Quod dehet legem Dei habere prae mente et oculis
The Prince and the Law
A prince must internalize the divine law and seek guidance from the holy priesthood.
Always, and to be skilled in letters, and to be guided by the counsel of the learned. Once he has taken his seat on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a volume. You see, a prince must not be ignorant of the law; even though he may enjoy many privileges, he isn't permitted to ignore the law of the Lord under the pretext of military service. He shall therefore write a 'Deuteronomy' of the law—that is, a second law—in the volume of his heart, so that there is a first law, which the letter conveys, and a second, which the mystical understanding recognizes from it. The first could indeed be written on stone tablets, but the second is not imprinted except in the purer intelligence of the mind. And it is rightly written in a volume as a 'Deuteronomy,' because the prince thus turns over the meaning of the law within himself, so that the letter does not depart from his eyes. In this way, he insists upon the letter so that it in no way disagrees with the purity of his understanding. For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life, and the necessary and general interpretation of human law and equity lies in that very middle ground. "Take," he says, "the pattern from the priests of the Levitical tribe." That's exactly right. The judgment of all laws is empty if it doesn't bear the image of divine law; and a ruler's decree is useless if it isn't in line with ecclesiastical discipline. The Most Christian prince was well aware of this, and he commanded in his own laws that no one should disdain to follow the holy canons. He didn't just order that the priests be asked for these patterns; he even sent the ruler himself to the Levitical tribe to borrow them. For this is how legitimate priests ought to be heard: a just person should close their ears to those who are reprobate and rising up in opposition. But who are the priests of the Levitical tribe? They are certainly those whom the law has brought into the Church without the goads of greed, without the impulse of ambition, and without the pull of flesh and blood.
Examples of Righteous Rule
Scriptural and historical examples demonstrate how kings should submit to divine law and priestly correction.
It isn't the letter of the law that kills, but the Spirit that gives life through the holiness of the mind, the purity of the body, the sincerity of faith, and the works of charity. Just as the shadowy law, which carried everything in figures, chose priests based on the singularity of flesh and blood, so too, after the shadows passed and the truth was revealed and justice looked down from heaven, the Spirit gathers those whom the merit of their life, the fragrance of a good reputation, the unity of the faithful, or the diligent providence of prelates has set apart for the work of ministry, and appoints them as legitimate priests of the Levitical tribe. It is added: 'And he shall have it with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life.' Consider how diligent a prince should be in keeping the law of the Lord, since he is commanded to always have it, to read it, and to ponder it—just as the King of kings, born of a woman and born under the law, fulfilled all the justice of the law, submitting to it not out of necessity but by His own will; for His will was in the law, and He meditated on the law of the Lord day and night. But if He is not considered an example to follow in this regard—He who did not embrace the glory of kings but the poverty of the faithful, who clothed Himself in the form of a servant, who sought no place to rest His head on earth, and who, when questioned by the judge, confessed that His kingdom was not of this world—then let the examples of illustrious kings, whose memory is a blessing, be of profit. Let David, Hezekiah, Josiah, and the others who believed that the glory of their kingdom depended on this, come forth from the camp of Israel, if they sought the glory of God by binding themselves and their subjects in the bonds of the divine law. And so that their examples don't seem remote, or less worthy of following because we seem to depart somewhat from their law, their ritual of works, their religious observance, and their profession of faith (though we and they share the same faith, yet in such a way that we rejoice and venerate as fulfilled what they awaited in the future, now that the shadows of symbols have been cast aside since the truth has risen from the earth and been revealed in the sight of the nations); so that, I say, their examples are not despised as alien or profane, our Constantine, Theodosius, Justinian, and Leo, along with other most Christian princes, can instruct a Christian prince. For they devoted their primary effort to ensuring that the most sacred laws, which bind the lives of all, were known and kept by everyone, and that no one was ignorant of them, unless the public utility compensated for the loss caused by error, or the mercy shown to the infirmity of age or sex avoided the stings of legitimate severity. Their deeds, therefore, are incentives to virtue; and as for their words, there are as many of them as there are lessons for our character. In the end, they raised up their lives—having subdued and captured their vices—like a triumphal arch consecrated to posterity, inscribed with the titles of magnificent virtue, proclaiming in all things through a faithful confession that it was not our own high hand, but the Lord who did all these things. Constantine is distinguished by a perpetual blessing, having founded and endowed the Roman