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← De eruditione filiorum nobilium (On the Education of Noble Children)/Book 1 · De eruditione filiorum nobilium
Chapter 26Erud.1.26

De cohercionis moderacione.

The Three Pillars of Correction

The Ark of the Covenant prefigures the three qualities required in correction: severity, gentleness, and discretion.

In the discipline of correction three things are required, namely: severity and gentleness and discretion, or moderation. For this reason, in the Ark of the Covenant there were, along with the rod, the tablets of the Law and the manna.✦ In the rod, to be sure, harsh reproof is signified; in the manna, gentleness; but in the tablets, discretion. Severity, therefore, or harshness ought to be present in discipline, lest it become lax beyond measure. For, as it is read in Ecclesiasticus 30, 'An untamed horse will become hard, and a lax son will become headlong.' 'An untamed horse,' I say, 'will become' — that is, it will go off the path, carrying its rider harshly, or hard in the bit, or even unbridled because of the hardness of its mouth. So also a lax son — that is, one disciplined too leniently or even entirely given over to his own will — will become headlong; that is, he will go off the path of justice, rushing from sin to sin, and at last from sin into hell.

The Peril of Lax Discipline

Drawing on Sirach and Proverbs, the author warns that a child left undisciplined becomes like an untamed horse, rushing headlong into sin and destruction.

The sense of this, then, is: just as an untamed, hard horse goes over a precipice and kills both itself and its rider, so an undisciplined or remiss son rushes into sin and kills his own soul with a double death.1 And rightly is he compared to an untamed horse — on account of his wantonness and hardness, his pride and luxury. Hence in the same passage, regarding a father's remissness toward his son, it is added: 'Nourish your son, and he will make you fearful.'2 And if it is said: 'If you have nourished him by flattering and gently nurturing him, he will make you fearful toward him' — that is to say, so that you won't dare to touch him or rebuke him, even if you've seen him go astray — according to what is said in Proverbs 29: 'He who nourishes his servant delicately from boyhood will in the end find him stubborn.'✦3 Whence, in the same place in Ecclesiasticus, it is added: 'Play with him, and he will sadden you' — that is,4 by freely exposing himself to his vices and without any bridle of fear.

The Sorrow of the Undisciplined Son

Through the examples of Eli's sons and the grief of a foolish father, the author shows that gentle rebuke without firmness leads to ruin.

For as it is read in Proverbs 19, 'A foolish son is the grief of his father.' Therefore, he says, 'Do not laugh along with him, nor sympathize with him' — that is, when he is laughing, don't you laugh, and when he is grieving, don't you sympathize — according to what blessed Job says about himself in Job 29: 'If ever I laughed at them, they did not believe it, and the light of my face did not fall upon the ground.'5 Otherwise, he says, 'If you do this, in the end your teeth will be set on edge' — that is, in his later years you will grieve, while…6 …you will see him, on account of your softness and remissness, as foolish and dissolute, and from then on neither your rebuke nor your reproach will be of any use, just as stunned teeth are useless for chewing.7 On this point, there is the example of the sons of Eli, who, as it is read in 2 Kings, 'heard of all the evil they were doing to all Israel, and how they were sleeping with the women who kept watch at the entrance of the tabernacle.'8 Nor did he rebuke them harshly, but gently and remissly, saying: 'Do not do these things, my sons, for it is not a good report that I hear — that you cause the people of the Lord to transgress.'9 And so both they themselves perished, and he himself, his neck broken, died, and other evils came upon his house. For thus the Lord had foretold to Samuel, as it is read in the same place (3 Kings): 'I will bring upon Eli all that I have spoken against his house, because he knew that his sons were acting shamefully and he did not rebuke them.'10

The Necessity of Gentleness Joined to Severity

The example of Adonijah illustrates the cost of unchecked ambition, while Seneca, the Apostle, and Proverbs teach that gentleness must temper severity.

In the same way, there's the example of Adonijah, David's son, of whom we read in 3 Kings 10: 'Adonijah, son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, "I will be king," and he had a chariot and horsemen made for himself, and fifty men to run before him.' Nor did his father ever rebuke him, saying, 'Why have you done this?' And so the same Adonijah stirred up dissension among the people, and afterward, at Solomon's order, was killed, as we read in the same place, chapter 2. Indeed, gentleness must be joined to severity, according to what is said in the Psalm: 'For gentleness has come, and we shall be rebuked.' For severity repels, but gentleness draws. And as Seneca says, 'A noble human spirit is more easily led than dragged.' That's why the Apostle says to the Galatians, chapter 6: 'Instruct such a one in a spirit of gentleness.'✦ On the other hand, it is said in Proverbs, chapter 19: 'Who can bear a spirit easily moved to anger?'✦

Right Intention in Correction

Augustine's boyhood recollection illustrates that correction must be directed toward God's glory, not worldly ends, and that God uses even flawed human efforts for good.

Such a person's rebuke is unbearable — especially to boys — and overwhelms rather than corrects. A third thing must also be added — namely, discernment.11 — discernment, so that in it manner, time, and place may be observed.12 In manner, three things are required — namely:13 a right intention, a pure feeling, and moderation or measure.14 A right intention, namely —15 so that instruction or correction is directed toward the worship of God rather than toward the glory of the world. Whence Augustine, in the book of Confessions, recalling the condition of his own boyhood, says in this way: 'When I was sent to school for the sake of discipline, I delighted in playing, and I was punished for it —161718 . . And it turned out well for me, even though I wasn't doing well myself; because if I hadn't been forced, I never would have learned. No one does good unwillingly, even if what they're doing is good. And those who were pushing me weren't doing well either — but it turned out well for me, my God, because of you. They, you see, weren't considering what end they were directing me toward when they forced me to learn — beyond filling my insatiable desires with a poverty that was abundant and a glory that was shameful.19 But you — you, for whom the very hairs of my head are numbered — you were using the error of everyone who pressed in on me to make me learn.✦20 .

Pure Affection and the Fire of Love

Augustine's meditation on divine justice in punishment leads into the teaching that correction must flow from mercy and the fire of love, not from anger.

. As for my punishment — the punishment I by no means deserved, so small a boy and yet so great a sinner that I was. Therefore, concerning those who were not doing well, you were doing well to me; and concerning me, a sinner myself, you were justly repaying me. For you commanded, and so it is, that every disordered soul is its own punishment. These are Augustine's words. A pure disposition is also required, because correction ought not to proceed from anger or from any such motive, but from mercy or from the zeal of charity — just as that correction which comes from the Lord, according to the words in the third chapter of the Apocalypse: 'Those whom I love,' he says, 'I rebuke and chastise.'2122 This is what is said figuratively in Isaiah 11: 'A rod,' he says, 'shall come forth from the root of Jesse,' which is interpreted as fire.2324 For this is the rod of correction, which ought to go forth from the fire of love.25

Compassion in Correction

Ambrose and Augustine teach that reproof should be friendly and merciful, like rescuing someone from fire—painful but salvific.

As Ambrose says on Luke, 'A friendly reproof does more good than a turbulent accusation.' The former, to be sure, strikes shame; the latter stirs indignation. So says Ambrose. It should also be done out of compassion or mercy, following Augustine's words: 'Rebuke him because he is a sinner; have mercy because he is a man.' Hence too the psalmist says, 'Let the righteous reprove me in mercy.'✦ This is how one deals mercifully with a boy when he is punished, just as with a madman when he is bound, and with someone who is in fire or water when he is pulled out by the hair. For even if he is tormented while being pulled out, he is nevertheless rescued from danger by this very means. So also boys are to be pulled out from sin even through the pain of discipline, though they are unwilling, according to that word of Amos 3: 'Just as a shepherd snatches from the mouth of a lion two legs or the tip of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be snatched from the blow of a bed and from a cot of Damascus.'✦

The Measure of Restraint

Horace and Quintilian warn against excessive severity, while human law itself sets limits on correction, teaching that the golden mean between strictness and kindness must be preserved.

The measure of restraint must be preserved there as well —26 so that correction does not become excessive, following that line of Horace in his book of Epistles:27 A feeble age is accustomed to be treated more gently. For as Quintilian says in the second book of his Oratorical Instruction: 'Excessive yoking of boys — . . fail through severity of correction — they despair, for they grieve and finally come to hate, and what is most harmful: while they fear everything, they attempt nothing.' And as was said earlier elsewhere, human law also grants to elders and relatives the authority to correct the offenses of minors, according to the nature of the offense. This authority, however, is granted with a certain moderation and by what is, as it were, a paternal right, so that this license is not extended without limit. For if the atrocity of the deed exceeds the right of domestic correction, it is proper that those accused of an enormous offense be handed over to the punishment of judges. This moderation or measured discretion in reproving, therefore, is a middle path and a moderating force between strictness and kindness — and either of these alone is to be blamed.

The Timing of Rebuke

Correction must be timed wisely: not in the heat of anger, and not always through punishment, since knowing when to spare is as important as knowing when to punish.

For if severity alone is applied, it's nothing other than cruelty. But kindness alone amounts to laxity or negligence.28 The timing must also be observed, so that rebuke isn't applied to the offender immediately, as if in a fit of rage, but is sometimes postponed until a more suitable moment. As we read in Proverbs 29: 'A fool gives full vent to his spirit' — that is, to his anger — 'but a wise person holds it back and keeps it in check for later.'29 Again, offenses should not always be punished but should sometimes be pardoned for the time being. For sparing and punishing are opposites, and as the philosopher says, 'the method of dealing with contraries is the same.'30 So whoever doesn't know how to spare doesn't know how to punish either. Finally, the setting must also be taken into account, because — that is to say —31

The Setting of Correction

Following Christ's command in Matthew and the Apostle's instruction to Timothy, hidden faults should be corrected in private, while public sins require public rebuke as a deterrent.

If a fault is hidden, the correction should be made in private, following that word of Matthew 18: 'Rebuke him between you and him alone.' But if it is public, the correction should be made openly, following the word of the Apostle in 1 Timothy 5. 'Rebuke those who sin before all,' he says, 'so that the others may also have fear.'✦ Hence too Isidore says: 'Those who sin openly are to be rebuked openly, so that while one is publicly corrected, many may be set right.'

Read the original Latin

In disciplina cohercionis requiruntur tria, sc. austeritas et mansuetudo et discrecio siue modestia. unde in archa testamenti fuerunt cum uirga tabule legis et manna. In uirga siquidem designatur aspera correptio, in manna mansuetudo, in tabulis uero discrecio. Austeritas ergo uel asperitas esse debet in disciplina, ne sit ultra modum remissa. Nam, ut legitur in ecclesiastico xxx, ‘equus indomitus euadet durus et filius remissus euadet preceps.’ ‘equus,’ inquam, ‘indomitus euadet,’ id est extra uiam uadet, dure portans uel calcaria durus uel eciam infrenabilis propter duriciam oris. Sic et filius remissus, id est remisse disciplinatus uel eciam omnino proprie uoluntati dimissus, euadet, id est extra viam iusticie uadet, preceps de peccato in peccatum et tandem de peccato in infernum.

Est itaque sensus, sicut equus indomitus et durus in precipicium vadit et se acsessorem suum interficit. Sic filius indisciplinatus uel remissus in peccatum ruit et animam suam duplici morte occidit. Et recte conparatur equo indomito propter lasciuiam et duriciam ac superbiam et luxuriam. Hinc et de remissione patris erga filium ibidem subiungitur: ‘lacta filium et te pauentem faciet.’ Ac si dicatur: Si lactaueris eum blandiendo et moliter nutriendo, faciet te pauidum erga se, sc. ut non audeas eum tangere uel arguere, etiam si videris eum errare, iuxta quod dicitur in prouerbiis xxix: ‘Qui delicate nutrit a puericia seruum, in fine senciet illum contumacem.’ unde ibidem in ecclesiastico subditur: ‘lude cum eo et contristabit te,’ sc. se uiciis libere et absque freno timoris exponendo.

ut enim legitur in prouerbiis xix, ‘dolor patris filius stultus.’ Ideo inquit, ‘non corrideas illi, nec condoleas,’ id est cum illo ridente non rideas et cum illo dolente non condoleas, iuxta quod dicit beatus iob de se ipso in iob xxix: ‘Si quando ridebam ad eos, non credebant, et lux uultus mei non cadebat in terram.’ Alioquin ait: ‘si hoc feceris, in nouissimo obstupescent dentes tui,’ id est in prouectiori etate illius dolebis, dum sc. uideris eum propter molliciem ac remissionem tuam fatuum et dissolutum, nec iam aliquid ualere poterit correptio tua uel increpatio, sicut dentes stupidi sunt inutiles ad masticandum. super hoc exemplum illud habetur in filiis hely, qui, ut legitur Io regum iio, ‘audiebat mala, que faciebant uniuerso israeli et quomodo dormiebant cum mulieribus, que obseruabant ad hostium tabernaculi.’ Nec corripuit eos aspere, sed molliter ac remisse dicens: ‘Nolite hec facere, filij mei, non est enim bona fama, quam audio, transgredi faciatis populum domini.’ Ideoque et ipsi perierunt et ipsemet fractis ceruicibus expirauit et alia mala super domum eius euenerunt. Sic enim predixerat dominus samueli, ut legitur ibidem iiio: ‘Suscitabo aduersum hely omnia, que locutus sum super domum eius eo, quod nouerat indigne agere filios suos et non corripuit eos.’

Similiter exemplum habetur in adonia, filio dauid, de quo legitur III Regum io: ‘Adonias, filius agit eleuabatur, dicens: “ego regnabo,” fecitque sibi currum et equites et quinquaginta uiros, qui ante illum currerent. Nec corripuit eum pater suus aliquando dicens: “quare hoc fecisti?” ’ unde et idem adonias dissensionem fecit in populo et postea iubente salomone interfectus est, ut legitur ibidem ii. Austeritati uero iungenda est mansuetudo, iuxta quod dicitur in psalmo: ‘Quoniam superuenit mansuetudo, et corripiemur.’ Nam austeritas repellit, mansuetudo ducit. Et ut dicit seneca, ‘generosus animus humanus facilius ducitur, quam trahatur.’ ideo dicit apostolus ad galathas vi: ‘Huiusmodi instruite in spiritu lenitatis.’ Econtra uero dicitur in prouerbiis xix: ‘Spiritum ad irascendum facilem quis poterit sustinere?’

Talis enim hominis increpacio intolerabilis est precipue pueris et obruit pocius, quam corrigit. Tercium quoque oportet adiungere, sc. discrecionem, ut seruetur in ea modus et tempus et locus. In modo requiruntur tria, sc. intencio recta et affectio pura et modestia siue mensura. Intencio quidem recta, sc. ut erudicio siue correctio fiat pocius ad cultum dei quam ad gloriam seculi. unde augustinus in libro confessionum io recolens puericie sue statum dicit hoc modo: ‘Cum in scolam datus essem causa discipline, ludere me delectabat et vindicabatur in me .

. . Et michi quidem bene fiebat, cum ego bene non facerem; quia nisi cogerer non addiscerem. Nemo autem inuitus bene facit, eciam si bonum est, quod facit. Nec qui me urgebant, faciebant bene, sed bene michi fiebat, deus meus, abs te. Illi namque non intuebantur, quo referrent, quod me cogebant discere preterquam ad saciandas insaciabiles cupiditates copiose inopie et ignominiose glorie. Tu uero, cui numerati sunt capilli mei, errore omnium, qui michi instabant, ut discerem, utebaris . .

. ad penam meam, qua plecti non eram indignus tantillus puer et tantus peccator. Itaque de non bene facientibus bene faciebas michi et de peccante me ipso iuste retribuebas michi. Jussisti enim et sic est, ut pena sibi sit omnis animus inordinatus.’ Hec augustinus. Requiritur eciam affectio pura, quia non ex ira uel aliquo tali debet procedere correpcio sed ex misericordia siue caritatis zelo, sicut et illa, que fit a domino, iuxta illud apocalipsis iiio: ‘Ego,’ inquit, ‘quos amo, arguo et castigo.’ Hoc est, quod per figuram dicitur in ysaia xi: ‘Egredietur,’ inquit, ‘uirga de radice iesse,’ quod interpretatur incendium. Hoc est enim, quod de incendio amoris egredi debet uirga correptionis.

ut enim dicit ambrosius super lucam, ‘plus proficit amica correptio quam turbulenta accusacio. Illa siquidem incutit pudorem, ista mouet indignacionem.’ Hec ambrosius. Debet eciam ex conpassione siue misericordia fieri, iuxta illud augustini: ‘quia peccator est corripe, quia homo, miserere.’ Hinc et psalmista, ‘corripiet,’ inquit, ‘me iustus in misericordia.’ Sic enim misericorditer agitur cum puero, quando castigatur, sicut cum frenetico, quando ligatur, et cum eo, qui est in igne uel aqua, quando per capillos extrahitur. Nam et si extrahendo crucietur, per hoc tamen a periculo eruitur. Sic et pueri a peccato sunt extrahendi eciam per discipline dolorem licet inuiti, iuxta illud amos iiio: ‘Quomodo si eruat pastor de ore leonis duo crura aut extremum auricole, sic eruentur filij israel in plaga lectuli et in grabato damasci.’

Seruanda est eciam ibi mensura, sc. ut non sit correpcio immoderata, iuxta illud horacij in libro epistolarum:

Tractari mollius etas imbecilla solet.

ut enim ait quintilianus in libro iio de oratoria institucione: ‘Iugaria puerorum nimia . . . emendacionis seueritate deficiunt, desperant enim et dolent ac nouissime oderunt et quod maxime nocet, dum omnia timent, nichil conantur.’ et ut alibi superius dictum est, lex eciam humana senioribus propinquis potestatem tribuit minorum delicta corrigendi pro qualitate delicti. Quod tamen cum moderamine quodam et iure quasi patrio conceditur, ut in immensum hec licencia non extendatur. Nam si atrocitas facti emendacionis domestice ius excedit, placet enormis delicti reos iudicum tradi nocioni. Hec itaque corripiendi modestia siue discreta mensura media est ac moderatrix inter austeritatem et benignitatem, quarum utralibet sola est reprehendenda.

Nam si sola sit austeritas, nichil aliud est quam crudelitas. Benignitas autem sola et est remissio uel negligencia. Obseruandum est eciam tempus, ut non statim quasi cum furore correptio delinquenti adhibeatur, sed usque ad tempus oportunum aliquando differatur. ut enim legitur in prouerbiis xxix: ‘Totum spiritum suum,’ id est iram, ‘profert stultus, sapiens uero differt ac reseruat in posterum.’ Iterum ut non semper delicta puniantur, sed aliquando pro tempore indulgeantur. Nam parcere et punire sunt contraria, et ut dicit philosophus, ‘contrariorum eadem est disciplina.’ unde qui nescit parcere, nescit et punire. Denique locus est eciam obseruandus, quia videl.

si culpa sit occulta, secreto est correpcio facienda, iuxta illud mathei xviii: ‘Corripe eum inter te et ipsum solum.’ Si uero sit manifesta et correpcio in manifesto est facienda, iuxta illud apostoli in Ia ad thimotheum vo. ‘Peccantes,’ inquit, ‘coram omnibus argue, ut et ceteri timorem habeant.’ Hinc et ysidorus, ‘Palam,’ inquit, ‘arguendi sunt, qui palam delinquunt, ut, dum aperte unus corripitur, plurimi emendentur.’

