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Fernão Lopes. "Chronicle of King Peter I [Prologue]." Global Medieval Sourcebook.Transcription by Leonardo Grao Velloso .
Chronica del Rey D. Pedro [Prologo] | Chronicle of King Peter I [Prologue]
Chronica del Rey D. Pedro, desde nome o primeiro Chronicle of the king, Lord Peter, the first of that name
1 Prologo Prologue
1 [D]Eixados os modos e diffinçoões da justiça que per desvairadas guisas muitos em seus livros escrevem, soomente daquella pera que o real poderio foy estabelleçido, que he por serem os maos castigados e os booms viverem em paz, he nossa entemçom neeste prollogo muito curtamente fallar, nom come buscador de novas razoões per propria invençom achadas, mas come ajumtador, em huum breve moolho, dos ditos dalguns que nos prouguerom. Having left aside the types and definitions of justice,
c
which many write about in unreasonable ways, Critical note:
Scholars say that this strange beginning, referencing another text in which Lopes would have already presented a discussion about the definitions of justice, points to the existence of another prologue, possibly a prologue to a lost chronicle that he might have written before writing the Chronicle of Peter I, or another prologue to this same chronicle.
c
it is our intention to speak very briefly of justice alone, which is the reason why royal power exists, namely to punish the evil people and to allow the good ones to live in peace. We wish to speak about justice not as seekers of new ways of understanding, which are found using personal creativity, but as collectors of sayings from writers who have contented us. Critical note:
The Portuguese original, desvairadas guisas, implies a sense that the writings are disorganized, unreasonable for not having a logic. Desvairada/o means “that which lost its way.” This way of writing anticipates the next argument, against invention as a proper way of explaining justice. Fernão Lopes promises to tread paths already taken by previous writers, but in a more systematic way than the ones he criticizes.
c
A huma por espertar os que ouvirem que entendam parte do que falla a estoria, a outra por seguirmos enteiramente a hordem do nosso razoado; no primeiro prollogo ja tangida. We write this history this way, on the one hand, to edify those who will hear it, so that they may understand part of what it is about, and on the other hand, to strictly follow the order of our own plan, which we have already touched upon in the first prologue. Critical note:
The argument behind this image is very illuminating, as Fernão Lopes frames his work as a writer who collects ditos (sayings) from other writers, as opposed to framing himself as an inventor of a new concept or way of explaining justice. Arguments that ascribe authority to previous writers were very common in late medieval historical writing.
c
Critical note:
See first note.
2 E por quanto elRey dom pedro, cujo regnado se segue, husou da justiça, de que a deos mais praz que cousa boa, que o Rey possa fazer segumdo os santos escrevem, e alguums desejam saber que virtude he esta, e pois he neçessaria ao Rey, se o he assi ao povoo: nos naquele stillo que o simpresmente apanhamos: o podees ler per esta maneira. And given that the king, Lord Peter, whose reign is narrated in the following chronicle, ruled with justice—an act more pleasing to God than anything else that a king might do, according to the writings of the saints—, and given that some wish to know what kind of virtue justice is, because it is necessary for both the King and the people, we have simply collected examples from his reign in this writing, as we have pointed out,
c
so that you may read about his use of justice in this way. Critical note:
Lopes is here referring back to the sentence where he says he is writing “as collectors who collect sayings from some writers.” Emphasizing an important point through referring back to it in the text was very common among chroniclers and writers of long prose. The emphasis is that Lopes is not inventing a classification of justice, but collecting real examples and presenting them together as an explanation of the idea of justice that he found in authoritative sources.
3 Justiça he huuma virtude que he chamada toda a virtude. Justice is the one virtue which is called the mother of all virtues. assy que, quallquer que he justo, este compre toda a virtude, Porque a justiça, assi como lei de deos, defende que nom fornigues, nem sejas gargantom. Thus, anyone who is just simultaneously performs all virtues, because justice itself commands that thou shalt not fornicate, neither wilt thou be a glutton, just like the Laws of God command.