Church, to say nothing of his other remarkable deeds. What Justinian and Leo were is clear from the fact that they strove to consecrate the whole world as a kind of temple of justice through their clarified and sacred laws. For what shall I say of Theodosius, whom these men held as an exemplar of virtue, and whom the Church of God venerated—not only as an emperor but as a bishop—because of his remarkable reputation for religion and justice, and because he bore the indignation of the priests with such patience and humility? He who had enacted laws—how patiently he bore the sentence of the priest of Milan! And so that you don't think the sentence of a priest who was softened by the applause of princes was lenient, the prince was suspended from the use of royal regalia, excluded from the church, and forced to perform solemn penance. But what had subjected him to such a great necessity? A will that is truly subject to the justice of God and always obedient to His law. And unless you consider what is written with metrical lightness to be beneath you, you will recognize in a few words, from those things with which he instructs his son in Claudian, what kind of person he himself was in the sacred discipline of character. However, when I reflect on the words of that law, they seem heavy to me individually, and they come to my mind as if fertilized by the spirit of intelligence. He will therefore have the law with him, he says, taking care that he doesn't have it against himself to his own condemnation, since it's necessary for him to have it. For the powerful shall suffer torments powerfully. And he added: 'He shall read it.' For it's of little benefit to have the law in a bag, unless it's faithfully kept in the soul. It must therefore be read all the days of his life.
The Necessity of Learning
Literacy and education are essential for effective leadership, as an ignorant ruler is a danger to his people.
From these points, it's clear how necessary literacy is for rulers, who are commanded to review the law of the Lord daily through reading. And you won't often find that priests are commanded to read the law daily. A ruler, however, reads daily, and for all the days of his life; because any day he doesn't read the law isn't a day of life for him, but of death. An illiterate person certainly won't do this without difficulty. This is why, in the letters I recall the King of the Romans sent to the King of the Franks—in which he urged him to ensure his children were instructed in the liberal arts—he added this elegant remark among other things: that an illiterate king is like a crowned donkey. If, however, by some dispensation due to the merit of exceptional virtue, it happens that a ruler is illiterate, he must be guided by the counsel of learned men. It is necessary for things to go well for him. Therefore, let Nathan the prophet, Zadok the priest, and the faithful sons of the prophets assist him, so they don't allow him to turn away from the law of the Lord, and let them introduce through their own tongues—as if through a gateway of the ears—what he himself doesn't perceive with his eyes or his mind. Let the mind of a prince read through the tongue of a priest, and let him revere whatever excellence he sees in their character as if it were the law of the Lord. For the life and speech of priests are, in a sense, a living book for the people to see. Perhaps this is why the examples of the law are meant to be taken from the priests of the Levitical tribe, because the power of a commissioned magistrate should be governed by their preaching. And a person isn't entirely without reading if, even if they don't read themselves, they faithfully listen to what is read by others. But for someone who does neither—how will they faithfully fulfill a command they hold in contempt? For the gathering of all desirable things is an access to wisdom. Didn't Ptolemy believe something was missing from his happiness until he summoned the seventy interpreters and shared the law of the Lord with the Greeks, even though he was a Gentile? It makes no difference whether the interpreters conferred while locked in the same cell or prophesied in separate places, as long as it's certain that the king, in his anxious search for truth, brought the law of the Lord into Greece. I remember reading in the Attic Nights that when the notable traits of Philip of Macedon are recounted, they highlight—among other things—his devotion to learning, as if it were on par with his military affairs, his triumphs in battle, his generosity at the table, his acts of kindness, and everything else he said or did with grace and courtesy. Yet he took care to pass on even this very thing in which he knew himself to be superior to others—as if it were the foundation of his hereditary wealth—to the only one he hoped would be the future heir to his kingdom and his happiness. For this reason, the letter he sent to Aristotle, the teacher of his newborn son (as he hoped), seemed worth transcribing. It is composed, therefore, along these lines: Philip sends greetings to Aristotle. Know that a son has been born to me, for which I give thanks to the gods—not so much because he is born, but because he was born during your lifetime. For I hope that, once educated and instructed by you, he will prove worthy of both of us and of the responsibilities he is to take on. I don't recall any Roman emperors or leaders who were uneducated while their republic was flourishing. And I don't know how it happened that, from the time the love of learning grew weak among princes, the hand of the armed militia also became infirm, and the very root of the principate itself was, as it were, cut off.
