PL 54 · cols. 249–252

Leo the Great, Sermons

Sermon XXXV

impietas; de qua nos beatus Joannes apostolus non dubio sermone praemonuit, dicens: Omnis sqiritus qui confitetur Christum Jesum in carne venisse, ex Deo est; et omnis spiritus qui solvit Jesum, ex Deo non est; et hic est Antichristus (I Joan. IV, 2, 3). Nihil ergo cum hujusmodi hominibus commune sit cuiquam Christiano, nulla cum talibus habeatur societas, nullumque consortium. Prosit universae Ecclesiae, quod multi ipsorum, Domino miserante detecti sunt, et in quibus sacrilegiis viverent, eorumdem confessione patefactum est. Neminem fallant discretionihus ciborum, sordibus vestium, vultuumque palloribus. Non sunt casta jejunia, quae non de ratione veniunt continentiae, sed de arte fallaciae.

[…] impiety; of which the blessed apostle John forewarned us in no doubtful words, saying: Every spirit that confesses that Christ Jesus has come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that dissolves Jesus is not of God; and this is Antichrist (1 John 4:2, 3). Let no Christian, then, have anything in common with men of this kind; let there be no fellowship with such people, and no partnership. Let it profit the whole Church that many of them, by the Lord's mercy, have been detected, and that the sacrileges in which they lived have been laid bare by their own confession. Let them deceive no one by their distinctions of foods, their squalid clothing and the pallor of their faces. Fasts are not chaste which come not from the principle of continence but from the art of deceit.

Hactenus nocuerint iucautis, hactenus illuserint imperitis, post haec nullius excusabilis erit lapsus: nec jam simplex habendus est, sed valde nequam atque perversus, qui deinceps repertus fuerit nefando obstrictus errore. Ecclesiasticum sane atque divinitus institutum non solum non inhibemus, sed etiam incitamus affectum, ut etiam pro talibus nobiscum Domino supplicetis: quoniam et nos deceptarum animarum ruinas cum fletu et moerore miseremur, exsequentes apostolicae pietatis exemplum, ut cum infirmantibus infirmemur (II Cor. XI, 59), et cum flentibus defleamus (Rom. XII, 15). Speramus enim exorandam misericordiam Dei multis lacrymis et legitima satisfactione lapsorum: quia dum hoc in corpore vivitur, nullius desperanda reparatio, sed omnium est optanda correctio; auxiliante Domino, qui erigit elisos, solvit compeditos, illuminat coecos (Ps. CXLV, 7): cui est honor et gloria in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Let this be the limit of the harm they have done to the unwary, the limit of their mockery of the unskilled; after this no one's fall will be excusable: nor is he any longer to be held simple, but thoroughly wicked and perverse, who shall hereafter be found bound by the abominable error. Indeed we not only do not restrain, but even encourage, the affection that belongs to the Church and was instituted by God, so that you should pray to the Lord with us even for such men: since we too pity with weeping and grief the ruin of deceived souls, following the example of apostolic compassion, that we should be weak with the weak (2 Cor. 11:59) and weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15). For we hope that the mercy of God may be won by many tears and by the lawful satisfaction of the fallen: because while life is lived in this body, no one's restoration is to be despaired of, but the amendment of all is to be desired; with the help of the Lord, Who raises up the crushed, frees the fettered, gives light to the blind (Ps. 145:7): to Whom be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMO XXXV [Al. XXXIV].

SERMON XXXV [Al. XXXIV].

In Epiphaniae solemnitate V.

On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, V.

CAP. I. — Hodiernam festivitatem, dilectissimi, apparitio Domini et Salvatoris nostri, sicut nostis, illustrat; et hic ille est dies quod ad cognoscendum adorandumque Dei Filium tres magos praevia stella perduxit. Cujus facti memoriam merito placuit honore annuo celebrari; ut dum evangelica historia incessabiliter recensetur, semper se intelligentium

Chapter I. — Today's festival, dearly beloved, as you know, is made illustrious by the appearing of our Lord and Saviour; and this is that day on which a star going before them led three magi to know and adore the Son of God. It has fittingly been resolved that the memory of this event be celebrated with yearly honour; so that, while the gospel history is unceasingly recounted, […] may always […] itself […] of those who understand […]

Editors' notes and page, col. 249

Footnotes

(a) ‹Hactenus› · printed under col 249

Duo codd. S. Petri et duo Vat., nec non Veron., nocuerunt, et, illuserunt. Dein, nullus pro nullius, in uno cod. S. Petri et in Veron.

Two codices of St Peter's and two Vatican ones, and also the Verona one: "nocuerunt" and "illuserunt". Then "nullus" for "nullius" in one codex of St Peter's and in the Verona one.

(b) ‹evangelica historia› · printed under col 249

Prima editio, incessanter.

The first edition: "incessanter".

Editors' prose

Synopsis. — I. Stella quae magos efficaciter movit et perseveranter attraxit, quid significet. — II Adhuc Herodes in diabolo saevit contra Ecclesiae fllios, et Judaei Herodi serviunt obcaecati, et omnis religionis expertes facti; horum loco gentes succedunt. — III. Pro Judaeis orandum esse. Gratiae Dei strenne cooperandum. Gratia praestat auxilium; obedientia mollit imperium. — IV. Omnes Deus invitat beneficiis, cui si non obedit homo: sibi ipsa supplicium est mens dura et ingrata. Terrestria deserenda, coelestia appetenda sunt, ut sanctorum societati jungamur.

Synopsis. — I. What the star signifies which effectually moved the magi and perseveringly drew them. — II. Herod still rages in the devil against the sons of the Church, and the Jews, blinded, serve Herod and have become strangers to all religion; the gentiles succeed in their place. — III. That we must pray for the Jews. We must cooperate vigorously with the grace of God. Grace gives help; obedience softens command. — IV. God invites all by His benefits; and if man does not obey Him, the hard and ungrateful mind is its own punishment. Earthly things are to be forsaken, heavenly things sought, that we may be joined to the fellowship of the saints.

Page

running head: 249 SERMO XXXV. (printed across the page with 250)
marginal letters: A ‹thematizetur impietas›; B ‹imperitis, post haec›; C ‹(Ps. CXLV, 7): cui est honor›; D ‹apparitio Domini et Salvatoris›
old-edition numerals: 127 after ‹ex Deo est;›; 128 after ‹Salvatoris nostri,›
signature: none
other: col opens with the tail of ana-|thematizetur, set whole at the end of col 248; the caption SERMO XXXV [Al. XXXIV]. / In Epiphaniae solemnitate V. and the synopsis are printed within this column (not across the page); notes (c)–(f), whose calls stand in col 250, are printed under this column and are set in n250

PL 54:250

sensibus inferat salutiferum mysterium per insigne miraculum. Praecesserant quidem multa documenta, quae corpoream nativitatem Domini manifestis indiciis declararent, sive cum beata Maria Virgo fecundandam se Spiritu sancto, parituramque Dei Filium audivit et credidit, sive cum ad salutationem ipsius in utero Elisabeth nondum natus Joannes prophetica exultatione commotus est (Luc. I, 24), quasi etiam intra matris viscera jam clamaret: Ecce Agnus Dei, esse qui tollit peccata mundi (Joan. I, 29); vel cum ortum Domini angelo nuntiante pastores coelestis exercitus sunt claritate circumdati (Luc. II, 9), ut non ambigerent de majestate pueri quem erant in praesepe visuri; nec putarent quod in sola natura hominis esset editus, cui supernae militiae famularetur occursus. Sed haec atque alia hujusmodi paucis tunc videntur innotuisse personis, quae vel ad cognationem Mariae Virginis, vel ad sancti Joseph familiam pertinebant. Hoc autem signum, quod magos in loginquo positos et efficaciter movit, et ad Dominum Jesum perseveranter attraxit, illius sine dubio gratiae sacramentum, et illius fuit vocationis exordium, qua nimirum non in Judaea tantum, sed etiam in toto mundo Christi erat Evangelium praedicandum; ut per illam stellam quae magorum visui splenduit, Israelitarum vero oculis non refulsit, et illuminatio significata sit gentium, et caecitas Judaeorum.

[…] the saving mystery through a remarkable miracle. Many proofs, indeed, had gone before, which declared the bodily nativity of the Lord by manifest signs: whether when the blessed Virgin Mary heard and believed that she was to be made fruitful by the Holy Spirit and would bear the Son of God; or when at her greeting John, not yet born, was stirred in the womb of Elisabeth with prophetic exultation (Luke 1:24), as though even within his mother's womb he were already crying out: Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29); or when, as the angel announced the birth of the Lord, the shepherds were surrounded by the brightness of the heavenly host (Luke 2:9), so that they should not doubt the majesty of the Child whom they were to see in the manger, nor think that He had been brought forth in the nature of man alone, when the heavenly soldiery came out to wait upon Him. But these and other things of this kind seem at that time to have become known to few persons, who belonged either to the kindred of the Virgin Mary or to the household of St Joseph. But this sign, which both effectually moved the magi, placed far off, and drew them perseveringly to the Lord Jesus, was without doubt the mystery of that grace and the beginning of that calling by which the Gospel of Christ was to be preached not in Judaea only but in the whole world; so that by that star, which shone for the sight of the magi but did not gleam for the eyes of the Israelites, both the enlightenment of the gentiles and the blindness of the Jews were signified.

CAP. II. — Permanet igitur, dilectissimi, sicut evidenter apparet, mysticorum forma gestorum; et quod imagine inchoabatur, veritate completur. Radiante e coelo stella per gratiam, tres magi coruscatione evangelici fulgoris acciti, in omnibus quotidie nationibus ad adorandam potentiam summi Regis acurrunt. Herodes quoque in diabolo fremit (Matth. II, 3), et auferri sibi iniquitatis suae regnum in iis qui ad Christum transeunt, ingemiscit. Unde si parvulos interficiat, Jesum sibi videtur occidere. Quod utique facere sine cessatione molitur, dum primordiis renatorum Spiritum sanctum eripere, et quamdam tenerae fidei velut infantiam tentat exstinguere. Judaei vero, qui extra regnum Christi esse voluerunt adhuc quodammodo sub Herodis sunt principatu, et dominante sibi Salvatoris inimico, alienigenae serviunt potestati, quasi nesciant prophetatum, dicente Jacob: Non deficiet princeps ex Juda, et dux de femoribus ejus, donec veniat cui reposita sunt; et ipse est expectatio gentium (Gen. XLIX, 10). Sed nondum intelligunt quod negare non possunt, et mente non capiunt quod Scripturarum narratione noverunt: quooiam insanis magistris veritas scandalum est, et caecis doctoribus fit caligo, quod lumen est. Respondent

Chapter II. — The pattern of the mystical events, then, dearly beloved, as plainly appears, abides; and what was begun in figure is fulfilled in truth. As the star shines from heaven through grace, three magi, summoned by the flash of the gospel's radiance, run together daily in all nations to adore the power of the supreme King. Herod too rages in the devil (Matt. 2:3), and groans that the kingdom of his iniquity is taken from him in those who pass over to Christ. So if he kills the little ones, he thinks he is slaying Jesus. And this he strives without ceasing to do, while he tries to snatch the Holy Spirit from the beginnings of the reborn and to extinguish what is, as it were, the infancy of a tender faith. But the Jews, who chose to be outside the kingdom of Christ, are still in some way under the rule of Herod, and, with the Saviour's enemy lording it over them, serve a foreign power, as if they did not know what was prophesied when Jacob said: The prince shall not fail from Judah, nor the leader from his thighs, until He comes for whom it is laid up; and He is the expectation of the nations (Gen. 49:10). But they do not yet understand what they cannot deny, and do not grasp in mind what they know from the narrative of the Scriptures: for to mad masters the truth is a stumbling block, and to blind teachers what is light becomes darkness. They answer […]

Editors' notes and page, col. 250

Footnotes

Unus S. Petri cod., peccatum. Mox, cum in ortu Domini, in duobus mss. S. Petri.

One codex of St Peter's: "peccatum". Shortly after, "cum in ortu Domini" in two manuscripts of St Peter's.

(d) ‹ut non ambigerent› · printed under col 249

Prima editio et cod. Bonon., de potestate.

The first edition and the Bologna codex: "de potestate".

(e) ‹significata sit gentium, et› · printed under col 249

Caecitas declarata Judaeorum, in prima editione.

"Caecitas declarata Judaeorum" in the first edition.

(f) ‹veritate completur.› · printed under col 249, running over to col 250

Editi cum aliquibus mss., Radiat namque e coelo stella per gratiam, et tres magi, etc. Praetulimus lectionem optimorum codicum, nimirum duorum S. Petri, Veneti, Vallicel., Casinen. collect. 1 et Casanat. collect. 2, in quibus tantum ante vocem coelo omittitur praepostio (e) ob similem litteram. In qua desinit vocabulum antesedens Radiante, vito libraris familiari. Dein tres mss. Vat. et prima editio, ad adorandum summi infantiam Regis accurrunt.

The editions, with some manuscripts: "Radiat namque e coelo stella per gratiam, et tres magi", etc. We have preferred the reading of the best codices, namely the two of St Peter's, the Venetian, the Vallicelliana, the Monte Cassino one of collection 1 and the Casanatense of collection 2, in which only the preposition (e) before the word "coelo" is omitted, because of the like letter with which the preceding word "Radiante" ends, a fault familiar to copyists. Then three Vatican manuscripts and the first edition: "ad adorandum summi infantiam Regis accurrunt".

(g) ‹donec veniat› · printed under col 250

Superius serm. 23, c. 2 cui repositum est; et ibidem prima editio addit, regnum.

Above, Sermon 23, ch. 2: "cui repositum est"; and in the same place the first edition adds "regnum".

Page

running head: SERMO XXXV. 250 (printed across the page with 249)
marginal letters: A ‹sensibus inferat›; B ‹tur occursus. Sed haec›; C ‹e coelo stella per gratiam›; D ‹ejus, donec veniat›
old-edition numerals: 129 after ‹alienigenae›
signature: none
other: none

PL 54:251

itaque interrogati, quod in Bethleem nascitur Christus; et scientiam suam, qua alios instruunt non sequuntur. Perdiderunt igitur successionem regum, placationem hostiarum, locum supplicationum, ordinem sacerdotum; et cum omnia sibi clausa, omnia experiantur sibi esse finitas, non vident ea in Christum esse translata. Unde quod illi tres viri, universarum gentium personam gerentes, adorato Domino sunt adepti, hos in populis suis per fidem, quae justificat impios, totus mundus assequitur; et haereditatem Domini ante saecula praeparatam accipiunt adoptivi, et perdunt qui videbantur esse legitimi.

[…] then, when asked, that Christ is born in Bethlehem; and they do not follow their own knowledge, by which they instruct others. They have lost, therefore, the succession of kings, the propitiation of victims, the place of supplications, the order of priests; and though they find all things closed to them, all things at an end for them, they do not see that these have been transferred to Christ. Hence what those three men, bearing the person of all the nations, obtained by adoring the Lord, the whole world attains in its peoples through faith, which justifies the ungodly; and the adopted receive the inheritance of the Lord prepared before the ages, and those who seemed to be the lawful heirs lose it.

Resipisce tandem, Judaee, resipisce; et ad Redemptorem etiam tuum deposita infidelitate convertere. Noli sceleris tui immanitate terreri: non justos Christus, sed peccatores vocat (Matth. IX, 13); nec impietatem tuam repellit, qui pro te, cum crucifixus esset, oravit (Luc. XXIII, 34). Immitem crudelium patrum tuorum solve sententiam, neque te eorum maledicto patiaris obstringi, qui clamantes de Christo, Sanguis ejus super nos et super filios nostros (Matth. XXVII, 25), facinus in te sui criminis transfuderunt. Redite ad misericordem, utimini clementia remittentis. Saevitia enim vestrae, iniquitatis conversa est in causam salutis. Vivit quem perire voluistis. Confitemini negatum, adorate venditum: ut vobis bonitas illius prosit, cui vestra malignitas nocere non potuit.

Repent at last, Jew, repent; and, laying aside your unbelief, turn even to your Redeemer. Do not be terrified by the enormity of your crime: Christ calls not the just but sinners (Matt. 9:13); nor does He reject your impiety Who prayed for you when He was crucified (Luke 23:34). Undo the harsh sentence of your cruel fathers, and do not let yourself be bound by the curse of those who, crying out concerning Christ, His blood be upon us and upon our children (Matt. 27:25), passed on to you the guilt of their crime. Return to the Merciful One, make use of the clemency of Him Who forgives. For the savagery of your iniquity has been turned into a cause of salvation. He lives Whom you wished to perish. Confess Him Whom you denied, adore Him Whom you sold: so that His goodness may profit you, Whom your malice could not harm.

CAP. III. — Quod ergo ad veram, dilectissimi, pertinet charitatem, quam etiam inimicis nostris ex dominica oratione debemus (Matth. V, 44), et optandum nobis est et studendum; ut et hic populus, qui ab illa spiritali patrum nobilitate defecit, ramis suae arboris inseratur. Multum enim nos Deo benevolentia ista commendat: quia ideo delictum illorum nobis misericordiae locum fecit, ut eos ad aemulationem salutis recipiendae fides nostra revocaret. Nam vitam piorum non solum sibi, sed etiam aliis esse utilem decet: ut quod apud eos agi non potest verbis, obtineatur exemplis. Considerantes itaque, dilectissimi, ineffabilem erga nos divinorum munerum largitatem, cooperatores simus gratiae Dei operantis in nobis. Non enim dormientibus provenit regnum coelorum, nec otio desidiaque torpentibus beatitudo aeternitatis ingeritur; sed quia, sicut Apostolus ait, si compatimur, et conglorificabimur (Rom. VIII, 17; II Tim. II, 12), illa nobis currenda est via quam ipse Dominus se esse testatus est (Joan. XIV,

Chapter III. — What belongs, then, dearly beloved, to true charity, which by the Lord's prayer we owe even to our enemies (Matt. 5:44), we must both desire and strive for: that this people too, which has fallen away from that spiritual nobility of the fathers, may be grafted onto the branches of its own tree. For this goodwill commends us greatly to God: since their offence made room for mercy towards us for this very end, that our faith might call them back to the emulation of receiving salvation. For it befits the life of the devout to be useful not only to themselves but also to others, so that what cannot be achieved with them by words may be obtained by examples. Considering, therefore, dearly beloved, the ineffable bounty of the divine gifts towards us, let us be cooperators with the grace of God working in us. For the kingdom of heaven does not come to those who sleep, nor is the blessedness of eternity bestowed on those who lie sluggish in leisure and idleness; but since, as the Apostle says, if we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified with Him (Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12), we must run along that way which the Lord Himself testified that He is (John 14, […]

Editors' notes and page, col. 251

Footnotes

(a) ‹ex dominica› · printed under col 251 (call printed as (n))

Editi cum quibusdam mss., eruditione. Amplectendam putavimus lectionem in ms. Corbeiensi a Quesnello inventam, quippe quae in potioribus nostris codd. praefertur, scilicet in duobus S Petri, Veneto, et mss. collect. 1 ac 2. Alludit S. pontifex non tam ad quintam orationis Dominicae petitionem, quam ad orationem Christi in cruce pendentis, qui pro te, ut paulo ante dixerat, cum crucifixus esset, oravit.

The editions, with certain manuscripts: "eruditione". We thought we should embrace the reading found by Quesnel in the Corbie manuscript, since it is offered in the weightier of our codices, namely in the two of St Peter's, the Venetian, and the manuscripts of collections 1 and 2. The holy pontiff alludes not so much to the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer as to the prayer of Christ hanging on the cross, Who, as he had said a little before, "prayed for you when He was crucified".

Page

running head: 251 S. LEONIS MAGNI SERMONES. (printed across the page with 252)
marginal letters: A ‹itaque interrogati›; B ‹peccatores vocat›; C ‹qui ab illa spiritali›; D ‹quam ipse Dominus›
old-edition numerals: 130 after ‹non solum sibi,›
signature: none
other: notes (b) and (c), whose calls stand in col 252, are printed under this column and are set in n252; the scan of this page is faint, many e's show no crossbar and were read as e

PL 54:252

6): qui nobis nullis operum meritis suffragantibus, et sacramento consuluit et exemplo: ut in adoptionem vocatos per illud proveheret ad salutem, per hoc imbueret ad laborem. Hic autem labor, dilectissimi, piis filiis et bonis servis non solum nec asper, nec onerosus, sed etiam suavis et levis est, dicente Domino: Venite ad me, omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos. Tollite jugum meum super vos, et discite a me, quia mitis sum et humilis corde, et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. Jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve (Matth. XI, 28-30). Nihil ergo, dilectissimi, arduum est humilibus, nihil asperum mitibus, et facile omnia praecepta veniunt in effectum, quando et gratia praetendit auxilium, et obedientia mollit imperium Intonant enim quotidie auribus nostris eloquia Dei, et omnis homo quid divinae justitiae placeat scire convincitur.

[…] 6): Who, with no merits of works to support us, has provided for us both by a mystery and by an example: that by the one He might bring those called into adoption to salvation, by the other train them for labour. But this labour, dearly beloved, is for devoted sons and good servants not only neither harsh nor burdensome, but even sweet and light, as the Lord says: Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is sweet, and my burden light (Matt. 11:28–30). Nothing, then, dearly beloved, is hard for the humble, nothing harsh for the meek, and all the commandments easily come to fulfilment when grace holds out its help and obedience softens the command. For the words of God thunder daily in our ears, and every man is shown to know what pleases the divine justice.

Sed quia judicium illud, quo unusquisque recipiet prout gessit sive bonum, sive malum (II Cor. V, 10), judicaturi patientia et bonitate differtur, impunitatem sibi iniquitatis infidelium corda promittunt, et putant humanorum actuum qualitates ad divinae providentiae non pertinere censuram, quasi non evidentisimis plerumque suppliciis male gesta plectantur, aut non saepe coelestium comminationum terror ostendatur: quibus utique et fides monetur, et infidelitas increpatur.

But because that judgement, in which each one will receive according as he has done, whether good or evil (2 Cor. 5:10), is put off by the patience and goodness of Him Who is to judge, the hearts of unbelievers promise themselves impunity for their iniquity, and think that the character of human acts does not fall under the judgement of divine providence, as if evil deeds were not for the most part punished with most evident penalties, or the terror of heavenly threats were not often displayed: by which, indeed, faith is admonished and unbelief rebuked.

CAP. IV. — Inter haec autem permanet super omnes benignitas Dei, et nulli misericordiam suam denegat, cum indiscrete universis bona multa largiatur, eosque quos merito subderet poenis, mavult invitare beneficiis. Dilatio enim vindictae dat locum poenitentiae. NEC TAMEN DICI potest nulla ibi esse ultio, ubi nulla conversio est, quia mens dura et ingrata jam sibi ipsa supplicium est, et in conscientia sua patitur quidquid Dei bonitate differtur. Non ita igitur delinquentes peccata delectent, ut illos in suis actibus vitae hujus finis inveniat: quoniam in inferno nulla est correctio, NEC DATUR remedium satisfactionis, ubi jam non superest actio voluntatis dicente propheta David: Quoniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui; in inferno autem quis confitebitur tibi (Ps. VI. 6)? Fugiantur noxiae voluptates, inimica gaudia et desideria jamjamque peritura. Quis fructus est, quaeve utilitas, ea indesinenter cupere, quae etiamsi non deserant deserenda sunt? Amor rerum deficientium ad incorruptibilia transferatur, et ad sublimia vocatus animus coelestibus delectetur. Confirmate

