Laudator Temporis Acti

Abbo of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (850-923), Sermon Against the Robbers of Other People's Property (tr. Charles West; I corrected "pay" to "pays," "to so" to "to sow" and "ditches" to "to dig ditches"):

Brothers, every day you see how this kingdom goes to perdition. Our men, the villains, the male and female serfs and everyone who holds our estates and ploughs our land and pays their dues to us, from which we used to be owed food and clothing, and from which we used to buy horses and weapons — now they are dead or captured. What are we going to do now, without these people? We do not know how to plough the lands or to sow, or to prune vines or to dig ditches. What shall we do now?

Fratres, omni die uidetis cum uadit istud regnum in perditionem. Nostri homines uillani et serui et ancille et toti qui nostras uillas tenebant et nostras terras arabant unde nos et uictum et uestimenta habere deberemus, et unde nos caballos et arma comparabamus, iam sunt mortui aut captiuati. Quale opus habemus nos sine illis hominibus? Nos non scimus neque terras arare neque seminare neque uineas putare aut fodere. Quid faciemus nos modo?