Wisdom as the Guide of Princes
True leadership is impossible without wisdom, which is the source of all just governance.
It's no wonder, since no leadership can stand or even exist without wisdom. Socrates was judged the wisest by Apollo’s oracle, and he surpassed those seven men called 'the wise' beyond all comparison—not just in the reputation for wisdom, but in virtue. He asserted that nations would finally be happy if philosophers ruled them, or if their leaders happened to study wisdom. And (if you think Socrates' authority is worth dismissing): 'Through me,' says Wisdom, 'kings reign, and lawgivers decree what is just; through me, princes command, and the powerful decide justice. I love those who love me, and those who watch for me at dawn will find me. With me are riches and glory, proud wealth and justice; my fruit is better than gold and precious stone, my produce better than choice silver. I walk in the ways of justice, in the midst of the paths of judgment, so that I may enrich those who love me and fill their treasuries.' Also: 'Mine is counsel and equity; mine is prudence; mine is strength.' And elsewhere: 'Accept discipline and not money; choose knowledge rather than gold.' For wisdom is better than all the most precious riches, and nothing desirable can be compared to it. Although the pagans believed that nothing should be done without the nod of the gods, they still honored one as if he were the God of gods and the prince of all—namely, Wisdom—because it is Wisdom that presides over all things. Hence, the ancient philosophers decided that an image of Wisdom should be painted before the doors of all temples, and that these words should be inscribed: 'Experience gave birth to me, Memory brought me forth; the Greeks call me Sophia, you call me Wisdom.' And this, too: I hate foolish men, idle works, and philosophical opinions. They certainly framed these ideas elegantly, even if they didn't fully know the Truth itself; yet they approached it to some extent when they considered Wisdom to be the guide and leader of all things done rightly, since she herself truly boasts that from the beginning she has held the primacy in every nation and people, trampling the necks of the proud and the lofty by her own power.1 Solomon also confesses that he loved her more than health and all beautiful things, and that all those good things came to him along with her.2
Read the original Latin
semper, et peritus esse in litteris, et litteratorum agi consiliis. Postquam autem sederit in solio regni sui, describet sibi Deuteronomium legis huius in uolumine. Ecce quia princeps non debet esse iuris ignarus et, licet multis priuilegiis gaudeat, nec militiae praetextu legem Domini permittitur ignorare. Describet ergo Deuteronomiuin legis, id est, secundam legem, in uolumine cordis: ut sit lex prima, quam littera ingerit; seeunda, quam ex eo misticus intellectus agnoscit. Prima quidem scribi potuit lapideis tabulis; sed secunda non imprimitur, nisi in puriore intelligentia mentis. Et recte in uolumine Deuteronomium scribitur, quia sic apud se sensum legis princeps reuoluit, quod ab oculis eius littera non recedit. Et sic quidem insistit litterae ut nequaquam ab intellectus discordet puritate. Littera namque occidit, spiritus uiuificat, et penes ipsum humani iuris et aequitatis media interpretatio necessaria et generalis extat.
Accipiens, inquit, exemplar a sacerdotibus Leuiticae tribus. Recte quidem. Omnium legum inanis est censura, si non diuinae legis imaginem gerat; et inutilis est a constitutio principis, si non est ecclesiasticae disciplinae conformis. Quod et Christianissimum non latuit principem, qui legibus suis indixit ne dedignentur sacros canones imitari. Et non modo sacerdotes exemplaria peti praecipit, sed ad Leuiticam tribum, mutuandi gratia, principem mittit. Sic enim legitimi sacerdotes audiendi sunt, ut reprobis et ascendentibus ex aduerso omnem uir iustus claudat auditum. Sed qui simt sacerdotes Leuiticae tribus? Hli utique quos sine auaritiae stimulis, sine ambitionis impulsu, sine affectione camis et sanguinis lex in Ecclesiam introduxit.
Non autem lex litterae, quae mortificat, sed spiritus, quae in sanctitate mentis, mimditia corporis, fidei sinceritate et operibus caritatis uiuificat. Sicut enim umbratilis lex et gerens omnia figuraliter sacerdotes in singularitate camis et sanguinis praeelegit; sic, postquam cessantibus umbris ueritas patefacta est et iustitia de celo prospexit, quos uitae commendat meritum et bonae opinionis odor et unitas fidelium aut praelatorum diligens prouidentia in opus ministerii segregauit, Spiritus applicat ad Leuiticam tribum et legitimos instituit sacerdotes. Adicitur: Et habebit secum, legetque illud omnibus diebus uitae suae. Attende quanta debeat esse diligentia principis in lege Domini custodienda, qui eam semper habere legere praecipitur et reuoluere, sicut Rex regum, factus ex muliere, factus sub lege, omnem impleuit iustitiam legis, ei non necessitate sed uoluntate subiectus; quia in lege uoluntas eius, et in lege Domini meditatus est die ac nocte. Quod si ille in hac parte non creditur imitandus qui non regum gloriam sed fidelium amplexus est paupertatem et indutus forma seruili reclinatorium capiti non quaesiuit in terris et interrogatus a iudice regnum suum de hoc mundo non esse confessus est, proficiant uel exempla regum illustrium quorum memoria in benedictione est. Procedant ergo de castris Israel Dauid, Ezechias et losias et ceteri qui in eo sibi regni gloriam constare credebant, si Dei quaerentes gloriam se et subditos diuinae legis nexibus innodarent. Et ne illorum remota uideantur exempla, et ex eo sequenda minus, quod a lege eorum et ritu operura et religionis cultu et fidei professione aliquantisper uidemur abscedere (licet nobis et illis eadem fides sit, ita t men ut, quod illi futurum expectabant, nos ex parte magna gaudeamus et ueneremur impletum, abiectis tantum umbris figurarum ex quo ueritas de terra orta est et in conspectu gentium reuelata); ne, inquam, illorum quasi aliena aut prophana contempnantur exempla, Constantinus noster, Theodosius, lustinianus et Leo et alii Christianissimi principes principem possunt instniere Christianum. In eo namque praecipuam operam dabant, ut sacratissimae leges, quae eonstringunt omnium uitas, scirentur et tenerentur ab omnibus, nec illarum esset quisquam ignarus, nisi aut publica utilitate erroris dispendium compensaret aut miseratione etatis aut sexus ainfirmitate legitimae acerbitatis euitet aculeos.
Illorum itaque gesta uirtutum incitamenta sunt; uerba quot sunt, tot institutiones morum. Denique uitam, uitiis subiugatis et captiuatis, quasi arcum triumphalem consecratum posteritati magnificae uirtutis titulis erexerunt, fideli confessione praedicantes in omnibus quia non manus nostra excelsa sed Dominus fecit haec omnia. Et quidem Constantinus Romana ecclesia fundata et dotata, ut cetera eius taceantur egregia, benedictione perpetua insignis est. lustinianus et Leo qui fuerint ex eo claret, quod totum orbem sacratissimis legibus enucleatis quasi quoddam templum iustitiae sacrare studuerunt. Nam de Theodosio quid dicam, quem isti uirtutis habuenmt exemplar, et Ecclesia Dei ob religionis et iustitiae uenerabilem notam et sacerdotibus patientissime tamen et humillime indignantem non modo ut imperatorem uenerata est sed ut antistitem? Qui leges tulerat, quam patienter tulit sententiam sacerdotis Mediolanensis! Et ne sententiam emolliti presbiteri et principibus applaudentis fuisse teneram putes, a regalium usu suspensus est princeps, exclusus ab ecclesia, et penitentiam coactus est explere soUempnera. Sed quid eum tantae necessitati subiecerat?
Voluntas utique gubiecta iustitiae Dei et legi eius usquequaque obtemperans. Et nisi quae metrica leuitate scribuntur duxeris habenda contemptui, ex his quibus filium instruit apud Claudium Claudianum quis ipse in sacrano morum extiterit paucis agnosces. Ceterum cum praemissae legis uerba, reuoluo,singula michi uidentur onusta et quasi spiritu intelligentiae fecundata menti occurrunt. Habebit ergo, inquit, secum legem, prouidens ne ad dampnationem suam, cum eam habere necesse sit, habeat contra se. Potentes etenim potenter tormenta patientur. Et adiecit: Legetque illud. Legem siquidem habere in mantica parum prodest, nisi fideliter custodiatur in anima. Legenda est ergo omnibus diebus uitae suae.
Ex quibus liquido constat, quam necessaria sit principibus peritia litterarum, qui legem Domini cotidie reuoluere lectione iubentur. Et forte quod sacerdotes legem cotidie legere iubeantur, non frequenter inuenies. Princeps uero cotidie legit, et diebus uitae; quia qua die non legerit legem, ei non dies uitae sed mortis est. Hoc utique sine difficultate illiteratus non faciet. Vnde et in litteris, quas regem Romanorum ad Francorum regem transmisisse recolo, quibus hortabatur ut liberos suos liberalibus disciplinis institui procuraret, hoc inter cetera eleganter adiecit, quia rex illiteratus est quasi asinus coronatus. Si tamen ex dispensatione ob egregiae uirtutis meritum, principem contingat esse illiteratum, eundem agi litteratorum consiliis,. ut ei res recte procedat, necesse est. Assistant ergo ei Nathan propheta et Sadoch sacerdos et fideles filii prophetarum, qui eum a lege Domini diuertere non patiantur, et quam ipse oculis animo non ostendit, linguis suis introdueant, quasi quodam aurium ostio, lita terati.
Legat itaque mens principis in lingua sacerdotis, et quicquid egregium uidet in moribus, quasi legem Domini ueneretur. Nam uita et lingua sacerdotum quasi quidam uitae liber est in facie populorum. Eo forte spectat quod exempla legis a sacerdotibus Leuiticae tribus loiubetur assumij quia praedicatione eorum debet potestas ' commissi magistratus gubemacula moderari. Nec expers omnino lectionis est qui, etsi ipse non legit, quae leguntur ab aliis fideliter audit. Qui uero neutrum facit, quomodo in contemptu praecepti quod praecipitur fideliter adimplebit? Concursus namque desiderabilium omnium sapientiae accessio est. Tholomeus ad cumulum beatitudinis nonne sibi aliquid deesse credidit donec, accitis septuaginta interpretibus, licet gentilis esset, legem Domini Grecis communicauit? Nichil enim refert an interpretes in eadem cellula clausi contulerint an prophetauerint in diuersis, dum constet regem in ueritatis inquisitione sollicitum legem Domini in Greciam traiecisse.
