Textual Analysis Exericise - Passages

Passage no. 1

It came to pass at midday that the wicked Emicho, persecutor of the Jews, came - he and all his army - to the gate. The burghers opened the gate to him. Then the enemies of the Lord said to one another: "Behold the gate has been opened before us. Now let us avenge the blood of the Crucified." When the chidren of the holy covenant - the saintly ones, the God-fearing - who were there saw the huge multitude, the army as large "as the sand on the seashore, they cleaved to their Creator...The men of Israel strapped on their weapons in the innermost courtyard of the archbishop and all of them approached the gate [of the courtyard] to do battle with the crusaders and the burghers. They did battle against on another at the gate. Our sins brought it about that the enemy overcame them and captured the gate. "The hand of the Lord lay heavy" upon his people. Then all the gentiles gathered against the Jews in the courtyard, in order to destroy them totally. The hands of our people wavered, when they saw that the hand of wicked Edom had overcome them. Indeed ,the men of the archbishop, who had promised to help them, fled immediately, in order to turn them over to their enemies, for they were "splintered reeds." Even the archbishop himself fled from his church, for they intended to kill him as well, since he had spoken up on behalf of Israel.

Passage no. 2

As Peter saw the drowning and destruction which was befalling his men, he commanded the Bavarians, the Alemanni, and the other Teutons, by their promise of obedience to come to the aid of their Frankish brethren. They were carried to that place by seven rafts; then they sank seven small boats of the Patzinaks with their occupants, but took only seven men captive. They led these seven captives into the presence of Peter and killed them by his order.

When he had thus avenged his men, Peter crossed the Morava river and entered the large and spacious forests of the Bulgarians with supplies of food, with every necessary, and with the spoils from Belgrade. And after a delay of eight days in those vast woods and pastures, he and his followers approached Nish, a city very strongly fortified with walls. After crossing the river before the city by a stone bridge, they occupied the field, pleasing in its verdure and extent, and pitched their tents on the banks of the river.

Passage no. 3

Yet the Lord, not unmindful of the Franks, appeared to many. Often they asserted this. Being present, in comforting them, He promised that the people would rejoice in victory. The Lord appeared to a certain cleric fleeing away in fear of death, saying: "Whither, brother, dost thous run?" "I flee," he responded, "lest being unfortunate, I perish. Many flee thus, lest they perish in cruel death."

To him the Lord said: "Flee not, but hasten back and tell the others that I shall be present with them in battled. For, pleased by the prayers of My Mother, I shall propitiate them; but because they have sinned, they shall nearly perish. However, let their hope be strong in Me, and I shall make them to triumph over the Turks. Let them repent and be saved. I am the Lord, who speaks to thee." Soon the cleric, having returned, told what he had heard.