Book II. Prologue

Since I originally proposed to write down the miracles done in our time or at least around our time (irreproachable knowledge of which is offered) for strengthening faith and instructing manners, it was necessary after what had been said, to add a few others which, I believe, will be no less useful to those read or hear them… I regret and, in fact I grow angry … at the apathy of the many who, although they are richly endowed with wisdom, literacy and eloquence, are reluctant to commend –in writing– to the memory of their successors the miraculous works of omnipotent God, which always are done in various lands for the instruction of the Church, And though it is ancient custom, not only among the first fathers of the Christian faith, but also among the pagans [gentiles] that everything worthy of remembrance is transmitted by writing, such people do not imitate the zeal either of the Christians or the pagans and let vanish all things occurring in their times which would be of no little use to subsequent generations. And as the divine psalm says to God: All your works, Lord, show yourself, that is to say, to be praised for all your works. But how is God be praised for all his works when they are unknown? How can they be known by those who did not see them, unless these people were told. How are they able to kept vivid in the memory of ebbing and flowing times, unless they are written down? And since all which happens in the world –whether good or evil– and occurs by the will or at the assent of God, must serve the edification or the glorification of the Church, then if people hide them, how by them is God glorified or the Church edified? The unfruitful indolence of this silence garnered such a fruit that what has happened in the Church of God or in Christian kingdoms in the past four or five hundred years are almost completely unknown by all of us. The distance between our times and those which came before appears so vast, in fact, that things accomplished five hundred or even a thousand years ago are known perfectly even though things in the intervening time and even in our days are absolutely unknown to us. On account of this, we have an abundancy of ancient histories, ecclesiastical chronicles and many books containing the instructions and examples of the learning of the fathers, though I do not know if we possess a single work relating to the events happening in the times which are contemporary to us. Our forefathers, attentive to the utility of things, even explored distant peoples and unknown tongues with the end of discovering all which could serve for the advantage of humans. It is for this reason that Egyptians inquired into the language and knowledge of the Greeks, the Greeks into the language and learning of the Latins, the Latins in the language and learning of the Greeks and of the Hebrews and also of other pagans; each communicated to each other what they identified as necessary with various writings and translations. Present Latin peoples, much to the contrary, do only avoid exploring things at a distance, but do not even deign to be interested in or to communicate those things which are near by text or word of mouth. But my speech must return to its proposition and if it be able to come up with something useful or of merit, let it proclaim it –according to the means given to me by God– for the praise of God and the benefit of present and future readers.