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← De eruditione filiorum nobilium (On the Education of Noble Children)/Book 1 · De eruditione filiorum nobilium
Chapter 27Erud.1.27

De causis discipline libenter suscipiende.

The Seven Motives for Embracing Discipline

Vincent introduces seven causes that should move noble children to accept discipline willingly, beginning with the goodness of God's will and citing Augustine and Seneca.

Moreover, just as parents or teachers must impose discipline out of affection to correct boys, so too the boys themselves must bear it with a patient spirit. And there are seven causes that ought to incite them to undertake discipline willingly or eagerly, namely: the goodness of God's will, paternal piety, the good of patience, the example of Christ and the saints, the usefulness of discipline itself, its brevity, and the pleasantness that follows. The goodness, I say, of the divine will, which does not shut away its mercies in its anger — since, as was said above, the discipline of correction proceeded from God's anger toward man, because 'a boy comes into this life with ignorance and desire.'1 Against these two evils, prohibition and instruction watch over their senses with labors and pains fully, with divine governance by no means deserting those condemned in every respect. Augustine says these things in the last book of The City of God. From this it is clear that discipline is inflicted on boys from divine piety. Hence Seneca also says to Lucilius about an adult: 'A good man…'

Paternal Love Behind the Rod

The second motive is paternal devotion: parents correct out of love, not cruelty, as Scripture and Augustine teach that severity in love is kinder than deceptive gentleness.

. . Whatever happens to him, he'll bear it with a calm spirit. For he'll know this has happened by the divine law through which all things proceed. The same author, again writing to the same Lucilius: 'Let a man be content with whatever pleases God, for this very reason — that it pleases God.' The second cause is paternal devotion, by which the strictness of discipline is brought to a son out of love, according to that saying of Ecclesiasticus 30: 'Whoever loves his son will keep the lash applied to him.' From this comes a decree of Augustine cited above: 'Not everyone who spares is a friend, nor everyone who strikes is an enemy.' . . It is better to love with severity than to deceive with gentleness. This is Augustine. And this is what is said in Proverbs 27: 'Open rebuke is better than hidden love.'✦ And again: 'The wounds of one who loves are better than the deceitful kisses of one who hates.'✦ Again, concerning paternal correction, Augustine says in his sermon on the centurion's boy — as is also placed in the canon, cause 23, question 1: 'Many things must be done even with the unwilling, punishing them with a certain kind of harsh kindness, whose welfare one must consult rather than their will.'✦ . .

The Good of Patience

The third motive is the intrinsic good of patience, defined by Cicero and commended by Cyprian as a virtue shared with God, through which discipline pursues wisdom.

For when a son is corrected, no matter how harshly, a father's love is never truly lost. Let it be done, even against his will, and let him grieve — for even one who resists can be seen to need healing through that very pain. These are Augustine's words. Moreover, even if the blows were unjust, a father's discipline should still be borne with equanimity, according to that saying of Terence in the Andria: 'Since you have enjoyed the benefits,' he says, 'it is only fair that you should bear the hardships.' On this point the Apostle also says to the Hebrews, chapter twelve: 'For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?'✦ The third benefit of patience is described in this way, following Cicero in his Rhetoric — namely: 'Patience,' he says, 'is the voluntary and enduring acceptance of difficult and arduous things, undertaken for the sake of honor or advantage.' These are Cicero's words. But what cause for enduring could be more honorable or more useful than the pursuit of wisdom or the seizing of virtue? All discipline of the young keeps watch over these two things. And it's rightly called voluntary and long-enduring, because the one who suffers entirely against his will has no merit before God, and the one who loses perseverance doesn't receive the prize.✦ The blessed martyr Cyprian published a little book on the good of patience, in which he commends it this way: 'Patience,' he says, 'is a virtue we share in common with God. . . But what greater glory is there than to become like God? What happiness it is to possess in the virtues what can be measured against the praises of God! .

Christ's Silent Endurance as Our Model

Drawing on Isaiah and the Passion narratives, Vincent portrays Christ's mute, unmoved patience under suffering as the supreme example that shames our reluctance.

. That one, without me, is innocent and just. . . He is counted among criminals, and truth is crushed by false testimony; the one about to judge is himself judged, and the word of God is led silent to the slaughter.✦2 And when at his cross the stars are confounded, let the earth tremble, let the elements be thrown into chaos—✦3 . . He does not speak, he is not moved, and he does not declare his own dignity. . . But he perseveres through all things. . . He endures, so that in him patience may be made full and perfect. .

Patience: The Soul's Guardian and Equalizer

Patience distinguishes the just from the unjust, guards peace, humbles the strong, strengthens the weak, and advances faith, hope, and charity—as Cyprian and Plato testify.

. Furthermore, this life is one of sweat and toil, and those who sweat and labor can find no greater comfort than what patience provides. . . Nothing distinguishes the just from the unjust more clearly than this: in adversity the unjust person blasphemes through impatience and is consumed by complaint, while the just person is proven through patience. . . In the end, patience is what preserves us and commends us to God; it tempers anger, bridles the tongue, steers the mind, guards peace, and rules discipline. . . It restrains the power of the rich and repels the poverty of the poor. . . It makes the strong humble in times of prosperity and the humble strong in times of adversity. . . It teaches those who err to forgive quickly, and the one who has gone wrong to ask pardon long and earnestly. . . It strengthens the foundations of faith, . . advances the growth of hope, directs our action.'4 These words are Cyprian's.

Christ Taught Patience in Word and Deed

The fourth cause is the example of Christ and the saints: Christ taught patience in the Sermon on the Mount, fulfilled it in his Passion, and all the saints received discipline as adopted sons of God.

Finally, as Plato testifies, 'Patience is the strength of all philosophy.' And so Solomon also teaches in Proverbs 19: 'A person's character is known through patience.'✦ The fourth reason or cause is the example of Christ and of the other saints. For Christ himself first taught patience by his word — not only patience in receiving discipline but also in enduring injury — when he said in Matthew 5: 'Do not resist evil, but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well.'✦ And what he taught by word, he himself afterward taught by his own example. For he endured not only blows and scourges but at last exposed his whole body to those who crucified him, as is read in Matthew 15: 'Pilate handed Jesus over to the people, scourged with whips, so that they might crucify him.'✦ And this is what he had foretold about the future as though it were already past, in Isaiah 1: 'I gave my body to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who tore at them; I did not turn my face away from those who rebuked and spat upon me' — or according to the Septuagint: 'I set my back to scourges and my cheeks to blows.'✦ From this source too, it was foretold about him through Jeremiah in Lamentations 3: 'He will give his cheek to the one who strikes him; he will be filled with reproaches.'✦ So although he was the natural Son of God, he was not exempt from filial discipline — even though he had no need of correction at all — but in order to give us an example of discipline to be undertaken, according to that word of 1 Peter 2: 'Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you might follow his footsteps, who did no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth.'✦5 When he was cursed, he did not curse in return; when he suffered, he made no threats; but he handed himself over to the one who judged him unjustly.✦6 He received discipline, then, not for his own offense but for ours, and not for his own amendment but for our reconciliation — as it is said in Isaiah 53: 'The discipline of our peace was upon him, and by his bruise we are healed.'✦7 All Christians, then — not only children but also adults — ought to receive discipline willingly, not only for their own offense but also for his example. For as it is read in Ecclesiasticus 23: 'It is a great glory to follow the Lord, for length of days will be taken from him.'89 Finally, all the saints received discipline as sons of God by adoption. Hence the Apostle says to the Hebrews 12: 'If you are outside that discipline of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.'✦10 A fifth cause is the usefulness of discipline itself, which is fourfold.

The Fourfold Usefulness of Discipline

The fifth cause is discipline's usefulness: it instructs, forms the habit of endurance, humbles the heart, and punishes sin so that pardon may follow.

The first benefit of discipline is instruction — that is, learning to think rightly and act well. Through instruction we're formed to think wisely and act well, as was said above, according to Jeremiah 6 in the Septuagint: 'Through every grief and scourge you will be instructed, O Jerusalem.' Hence it is said in Proverbs 29: 'The rod and reproof give wisdom.' And in Ecclesiasticus 22: 'Scourges and teaching are at all times wisdom.' The second benefit is being formed by habit to endure suffering — something this life very much requires. For as was said above, according to Cyprian, 'For those who toil and labor, nothing can bring greater help than the comforts of patience.' In fact, a habit of endurance formed from childhood is of great value for learning to suffer. For just as raw recruits are drilled before battle, so too it benefits young people to restrain their pleasures and be trained through discipline. Hence it is written in the Proverbs of the wise: "Endure what harms you, so that you may endure what benefits you; whatever is untried harms you more quickly." And from here too, Ovid in the third book of the Ars:

Humiliation and Obedient Shame

Discipline humbles more when imposed from outside; Anselm teaches that public correction in chapter outranks private self-chastisement, and patient endurance of deserved punishment wins God's pardon.

Get used to what you're bearing badly, and you'll bear it well. The same author, in the book Remedies of Io. So that you may be strong, you will bear much that must be endured. And so, when it comes to patience tested through discipline, Prudentius has this to say in his book on the struggle between vices and virtues: See—there stood patience, modest and unshaken in expression, motionless amid the battle lines and endless upheaval. . . It kept its gaze fixed and stayed joyful. . . From there patience remains calm and strong against every storm of attacks, enduring and impenetrable. . . She is joined as a companion to all virtues, one and the same. . . For virtue that patience does not strengthen is a widow. For this reason Lucan also says in his ninth book: Patience finds joy in hard things. The third reason is humiliation, to keep the heart's swelling in check. For discipline received through another humbles you more than discipline you impose on yourself. For this reason, monks who have been at fault are also accustomed to receive their punishments before everyone in chapter, so that they may be more deeply humbled and purified, bearing their shame equally with the pain of enduring it. Hence Anselm of Canterbury, in a letter to Bernard the monk: 'I have heard,' he says, 'from your abbot that you consider it of greater merit when a monk either beats himself or asks to be beaten by another, than when in chapter, by the prelate's command and not by his own choice, he is struck.' But that is not the case, as you suppose. For the judgment a person imposes on himself of his own accord is a royal act; but what one endures through obedience in chapter is a truly monastic one. . . That. . . Often kings and proud wealthy men command this for themselves — to become rulers — but this… . . They undertake it not as those giving orders but as those being obedient. . . The former humble themselves before God alone, out of awareness of their sin; the latter humble themselves before another person, out of obedience. . . But if you say, 'I flee a public flogging not so much because of the pain of the flesh — which I would feel even in private — as because of the shame,' know this: the one who is glad to endure even that, out of obedience, is the stronger. Be certain, then, that a single flogging endured by a monk through obedience is of greater merit than countless beatings accepted by his own choice. The fourth benefit is the punishment of the offense itself, as a means of obtaining the remedy of pardon, according to what is said in the Septuagint version of Nahum chapter 1: 'God will not punish twice for the same thing in affliction.'✦ What is punished in the present through discipline, if it is borne patiently, obtains pardon and escapes future punishment — according to that saying of Prosper in his Book of Epigrams:

The Brevity and Lightness of Discipline

The sixth and seventh causes are brevity and lightness: discipline is short-lived and not fatal, so it is easily borne, especially since Seneca and Proverbs remind us that brief anger yields lasting joy.

The righteous reach toward forgiveness through the merciful blows of the king.✦ Brief is the anger shown to the upright; long-lasting are the joys it will bring.✦ And so Gautier, in the third book of the Alexandreis: Often the violence inflicted on one who endures with patience lightens the guilt, and when it is forced upon them, it lessens it. . . All things descend from the highest summit of all that is. That is why it says of the boy in Proverbs 23: 'Strike him with a rod, and you will free his soul from hell.'✦ And so Ovid rightly says in his Book of Letters: Whatever you've taken on, if it comes gently as you deserve, it's to be endured; but a punishment you don't deserve is a grief to mourn. The same author, in the second book without a title: Those who have earned their punishment bear it with a calm spirit. And if it perhaps seems to the boy that he is not being dealt with according to his deserts, Ovid says the same thing in his book of letters: Sometimes suffering injustice is useful to those who endure it. . . Often the very fact of being punished has proved to be a blessing. Instead, remember what the apostle Peter says in his first letter, chapter 2: 'This is grace — if, for the sake of conscience toward God, anyone endures griefs, suffering unjustly.'✦ What grace is there if, when you have sinned and are struck, you endure it?✦ But if you endure patiently when you're doing what is right — that is grace in God's sight.✦ The sixth reason for enduring is the brevity of the discipline itself, namely this: according to that saying of the apostle mentioned above, that a child is under guardians and stewards until the time set by the father.✦ And surely, what is brief is easier to endure. Hence Seneca, in his letter to Paulus Via, says: 'Let us bear it with a calm spirit and make use of the lot that fate has granted us, until unconquered happiness puts an end to our troubles.' The seventh is the lightness of that same discipline, about which it is said in Proverbs, chapter 23: 'Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.'✦ So, as Seneca says in his book on the remedies of chance, 'If the pain is slight, the endurance is easy.' But if it is serious, the glory is not small.' The eighth reason is necessity itself, which is twofold, namely: of being cured and not of resisting. Necessity, I say, of being cured — since otherwise the harm of ignorance cannot be removed or the corruption of desire kept away except through the restraint of discipline, just as a wound of the body cannot be healed except through cutting or cauterization, according to that saying of Claudian:11

Necessity: The Wound That Heals

The eighth cause is necessity: discipline cures ignorance and desire as surgery cures the body, and even unwilling endurance—like the bull bearing the yoke—has value, as Claudian and Ovid attest.

Let the limbs be cut off, so that the rest may live safely. For that reason, Ovid also says in his book of Remedies: To redeem your body, you'll submit to the iron and endure the fires. . . And so that you may be strong in spirit, will you refuse to endure anything at all? . . . You'll bear many painful things more justly, so that you may grow strong. The same author in Book II. It tends to come at great cost—a lesser loss for a greater good. Hence also Gautier, in the book of Alexander, vio: A harsher medicine cures more serious diseases than a milder one. The sailor who fears shipwreck has often saved what he could from the wreckage and, through losses, has lessened his losses.

Turning Necessity into Willing Virtue

The highest remedy is to bear discipline willingly, turning necessity into virtue; Seneca and Quintilian teach that complaint worsens suffering, while willingness lightens every burden.

The inability to resist is real, because as Ovid says in his tenth book without a title: The bull does not love the yokes; yet what it hates, it bears. And so a boy, even if he didn't want to, would still endure discipline when forced into it. Hence the same Ovid, in his book Remedies:12 Often I have drunk bitter juices, even though I was unwilling. So the greatest remedy in such cases is not only to endure patiently but also to bear it willingly, and to turn necessity into virtue — following that saying of Quintilian's: 'Cause and path: devotion willingly undertakes the penalty, even one heavy with wickedness.' For the very willingness to endure not only gains merit before God, but also makes the severity of discipline much lighter — according to that saying of Arator from the history of the Acts of the Apostles, book four: The mildest punishment is the one people bear willingly. And that line of Ovid, found without a title in his book: A burden becomes light when it's carried well. Hence Seneca says in his letter to Lucilius, letter 89: 'Don't make your troubles worse for yourself, and don't weigh yourself down with complaints.' Grief, in fact, is light if opinion adds nothing to it. . . And you make it light by thinking it light. Hence too Quintilian, in case 10: 'There is no punishment,' he says, 'except what is unwelcome, and we have no pain except from impatience, and so that something cruel—' . .

The Sweetness That Follows the Rod

The ninth cause is the pleasure that follows discipline: memory of endurance becomes sweet, wisdom brings joy, and eternal glory awaits—as the pruned vine bears more fruit and God wipes away every tear.

…fear makes it so.' The ninth reason or cause for bearing discipline willingly is the pleasure that follows. And this is twofold, namely— present and future. The present is also threefold. For once boyhood has passed, the memory of having endured discipline is sweet, according to that saying of Seneca in *Hercules Furens*: What was hard to endure is sweet to remember. It's not only sweet to remember it, but also pleasant to speak of it — following Seneca's words to Lucilius quoted above: 'What was harsh to endure is pleasant to have told.' For it is natural to rejoice at the end of one's own suffering. A third source of pleasure lies in the attainment of justice or wisdom — each of which carries a joy beyond all estimation. Hence Macrobius in his book of the Saturnalia: 'Those who pass through their own pains and anxieties by concealing them, by the gift of patience arrive at the greatest joy.' These three things are symbolized in the rod of Aaron, which bloomed and leafed and brought forth fruit, as we read in the book of Numbers, chapter seventeen. For the rod of discipline — or of correction — blooms with the persuasively sweet recollection of itself, it leafs out through the pleasant and welcome retelling of itself, and it bears fruit through the attainment of justice or wisdom. For children are like new shoots clinging through baptismal grace to the true vine — that is, to Christ — according to his own words in John, chapter fifteen: 'I am the vine, you are the branches.'✦ But when the branches are pruned, they seem to be destroyed, diminished, and disfigured — and they even shed tears — yet from that very pruning they yield a more abundant fruit.✦ So too boys are pruned by a wise farmer — that is, by God commanding or directing — with the hoe of discipline, and they indeed weep over this, but this very thing is done so that they may bear fruit more abundantly, just as the Lord says in that same passage: 'Every vine branch in me that bears fruit, he will prune it, so that it may bear more fruit.'✦13 Hence the Apostle says to the Hebrews, chapter 12: 'All discipline seems at the present time not to be a matter of joy but of sorrow; yet afterward it will yield the most peaceful fruit of justice to those who have been trained through it.'✦14 Concerning this pruning and fruit-bearing, it is also said in Ecclesiasticus, chapter 4, where the discipline of wisdom is discussed: 'He will bring upon him,' it says, 'fear and dread and trial, and he will torment him in the tribulation of his teaching.'15 Behold, the discipline of sorrow — or the sorrow of discipline.16 Afterward, however, it is said: 'And he has stored up knowledge of justice and understanding upon him.'17 Behold, the fruit of wisdom and of justice. Concerning the future and eternal joy, which is the ultimate fruit of discipline, Prosper says in the passage cited above:18 A brief anger will give lasting joys to the upright. This is what the Lord says in John 16: 'You will weep and lament, but your sadness will be turned into joy.' He also says through Isaiah 66: 'You will see the glory of the Lord and your heart will rejoice; you will be carried at the breast and caressed upon the knees.'19 'As a mother caresses her child, so I will comfort you' — that is,✦20 by caressing you, applauding you, and wiping away your tears — according to those words in Revelation 21: 'God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be mourning or crying, because the former things have passed away.'✦ Hence blessed Bernard says: 'Happy the tears that the tender hand of the Creator will wipe away.'✦21

Read the original Latin

Porro sicut a parentibus uel magistris affectu pro disciplina cohercionis est pueris inferenda, sic et ab ipsis pueris paciente animo est ferenda. Et sunt vii cause, que illos incitare debent ad libentem uel spontaneam susceptionem discipline, videl. diuine voluntatis bonitas, paterna pietas, paciencie bonum, christi et sanctorum exemplum, ipsius discipline utilitas et eiusdem breuitas et sequens iocunditas. Diuine inquam uoluntatis bonitas, que non continet in ira sua misericordias suas, siquidem, ut dictum est superius, ex ira dei erga hominem disciplina cohercionis processit, quia ‘puer cum ignorancia et concupiscencia in hanc uitam uenit. Contra que duo mala sensibus eorum inuigilant prohibicio et erudicio laboribus et doloribus plene, diuina gubernacione dampnatos nequaquam omni modo deserente.’ hec augustinus in libro de ciuitate dei ultimo. unde patet, quod ex pietate diuina pueris infertur disciplina. Hinc eciam de adulto dicit seneca lucilio: ‘vir bonus .

. . , quicquid ei accideret, equo animo sustinebit. Sciet enim hoc accidisse lege diuina, qua procedunt uniuersa.’ Idem iterum ad eundem lucilium: ‘placeat homini, quicquid deo placet, ob hoc ipsum, quod placet deo.’ Secunda causa est paterna pietas, qua filio ex amore infertur discipline seueritas, secundum illud ecclesiastici xxx: ‘Qui diligit filium, assiduat ei flagella.’ Hinc habetur augustini decretum superius positum: ‘Non omnis, qui parcit, amicus est, nec omnis, qui uerberat, inimicus est . .

. Melius est cum seueritate diligere quam cum lenitate decipere.’ Hec augustinus. Et hoc est quod dicitur in prouerbiis xxvii: ‘Melior est manifesta correptio quam amor absconditus.’ Et iterum: ‘meliora sunt uulnera diligentis quam fraudulenta odientis oscula.’ Iterum de correpcione paterna dicit augustinus in sermone de puero centurionis, sicut eciam ponitur in canone causa xxiii, questione ia: ‘Agenda sunt multa eciam cum inuitis, benigna quadam asperitate plectendis, quorum pocius consulendum est utilitati quam uoluntati . . .

Nam in corripiendo filium quamlibet aspere nunquam profecto amittitur amor paternus, fiat tamen, quod nolit, et doleat, qui eciam inuitus dolore videtur esse sanandus.’ Hec augustinus. Ceterum, eciam si essent iniusta, toleranda tamen equanimiter essent flagella paterna, iuxta illud therencij in andria: ‘Ex quo,’ inquit, ‘fuerunt tibi conmoda, equum est te ferre inconmoda.’ De hoc eciam dicitur ab apostolo ad hebreos xii: ‘Quis enim filius, quem non corripit pater.’ Tercia est paciencie bonum, que sic describitur iuxta tullium in rethorica scil. prima: ‘Paciencia,’ inquit, ‘est honestatis uel utilitatis causa rerum arduarum ac difficilium uoluntaria uel diuturna perpessio.’ Hec tullius. Que autem potest honestior aut utilior paciendi causa esse quam sapiencie percipiende uel uirtutis capessende?

Ad duo ista inuigilat omnis puerorum disciplina. Et recte dicitur uoluntaria et diuturna, quia nec qui omnino patitur, inuitus habet meritum apud deum, nec qui perseueranciam amittit, accipit brauium. De bono paciencie libellum edidit beatus martyr cyprianus, in quo sic eam conmendat: ‘Paciencia,’ inquit, ‘est virtus nobis cum deo conmunis . . . Que autem est gloria similem deo fieri. Quanta felicitas est habere in uirtutibus, quod diuinis equari possit laudibus . .

. Ille sine me innocens et iustus . . . inter facinorosos deputatur et falsis testimoniis veritas premitur, iudicaturus iudicatur et dei sermo ad victimam tacens ducitur. Et cum ad crucem eius confundantur sydera, contremiscat terra, turbentur elementa, . . .

ille non loquitur nec mouetur, nec maiestatem suam profitetur . . . sed omnia perseueranter . . . tolerat, ut in eo plena et perfecta paciencia consummetur . .

. Porro sudatur hic, quamdiu uiuitur et laboratur, nec sudantibus et laborantibus possunt magis alia quam paciencie subuenire solacia . . . Nec aliud magis iustos et iniustos discernit quam quod in aduersis per impacienciam blasphemat iniustus, et queritur et paciencia iustus probatur . . . Denique paciencia est, que nos deo seruat et conmendat, que iram temperat, linguam frenat, mentem gubernat, pacem custodit, disciplinam regit, .

. . potenciam diuitum cohercet, inopiam pauperum refouet, . . . facit humiles in prosperis, fortes in aduersis . . .

Docet delinquentibus cito ignoscere et delinquentem diu et multum rogare . . . Fidei fundamenta munit, . . . incrementa spei prouehit, actum dirigit.’ Hec cyprianus.

denique teste platone ‘paciencia robur est tocius philosophie.’ unde et salomon in prouerbiis xix, ‘doctrina,’ inquit, ‘uiri per pacienciam noscitur.’ Quarta racio uel causa est christi exemplum et aliorum sanctorum. Nam christus ipse primo quidem uerbo docuit pacienciam non solum ad disciplinam sed eciam ad iniuriam, dicens in Matheo v: ‘Nolite resistere malo, sed siquis te percusserit te in dexteram maxillam, prebe ei et alteram.’ Et quod uerbo admonuit, ipsemet exemplo sui postea docuit. Nam non solum halapas et flagella suscepit, sed eciam demum totum corpus crucifixoribus exposuit, ut legitur in matheo xv: ‘Pilatus tradidit populo iesum flagellis cesum, ut crucifigerent eum.’ Et hoc est, quod predixerat de futuro, quasi de preterito in ysaia i: ‘Corpus,’ inquit, ‘meum dedi percucientibus et genas meas vellentibus, faciem meam non auerti ab increpantibus et conspuentibus,’ vel secundum lxxta: ‘dorsum meum posui ad flagella, genas meas ad alapas.’ Hinc eciam per ieremiam predictum est de ipso in trenis iii: ‘Dabit percucienti se maxillam, saturabitur opprobrijs.’

Itaque licet naturalis esset filius dei, non tamen exsors fuit a disciplina filiali, quamuis nullatenus indigeret correpcione, sed ut nobis daret exemplum discipline suscipiende, secundum illud I petri iio: ‘christus passus est pro nobis, vobis relinquens exemplum, ut sequamini uestigia eius, qui peccatum non fecit, nec inuentus est dolus in ore eius. Qui cum malediceretur, non maledicebat, cum pateretur, non conminabatur, tradebat autem iudicanti se iniuste.’ Suscepit ergo disciplinam non pro suo delicto, sed pro nostro, nec pro sua emendacione, sed pro nostra reconciliacione, sicut dicitur in ysaia liii: ‘Disciplina pacis nostre super eum et liuore eius sanati sumus.’ Omnes ergo christiani non solum pueri sed eciam adulti libenter debent disciplinam recipere, non solum pro delicto suo sed eciam pro illius exemplo. Nam ut legitur in ecclesiastico xxiii: ‘Gloria magna est sequi dominum, longitudo enim dierum assumetur ab eo.’ Denique omnes sancti receperunt disciplinam tanquam filij dei adoptiui. unde dicit apostolus ad hebreos xii: ‘Si extra disciplinam estis, cuius participes facti sunt omnes, ergo adulteri et non filij estis.’ Quinta causa est ipsius discipline utilitas, que quadruplex est.

Prima sc. erudicio ad recte sapiendum et bene agendum, sicut dictum est supra, iuxta ieremiam vi secundum LXXa: ‘Per omnem dolorem et flagellum erudieris, ierusalem.’ unde dicitur in prouerbiis xxix: ‘virga atque correptio tribuit sapienciam.’ Et in ecclesiastico xxii: ‘flagella et doctrina in omni tempore sapiencia.’ Secunda est assuefactio ad paciendum, quod valde huic uite necessarium. Nam ut dictum est supra iuxta cyprianum, ‘sudantibus et laborantibus non possunt magis alia quam paciencie subuenire solacia.’ Ad paciendum uero multum valet a puericia inolita consuetudo. Nam et tyrones exerceri solent ante pugnam, sic et pueris expedit temperare delicias et excerceri per disciplinam.

unde legitur in prouerbiis sapientum: ‘feras, quod ledit, ut, quod prodest, feras; cicius nocet, quicquid inexpertum nocet.’ Hinc et ouidius in libro de arte iiio:

quod male fers, assuesce; feres bene.

Idem in libro de remediis io:

ut ualeas, multa dolenda feres.

Itaque de paciencia per disciplinam probata dicit prudencius in libro de conflictu viciorum et virtutum:

Ecce modesta graui stabat paciencia uultu, per medias immota acies variosque tumultus . . . spectabat defixa oculos et leta manebat . . . Inde quieta manet paciencia fortis ad omnes, telorum nimbos et non penetrabile durans . .

. omnibus una comes virtutibus associatur . . . Nam uidua est virtus, quam non paciencia firmat.

Ideo eciam dicit lucanus libro ixo:

Gaudet paciencia duris.

Tercia est humiliacio ad cordis tumorem reprimendum. Magis enim humiliat disciplina suscepta per alium quam per seipsum. Propter hoc etiam delinquentes monachi recipere solent disciplinas coram omnibus in capitulo, ut magis humilientur atque purgentur confusionem pariter cum dolore sustinendo. unde anselmus cantuariensis in epistola ad bernardum monachum: ‘Audiui,’ inquit, ‘ab abbate tuo, quod maioris meriti iudicas, cum monachus se aut uerberat aut ab alio se uerberari postulat, quam cum in capitulo ex precepto prelati non ex sua uoluntate uapulat. Quod non est ita, ut tu existimas. Illud enim iudicium, quod sibi aliquis sponte indicit, regale est, illud uero, quod per obedienciam in capitulo sustinet, monachicum est . . .

Illud . . . sepe sibi reges et superbi diuites fieri precipiunt, istud uero . . . non precipientes sed obedientes suscipiunt . .

. Illi se soli deo humiliant propter peccatorum conscienciam, isti uero homini propter obedienciam . . . Quod si dicis: “non tam fugio publicam vapulacionem propter dolores carnis, quos et secreto sentirem, quam propter verecundiam,” scito, quia ille fortior est, qui hanc quoque sustinere gaudet propter obedienciam. Certus igitur esto, quia maioris meriti est una vapulacio monachi tolerata per obedienciam quam innumerabiles accepte per propriam sentenciam.’ Quarta utilitas est ipsius delicti punicio ad remedium venie consequendum, iuxta quod secundum LXXta dicitur in naum i: ‘Non vindicabit deus in tribulacione bis in idipsum.’ Quod ergo vindicatum est in presenti per disciplinam, si pacienter feratur, optinet veniam et euadit penam futuram, iuxta illud prosperi in libro epygrammatum:

Ad ueniam tendunt iusti pia uerbera regis. Ira breuis rectis gaudia longa dabit.

Hinc et galterus in libro alexandreidos iiio:

pacientis sepe reatum uis illata leuat minuitque coacta . . . Omnia descendunt a summo culmine rerum.

Ideo de puero dicitur in prouerbiis xxiii: ‘Tu ergo percucies eum virga et animam eius de inferno liberabis.’ Recte ergo dicit ouidius in libro epistolarum:

leniter ex merito quicquid paciere ferendum est, que venit indigne, pena dolenda venit.

Idem in libro sine titulo secundo:

Equo animo penam, qui meruere, ferunt.

Quod si forte uidetur puero, quod non paciatur ex merito, quod eciam dicit ouidius in libro epistolarum:

utilis interdum est ipsis iniuria passis . . . Sepe est supplicii causa fuisse pium.

Immo recolat pocius illud, quod dicit petrus apostolus in prima iio: ‘Hec est enim gracia, si propter conscienciam dei sustinet quis tristicias paciens iniuste. Que est gracia, si peccantes et colaphizati suffertis? Sed si bene facientes pacienter sustinetis, hec est gracia apud deum.’ Sexta racio uel causa tolerandi est ipsius discipline breuitas, videl. iuxta illud apostoli supra dictum, quod puer sub tutoribus et actoribus est usque ad tempus a patre prefinitum. Et utique, quod breue est, facilius tolerandum est. unde seneca in epistola ad paulum via, ‘Feramus,’ inquit, ‘equo animo et utamur foro, quod sors concessit, donec inuicta felicitas finem malis imponat.’ Septima est eiusdem leuitas, de qua dicitur in prouerbiis xxiii: ‘Noli subtrahere a puero disciplinam, si enim percusseris eum uirga, non morietur.’

Itaque, sicut dicit seneca in libro de remediis fortuitorum, ‘si dolor est exiguus, leuis est paciencia. Si uero grauis, non leuis est gloria.’ Octaua est ipsa necessitas, que duplex est, videl. sic curandi et non resistendi. Necessitas, inquam, sic curandi, quoniam aliter non potest incommodum ignorancie tolli uel putredo concupiscencie arceri, nisi per discipline cohercionem, sicut nec corporis uulnus sanari nisi per incisionem uel adustionem, iuxta illud claudiani:

Truncentur et artus, ut liceat reliquis secure viuere membris.

Ideo dicit eciam ouidius in libro de remediis io:

Ut corpus redimas, ferrum pacieris et ignes . . . utque animo ualeas, quicquam tolerare negabis? . . . Justius ut valeas, multa dolenda feras.

Idem in libro iio:

Esse solent magno, dampna minora bono.

Hinc et galterus in libro alexandri vio:

Asperior sanat grauiores pocio morbos. Naufragiumque timens iactura sepe redemit, nauita quod potuit et dampnis dampna leuauit.

Impotencia uero resistendi, quia sicut dicit ouidius in libro io sine titulo:

Non iuga taurus amat; quod tamen odit, habet.

unde et puer, eciam si nollet, nichilominus disciplinam coactus ferret. Hinc et idem ouidius in libro de remediis io:

Sepe bibi succos quamuis inuitus amaros.

Summum ergo remedium in talibus est non solum pacienter sed eciam libenter sustinere ac de necessitate virtutem facere, iuxta illud quintiliani causa via: ‘Subit libens pietas penam eciam sceleribus grauem.’ Nam ipsa bona uoluntas tolerandi non solum meritum apud deum acquirit, sed eciam ipsam discipline seueritatem multo leuiorem facit, iuxta illud aratoris de hystoria actuum apostolorum libro iiio:

Mitissima sors est penarum, quas nota gerunt.

et illud ouidij sine titulo libro io:

leue fit, quod bene fertur honus.

Ideo dicit seneca ad lucilium epistola lviiia: ‘Noli mala tua tibi metipsi grauiora facere et te querelis honerare. Dolor quippe, si nichil ei opinio adiecerit, est leuis . . . ipsumque leuem, dum leuem putas, efficis.’ Hinc et quintilianus in causa xa, ‘Nulla,’ inquit, ‘est nisi inuito pena, nullumque dolorem habemus nisi ab impaciencia, et ut aliquid crudele . . .

sit, metus facit.’ Nona racio uel causa libenter tolerandi est sequens iocunditas. Et hec duplex, sc. presens et futura. Presens quoque triplex. Transacta namque puericia dulcis est discipline perpesse memoria, iuxta illud senece in hercule furente:

Que durum fuit pati, dulce est meminisse.

Nec solum dulcis est eius recordacio, sed eciam iocunda relacio, iuxta illud senece ad lucilium ubi supra: ‘Quod acerbum fuit, iocundum est retulisse.’ Naturale est enim mali sui fine gaudere. Tercia uero iocunditas est de adeptione iusticie uel sapiencie, quarum utraque inestimabilem habet voluptatem. unde macrobius in libro saturnalium, ‘Qui suos,’ inquit, ‘dolores anxietatesque dissimulando transeunt, paciencie beneficio ad uoluptatem maximam perueniunt.’ Hec tria designata sunt in virga aaron, que floruit et fronduit et fructum protulit, ut legitur in libro numeri xvii. Floret enim virga discipline siue correpcionis persuaue fragrantem sui recordationem, frondet per iocundam et gratam sui relationem, fructum profert per iusticie uel sapiencie acquisicionem. Sunt enim pueri sicut nouelli palmites, uiti uere, id est christo, per graciam baptismalem adherentes, iuxta quod dicitur ab ipso in iohanne xv: ‘Ego sum uitis, uos palmites.’ palmites autem quando putantur, quasi destrui et diminui ac deturpari videntur et eciam lacrimas emittunt, sed ex ipso fructum uberiorem reddunt.

Sic et pueri sapiente agricola, id est deo iubente uel disponente, putantur sarculo discipline et hoc quidem deflent, sed hoc idem fit, ut uberius fructificent, sicut ibidem a domino dicitur: ‘Omnem palmitem in me ferentem fructum purgabit eum, ut fructum plus afferat.’ unde dicitur ab apostolo ad hebreos xii: ‘Omnis disciplina in presenti quidem videtur non esse gaudij sed meroris; postea autem fructum pacatissimum exercitatis per eam reddet iusticie.’ De hac eciam putacione ac fructificacione dicitur in ecclesiastico iiiio, ubi agitur de disciplina sapiencie: ‘Timorem,’ inquit, ‘et metum et probationem inducet super illum et cruciabit illum in tribulatione doctrine sue.’ Ecce disciplina meroris uel meror discipline. postea uero dicitur: ‘et thesaurizauit super illum scienciam et intellectum iusticie.’ Ecce fructus sapiencie et iusticie. De futura uero et eterna iocunditate, que est fructus ultimus discipline dicit prosper ubi supra:

Ira breuis rectis gaudia longa dabit.

Hoc est quod dicitur a domino in iohanne xvi: ‘plorabitis et flebitis uos, sed tristicia vestra uertetur in gaudium.’ Idem quoque dicit per ysaiam lxvi: ‘videbitis gloriam domini et gaudebit cor uestrum, ad ubera portabimini et super genua blandientur uobis. Quomodo si cui mater blandiatur, ita ego consolabor uos,’ sc. blandiendo et applaudendo et lacrimas uestras abstergendo, secundum illud apocalipsi xxi: ‘absterget deus omnem lacrimam ab oculis eorum et ultra non erit neque luctus neque clamor, quia prima abierunt.’ unde beatus bernardus, ‘Felices,’ inquit, ‘lacrime, quas pia manus conditoris absterget.’

