Prologus
A Reluctant Speaker Finds Unexpected Delay
Odo confesses relief that the appointed days of speaking have passed, only to find the journey further delayed by harsh winter and the reverence due to the saints' days.
The appointed days had now passed, and I was glad — I confess it — because under the pretext of a brief time, the duties of your command could be wrapped up in a short span; since for a foolish person, this is a kind of consolation: if he doesn't know how to be silent, at least he speaks little. But suddenly a winter harsher than usual set in, and roughened those little days of his so thoroughly that we had more reason to think about fair weather than about the journey ahead of us. Then indeed — partly because of the severity of the aforementioned winter, and partly out of reverence for the saints' days that were now at hand — the lord abbot allowed our journey to be delayed in the meantime.
Adding Testimony Against the Proud
After reviewing the arranged readings, Odo resolves to add further material against those corrupted by bad example, humbly casting his small stone of testimony alongside the Mosaic command to stone the proud.
Nevertheless, after the texts that had already been arranged were read, and a few things were found against those who are made worse by the example of the depraved, it was decided that some further material should be added. But I don't trust enough that they'll deign to listen to even this much — anyone at all, I mean — nor do they revere the holy Gospel as they ought to. Still, with that hope I'll undertake the task, so that on the mound of testimonies, where proud sons are to be stoned according to the command of Moses, I may rejoice to have thrown even a small stone myself.✦
Read the original Latin
Dies praestituti jam fluxerant, et gaudebam, fateor, quod sub occasione brevis temporis vestrae jussionis munia licebat brevitate concludi; quandoquidem stulto genus consolationis est, ut si tacere nescit, vel parum loquatur: cum repente solito brumosior hiems ingruit, illasque sui dieculas ita inasperavit, ut plus de aprico quam de itinere nobis cogitandum videretur. Tum vero partim praedictae hiemis inclementia, partim sanctorum qui instabant dierum reverentia, domnus abba interim iter nostrum remorari concessit. Lectis tamen quae jam digesta erant, et paucis contra eos qui pravorum deteriorantur exemplo, repertis, placuit aliqua adhuc subrogari. Verum ego non satis confidam, quod hoc saltem audire dignentur, quippe quoslibet, nec sanctum Evangelium ut oportuerat revereri: tamen ea spe jussionem aggrediar, ut in aggere testimoniorum, quo superbi filii juxta praeceptum Moysi lapidandi sunt, vel lapillum me gaudeam jactavisse.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Josh.24.26-Josh.24.27 — Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, and he took a great stone and set it up there under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the LORD. Josh.24.27 — Joshua said to all the people, "Look—this stone shall be a witness among us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. So it shall be a witness among you, lest you deny your God."
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