The chronicle of hired weavers forced to pull a false ship in the Deeds of the Abbots of Sint Truiden (1135) | DKAN

The Gesta abbatum Trudonensium records the history of the Benedictine monastery of Sint Truiden in Brabant (Belgium). The abbot Rodolf wrote the first seven books from the foundation of the abbey until 1107. The younger monk Gislebert redacted the first continuation up to 1138. In book 12 of this first continuation, whose author witnessed the events he relates, we learn about a group of hired weavers from Villa Inda (the villa of the abbey of Kornelimünster near Aachen) who were forced to pull a false ship to Aachen as a joke. The people are so excited by the joke that the ship continues its journey to Sint Truiden.

The last edition of the text by Paul Tombeur in the Corpus Christianorum (2013) is the reference for the present data story. The lines numbers correspond to the numbers in this edition. References to chapter and line number are separated by a simple point (e.g., 11.5 for chapter 11, line 5).

11.- 1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35	Chapter 11. Est genus hominum mercennariorum, quorum officium est ex lino et lana texere telas, hoc procax et superbum super alios mercennarios vulgo reputatur. Ad quorum procacitatem et super- biam humiliandam et propriam injuriam de eis ulciscendam pau- per quidam rusticus ex villa nomine Inda hanc diabolicam ex- cogitavit tegnam [AP1]. Accepta a judicibus fiducia et a levibus hominibus auxilio [AP2], qui gaudent jocis et novitatibus, in proxima silva navim composuit [AP3], et eam rotis suppositis affigens vehibilem super terram effecit. Obtinuit quoque a potestatibus [AP4], ut injectis funibus textorum hu- meris de Inda Aquisgrani traheretur [AP5]. Aquis suscepta cum grandi hominum utriusque sexus processione, nichilominus a textoribus Trajectum est pervecta, ibi emendata et malo veloque insignita, Tungris est inducta, de Tungris Los [AP6]. Audiens abbas Rodulfus navim illam infausto compactam omine, maloque solutam alite cum hujusmodi gentilitatis studio nostro oppido adventare, presago spiritu hominibus predicabat [AP7], ut ejus susceptione abstinerent, quia maligni spiritus sub hac lu- dificatione in ea traherentur, in proximoque seditio per eam moveretur, unde cedes, incendia rapinaeque fierent, et humanus sanguis multus funderetur. Quem ista declamantem omnibus die- bus, quibus malignorum spirituum illud simulachrum Los moraba- tur, oppidani nostri audire noluerunt [AP8], sed eo studio et gaudio ex- cipientes, quo perituri Trojani fatalem equum in medio fori sui dedicaverunt [AP9]. Statim proscriptionis sententiam accipiunt villae textores [AP10], qui ad profanas hujus simulachri excubias venirent tardiores. Papé! Quis hominum vidit unquam tantam, ut ita liceat latinizar, in rationa- bilibus animalibus brutuitatem? quis tantam in renatis in Christo gentilitatem? Cogebant [AP11] sententia proscriptionis textores nocte et die navim stipare omni armaturae genere, sollicitasque ei excu- bias nocte et die continuare. Mirumque fuit, quod non cogebant eos ante navim Neptuno hostias immolare, de cujus naves esse solent regione; sed Neptunus eas Marti reservabat, cui de huma- nis carnibus fieri volebat. Quod postea multipliciter factum est.	Chapter 11. There is a type of hired persons whose occupation is to weave cloth from linen and wool. They are generally regarded as more impudent and haughtier than other hired persons. To diminish their haughtiness and pride and to avenge a personal injury, a certain poor rustic from the villa named Inda [Kornelimünster near Aachen] thought up this diabolical trick [AP1]. As he received the complicity of the judges (judices) and the help of frivolous men who enjoy games and novelty [AP2], he built a ship in the next forest and attached wheels to it so that it could move overland [AP3]. He effected from the potentates (potestates) [AP4] that it would be pulled by the rods of the weavers from Villa Inda to Aachen [AP5]. In Aachen the ship is welcomed with a great procession of men and women, so it is carried by the weavers to Maastricht. There it receives a sail and a mast, and it is led to Tongeren, and from Tongeren to Borgloon [AP6]. As Abbot Rodolf heard of this unrestrained ship full of inauspicious