Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/294

 258 Readings in European History Since the abhorrent practices of the ancient heathen, the knowledge of which is not only useless but positively hurt- ful, are recorded in books so that it may not be lost, why should we say nothing of the warlike deeds of the men of our own time, who are in no way behind the famous generals Julius, Pompey, Hannibal, his brother Hasdrubal, and Scipio Africanus? Doubtless, most holy father [Liutprand adds at the opening of the third book], you will constantly marvel over the title of this work. Why, you will ask, did the book receive the title AvrcuroSoo-T/s (antapbdosis], since it narrates the deeds of distinguished men? I answer, the aim of this work is to relate, proclaim, shout abroad to the whole world the acts of that Berengar who is now tyrant rather than king in Italy, and of his wife Willa, who, by reason of her bound- less oppression, should be called a second Jezebel, and for her insatiable lust for plunder, by her true name of Lamia. Both of these have without cause persecuted me and my house, my relatives and my associates, with the poisoned arrows of lies, and by tyrannical exactions and godless intrigues such as neither tongue can tell nor pen describe. So these pages shall be for them antapbdosis, that is to say, a "retribution," because, for the evils that they have brought upon me, I propose to reveal to the present and to future generations TT/V (article) dcre/?eiav (asevian), that is to say, their godlessness. And not less will this be an anta- pbdosis for the benefits which good and holy men have con- ferred upon me. For among all those whom I have mentioned or shall mention, with the single exception of this godless Berengar, there are few or none to whom either my parents or myself do not owe the warmest thanks for the good they have done us. It is, moreover, said of this book of mine that it was written cv (that is, " in ") TTJ (article) e^aXoa-ia (en ti echmalosia), to wit, during "imprisonment" or "wandering." This refers to my exile ; for I began it in Frankfort, which is twenty miles from Mayence, and am now working on it on the