Supplicum Ministrorum Raptus (Epigr. XXXII)
The Anatomy of Apostasy
The author outlines the progressive stages of spiritual dissatisfaction that lead a monk to abandon his vocation for the allure of the world.
The ambition of the Cathar consists of five stages. First, one or two minor rites start to feel unpleasant. Soon, an impiety begins to creep in, ready to take flight at any moment. Before long, everything becomes unpleasant. Once this state persists, he mutters in secret corners, looking for a way out. The situation intensifies. He breaks out from there, and unable to contain himself, he wanders through the woods. Then, with all his buttons burst by the spirit—in order to mend them—he rushes off to Amsterdam.
A Final Irony
A brief, biting command to observe the folly of the deserter.
Applaud.
Read the original Latin
Ambitio Cathari quinque constat actibus. Primo, unus aut alter parum ritus placet. Jam repit impietas volatura illico. Mox displicent omnes. Ubi hoc permanserit, Paulo, secretis mussitans in angulis Quaerit recessus. Incalescit fabula. Erumpit inde, et continere nescius Sylvas pererrat. Fibulis dein omnibus Prae spiritu ruptis, quo eas resarciat Amstellodamum corripit se.
Plaudite.
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