c
E isto guardamdo, se compre a virtude da castidade e da temperança, e assi podees entender dos outros viçios e virtudes. And in keeping those commands, one performs the virtues of chastity and temperance, and through performing them one may understand the vices and virtues of others. Esta virtude he muy neçessaria ao Rey e isso meesmo aos seus sogeitos. The virtue of justice is very necessary for the king, as well as for his subjects. Porque avemdo no Rey virtude de justiça, fara leis per que todos vivam dereitamente e em paz, e os seus sogeitos seemdo justos, compriram as leis que el poser. For when the virtue of justice exists within the king, he will make laws so that all subjects may live correctly and in peace with each other, and if his subjects are just, they will respect any laws that he might impose upon them. e comprindoas, nom faram cousa injusta contra nehuum. Thus, by respecting the laws, his subjects will not commit any unjust act against anyone. e tal virtude como esta pode cada huum gaanhar por obra de boom entendimento. And each one can attain this virtue through the use of good reason. e aas vezes naçem alguuns assi naturalmente a ella despostos, que com grande zello a executam, posto que a alguuns viçios sejam emclinados. Sometimes some are born with a natural disposition to being just, thus carrying it out with great zeal, even though they might be inclined to some other vices. Critical note:
This statement seems to paraphrase the ten commandments (see Exodus 20:1-17), but, in fact, neither of these commands are included among the ten.
4 A rrazam por que esta virtude he neçessaria nos sobditos, he por comprirem as leis do príncipe, que sempre devem de seer ordenadas pera todo bem. The reason why the virtue of justice is needed among the subjects is because they must respect the laws of the prince, laws which must be imposed for the general good. e quem taaes leis comprir sempre bem obrara, ca as leis som regra do que os sogeitos am de fazer. And whoever respects such laws will always act for the good, for those laws are the rule by which subjects will measure their acts. e som chamadas prinçipe nom animado e o Rey he prinçipe animado, por que ellas representam com vozes mortas o que o Rey diz per sua voz viva. Laws are called the inanimate prince, whereas the king is the animate prince, because laws represent with dead voices that which the king says through his live voice. e porem a justiça he muito neçessaria assi no poboo como no Rey, por que sem ella nemhuma cidade, nem Reino, pode estar em assessego. And so justice is very necessary both for the people and for the king, because without justice, neither city nor kingdom may be at ease. Assi que o Reino onde todo o poboo he maao nom se pode soportar muito tempo, Por que como a alma soporta o corpo e partindosse delle o corpo se perde, assy a justiça suporta os Reinos, e partindosse deles pereçem de todo. And justice is so necessary for the people and the king that, a kingdom whose entire people is evil cannot subsist for long. Just as the soul gives life to the body, and when the soul moves way, the body dies, so does justice give life to kingdoms, and when justice leaves them, they perish completely.
5 Hora se a virtude da justiça he neçessaria ao poboo muito mais o he ao Rei. Now, if the virtue of justice is necessary for the people, it is much more needed in the king. Por que sse a lei he regra do que se ha de fazer, muito mais o deve de seer o Rei que a põe, e o juiz que a ha dencaminhar. For if laws are the rules by which one measures one’s own acts, even more just must be the king who sets them, and the judge who must carry them out. Por que a lei he prinçipe sem alma como dissemos, e o prinçipe he lei e regra da justiça com alma. And that is the case because laws are the prince without a soul, as we have said, which means that the prince is the rule of justice with a soul. Pois quanto a cousa com alma tem melhoria sobre outra sem alma, tanto o Rei deve teer exçellençia sobre as leis, Ca o Rei deve de seer de tanta justiça e dereito que compridamente de as leis a execucom. Just as that which has a soul is better than that which does not have one, so the king must be better than the laws he sets, because the king must be so just and righteous in order to thoroughly carry out the laws. Doutra guisa mostrarsehia seu Regno cheo de boas leis e maaos custumes, que era torpe cousa de ver, Pois duvidar se o Rei a de seer justiçoso nom he outra cousa senam duvidar se a regra há de seer dereita, a qual se em direitura desfaleçe, nenhuma cousa dereita se pode per ella fazer. Otherwise, his kingdom would be filled with good laws and bad habits, which would be horrible to see, for even suspecting that the king is unjust is no different than suspecting that the rule of law is carried out unjustly. And when the rule of law fails in regards to righteousness, it cannot be used for any righteous acts.
6 Outra razom por que a justiça he muito neçessaria ao Rei assi he por que a justiça nom tan soomente afremossenta os Reis de virtude corporal mas ainda spiritual. Another reason why justice is very necessary for the king is that justice not only embellishes kings with bodily virtue, but even more so with spiritual virtue. Pois quanto a fremusura do spritu tem avantagem da do corpo: tanta a justiça em no Rei he mais neçessaria que outra fremosura. Just as the beauty of the spirit is better than that of the body, so is justice more necessary in a king than any other beauty. A terçeira razom se mostra da perfeiçom da bondade; por que em tom dizemos alguma cousa seer perfeita, quando fazer pode alguma semelhante a si, E por tanto se chama huuma cousa boa: quanto sua bondade se pode estender a outros, ao menos se quer per exemplo. The third reason comes from the perfection of goodness, because we may rightfully call something perfect when it can make something in its own likeness
c
. And so something may be called good when its goodness can extend to others, or at least when it presents itself as an example to others. e entom se mostra per pratica quanto cada huum he boom, quando he posto em senhorio. Thus, it is through one’s own acts that one shows how good one is, especially when one is ruling. Critical note:
This argument about perfection as the attribute of that which can make something in its own likeness recalls Neo-Platonic theology about the idea of god as beautiful and good. Just as god can make beautiful and good things because he is perfect, so does the goodness of the king may extend to his subjects because goodness itself is perfect.
