Caput VII. Studeat silentio, et raro modesteque loquatur.
The Fruit of Silence
The recluse is urged to keep a weighty silence, which brings great calm, is the practice of righteousness, and is commended by the scriptures through the examples of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and the Psalms.
Above all, we urge that the recluse observe a weighty silence. For there is great calm in it, and abundant fruit. For silence is the practice of righteousness. As Jeremiah says, It is good to wait in silence for the salvation of God. And again, It is good for a person when they have borne the yoke (Thren. III, 26, 27). Let them sit alone and be silent. Hence it is written: Listen, Israel, and be silent. Do then what the prophet says: I said, I will guard my ways, so that I do not sin with my tongue.✦
Guarding the Tongue, Sitting with Christ
Drawing on the Psalms and the letter of James, the text warns of the tongue's danger and calls the recluse to guard her speech, sit alone with Christ in solitude, and speak only rarely, at appointed times, to designated persons.
I have set a guard over my mouth (Ps. 38, 1, 2). So let a recluse, fearing the downfall of the tongue — which, as the apostle James says, no human being can tame (James 3:8) — set a guard over her mouth, sit alone, and keep silent with her lips; let her speak in the spirit, and believe that she is not alone when she is alone. For then she is with Christ, who does not deign to be with her in crowds. Let her therefore sit alone, silent as she listens to Christ and speaks with Christ, and set a guard over her mouth. First, that she speak rarely; then, let her pay attention to what she says, to whom, and how she speaks. Let her speak rarely — that is, at fixed and appointed hours, which we will discuss later. Let her speak to the right people — that is, to designated persons of the kind that will be assigned to her.
Humble and Modest Speech
When speech is unavoidable, it must be humble, modest, and free of harshness or frivolity, since silence is especially fitting for a woman, more so for a virgin, and most of all for a recluse.
How she should speak — that is, humbly, modestly, not in a loud voice, and not with harshness, flattery, or laughter mixed in. For if this does not befit any honorable man, how much more a woman? How much more a virgin? How much more a recluse? Sit therefore, my sister, and be silent. If you're compelled to speak, speak little, humbly and modestly — whether the conversation has turned to bodily necessities or to the salvation of the soul.
Read the original Latin
Silentii gravitatem inclusae servandam praecipue suademus. Est enim in ea quies magna et fructus multus. Nam cultus justitiae silentium. Sicut ait Jeremias, Bonum est cum silentio exspectare salutare Dei. Et iterum, Bonum est viro cum portaverit jugum (Thren. III, 26, 27): ut sedeat solus et taceat. Unde scriptum est: Audi, Israel, et tace. Fac ergo quod ait propheta, Dixi, custodiam vias: ut non delinquam in lingua mea.
Posui ori meo custodiam (Psal. XXXVIII, 1, 2). Sic inclusa timens casum linguae, quam secundum apostolum Jacobum nemo hominum domare potest (Jacobi III, 8), ponat custodiam ori suo, sola sedeat, et taceat ore; spiritu loquatur: et credat se non esse solam, quando sola est. Tunc enim cum Christo est, qui non dignatur in turbis esse cum ea. Sedeat ergo sola, taceat Christum audiens, et cum Christo loquens, ponat custodiam ori suo. Primum, ut raro loquatur; deinde quid loquatur, quibus, et quomodo loquatur, attendat. Raro loquatur, id est certis et constitutis horis, de quibus postea dicemus. Quibus loquatur, id est certis personis, et quales ei fuerint designatae.
Quomodo loquatur, id est, humiliter, moderate, non alta voce, nec dura, nec blanda, nec mixta risu. Nam si hoc ad quemlibet virum honestum non pertinet, quanto magis ad feminam? quanto magis ad virginem? quanto magis ad inclusam? Sede ergo, soror mea, et tace. Si compelleris loqui, parum loquere, humiliter et modeste: sive de corporalium rerum necessitate, sive de animae salute sermo incubuerit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.38.2 — O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath.
De institutione inclusarum (A Rule of Life for a Recluse) companion
A rule only lives if you keep it daily
Chosen Portion gives your new rule its anchor: one free devotional portion every day.
Aelred built his sister's day around fixed times of prayer and meditation; Chosen Portion supplies the fixed daily portion that makes a modern rule of life keepable.
- Anchor your rule with a fixed 10-minute daily portion
- Practice Aelred's threefold meditation with guided daily prompts
- Review and adjust your one-page rule after 30 days of tracked practice