omen that came up with such an enthusiastic mob to our town, urged by a hunch, he warned the people not to let the ship come in [AP7], because it would bring in it under its mockery the evil spirit, and would drive soon to discord, so that malarky, conflagrations and plunders would happen and much human blood would be spilled. In all the days in which this idol of the evil spirits staid in Borgloon, the town inhabitants (oppidani) did not want to hear the speech of the abbot [AP8]. On the contrary, they received the ship with the same eagerness and delight with which the Trojans in the past had taken the deadly horse into their central market [AP9]. The weavers of the villa hear soon the sentence of a ban that they should come for the impious later watch of this idol [AP10]. By God! Who has ever seen so much brutishness in rational animals – if it is permitted to latinise? Who has ever seen so much paganism in the successors of the Christ? Through the sentence of the ban, they obliged the weavers to crowd day and night around the ship with arms of every kind and to watch strictly and continuously over the ship, day and night [AP11]. It is a wonder that they did not convene to offer sacrifices before the ship to Neptune, who usually holds dominion over ships; but Neptune let the precedence to Mars, who asked for sacrifice of human flesh – that was made later in manifold.
12.- 1 5 10 15 20	Chapter 12. Textores interim occulto sed precordiali gemitu Deum justum judicem super eos vindicem invocabant [AP12], qui ad hanc ignominiam eos detrudebant, cum juxta rectam vitam antiquorum christiano- rum et apostolicorum virorum manuum suarum laboribus vive- rent, nocte ac die operantes unde alerentur et vestirentur liberis- que suis id ipsum providerent. Querebant etiam et conquereban- tur ad invicem lacrimabiliter [AP13], unde illis magis quam aliis mercen- nariis haec ignominia et vis contumeliosa, cum inter christianos plura alia essent officia suo multum aspernabiliora, cum tamen nullum ducerent aspernabile, de quo christianus posset se sine peccato conducere, illudque solum esset vitabile et ignobile, quod immundiciam peccati contraheret animae, meliorque sit rus- ticus textor et pauper, quam exactor orphanorum et spoliator viduarum urbanus et nobilis judex. Cumque haec et horum similia secum, ut dixi, lacrimabiliter conquererentur, concrepabant ante illud, nescio cujus potius dicam, Bacchi an Veneris, Neptuni sive Martis, sed ut verius dicam, ante omnium malignorum spirituum execrabile domicilium genera diversorum musicorum, turpia cantica et religioni christianae indigna concinentium [AP14]. Sancitum quoque erat a judicibus [AP15], ut preter textores quicunque usque ad tactum navi appropinquarent, pignus de collo eorum ereptum textoribus relinquerent, nisi se ad libitum redimerent.	Chapter 12. Meanwhile, in a secret complaint coming from the bottom of their heart, the weavers invoked God [AP12], the fair and almighty judge, that they were humiliated by such ignominy, although they lived according to the right way of the ancient Christians and of the Apostles, who worked day and night with their own hands so that they might be fed and clothed and could provide for their children. They asked themselves and complained wailfully [AP13] why they were touched by this ignominy and opprobrious energy more than other hired men (mercennarii), since among Christians there were many offices more despicable than theirs, for they did nothing despicable, no activity that implied a sin to Christians. It is better to be simply lowly and out-of-favour than to enter into contact with the impurity of sin. A rustic and poor weaver is better than an urban (or polite) and noble judge, who robs orphans and despoils widows. As they tearfully complained this and other similar things, as I said, diverse types of music sounded [AP14] such as shameful songs unworthy of the continency of the Christian religion before this domicile of I do not know whom, Bacchus or Venus, Neptune or Mars, but probably for all the evil spirits together. It had been also stipulated by the judges [AP15] that anyone who got past the weavers and came so near to the ship to be able to touch it, would leave their neck as a pledge for the weavers, if they would not pay the ransom.