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Exod.16.33-Exod.16.34;Heb.9.4 — And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar and put in it a full omer of manna, and set it before the LORD, to be kept for your generations." Exod.16.34 — Just as the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, for safekeeping. Heb.9.4 — having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna and Aaron's rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant
  2. ↩Prov.29.21 — Whoever pampers his servant from youth will, in the end, have an heir who causes grief.
  3. ↩Gal.6.1 — Brothers and sisters, even if someone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness, watching yourself, lest you too be tempted.
  4. ↩Prov.19.19 — A person of great anger will bear the penalty; if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
  5. ↩Matt.10.30 — But even the hairs of your head are all counted.
  6. ↩Ps.141.5 — Let the righteous strike me; it is kindness. Let them rebuke me; it is oil for my head. Do not let my head refuse it, for my prayer is still against their evil deeds.
  7. ↩Amos.3.12 — Thus says the LORD: As a shepherd rescues from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with only the corner of a couch and part of a bed.
  8. ↩1Tim.5.20 — But those who sin, rebuke before all, so that the rest also may have fear.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩duplici morte — 'double death' likely means death of body and soul, or death in this life and the next; the precise sense is left open.
  2. 2 ↩The quoted proverb is not directly traceable to a standard Vulgate verse; it may be a paraphrase or loose citation of Proverbs or Ecclesiasticus. Candidate scripture allusion pending Moses resolution.
  3. 3 ↩The Latin citation corresponds broadly to Proverbs 29:21 in the Vulgate tradition, though the wording differs slightly. Moses resolution needed for final alignment.
  4. 4 ↩The citation 'lude cum eo et contristabit te' does not correspond to a standard Vulgate verse in Ecclesiasticus (Sirach). It may be a loose paraphrase or a variant reading. Moses resolution needed.
  5. 5 ↩The Latin 'condoleas' (sympathize/share in grief) is rendered 'sympathize with him' to capture the sense of joining in another's emotional state rather than merely feeling sorry for them.
  6. 6 ↩The sentence breaks off with 'dum sc.' (dum scilicet), an incomplete abbreviation. The translation preserves the trailing sense with an ellipsis.
  7. 7 ↩The sentence is a continuation of the previous one (s3), picking up from the incomplete 'dum sc.' The translation bridges the gap naturally.
  8. 8 ↩The citation is from 1 Samuel (1 Regum) 2:22. The reference 'Io regum iio' uses the Vulgate book numbering.
  9. 9 ↩The citation is from 1 Samuel (1 Regum) 2:23-24.
  10. 10 ↩The citation is from 1 Samuel (1 Regum) 3:11-13. The reference 'iiio' uses Vulgate book numbering (3 Regum = 1 Samuel in the Vulgate system).
  11. 11 ↩sc. is the standard abbreviation for scilicet ('namely'), introducing the explanation that follows.
  12. 12 ↩in ea ('in it') refers back to discrecionem (discernment) as the sphere within which these three things are to be observed.
  13. 13 ↩sc. abbreviates scilicet ('namely'), introducing the list that follows.
  14. 14 ↩affectio rendered as 'feeling' here in the sense of interior disposition or emotional quality; could also be 'affection' in the older English sense of an inner movement of the will.
  15. 15 ↩sc. abbreviates scilicet ('namely'), introducing the explanation that follows.
  16. 16 ↩Quotation from Augustine's Confessions (book number uncertain: 'io' may be a numeral abbreviation). The quotation is cut off mid-sentence; the continuation is not present in this section.
  17. 17 ↩vindicabatur — meaning uncertain; rendered as 'was punished' following the most likely sense in context (discipline for truancy), though the lemma vindico can also mean 'was claimed/avenged.'
  18. 18 ↩The abbreviation 'io' for the book number of Confessions is uncertain and may be corrupt.
  19. 19 ↩copiose inopie et ignominiose glorie: the ablative phrases are ambiguous in case (genitive or ablative). The translation reads them as ablatives of means/instrument ('with abundant poverty and shameful glory'), i.e., the learning they compelled was aimed at worldly deprivation and vainglory rather than true formation.
  20. 20 ↩errore omnium, qui michi instabant, ut discerem, utebaris: the syntax is compressed. The sense is that God used the mistaken intentions of those urging Augustine to learn as the means by which Augustine was actually taught. utebaris takes an ablative of means (errore).
  21. 21 ↩Rev. 3:19 (Apocalypse 3). Quoted as 'Ego quos amo, arguo et castigo.'
  22. 22 ↩affectio rendered as 'disposition' to capture the interior quality of the motive, not mere emotion.
  23. 23 ↩Isa. 11:1. The Latin 'uirga de radice Iesse' follows the Vulgate.
  24. 24 ↩incendium rendered as 'fire' with the sense of burning/ardor, following the interpretive gloss 'quod interpretatur incendium.'
  25. 25 ↩enim rendered as 'For' to mark the explanatory link back to the Isaiah figure.
  26. 26 ↩The abbreviation 'sc.' expands to scilicet ('namely, that is to say'), introducing the quotation that follows. Mensura here refers to the moderation or proportionality of correction, continuing the chapter's theme of measured discipline.
  27. 27 ↩The quotation from Horace is not resolved here; it will be supplied in the following section. The ut clause is purpose: the measure is kept so that reproof stays within bounds.
  28. 28 ↩remissio rendered as 'laxity' to capture the negative sense of excessive leniency in this disciplinary context; could also be 'remissness'.
  29. 29 ↩Proverbs 29 quotation. The Latin reads 'Totum spiritum suum … profert stultus, sapiens uero differt ac reseruat in posterum.' Moses resolution needed for final verse numbering and wording. The parenthetical 'id est iram' is the author's gloss identifying 'spiritum' with anger.
  30. 30 ↩disciplina rendered as 'method of dealing with' to convey the Aristotelian sense of systematic treatment; could also be 'discipline' or 'study'.
  31. 31 ↩The Latin ends abruptly with 'videl.' (abbreviation of videlicet), suggesting the sentence is incomplete or the text is corrupt at this point. The translation preserves the fragmentary sense.

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