In Athicis Noctibus legisse me memini quod, cum Phiiippi Macedonis morum legantur insignia, inter cetera litteratorum studium, quasi belli negotia et uictoriarum triumphos, liberalitatem mensae, humanitatis officium, et quaecumque lepide comiterque dicta uel facta sunt, colorauit. Verum et hoc ipsum in quo se aliis excellentiorem nouerat, quasi bonorum hereditariorum fundamentum, ad unicum quem sperabat regni et felicitatis futurum heredem transmittere curauit. Ob hanc causam epistola eius destinata Aristotili nuper nati Alexandri, ut sperabatur, magistro uisa est exscribenda. Est igitur concepta ad hanc ferme sententiam: Philippus Aristotili salutem dicit. Filium michi genitum scito, quo equidem Diis habeo gratiam, non proinde quia natus est quam pro eo quod eum nasci contigit temporibus uitae tuae. Spero etenim fore ut educatus eruditusque a te dignus existat et nobis et rerum istarum susceptione. Romanos imperatores aut duces, dum eorum respublica uiguit, illiteratos extitisse non memini. Et nescio quomodo contigit quod, ex quo in principibus uirtus languit litterarum, armatae quoque militiae infirmata est manus et ipsius principatus quasi praecisa radix.
Nec mirum, cum sine sapientia nullus stare aut esse ualeat principatus. Socrates Apollinis oraculo sapientissimus iudicatus est et qui sine contradictione septem illos qui dicti sunt sapientes incomparabiliter antecessit non in opinione sapientiae sed uirtute, tunc demum respublicas fore beatas asseruit, si eas philosophi regerent aut rectores earum studere sapientiae contigisset. Et (si tibi Socratis uidetur contempnenda auctoritas): Per me, inquit Sapientia, reges regnant, et conditores legum a iusta decernunt; per me principes imperant, et potentes decemunt iustitiam; ego diligentes me diligo, et qui mane uigilant ad me, inuenient me; mecum sunt diuitiae et gloria, opes superbae et iustitia; melior est fructus meus auro et lapide pretioso, genimina mea argento electo; in uiis iustitiae ambulo, in medio semitarum iudicii, ut ditem diligentes me et thesauros illorum repleam. Item: Meum est consilium et aequitas, mea est prudentia, mea est fortitudo. Et alibi: Accipite disciplinam et non pecuniam, doctrinam magis quam aurum eligite. Melior est enim sapientia cunctis opibus pretiosissimis, et omne desiderabile ei non potest comparari. Cum gentiles nichil sine nutu numinum crederent faciendum, unum tamen quasi Deum deorum et omnium principem excolebant, scilicet Sapientiam, ideo quod ipsa omnibus praeest. Vnde et philosophi ueteres imaginem Sapientiae pro foribus omnium templorum pingi et haec uerba scribi debere censuerunt: Vsus me genuit, peperit Memoria; Sophiam me uocant Graii, uos Sapientiam.
Et haec item: Ego odi homines stultos et ignaua opera et philosophicas sententias. Et quidem eleganter illi ista finxerunt, licet ueritatem ipsam plene non nouerint; ad eam tamen aliquatenus accedentes, dum Sapientiam omnium quae recte fiunt, ducem et principem arbitrantur, cum et ipsa ueraciter glorietur quod in omni gente et populo a aoprincipio primatum tenuit superborum et sullimium colla prqpria uirtute calcans. Salomon quoque se eam super salutem et omnia pulchra dilexissefatetur, et ad ipsum un ea bona omnia accessisse.
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text contains minor typos ('aoprincipio', 'sullimium', 'prqpria'); these have been corrected in translation to 'a principio', 'sublimium', and 'propria'.
- 2 ↩The source text contains a typo ('dilexissefatetur' and 'un'); these have been corrected in translation to 'dilexisse fatetur' and 'una'.
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