7 Porem compre aos Reis seer justicosos, por a todos seus sogeitos poder viir bem, e a nenhum o contrairo. However, kings must be righteous, so that they may be well regarded and imitated by all subjects, and not the opposite. Trabalhando que a justiça seja guardada nom soomente aos naturaes de seu Reino, mas ainda aos de fora dele, Por que negada a justiça a alguma pessoa: grande injuria he feita ao prinçipe e a toda sua terra. Thus, by being righteous kings encourage the maintenance of justice, not only among the people in their own kingdoms, but also among those who live elsewhere, for in the case that justice is denied to any person, it is offensive to both the prince and all of his land.
8 Desta virtude da justiça, que poucos acha que a queiram por ospeda posto que Rainha, e senhora seja das outras virtudes segundo diz tulio: husou muito elRey Dom Pedro, segundo veer podem os que desejam de o saber, leemdo parte de sua estoria. The king, Lord Peter, made vast use of this virtue of justice, a virtue that not too many people want as a guest within them, given that justice is the queen and ruler of all other virtues as Tully
c
has said, as whosoever may wish to know will see by reading this account of his history. Critical note:
Marcus Tully Cicero (106 B.C.E – 43 B.C.E), Roman statesman, orator, consul, and philosopher.
9 E pois que elle com boom desejo por natural enclinaçam, refreou os males regendo bem seu Reino, ainda que outras mingoas per el passassem de que peendença podia fazer: de cuidar he que ouve ho galardom da justiça, cuja folha e fruito he, honrrada fama neste mundo, e perdurável folgança no outro. And since he, voluntarily and because of his natural inclination, checked the advance of evil by ruling his Kingdom well, even though some other imperfections came to pass in the kingdom, whose account we could provide, we must consider that there was in his time the gift of justice, whose laurel and fruit is honorable fame in this world, and lasting happiness in the other.
Chronica del Rey D. Pedro, desde nome o primeiro Chronicle of the king, Lord Peter, the first of that name
1 Prologo Prologue
1 [D]Eixados os modos e diffinçoões da justiça que per desvairadas guisas muitos em seus livros escrevem, soomente daquella pera que o real poderio foy estabelleçido, que he por serem os maos castigados e os booms viverem em paz, he nossa entemçom neeste prollogo muito curtamente fallar, nom come buscador de novas razoões per propria invençom achadas, mas come ajumtador, em huum breve moolho, dos ditos dalguns que nos prouguerom. Having left aside the types and definitions of justice,
c
which many write about in unreasonable ways, Critical note:
Scholars say that this strange beginning, referencing another text in which Lopes would have already presented a discussion about the definitions of justice, points to the existence of another prologue, possibly a prologue to a lost chronicle that he might have written before writing the Chronicle of Peter I, or another prologue to this same chronicle.
c
it is our intention to speak very briefly of justice alone, which is the reason why royal power exists, namely to punish the evil people and to allow the good ones to live in peace. We wish to speak about justice not as seekers of new ways of understanding, which are found using personal creativity, but as collectors of sayings from writers who have contented us. Critical note:
The Portuguese original, desvairadas guisas, implies a sense that the writings are disorganized, unreasonable for not having a logic. Desvairada/o means “that which lost its way.” This way of writing anticipates the next argument, against invention as a proper way of explaining justice. Fernão Lopes promises to tread paths already taken by previous writers, but in a more systematic way than the ones he criticizes.
c
A huma por espertar os que ouvirem que entendam parte do que falla a estoria, a outra por seguirmos enteiramente a hordem do nosso razoado; no primeiro prollogo ja tangida. We write this history this way, on the one hand, to edify those who will hear it, so that they may understand part of what it is about, and on the other hand, to strictly follow the order of our own plan, which we have already touched upon in the first prologue. Critical note:
The argument behind this image is very illuminating, as Fernão Lopes frames his work as a writer who collects ditos (sayings) from other writers, as opposed to framing himself as an inventor of a new concept or way of explaining justice. Arguments that ascribe authority to previous writers were very common in late medieval historical writing.
c
Critical note:
See first note.
2 E por quanto elRey dom pedro, cujo regnado se segue, husou da justiça, de que a deos mais praz que cousa boa, que o Rey possa fazer segumdo os santos escrevem, e alguums desejam saber que virtude he esta, e pois he neçessaria ao Rey, se o he assi ao povoo: nos naquele stillo que o simpresmente apanhamos: o podees ler per esta maneira. And given that the king, Lord Peter, whose reign is narrated in the following chronicle, ruled with justice—an act more pleasing to God than anything else that a king might do, according to the writings of the saints—, and given that some wish to know what kind of virtue justice is, because it is necessary for both the King and the people, we have simply collected examples from his reign in this writing, as we have pointed out,
c
so that you may read about his use of justice in this way. Critical note:
Lopes is here referring back to the sentence where he says he is writing “as collectors who collect sayings from some writers.” Emphasizing an important point through referring back to it in the text was very common among chroniclers and writers of long prose. The emphasis is that Lopes is not inventing a classification of justice, but collecting real examples and presenting them together as an explanation of the idea of justice that he found in authoritative sources.
3 Justiça he huuma virtude que he chamada toda a virtude. Justice is the one virtue which is called the mother of all virtues. assy que, quallquer que he justo, este compre toda a virtude, Porque a justiça, assi como lei de deos, defende que nom fornigues, nem sejas gargantom. Thus, anyone who is just simultaneously performs all virtues, because justice itself commands that thou shalt not fornicate, neither wilt thou be a glutton, just like the Laws of God command.
c
E isto guardamdo, se compre a virtude da castidade e da temperança, e assi podees entender dos outros viçios e virtudes. And in keeping those commands, one performs the virtues of chastity and temperance, and through performing them one may understand the vices and virtues of others. Esta virtude he muy neçessaria ao Rey e isso meesmo aos seus sogeitos. The virtue of justice is very necessary for the king, as well as for his subjects. Porque avemdo no Rey virtude de justiça, fara leis per que todos vivam dereitamente e em paz, e os seus sogeitos seemdo justos, compriram as leis que el poser. For when the virtue of justice exists within the king, he will make laws so that all subjects may live correctly and in peace with each other, and if his subjects are just, they will respect any laws that he might impose upon them. e comprindoas, nom faram cousa injusta contra nehuum. Thus, by respecting the laws, his subjects will not commit any unjust act against anyone. e tal virtude como esta pode cada huum gaanhar por obra de boom entendimento. And each one can attain this virtue through the use of good reason. e aas vezes naçem alguuns assi naturalmente a ella despostos, que com grande zello a executam, posto que a alguuns viçios sejam emclinados. Sometimes some are born with a natural disposition to being just, thus carrying it out with great zeal, even though they might be inclined to some other vices. Critical note:
This statement seems to paraphrase the ten commandments (see Exodus 20:1-17), but, in fact, neither of these commands are included among the ten.
4 A rrazam por que esta virtude he neçessaria nos sobditos, he por comprirem as leis do príncipe, que sempre devem de seer ordenadas pera todo bem. The reason why the virtue of justice is needed among the subjects is because they must respect the laws of the prince, laws which must be imposed for the general good. e quem taaes leis comprir sempre bem obrara, ca as leis som regra do que os sogeitos am de fazer. And whoever respects such laws will always act for the good, for those laws are the rule by which subjects will measure their acts. e som chamadas prinçipe nom animado e o Rey he prinçipe animado, por que ellas representam com vozes mortas o que o Rey diz per sua voz viva. Laws are called the inanimate prince, whereas the king is the animate prince, because laws represent with dead voices that which the king says through his live voice. e porem a justiça he muito neçessaria assi no poboo como no Rey, por que sem ella nemhuma cidade, nem Reino, pode estar em assessego. And so justice is very necessary both for the people and for the king, because without justice, neither city nor kingdom may be at ease. Assi que o Reino onde todo o poboo he maao nom se pode soportar muito tempo, Por que como a alma soporta o corpo e partindosse delle o corpo se perde, assy a justiça suporta os Reinos, e partindosse deles pereçem de todo. And justice is so necessary for the people and the king that, a kingdom whose entire people is evil cannot subsist for long. Just as the soul gives life to the body, and when the soul moves way, the body dies, so does justice give life to kingdoms, and when justice leaves them, they perish completely.
5 Hora se a virtude da justiça he neçessaria ao poboo muito mais o he ao Rei. Now, if the virtue of justice is necessary for the people, it is much more needed in the king. Por que sse a lei he regra do que se ha de fazer, muito mais o deve de seer o Rei que a põe, e o juiz que a ha dencaminhar. For if laws are the rules by which one measures one’s own acts, even more just must be the king who sets them, and the judge who must carry them out. Por que a lei he prinçipe sem alma como dissemos, e o prinçipe he lei e regra da justiça com alma. And that is the case because laws are the prince without a soul, as we have said, which means that the prince is the rule of justice with a soul. Pois quanto a cousa com alma tem melhoria sobre outra sem alma, tanto o Rei deve teer exçellençia sobre as leis, Ca o Rei deve de seer de tanta justiça e dereito que compridamente de as leis a execucom. Just as that which has a soul is better than that which does not have one, so the king must be better than the laws he sets, because the king must be so just and righteous in order to thoroughly carry out the laws. Doutra guisa mostrarsehia seu Regno cheo de boas leis e maaos custumes, que era torpe cousa de ver, Pois duvidar se o Rei a de seer justiçoso nom he outra cousa senam duvidar se a regra há de seer dereita, a qual se em direitura desfaleçe, nenhuma cousa dereita se pode per ella fazer. Otherwise, his kingdom would be filled with good laws and bad habits, which would be horrible to see, for even suspecting that the king is unjust is no different than suspecting that the rule of law is carried out unjustly. And when the rule of law fails in regards to righteousness, it cannot be used for any righteous acts.
6 Outra razom por que a justiça he muito neçessaria ao Rei assi he por que a justiça nom tan soomente afremossenta os Reis de virtude corporal mas ainda spiritual. Another reason why justice is very necessary for the king is that justice not only embellishes kings with bodily virtue, but even more so with spiritual virtue. Pois quanto a fremusura do spritu tem avantagem da do corpo: tanta a justiça em no Rei he mais neçessaria que outra fremosura. Just as the beauty of the spirit is better than that of the body, so is justice more necessary in a king than any other beauty. A terçeira razom se mostra da perfeiçom da bondade; por que em tom dizemos alguma cousa seer perfeita, quando fazer pode alguma semelhante a si, E por tanto se chama huuma cousa boa: quanto sua bondade se pode estender a outros, ao menos se quer per exemplo. The third reason comes from the perfection of goodness, because we may rightfully call something perfect when it can make something in its own likeness
c
. And so something may be called good when its goodness can extend to others, or at least when it presents itself as an example to others. e entom se mostra per pratica quanto cada huum he boom, quando he posto em senhorio. Thus, it is through one’s own acts that one shows how good one is, especially when one is ruling. Critical note:
This argument about perfection as the attribute of that which can make something in its own likeness recalls Neo-Platonic theology about the idea of god as beautiful and good. Just as god can make beautiful and good things because he is perfect, so does the goodness of the king may extend to his subjects because goodness itself is perfect.
7 Porem compre aos Reis seer justicosos, por a todos seus sogeitos poder viir bem, e a nenhum o contrairo. However, kings must be righteous, so that they may be well regarded and imitated by all subjects, and not the opposite. Trabalhando que a justiça seja guardada nom soomente aos naturaes de seu Reino, mas ainda aos de fora dele, Por que negada a justiça a alguma pessoa: grande injuria he feita ao prinçipe e a toda sua terra. Thus, by being righteous kings encourage the maintenance of justice, not only among the people in their own kingdoms, but also among those who live elsewhere, for in the case that justice is denied to any person, it is offensive to both the prince and all of his land.
8 Desta virtude da justiça, que poucos acha que a queiram por ospeda posto que Rainha, e senhora seja das outras virtudes segundo diz tulio: husou muito elRey Dom Pedro, segundo veer podem os que desejam de o saber, leemdo parte de sua estoria. The king, Lord Peter, made vast use of this virtue of justice, a virtue that not too many people want as a guest within them, given that justice is the queen and ruler of all other virtues as Tully
c
has said, as whosoever may wish to know will see by reading this account of his history. Critical note:
Marcus Tully Cicero (106 B.C.E – 43 B.C.E), Roman statesman, orator, consul, and philosopher.
9 E pois que elle com boom desejo por natural enclinaçam, refreou os males regendo bem seu Reino, ainda que outras mingoas per el passassem de que peendença podia fazer: de cuidar he que ouve ho galardom da justiça, cuja folha e fruito he, honrrada fama neste mundo, e perdurável folgança no outro. And since he, voluntarily and because of his natural inclination, checked the advance of evil by ruling his Kingdom well, even though some other imperfections came to pass in the kingdom, whose account we could provide, we must consider that there was in his time the gift of justice, whose laurel and fruit is honorable fame in this world, and lasting happiness in the other.
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