A letter from Eneas, son of Ema

Translated letter:

I, Eneas, son of the late woman Ema, swear that from this hour forward I shall be faithful to Almodis, countess, daughter of Amelia, countess, without fraud and without evil artifice and without any deception of said Almodis, countess, by direct faith, without deception of the above-written countess, in the way a man should be to his lord.  And I said Eneas shall not deceive/deprive Alodis, said countess, of her life or of the members which are held in her body, nor of that city which they call Girona, nor of that town which they call Girundella, nor of the county which they call Gironda with all their appurtenances, nor those abbacies that are in said bishopric, nor of those towns or castles, cliffs and hills, developed or undeveloped, which are in the aforesaid county with all their appurtenances, nor of those cities or bishoprics or abbacies or towns or lands or parias* in parts of Spain, which count Raymond, my lord, son of the late Sancia, countess, has given and will give in the future or will owe to Almodis, said countess, or to the sons which she has or will have from said count Raymond, nor of the tutelage which Raymond, said count, should have or will have surrendered after his death of the honor to Almodis, said countess, nor of the wealth or paria which is or will be henceforth given from Sarracens to said countess Almodis.  All these above-written or named, I above-written Eneas shall not take from nor take anything of it from Almodis, said countess, not I nor a man or men, woman or women, by my counsel or by my artifice.  And I said Eneas will be an aid to Almodis, said countess to hold and have and defend all the aforesaid against all men or man, women or woman, who might with to take or took from said countess Almodis all the above or from all the above, for which said Almodis should call on me, said Eneas, by name from this above-written oath [by herself] or by her messengers or messenger.  And I shall not refuse to be called on and shall give this help [without] deception to said countess, to my knowledge.  And I said Eneas would give the power as often as Almodis, said countess would command me to, over that town of Ostoles, and that fortification which is there or will be henceforth, or that other fortifiation which is near said town of Ostoles, that is there now or will be henceforth, or of that town of Puio Adder or that fortification which is there or will be henceforth, or of those fortifications which are in these said towns or will be henceforth, to said countes Almodis, without deception.  And I said Eneas shall give this power to the said countess as often as she should command me.  And I said Eneas swear swear to give power over said towns to said countess Almodis;  I shall not refuse nor forbid them, with or without wrongdoing, to said Almodis, not I nor man or men, woman or women, by my counsel or by my artifice.  And if there is a man or woman who would take or refuse them, I said Eneas will not have peace nor association with them [male or female] until said Almodis has recovered those said towns, without deception.  As is written above, I said Eneas will hold and keep the above-written to said Almodis without deception, to my knowledge, by God and his saints, except as much as said Almodis, release me, said Eneas, from by her favor, without force, before two or three of her men whom she would order that they make the same release together with her.

Original letter:

Iuro ego Eneas, filius qui fui de Ema, femina, quia de ista ora in antea fidelis ero ad Adalmus, comitissa, filia que est Amelie, comitisse, sine fraude et sine malo ingenio et sine ulla decepcione de prescripte Almodi, comitisse, per directam fidem, sine suo engan de suprascripta comitissa, quomodo homo debet esse suo seniori. Et ego Eneas suprascriptus non dezebre Adalmus, comitissa suprascripta, de sua vita neque de suis membris que in corpus suum se tenent, neque de ipsam civitatem quem dicunt Gerundam, neque de ipso castro quod dicunt Gerundella, neque de ipso comitatu quod dicunt Gerundensi cum omnibus suis pertinenciis, neque de ipso episcopatu Sancte Marie, sedis Gerunde, cum omnibus suis per­tinenciis, neque de ipsas abbathias que in prescripto episcopatu sunt, ne­que de ipsos castros aut castellos, rochas et puios, condirectos vel discondirectos, qui in suprascripto comitatu sunt cum omnibus illorum perti­nenciis, neque de civitates aut episcopatus aut abbathias aut castros aut terras aut parias de partibus Ispanie, quod Remundus comes, senior meus, filius qui fuit Sancie, comitisse, habet datum et in antea dederit aut debitaverit Almodi, comitisse prescripte, vel ad filiis suis quos de prescriptum Remundum, comitem, habet aut habuerit, neque de baiulia quod Remundus, comes prescriptus, debitaverit vel dimiserit post obitum suum de suum onorem Almodi, comitisse prescripte, neque de avere aut paria que est aut que antea erit inconventum dare de sarracenis ad suprascripte Almodi, comitisse. Ista omnia suprascripta vel disnominata, ego Eneas suprascriptus no la tolrei, ne le n tolrei ad Adalmus, comitissa prescripta, nec ego, nec homo nec homines, femina vel feminas, per meum consilium neque per meum ingenium. Et ego Eneas suprascriptus adiutor ero ad Adalmus, comitissa prescripta, ista omnia suprascripta ad tenere et ad habere et ad defendere contra cunctos homines aut hominem, feminas vel feminam, qui ad prescriptam Almodem, comitissam, tollere voluerint aut tulerint omnia suprascripta aut de his omnibus suprascriptis, unde Adalmus prescripta me, Eneas suprascripto, comonuerit per nomen de isto sacramento suprascripto [per se ipsam] aut per suos missos vel missum. Et comonir no me n devedare et istum adiutorium [sine] engan lo farei comitisse prescripte, me sciente. Et ego Eneas suprascriptus podestadiva farei per quantas vices mihi mandaverit Adalmus, comitissa prescripta, de ipso castro de Ostoles et de ipsa forteda que ibi est aut in antea ibi erit, sive de ipsa alia forteda que est iuxta prescriptum castrum Ostoles, que nunc ibi est aut in antea erit, sive de ipso castro de Puio Adder vel de ipsa forteda que ibi est aut in antea ibi erit, sive de ipsas fortedas que in istos castros suprascriptos sunt aut in antea ibi erunt, sine suo engan de prescripta Adalmus, comitissa. Et istam potestatem dabo prescriptam comitissam ego Eneas suprascriptus per quantas vices mihi mandaverit. Et istos castros suprascriptos ego suprascriptus Eneas iuro potestatem dare Almodi, comitisse prescripte; no ls vedarei, ne ls devedarei, ne ab forsfait ne sine forsfeit, ad prescripta Almodi nec ego, nec homo nec homines, nec femina vel feminas, per meum consilium neque per meum ingenium. Et, si est homo aut femina chi ls li tolla, ne ls li deved, ego Eneas supra­scriptus finem nec societatem non habuero cum illis nec cum illas usque Adalmus prescripta recuperatos habeat istos castros suprascriptos, sine suo engan. Sicut superius scriptum est, ego Eneas suprascriptus si o tenrei et o atendrei ad Adalmus suprascripta sine suo engan, me sciente, per Deum et sanctis suis, nisi quantum Adalmus prescripta me, Eneam suprascriptum, absolvera per suum grad, sine forcia, aput duos vel tres de suis hominibus cui illa mandet quod faciant ipsum absoltum simul in unum cum illa.

Historical context:

Oath by Eneas to the countess for the towns of Ostoles and Puio Adder.

Scholarly notes:

*  parias are tributes between lords.

Printed source:

LFM 1.510-11, #480.

Date: