A public letter

Translated letter:

In the name of the lord the 995th year from the incarnation of our lord Jesus Christ in the month of November, eighth indiction to the holy mother church in the bishopric of Vercelli where the body of St. Eusebius lies buried where the lord Peter venerable bishop is seen to be the canonic site of that bishop of Vercelli where archdeacon Rainfred and archpriest and provost Cunibert are ordained to serve God.   I, in the name of God lady Adelaide, empress, widow of the lord emperor Otto of good memory, who profess from my birth to live by Salic law, as offerer and donator on the part of said canonry,  for the mercy and remedy of my soul, or to whom I said the present will have come, whoever in holy and venerable places would confer something of their things according to the word of the author will receive a hundred fold in this world moreover what is better, will possess life eternally.  Therefore I, indeed lady Adelaid empress give over to you provost to the jurisdiction and possession of the canonry,  said canonry of St. Eusebius, that is one court with arable land to the house which is called Carisiana, with the town there and with the chapel outside built near that town in honor of St. Matthew together with all the things pertaining to that court and with the dry (sicide?) port with all its channels from the chapel of St. Columban up to the river Po together with its servants and handmaids freedmen and women pertaining to that court and the area of said court with its house and arable land in which is that town with its protections and  surrounding ditch/moat is by just measure one acre (iuge).   with other things outside that town pertaining to that court there are between the plots (sediminas) and the open/arable ground where there are vines or meadows a thousand acres, arable lands three thousand acres,  with grasses (germis?) and woods  or forests and marshes  four thousand acres, and if any more should be found in my jurisdiction of things in this place Carixiana or surrounding it, pertaining to that court and town or chapel, let it remain and continue as the above measure and all in this present charter of gift and offering.  As a whole, as with the cottages and town or chapel of the court with the courts, gardens, plots, enclosures, fields, meadows, pastures, forests, osier-beds,  fisheries, marshes, together with the aforesaid port and markets and tolls and all things cultivated and uncultivated, divided and undivided, with servants and handmaids, freedmen and women, all, and from all as much as are seen to pertain to that court, as a whole, that is this court with house and arable land, with town and chapel and all things pertaining to it together with accesses and entries and  with its higher and lower [parts], as well as the said servants and handmaids, freedmen and women pertaining to that court, wholly and from this day, I give, hand over, offer to you provost archdeacon Raifred and archpriest and provost Cunibert on the part of said canonry of St. Eusebius situated at Vercelli for the mercy and remedy of my soul  and  not to be sold to any other or given, alienated, indebted, or handed over, except on the part of that canonry and do with it and those canons who are ordained therein and to this that are ordained therein in perpetuity, to their use, and they are free from fruits and labors or tax and rent that the lord would give annually whatever they wish without opposition from me and my heirs and posterity.  Moreover, I lady Adelaide empress by the small knife, knotted straw, glove and piece of earth and branch of tree,* before witnesses, had given over and invested and had myself driven out and guaranteed and absented, and I relinquished it to be held by said canonry.  If anyone which I do not believe will happen in the future, if I that same lady Adelaide empress or let it not be any of my heirs or posterity or any opposing person should seek to go against this charter of my gift and offering or to  break it in any way then I would impose against the party that brought the suit a fine which is the punishment of a thousand gold pounds and two thousand silver and I repeat I am not able to lay claim, so that this charter of gift and offering remain firm and undisturbed for a long time subject to the stipulation that to me, the above lady Adelaid empress or my heirs and posterity on the part of  said canonry of St. Eusebius to protect from all objection the already built court and house with arable land, with town and chapel and all things pertaining to it with servants and handmaids, freedmen and women, as is read above in its entirety and if I could not protect it or anyone attempted to take anything away on the part of the canonry by fraud then I shall restore doubly the donation and offering on the part of the said canonry as will be in better times or would be estimated for those immoveable things in similar places as my will decreed for the mercy and remedy of my soul whence the lord will repay me with mercy in good part and beyond that [one] would seek to break my donation and offering, let him have the malediction of almighty god, father son and holy spirit and be deprived of the help of St. Mary whose son he offends and the wrath of St. Michael and let all the holy angels and archangels be opposed, and let him fall under anathema and maranche [another form of anathema] and receive perpetual damnation [zizi?] together with Sapphira and Judas the betrayer of the lord and devils and pestilential angels submerge in hell completely covered with blood. 

And I have raised the parchment with ink from the earth and given and handed it over to John notary and judge and asked [him] to write confirming below with witnesses to strengthen what I offered.  Enacted happily in the place which freely (ar  ... ne uurdo?).  Sign + the hand of lady Adelaid empress who asked that this charter of donation and offering be made for the remedy of her soul.  Sign ++++ by the hands of Everard and Otecher and Gotfred and Arnald requested witnesses living by Salic law.   Sign ++++ by the hands of Walbert count of the village place and Peter who with Amizo and Otbert of Vercelli were asked to witness.  + I, Eribert judge of the sacred palace, was present.  + I Lanfranc subscribed as requested.  + I Waledram subscribed as requested.  I Adam subscribed as requested. I also, John, notary and judge of the sacred palace wrote what I was given, completed and gave it. 

Original letter:

In nomine domini anno ab incarnacione domini nostri Ihu. Xpi dcccc nonagesimo quinto mense nouember indict. octaua sce(-) [sanctae] aut(-) [autem] mat(-) [matri] ecclesie ep(-)io [episcopio] uercelli ubi corpus s. eusebi umatum requiescit ubi domnus petrus uenerabilis episcopus esse uidetur canonica ipsius episcopi sita uercelli ubi rainfredus arhidiaconus et cunibertus arhipresbiter et prepositus deo famulare ordinati sunt. Ego quidem in dei nomine domina adelegida imperatrice relicta bone memorie domini ottoni imperatoris que professa sum ex natione mea legem uiuere salicha of­fertris et donatris a parte prefata canonica pro mercede et remedium anime meae uel ad quibus ad mihi aduenerit presens presentibus dixi quisquis in sanctis ac uenerabilibus locis et suis aliquit contullerit rebus iusta octoris uocem in oc seculo centuplum accipiat insuper quod melius est uitam possidebit eterna. Ideoque ego quidem domina adele­gida imperatris trado uobis preposito canonici ad iura et proprietatem prefata canonica sancti eusebii itest corte una domui coltile que uocatur carisiana cum castro inibi abente et cum capella foris prope ipso castro edificata in onore sancti mathie una cum omnibus rebus ad ipsam cortem pertinentibus ct cum portu sicide cum omnibus alueis suis de capella sancti columbani usque in fluuio pado una cum seruis et ancillis aldiones et aldionabus ad ipsam cortem pertinentibus et est prefata corte do­mui coltile per mensura iusta area in qua castrum ipsum extat cum moniminas et fosatum circumdatum est iuge una. reliquis rebus foris eodem castro ad ipsam cortem pertinentibus sunt inter sediminas et areis ubi uites exstant seu pratis iuges mille terris arabelis iugeas tres milia germis et buscaleis seu silvis ac palutibus iugeas quattuor milia et si amplius de meo iuri rebus in isto loco carixiana uel inibi circumiacentibus ad ipsam cortem et castro uel capella pertinentibus inuentum fuerint quia utsupra mensura et omnia in ista presentem donationis et offersionis cartam permaneat atque persistit. in integrum tam casis et castro seu capella curtis ortis areis clusuris campis pratis passcuis siluis uirgareis pisscationibus palutibus una simul cum predicto porto et mercatis et toloneis uniuersisque re­bus coltis et incoltis diuisis et indiuisis seruis et ancillis aldiones et aldianes omnia et ex omnibus quotquot ad ipsam cortem pertinere uidentur in integrum que aut istam cortem domui coltilem cum castro et capella et cum omnibus rebus a se pertinentibus una cum accessionibus et ingressoras suas seu cum superioribus et inferioribus suis si­mul cum predictos seruos et ancillas aldiones et aldianes ad ipsam cortem pertinentibus in integrum ab ac die uobis preposito raifredo arhidiaconi et cuniberti archipresbiteri et prepositi a parte pre­fata canonica sancti eusebii sita uercelli do trado offero per mercedem et remedium anime mee et nulli alii uendita donata alienata obnossiata uel tradita nisi a parte ipsius canonica et facias exinde ac ipsi canonici qui inibi ordinati sunt quamque et illis cousque in sempiternum ordinati fiunt ad eorum usu et sunttu[sic] tam de fruges et laboribus uel censum et reditum quod dominus annualiter dederit quitquit uoluerint sine omni mea et eredum ac proeredumque meorum contradictione. Insuper ego quidem domina adelegida imperatris cultellum fistucum notatum uuantonem et uuasonem terre et per ramum arboris coram testibus fecit tradidit et uestiuram et me ex inde foris exspuli uuarpiui et absaxito fecit a parte prefata calonica abendum relinqui. Si quis uero quod futurum esse non credo si ego ipsa domina adelegida imperatris quod absit aut illus de eredibus ac proeredibus meis seu quislibet obposita persona que contra hanc cartam donationis et offersionis mee uenire aut eam per couis genium infrangere quesierimus tunc inferam ad illam partem contra quam exinde litem intullerim multa quod est pena auro libras mille argento duo milia et quod repecierim uendicare non ualeam presens hanc cartam donationis et offersionis firma et inconuulsa permaneat diotinis temporibus cum stipulatione subnixa et ad me quem supra domina adelegida imperatrice uel meos heredes ac proheredes a parte prefata canonica sancti eusebii iam factam cortem domui coltilem cum castro et capella et cum omnibus rebus ad se pertinentibus cum seruos et ancillas aldiones et aldianas qualiter supra legitur in integrum ab omni contradicentem ominem defensare quit si defendere non potuerim aut si parte ipsius calonica aliquit per couis genium subtraere quesierim tunc in dublum eadem donatio et offersio a parte prefata calonica restituam sicut per tempora meliorata fuerit aut ualuerit sub exstimatione eisdem rebus immobilibus in consimilibus locis quia sic mea decreuit uoluntas pro mercede et remedium anime mee unde mihi dominus in bonis partibus mercede retribuat et insuper quod ac meam donacionem et offersionem inrumpere quesierit abeat maledicione dei omnipotentis patris et filii et spiritus sancti et sancte marie adiutorium careat cuius filius scandalizat et ira sancti mihaeli et omnes sanctos angelos et archangelos abeat contrarios et sit deputatus sub anathe et maranche et una cum safira accipiat perpetuam danationis zizi simul una cum iuda dominum proditorem diabolos et angelos pestiferos demerget in infernum penitus crutiendi. et bergamena cum actramentario de terra eleuaui iohanni notari et iudex dedi et tradidi et scribere rogaui in qua subter confirmans testibus que obtuli roboranda. Actum in loco qui ar(-) franche ne uurdo feliciter. Signum + manus iste domine adelegide imperatris que hanc cartam donationis et offersionis fieri rogauit pro remedium anime sue.  Signum ++++ manibus euerardi et otecherii seu gotefredi atque arnaldi lege uiuentes salicha rogati testes.  Signum ++++ manuibus uualberti comiti de loco casale et petri qui et amizo seu otberti da uercelli rogati testis.  + Eribertus iudex sacri palatii interfui.  + Lanfrancus rogatus subscripsi.  + Vvaledramus rogatus subscripsi.  + Adam rogatus subscripsi.  Ego quoque iohannes notarius et iudex sacri palatii scripsi postradita compleui et dedi.

Historical context:

This charter of Adelaide's donation to the church of Vercelli is preserved in a document from duke Otto and judge Alberic, imperial envoys at Pavia, in which they praise her gift and cite the text.  There are abbreviations which are represented here by lines in parentheses.  The language is quite rough, gramatically odd if not often incorrect.  I have done the best I could with it, and would welcome suggestions and corrections.   

Scholarly notes:

* These are traditional symbolic objects handed over at the transfer of property.  I am grateful to Adam Kosto for this explanation.

Printed source:

Historiae Patriae Monumenta edita iussu Regis Caroli Alberti (Augustae taurinorum e regio typographeo, MDCCCXXXVI), Chartarum 1.301-03.

Date: