De laude Cestrie - Lucian
Edited by Mark Faulkner
Excerpt 16
[Folio 22v]
Tantus igitur et tam mirabilis noster Iohannes,
diues in Dei
lumine, et dignior omni laude,
potens in aula
Regis, pius et misericors ad incolas pulueris,
precursor
aeterni Principis,
preclarus excellentibus
meritis; De porta Iohannis.
ipse dignatus est Cestriam in sua sorte
suscipere
et suauissimus gratie ac tutele sue sinibus
confouere.
Excerpt 17
[Folio 23r]
Ne
enim ad tuicionem nostram, uelut
fidens sanctitati sue,
uideretur sibi
solus sufficere,
uel dedignans socium de consortio non curare,
ad pacem pupillorum qui reuera secundum
Ionam
nesciunt quid sit inter
dexteram et sinistram (Jon
4:11),
1
et ad maiorem diligentiam tutamenti Petrum
Apostolum
assumpsit portarium
paradisi;
ut pro suscepto ministerio
coram Dei iudiciaria sede, facilius
ambo simul infirmas acti
ones ciuium excusarent, fortius ulciones auerterent,
fecundius
gratiam impetrarent.
Itaque probantes se ministros Christi et
dispen
sationis misteriorum Dei,
unus in specula, altus in cathedra,
2
tanquam
se inuicem hortantur sociali
gaudio.
Excerpt 18
[Folio 24v]
Michi
obtigit ad custodiam porta
solis,
3
tibi
credita est porta maris,
quem marinis
fluctibus in
cumbentem, maris conditor misericorditer euocauit et
ministerium
tuum mirabiliter permutauit,
ut succederet tibi pro captura
piscium
conuersio populorum,
4
et deinceps foret studio et amori
pro
salo aquarum salus animarum.
Excerpt 19
[Folio 26v]
Itaque diues in
genere,
5
noli esse
pauper in specie,
set institutus ab eterno
Domino, ut saluti tocius
orbis inuigiles,
bonitati tue creditam Cestriam, uelut Dei castra
custodias.
6
Tuta maneat te habens uigilem contra
nocentium impetum, et noctis horrorem.
Footnotes
- 1.
- Lucian implicitly compares Chester and Nineveh, a city destroyed by God for its pride. Back to context...
- 2.
- John the Baptist, who first acknowledged Christ, must be the 'one on the watchtower', obliging us to identify St Peter as 'the one on the bishop's throne', alluding to his status as the first pope. This is awkward since the cathedral in Chester, the seat of the bishop of Coventry, was actually dedicated to St John. Back to context...
- 3.
- Lucian imagines a dialogue between John the Baptist and Peter. John the Baptist is speaking here. Back to context...
- 4.
- For this commonplace, see Lk 5:10, Back to context...
- 5.
- i. e. St Peter. Back to context...
- 6.
- Lucian alludes to another etymology of Cestria, namely castra, 'camp'. Back to context...