A letter from Freculf, bishop of Lisieux (c.829)

Translated letter:

Lady most fortunate among the august, since in human things there is nothing by which you might rise higher; for if it concerns a husband, who is nobler among emperors or wiser in divine or secular teachings than the unconquered caesar, Louis? It is no wonder that you brought forth in Charles such progeny to the most excellent emperor. If I might reveal without coloring of adulation what is true about the beauty of body, you surpass all in beauty, of those queens that the sight or hearing of our smallness knows of. If yet about progeny, is Charles not the glory of the world and delight of men? who for elegance of body and with the best customs or agile zeal of wisdom surpasses his age, conquering his own immaturity/youth, so his grandfather seems not to have died, but rather with the fog of sleep wiped away, to illumine the world anew, indeed his immortal wit, elegance and virtue shine in the grandson together with the name. For which reason while there is nothing lacking in temporal things, yet you might want increase, you might love with the zeal of wisdom, you might be found more excellent than previous empresses in the world. Therefore the wisdom endowed in you by God and the learning of your natural wit left me astonished among other hearers, since in divine and liberal studies as I learned the fluency of your erudition, I was amazed and thinking to myself what little thing collected by my labor I might offer to the ardor of your benignity, therefore I set about a second work from emperor Octavian and the birth of our Lord saviour which I brought up to the kingdoms of the Franks and Lombards, with the end of the Roman emperors or judges from Italy and the Gauls, and kings of the Goths who succeeded, also driven out by them. Which work I divided into five books. In these, as in a mirror through your admonition and command of most holy devotion, my lord Charles, the most glorious son of your excellency, might see what is to be done, what to be avoided. For it is fitting that you, venerable lady, instruct your only son, the king of our delight and the new world, mindful of Bathsheba who similarly(1) instructed the most learned king of earlier centuries, so that he said of himself: "For I was the tender son of my father and the only child of my mother and she taught me and said: Let your heart hear my words; keep my precepts and you will live. Possess wisdom, possess prudence, so that you do not forget or reject the words of my mouth, do not put her [wisdom] aside and she will protect you; love her and she will preserve you" etc. [Prov.4:3-6]. So he, as we trust in the piety of the Lord, will obey your sacred orders and among other admonitions of maternal love will not disdain to deliver these books to his memory. Illuminated by the deeds of emperors and the triumphs of saints and the teachings of the great doctors, he will find what might be done more cautiously, or what might more subtly be avoided. Therefore the love of your affection, my lady always august, compelled me to write these codicils, which await the judgment of your benignity and immortal wisdom. Because if in judging they should achieve praise, it will be reputed eternally to your memory, since your most sacred name Judith is interpreted judging or praising.(2)

Original letter:

Domina augustarum felicissima Iudith, dum in humanis quo altius adcrescas non invenitur rebus: quia, si de viro agitur, quia nobilior imperatorum aut sapientior in divinis seculariumve disciplinis Hludowico caesare invicto? Nec mirum talem protulisse excellentissimo augusto saeculo sobolem Karolo. Si autem de venustate corporis, ut absque adulationis fuco proferam quod verum est, pulchritudine superas omnes, quas visus vel auditus nostrae parvitatis conperit reginas. Sin autem de prole, nonne mundi gloria et hominum delectatio Karolus? qui elegantia corporis ac moribus optimis seu agili prudentiae studio inmaturam vincendo propriam superat aetatem, ut videatur avus eius non obisse, sed potius, detersa caligine somni, novum inlustrare orbem, siquidem in nepote inmortale ipsius ingenium una cum nomine decor et virtus splendeant. Quam ob rem dum in temporalibus nihil desit rebus, ut augmento careas, studio sapientiae dilataris, ut excellentior retro saeculis imperatricibus reperiaris. Igitur indita a Deo vobis sapientia et naturalis ingenii scientia adtonitum me reddit inter ceteros auditores, quoniam in divinis et liberalibus studiis, ut vestrae eruditionis novi facundiam, obstipui, mecumque deliberans, ut aliquod munusculum meo labore congestum vestrae offerrem almitatis flagrantiae, igitur ab Octaviano augusto et Domini nativitate salvatoris nostri secundum adgressus sum scribendo opus, quod peregi usque ad regna Francorum et Longobardorum, deficientibus Romanorum imperatoribus se iudicibus ab Italia, et Gallis, Gotthorum quoque regibus, qui successerant, ab eis etiam depulsis. Quod videlicet opus quinque distinxi in libris. His enim velut in speculo per vestram sanctissime devotionis admonitionem atque iussionem dominus meus Karolus, gloriosissimus vestrae filius excellentiae, inspicere quid agendum vel quid vitandum sit poterit. Decet enim dominam te venerabilem unicum erudire filium, nostrae iocunditatis et novi seculi regem, memor Bersabee, quae Ididam priscorum erudivit sapientissimum seculorum regem, ut idem de se ait: "Nam et ego filius fui patris mei tenellus et unigenitus coram matre mea, et docebat me atque dicebat: Suscipiat verba mea cor tuum; custodi praecepta mea et vives. Posside sapientiam, posside prudentiam, ne obliviscaris neque declines a verbis oris mei, ne dimittas eam et custodiet te; dilige eam et servabit te" etc. Is autem, prout de Domini confidimus piaetate, sacris iussionibus vestris parebit, et inter ceteras maternae dilectionis admonitiones hos libellos suae non dedignabitur contradere memoriae. Quibus imperatorum gestis sanctorumque triumphis atque doctorum magnificentium doctrinis inlustratus, cautius quid agendum sit, sive subtilius inveniet quid sit vitandum. Igitur hos codicillos vestrae dilectionis amor, mi domina semper augusta, scribere conpulit, qui vestrae almitatis et inmortalis sapientiae iudicium expectant. Quod si iudicando consequantur laudem, vestrae reputabitur aeternaliter memoriae, quoniam sacratissimum nomen vestrum Iudith iudican sive laudans interpretatur.

Historical context:

Freculf, bishop of Lisieux dedicates to empress Judith the second volume of his world history from the birth of Christ, to the Franks and Lombards, written for the instruction of her son Charles. The grandfather he compares her son to is, of course, Charlemagne.

Scholarly notes:

(1)The editor suggests itidem for Idida. In any case the reference is clearly to Solomon.
(2)Editor cites Isidore, Etymologies VII, 8.29, III, 332: Iudith laudans vel confitens, "praising or confessing/acknowledging."

Printed source:

MGH Epistolae Karolini Aevi, v.3, ed. E Dummler, 1899, repr. 1978, 319-20, Epistolae Variorum, ep.14.

Date:

c.829