Villani's Chronicle: Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni VillaniVillani, Giovanni
History
Villani's Chronicle: Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni Villani
Villani, Giovanni
Florence (Italy) -- History
made by force, and he freed the Pope and the cardinals from the siege,
and replaced the Pope in the Lateran Palace, having severely punished
the Romans, who had shown favour to the Emperor Henry and to the Pope
whom he had made against Pope Gregory. This Robert Guiscard, duke of
Apulia, was once on a hunting excursion, and he followed the quarry
into the depth of a wood, his companions not knowing what had become
of him, or where he was, or what he was doing; and then Robert, seeing
the night approaching, leaving the beast which he was pursuing, sought
to return home; and turning, he found in the wood a leper, who
importunately asked alms of him; and when he had said I know not what
in reply, the leper said again that the anguish he endured availed him
nought, yet him were liefer carry any weight or any burden; and when
he asked of the leper what he would have, he said, "I desire that you
will put me behind you on your horse"; lest abandoned in the wood,
peradventure the beasts might devour him. Then Robert cheerfully
received him behind him on his horse; and as they rode forward, the
leper said to Robert--great baron as he was:--"My hands are so icy
cold, that unless I may cherish them against thy flesh, I cannot keep
myself on horseback." Then Robert granted the leper to put his hands
boldly under his clothing, and comfort his flesh and his members
without any fear; and when yet a third time the leper bespoke his
pity, he put him upon his saddle, and he, sitting behind him, embraced
the leper, and led him to his own chamber and put him into his own
bed, and set him in it with right good care to the end he might
repose; no one of his household perceiving ought thereof. And when the
banquet of supper was spread, having told his wife that he had lodged
the leper in his bed, his wife incontinent went to the chamber to know
if the poor sufferer would sup. The chamber, albeit there were no
perfumes therein, she found as fragrant as if it had been full of
sweet-smelling things, such that neither Robert nor his wife had ever
known so sweet scents, and the leper, whom they had come thither to
seek, they did not find, whereat the husband and the wife marvelled
beyond measure at so great a wonder; but with reverence and with fear,
both one and the other asked God to reveal to them what this might be.
And the following day Christ appeared in a vision to Robert, saying,
that it was Himself that He had revealed to him in the form of a
leper, to make trial of his piety; and He announced to him that by his
wife he should have sons, whereof one should be emperor, the next
king, and the third duke. Encouraged by this promise Robert subdued
the rebels of Apulia and of Sicily, and acquired lordship over all;
and he had five sons: William, who took to wife the daughter of
Alexis, the emperor of the Greeks, and was lord and possessor of his
empire, but died without children (some say that this was the William
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