Be aruspicihus, et chironomanticis, et phitonicis
The Vanity of Divination
The author condemns various forms of occult divination as futile and dangerous practices that lead only to ruin.
And the downfall of Saul. What should I say about necromancers, whose wickedness—with God as the ultimate judge—is already universally despised, except that they deserve death for trying to borrow knowledge from the dead? As for augurs, soothsayers, diviners, oracles, pythons, haruspices, and others—whose sheer number makes them tedious to list—it's pointless to write at length about them, since none of them come into the light anymore; rather, if any still exist, they practice their works of darkness in hiding. Nevertheless, some of them must be touched upon for specific reasons. And even if they are in hiding, the haruspices still remain to their own detriment. It has already been stated that they divine, in part, by the entrails of animals. Indeed, everything covered by the outer skin is considered to fall under the name of 'entrails'. Therefore, it's clear that those who divine using the shoulder blades of rams or the bones of any other animal should be counted among them.1 Palm readers also boast that they know the truths hidden in the lines of the hands. Because their error isn't based on reason, there's no need to refute it with rational arguments, even though reason itself defeats them simply by the fact that they lack reason. Still, there is one thing I ask of you most intently, if you'll listen to me patiently. Since I don't doubt that you know these triflers, what do they offer when they're asked about uncertain things? When the royal expedition was to be launched against the Snow-Hill Britons, what did the soothsayer you consulted warn you about? Although the secret of truth shouldn't have been sought from him—since he was a man who should have been trusted more as a fabricator of lies through his menial service than as an interpreter of hidden truth; for it's commonly said that when someone is branded with the mark of lying, he's more of a liar than any night watchman or guard. Also, what did the palm reader you employed and consulted contribute? For under this heading, whoever has done this is considered a consultant. In just a few days, you've lost the morning star of your own family without any warning. I'll knowingly keep quiet about the rest, which you already know better than I do; these people have earned, through their own vanity, that no one should ever consult them again. Consulting those who practice divination is even more dangerous, because the deception of evil spirits is more obvious in them; whether they lie or not, their constant intention is to do harm. Sometimes they deceive out of a desire to mislead, and other times they are misled by the error of their own blindness; yet they constantly act as if they have full knowledge of the future. That's why they try to cloud their oracles with ambiguous words, so that when they're caught being liars or frauds, they can use some veil of reason to defend their deception. They certainly never stop deceiving until they've plunged their followers into ruin. After all, who throughout the ages has ever actually benefited from the responses of these prophets? Did Croesus, or Pyrrhus, or anyone else before or since? The Theban leader, while hoping for victory from the oracle, was pierced by his brother's sword. Yet his grandfather Laius seemed to promise him success in the war. For what else could it mean when, after many evasions, it declared: 'Victory is certain for Thebes'? However, so it wouldn't be accused of lying once the leader was killed, and to cover its deception with the ambiguity of a true statement to defend its malice, it added: 'Woe to me, the father has conquered through the swords.' So, while he was invited to parricide, feeling secure as if by the counsel of fate, he was drawn by the snare of wickedness to his downfall. The desire of the parricidal father was also fulfilled, while the impious brothers—for whom he had prayed and wished that the bonds of their kinship might be severed by the sword—perished by each other's wounds and were struck down by one another's blades. Croesus trusted that, if he crossed the Halys, he would subject great kingdoms to himself, relying on the faith of the oracle. But when things turned out to the contrary, the deceitful Apollo cleared himself of the charge of lying through the equivocation of a single word. Why did Pyrrhus, after defeating the Romans—whom he had often routed in battle through his own skill—promise himself an empire through the favor of Phoebus, only to be irreparably crushed and turn the blame back upon himself for failing to understand the oracle's ambiguity? Let's move on to more familiar histories. When the unique and singular storm of civil war was shaking the world, Appius sought peace in the Euboic gulf, guided by Phoebus, and found only death. The oracle is indeed famous, as Lucan records: 'You escape the great threats of such a crisis, Roman, free from the wars, and alone you will hold the peace of the Euboic side in the middle of the valley.'
The Tragedy of Saul
The biblical narrative of Saul's consultation with the medium at Endor serves as a warning against pride and disobedience.
But so that the mark of falsehood isn't cast upon histories rather than oracles, let's examine the canonical history, to which faith safely adheres. Saul, having turned from a prince into a tyrant, was abandoned by the Lord because of his sins; and as a hostile force grew strong against the people of the Lord under his leadership, he anxiously sought an outcome for his broken affairs. He consulted, therefore, the witch, and so on. It stands. Theb. iv. Woe is me, etc. : Stat. Theh. The Lord didn't answer him, neither through dreams, nor through priests, nor through prophets. Samuel had already warned him of this, because the Lord regretted that He had made him king, since he hadn't fulfilled the word of the Lord; instead, driven by greed, he spared Agag, the most pampered king, along with the choicest flocks of sheep and cattle, the clothing, the rams, and everything that looked good in the eyes of the people. Whatever was worthless and rejected, they destroyed as the Lord commanded; yet since victory comes to no leader except from the hand of the Lord of hosts, he didn't give glory to the Author of all good things, but instead took credit for the victory before the people, boasting of his own strength. For it is written: The word of the Lord came to Samuel: I regret that I made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my words. Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night. When morning came, it was reported to Samuel that Saul had come to Carmel and had set up a monument for himself, and then turned and went down to Gilgal. Then Samuel confronted Saul about his disobedience, as Saul preferred to excuse himself under the guise of religion rather than to repent—which is the second chance left to the sinner after shipwreck. Saul said: Indeed, I have heard the voice of the Lord and walked in the way the Lord sent me; I brought back Agag, the king of Amalek, and I have utterly destroyed Amalek. But the people took some of the plunder, the best of the sheep and oxen that were meant to be destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord their God in Gilgal. Look at how he excuses himself; whatever guilt there is, he either diminishes it or shifts it onto the people. Samuel said: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For to resist is like the sin of divination, and to refuse to comply is like the crime of idolatry. Because you’ve rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you as king. I think the same thing happens to anyone who, once placed in a high position, follows their own desires and—while pretending to hold authority and power—acts arrogantly toward their subjects, treating what is permitted as if it were a matter of their own whim, as if their necks weren't subject to the yoke of divine law and they were under no obligation to fulfill the justice of God. But could even such a thunderclap of divine warning soften the hardness of a calloused heart, or the arrogance that had grown so vigorously in Saul’s heart through the iniquity of tyranny? Not at