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Prov.27.5 — Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
  2. ↩Prov.27.6 — Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
  3. ↩Matt.8.5-Matt.8.13;Luke.7.1-Luke.7.10 — When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him Matt.8.6 — and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, terribly tormented." Matt.8.7 — And he says to him, "I will come and heal him." Matt.8.8 — But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. Only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Matt.8.9 — For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. Matt.8.10 — When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who were following him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found such great faith in all of Israel.' Matt.8.11 — I tell you, many will come from east and west and will sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matt.8.12 — But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt.8.13 — And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And his servant was healed at that hour. Luke.7.1 — After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Luke.7.2 — Now a centurion had a servant, highly valued by him, who was sick and about to die. Luke.7.3 — And when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save his servant. Luke.7.4 — When they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, 'He is worthy to have you do this for him,' Luke.7.5 — For he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us. Luke.7.6 — So Jesus went with them. But when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying, 'Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.' Luke.7.7 — Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. Luke.7.8 — For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. Luke.7.9 — When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." Luke.7.10 — And when they returned to the house, those who had been sent found the servant in good health.
  4. ↩Heb.12.7 — Endure for discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
  5. ↩1Cor.9.24 — Do you not know that those who run in a stadium all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
  6. ↩Isa.53.7 — He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb led to slaughter, and like a sheep silent before its shearers, so he did not open his mouth.
  7. ↩Matt.27.45 — Now from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.
  8. ↩Prov.19.11 — A person's wisdom makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook an offense.
  9. ↩Matt.5.39 — But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
  10. ↩Matt.27.26 — Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he had flogged and handed over to be crucified.
  11. ↩Isa.50.6 — I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from disgrace and spitting.
  12. ↩Lam.3.30 — Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him; let him be filled with reproach.
  13. ↩1Pet.2.21-1Pet.2.22 — For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. 1Pet.2.22 — He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
  14. ↩1Pet.2.23 — When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
  15. ↩Isa.53.5 — But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
  16. ↩Heb.12.8 — But if you are without discipline—something all have come to share in—then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
  17. ↩Nah.1.9 — What are you plotting against the LORD? He will bring it to completion — disaster will not rise up a second time.
  18. ↩Prov.3.11-Prov.3.12;Ps.118.18 — My son, do not despise the discipline of the LORD, and do not resent his rebuke. Prov.3.12 — For the LORD reproves the one he loves, as a father delights in his son. Ps.118.18 — The LORD has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
  19. ↩Ps.30.6 — For His anger is but a moment; His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may lodge for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
  20. ↩Prov.23.13-Prov.23.14 — Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. Prov.23.14 — You, with the rod you shall strike him, and his soul from Sheol you shall deliver.
  21. ↩1Pet.2.19 — For this is commendable: if because of conscience toward God someone endures suffering unjustly.
  22. ↩1Pet.2.20 — For what credit is it if you sin and are beaten, and endure it? But if you do good and suffer, and endure it, this is grace before God.
  23. ↩1Pet.2.20-1Pet.2.21 — For what credit is it if you sin and are beaten, and endure it? But if you do good and suffer, and endure it, this is grace before God. 1Pet.2.21 — For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
  24. ↩Gal.4.1-Gal.4.2 — Now I say, for as long as the heir is a child, he differs nothing from a slave, though he is lord of all things, Gal.4.2 — but he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by the father.
  25. ↩Prov.23.13 — Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
  26. ↩John.15.5 — I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.
  27. ↩John.15.2 — Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit.
  28. ↩John.15.2 — Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit.
  29. ↩Heb.12.11 — Now all discipline for the present does not seem to be joyful but grievous, yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
  30. ↩Isa.66.13 — As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you, and in Jerusalem you shall be comforted.
  31. ↩Rev.21.4 — And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more; neither mourning, nor crying, nor pain will be any more, for the former things have passed away.
  32. ↩Rev.21.4 — And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more; neither mourning, nor crying, nor pain will be any more, for the former things have passed away.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The embedded quotation 'puer cum ignorancia et concupiscencia in hanc uitam uenit' is a candidate scriptural or patristic allusion awaiting Moses resolution.
  2. 2 ↩sermo dei ad victimam tacens ducitur — 'the word of God is led silent to the slaughter' evokes Isaiah 53:7 (the lamb led to slaughter), applied here to Christ's Passion.
  3. 3 ↩cum with subjunctive: temporal ('when') is the most natural reading here, though concessive ('although') is possible. The cosmic disturbance language echoes the crucifixion narratives (Matthew 27:45, 51).
  4. 4 ↩prouehit is a medieval orthographic variant of promovet ('advances'/'promotes'); actum could be accusative singular ('deed'/'action') or genitive plural ('of deeds'); rendered as 'our action' in the singular sense as more natural in context.
  5. 5 ↩1 Pet. 2:21–22. Quoted from the Vulgate; the English rendering follows the sense of the Latin citation.
  6. 6 ↩Continuation of the 1 Peter 2:23 citation (Vulgate).
  7. 7 ↩Isa. 53:5 (Vulgate). 'liuore' (bruise/wound) renders the Vulgate's livor.
  8. 8 ↩Sir. 23:27 (Vulgate / Ecclesiasticus). The Latin citation matches the deuterocanonical book also known as Sirach.
  9. 9 ↩The sense of 'longitudo enim dierum assumetur ab eo' is debated: it may mean that long life is received from the Lord, or (in some readings) that the one who follows the Lord will be taken to himself in the fullness of days. The translation follows the more natural reading of the Latin as 'length of days will be received from him.'
  10. 10 ↩Heb. 12:8 (Vulgate). 'adulteri' (literally 'adulterers/bastards') rendered here as 'illegitimate children' to convey the sense of not being true sons.
  11. 11 ↩discipline/restraint (disciplina/cohercio) carries both educational and corrective force; rendered as 'restraint of discipline' to preserve the dual sense.
  12. 12 ↩The token 'io' is uncertain — possibly a book/chapter marker or an exclamation. It is left untranslated pending further review.
  13. 13 ↩Quotation from John 15:2 (Vulgate). The Latin 'purgabit' carries the sense of pruning/cleansing.
  14. 14 ↩Quotation from Hebrews 12:11 (Vulgate). The Latin 'pacatissimum' is rendered 'most peaceful' to capture the superlative force.
  15. 15 ↩Quotation from Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 4 (Vulgate numbering). The exact verse corresponds to Sirach 4:17.
  16. 16 ↩A terse, aphoristic summary statement. The genitive construction is deliberately ambiguous: 'discipline characterized by sorrow' or 'sorrow that is itself a form of discipline.'
  17. 17 ↩Continuation of the Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 4 passage, likely corresponding to Sirach 4:18.
  18. 18 ↩Reference to Prosper of Aquitaine, cited from an earlier passage in this work ('ubi supra'). The quotation itself follows in the next section.
  19. 19 ↩The image of being carried at the breast and caressed on the knees is a maternal metaphor for God's tender comfort, drawn from Isaiah 66:12–13.
  20. 20 ↩The abbreviation 'sc.' (scilicet) signals the author's gloss identifying the 'I' speaking as Christ/God.
  21. 21 ↩'Conditoris' rendered as 'Creator' to preserve the sense of God as maker and tender caretaker; Bernard's point is that tears of penitence are blessed because God himself will dry them.

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