(to) said

castro	guerra	supervenit	mutavit	se
castle	war	overcame	(he) changed	himself

in	castro	Cecime	in	alio	heremitorio	diocesis
to	castle	Cecima	in	another	hermitage	(of the) diocese

Papiensis	in	Lombardiam	et	fuit	in	isto	ultimo
(of) Pavia	in	Lombardy	and	(he) was	in	this	last

heremitorio	per	duos	annos	vel	circa	semper
hermitage	for	two	years	or	about	always

inclusus	agendo	penitenciam	et	Deum	pro	vobis
closed away	doing	penance	and	God	for	you

et	aliis	peccatoribus	Orando.
and	other	sinners	Praying.

In	quorum	testimonium	sigillum	contemplacione
In	of which	testimony	(my) seal	(for the) contemplation

vestre	dominacionis	duxi	apponendum.
(of) your	lordship	(I) ordered	attached.

Vester	Manuel	de	Flisco	domini	pape
Your	Manuel	of	Fieschi	(of the) lord	Pope

notarius	devotus	servitor	vester
notary	devoted	servant	yours