all. For Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, because I have transgressed the word of the Lord and your instructions, fearing the people and obeying their voice.' But now, I beg you, forgive my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord. And Samuel said, 'I will not return, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel.' Do you see how difficult it is to cure malice with words and exhortation once it has taken root through the nourishment of pride? "I have sinned," he says, "fearing the people and obeying their voice." Doesn't he confess his fault in a way that implicates others—who, if he were a true leader, should have been set free—rather than clearing himself? Had he not heard how Moses acted when the anger of God was raging against the people, and the Lord had said to him: "Leave me alone, so that my fury may blaze against the people, and I may wipe them out and make you grow into a great nation"? What, then, did that leader—that faithful prince established by the Lord in His good pleasure—do? "Either forgive them this offense," he said, "or blot me out of your book." But was he seeking his own glory in such an affection of charity? For that gentle prince, that pious father, that eloquent speaker, that man powerful in deed and word, that leader who went before in the justice of God’s commandments, said: "The Egyptians will say, 'The Lord led them out of Egypt craftily, only to destroy them in the desert.'" So, even at the cost of his own self, he preferred the glory of the Lord and the liberation of the people he led. David, too, when his fault had provoked the Lord to anger and the people, subject to the primary guilt, were bearing the penalty, saw the angel of God striking the people. He poured out prayers from the depths of his heart and added: "It is I who have sinned; I have acted wickedly. These, who are the sheep, what have they done?" He was truly a king and a just prince, worthy to break the anger of the Most High; for when he stood before God on behalf of a people being scourged, he turned away the lash of His indignation. No excuse can move Him, unless a person accuses himself by his own judgment; nothing moves Him to mercy, unless the guilty party uncovers his own fault; nothing prompts His mercy, unless a soul, kindled by love, is crushed within itself; nothing persuades Him to be appeased, unless the mind reaches out the hand of action to make amends. If anyone confesses a fault, the confession is useless unless he runs toward forgiveness with a spirit of making amends. “I have sinned,” said Judas, “by betraying innocent blood.” His confession was true in every way, yet it was useless, because he ran to the noose he had earned before he ran to the fountain of mercy he had forfeited, and the hardness of his own stubbornness had shut the way against him. He was sorry for what he had done, yet it was not with that devotion of heart which would have been enough to soften the stone of help. Led by such repentance, he hanged himself with a noose. He ended his life with a fitting punishment; but because he did not correct his malice, he secured no remedy of salvation for his forgiveness. For it's written that even in the underworld there's a sting of regret, even though there's no correction of a twisted will. So Saul, without a doubt, tries to shift his own sin onto the shoulders of others; and while he pretends that he wants to be freed from punishment through Samuel's prayers, he wraps himself more heavily in stronger snares and binds himself with the unchangeable sentence of damnation. For it follows: And Samuel turned to go. But he grabbed the hem of his cloak, and it tore. And Samuel said to him: The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has handed it over to your neighbor who is better than you. Furthermore, the Triumphant One in Israel will not spare, and He won't be swayed by regret; for He isn't a human being, that He should repent. But he said: I have sinned; yet now honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God. Look at what a madness of pride it is that he hears he has been rejected by the Lord, and yet he still insists on reigning as if against His will. There's no doubt the kingdom was handed over to someone better, yet this private individual fraudulently seizes the kingdom's glory through an irrevocable sentence. He admits his guilt, but he refuses to bear the penalty; for he says, 'I have sinned; but now honor me.' As if to say: 'When I have been justly cast down for the pride of my sin, let your patience make me glorious in the sight of those who do not know the Lord's counsel.' Therefore, return with me so that I may walk in your dignified obedience, and with such a great company and such venerable authority, I may worship the Lord your God—whom I don't dare to call my own, since I have departed from Him in disobedience and continue to depart in stubbornness. Indeed, his spirit had become so swollen that he sought to elevate himself not only above man but even above God Himself through the sheer audacity of his own impiety. For the Lord had preferred him, and he saw that he was endowed with greater grace, so he began to plot hidden snares against him with increasingly bitter envy; and the more the Lord exposed him, the more eagerly he sought not just to suppress him but to extinguish him. It was fitting, therefore, that the Spirit of the Lord should not remain in him, who had made his heart not only a dwelling place but also a foundation for such great wickedness. Thus, the evil spirit from the Lord tormented him, and from that point on, his strength began to wane and the people's safety began to fluctuate; the more frequent and greater victories of the enemies broke the spirits of both the king and the people. Yet he had driven out from his own borders the very person to whom the Lord had confirmed the kingdom. So, what was his final plan? It certainly wasn't to hand over the kingdom to a better man, nor to submit to the divine plan he had come to know, nor to perform a fruitful penance for his past life. But he who had raised his heel in pride against the Lord led the people out to battle on the mountains of Gilboa, where he was destined to be punished and killed. Indeed, he who looked only to high things in himself had to be killed on a mountain. Because the Truth itself had abandoned him, the false and wicked prince fled to the fountain of lies. So he said to his servants, "Find me a woman who has a familiar spirit, so that I may go to her and inquire through her." What else could a pagan, who was also a traitor, have said? Isn't this the same as saying: "If I cannot bend the gods above, I will move the underworld"? Or, in more faithful words and with even more insane treachery: "If God hides the knowledge of the truth from me, I will still learn it through the father of lies, even against His will; and whether He likes it or not, I will explore the secret of His counsel through opposing powers." His servants told him, "There is a woman in Endor who has a familiar spirit." He was truly unworthy of manly counsel, for despair had broken him so completely that he even begged for help from the lowest and weakest creatures to defend the kingdom the Lord was taking away from him, acting against His very omnipotence. So he changed his appearance and put on different clothes, and he went out himself with two men, and they came to the woman at night. Everything is indeed right, because the Holy Spirit is just, even among the perverse. He had to be stripped of his royal attire—he who was seduced by various mockeries to serve demons and the prophets of Ahab, who (with the Lord permitting it and his own merits demanding it) led him astray. Finally, according to the word of the Lord, a lying spirit went out and appeared in the mouths of all the prophets of Ahab, promising prosperity as he was about to go up to Ramoth-Gilead. Only Micaiah the Morastite protested; aware of the divine counsel, he warned Israel—whom he had seen scattered on the mountains—and was struck for his testimony to the bitter truth by the man who had taken up iron horns and said, "With these horns, O king, you will gore Syria."
The Deception of the Spirit
The author analyzes the nature of demonic deception, explaining how spirits mimic the truth to ensnare the soul.
Furthermore, divination was rarely done without a fee, since it's practiced in a spirit of greed and wickedness. This is why the Holy Spirit rebukes Jerusalem, which is about to fall: 'Your leaders judged for bribes, your priests gave answers for a price, and your prophets practiced divination for money,' and they leaned on the Lord, saying, 'Is not the Lord in our midst?' 'No evil will come upon us.' 'Therefore, says the Lord: Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins.' Those, therefore, who practiced divination for money—even if they insult the name of prophets—are often liars and always deceitful, alienated from the power and truth of prophecy. 'In a medium,' he says; as if to say: 'Because the Spirit of the Lord has departed, let a medium advocate for me.' 'And raise up for me whom I shall tell you'; truly, one deception pushes another forward. The king was given over to a reprobate mind; he had convinced himself that the medium was a master of knowledge, a knower of future things, privy to secret counsel, and an interpreter of truth. He also convinced himself that she was endowed with such power that she could even raise the dead, and with such kindness that she would gratify her associates even in what is most rare and difficult. Without a doubt, the song of faith of Hannah had slipped from his memory or was being held to no purpose—that song which says the Lord is the one who brings death and life, who leads down to the grave and brings back up, who makes the poor and makes the rich, who humbles and lifts up, and (as Saul saw fulfilled in himself) who raises the needy from the dust so that he may sit with princes and inherit a throne of glory. And the one who does these things is, without a doubt, the Lord of all knowledge. The woman said to him, 'Look, you know what Saul has done and how he cleared the mediums and fortune-tellers out of the land; why then are you setting a trap for my soul to have me killed?' And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, 'As the Lord lives, no harm will come to you for this.' It’s true that whoever wallows in filth becomes even filthier, and for those whom grace abandons, their final state always becomes worse than the first. The medium, conscious of her sacrilege, is terrified; yet the authority established by the Lord to root out such sacrilege—though otherwise timid—grants boldness to idolaters when the affairs of the people and the wars of the Lord are being waged, and it lends royal authority to sacrilege. 'You shall not let fortune-tellers and mediums live,' says the Lord. But the one to whom the word of God is directed, and who bears the sword for the punishment of evildoers and the glory of the good, not only grants security to such people but confirms their promised peace with the sanctity of an oath. And so it happens that he learns through his own peril how tangled the sinews of Leviathan are when he has set a trap for himself with his own work, from which he cannot escape without the loss of his salvation. He is now caught in a tight spot, a kind of logical trap: if he spares the medium, he violates the Lord’s command that such evils be wiped from the earth; if he doesn't spare her, he violates the sanctity of his oath. Wherever the wicked man turns, he is trapped by his own deeds. The woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He replied, "Samuel." Faith is the life of all times—the belief that God is one, that He is just and good, and that He rewards those who hope in Him, responding fully to the merits of all. Before the Law, under the Law, and under grace, no one with a right mind has ever doubted this. Without this, no one has ever entered into salvation. But whoever errs in small things gradually slips into greater ones. In this way, he was first negligent, then disobedient, then defiant, then obstinate, and finally he slid into such blindness that he couldn't even keep that aforementioned article of faith intact. For he did not believe that God was just in every way, imagining that even after the end of this life, power had been granted to evil spirits over the saints. After all, he knew that the holy Samuel had never obeyed mediums while he was alive, nor had he ever had any dealings with them. Yet now he hopes and asks for him to be raised up at the command of a medium. He even wants the dead to be forced to do what he couldn't be compelled to do while he was alive. For while he lived, he had refused to tell the king anything except what the Lord inspired him to reveal. But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul." She certainly believed she had been deceived, and even after the oath was given, she felt burdened by the king's presence and knowledge. And the king said to her, "Don't be afraid; what did you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see gods coming up from the earth." A response from a medium could have deterred a man of even slight faith from his undertaking. For it introduces a plurality of gods and signifies that their dwelling is beneath the earth and in darkness. So Saul asked, "What does he look like?" She replied, "An old man is coming up, and he's wrapped in a cloak." Saul then realized it was Samuel; he bowed his face to the ground and worshipped. He diligently inquired about the form of the one who appeared, perhaps deceived by the error of the Gentiles, believing that the same form of dress and occupation that they had in life followed them among the dead. Hence the saying: "Whatever love for chariots and armor they had while alive, and whatever care they took to feed their shining horses, the same follows them when they are laid in the earth." But couldn't the holy man's glory have been brighter, or his appearance changed after death? Scripture is truly wise and faithful not to claim that Samuel was raised by a medium's command, but instead prudently highlights the blindness of an ungodly mind. For it says: Once he heard the man's form and appearance, Saul understood that it was Samuel. He understood it that way because he was deceived; this is proven by the fact that he adds: And he bowed down and worshiped. For if it had been Samuel, he would never have allowed himself to be worshiped by a man who, according to the Law, had believed and taught that only God and Lord is to be worshiped. Furthermore, holy souls are exempt from the power of evil spirits. Finally, he wouldn't have fostered the error of a deceived man, which we gather he did from what follows. But Samuel said to Saul: Why have you disturbed me so that I should be raised? For this is the trickery of evil spirits: to laboriously hide what they do and command people to do of their own accord, so that they appear to be doing it against their will. They pretend to be forced and claim they've been drawn out by the power of exorcisms; to avoid being guarded against, they compose exorcisms as if in the name of the Lord, or in the faith of the Trinity, or by the power of the Incarnation and Passion, and hand them over to people. They obey those who practice them until they entangle them in the crime of sacrilege and the penalty of damnation. Sometimes they even transform themselves into angels of light, commanding only what is honest, forbidding what is illicit, pursuing purity, and providing for needs, so that they might be admitted more familiarly as if they were good and kind, heard more gently, loved more closely, and answered more easily. They also put on the appearance of venerable people, so that greater and more prompt reverence is paid to them. And Saul says: 'I am in great distress, for the Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me and would not answer me, either by the prophets or by dreams.' Therefore I have called you, so that you might show me what I should do. It's as if he were saying openly: 'I have been cast into the abyss of despair; men attack me, God abandons me, and I flee to you, who in truth are an enemy to both, so that you, like a teacher to a student, might instruct me in what I ought to do in such great distress.' For although he believed that the one who was speaking was Samuel, in truth it was an angel. Of Satan. Ignorance couldn't serve as his excuse, since no one is allowed to be ignorant of a creature that seeks to be worshipped, or that it is unfaithful and has a perverse will. He also knew that it was wrong to consult fortune-tellers and magicians, and to seek out a medium regarding the future. But if ignorance of the person excuses him, then fools will be in a better position than the wise, and the perverse better than the upright. And Samuel says (not the true one, certainly, but a shadowy and fictitious one, worthy of an impious and reprobate seeker): 'Why do you ask me, when the Lord has turned away from you and passed over to your rival?' The beginning of the response is consistent with faith and reasonable. For what will a creature offer to someone whom God has abandoned and whose spoils He has stripped away? But the enemy and foe of the faith gradually turns toward what is his own, mixing the false with the true and clouding the faith of the truth with lies. For it follows: 'The Lord will do to you as He spoke through me, and He will tear your kingdom from your hand and give it to your neighbor David, because you didn't obey the voice of the Lord, nor did you execute the heat of His fury upon Amalek.' 'Therefore, what you are suffering, the Lord has done to you today, and the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines.' 'Tomorrow, however, you and your sons will be with me.' And the Lord will also hand over the camp of Israel to the Philistines. The faithless one accurately described the outcome of the battle, but he still used his words as a snare to deceitfully trick a faithless and unhappy soul. He confirms the error of the one who is straying, and he promises the impenitent peace after the end. For when he says that the Lord will fulfill what He spoke through my hand, he is undoubtedly pretending to be Samuel, through whom the Lord spoke what He announced to Saul. But when he adds, 'Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me,' he is speaking the truth, yet he is speaking it deceitfully. For on the following day, he was about to pass to the underworld, casting himself into it out of despair, and he was about to have a share with the one whom he had followed in greed, pride, and stubbornness of mind. He offers false comfort, holding out the hope of peace, while he pretends in gesture and word to be Samuel—to whom it is certain that a place has been granted by the Lord in peace among those who call upon His name. What good, then, did the responses of his 'Samuel'—or rather, the pythoness—do for Saul? He might perhaps have hoped for better things if he had not been forewarned, and at least have waited while he was being run through by another man's sword. Convinced by the vanity of an oracle, he fell upon his own sword; and in his final moments, while looking out for his own glory, he—who could have died more bravely in battle—feared the mere breath of words, and on the advice of a weak and broken spirit, he brought about the death of both body and soul. Let the nations boast in their own strength; let their authors say whatever they like while they praise the titles of their heroes and proclaim the courage of great men. Let Cato drink poison at their urging; let Vulteius arm the hands and minds of his allies for voluntary death; let Cleopatra drive the incurable poison of asps through her breasts to her heart; let Lucretia condemn the impurity of another by shedding her own blood. I don't believe it can ever be right for a person, in any moment of difficulty, to take their own life by their own authority, not even when their chastity is in danger. This is true, even if that doctor of doctors—to whom I can hardly compare anyone in the treasury of letters—seems to make an exception for this case. This kind of death belongs entirely to those who have lost all hope, and to those who, though they live in the body, have already died the death of the mind and have ceased to live in spirit. It certainly isn't the death of the living, but of those already dead. Run through the list of faithless kings—Jeroboam, Ahab, Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, and others whose errors I can't even begin to recount—what did they gain from their prophets, who saw only false and foolish things for them and didn't reveal their wickedness to call them to repentance? They all certainly vanished after the prince of vanity, and while they sought to know what isn't permitted, or to know it in a way that isn't permitted, they were reduced to nothingness and emptiness.
