O good leader, who by exhorting to fight reinforces the spirits by example
I throw you first among the weapons, good leader, exhort to fight.
Sufficient signs he did leaving common life;
rushing to life, he made suitable signs.
A regular psalmist, he never gave rest to his plectrum;
singing to God the assiduous psalmist died.
Those who had only one heart, encloses the same sepulchre;
The same glory surrounds those who had one heart.
A splendid street appeared, lit with corpuscle torches;
a way by which the splendid ascent Saint appeared.
Reached the rocky fence, in his rambling he gets salvation;
escapes his rambling, reached the rocky fence.
Poor verses composed the supplicant servant on offer;
exile, poor, weak, poor verses he composed.
Accept they are, please, or guide them to the path of heaven;
O Father Benedetto, please accept them.
We also composed a hymn in the "iambic meter Archilochus", which contains the individual miracles of the same Father Benedict:
Briskly, Brothers, Come;
in Chorus we join in singing;
we live the joys of this
radiant holiday.
On these days Benedict
showing us the arduous path,
our father, went up to the golden kingdom,
taking the prize for his work.
As a new star shone,
that clears the mists of the world.
Still on the threshold of life
escape from the flowering meadows of the century.
Powerful to work miracles,
by the breath of God inspired,
shone by wonders and predicted
what the future held.
Intended to feed many,
reconstitutes the sieve of the wheat;
choosing for himself narrow prison,
fire extinguishers with fire.
With the weapon of the Cross he breaks
the cup that carries the poison;
discipline the wandering mind
with the mild scourge of the body.
Flow streams from the rocks;
iron returns from the bottom of the water;
obeying runs on the waves;
with a mantle the child escapes to death.
The hidden poison is revealed;
the winged executes the commands.
A collapse crushes the enemy;
the roaring lion comes back.
The motionless stone becomes light;
the imaginary stake disappears.
Those who were shattered are healthy;
the abuse committed elsewhere is revealed.
Shrewd king, you are exposed;
unjust that you oppress, you are put to flight.
You are already known, events of the future;
your mysteries no longer hide, O heart.
The foundations are laid in the dream;
the earth rejects corpses.
The fugitive is formed from the dragon;
coins rain the ether.
The crystal resists rock;
the jars are overflowing with oil.
Your sight melts the chains;
the dead come back to life.
The power of such a great light
it is overcome by the desire of the sister
the more one loves, the more to force
that he sees flying to the sky.
A splendour shines in the night
unknown to the people first;
the whole globe can be seen in it,
and in the flames the Saint jump.
Among these things he made it clear with his pick
admirable realities, similar to nectar;
in fact he drew a precise line
of consecrated life for the followers.
But you, now a powerful guide for your children,
be propitious to the sighs of the flock;
blaze it for good and beware of the snake
to follow you in your path.
I want to report here about a fact that Blessed Gregory does not mention in the life of St. Benedict, our founding father. When, by divine inspiration, he came from Subiaco to these places where he now rests, he was followed by three crows that he used to feed, they flew around him for fifty miles. Arriving here at a crossroads, two angels appeared in the form of young men to show him the way to take. Always here lived a Servant of God in a humble hut to which heaven had said: "Take care of these places, another friend is here". Arriving here, in the Rocca di Cassino, Benedetto mortified himself in a severe and continuous abstinence, above all, in the time of Lent he lived a retreat, away from the worries of the world. I found these news in the song of the poet Marco, who came to visit Benedict and composed some verses in his praise, I don't report them below because I don't want to lengthen my story too much. Heaven was surely the one who led Benedict to this fertile place under which a luxuriant valley lies: he wanted a congregation of many monks to meet here, just as it actually happened, thanks to the guidance of God.
Once I have finished narrating these things, which I could not leave out, I return to our story.
27.
Audoino, King of the Lombards, had Rodelinda as his wife, this generated a son, Alboino, suitable for war and valiant in action. Died Audoino, the tenth king was therefore Alboino who became him with the votes of all. The many exploits of Alboino made him famous and Clotario, King of the Franks, wanted to join him by giving him his daughter Clotsuinda as wife, from this union only a daughter was born, Albsuinda.
At the same time Turisindo, King of the Gepids, died, followed by Cunimondo. The latter, wanting to avenge the old wrongs suffered, broke the peace treaty with the Lombards and prepared the war. Alboino had made a perpetual pact with the Avars, those who were once called Huns and only later Avars, named after their King. Alboino left for the war provoked by the Gepids and while the latter, from various directions, moved against of him, as per agreements made with the Lombard King, the Avars invaded the territory of the Gepids. A sad messenger reached Cunimondo with the news that the Avars had entered their lands. Depressed in morale, faced with an anguished choice, Cunimondo decided to face the Lombards first and urging them to battle added that after winning them they would drive the Huns out of their homeland.