Quomodo loquendum sit
The Three Marks of Disciplined Speech
Speech is shaped by gesture, tone, and meaning, each of which must be governed by modesty, humility, truth, and sweetness.
The quality — that is, the movement — of speech consists in three things: with what gesture, with what tone, and with what meaning something is said. Discipline requires that the speaker's gesture be modest and humble, the voice low and pleasant, the meaning truthful and sweet. The speaker's gesture ought to have modesty, so that while speaking one moves one's limbs neither in a disorderly way, nor shamelessly, nor turbulently, and that neither by nods of the eyes, nor by an indecent expression or change of countenance, one diminishes the appeal of one's speech. The speaker's gesture ought to be humble, so that his speech finds favor with his listeners. The speaker's voice ought to be low, lest by noise and immoderate loudness it either needlessly frightens or justly offends its listeners. It ought to be pleasant, lest by harshness of pronunciation it become more burdensome to the minds of the listeners the harsher and more unpleasant it strikes their ears. The meaning — that is, the sense of the speech — ought therefore to be true, because a deceitful word, even if it is spoken eloquently or skillfully, is nevertheless regarded by the listener as either harmful or useless, if it has been understood. But along with truth it is also necessary that the speaker's speech have sweetness, because often even truth becomes bitter to the listener if it is brought forth either without reason or without love — that is, either at the wrong time or unkindly — against him.
Scripture on the Fool's Undisciplined Mouth
Solomon's proverbs testify that undisciplined gesture, arrogant tone, and foolish speech render words contemptible and unwelcome.
Let us confirm each of these points with the testimony of sacred Scripture. That an undisciplined manner makes speech contemptible, Solomon shows: "Refined words are not fitting for a fool."✦ And again: "A proverb is not beautiful in a fool's mouth." And again: "The fountain of life is the instruction of the one who possesses it; the teaching of fools is folly."✦ And again: "A man is known by his teaching, but whoever is empty and senseless will be exposed to contempt." Likewise: "Just as a lame man has beautiful legs in vain, so a proverb is unseemly in the mouth of fools." That a tone of arrogance makes a man's speech unwelcome to listeners, Solomon again bears witness: "Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; in the gate he will not open his mouth."✦ And again he says: "When a poor man speaks with entreaties, the rich man will answer haughtily."✦
The Disciplined Voice: Silence, Peace, Truth, and Kindness
Drawing on Isaiah, Proverbs, and Sirach, the author shows that the disciplined speaker avoids clamour, quarrelsomeness, and falsehood, and instead offers a kind and gracious word.
How much noisy talk must be avoided by those who are disciplined is shown by the author of discipline himself, about whom it is written through Isaiah: "He will not cry out, nor show partiality, nor will his voice be heard outside."✦ That a harsh and thoroughly quarrelsome word must be kept out of the speech of the disciplined is proved through the same one, when it is said: "The lips of a fool draw themselves into quarrels, and his mouth provokes disputes."✦ How much a lying word must be avoided is suggested by the same one himself, saying: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever speaks lies will not escape."✦ But a kind word — how much it can accomplish in speech — is openly demonstrated in the book of Ecclesiasticus, where it says: "A kind word multiplies friends and softens enemies, and a gracious tongue abounds in a good man."
Read the original Latin
Qualitas, id est motus loquendi in tribus constat, hoc est quo gestu, quo sono, qua significatione quid dicatur. Disciplina jubet ut loquentis sit gestus modestus et humilis, sonus demissus et suavis, significatio verax et dulcis. Modestiam debet habere gestus loquentis, ut nec inordinate, nec impudice, nec turbulenter inter loquendum membra moveat, neque oculorum nutibus, aut indecenti conformatione sive transmutatione vultus, placorem sui sermonis imminuat. Humilis debet esse gestus loquentis, ut apud auditores gratiam sermo ejus inveniat. Sonus loquentis esse debet demissus, ne strepitu, et immoderata clamositate auditores suos aut injuste terreat aut juste offendat. Suavis debet esse, ne prolationis asperitate tanto fiat animis audientium onerosior, quanto ad aures durior venit, et injucundior. Significatio, id est sententia sermonis, ideo debet esse vera, quia fallax verbum etiam si facunde aut composite dicitur, nihilominus tamen ab auditore aut noxium aut otiosum (si fuerit intellectum) reputatur. Sed et cum veritate necesse est, ut sermo loquentis dulcedinem habeat, quia saepe etiam veritas auditori amara efficitur, si aut sine ratione, aut sine dilectione, hoc est, vel importune, vel impie contra eum proferatur.
Singula haec Scripturae sacrae testimoniis comprobemus. Quod habitus indisciplinatus sermonem contemptibilem faciat, Salomon ostendit, dicens: Non decent stultum verba composita . Et iterum: Non est speciosa in ore stulti parabola . Et iterum: Fons vitae eruditio possidentis; doctrina stultorum fatuitas . Et iterum: Doctrina sua noscitur vir, qui autem vanus, et excors est, patebit contemptui . Item: Quomodo pulchras frustra habet claudus tibias, sic indecens est in ore stultorum parabola . Quod vero typus elationis sermonem hominis ingratum auditoribus reddat, Salomon iterum testatur, dicens: Excelsa stulto sapientia in porta non aperiet os suum . Et iterum dicit: Cum obsecrationibus loquetur pauper, et dives effabitur rigide .
Quantum autem sermo clamosus a disciplinatis cavendus sit, ipse auctor disciplinae ostendit, de quo per Isaiam scriptum est: Non clamabit neque accipiet personam neque audietur foris vox ejus . Verbum autem asperum, et rixosum omnino sermonibus disciplinatis secludendum esse, per eumdem probatur cum dicitur: Labia stulti immiscent se rixis, et os ejus jurgia provocat . De verbo etiam mendaci quantum sit cavendum, idem ipse insinuat, dicens: Testis falsus non erit impunitus, et qui mendacia loquitur, non effugiet . Sed et verbum dulce, quantum valeat in sermone, liber Ecclesiasticus patenter demonstrat ubi dicit: Verbum dulce amicos multiplicat, et inimicos mitigat, et lingua eucharis in bono viro abundat .
Scripture echoes
- ↩Prov.17.7 — Fine speech is not fitting for a fool, much less lies for a noble.
- ↩Prov.16.22 — A fountain of life is the insight of its possessor, but the discipline of fools is folly.
- ↩Prov.24.7 — Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.
- ↩Prov.18.23 — The poor man speaks supplications, but the rich man answers roughly.
- ↩Isa.42.2-Isa.42.3 — He will not cry out or raise his voice, nor will he make it heard in the street. Isa.42.3 — A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will bring forth justice to truth.
- ↩Prov.18.6 — A fool's lips bring him into strife, and his mouth invites blows.
- ↩Prov.19.5 — A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who breathes out lies will not escape.
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