Alethea's Silver Crescent Scroll

[lumineaux]

Since I have on good authority that it was just read in Court, I can post the words now.  This was an epic win for research.  The source text is dead on for Alethea's period and a treasure trove of lovely phrases:

 

Predecessors of sharper memory more experienced in literary work commended monuments of things accomplished to the notice of their successors, inspiring by this example lest they slothfully neglect something worthy of memory to future times. We, Konrad Rex et Brenwen Regina, thinking to our and our successors' benefit, since while we know the beginning we do not know what the end may be, lest acts well and piously done be confounded by oblivion through time, let us take care to recall them in memory with  virile writings. Truly since the outcome of things is measured by prudence, We, employing prudent counsel, and having convoked certain notable persons of the Realm to act as witnesses to our will, do now set down in solemn writing for all perpetuity and for the edification of those generations yet to be born, that Alethea Eastriding is a good and noble woman, endowed with the virtues of the saints, who has performed many notable and necessary works for the betterment of ourselves, our ancestors and our Kingdom. And We do further record for all to heed that the said Alethea is justly deserving of reward and thus, by our Royal Will, the said Alethea be and hereby is for all time endowed with the seals and insignia of the Order of the Silver Crescent, and commanded to bear such seals and insignia upon her person that all may take note of her singular worth. Should anyone in the variety of later ministers, from the levity of princes, the verbosity of opponents, the efforts of the fraudulent, the violence of the rapacious, attempt to obstruct this Our Royal Will, he will be disproved by the sight and hearing, confused by the testimony, repulsed by the words of the many trustworthy witnesses, so that the Kingdom may perpetually rejoice in the things well ordered for them. This document was made and read before the assembled Court at the Barony of Stonemarche upon Saint Adelgundis’ Day, that being 30 January A.S. XLIV.


The source text is here:  http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/814.html
It's a document by Adela, Countess of Blois, memorializing a grant of land c.1100-1101
Khioniya (the scribe) and I considered doing a full slate of witnesses with the text based on the people we knew would be attending Birka, but decided that the text was probably long enough.
One day I will polish up my Latin well enough to do one of these adaptations in the original Latin.  And I do simply adore the phrase "virile writings."  I must use that more.

Comments

[estela-dufrayse.livejournal.com]

most excellent news!

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I'll have to bookmark this page. I love finding period texts that can be adapted to scrolls.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

The Epistolae site is one of my favorites. I also rely heavily on the Avalon Project site from Yale Law School: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/default.asp

[evilnicola.livejournal.com]

Oh dear lord, Konrad was.. well.. a little tipsy, and let's just say there were some hand motions and comments at the phrase endowed.

Other choice comments, "For all of you people who wrote that you didn't know her, maybe you should rethink if you are active, SHE WAS YOUR QUEEN"

and

"Guess who wrote the scroll!!!"

[lanome.livejournal.com]

SHE WAS YOUR QUEEN

I believe what he specifically said was that people wrote in saying, "I'm pretty active and I don't know her..." Oy. Pretty funny, though.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

"Guess who wrote the scroll!!!"

How many people said Adhemar?

And no hand motions at "virile writings?" I'm so disappointed.

[alethea-eastrid.livejournal.com]

Let's just say that anything that could be read as a dirty pun...was. We had a lot of fun with my endowments, and *I* caught (and wiggled my eyebrows to Konrad) the virile writings.

Thank you so much--I hadn't realized the text was 12th c. too. Sooooo cool. (first period-for-me scroll in my collection.)

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

And congratulations on your Crescent too.

[alethea-eastrid.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lanome.livejournal.com]

The words rocked, as usual.

Out of completely selfish curiosity, I wonder what you'd do with a longer scroll, say 1000 words or something.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

Well, it depends on the era. The cool, weird, long stuff tends to be earlier in period. By the time you get into the later period legal texts, they are much more matter of fact and end up being shorter.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

And just checking, I think my longest adaptation to date is about 500 words. Do you have something in mind you need me to write?

[lanome.livejournal.com]

Not at the moment, but I will keep my eyes open for it. I've been wanting to do a really long one for a while. There's a few neat earlier period court hands that might be fun to play with, so maybe we could do something pretty cool and a little off the beaten-track together.