Migne Reading Room
PL 61 · cols. 397–407
Paulinus of Nola, Letters
Letters XCV–XLIX
EPISTOLA XCV (AL. CCL).
LETTER XCV (otherwise CCL).
AUGUSTINI AD PAULINUM ET THERASIAM.
OF AUGUSTINE TO PAULINUS AND THERASIA.
EPISTOLA XLVI.
LETTER XLVI.
PAULINUS RUFFINO fratri salutem.
PAULINUS TO RUFFINUS, his brother, greeting.
1. Vel breves nobis ab unanimitate tua litterae, magno refrigerio sunt, sicuti in penuria fluviorum ager sitiens rore recreatur; unde refectos nos quamvis brevi epistola tua, attamen tua, per puerum communium filiorum fatemur: sed tamen rursus affectus, quia etiamnum nunc vos in aestu sollicitudinis, et incerto morarum, Romam peti judicastis. Det nobis Dominus a Domino laetificari quamprimum de actu nostro: ut sicut anxiis compatimur, ita congaudeamus hilaritati, et incipiamus tamen sperare fructum praesentiae vestrae, si vos certi esse de vestra sententia, vel Domini circa vos placito, coeperitis.
1. Even a short letter to us from your oneness of heart is a great refreshment, just as, when the rivers fail, a thirsty field is revived by dew; and so we confess that we have been refreshed by your letter, brief indeed, yet yours, brought by the servant of our common sons: but yet affected again, because you judged that even now, in the heat of anxiety and the uncertainty of delays, Rome was to be sought. May the Lord grant us to be gladdened by the Lord as soon as possible about our doing: that, as we suffer with you in your anxieties, so we may rejoice together in your gladness, and may yet begin to hope for the fruit of your presence, if you begin to be certain of your own decision, or of the Lord's good pleasure concerning you.
2. Sane, quod admonere dignaris affectu illo, quo nos sicut te diligis, ut studium in Graecas litteras attentius sumam, libenter accipio: sed implere non valeo: nisi forte desideria mea adjuvat Dominus, ut diutius consortio tuo perfruar. Nam quomodo profectum capere potero sermonis ignoti, si desit a quo ignorata condiscam? Credo enim in translatione sancti Clementis, praeter alias ingenii mei defectiones, hanc te potissimum imperitiae meae penuriam considerasse, quod aliqua, in quibus intelligere vel exprimere verba non potui, sensu potius apprehenso, vel ut verius dicam, opinata transtulerim. Quo magis egeo misericordia Dei, ut pleniorem mihi tui copiam tribuat, quia pro divitiis erit pauperi, ut micas a divitis mensa cadentes, avido famelici cordis ore, colligere.
2. Indeed, your deigning to urge me, with that affection with which you love us as yourself, to take up the study of Greek letters more attentively, I gladly accept: but I am not able to fulfil it, unless perhaps the Lord helps my desires, so that I may enjoy your companionship longer. For how shall I be able to make progress in an unknown language, if there is no one from whom to learn what I do not know? For I believe that in the translation of Saint Clement, besides the other failings of my wit, you noticed above all this poverty of my inexperience, that certain passages, in which I could not understand or express the words, I translated by grasping the sense instead, or, to speak more truly, by guessing. All the more do I need the mercy of God, that He may grant me a fuller enjoyment of you, since for a poor man it will be as riches to gather, with the eager mouth of a famished heart, the crumbs falling from the rich man's table.
3. In tempore sane, quo scripta haec scribebantur, cecidit sub oculis, incidens proposita lectione, capitulum illud ex Genesi quo Judas a Jacob benedicitur. Et quia Dominus opportunissimam hanc occasionem dederat, pulsare post tempus fores cordis tui placuit. Ergo si me amas, immo quia multum amas, rogo ut scribas mihi, ut intelligis ipsam patriarcharum benedictionem. Et si qua ipse scis in eis ardua sensu, et digna cognitione, scire me velis: specialiter tamen de capitulo illo in quo ait, Alligans ad vitem pullum suum, et ad cilicium pullum asinae suae; quis suus sit pullus, vel quis asinae pullus? et cur suus ad vitem, asinae vero pullus ad cilicium alligetur?
3. At the very time when these writings were being written, there fell under my eyes, coming up in the appointed reading, that passage of Genesis in which Judah is blessed by Jacob (Gen. 49). And since the Lord had given this most fitting occasion, it pleased me after some time to knock at the doors of your heart. So if you love me, nay, because you love me much, I ask you to write to me how you understand that very blessing of the patriarchs. And if you yourself know anything in them that is hard in sense and worthy of knowledge, be willing that I should know it: but especially about that passage in which he says, Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the haircloth (Gen. 49:11, according to the Septuagint); which is his own foal, and which the ass's foal? and why is his own bound to the vine, but the ass's foal to the haircloth?
EPISTOLA XLVII.
LETTER XLVII.
Editors' notes and page, col. 397
Scripture references
(printed under page 202)
(a) ‹anchor: a Jacob benedicitur› · call in col 397
Gen. XLIX.
Genesis 49.
(printed under page 202)
(b) ‹anchor: pullum asinae suae› · call in col 397
Gen. XLIX, 11, juxta LXX.
Genesis 49:11, according to the Septuagint.
Editors' notes (asterisk series: dating and titles)
(*) ‹anchor: not visible (heading of Epistola XLVI)› · call in col 397 Alias 47; quae autem 46 erat, nunc 7 et 8. Scripta circa annum 408.
Otherwise 47; and the one that was 46 is now 7 and 8. Written about the year 408.
(**) ‹anchor: EPISTOLA› · call in col 397 Alias 48; quae autem 47 erat, nunc 46. Scripta anno 409.
Otherwise 48; and the one that was 47 is now 46. Written in the year 409.
(*) ‹anchor: EPISTOLAE› · call in col 398 Circa annum 409. Porro quae erat epist. 48, nunc 47.
About the year 409. Further, what was letter 48 is now 47.
(**) ‹anchor: FRAGMENTUM› · call in col 398 Hoc adscitum ex Greg. Turon. Histor. Franc. lib. ii, cap. 13.
This is taken from Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, book 2, chapter 13.
Editors' notes (letters)
(printed under page 202)
(a) ‹anchor: et ad› · call in col 397
Ita S. Ambrosium et S. Augustinum legere annotat Nobilius in scholiis ad LXX, pro quo LXX et S. Cyprianus lib. i adversus Judaeos, ad helicem Graeco … [the rest of the line and anything below it is cut off in the image; it may run on to the next page]
Nobilius notes in his scholia on the Septuagint that St Ambrose and St Augustine read it so, where the Septuagint and St Cyprian, book 1 against the Jews, [have] "ad helicem" ("to the tendril"), in the Greek … [cut off in the image]
(printed under page 202)
Editors' prose
Augustinus superiori epistolae respondens agit de praesentis vitae statu, nec non de qualitate corporis beatorum, deque membrorum officiis post resurrectionem.
Augustine, replying to the preceding letter, treats of the state of the present life, and also of the quality of the body of the blessed and of the functions of the limbs after the resurrection.
(Hanc epistolam legere est tomo XXXIII, col. 351, nostrae Patrologiae.)
(This letter may be read in volume XXXIII, col. 351, of our Patrologia.)
Petit doceri Graecas litteras a Ruffino. Fatetur se non recte Clementem vertisse; Postulat expositionem versiculi 11 capitis XLIX Geneseos.
He asks to be taught Greek by Rufinus. He admits that he has not translated Clement correctly. He asks for an exposition of verse 11 of chapter 49 of Genesis.
Ruffino Cerealem commendat. Petit in transitu visitari:
He commends Cerealis to Rufinus. He asks to be visited on his way through:
<!-- note: Paragraph 1 is the argumentum of Ep. XCV (Augustine's letter, al. CCL); paragraph 2 is the editors' cross-reference printed in its place. Paragraph 4 is the start of the argumentum of Ep. XLVII, which runs on into col. 398. 'Postulat' capitalised after a semicolon, as printed. -->
Page
- running head: 397 EPISTOLA XL[…] (rest of the running head beyond the image edge)
- marginal letters: A ‹beside the title EPISTOLA XCV (AL. CCL).›; B ‹rum fatemur: sed tamen rursus affectus›; C ‹sancti Clementis, praeter alias ingenii›; D ‹rogo ut scribas mihi, ut intelligis ipsam patriarcha-›
- old-edition numerals: 274 before ‹Petit doceri› (at the head of the argumentum of Ep. XLVI); 275 after ‹sermonis ignoti,›
PAULINUS fratri RUFFINO salutem.
PAULINUS to his brother RUFFINUS, greeting.
1. Etsi incertum mihi fecit filius Cerealis, quod ad te perrecturus foret in tempore quo ad sanctum Petrum revertitur: tamen per eum qui aeque tuus ac noster est, non scribere tibi, tam culpabile nobis, quam tibi triste futurum judicavimus. Itaque chartulae damnum, si te forte non vidisset, quam officii, sicut credimus, si te viseret, praeoptantes capessere, commisimus epistolam istam non casui, sed fidei. Credimus enim in Domino dirigendam ad te viam sermonis ac filii nostri, quia desiderantibus bonum omnia procedent in bonum (Rom. VIII, 28; vid. idem in epist. 5, n. 9); desiderat enim te, quantum debes desiderari ab intelligente commodum suum de consortio tui. Et ideo praesumo quia secundum fidem ac pietatem suam salvabitur in bonis desiderium ejus, et perveniet ad te, et tecum manebit, et geminabitur nobis apud Dominum in vobis salutare praesidium; cum et tibi tam bonus filius, comes, discipulus, adjutor accesserit, et tu illi pater ac magister omnis boni donatus a Domino, ad efficacem orationum potentiam vires gratiae spiritalis addideris. Nobis autem, etsi pro tua caritate praesumtio sit, quia remeaturus ad Orientem, non feres invisitatis nobis abire; tamen de peccatis nostris metus est, ne etiamsi tam nobis vicina filia Babylonis avertat. Quare Domino desideria nostra ac vota mandamus, ne secundum meritum nobis, sed secundum desiderium faciat, et dirigat ad nos viam tuam in via pacis suae: quia non ambulantes in ea, in reprobum sensum damnati sunt, nec te desiderare merentur.
1. Although our son Cerealis left me uncertain whether he would travel on to you at the time when he returns to Saint Peter's, yet we judged that not to write to you by one who is as much yours as ours would be as blameworthy in us as it would be saddening to you. And so, preferring to incur the loss of a scrap of paper, should he perhaps not see you, rather than the loss of a duty, as we believe, should he visit you, we have entrusted this letter not to chance but to faith. For we believe in the Lord that the way of our letter and of our son will be directed to you, since for those who desire the good all things will turn out for good (Rom. 8:28); for he desires you, as much as you ought to be desired by one who understands the profit to himself of your companionship. And so I take it for granted that, according to his faith and piety, his desire will be kept safe in good things, and he will reach you and remain with you, and a saving defence will be doubled for us with the Lord in you both; since so good a son, companion, disciple and helper will have been added to you, and you, given him by the Lord as father and teacher of every good, will have added the strength of spiritual grace to the effectual power of prayers. As for us, although your charity gives us confidence that, when you are about to return to the East, you will not bear to go away leaving us unvisited, yet because of our sins there is fear lest even the daughter of Babylon, so near to us, should turn you aside. Therefore we commit our desires and prayers to the Lord, that He may deal with us not according to our merit but according to our desire, and direct your way to us in the way of His peace: since those who do not walk in it have been condemned to a reprobate sense, and do not deserve to long for you.
2. Sane importunitate qua ostium tuum vel media nocte pulsare consuevi, repulsae metu ad verecundiam et modum postulandi coactus, nunc hoc circa me negotii tibi trado, ut benedictiones duodecim patriarcharum, cujus jam principium mihi, exposita circa personam Judae prophetia, triplici ut jussum est interpretatione conscriptis paginis edidisti, per reliquos filios distributam digneris exponere; ut ipse per te fiam conscius veritatis, et magnae gratiae ac laudis auctorem habeam; si his qui de me supra me, propter operis consulendum me putaverunt, divino potius et tuo spiritu, quam de meo sensu inepta respondeam.
2. Indeed, with the importunity with which I have been accustomed to knock at your door even at midnight, though compelled by fear of refusal to modesty and measure in asking, I now hand over to you this business concerning me: that you deign to expound the blessings of the twelve patriarchs, of which you have already published for me the beginning in written pages, expounding the prophecy concerning the person of Judah with a threefold interpretation, as was asked, [the blessing] as it is distributed among the remaining sons; so that through you I myself may come to know the truth, and may have the author of great grace and praise; if to those who, [thinking] of me above what I am, have judged that I should be consulted because of the [difficulty] of the work, I answer by the divine spirit and yours, rather than ineptly from my own sense.
EPISTOLAE XLVIII FRAGMENTUM.
FRAGMENT OF LETTER XLVIII.
Si enim hos videas dignos Domino sacerdotes, vel Exsuperium Tolosae, vel Simplicium Viennae, vel Amandum Burdigalae, vel Diogenianum Albigae, vel
For if you should see these priests worthy of the Lord, either Exsuperius of Toulouse, or Simplicius of Vienne, or Amandus of Bordeaux, or Diogenianus of Albi, or
Editors' notes and page, col. 398
Editors' prose
simul exposcit reliquas benedictiones patriarcharum explicari, ut Desiderio presbytero possit satisfacere. Vide epistolam 43, n. 3 et 4.
at the same time he asks for the remaining blessings of the patriarchs to be explained, so that he may satisfy the priest Desiderius. See Letter 43, nos. 3 and 4.
Laudat illustrissimos sui seculi episcopos.
He praises the most illustrious bishops of his age.
<!-- note: Paragraph 1 completes the argumentum of Ep. XLVII begun at the foot of col. 397. Paragraph 2 is the argumentum of the fragment of Ep. XLVIII. The editors' bracketed conjectures inside the letter text ('forte add. ...', 'Videtur aliquid deesse') are not set here. -->
Page
- running head: EPISTOLA XLVIII. 398
- marginal letters: A ‹simul exposcit reliquas benedictiones›; B ‹ab intelligente commodum suum›; C ‹damus, ne secundum meritum nobis›; D ‹n. 15) consulendum me putaverunt›
- old-edition numerals: 276 after ‹cum›
- other: EDITORS' PROSE not set: the end of the italic argumentum of Ep. XLVII ("simul exposcit reliquas benedictiones patriarcharum explicari, ut Desiderio presbytero possit satisfacere. Vide epistolam 43, n. 3 et 4."), and the italic summary of the Ep. XLVIII fragment ("Laudat illustrissimos sui seculi episcopos."). The parenthesis "(Rom. VIII, 28; vid. idem in epist. 5, n. 9)" is set as printed, editorial cross-reference included. Left out as editors' insertions: "(id est Roma; vid. epist. 29, n. 13)" after "filia Babylonis"; "(forte add. opinantes. Videtur aliquid deesse.)" after "supra me"; "(forte add. difficultatem; vid. ep. 43, n. 3 et 4, et 50, n. 15)" after "operis". The English supplies those two conjectured words in square brackets, since the Latin is defective there. The title asterisk calls are omitted; the foot note to "FRAGMENTUM" says it is taken from Gregory of Tours, Hist. Franc. II, 13. The title is printed on two lines and is set as one paragraph. The column ends mid-sentence at "vel".
Dynamium Engolismae, vel Venerandum Arvernis, vel Alethium (al. Alithium) Cadurcis, vel nunc Pegasium Petragoriis; utcumque se habent seculi mala, videbis profecto dignissimos totius fidei religionisque custodes.
Dynamius of Angoulême, or Venerandus of the Arverni, or Alethius (otherwise Alithius) of Cahors, or now Pegasius of Périgueux; however the evils of the age may stand, you will surely see most worthy guardians of the whole faith and religion.
EPISTOLA XLIX.
LETTER XLIX.
MACARIO PAULINUS.
TO MACARIUS, PAULINUS.
1. Opera Domini praedicare honorificum est; quae mihi causa hujus epistolae fuit: quia patrisfamilias hujus, quem ad unanimitatem tuam prosequor, Secundiniani negotium, ut probabis, non potest sine Domini gloria et laude narrari. Sicut enim dixit in Evangelio: Pater meus adhuc operatur, et ego operor, ita et nunc facit: neque desinit bonus Dominus fidem nostram evidentibus veritatis suae excitare ac vere provocare documentis. Itaque in diversis, ut scriptum est, argumentis apparens nobis salvator Deus, terra marique pro nobis operatur, et quod in singulis agit, multorum fidei salutique procurat. Vide enim quam admirabile et praedicabile opus sit, quod Jesus Dominus in uno sene cum angelis suis sanctis operatus est. Haec enim causa est supradicti amici et fratris nostri, qui est vir in Christo fidelis. Hieme superiore compulsus in Sardinia, cum ceteris quippe naviculariis, invehendas fiscalibus horreis fruges ministerio propriae navis accipere, non exspectato tempore soliti commeatus, ante aestivam temperiem onustum navigium vi publica urgente dimisit. Illico, ut mihi retulit, in proximo freto exorta tempestas, temere de portu solutam multarum navium classem, a cursibus destinatis retorsit, et fregit in littore. Hujus navem in quodam ejus insulae loco, quem ad Pulvinos vocant, ne similiter illideretur, anchoris fundare conati sunt: sed hiemis ejusdem violentia praevalescente, rumpentibus vinculis, nautae exterriti scaphulam demiserunt; vel ut navi fortius continendae renovatis et altius stabilitis anchoris subvenirent, vel ut seipsos, si possent, a discrimine navis eriperent. Sed illos statim cum fragili perfugio lembuli sui arripuisse in scopulos procella dicitur, et superfusis fluctibus obruisse. Unum ex omni numero nautarum senem sentinando deputatum, vel metu immemores, vel ut vilem animam contemnentes, relinquunt. Interea destituta nautis et anchoris navis aufertur in pelagus.
1. It is honourable to proclaim the works of the Lord (Tob 12:7); and this was the cause of this letter for me: that the affair of this householder Secundinianus, whom I am sending on to your oneness of heart, cannot, as you will find, be told without the glory and praise of the Lord. For as He said in the Gospel: My Father works until now, and I work (John 5:17), so He does now too: nor does the good Lord cease to rouse our faith and truly to call it forth by evident proofs of His truth. And so, appearing to us, as it is written, by various proofs (Acts 1:3), God our Saviour works for us by land and sea, and what He does in individuals He provides for the faith and salvation of many. For see how wonderful and worthy of proclamation is the work that the Lord Jesus has wrought in one old man with His holy angels. For this is the affair of our aforesaid friend and brother, who is a man faithful in Christ. Last winter in Sardinia, compelled, along with the other shipmasters, to take on grain by the service of his own ship for carrying to the imperial granaries, he sent off the loaded vessel before the mild weather of summer, without waiting for the time of the usual convoy, since the public authority was pressing. At once, as he told me, a storm arose in the nearest strait, turned back from its intended courses a fleet of many ships rashly loosed from harbour, and wrecked it on the shore. His ship, at a certain place of that island which they call At the Cushions, they tried to make fast with anchors, lest it be dashed in the same way: but as the violence of that same winter prevailed and the cables broke, the sailors in terror let down the skiff; either to come to the aid of the ship by renewing the anchors and setting them deeper, so as to hold it more firmly, or to rescue themselves, if they could, from the peril of the ship. But the storm is said at once to have snatched them, with the frail refuge of their little boat, onto the rocks, and to have overwhelmed them with the waves poured over them. One out of the whole number of the sailors, an old man assigned to bailing the bilge, they left behind, either forgetful in their fear, or despising him as a worthless life. Meanwhile the ship, bereft of sailors and anchors, is carried off into the open sea.
2. Senex ille, qui nescierat se relictum, ut jactari volvique sensit, ab intimo navis emergit, vacua omnia, mare undique, et undique coelum videt: cum et metum et periculum misero solitudo cumularet, sex dies et noctes jejunus condidit. Fuerunt enim illi lacrymae panes die ac nocte: tum ipsum jam
2. That old man, who had not known that he was left behind, when he felt himself tossed and rolled about, comes up from the depths of the ship and sees everything empty, sea on every side, and sky on every side: while solitude heaped up both fear and danger for the wretched man, he passed six days and nights fasting. For his tears were his bread day and night (Ps. 41:4): then, he being by now
Editors' notes and page, col. 399
Scripture references
(printed under page 203)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 399
Tob. XII, 7.
Tobit 12:7.
(printed under page 203)
(b) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 399
Johan. v, 17.
John 5:17.
(printed under page 203)
(c) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 399
Actor. i, 3.
Acts 1:3.
(printed under page 203)
(d) ‹anchor: die ac nocte› · call in col 399
Psal. XLI, 4.
Psalm 41:4.
(printed under page 203)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible (title of the letter)› · call in col 399
Sic editio Grin. At ms. Reg. Paulini Epistola ad Macarium, et edit. Bad., Grav. et Schot. addunt in qua de senis naufragio stupenda narrat miracula.
So Grynaeus's edition. But the Royal manuscript has "Letter of Paulinus to Macarius", and the editions of Badius, Gravius and Schott add "in which he tells astonishing miracles about an old man's shipwreck".
(printed under page 203)
Editors' prose
Describit ingentia miracula, per quae senex Valgius, postea Victor nominatus, ex naufragio servatus est: et Macarium rogat, ut eumdem jam et patronum ejus Secundinianum ab hominum importunitate tueatur.
He describes the great miracles by which the old man Valgius, afterwards named Victor, was saved from shipwreck; and he asks Macarius to protect both him and his patron Secundinianus from the harassment of men.
<!-- note: Argumentum of Ep. XLIX. -->
Page
- running head: 399 S. PAULINI NOLANI EPISCOPI (the head spans the page)
- marginal letters: A ‹Dynamium Engolismae›; B ‹Domini gloria et laude narrari›; C ‹pore soliti commeatus›; D ‹mero nautarum senem sentinando›
- old-edition numerals: 277 before ‹Describit› (at the head of the argumentum of Ep. XLIX); 278 after ‹ab intimo navis›
mortis quam vitae cupidiorem, finemque poenarum animae exitu desiderantem, misericors et miserator Dominus adire cominus, et verbi cibo animare dignatus est. Refert ipse adhuc lacrymans felicitatem periculi sui, nec sine lacrymis cordis et gaudio spiritus audiri potest, ut compellatus adeunte Christo, ut confortatus hortante sit, ut arborem jussus inciderit, quam excidi in eo tempore remedium navis erat; sed quod multi atque validissimi sine suo et navis periculo facere vix possunt, solus et debilis arripere non audens, Dei verbo ausus est. Bis tantum, et leviter, ut a senili manu tactus magis quam ictus securi, malus ita prosilivit a vulnere, ut longe extra navem in undas expulsus, tuto ceciderit. Deinde variis, ut marina jactatio et navalis instructio poscit, officiis, cum aut artemone armari oportebat, aut sentinam depleri (id est, vacuari, exhauriri) necesse erat, nomine Victoris vocatus a Domino, porrigere tantum specie agendi manum ad quamlibet operam jubebatur. Non enim in multa et varia circa hunc senem mirabilium divinorum gratia hoc quoque Dei munus praetereundum videtur, quod etiam nomen accepit, quo nunc et regeneratione censetur, et ab hominibus et ab angelis scribitur: gentilitio enim signo Valgius vocabatur, qui nunc Victor a Domino dicitur, et est victor in Domino, qui illi aptum ad opera sua idipsum nomen imposuit; quia videlicet et in mari de tempestatibus atque naufragio per adjutorium Christi, et nuper in terra per ejusdem gratiam de peccatis et diabolo triumphavit; videlicet ut totus in Christo novandus, neque in nomine, neque in homine veteri permaneret.
more desirous of death than of life, and longing for an end of his sufferings by the departure of his soul, the merciful and compassionate Lord deigned to come to him face to face, and to quicken him with the food of the word. He himself, still weeping, tells of the happiness of his peril, and he cannot be heard without tears of the heart and joy of the spirit, telling how he was addressed by Christ as He came to him, how he was strengthened by His exhortation, how at His command he cut down the mast, the cutting away of which was at that time the ship's remedy; and what many men, and those very strong, can scarcely do without danger to themselves and to the ship, he, alone and feeble, not daring to undertake it, ventured at the word of God. Only twice, and lightly, touched rather than struck with the axe, as by an old man's hand, the mast so sprang away from the wound that it was thrown far outside the ship into the waves and fell harmlessly. Then, in the various tasks which the tossing of the sea and the rigging of a ship demand, whenever the foresail had to be set, or the bilge had to be emptied (that is, cleared out, drained), called by the Lord by the name of Victor, he was bidden only to stretch out his hand, by way of a show of doing, to whatever work it was. For among the many and various graces of divine wonders concerning this old man, this gift of God also should not, it seems, be passed over, that he also received the name by which he is now enrolled in regeneration, and is written down by men and by angels: for by his family designation he was called Valgius, who is now called Victor by the Lord, and is a victor in the Lord, who gave him this very name, fitting to His works; since, that is, both at sea, through the help of Christ, he triumphed over storms and shipwreck, and lately on land, through His grace, over sins and the devil; so that, that is, being wholly made new in Christ, he might not remain in the old name, nor in the old man.
3. Mira fides et ineffabilis pietas Domini Salvatoris, qui senem, si forte somno piger lentius ad gerenda consurgeret, et molli manu ante praepalpans, ne trepidus expergefieret, vellicata blande auricula suscitavit, cum leviter adnitens senex a primo statim conatu suo manibus angelicis res effectas videret. Vix rudentem quasi ducturus attigerat, cum velum videret jam exsinuatum in contos suos: supparum stabat, vela navis faciebat. Aqua rimis navis accepta mergere tentaverat: et post unum vel alterum brevis sentinaculi haustum humore destricto, siccataque navi quod ageret non habebat, stupens laborem sibi sine labore praecerpi, et actum suum occulta manu praeveniri: si bene occulta dicitur, quae tam perspicuum praestabat auxilium. Sed nec ipsi operatores simplicibus innocentissimi senis oculis subtrahebantur: nam saepe vidit armatos, videlicet de exercitu coeli, milites excubare navigio, et cuncta nautici muneris administrare. Nec sane navem illam nisi angeli nautae decebant, cui gubernaculum erat mundi gubernator. Ipse enim Dominus nunc suo vultu coruscus, ut in Apocalypsi describitur, et coma fulgidus; nunc confessoris et amici sui, domini
3. Wonderful is the faithfulness and unspeakable the kindness of the Lord the Saviour, who, if the old man, sluggish with sleep, perhaps rose too slowly to his tasks, first felt for him gently with a soft hand, so that he should not wake in alarm, and roused him by softly plucking his ear; while the old man, putting in only a light effort, saw things accomplished by angelic hands from his very first attempt. He had scarcely touched a rope as if to haul it, when he saw the sail already spread out on its yards: the topsail stood, the ship was making sail. Water taken in through the seams of the ship had threatened to sink her: and after the moisture had been drawn off with one or two scoops of a small bailer, and the ship dried, he had nothing to do, amazed that his labour was taken from him without labour, and his work anticipated by a hidden hand: if indeed it is rightly called hidden, which gave help so plain to see. But not even the workers themselves were withdrawn from the simple eyes of the most innocent old man: for he often saw armed soldiers, that is, of the army of heaven, keeping watch over the vessel and carrying out all the duties of a sailor's task. And truly no sailors befitted that ship but angels, since its helmsman was the Governor of the world. For the Lord Himself, now flashing in His countenance, as He is described in the Apocalypse, and shining in His hair (Rev. 1:14); now, of His confessor and friend, the lord
Editors' notes and page, col. 400
Footnotes
(e) ‹anchor: in Apocalypsi› · call in col 400
Apoc. I, 14.
Revelation 1:14.
Editors' notes
(*) ‹anchor: not visible (heading of the letter)› · call in col 399 Alias 36, quae autem 49 erat, nunc Append. 1. Scripta anno 409, aut post.
Otherwise 36; and the one that was 49 is now Appendix 1. Written in the year 409, or after.
(printed under page 203)
(b) ‹anchor: cum› · call in col 400
Ita ms. codex Regius cum editis Grin. et Schot. Editi tres, leniter.
So the Royal manuscript with the editions of Grynaeus and Schott. Three editions: "leniter" ("gently").
(printed under page 203)
Page
- running head: S. PAULINI NOLANI EPISCOPI 400 (the head spans the page)
- marginal letters: A ‹mortis quam vitae cupidiorem›; B ‹officiis, cum aut artemone›; C ‹licet ut totus in Christo novandus›; D ‹suum occulta manu praeveniri›
- old-edition numerals: 279 before ‹suum occulta›
mei, communis patroni Felicis ore venerabilis in puppi sedebat, sicut nautico usu dicitur, ad temones, vel potius pro temonibus, quos cum anchoris pariter et nautis in illo naufrago littore navis amiserat: infelix feliciter, ut pro amissis omnibus viris et armis suis, aut Domini martyrem, aut Dominum martyris obtineret. Narrat gaudio lacrymans senex se ad ipsius pedes nunc Domini, nunc martyris gubernantis, sibi solitum procubare, etiam familiarius ipso allectante, in genibus quoque ac sinibus sacris beatum, et afflatibus divinis odorum reclinati capitis pulvinar habuisse.
my lord, our common patron Felix, venerable in countenance, sat in the stern, at the steering-oars, as it is called in sailors' usage, or rather in place of the steering-oars, which the ship had lost on that shore of shipwreck along with the anchors and the sailors: unhappy, happily, so that in place of all his men and gear that were lost it gained either the martyr of the Lord or the Lord of the martyr. The old man, weeping for joy, tells how he used to lie down at the feet, now of the Lord, now of the martyr, as he steered; and how, since He even drew him more familiarly, he had, blessed man, a pillow for his reclining head on the knees too and in the sacred bosom, amid divine breaths of fragrance.
4. Dubitemus nunc patriarcharum sinus fidelibus in Christo servis patere, cum immensa ejus bonitas etiam catechumenum tunc istum vel suo, vel sancti sui, foverit gremio. Nam et in sancto suo ipse aderat, qui dixit, ut nosti, ad Patrem: Ego claritatem quam dedisti mihi, dedi eis, ut unum sint, sicut et nos unum sumus. Ego in eis, et tu in me. Et iterum ad apostolos, in quibus universo corpori suo dixit: Ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem seculi. Quod quotidie nobis in manu et apostolorum suorum et martyrum, operante conspicuis virtutibus potentia, probat, ut credamus Dei Filium et Dominum nostrum Jesum ex resurrectione mortuorum regnantem in coelis ad dexteram Patris, vivorum esse Dominum, non mortuorum. Ergo cum et sancti sui confessoris effigie senem nautam fovebat, ipse aderat in sancto suo, et fessum atque depositum blandis mulcebat alloquiis; nec magis cibo quam verbo reficiebat, quia ipse est verus panis, qui de coelo descendit dare escam omni carni. In omni enim homine opus suum diligit, et omnem, quantum in ipso est, hominem salvum fieri vult: quia mortem non fecit vitae dator et vita totus; nec laetatur in perditione vivorum; qui mavult misericordiam quam sacrificium, nec personas accipit; qui fecit omnes, sed pro meritis judicat; quia Deus judex est.
4. Are we now to doubt that the bosoms of the patriarchs lie open to faithful servants in Christ, when His boundless goodness cherished in His own lap, or in that of His saint, even this man, who was then a catechumen? For He Himself was present in His saint, He who said, as you know, to the Father: The glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them, that they may be one, as We also are one. I in them, and Thou in Me (John 17:22). And again to the apostles, in whom He spoke to His whole body: Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the age (Matt. 28:20). This He proves to us daily by the hand both of His apostles and of His martyrs, His power working in conspicuous mighty deeds, so that we may believe that the Son of God and our Lord Jesus, reigning in heaven at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19) by the resurrection from the dead, is the Lord of the living, not of the dead (Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:27). So, when He cherished the old sailor in the likeness of His holy confessor too, He Himself was present in His saint, and soothed the weary and prostrate man with gentle words; and He refreshed him no more with food than with the word, since He Himself is the true bread which came down from heaven (John 6:41), to give food to all flesh (Ps. 135:25). For in every man He loves His own work, and wills, as far as lies in Him, that every man be saved (1 Tim. 2:4): since He who is the giver of life and wholly life did not make death; nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living (Wis. 1:13); He who prefers mercy to sacrifice (Matt. 9:13), and does not accept persons (Matt. 22:16; Mark 12:14; Luke 20:21); who made all, but judges according to merits; for God is judge.
5. Denique non illi hic de calamitate naufragii, neque de senio et egestate nauta vilior fuit; sed iis omnibus, quibus eum et socii spreverant, Christum movit, et viscera divina concussit. Oculi enim ejus semper in pauperem respiciunt. Profecto et iste pauper clamavit, et Dominus exaudivit eum. Cui forsitan ad precandum etiam voces propheticas Dominus et ipsa periculi causa dictaverit, ut clamaret: Salvum me fac, Deus, quoniam intraverunt aquae usque ad animam meam. Veni in altitudinem maris, non me demergat tempestas aquae, neque absorbeat me profundum. Cito anticipet me misericordia tua, priusquam infigar in limo profundi, et urgeat super me puteus os suum. Respice in me, quoniam unicus
5. In short, the sailor was not made more worthless to Him here by the calamity of shipwreck, nor by old age and poverty; but by all those things for which even his companions had despised him he moved Christ and stirred the divine compassion. For His eyes always look upon the poor man. Surely this poor man too cried out, and the Lord heard him (Ps. 33:7). Perhaps the Lord, and the very cause of his peril, dictated to him even the prophetic words with which to pray, so that he cried out: Save me, O God, for the waters have come in even to my soul. I am come into the depth of the sea (Ps. 68:2, 3); let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep swallow me up (Ps. 68:16). Let Thy mercy speedily go before me (Ps. 78:8), before I stick fast in the mire of the deep, and the pit close its mouth upon me (Ps. 68:3, 16). Look upon me, for I am alone
Editors' notes and page, col. 401
Scripture references
(printed under page 204)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401
Johan. xvii, 22.
John 17:22.
(printed under page 204)
(b) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401
Matth. XXVIII, 20.
Matthew 28:20.
(printed under page 204)
(c) ‹anchor: dexteram Patris› · call in col 401
Marc. XVI, 19.
Mark 16:19.
(printed under page 204)
(d) ‹anchor: non mortuorum› · call in col 401
Matth. XXII, 32; Marc. XII, 27.
Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:27.
(printed under page 204)
(e) ‹anchor: de coelo descendit› · call in col 401
Johan. vi, 41.
John 6:41.
(printed under page 204)
(f) ‹anchor: escam omni carni› · call in col 401
Psal. CXXXV, 25.
Psalm 135:25.
(printed under page 204)
(g) ‹anchor: salvum fieri vult› · call in col 401
I Tim. II, 4.
1 Timothy 2:4.
(printed under page 204)
(h) ‹anchor: in perditione vivorum› · call in col 401
Sap. I, 13.
Wisdom 1:13.
(printed under page 204)
(i) ‹anchor: quam sacrificium› · call in col 401
Matth. IX, 13.
Matthew 9:13.
(printed under page 204)
(j) ‹anchor: nec personas accipit› · call in col 401
Matth. XXII, 16; Marc. XII, 14; Luc. XX, 21.
Matthew 22:16; Mark 12:14; Luke 20:21.
(printed under page 204)
(k) ‹anchor: exaudivit eum› · call in col 401
Psal. XXXIII, 7.
Psalm 33:7.
(printed under page 204)
(l) ‹anchor: altitudinem maris› · call in col 401
Psal. LXVIII, 2, 3.
Psalm 68:2–3.
(printed under page 204)
(m) ‹anchor: me profundum› · call in col 401
Psal. LXVIII, 16.
Psalm 68:16.
(printed under page 204)
(n) ‹anchor: misericordia tua› · call in col 401
Psal. LXXVIII, 8.
Psalm 78:8.
(printed under page 204)
(o) ‹anchor: os suum› · call in col 401
Psal. LXVIII, 3 et 16.
Psalm 68:3 and 16.
(printed under page 204)
(p) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. XXIV, 16.
Psalm 24:16.
(printed under page 204)
(q) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. CI, 7 et 8.
Psalm 101:7 and 8.
(printed under page 204)
(r) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. XXIX, 11; Psal. XXVIII, 8.
Psalm 29:11; Psalm 28:8. [The numeral of the first psalm is split between the two foot images; read as xxix.]
(printed under page 204)
(s) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. CVI, 29.
Psalm 106:29.
(printed under page 204)
(t) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. CV, 9.
Psalm 105:9.
(printed under page 204)
(u) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. CVI, 24.
Psalm 106:24.
(printed under page 204)
(v) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Psal. LXXX, 17.
Psalm 80:17.
(printed under page 204)
(x) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 401/402
Matth. V, 3.
Matthew 5:3.
(printed under page 204)
Page
- running head: 401 EPISTOLA XLIX. (the head spans the page)
- marginal letters: A ‹mei, communis patroni›; B ‹sui, foverit gremio. Nam et in sancto suo ipse ade-›; C ‹nec magis cibo quam verbo reficiebat›; D ‹minus et ipsa periculi causa dictaverit›
- old-edition numerals: 280 after ‹vilior›
- other: Left out as editors' insertions: "(V. not. 16)" after "communis patroni" and "(V. not. 202)" after "in manu". Scripture calls a-o and the superscript numerals 8-13 omitted. References from the foot list, partly read from the facing column's images (d Matth. XXII, 32; Marc. XII, 27; e Johan. VI, 41; i Matth. IX, 13; j Matth. XXII, 16; Marc. XII, 14; Luc. XX, 21; o Psal. LXVIII, 3 et 16). The column ends mid-sentence at "unicus".
et pauper sum ego, et factus sum similis pelicano solitudinis, sicut nycticorax in domicilio, et ita in navi mea sicut passer unicus super tectum. Audivit Dominus, et misertus est ejus, et misit angelos in circuitu ejus, et factus est in salutem. Imperavit procellae, et stetit in auram. Increpuit mare, et siluerunt fluctus ejus, et deduxit eum in aquis multis, videntem opera Domini e⟨t⟩ mirabilia ejus in profundo. Cibavit eum adipe frumenti, et colloquente Christo, quasi de petra, melle saturatus est. Respexit humilem, qui beavit pauperes spiritu. Flentem affatus est, qui promisit lugentibus consolationem. Et qui esurientibus et sitientibus justitiam saturitatem dat, ipse hunc deficientem, qui panis, et justitia, et fons vitae est, de se ipse irrigans pavit; nec alia istum pietate, quam omnem hominem in hujus mundi pelago volutantem, dedita Patri usque ad crucis mortem pietate miseratus est; quia videlicet unus homo universitatis portio, et universitas unius forma hominis et causa est.
and poor (Ps. 24:16), and I am become like a pelican of the wilderness, like a night-raven in the house, and so in my ship like a sparrow alone upon the roof (Ps. 101:7, 8). The Lord heard, and had mercy on him, and sent angels round about him, and He became his salvation (Ps. 29:11; Ps. 28:8). He commanded the storm, and it stood still into a breeze (Ps. 106:29). He rebuked the sea, and its waves fell silent, and He led him through many waters (Ps. 105:9), as he saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep (Ps. 106:24). He fed him with the fat of wheat, and as Christ spoke with him, he was filled with honey as from the rock (Ps. 80:17). He looked upon the lowly, He who blessed the poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3). He spoke to him as he wept, He who promised consolation to those who mourn. And He who gives fullness to those who hunger and thirst for justice, He Himself, who is the bread, and justice, and the fountain of life, fed this fainting man, watering him from Himself; nor did He take pity on this man with any other pity than that with which He pitied every man tossing in the sea of this world, the pity given over to the Father even to the death of the cross; since, that is, one man is a portion of the whole, and the whole is the form and the cause of one man.
6. Denique non solum navem, sed ipsum quoque, cujus causa navem tuebatur, regens, et in eo discreta carnis et spiritus officia dispensans, noctu securum requiescere, die vigilare sollicitum jubebat, se pro dormiente vigilaturum, et vigilanti cooperaturum esse promittens. Nempe illum in iis verbis Domini recognosces affectum, quo semper ita spem nostram fovet, ut sollicitudinem non relaxet: ita infirmae carni consulit, ut spiritus promptus esse non desinat. Et ideo sic dormire permisit seni fesso, ut ne seni quidem et fatigato sine vigilandi negotio securitatem remitteret; ne scilicet resolveretur in somnos inertes, et inciperet non solum corpore, sed et mente dormire. Quod metuens quidam sanctus ait: Illumina oculos meos, Domine, ne umquam obdormiam in mortem. Vicina enim morti labes est torpor animorum. Et tunc dicet inimicus: Praevalui adversus eum, si et mentis oculos somnus oppresserit. Recognoscimus ergo ipsum seni adfuisse, qui dixit dormitantibus suis: Vigilate, et orate, ut non veniatis in tentationem; et iterum vigilantibus ait, jam scilicet excitatorum vigore securus: Dormite jam, et requiescite. Quod quidem non magis de corporeo somno quam de fidei firmitate dictum alibi docet, dicens: Constantes estote, quia ego vici mundum. Vera enim hominis haec requies est, si fide constans, et victoria Christi ab omni hoste securus, pace unanimae perfruatur; Ipse enim quies nostra, qui pax nobis est, quippe pro nobis vigilat ut requiescat in nobis, et qui nunc vigilare nos pro quiete perpetua jubet.
6. In short, ruling not only the ship but also the man himself, for whose sake He was guarding the ship, and apportioning in him the distinct offices of flesh and spirit, He bade him rest free from care by night and keep watch with care by day, promising that He would watch for him while he slept and work with him while he watched. Surely in these words you will recognize that disposition of the Lord by which He always so cherishes our hope as not to slacken our carefulness: He so provides for the weak flesh that the spirit does not cease to be willing. And therefore He allowed the weary old man to sleep in such a way as not to grant even an old and tired man freedom from care without the business of watching; lest, that is, he should be loosened into idle slumbers and begin to sleep not only in body but in mind as well. Fearing this, a certain holy man says: Enlighten my eyes, O Lord, that I may never sleep in death (Ps. 12:4). For torpor of souls is a ruin close to death. And then the enemy will say: I have prevailed against him (Ps. 12:5), if sleep has weighed down the eyes of the mind as well. We recognize, then, that He was with the old man who said to His drowsing disciples: Watch, and pray, that you enter not into temptation (Matt. 26:41); and again says to them as they watch, secure now, that is, in the vigour of those He had roused: Sleep now, and take your rest (Matt. 26:45). That this was said no more of bodily sleep than of firmness of faith He teaches elsewhere, saying: Be steadfast, for I have overcome the world (John 16:33). For this is the true rest of man, if, steadfast in faith and secure from every enemy through the victory of Christ, he enjoys the peace of one mind; for He Himself is our rest (Eph. 2:14), who is our peace, since He watches for us that He may rest in us, and He it is who now bids us watch for the sake of everlasting rest.
7. Ipse Dominus haec eadem pietatis suae munera, quae toto vult agi mundo, in hoc sene uno agere dignatus
7. The Lord Himself deigned to do in this one old man these same gifts of His kindness, which He wills to be done in the whole world,
Editors' notes and page, col. 402
Footnotes
(y) ‹anchor: in mortem› · call in col 402
Psal. XII, 4.
Psalm 12:4.
(printed under page 204)
(z) ‹anchor: adversus eum› · call in col 402
Ibid., 5.
The same, verse 5.
(printed under page 204)
(aa) ‹anchor: in tentationem› · call in col 402
Matth. XXVI, 41.
Matthew 26:41.
(printed under page 204)
(bb) ‹anchor: et requiescite› · call in col 402
Ibid., 45.
The same, verse 45.
(printed under page 204)
(cc) ‹anchor: vici mundum› · call in col 402
Johan. xvi, 33.
John 16:33.
(printed under page 204)
(dd) ‹anchor: quies nostra› · call in col 402
Eph. II, 14.
Ephesians 2:14.
Editors' notes
(printed under page 204)
(a) ‹anchor: ne umquam obdormiam› · call in col 402
Sic ms. Reg. cum edd. Bad., Grav. et Grin. Graece, εἰς θάνατον. Edd. Rosv. et Schot., in morte.
So the Royal manuscript with the editions of Badius, Gravius and Grynaeus. In the Greek, εἰς θάνατον ("into death"). The editions of Rosweyde and Schott: "in morte" ("in death").
(printed under page 204)
Page
- running head: EPISTOLA XLIX. 402 (the head spans the page)
- marginal letters: A ‹et pauper sum ego›; B ‹tate, quam omnem hominem›; C ‹mire permisit seni fesso›; D ‹quia ego vici mundum›
- old-edition numerals: 281 after ‹dormitantibus suis:›
est, cum blandimento severus, nec sine freno timoris indulgens, aurem vellit, ut somnum corporis excuteret; sinum praebuit, ut quietem perpetuam ministraret. Viginti tres dies homo non modo a terris, sed et ab hominibus exclusus, omnium ventorum ludibrium, omnis terrae (Sic carm. 21, v. 222) exsul diversi maris hospes, et exsors generis humani, inter fluctus et belluas maris in vago erraticae navis hospitio, jejuniis, senio, timore confectus, quaeso te, numquid natura sua perduravit? Cui ergo obscurum sit Deum in illo fuisse? Eum dixi Deum, qui facit mirabilia solus; qui vocat ea quae non sunt, tamquam quae sint; cujus ope enabat toto navis secreta pelago, et invisibili gubernatore quasi vacua, et tamen gravi mole se promovens, clausis intra cameras suas homine cum frugibus, velut illa diluvio feta mundi seminibus arca, fluebat; nec uno mari jactata, cursum cum tempestatibus immutavit.
stern with gentleness and indulgent not without the rein of fear, He plucked his ear to shake off the sleep of the body; He offered His bosom to provide perpetual rest. For twenty-three days a man shut off not only from land but from men as well, the plaything of all the winds, an exile from every land (So carm. 21, v. 222), a guest of sea after sea, and without share in the human race, amid the waves and the monsters of the sea, in the wandering lodging of a drifting ship, worn out with fasting, old age and fear — did his nature, I ask you, hold out by its own strength? To whom, then, can it be obscure that God was in him? I have said God, Who alone does wonders (Ps. 71:18); Who calls the things that are not as though they were (Rom. 4:17); by Whose help the ship swam on, set apart on the whole open sea, and as though empty under an invisible helmsman, and yet moving itself forward with its heavy bulk, with the man shut within its chambers together with the grain, it floated like that ark pregnant in the flood with the seeds of the world (Gen. 7:17); and, tossed on more than one sea, it changed its course with the storms.
8. Primo ad Urbem acta, Romani portus pharum vidit: deinde Campaniam longis tractibus legit, mutatisque turbinibus, in Africae littora transvolavit atque ab ipsis rursus abrepta, Siciliam transcurrit, circa quam concita et verticosa crebris, ut ferunt, insulis freta, et periculosos etiam sub gubernatore navibus cursus inter ambages et obices insularum tam directo otiosus senex inoffensoque navigio praeterivit, ut quasi divina navis, et immisso divinitus spiritu sapiens, sua sponte cavenda vitaret, sequenda peteret, et utiliter ac perite per necessarios obitus flecteretur; vigesimo demum tertio die, miserante jam Domino, finem errorum atque discriminum in Lucanis positura littoribus. Quibus propinquanti Dominus aeternus, ut indefessa ejus bonitas usque ad terminum susceptae sibi navigationis operaretur mirabilia sua, tacito suae adspirationis instinctu compulsos a littore in duabus naviculis piscatores obviam misit, qui navem hanc eminus conspicati, primo aspectu territi refugerant, plenam enim armatorum, et liburnae aemulam sibi visam ipsi postea retulerunt: deinde magnis et saepe repetitis senis nostri vocibus aliquando revocati, ratione secum habita, et agente sic Domino, nihil sibi ab ea navi timendum, in quam vocarentur, intellexerunt. Accessere navigio vacuumque militibus esse, quod longe stipatum viderant, vix seni contestanti, et ascensa tandem navi, suis oculis crediderunt. Ubi receptos senex prandio, quod pridie jussus a Domino praepararat, excepit, multaque mercede copiosis amissorum nautarum panibus saturavit atque donavit. Quibus stipendiis laeti famulantibus lembulis suis quasi emeritam gravi e bello et de certamine coronatam, quippe ut superstitem naufragii, victricem ventorum et fluctuum navem ad portum suum remulco praeeunte duxerunt. Quid de hac navi fecisset eorum vanitas, qui errore eo, quo colunt omne quod fingunt, factam Argonautarum infelicium
8. Carried first towards the City, it saw the lighthouse of the Roman harbour; then it coasted along Campania over long stretches, and, as the whirlwinds changed, flew across to the shores of Africa, and, snatched away again from them, ran past Sicily; and the straits about it, made rough and full of eddies, as they say, by its many islands, and the courses dangerous to ships even under a helmsman among the windings and barriers of the islands, the old man passed by at his ease, on a voyage so direct and unharmed that the ship, as if divine and made wise by a spirit sent into it from God, of its own accord avoided what was to be shunned, made for what was to be followed, and was steered usefully and skilfully through the passages it needed; until at last on the twenty-third day, the Lord now taking pity, it was to set an end to its wanderings and dangers on the shores of Lucania. As it drew near them the eternal Lord, so that His unwearied goodness might work His wonders up to the very end of the voyage He had taken upon Himself, by the silent prompting of His inspiration sent fishermen out from the shore in two small boats to meet it; and they, catching sight of this ship from afar, at first sight fled back in terror, for, as they themselves afterwards reported, it seemed to them full of armed men and like a warship; then, called back at last by the loud and often repeated cries of our old man, having reasoned among themselves, and the Lord so working, they understood that they had nothing to fear from the ship to which they were being called. They came up to the vessel, and only when the old man bore witness, and they had at last boarded the ship, did they believe their own eyes that it was empty of soldiers, though from far off they had seen it crowded. When they had come aboard, the old man welcomed them with a meal which he had prepared the day before at the Lord's command, and he fed them full with the plentiful loaves of the lost sailors and presented them with a large reward. Glad of these wages, with their little boats in attendance, they towed the ship into their harbour with a tow-line going before it, as though discharged from a heavy war and crowned for the contest, since it was the survivor of a shipwreck, the victor over winds and waves. What would the vanity of those men have made of this ship, who, in that error by which they worship all that they invent, the ship made by the unhappy Argonauts
Editors' notes and page, col. 403
Scripture references
(printed under page 205)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403
Psal. LXXI, 18.
Psalm 71:18.
(printed under page 205)
(b) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403
Rom. IV, 17.
Romans 4:17.
(printed under page 205)
(c) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403
Gen. VII, 17.
Genesis 7:17.
(printed under page 205)
(d) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403/404
Gen. VII, 15.
Genesis 7:15.
(printed under page 205)
(e) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403/404
Jon. I, 3.
Jonah 1:3.
(printed under page 205)
(f) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403/404
Act. XXVII, 6.
Acts 27:6.
(printed under page 205)
(g) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403/404
Jon. I, 4.
Jonah 1:4.
(printed under page 205)
(h) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403/404
Act. XXVII, 24.
Acts 27:24.
(printed under page 205)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 403
Ita ms. Reg. cum edit. Schot. et Paulinus epist. 16 ad Jovium, n. 4, in speciem corporatam stultis cogitationibus fingunt. Edit. Rosv. hic habet corporeum phantasma.
So the Royal manuscript with Schott's edition, and Paulinus, letter 16 to Jovius, no. 4: "they fashion it in their foolish thoughts into a bodily form". Rosweyde's edition here has "corporeum phantasma" ("a bodily phantom"). [The letter number is unclear at this resolution (16 or 18); 16 is Paulinus's letter to Jovius.]
(printed under page 205)
Page
- running head: 403 S. PAULINI NOLANI EPISCOPI (spread across both columns of the page; this column shows "S. PAULINI NOLANI EPI")
- marginal letters: A ‹gnatus est, cum blandimento severus›; B ‹homine cum frugibus, velut illa diluvio›; C ‹jam Domino, finem errorum atque›; D ‹suis oculis crediderunt. Ubi receptos›
- old-edition numerals: 282 after ‹navem›
puppem, fabulosis litteris sacraverunt, atque etiam nunc in coelo videre se credunt, et inter astrorum choros numerant? Nec minore dementia vectricem draconis Epidauro navem, illudente ipso, cujus corporatum phantasma vexerunt, serpente, venerantur?
— consecrated it in fabled writings, and believe that even now they see it in the sky, and number it among the choirs of the stars? And with no less madness do they not venerate the ship that carried the serpent to Epidaurus, the serpent himself mocking them, whose embodied phantom they carried?
9. Sed fugiamus a fictis et alienis, neque mendacia et venena pereuntium nostrae veritatis lumini misceamus. Sunt nobis nostrae naves, ut dignus veris et domesticis utamur exemplis. Habemus et arcam Noe. Habemus et navem Tharsi, navemque Tharsensis. Sed illa, de qua Dei fugitivum prophetam ultor et custos cetus excepit, eatenus huic navi comparari potest, quatenus ante sortem periclitata est: tertia vero navis exemplo meo congruit hinc, quod apostolum et martyrem vexit, propterque ipsum et in ipso Christum recepit, vel cum illi totam peritura navis multitudinem redonavit.
9. But let us flee from fictions and from things foreign to us, and let us not mingle the lies and poisons of the perishing with the light of our truth. We have ships of our own, so that we may more worthily use true examples from our own household. We have the ark of Noah (Gen. 7:15). We have also the ship of Tarshish (Jonah 1:3), and the ship of the man of Tarsus (Acts 27:6). But the one from which the whale, avenger and guardian, received the fugitive prophet of God can be compared with this ship only so far as it was in peril before the casting of the lot (Jonah 1:4); the third ship, however, fits my example in this, that it carried an apostle and martyr, and for his sake and in him received Christ, even when He gave back to him the whole company of the ship that was to perish (Acts 27:24).
10. Proponamus ergo nobis animo, et mente cernamus pulcherrimum divini operis spectaculum, videntes navem unam de multarum navium omniumque nautarum naufragio raptam, uno sene maria diversa peragrante, solam in pelago, et in ea solum. Jam illa nobis arca diluvii ante oculos, Ecclesiae imago, versabitur, super orbem demersum una ubique diffusi maris facie, inter effusas coeli et abyssi aquas solide toto innatans mundo, cujus ista imaginem multis modis in modulo minore gestavit. Nam ut illa omnigenum seminum, sic et ista variarum plena frugum fuit, cui praeter onus publicum plura etiam de stipendiis et peculiis nauticis inerant. Illa unam familiam ad generis humani reparationem: et ista unum hominem ad multorum fidem vexit. Illi pacis ramum columba detulit: huic pacem Agnus exhibuit. Illam, in imaginem sancti Spiritus, ales intravit: et hanc, per imaginem confessoris sui, Christus accessit. Respiciamus et Jonae navem, largiore hanc munere virtutis ejusdem servatam videbimus, et majore miraculo. Illa enim omnibus salvis praeter unum: ista omnibus amissis, uno manente, servata est. Sed et cetum illum prophetae viventis innocuum voratorem videtur haec navis imitata, cum aeque utero suo clausum hominem per maris alta gestaverit, et littori exposuerit incolumem; sicut illum indigestum jejuna praedae suae bellua jussis singultibus ab ergastulo spatiosi ventris excussum refudit Deo, quo jubente susceperat, et mysterio salutiferae passionis expleto, tertia die in spem resurrectionis evomuit.
10. Let us therefore set before ourselves in spirit, and discern with the mind, the most beautiful spectacle of the divine work, as we see one ship snatched from the wreck of many ships and of all their sailors, with one old man crossing sea after sea, alone on the deep, and alone in it. Now that ark of the flood, the image of the Church, will move before our eyes, over the world sunk beneath the one face of a sea spread everywhere (Gen. 7:17), floating steadfastly over the whole world between the outpoured waters of heaven and of the abyss; and this ship bore its image in many ways on a smaller scale. For as that one was full of seeds of every kind (Gen. 6:20), so this one too was full of various grains, and besides the public cargo it held a good deal from the sailors' wages and private stores. That one carried one family for the renewal of the human race; and this one carried one man for the faith of many (Gen. 7:7; 1 Pet. 3:20). To that one a dove brought the branch of peace (Gen. 8:11); to this one the Lamb showed peace. Into that one a bird entered, in the image of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 8:9); and to this one Christ drew near through the image of His confessor. Let us look also at Jonah's ship: we shall see this one preserved by a larger gift of the same power and by a greater miracle. For that one was saved with all aboard safe but one; this one was saved with all lost and one remaining. But this ship seems also to have imitated that whale, the harmless swallower of the living prophet, since in the same way it carried a man shut in its womb through the depths of the sea (Jonah 2:1), and set him unharmed on the shore; just as that beast, fasting from its prey, with sobs at command poured him back undigested to God, shaken out of the prison of its spacious belly, at Whose bidding it had received him, and, the mystery of the saving passion being fulfilled, vomited him forth on the third day in hope of the resurrection (Jonah 2:11; Matt. 12:39).
11. Navis vero illius turba felicior quae Apostolo condonata est, non suis quidem meritis; nam et ipsi naufragium meruerunt, qui contempto Apostoli consilio navigarant. Sed non minus ex hoc possumus in divinis operibus navigio gloriari; cujus viris quamquam defuerit similis advocatus, tamen ipsi in unico
11. Happier, indeed, was the crowd of that ship which was granted to the Apostle (Acts 27:24), though not for their own merits; for they too deserved shipwreck, having sailed in contempt of the Apostle's counsel. But no less can we glory in the divine works on account of this vessel; for although its men lacked a like advocate, yet they themselves in the one
Editors' notes and page, col. 404
Footnotes
(i) ‹anchor: maris facie› · call in col 404
Gen. VII, 17.
Genesis 7:17.
(printed under page 205)
(j) ‹anchor: omnigenum seminum› · call in col 404
Gen. VI, 20.
Genesis 6:20.
(printed under page 205)
(k) ‹anchor: fidem vexit› · call in col 404
Gen. VII, 7; I Petr. III, 20.
Genesis 7:7; 1 Peter 3:20.
(printed under page 205)
(l) ‹anchor: columba detulit› · call in col 404
Gen. VIII, 11.
Genesis 8:11.
(printed under page 205)
(m) ‹anchor: ales intravit› · call in col 404
Gen. VIII, 9.
Genesis 8:9.
(printed under page 205)
(n) ‹anchor: alta gestaverit› · call in col 404
Jon. II, 1.
Jonah 2:1.
(printed under page 205)
(o) ‹anchor: resurrectionis evomuit› · call in col 404
Jon. II, 11; Matth. XII, 39.
Jonah 2:11; Matthew 12:39. [The last numeral is faint at this resolution; read as 39.]
(printed under page 205)
(p) ‹anchor: condonata est› · call in col 404
Act. XXVII, 24.
Acts 27:24.
Editors' notes
(printed under page 205)
Page
- running head: S. PAULINI NOLANI EPISCOPI 404 (spread across both columns; this column shows "...NI NOLANI EPISCOPI 404")
- marginal letters: A ‹licium puppem, fabulosis litteris›; B ‹congruit hinc, quod apostolum›; C ‹plena frugum fuit, cui praeter›; D ‹jejuna praedae suae bellua› (letters printed between the columns, shared with col. 403)
- old-edition numerals: 283 after ‹peculiis›
nauta ipse Apostoli Deus adfuit gubernator, et quo (Sach. forte a quo) pro unius innocentis salute meruit liberari; quod illa, quae Vas electionis in vinculis prima susceperat, ob Apostoli contemtum, et captivitatem, carceris crimine damnata non meruit. Illa vero navis cohors mihi videtur propter gratiae mysterium liberata, ut de naufragio navis aditae nudi evaderent; scilicet, ut eos a prioris navis, id est ab Adae carnis peccato liberatos, et ipsis per quos evaserant fluctibus expiatos, atque omnium, quas in mare abjecerant, id est secularium sarcinarum leves et undis quasi peccatis gravi et madida veteris hominis veste nudatos, integra et solida navis acciperet, quae plenam fidei Ecclesiae exhibens formam, tutos in portum Romamque pervexit. In quibus similiter mystica argumenta formantur. Nam mutata navis, novata in Christo vita est; et portus salutis Ecclesiae, teste Graecia, nomen est Roma virtutis. Benedicamus ergo Deum, et exsultemus in Deo nostro, qui in altis habitat, et humilia respicit; cui non in viribus equi, neque in tabernaculis viri, sed in humilibus et timentibus eum beneplacitum est; et qui, ut in isto etiam sene ostendit, sanat omnes contritos corde et alligat contritiones eorum.
sailor the very God of the Apostle was present as helmsman, and by Whom (Sach. perhaps "from Whom") it deserved to be delivered for the safety of one innocent man; which that ship that had first taken on board the Vessel of election in chains did not deserve, condemned, for its contempt of the Apostle and for his captivity, on the charge of being his prison. But the company of that ship seems to me to have been delivered on account of the mystery of grace, so that they escaped naked from the wreck of the ship they had boarded; that is, so that, freed from the former ship, that is, from the sin of Adam's flesh (1 Pet. 3:21), and cleansed by the very waves through which they had escaped, and lightened of all that they had thrown into the sea, that is, of worldly burdens, and stripped of the garment of the old man, heavy and soaked with the waves as with sins, they might be received by a whole and sound ship, which, displaying the full form of the Church's faith, carried them safe into harbour and to Rome. In these things likewise mystical figures are shaped. For the change of ship is life renewed in Christ; and Rome, the harbour of the Church's salvation, is, as Greece bears witness, a name for strength. Let us bless God, then, and exult in our God, Who dwells on high and looks upon lowly things (Ps. 112:5); Whose good pleasure is not in the strength of the horse nor in the tents of a man, but in the humble and in those who fear Him (Ps. 146:10); and Who, as He has shown in this old man too, heals all the contrite of heart and binds up their bruises (Ps. 146:3).
12. Nimis garrio, frater, sentio, sed quaeso adhuc paucis feras me. Interrogare enim libet, ullane te hujus seculi dignitate, quam hac Dei dignatione affici malles, qua senex iste perfunctus est? Beatioresne tibi videntur, qui purpura fulgent, qui gemma bibunt, toga fulciuntur, palmataque pinguntur; et hominibus commortalibus ac plerisque melioribus dominantes cupiditatum ac rerum suarum servi sunt; de Dei muneribus insolentes Deo; Christo egentes; peccato divites; vita steriles; morte fecundi? Quid huic, quaeso, obfuit seni persona sentinatoris, et in nautis vilissima, inops habitus, et mastruca Sardorum? Nam pellibus sutis vestiebatur, cum illum Dominus virtutum, Rex gloriae, et alloquio suo beabat, et illuminabat aspectu, et gremio sopiebat: profecto et id ipsum in eo diligens, quod Eliae meloten, et praevii Johannis habitum veste setigera imitabatur. Regem seculi videre propius, et ejus vel fastidioso sermone respergi, magna pars mundi tam beatum putat, ut si aliter non obtineat, etiam damnis emat, idque adeptus, non modo hominum, sed et sui immemor fiat. Quantorum hic dignitate felicior, quem Rex regum honoravit? quantorum nobilitate nobilior, quem Christus agnovit? quantorum divitiis opulentior, cui tanta tot sanctorum bona pariter collata sunt, ut Christum videret sicut Israel, cum coeli Rege loqueretur facie ad faciem sicut Moyses; et eadem propemodum familiaritate requiesceret
12. I am chattering too much, brother, I feel it; but bear with me, I beg you, for a few words more. For I should like to ask whether you would rather be honoured with any dignity of this world than with this condescension of God which this old man has enjoyed. Do those seem more blessed to you who shine in purple, who drink from jewels, are propped up by the toga and adorned with the palm-embroidered robe; and who, lording it over their fellow-mortals and over many better men, are slaves of their desires and their possessions; insolent towards God about God's own gifts; in need of Christ; rich in sin; barren in life; fruitful in death? What harm, I ask you, did the station of a bilge-hand, the meanest among sailors, a poor man's dress and the sheepskin coat of the Sardinians do to this old man? For he was clothed in stitched skins when the Lord of hosts, the King of glory, blessed him with His speech, and enlightened him with His look, and lulled him to sleep in His lap: surely loving in him this very thing, that in his bristly garment he imitated the sheepskin of Elijah and the dress of John the forerunner (2 Kgs. 1:8; Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6). To see the king of this world close at hand, and to be sprinkled with his speech, even when it is disdainful, a great part of the world thinks so blessed that, if it cannot obtain it otherwise, it would buy it even at a loss, and, once it has gained it, becomes forgetful not only of other men but of itself. Than how many is this man happier in dignity, whom the King of kings has honoured? Than how many nobler in nobility, whom Christ has acknowledged? Than how many richer in wealth, on whom such great blessings of so many saints have been bestowed together, that he should see Christ as Israel did, should speak with the King of heaven face to face as Moses did (Gen. 32:30; Num. 12:8); and should rest with almost the same familiarity
Editors' notes and page, col. 405
Scripture references
(printed under page 206)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405
I Petr. III, 21.
1 Peter 3:21.
(printed under page 206)
(b) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405
Psal. CXII, 5.
Psalm 112:5.
(printed under page 206)
(c) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405
Psal. CXLVI, 10, sec. Psalt. Rom.
Psalm 146:10, according to the Roman Psalter.
(printed under page 206)
(d) ‹anchor: contritiones eorum› · call in col 405
Psal. CXLVI, 3.
Psalm 146:3.
(printed under page 206)
(e) ‹anchor: setigera imitabatur› · call in col 405
IV Reg. I, 8; Matth. III, 4; Marc. I, 6.
2 Kings (4 Kingdoms) 1:8; Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6.
(printed under page 206)
(f) ‹anchor: sicut Moyses› · call in col 405
Gen. XXXII, 30; Num. XII, 8.
Genesis 32:30; Numbers 12:8.
(printed under page 206)
(g) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Job. XIII, 23.
Job 13:23.
(printed under page 206)
(h) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Gen. XVII, 5, et xxxii, 28; Marc. III, 16.
Genesis 17:5 and 32:28; Mark 3:16.
(printed under page 206)
(i) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Eph. VI, 2.
Ephesians 6:2.
(printed under page 206)
(j) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Psal. CXXIX, 6.
Psalm 129:6.
(printed under page 206)
(k) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Matth. XX, 12.
Matthew 20:12.
(printed under page 206)
(l) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Rom. XI, 29.
Romans 11:29.
(printed under page 206)
(m) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Rom. III, 20.
Romans 3:20.
(printed under page 206)
(n) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
Matth. III, 9.
Matthew 3:9.
(printed under page 206)
(o) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405/406
II Cor. VI, 2.
2 Corinthians 6:2.
(printed under page 206)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405
Ms. Reg., addictae.
The Royal manuscript: "addictae".
(printed under page 206)
(b) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405
Ita ms. Regius codex. Vide seqq. Ante erat, evaserunt.
So the Royal manuscript. See what follows. Previously it read "evaserunt".
(printed under page 206)
(c) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 405
Alias, tibiis. Vide not. 205.
Otherwise "tibiis". See note 205.
(printed under page 206)
Page
- running head: 405 EPISTOLA XLIX. (spread across both columns; this column shows "EPISTOLA XLI")
- marginal letters: A ‹nauta ipse Apostoli Deus adfuit›; B ‹similiter mystica argumenta formantur›; C ‹hominibus commortalibus ac plerisque›; D ‹sed et sui immemor fiat›
- old-edition numerals: 284 after ‹enim›
in sinu Christi qua Johannes in pectore recumbebat? Denique ut novum nomen acciperet, sicut amici Dei, quos in patriarchis et in apostolis bene nosti. Te ego paulo ante interrogabam, an hujus gratia donari, omni hujus seculi gloriae praeoptares: ipsos equidem rectores harum tenebrarum, si videre mereantur, praelaturos arbitror beatissimam senis et inopis nostri calamitatem suis miseris felicitatibus, et gaudiis perenne lugendis.
in the bosom of Christ as John lay upon His breast (John 13:23)? And lastly, that he should receive a new name, like the friends of God whom you know well among the patriarchs and the apostles (Gen. 17:5 and 32:28; Mark 3:16). A little earlier I was asking you whether you would prefer to be granted this grace rather than all the glory of this world: as for the very rulers of this darkness (Eph. 6:12), I think that, if they were found worthy to see it, they would set the most blessed misfortune of our poor old man above their own wretched felicities and joys that are to be mourned for ever.
13. Quaeras forsitan, quibus hic meritis vetus navita semper in tenebris ignorantiae demoratus, et tam ab operibus justitiae quam a scientia veritatis alienus obtinuisse videatur, quod paucissimis certe operariis, quamquam a custodia matutina usque in noctem totius diei pondus et aestum sustinuerint, facile conceditur. Respondebit tibi Apostolus profecto, quia sine poenitentia sunt gratiae et donationes Dei; et, quia non ex operibus justificabitur omnis caro. Tempus est gratiae, et fides ad justitiam deputatur, quia de lapidibus filii Abraham quotidie suscitantur. Nunc enim tempus acceptum, nunc dies salutis, quo pacis et laudis hostias immolamus; et sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus est. Et in homine templum Dei, et in corde credenti salutaria, et in defaecatis pectoribus sancta sanctorum. Quare qui cor contribulatum et humiliatum non spernit, ipse nostrum senem placitam sibi naturalibus bonis hostiam in odorem suavitatis accepit. Nam ingenita simplicitate tam purus animi semper fuisse perhibetur, ut peccare nescierit. Jam in extremae aetatis senecta puer et malitia parvulus, non solum gratiae, sed et mentis infantiam gerit. Nuper enim, ut supra (n. 2) dixi, renatus in Christo et Domino dedicatus est, per quem mala vitae, per quem aquas mortis evasit.
13. Perhaps you ask by what merits this old sailor, who lingered always in the darkness of ignorance and was a stranger as much to the works of justice as to the knowledge of the truth, should seem to have obtained what is surely granted with ease to very few labourers, even though from the morning watch until night (Ps. 129:6) they have borne the burden and heat of the whole day (Matt. 20:12). The Apostle will surely answer you that the graces and gifts of God are without repentance (Rom. 11:29); and that by works no flesh shall be justified (Rom. 3:20). It is the time of grace, and faith is reckoned for justice, because children of Abraham are raised up every day from stones (Matt. 3:9). For now is the acceptable time, now the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2), in which we offer victims of peace and praise; and a troubled spirit is a sacrifice to God (Ps. 50:19). And in man is the temple of God (2 Cor. 6:16), and in the believing heart are the saving mysteries, and in purified breasts the holy of holies. Therefore He Who does not despise a troubled and humbled heart (Ps. 50:19) has Himself accepted our old man, by his natural goodness a victim pleasing to Him, for an odour of sweetness (Eph. 5:2). For he is said to have been always so pure of mind in his inborn simplicity that he did not know how to sin. Now, in the old age of life's last stage, a boy and a little one in malice (1 Cor. 14:20), he bears the infancy not only of grace but of mind as well. For lately, as I said above (n. 2), he was reborn in Christ and dedicated to the Lord, through Whom he escaped the evils of life, through Whom the waters of death.
14. Accipe igitur eum laetus in Domino, ut bonum Christi odorem, ut agnum mensis novorum, quem ad unanimitatem tuam, de rudi matris Ecclesiae fetu, immaculatum candente lanitio pastor exigui gregis, sed magni pignoris munerator, ut xenium spiritale transmisi. Non enim alium tali munere digniorem putavi, quam te, qui juxta Dei gratiam et operationem illum et aspicere et suscipere nosses. Videre enim mihi videor qua gratulatione, qua admiratione, qua fide et auditurus de illo, et visurus ipsum sis, cum quo navigasse angelos, cui martyrem gubernasse, quem in sinu Christi dormisse, cui Christum aurem vellicasse, nomen imposuisse reputaveris. Fateor tibi affectionem meam, dum nimium tam insignia in nostri temporis homine Dei gesta admiror, et diligo, pene in ipsum senem fuisse crudelem. Nam tam assidue aurem ipsius retractavi, ut pene detriverim.
14. Receive him, then, rejoicing in the Lord, as a good odour of Christ (2 Cor. 2:15), as a lamb of the month of new fruits, whom, spotless and of gleaming fleece, from the fresh offspring of mother Church, I, the shepherd of a small flock but the giver of a great pledge, have sent to your Unanimity as a spiritual guest-gift. For I thought no one else worthier of such a gift than you, who would know how both to look upon him and to receive him according to the grace and working of God. For I seem to see with what rejoicing, with what wonder, with what faith you will both hear of him and see him in person, when you reflect that angels sailed with him, that a martyr steered for him, that he slept in the bosom of Christ, that Christ plucked his ear and gave him a name. I confess my affection to you: while I wonder exceedingly at such signal works of God in a man of our own time, and love him, I have almost been cruel to the old man himself. For I handled his ear so constantly that I almost wore it away.
Editors' notes and page, col. 406
Footnotes
(p) ‹anchor: spiritus contribulatus est› · call in col 406
Psal. L, 19.
Psalm 50:19.
(printed under page 206)
(q) ‹anchor: templum Dei› · call in col 406
II Cor. VI, 16.
2 Corinthians 6:16.
(printed under page 206)
(r) ‹anchor: humiliatum non spernit› · call in col 406
Psal. L, 19, sec. Psalt. Rom. et vetus.
Psalm 50:19, according to the Roman Psalter and the old [version].
(printed under page 206)
(s) ‹anchor: suavitatis accepit› · call in col 406
Eph. V, 2.
Ephesians 5:2.
(printed under page 206)
(t) ‹anchor: malitia parvulus› · call in col 406
I Cor. XIV, 20.
1 Corinthians 14:20.
(printed under page 206)
(u) ‹anchor: Christi odorem› · call in col 406
II Cor. II, 15.
2 Corinthians 2:15.
Editors' notes
(printed under page 206)
(d) ‹anchor: qui cor› · call in col 406
Sic ms. codex Regius; et sic alibi Paulinus. Vide epist. 40, n. 4. Edit. Rosv., contritum.
So the Royal manuscript; and so Paulinus elsewhere. See letter 40, no. 4. Rosweyde's edition: "contritum".
(printed under page 206)
(e) ‹anchor: magni pignoris munerator, ut› · call in col 406
Ms. Reg., exenium. Vide not. 207.
The Royal manuscript: "exenium". See note 207.
(printed under page 206)
Page
- running head: EPISTOLA XLIX. 406
- marginal letters: A ‹ret in sinu Christi qua Johannes›; B ‹cie conceditur. Respondebit tibi›; C ‹nceta puer et malitia parvulus›; D ‹sum sis, cum quo navigasse› (letters printed between the columns, shared with col. 405)
- old-edition numerals: 285 after ‹contribulatus est›
Voluissem quoque vel unius partem auris abscindere, nisi in illo vulneris, quae mihi pignoris, res fuisset. Non enim alter affectus homines ad Hierosolymam rapit, nisi ut loca, in quibus corporaliter praesens fuit Christus, videant atque contingant, possintque et de suo fructu edicere: Introivimus in tabernacula ejus, et adoravimus ubi steterunt pedes ejus. Quamquam et altior et hic; intellectus habeatur, tamen et simplici sensu secundum litteram, cum res postulat, non abutendum est (id est utendum est, seu non oportet non uti. V. not. 31). Si ergo religiosa cupiditas est loca videre in quibus Christus ingressus, et passus est, et resurrexit, et unde conscendit, et aut de ipsis locis exiguum pulverem, aut de ipso crucis ligno aliquid saltem festucae simile sumere et habere, benedictio est, considera quanto major et plenior gratia sit, vivum senem vel testimonio divinae veritatis inspicere? Si praesepe nati, si fluvius baptizati, si hortus orantis Magistri, si atrium judicati, si columna districti, si spina coronati, si lignum suspensi, si saxum sepulti, si locus resuscitati evectique, memoria divinae quondam praesentiae, celebratur, et veterem veritatem praesenti fide comprobant in rebus exanimis viva documenta, quam religiose aspiciendus est hic, quem alloqui Dei sermo dignatus est, cui se facies divina non texit, cui nunc martyrem suum, nunc semetipsum Christus ostendit; in cujus vivente terra Dominici corporis videmus impressa vestigia, si fidelibus oculis et acie spiritali, quod in eo sinus Christi, quod manus contigit, perlegamus, et canitiem, quae saepe super Domini genu jacuit, saepe Domini sinu tepuit, nostra manu saepe mulcentes, et auriculam saepe palpantes, quam coelestes digiti Domino jocante traxerunt?
I should even have liked to cut off part of one ear at least, had not that which would have been a keepsake for me been a wound for him. For no other feeling sweeps men off to Jerusalem than the wish to see and touch the places in which Christ was bodily present, and to be able to declare of their own fruit: We have gone into His tabernacles, and have worshipped where His feet stood (Ps. 131:7). Although here too a higher meaning may be held, still, when the matter requires it, one must not neglect the simple sense according to the letter (that is, it must be used, or, one ought not to fail to use it. V. not. 31). If, then, it is a religious desire to see the places in which Christ went in, and suffered, and rose again, and from which He ascended, and if it is a blessing to take and keep either a little dust from those very places or from the very wood of the cross something at least the size of a splinter, consider how much greater and fuller a grace it is to look upon a living old man, a very testimony of the divine truth. If the manger of Him Who was born (Luke 2:7), if the river of Him Who was baptized (Matt. 3:13), if the garden of the Master at prayer (John 18:1), if the court of Him Who was judged (Mark 15:16), if the pillar of Him Who was scourged, if the thorn of Him Who was crowned (John 19:2), if the wood of Him Who was hanged (John 19:17), if the rock of Him Who was buried (Mark 15:46), if the place of Him Who was raised and carried up (Mark 16:6), is celebrated as a memorial of the divine presence once there, and living proofs in lifeless things confirm the ancient truth to present faith, how reverently is this man to be looked upon, whom the Word of God deigned to address, from whom the divine face did not hide itself, to whom Christ showed now His martyr, now Himself; in whose living earth we see the prints of the Lord's body, if with faithful eyes and spiritual sight we read through in him what the bosom of Christ, what His hand has touched, often stroking with our own hand the white hair that often lay upon the Lord's knee and often grew warm in the Lord's bosom, and often feeling the little ear which heavenly fingers pulled as the Lord jested?
15. Habes, mi frater, xenium meum, ede ipsum spiritu caritatis, et si loquacitatis meae amaritudine nauseaveris, de gratia Domini et coelestis historiae suavitate fastidium temperabis. Certe autem scio, quaesiturum te et desideraturum aliquid, quo circa hunc hominem exerceas caritatem, qua diligis Christum. Subest materia: tu studium piae devotionis intende; et patrono hujus Secundiniano, cui navem Christus omnipotens pro hujus salute servatam jam desperanti reddidit, toto fidei tuae effectu adesto. Munus enim Christi adseres. Ne patiaris invidia diaboli per hominem improbum Secundiniano eripi, vel jam ereptum negari quod illi de naufragio redonavit Deus. Procurator Christiani viri fratris nostri Posthumiani esse dicitur, qui eam navem in Bruttiorum littore, quo possessio senatoris alluitur, adlapsam,
15. You have my guest-gift, my brother; eat it in the spirit of charity, and if you are sickened by the bitterness of my talkativeness, you will temper the distaste with the grace of the Lord and the sweetness of the heavenly story. But I know for certain that you will seek and long for something by which you may show towards this man the charity with which you love Christ. There is matter at hand: do you bend the zeal of your loving devotion to it; and stand by his patron Secundinianus with the whole strength of your faith, for to him, when he was already despairing, Almighty Christ restored the ship that He had preserved for this man's safety. For you will be defending a gift of Christ. Do not allow what God restored to Secundinianus from the shipwreck to be snatched from him through a wicked man by the envy of the devil, or, once snatched, to be withheld. He is said to be the agent of a Christian man, our brother Posthumianus; and when the ship drifted onto the shore of the Bruttii, where the senator's estate is washed by the sea,
Editors' notes and page, col. 407
Scripture references
(printed under page 207)
(a) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Psal. CXXXI, 7.
Psalm 131:7.
(printed under page 207)
(b) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Luc. II, 7.
Luke 2:7.
(printed under page 207)
(c) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Matth. III, 13.
Matthew 3:13. [The verse numeral is faint at this resolution (13 or 15).]
(printed under page 207)
(d) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Johan. xviii, 1.
John 18:1.
(printed under page 207)
(e) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Marc. XV, 16.
Mark 15:16.
(printed under page 207)
(f) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Johan. xix, 2.
John 19:2.
(printed under page 207)
(g) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Johan. xix, 17.
John 19:17.
(printed under page 207)
(h) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Marc. XV, 46.
Mark 15:46.
(printed under page 207)
(i) ‹anchor: evectique› · call in col 407
Marc. XVI, 6.
Mark 16:6.
(printed under page 207)
(a) ‹anchor: quam coelestes digiti› · call in col 407
Ms. codex Reg. cum editis 2, jacente, mendose; unde Sacchinus legit Domini jacenti.
The Royal manuscript with two editions: "jacente", wrongly; whence Sacchini reads "Domini jacenti".
(printed under page 207)
(b) ‹anchor: Habes, mi frater› · call in col 407
Ms. Regius codex, exenium.
The Royal manuscript: "exenium".
(printed under page 207)
(c) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 407
Ita ms. codex Regius. Editi, facias.
So the Royal manuscript. The editions: "facias".
(printed under page 207)
Page
- running head: 407 S. PAULINI NOLANI EPISCOPI (spread across both columns; this column shows "S. PAULINI NOLANI EPIS")
- marginal letters: A ‹verim. Voluissem quoque vel unius›; B ‹210) aliquid saltem festucae simile›; C ‹quod in eo sinus Christi, quod manus›; D ‹Munus enim Christi adseres. Ne patiaris›
- old-edition numerals: 286 after ‹sepulti›