De laude Cestrie - Lucian
Edited by Mark Faulkner
Excerpt 26
Edes denique memorata uelut Dei castra fouet in Cestria, 1 uidimus momentis nostris quod utinam maneat sempiternis. Quod siquis sciolus rerum et locorum permiserit euidenter et breuiter inferre uerum, cognationem exigit porta cum patria, quod cuidam innotuit experientia propria, qui plusculum in pane contractior et constrictus a panis fuit erogatione semotus. 2 ¶Recordetur qui intelligit quod hic legit, quod scriptor honeste tangit. Illud etiam intuendum, qualiter ipsum uirginis monasterium ambiatur quatuor mansionibus alborum monacorum , 3 . qui Reginam celi profitentur dominam, 4 ad consolationem presentis exilii et requiem futuram. Nam a fronte Cumbermare et a tergo Basinwerc et a lateribus, ad euidentissimum modum crucis, competenter et pulcre distinctis spaciis a quattuor monasteriis, uelut preconum laudibus comendatur, ut almum et album sit quicquid medium inuenitur. 5 Quippe instar uitalis ligni et dominici patibuli, que ab oriente in occidentem protensa sunt, paululum longiora sunt, et que ab aquilone in austrum, iuxta transuersum crucis lignum, breuia sunt.
Que percipit lector, nonne perspicit habitator? Quociens recordamur, animo reparamur. Rebus ostenditur quod stilus loquitur.
Excerpt 27
Iste est igitur Michael prepositus Paradisi, quem honorificant i angelorum ciues, per quem Deus uoluit glorificare Cestrenses. Et quo ante diuinitatis aspectum dignior assistit, eo dulcius in suo ministerio Cestriam complectitur et custodit. Et qui de arce celesti auctore Deo conatus impios eliminauit, ipse Cestrie inimicos propellit et extinguit. Qui etiam, prudentiores ammonens consequenter, ad austrum posuit tentorium suum ut quos ab aquilonis latere gloriosa uirgo Wereburga uictores probat, ad uerum requiem et meridianam lucem ipse perducat. ii Michael et Wereburga. Isti enim simul unius platee duo inicia sortiti, conuenientissime susceperunt asseruandas portas geminas quia semper est angelis cognata uirginitas. Hec prope portam Angeli dixisse sufficiat, ut ad ea, que secuntur, series destinata pertendat.
Quod si recapitulari breuissime quatuor ingressus portarum placet:Recapitulacio. Iohannes uigilat ab oriente ut felicitas oriatur, Petrus ab occidente ut iniquitas moriatur, Wereburga ab aquilione ut hostilitas confundatur, Michael a meridie ut eternitas conferatur. Qui et alios secum habent excellentissimos et idoneos urbis uigiles et ciuium protectores qui sufficiant et suaue ducant habitatores amplecti et fouere et ante Dei presentiam precibus comendare.Limphas Dei quo plus biberis, dulciores inuenies; hoc habet usus, crede ueteribus. Nam cum pleni sint dulcedine et sanctitate, in eternitatis fonte bibunt, quam misericorditer et benigne pupillis oporteat prouidere. Haec de quatuor portis tuis pingenda credidi, ciuitas Cestria, ut quod habet lector in litera, teneat habitator in oculis et memoria. Memor tui sit superna pietas et eterna clementia, quae me olim in primis annis aluisti et cum nequirem discernere inter opposita, 6 literis instituisti. Aucta sis Dei beneficiis et celesti misericordia, dulcis et alumpna prouincia, merearis auxilium et protectionem apud uniuersitatis Auctorem. Aperiat tibi sua uiscera, qui nostras lauit maculas in columpna sancte crucis arborea et in eius gratuleris nomine qui plenus est nectarea pietate.
Apparatus Criticus
- i.
- honorificant] honorifi bod Back to context...
- ii.
- perducat] producat ta Back to context...
Footnotes
- 1.
- Lucian alludes to the possible derivation of Cestria, the Latin name for Chester, from Latin Castra, 'camp', an etymology quoted by Bradshaw and interpreted as a reference to Chester's Roman history. Lucian christianises the etymology by making Chester a Dei castra, 'divine fortress'. Dei castra was indeed a common medieval Latin circumlocution for 'monastery' (DML castrum, 1c). Back to context...
- 2.
- Lucian is punning here on the near homophones, porta, 'gate' and patria, 'suburb'. His point seems to be that the inhabitants of the suburb know St Werburgh's to nourish Chester, because they can receive both literal and spiritual bread from the monastery, that is, both alms and the eucharist. When Lucian was writing, St Oswald's parish covered a large area, including the North East part of the walled city, the abbot's manor of St Thomas outside the North Gate, and other monastic estates further afield. The chief place of worship for the parishioners was the altar of St Oswald in the south nave aisle of St Werburgh's. See Lewis and Thacker 2005, 150-1. Back to context...
- 3.
- There is a cross-shaped diagram illustrating the location of these four monasteries in the lower margin of fol. 60v. It is reproduced as the frontispiece of Taylor 1912 Back to context...
- 4.
- i. e. the Virgin Mary Back to context...
- 5.
- Lucian is referring to Basingwork, Combermere, Stanlow and Poulton. Basingwork, Flintshire was founded in 1131 as a dependency of Savigny by Ranulf II. Combermere, another dependency of Savigny, was founded in 1133. Poulton and Stanlaw, both like Combermere in Chester, were daughter houses of Combermere founded in 1146x1158 and 1172 respectively. For further details, see Knowles and Hadcock, 1971, 110-28. Back to context...
- 6.
- This suggests Lucian received an education in dialectic at St John's: see DML opponere, 13. Back to context...