A letter from Berengar Arnal

Translated letter:

I, Berengar Arnal/Arnau, son of the late woman Tedlende, swear to you count William, my lord, son of countess Adala, and to your wife Sancia, daughter of the late countess Almodis, without fraud or any evil trick and without any deception or artifice, in righteous faith.  And from this hour forward I, said Berengar, shall not deceive/betray you, said count and countess, in your life or your limbs which are held in your body, not your districts or county nor in your castros or castles, cliffs or hills, developed and barren, earth or honor, allods or fiefs, which you, said count, have today and ought to have and will have acquired in the future.  I shall not take any of this from you, nor oppose you in it, not I, said Berengar, nor a man or men, woman or women, by my counsel or by my artifice.  And if a man or men, woman or women would take from you, or would forbid all the above or anything from it, from that hour forth I shall be an aid to you, without deception, always against all men or women, except the count of Besalú or the count of Castell Nou, while he lives, nor shall I ever ride into your honor because of any harm which he might do to me.  And I shall not deceive you in said help nor refuse to be commanded by any trick as many times as you ask me or command me yourself or through your messengers or messenger.  I shall not reveal your counsel or counsels to harm you in any way, as far as I know; and I shall always remain in fidelity to you.  As is written above, so I shall hold and keep to you, count and countess, I, said Berengar, completely  without deceiving you, except as much as you might relieve me of by your willing spirit without force. 

Original letter:

Iuro ego, Berengarius Arnalli, filius qui fui Tedlendis, femine, quia fidelis ero ad te, Guillelmum, comitem, seniorem meum, filius qui es Adale comitisse, et ad uxorem tuam Sanciam, filia que fuit Almodis, comitisse, sine fraude et ullo malo ingenio et sine ulla decepcione et sine engan, per directam fidem. Et de ista hora in antea ego, prephatus Berengarius, no dezebre vos, predictos comitem et comitissam, de tua vita neque de tuis membris que in corpus tuum se tenent neque de tuos comitatus vel comitatu neque de tuos castros aut castellos, rochas vel puios, condirectos et eremos, terram vel honorem, alodes vel fevos, quos tu, prephate comes, hodie habes et habere debes et in antea adquisieris. No t o tolre ni te n tolre ni t o vedare ni te n vedare ni te n enganare ni te n dezebre ni t o contendre ni te n contendre nec ego, Berengarius predictus, nec homo nec homines, femina nec femine, per meum consilium nec per meum ingenium. Et si homo est aut homines, femina vel femine, qui tibi tollat vel tollant, vetet vel vetent predicta omnia aut de predictis omnibus, de illa hora in antea adiutor te n sere, sine tuo engan, semper contra omnes homines vel feminas, exceptus comitem Bisulluni vel comitem Castri Novi, et, cum illo vivente, neque per me ipsum in tuo honore non equitabo nunquam causa illius mali quod mihi faciat. Et de predicto adiutorio no t enganare ne comonir no me n ve­dare per ullum ingenium per quantes vegades me n recherras o me n comonras per te ipsum vel per tuos missos vel missum. Tuum consilium aut consilia non descubrire ad ullum tuum dampnum, me sciente; et in tua fidelitate permanebo semper. Sicut superius scriptum est, si t o tenre et o atendre ad te, comitem et comitissam, ego, predictus Berenga­rius, totum, sine tuo engan, exceptus quantum vel de quanto me n absolvras tuo gradiente animo sine forcia.

Historical context:

An oath to count Wm and wife Sancia. A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at the center.

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior , II, 173, #662.

Date: