Language:

De laude Cestrie - Lucian

Edited by Mark Faulkner

Excerpt 1

Tempus et locus et rerum lapsus sensato cuique tribuunt suadibilem, etiam sine literis, lectionem. 1 Multiplicitas inuitat oculum, uarietas prouocat intellectum; et tanto in hiis cuique penetracior 2 uisus, quanto ei fuerit subtilior sensus. Nempe tam largus et latus contuendi, cogitandi, considerandi campus humanis aperitur aspectibus, 3 ut in hac uarietate multimoda digne uirtus exerceatur, uituperetur ignauia. 4

Excerpt 2

Sensus itaque si sanus fuerit, 5 sepi non recluditur nec murali custodia, 6 quin possit mirabiliter atque magnifice per libertatem condicionis diffuse ac sullimiter emigrare.

Excerpt 3

Quod si quos altius erudiuit in puluere tamquam solutio tributorum, flagellum frequens et pena culparum, 7 si quos artat et angit pauperies rerum, putredo locorum, pietatem petentibus expando sinum, quia misericordia sum (Ex 22:27) .

Excerpt 4

Hec mecum cogitans et reuoluens, 8 etiam tibi comunicanda duxi dilectissime frater et domine, 9 cui Deus tribuit intellectum de huiusmodi latius ac liberius cogitare. Scias autem talem de tuis moribus estimationem me habere, ut incuntanter michi spondeam in precordiis Saluatoris de tue notionis familiaritate gaudere. 10 Gustum gracie gratis tuli: bonum poterit exitum, Deo iubente, sinceritas aperire. 11 Nouum ingeritur oculis, quod exhibitum est ultro simplicibus animis. Neque enim lapidis instar durescit ingratum, set dulcescit illatum, tue benignitatis officium suauiter et ex sinu bone i uoluntatis impensum.

Apparatus Criticus

i.
bone] bene Bod Back to context...

Footnotes

1.
Lucian's startling opening sentence anticipates his emphasis on the ways in which the study of everyday places and events can give rise to a better understanding of the nature of God. Back to context...
2.
No adjective *penetrax is listed in the DML; a more normal choice would have been penetrabilior. Back to context...
3.
This introductory section is riddled with imagery referring to eyesight (oculum, 'eye'; uisus, 'the power of sight'; aspectus, 'the act of looking') and the intellect (intellectum, 'the understanding'; sensus, 'insight'). Back to context...
4.
This is a conventional justification for the study of history: In his preface to his Historia ecclesiastica, Bede offered similar reasoning: ‘Should history tell of good men and their good estate, the thoughful listener is spurred on to imitate the good; should it record the evil ends of wicked men, no less effectively the devout and earnest listener is kindled to eshew what is harmful and perverse’: Colgrave and Mynors, 1969, 3. Back to context...
5.
Lucian's De laude Cestrie begins with a long meditation on the ways in which men can learn something of the nature of God from a close examination of everyday events and locations. Back to context...
6.
Recludo is here used in its standard medieval sense 'shut off' rather than its classical sense, 'open, reveal'. Back to context...
7.
Lucian points out that God's mercy is available to all, whether or not they are willing to adopt the techniques he suggests for understanding God through the contemplation of post-lapsarian earth. He uses pulvis, 'dust' as a metonym for 'the earth'. Back to context...
8.
Lucian has just concluded a long meditation on the possibility of understanding the divine through the observation of daily life, the sweetness of the voice that calls men to heaven (elaborating Matt 11:28), the saints who responded to this voice, Christ who came to earth in human form, and the benefits of companionship in spiritual labour. The conclusion of this meditation is marked by a paraph mark, and a marginal note intendentis conclusio, 'the end of the exploration'. Back to context...
9.
This 'most beloved brother and lord' is Lucian's anonymous patron, who seems to have been a canon of St John's. Back to context...
10.
This clause is the only citation in the DML for notio in the sense of 'acquaintance'. Back to context...
11.
Lucian may be punning on potauerit, 'will drink' here. Back to context...