De laude Cestrie - Lucian
Edited by Mark Faulkner
Excerpt 4
Non excidit memorie, nec periit recordationi quod michi ante menses aliquot, ex duricia diuitum tribulanti, tripliciter in ciuitate trisillaba contulisti. Cestria trisillaba est. Nam pro responso monasterii missus et curiam comitis aditurus, post missas in basilica Archangeli Michaelis explicitas i , temporalis negocii certitudinem nactus, eciam uenerandi precursoris ecclesiam credidi uisitandam, 1 quo potens meritis, exaudicione piissimus, Eterni Regis clementiam uotis omnium impetraret. Ede sacra egressus, cum in atrio paululum subsisterem et ex loci facie, quia puer ibi dudum literas didiceram, 2 res humanas uersari et reuersari sciens, presentia preteritis compararem; tu cum de proximo transires et literate lucis dulcedinem dissimulationis tenebris tegere non ualeres, 3 clericum probans 4 et clarius agens, salutacione oblata, alacriter accessisti, hilariter astitisti, amabiliter deduxisti. De sinu pectoris tui uenit quod honestatem refunderet, quod humilitatem saperet, quod gratiam redoleret. Fecunde unum debriat quod alteri de facili profluebat, 5 Quod uni notum, alteri nouum. quia plerumque quod nec ciuis attendit, peregrinus appendit. Quod unus uelut parum optulit, alter plurimum reputauit, quia nichil adeo demulcet animum, ut caste impensum caritatis obsequium.
Fateor eo die differenter ac uarie temporis tractus effluxit: castellum tedio, set ecclesia solatio fuit; in definicione negocii distulit me turgiditas et superbia secularium, set refouit Pulcherrimum clerici iudicium: primum turgere, postea timere! 6 honestas et amor domesticorum; et quicquid lesit aula principis, leniuit uberius atrium Precursoris. Ibi sapuit in gutture mentis quantum a se differant salum maris et sinus matris; in uno turbamur, in altero consolamur. Tempestas docet quid tranquillitas donet; quicquid inuexit asperum fremitus pelagi, mitigauit et fouit misericordia proximi.
Preterea astantibus et colloquentibus nobis , repente ex improuiso, morum tuorum specimen placenter erupit, qui laici loquacis laudes ingestas et glorie predicabiles sancta quadam superbia 7 (uel, ut mitius dicam, dedignatione libera) contempsisti,Parua laus paruos deicit; temporalis stultos decipit. et discessu tuo tanquam importunam corniculam fugiens, ne precideretur tibi merces Altissimi, fauorem uenti et uana preconia uentilasti. Sensum subiuit, memoriam dulcorauit, quod de apostolorum tuba salubriter tonuit: gloria nostra haec est, testimonium conscientie nostre; (2Cor 1:12) et alibi, Si testimonium hominum accipimus, testimonium Dei maius est (1Jn 5:9). Et Iesus non se credebat Iudeis eo quod ipse nosset omnes et quia opus ei non erat ut quid testimonium perhiberet de homine, ipse enim sciebat quid esset in homine (Jn 2:24-5). 8 Fumus quippe laudis humane dampnat ii oculum et decepit animum, tamen quod fatuum mulceat, fortem non moueat - patenter ostendit hinc poeta et inde propheta, sicut disparat litera: 9 fautor utroque tuum laudabit pollice ludum (Horace, Epistulae I. 18. 66); et apud nos, sana me domine et sanabor, saluum me fac et saluus ero, quoniam laus mea tu es (Jer 17:14) Ieremias.; non sis michi tu formidini spes Lauda Dominum! In Domino laudabitur anima tua (cf. Ps 33:3). Ille sentit qui illi seruit, id est Deo. mea tu in die afflictionis (Jer 17:17); et ego non sum turbatus, te pastorem sequens et diem hominis non desideraui tu scis (Jer 17:16) .
Hac rationum consequentia et tu rite spernebas immaturum uirtutis testimonium, sciens quam tremendum sit uiris ueritatis iudicium. Ibi tunc lucide patuit quantum leuitas placuit. Et fortasse non errat si quis dixerit quod, familiaritate contubernii, saporem hunc in uiscera editui sui, non arundo luti set amicus sponsi, Baptista transfudit. 10 Qui, suis temporibus, gaudium et gemitum terrenorum equa lance pensauit, et telas aranearum fauores et furores hominum reputauit. Iohannes suum consimilauit sibi. 11 Qui preuenit suum Dominum per ordine humilitatis, ipse te instituit suum famulum ad semitam sanctitatis. Eius tu minister in domo, qui tibi magister in Domino. Ideo tibi laudis lucrum, quasi lutum pedum.
Apparatus Criticus
- i.
- Michaelis explicitas] explicitas Michaelis ta Back to context...
- ii.
- dampnat] qui dampnat Bod Back to context...
Footnotes
- 1.
- Patristic and later authors often use precursoris Dei ('precursor of God') as a circumlocution for John the Baptist: see, in particular, Luke 1:76: praeibis enim ante faciem Domini parare vias eius ('for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways'). Back to context...
- 2.
- Lucian gives us a rare insight into his life here, telling us that he received his basic education at St John's. Back to context...
- 3.
- This clause is one of two examples cited in the DML of the past participle of literare, literatus, meaning 'literary'. Back to context...
- 4.
- Lucian's patron was probably a member of the secular community attached to St John's, so literally as well as metaphorically clericus. Back to context...
- 5.
- For de facili as an adverb meaning 'easily, readily', see DML 'facilis' 1(e). Back to context...
- 6.
- This maxim is a version of Matt 20:16 ('So shall the last be first, and the first last'). Back to context...
- 7.
- sancta ... superbia, 'holy pride', is defined by Sedulius Scotus as when someone glories, like the apostles, in afflictions on behalf of Christ (Collectaneum miscellananeum 13.14.46) . Back to context...
- 8.
- These three quotations from the New Testament emphasise the worthlessness of human praise compared to divine favour which has been merited. Back to context...
- 9.
- It is unclear what Lucian means by sicut disparat litera. He may be referring to the slight similarity between the words fatuum and fortem, in which case, we might translate 'just as the [change of] letter makes the distinction’; alternatively, if litera singular is taken to mean 'letters, literature', we might translate 'literature indeed makes a distinction'. Back to context...
- 10.
- Lucian suggests his patron's ability to disregard the layman's praise comes from John the Baptist, the dedicatee of the cathedral community. The phrase amicus sponsi, 'friend of the bridegroom', comes from John 3:29, where John says he is content to be the best man at Christ's marriage to the Church. Lucian uses harundo luti, 'reed in the mud', as a metonym for the instability and inferiority of earthly life. Harundo presumably refers to Matt 11:7 and Luke 7:24. Back to context...
- 11.
- consimilare is not listed in either the DML or the OLD. For spiders' webs as an image of the fragility of human works, see Isa 59:5, Osee 8:6. Back to context...