The Path of True Wisdom
The author concludes by contrasting the futility of occult seeking with the necessity of relying on divine reason and Church authority.
I have associated the kings of Israel with the unfaithful, because while some of the kings of Judah were good and others evil, all the kings of Israel turned out to be reprobate. “Leave the mysteries of God and the heavens alone,” Cato says, “because God is powerful enough to carry out what He has destined and decided for you, without you worrying about it.” The ethicist puts it well: “Believe every day is your last; the hour you don't expect will arrive as a welcome gift.” Truth, however, is consistent with itself everywhere; it never contradicts itself, even if it's spoken from the home of a liar, just as purity, while it thrives in its own integrity, isn't polluted by the proximity of any filth whatsoever. Truth itself declares that death is not to be feared, and it commands us to be prepared at every hour to receive it, so that the less we presume upon the length of our life, the more eagerly we may advance in the cultivation of virtue. Death is, after all, a necessary gift for a nature already corrupted. For corruption is the origin of death. Do away with corruption, pursue the integrity of purity and virtue, and you've already entered the path of immortality and grasped a kind of down payment on your divinity. Have you grasped it, I ask, or have you received it? But, to speak more faithfully, you have both received it and grasped it; for it doesn't depend on the one who wills or the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy. Who knows when he will come—in the evening, at midnight, at the cock's crow, or in the morning? For as he says: “Nothing is more certain than death, nothing more uncertain than its hour; it should not be feared as an evil, but when it comes, it should be embraced gladly as the end of evils.” There is one thing that must be fled with all the strength of mind and body. Do you ask what that is? Baseness and every form of dishonesty. For these things make death not an end of evils, but a link between what came before and what follows. To avoid this, you don't need prophetic oracles or a consultation with a pythoness; for the faithful, reason is provided and is more useful for this purpose. Cato, constrained by the extreme difficulty of his situation in Libya, disdained consulting the oracle of Hammon, believing reason was enough to persuade him to preserve his liberty and avoid not only the yoke of Caesar's rule but every stain of disgrace; though he erred by taking his own life on his own authority—an act established as forbidden not only by the teachings of the faithful but by the laws of nations and the edicts of the wisest men. Pythagoras and Plotinus, the leaders of ancient philosophy, aren't so much the authors of this prohibition as they are its heralds, declaring it entirely illicit for anyone serving in the military to leave their post and the station committed to them without the command of their leader or prince. They used a truly elegant example, for the life of man upon earth is a military service. What if the oracles of prophets or the responses of a pythoness command the opposite? Without a doubt, they shouldn't be listened to at all, because no one owes faith to anyone at the risk of their own innocence. If you don't believe me, consider Numa, who was perhaps the most innocent of the Roman emperors besides Titus, if you please. When he was being invited to commit murder, and was asked for a head for the sacrifices, he decided that an onion should be cut instead, reflecting that even the will of a perverse spirit respects innocence. But when the spirit added the word 'human,' he promised to offer up his own hair. When the unclean spirit thirsted for blood, however, he replied that a fish should be sacrificed. And so, because his reason couldn't be circumvented to draw him into guilt, he was pronounced by the testimony of the unclean spirits to be most worthy of the council of the gods. There is no reason for anyone to defend their own error under the pretext of exorcisms; these were instituted to diminish the power of demons and to break the familiar commerce they have with man, and they lack the effect of their own power unless they gain strength by the finger of God. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit of discipline flees from what is feigned and disdains to be a dwelling place for a body given over to sins. Whatever is done in this way is fictitious and phantastic, and knows nothing of the substance of truth. It does indeed seem to be present when it's invoked with prayers and offerings, and as the effect of the petitions follows, the sacrilegious desire of the wandering soul is fulfilled. But it's nowhere near that. The goal is that, once God's protection is withdrawn, those driven by such great faithlessness might be allowed to be dragged toward hell by the various deceptions of demons. For the Church has, by its own public voice, forbidden anyone from being drawn into such shameful acts—and the gates of hell will not prevail against that Church. When, therefore, the grace of the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from exorcisms disapproved by the authority of the Church, those who don't so much use them as abuse them offend against the Spirit; and as He withdraws, they try to retain His power and efficacy for themselves.
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et Saulis deiectione. Quid de nigromanticis dicam, quorum impietas Deo auctore per se ipsam ubique iam uiluit, nisi quod morte digni sunt qui a morte conantur scientiam mutuare? Nam de auspicibus auguribus salissatoribus ariolis phitonicis aruspicibus et aliis, quorum prae multitudine tediosa est enumeratio, productiorem sermonem texere, cum nemo istorum iam progrediatur in lucem, sed in latibulis, si quis est, exerceat opera tenebrarum, superuacaneum est. Quaedam tamen eorum certis de causis aliquatenus tangenda sunt. Et, si lateant, supersunt adhuc malo suo aruspices. Hos pro parte in extis animalium diuinare praedictum est. Extorum quidem censentur nomine omnia quae cutis extremitate teguntur. Vnde et illos, qui in humerulis arietum uel quorumcumque ossibus animalium uaticid nantur, eis connumerandos ease manifestum est.
Chironomantici quoque uera, quae in rugis manuum latent, se nosse gloriantur. Quorum errorem, quia ratione non nititur, non necesse est rationibus impugnare, licet eo ipso illos expugnet ratio, quod deficiunt ratione. Vnum tamen est quod a te, si me patienter audias, attentissime quaero. Quid nugatores isti, quoniam eos tibi notos esse non ambigo, quando de dubiis interrogati sunt, prof erunt? Cum aduersus Niuicollinos Britones regia esset expeditio producenda, in quo te consultus aruspex praemonuit? quamuis ab eo ueritatis archanum non fuerit inquirend um qui excubitali obsequio concinnator potius mendacii crea dendus erat quam occultae ueritatis interpres; uulgo siquidem cum quis mentiendi nota inuritur, dici solet quia quouis excubo uigiliue mendacior est. Item chironomanticus adhibitus et consultus quid contulit? Nam sub articulo uterque, quisquis hoc egerit, consultus est.
Tu quidem paucis diebus elapsis quasi stellam matutinam generis tui non praemonitus perdidisti. Cetera, quae melius nosti, scienter taceo; cum isti uanitate sua meruerint ne ulterius consulantur. Phitonicorum uero eo perniciosior est consultatio, quo fallacia malignorum spirituum in his manifestior est qui, siue mentiantur siue non, in proposito semper habent ut noceant. Fallunt autem interdum studio fallendi, interdum cecitatis suae errore decepti; id tamen agunt assidue ut futurorum conscii per omnia uideantur. Inde est quod arnbiguitate uerborum obnubilare student oracula ut, cum mendaces aut fallaces inuenti fuerint, aliquo rationis uelamento suam queant tueri fallaciam. Sic utique fallere non desistunt, donec auditores suos praecipitent in ruinam. Cui enim a seculo uatum profuere responsa'? Cresone an Pirro aut praecedentium aut subsequentium cuiquam?
