騎士オウエン、煉獄へ赴ける事。 Of the knight Owen, who went purgatory.
『さまよえるユダヤ人』を記録した年代記、ウェンドーヴァーのロジャー『歴史の華』Roger of Wendover's Flowers of History の1153年に、聖パトリックの煉獄についての記事もある。というより、これが元のようだ。ラテン語原典、英訳版とも Google books にあり、いずれも著作権はない。
ロバート・サウジーのバラッド共々、ACADEMIA にある Brett Rutherford 教授の The Story of the St.Patrick's Purgatory に収録されているので、ACADEMIA に登録されている方は、この論文を見た方が早いだろう。
長きに渡りステファン王に仕えたるオウエンなる騎士、王が許諾のもと祖国アイルランドに両親訪ねき。幾許か逗留の後、今更に思い起こせるは我が身の邪悪なる来し方、揺りかご以来明け暮れしは略奪と暴力。特に教会を、教会の財産侵害せしを、その他にも莫大な罪を犯せるを悔い改めき。かくなる懺悔にあって、その国の司教のもとを訪れき。その懺悔聞くや即ち司教、神が慈悲の前に大なる罪犯せりと厳しく叱責。之に司教は、あるべき懺悔課さんとするに、騎士答え。
「仰せの通り、これほどまでに創造主の怒り招いたならば、より厳しい懺悔に服し、罪の赦し得んがため、いざ聖パトリックが煉獄に入らん。」
この煉獄とその起源について、アイルランド古代史に次の通り。
When this treaty was confirmed , as we have related it , between king Stephen and duke Henry , a knight named Owen , who had for many years served under King Stephen, obtained the king’s licence, and went to visit his parents in Ireland his native country. After spending some time there, he began to call to mind his wicked life, which had been employed from his cradle in plunder and violence. He particularly repented of the violation of churches, and invasion of ecclesiastical property, besides other enormous sins of which he had been guilty. In this state of penitence he went to a bishop of that country, who, having heard his confession, rebuked him severely, asserting that he had committed a great offence against God’s mercy, and the knight began to think how he should show due contrition for his misdeeds. The bishop wished to impose on him some just penance, to which the knight replied, “If, as you say, I have so seriously offended my Maker, I will submit to a penance more than usually severe, and, for the remission of my sins, enter the purgatory of St. Patrick.” The following is the account which the ancient Irish histories give us of this purgatory and its origin.
