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Prologue
- West Virginia University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
65 Prologue The Prologue sets a tone of urgency for imparting true knowledge to a wide audience. The author calls on his hearers to listen closely to his “song,” which will help them to cope knowingly with this world and prepare for the next. At the same time, he condemns the competing secular epics, which offer no such help. To give his words greater authority, he claims to refer to a previously written book as their source. in the love of Almighty God, I shall begin this song, which you should pay decent attention to. You really would do well to listen and learn about all great and true deeds. Ignorant people think it is hard labor whenever they are to learn anything to broaden their knowledge. Unwilling to hear things to help them gain wisdom and honor—things that would help save their souls as well—they are useless and show their lack of good sense. A book has been written in German that tells us all about the Roman Empire. It is called Cronica, and it tells us about the popes and the kings— both good and bad—who lived before us and guided the Roman Empire down to this very day. I shall tell you what it says just as well as I can. Anyone who wants to hear it may do so. Unfortunately, nowadays a bad habit has taken root far and wide. Many men think up lies and fit them together with poetic words. I sadly fear their souls will burn for this. What they do is done without the love of God. This way lies are being taught to children who will come after us, clinging to them and insisting on telling them instead of the truth. Lying with proud arrogance does no one any good. Those who can tell what is really true do not like to hear any such made-up things, so now let us get started with this good song! ...