Dux Thebanus dum de oraculo sperat uictoriam, fratris mucrone perfoditur. Ei tamen auus Laius successus belli uisus est polliceri. Quid enim aliud significaret quod post multas ambages intulit: Certa est uictoria Thebis? Ceterum ne interempto duce mendacii arguatur, ut fallaciam ambigua ueritatis nota obduceret, quo malitiam tueatur, subiecit: Hei michi per gladios uicit pater. Sic ergo, dum quasi fatorum consilio securus ad parricidium inuitatur, laqueo impietatis trahitur ad occasum. Patris quoque parricidae desiderium adimpletur, dum fratres impii, quibus imprecatus optauerat ut ferro generis consortia dissilirent, mutuis uuhieribus pereunt et altemis gladiis prostemuntur. Cresus maxima regna, si Ahn transgrediatur, de oraculomm fide sibi subiectum iri confidit. Sed cum res in contrarium cesserit, faUax Apollo se unius uerbuli aequiuocatione absoluit ab inuidia mentiendi.
Quid Pirrus Romanis uictis, quos saepe in acie uirtute fuderat, beneficio Phebi sibi promittit imperium, sed irreparabiliter stratus in seipsum retorsit culpam, qui amphibologiam oraculi minus utiliter intellexit. Ad notiores transeatur historias. Apius, cum unica et singularis ciuilis belli tempestas orbem concuteret, docente Phebo in sinu Euboico quietem quaerit et mortem inuenit. Oraculum quidem auctore Lucano celebre est: '5 Efiugis ingentes tanti discriminis expers bellorum, Romane, minas, solusque quietem Euboici lateris media conualle tenebis. Sed ne falsitatis nota in historias non oracula refundatur, canonica, et cui fides incolumis adquiescit, discutiatur historia. Saul in tirannum uersus ex principe, cum exigentibus culpis esset a Domino derelictus, et aduersus a populum Domini eo duce inualesceret manus hostilis, solHcitus fractis rebus exitum inquirebat. Consuluit ergo Cetia etc. : Stat.
Theb. iv. Hei michi etc. : Stat. Theh. Dominum, et non respondit ei neque per somnia neque per sacerdotes neque per prophetas. Hoc tamen ei ante denuntiauerat Samuel, quia Dominum penitebat quod eum constituerat regem, eo quod non impleuerat uerbum Domini, suadente auaritia parcens Agag regi pinguissimo et opimis gregibus ouium et armentorum et uestibus et arietibus et uniuersis quae pulchra erant in oculis populi. Quicquid uero uile fuit et reprobum, hoc mandante Domino demoliti sunt, et cum nulli ducum nisi de manu Domini exercituum contingat uictoria, auctori bonorum non referens gloriam uiribus suis in facie populi de collato munere applaudebat.
Sic enim scriptum est: Factum est uerbum Domini ad Samuelem: Penitet me quod constituerim Saul regem, quia dereliquit me et uerba mea opere non impleuit. Contristatus est Samuel, et clamauit ad Dominum tota nocte. Cumque de nocte surrexisset ut iret ad Saulem, mane nuntiatum est Samueli quod uenisset Saul in Carmelum et erexisset sibi fornicem triumphalem et reuersus transisset descendissetque in Galgala. Deinde ad increpationes Samuehs crimen inobedientiae sub praetextu religionis maluit excusare quam delere per penitentiam, quae secunda tabula post naufragium relicta est peccatori. Ait enim: Immo audiui uocem Domini, et ambulaui in uia per quam misit me Dominus, et adduxi Agag regem Amalech, et Amalech cinterfeci. Tulit autem populus de praeda oues et boues primitias eorum quae caesa sunt, ut immolet Domino Deo suo in Galgalis. Ecce quomodo se ipsum excusat, et quicquid culpae est, aut extenuat aut refundit in populum. Ait ergo Samuel: Numquid uult Dominus holocausta et uictimas, et non potius ut obediatur uoci Domini Melior est enim obedientia quam uictimae, et ascultare magis quam offerre adipem arietum.
Quoniam quasi peccatum ariolandi est repugnare et quasi scelus idolatriae nolle adquiescere. Pro eo quod abiecisti sermonem Domini abiecit te Dominus ne sis rex. Ego quidem similiter arbitror euenire omnibus, qui in sullimitate constituti abeunt post concupiscentias suas et principatum dominium que) simulantes tumorem suura exercent in subditos, coaequantes libito licitum, ac si colla eorum iugo diuinae legis subiecta non sint, et nulla necessitate urgeantur ad implendam iustitiam Dei. Sed numquid uel sic ad tantum tonitruum comminationis diuinae sclirosis pectoris indurati aut tumor, qui tirannidis iniquitate in corde Saulis uiuacius coaluerat, potuit emolliri? Nequaquam. Dixit enim Saul ad Samuelem: Peccaui, quia praeuaricatus sum sermonem Domini et uerba tua, timens populum et obediens uoci eorum. Sed nunc porta quaeso peccatum meum, et reuertere mecum, ut adorem Dominum. Et ait Samuel: Non reuertar, quia proiecisti sermonem Domini, et proiecit te Dominus ne sis rex super Israel, Videsne quam difficile a sit malitiam, cum superbiae fomento coaluerit, uerbis et exhortatione curari?
Peccaui, inquit, timens populum et obediens uoci eorum. Nonne sic fatetur culpam ut potius inuoluat alios, qui, si princeps esset, fuerant relaxandi, quam seipsum expediat Numquid sic audierat fecisse Moysen, cum ira Dei seuiret in populum, dixissetque ei Dominus: Dimitte me, ut irascatur furor meus in populo, et deleam eum et faciam te crescere in gentem magnam. Quid ergo fecit dux idemque fidelis princeps in beneplacito suo constitutus a Domino? Aut dimitte eis, inquit, hanc noxam aut dele me de libro tuo. Sed numquid in tantae caritatis affectu propriam quaerebat gloriam Inquit enim mansuetus princeps, pius pater, disertus orator, potens in opere et sermone, dux praeambulus in iustitia mandatorum Dei: Dicent Egyptii, Callide duxit eos Dominus de Egypto, ut prostemeret in deserto. Sic ergo etiam sui ipsius dispendio Domini gloriam praeoptabat et populi cuius ducatum ministrabat liberationem. Dauid quoque cum culpa eius Dominum ad iracundiam prouocasset, et principalis culpae subiectus populus portaret penam, uidit angelum Dei caedentem populum. Fudit itaque preces de intimis uisceribus, et adiecit: Ego sum qui peccaui, ego inique egi; isti qui oues sunt, quid fecerunf?
Verus utique rex et iustus princeps et dignus qui Altissimi frangeret iram; qui, dum se pro populo flagellanti Deo opposuit, indignationis eius flagellum amouit. Eum siquidem nulla excusatio flectit, nisi cum quis proprio iudicio accusatur;i5 nichil mouet ad ueniam, nisi cum nocens nudam detegit culpam; misericordiam nichil admonet, nisi cum animus caritate succensus in se ipso conteritur; nichil persuadet propitiandum esse, nisi cum mens manum operis extendit ad satisfaciendum. Si quis enim fatetur culpam, inutilis est confessio, nisi satisfactionis animo currat ad ueniam. Peccaui, inquit ludas, tradens sanguinem iustum. Fuit itaque uera usquequaque confessio; sed inutilis, quia ante cucurrit ad laqueum quem meruerat quam ad fontem mised ricordiae quam demeruerat, et obstinationis suae duritia praecluserat sibi. Eum tamen penituit fecisse quod fecerat, sed non eo deuotionis afiectu qui lapidem adiutorii sufficeret emollire. Penitentia siquidem ductus laqueo se suspendit. Vitam ergo digno finiuit supplicio; sed quia malitiam non correxit, ueniam sibi nullo salutis procurauit remedio.
Sic enim et apud inferos scribitur esse stimulus penitudinis, licet nulla sit correctio prauae uoluntatis. Sic Saul procul dubio peccatum suum imponere nititur humeris alienis, et dum simulat quod a pena uelit per preces Samuelis eximi, seipsum grauius oneratum fortioribus laqueis inuoluit et irreparabili sententia dampnationis astringit. Sequitur enim: Et conuersus est Samuel ut abiret. IUe autem apprehendit summitatem pallii eius, quae scissa est. Et ait ad eum Samuel: Scidit Dominus regnum Israel a te a hodie, et tradidit illud proximo tuo meliori te. Porro triumphator in Israel non parcet, et penitudine non flectetur; neque enim homo est, ut agat penitentiam. At ille ait: Peccaui; sed nunc honora me coram senioribus populi mei et coram Israel, et reuertere mecum, ut adorem Dominum Deum tuum. Ecce quanta elationis insania se deiectum audit a Domino, et tamen quasi eo inuito regnare contendit.
Regnum meliori traditum esse non ambigit, et priuatus per sententiam irretractabilem regni gloriam fraudulenter usurpat, Corruit itaque dum in uetitum moLitur ascendere, et fit seipso deterior, dum meliori reclamanteDomino uult praeferri. Fatetur equidem culpam, sed penam portare dedignatur; hoc est enim quod ait: Peccaui; sed nunc honora me. Ac si dicat: Cum criminis culpa elationis fastu tiranni nequitia iuste deiectus contempni meruerim, me patientia tua in conspectu eorum qui non nouerunt consilium Domini faciat gloriosum. Reuertere ergo mecum, ut tuo incedam fastigatus obsequio, et tanto stipatus comitatu, tanta uenerabiKs auctoritate, adorem Dominum Deum tuum, quem meum dicere ultra non audeo, qui ab eo per inobedientiam discessi et adhuc per contumaciam recedo. Adeo siquidem intumuerat spiritus eius, ut se non modo homini sed et ipsi Deo seipsimi quodammodo propriae impietatis ausu praeferret. Quem enim Dominus praetulerat, quanto maiori gratia uidebat praeditum, tanto acriori inuidia ei occultas tendebat insidias, tam manifestas quam iniquas exereens inimicitias; et quo manifestius eum Dominus extoUebat, eo auidius non tam deprimere quam extinguere properabat; ipsique Deo se e regione ponit oppositum, dum ei surripere aut eripere nititur iura regnorum. Dignum ergo fuit ut non maneret in eo Spiritus Domini, qui cor suum non modo habitaculum sed et tantae nequitiae fecerat fundamentum. Exagitauit eum itaque spiritus nequam a Domino, et ex illo retro fluere et indies labi, minui regni uires coeperunt, salus populi fluctuare, hostium crebrior maior clariorque uictoria tam regis quam populi ualidius animos fregit.
Ipse tamen eum cui Dominus regnum firmauerat, exterminatum habebat a finibus suis. Quid ergo tandem cepit consilii? Non utique ut regnum traderet meliori, ut dispositioni diuinae, quae ei innotuerat, adquiesceret, ut penitentiam anteactae uitae ageret fructuosam. Sed qui aduersus Dominum calcaneum tumoris extulerat, populum in montes Gelboe, ubi puniendus erat et occidendus, eduxit in praelium. Occidi siquidem in monte debuit, qui non nisi alta in seipso respexit. Quia ergo eum ueritas ipsa deseruit, ad fontem mendacii falsus et iniquus princeps confugit. Dixit itaque seruis suis: Quaerite michi mulierem habentem phitonem, et uadam ad eam et sciscitabor per eam. Quid aliud dixisset gentilis idemque perfidus?
Nonne idem est ac si dicat: a Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta mouebo? aut fidelioribus uerbis et insaniori perfidia: Si michi Deus notitiam subtrahit ueritatis, eam tamen per patrem mendacii eo inuito eognoscam, et uelit nolit archanum consihi eius per potestates aduersarias explorabo? Et dixerunt serui eius ad eum: Est mulier habens phitonem in Endor. Indignus enim erat consultatione uirili, quem in tantum desperatio fregerat ut etiam ab infimis et infirmissimis creaturis ad tuendum sibi regnum, quod Dominus auferebat, aduersus omnipotentiam eius auxilium imploraret. Mutauit ergo habitum suum uestitusque est aliis uestimentis, et abiit ipse et duo uiri cum eo, uenenintque ad mulierem nocte. Recte quidem omnia, quia rectus est etiam apud peruersos Spiritus sanctus. Regio namque habitu debuit spoliari, qui ad seruiendum demonibus et prophetae Acab, qui eum Domino permittente exigentibus meritis uariis ludifieationibus seducebant. Denique iuxta uerbum Domini egressus est spiritus mendax et factus est in ore omnium prophetarum Acab ascensuro in Ramoth Galaad ad prospera promittendum, solo Michea Morastite reclamante, qui conscius diuini consilii Israel, quem dispersum in montibus uiderat, praemuniuit, caesus ob amarae ueritatis indicium ab eo qui assumptis cornibus ferreis dixerat: His rex comibus Siriam uentilabis.
Praeterea diuinatio fere sine munere non fiebat, utpote quae in ic auaritiae et nequitiae spiritu exercetur. Hinc est quod lerusalem ruiturae Spiritus sanctus improperat: Duces tui in muneribus iudicabant, sacerdotes in mercede rea spondebant, et prophetae in pecunia diuinabant, et super Dominum requiescebant dicentes: Nonne Dominus est i in nobis? non uenient super nos mala. Propterea dicit Dominus: Syon quasi ager arabitur, et lerusalem ut custodia pomerii erit. Qui ergo in pecunia diuinabant, etsi prophetarum insultant nomine, saepe mendaces semper mendosi, alieni sunt a uirtute et ueritate prophetiae. In phitone, inquit; quasi: Quia recessit Spiritus Domini, uel phitonicus patrocinetur michi. Et suscita michi quem dixero tibi; utique fallacia fallaciam trudit. Datus rex in sensum reprobum, qui sibi persuaserat phitonem scientiae praesulem, praescium futurorum, archani consilii conscium, at ueritatis interpretem, sibi quoque persuasit eundem tanta praeditum potestate ut posset etiam mortuos suscitare, et tantae benignitatis ut etiam in eo quod rarissimum est et difficillimum familiaribus suis morem gereret.
Proculdubio elapsum erat a memoria eius aut inutiliter tenebatur canticum fidehs Annae, quia Dominus est qui mortificat et uiuificat, deducit ad inferos et reducit, pauperem facit efc ditafc, humiliafc efc sulleuafc, efc (quod in se ipso impletum uiderafc Saul) suscifcafc de puluere egenum, ufc sedeafc cum principibus efc solium gloriae fceneafc. Et qui haec facit, proculdubio scientiarum Dominus est. Et ait mulier ad eum: Ecce tu nosti quanta fecifc Saul, efc quomodo eraserifc magos efc ariolos de t rra; quare ergo insidiaris animae meae ufc occidar Efc iurauifc ei Saul in Domino, dicens: Vixiifc Dominus quia non eueniefc tibi quicquam mali propfcer hanc rem. Verum quidem est, quia qui uersatur in sordibus, sordescit amplius; et quem gratia deserit, fiunt semper nouissima illius deteriora prioribus. Sacrilegii sibi phitonissa conscia expauescit, et potestas a Domino constituta ad sacrilegia euellenda alias quidem timida, cum negotia populi, cum Domini bella geruntur, idolatris praestat audaciam, et sacrilegiis regiam accommodat auctoritatem. Ariolos, inquit Dominus, et magos ne patieris uiuere. At ille ad quem sermo Dei dirigitur, et qui gladium portat ad uindictam malefactorum, bonorum gloriam, non modo talibus securitatem dat, sed promissam pacem iuramenti religione confirmat. Et sic euenit ut in proprio periculo discat quam perplexi sint nerui testiculorum Leuiathan, cum sibi tetenderit laqueum proprii operis, a quo sine salutis dispendio non euadit.
Ei iam arta complexio et comutus quidam imminet sillogismus: Si phitonissae parcitur, Domini uiolatur imperium praecipientis ut maleficia huiusmodi de t rra eradantur; si non parcitur, iuramenti religio uitiatur. Quocumque se uertat impius, comprehenditur in operibus suis. Dixit ergo mulier: Quem suscitabo tibi Qui ait: Samuelem. Omnium temporum uiia est fides, Deum esse eundemque iustum et bonum et remuneratorem sperantium in se, omnium plene meritis respondentem. Ante legem, sub lege, sub gratia, nemini rectum sapienti uenit a istud in dubium. Sine ista nemo umquam ingressus est ad salutem. Verum qui errat in minimis, paulatim ad maiora prolabitur. Sic iste primo negligens deinde inobediens postmodum contumax exinde obstinatus postremo ad eam prolapsus est eecitatem, ut nec praedictum articulum fidei sibi seruet incolumem.
Deum etenim iustum usquequaque non credidit, opinans etiam in sanctos post exitum uitae huius malignis spiritibus concessam potestatem. Nouerat enim sanctum Samuelem phitonicis non obtemperasse dum uiueret nec aliquod cum eis initae familiaritatis habuisse commercium. Nunc uero eum ad phitonis imperium sibi sperat et petit excitari. Vult etiam ad hoc cogi defunctum, ad quod uiuus impelli non potuit. Regi siquidem noluit indicare dum uiueret, nisi quod indicandum Dominus inspirabat. Cum autem uidisset mulier Samuelem, exclamauit uoce magna, et dixit ad Saulem: Quare imposuisti mihi Tu es enim Saul. Se utique deceptam credidit et etiam post praestitum iuramentum notitia et praesentia principis oneratam. Dixitque ei rex; Noli timere, quid uidisti?
Et ait mulier ad Saulem: Deos uidi ascendentes de terra. Phitonissae potuerat ab incepto uel tenuis fidei uirum deteruisse responsio. Deorum siquidem pluraHtatem inducit, et eorum habitationem sub terra et in tenebris esse significat. Dixit ergo Saul: Qualis est forma eius? Quae ait: Vir senex ascendit, et ipse amictus est pallio. Intellexit itaque Saul quod Samuel esset, et inclinauit se super faciem suam in terram, et adorauit. Formam illius qui apparebat diligenter inquirit, forte gentilium errore deceptus, eandem habitus et negotiorum formam singuHs apud inferos credens, qua superstites fuerant insigniti. Vnde illud: Quae gratia cumium armorumque fuit uiuis, quae cura nitentes pascere equos, eadem sequitur tellure repostos.
Sed nonne potuerat sancti uiri clarior esse gloria, aut post mortem uiuentis habitus immutari? Et quidem prouide et fideliter non dicit Scriptura Samuelem phitonis imperio suscitatum, sed cecitatem impii sensus prudenter expressit. Ait enim: Audita forma uiri et habitu, intellexit Saul quod Samuel esset. Deceptus utique intellexit; quod et ex eo probatur, quod subiungit: Et inclinauit se et adorauit. Si enim fuisset Samuel, nequaquam se permisisset ab homine adorari, qui secundum legem crediderat et docuerat unum Deum et Dominum adorandum. Praeterea sanctae animae a potestate malignorum spirituum exemptae sunt. Postremo decepti hominis non fouisset errorem, quod eum ex subsequentibus fecisse colligitur. Dixit autem Samuel ad Saulem: Quare inquietasti me ut suscitarer Haec est enim fraudulentia malignorum spirituum, ut quod ultro faciunt et dictant hominibus faciendum operose dissimulent, ut hoc facere uideantur inuiti.
Simulant se coactos et a quasi exorcismorum uirtute extractos fingunt; et quo minus caueantur, exorcismos quasi in nomine Domini aut in fide Trinitatis aut incamationis et passionis uirtute conceptos componunt eosdemque hominibus tradunt, exercentibus eos obtemperant, donec eos secum crimine sacrilegii et pena dampnationis inuoluant. Transfigurant etiam se interdum in angelos lucis, honesta sola praecipiunt, illicita prohibent, munditiam consectantur, utilitatibus prouident, ut quasi boni et propitii familiarius admittantur, audiantur benignius, amentur artius, facilius exaudiantur. Habitum quoque induunt uenerabilium personarum, ut eis maior et promptior reuerentia impendatur. Et ait Saul: Coartor nimis, siquidem Philistiim pugnant aduersum me, et Deus recessit a me et exaudire me noluit neque in manu prophetarum neque per somnia. Vocaui ergo te, ut ostenderes michi quid faciam. Ac si aperte dicat: In desperationis abyssum praecipitatus sum; impugnant homines, deserit Deus, et ego ad te, qui in ueritate utrisque inimicaris confugio, ut quasi doctor discipulum doceas, quid me in tanta angustia oporteat facere. Licet enim eum qui loquebatur crederet Samuelem, tamen in ueritate erat angelus. Sathanae.
Nec potuit ei ignorantia suffragari, cum nemini liceat ignorare creaturam, quae se appetit adorari, infidelem et peruersae uoluntatis esse. Sciebat etiam illicitum esse ariolos et magos inquirere et de futuris sollicitare phitonem. Quod si eum ignorantia personae excusat, melioris conditionis erunt stulti quam periti et peruersi quam recti. Et ait Samuel (non equidem uerus sed umbratilis et fictitius, et quo dignus est impius et reprobus consultator): Quid me interrogas, cum Dominus recesserit a te et transierit ad emulum tuuml Responsionis initium fidei consentaneum est et accommodum rationi. Quid enim conferet creatura illi, quem deserit Deus et cui diripit spolia Sed sensim ad id quod suum est, hostis et fidei inimicus diuertit immiscens falsa ueris et mendacia fide ueritatis obnubilans. Sequitur enim: Faciet tibi Dominus sicut locutus est in manu mea, et scindet regnum tuum de manu tua et dabit illud proximo tuo Dauid, quia non obedisti uoci Domini neque fecisti iram furoris eius in Amalech. Iccirco quod pateris, fecit tibi Dominus hodie, et dabit Dominus etiam tecum Israel in manu Philistinorum. Cras autem tu et filii tui mecum eritis.
Sed et castra Israel tradet Dominus in manu Philistiim. Exitum quidem belli fideliter infidelis exposuit, sed tamen uerborum tendiculis infidelem et infelicem animam fraudulenter decepit. Deuiantis siquidem confirmat errorem, et impenitenti post exitum quietem repromittit. Cum enim dicit Dominum impleturum quae locutus est in manu mea, se proculdubio simulat Samuelem, per quem Sauli, quae denuntiat, locutus est Dominus. Cum autem subiungit: Cras tu et filii tui mecum eritis; uerum quidem sed fraudulenter enuntiat. Erat enim die sequenti sibi manum 3ex desperatione iniciens ad inferos transiturus, habiturus partem cum eo, quem auaritia fastu obstinatione mentis fuerat insecutus. Sed falso blanditur, ingerens spem quietis, dum se gestu et uerbis mentitur Samuelem, cui certum est coUatam esse in quiete sedem a Domino inter eos qui inuocant nomen eius. Quid ergo Sauli Samuelis sui uel potius phitonis profuere responsa Potuerat forte non praemonitus sperare meliora, et saltem dum alieno confoderetur gladio expectare.
Oraculi uero uanitate certioratus gladio suo incubuit, et in extremis agens, dum propriae gloriae consulebat, qui fortius mori potuisset in praelio, auram uerborum pertimuit, et infirmi et prostrati animi consilio corporis et animae mortem asciuit. Glorib entur gentes in fortitudine sua, auctores earum dicant, unusquisque quod sentit, dum heroum suorum titulos praedicant, dum magnorum uirorum fortitudinem praeconantur; bibat illis auctoribus Cato uenenum, Vulteius dextras et mentes sociorum armet ad uoluntariam mortem, per mamillas ad cor uenenum aspidum insanabile Cleopatra traiciat, Lucretia alienam impudicitiam sanguinis sui effusione condempnet. Ego euenire posse non arbitror, ut cuiuscumque difficultatis articulo liceat propria auctoritate homini sibi mortem inferre, nec etiam ubi castitas periclitatur. Licet hunc casum uideatur excipere doctor ille doctorum, cui in sacrario Htterarum uix aliquem audeo comparare. Haec mors omnino desperatorum est, et eorum qui licet corpore uiuant, iam mentis morte praemortui animo uiuere desierunt. Vtique non uiuorum, sed iam mortuorum mors est. Infidehum regum percurre seriem, i leroboam Acab lezabel Nabugodonosor Sennacherib et alii quorum errores non sufficio enarrare, quid lucrati sunt in uatibus suis, qui uidebant eis falsa et stulta, nec aperiebant iniquitatem eorum, ut eos ad penitentiam prouocarent? Omnes Utique euanuerunt post principem uanitatis, et dum scire quod non licet, uel aliter quam licet, appetunt, ad inane et nichilum redacti sunt.
Reges uero Israel infidelibus sociaui, quia cum regum luda alii boni alii mali fuerint, reges Israel omnes reprobi exd titerunt. aa ' Linque archana Dei celumque inquirere quid sit, ait Cato, quia quod destinauit de te et statuit Deus, citra tuam sollicitudinem potens est expedire. Egregie quidem ethicus: Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum; grata superueniet quae non sperabitur hora. Veritas autem sibi ubique consona est, nec a se, licet a mendacii habitaculo proferatur, quandoque discordat, sicut nec munditia, dum sui integritate uiget, quarumcumque sordium uicinitate polluitur. Ipsa mortem indicit non timeri, et ad eam excipiendam nos horis omnibus praecipit praeparari, ut quo minus de diutumitate uitae praesumitur, in cultum honestatis uirtutum gradibus auidius. Mors siquidem necessarium munus est naturae iam corruptae. Corruptio namque mortis origo est. Tolle corruptionem, sectare integritatem munditiae et uirtutis, iam immortalitatis uiam ingressus es et quandam diuinitatis tuae arram apprehendisti.
Apprehendisti, inquam, an accepisti? Sed, ut fidelius loquamur, et accepisti et apprehendisti; non est enim uolentis neque currentis sed miserentis Dei. Quis scit quando ueniet, sero an media nocte an galli cantu an mane? Vt enim ait. ille: Nichil morte certius est, nichil hora incertius; quae utique non timenda est quasi malum, sed quasi malorum finis, cum uenerit, gratanter amplectenda. Vnum est quod totis mentis et corporis uiribus fugiendum est. Quid illud sit quaeris? Turpitudo et totius species inhonesti.
Haec enim faciunt mortem terminum non esse malorum sed antecedentium et succedentium copulam. Ad hanc fugiendam non oracula uatum non phitonis consultatio necessaria est; fidehus et utilius ad hoc ratio data consulitur. Cato in Libia extremae difficultatis angustia coartatus Hamonem louem dedignatus est consultare, ratus sibi rationem sufficere ut persuaderet seruandam libertatem, et non modo dominationis Cesareae iugum sed omnem notam turpitudinis fugiendam; licet in eo errauerit quod auctoritate propria uitae munus abiecit; quod non modo fidelium institutis sed constitutionibus gentium et sapientissimorum edictis constat esse prohibitum. Veteris quidem philosophiae princeps Pitagoras et Plotinus prohibitionis huius non tam auctores sunt quam praecones, omnino illicitum esse dicentes quempiam militiae seruientem a praesidio et commissa sibi statione discedere citra ducis uel principis iussionem. Plane eleganti exemplo usi sunt, eo quod militia est uita hominis super terram. Quid si contra iubeant oracula uatum uel responsa phitonis? Procul dubio minime audiendi sunt, quia cum periculo innocentiae nemo cuiquam debet fidem. Si michi non credis, Numam Romanorum imperatorum fere innocentissimum praeter Titum, si placet, attende.
Dum inuitaretur ad homicidium, petito capite ad sacrificia, censuit cepam esse caedendam, reflectens ad innocentiam etiam peruersi numinis uoluntatem. At cum 'hominis' adiceretur a numine, capillos se pollicitus est oblaturum. Cum uero spiritus immundus sitiret et sanguinem, piscem immolandum esse respondit. Sic itaque cum ratio eius circumueniri non posset ut traheretur ad culpam, immundorum spirituum testimonio colloquio deorum pronuntiatus est esse dignissimus. Nec est quod sub exorcismorum praetextu suum quis tueatur errorem, qui ad minuendam demonum potestatem et ad distrahendum quod habent cum homine familiaritatis commercium instituti sunt, carentque propriae uirtutis efiectu nisi in Dei digito conualescant. Porro Spiritus sanctus disciplinae effugit a fictum, et corpus peccatis subditum sui esse habitaculum dedignatur. Quicquid uero huiusmodi agatur, fictitium est et phantasticum et ueritatis substantiam nescit. Videtur quidem adesse, dum precibus et oblationibus inuocatur, et effectu petitionum persequente sacrilegum errantis animae desiderium adimpletur.
Abest autem tam longe. ut subtracta tutela sui eos, quos perfidia tanta exagitat, uariis ludificationibus demonum trahi sustineat ad gehennam. Se siquidem ad huiusmodi flagitia prohibuit inuitari publica uoce Ecclesiae, aduersus quam nec portae inferi praeualebunt. Cum ergo sancti Spiritus gratia auctoritaa Ecclesiae improbatis subtrahitur exorcismis, qui eis non tam utuntur quam abutuntur, offendunt in Spiritum, quo recedente eius sibi nituntur uirtutem et efficaciam retinere.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin text 'uaticid nantur' is a likely corruption of 'vaticinantur'.
Policraticus companion
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