Chapter IV. — Amid these things, however, the kindness of God abides over all, and He denies His mercy to no one, since He bestows many good things on all without distinction, and those whom He might deservedly subject to punishment He prefers to invite by benefits. For the delay of vengeance gives room for repentance. Yet it cannot be said that there is no punishment where there is no conversion, because the hard and ungrateful mind is already its own punishment, and suffers in its own conscience whatever is deferred by the goodness of God. Let not sins, then, so delight those who transgress that the end of this life finds them in their deeds: for in hell there is no amendment, nor is the remedy of satisfaction given, where no action of the will any longer remains, as the prophet David says: For in death there is no one who is mindful of Thee; and in hell who will confess to Thee (Ps. 6:6)? Let harmful pleasures be shunned, hostile joys and desires that are on the very point of perishing. What fruit is there, or what profit, in ceaselessly desiring things which, even if they do not forsake us, must be forsaken? Let the love of failing things be transferred to incorruptible ones, and let the mind, called to the heights, delight in heavenly things. Make firm […]

Editors' notes and page, col. 252

Footnotes

(b) ‹suavis et› · printed under col 251

Ita ex nostris codd. et prima editione pro eo quod erat, lenis. Emendatio ab ipso Scripturae quod profertur testimonio exigitur.

So from our codices and the first edition, in place of what stood there, "lenis". The emendation is required by the very testimony of Scripture that is cited.

Haec lectio est vetustiorum et castigatiorum exemplarium S. Petri, Venet., Vallicel., Casanat. et Barb. Al. in editis et aliquot mss., intonante enim quotidie auribus nostris eloquio Dei, omnis homo, etc. Post pauca, prout gesserit in prima editione.

This reading is that of the older and more correct copies: those of St Peter's, the Venetian, the Vallicelliana, the Casanatense and the Barberini. Otherwise, in the editions and some manuscripts: "intonante enim quotidie auribus nostris eloquio Dei, omnis homo", etc. A little after, "prout gesserit" in the first edition.

(d) ‹aut non saepe› · printed under col 252

In uno mss. Vat., coelestium comminatione terror ostendat. In prima editione et alio Vat. in Veneto atque Casin., coelestium comminationum terror ostendat. Id ipsum prima manu in Casanatensi, et solum in margine emendatum addendo pronomen se ante vocem coelestium.

In one Vatican manuscript: "coelestium comminatione terror ostendat". In the first edition and another Vatican [codex], in the Venetian and the Monte Cassino one: "coelestium comminationum terror ostendat". The same in the first hand in the Casanatense, corrected only in the margin by adding the pronoun "se" before the word "coelestium".

(e) ‹NEC TAMEN DICI potest› · printed under col 252

In uno ms. Vat. et in Bon. ac prima editione: Nulla ibi est ultio. Mox iidem codd. et edit., in conscientia ipsa, pro in conscientia sua.

In one Vatican manuscript, in the Bologna one and the first edition: "Nulla ibi est ultio". Shortly after, the same codices and edition: "in conscientia ipsa" for "in conscientia sua".

(f) ‹remedium satisfactionis,› · printed under col 252

In prima editione, si jam non superest.

In the first edition: "si jam non superest".

(g) ‹Fugiantur noxiae› · printed under col 252

Cod. Gudiival, Quesnelli, voluntates. Ita etiam duo Vat. et unus Bon., qui praeterea hunc locum sic efferunt. Fugentur noxiae voluntates. Unus cod S. Petri: Fugiant ergo noxiae voluptates.

Quesnel's Gudiival codex: "voluntates". So also two Vatican ones and one Bologna one, which besides give this passage thus: "Fugentur noxiae voluntates". One codex of St Peter's: "Fugiant ergo noxiae voluptates".