Quae praecipue uersentur in intentione Plutarchi;
The Foundation of Reverence
The author outlines the primary duties of a leader, emphasizing that all governance must begin with the reverence and worship of God.
And regarding the reverence that should be shown to God and to sacred things. In short, there are four things he tries to impress upon the leaders of the state: reverence for God, worship of Him, discipline for officials and authorities, and affection for and protection of the subjects. He asserts that God must be honored first; then, that everyone must worship Him so that—as the Apostle feels, even if he doesn't acknowledge the Apostle—everyone may possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor; next, that the leader's teaching should permeate the entire discipline of the house; and finally, that the whole body of subjects may rejoice in the safety of their head and leaders. He also uses the stratagems and tactical maneuvers of great men, which, if included one by one, would be tedious for the reader and would, in part, depart from the sincerity of our faith. However, because the holy fathers and the laws of princes seem to follow in the footsteps of his teaching—despite the perfidy that has been introduced—let us touch upon his doctrine in a Catholic and concise manner, while adding his tactical maneuvers in part. Furthermore, for him the beginning is in the reverence of the divine, but for us it is in God, who must be loved by all in general; and the various rites of the priesthoods, by which he so occupied the barbarism that they refrained from injuries, ceased from arms, worshiped justice, and shared a civil affection for one another; and he brought the fierce people to such a state that they could happily govern the empire, which they had occupied by force (as it is said) and injury, through the laws of justice and piety. But why do I bring up Numa, when the fathers of our faith also assert that the sacrifices of the old law were instituted so that the people, occupied in the worship of demons, would not unlearn the worship of the true religion, sacrificing their own offerings to demons and not to God in the manner of the Gentiles? God is therefore worshiped either by the affection of the mind or by the performance of a work.
The Radiance of the Divine
Using the metaphor of light and precious stones, the author explains how God manifests His presence and virtues uniquely within each person.
Yet the heart's desire for love reaches Him purely, even if it cannot fully grasp Him while it is a pilgrim away from the Lord and the mind is weighed down by the burden of the body. He is certainly loved more ardently and sought more diligently the more His height and the immensity of His riches, power, and wisdom surpass all understanding. Yet by such great power He circles, penetrates, fills, and protects every creature, so that He cannot possibly be hidden from any rational creature. Even irrational things testify by many signs that He exists, that He is such as He is, and that He is so great. In a wonderful way, He pours out the understanding of Himself so that He withdraws it; He withdraws it so that He may pour it out; and according to the measure of His own good pleasure, He works in each person in such a way that, while one may be ignorant of the turns of intensity and remission, He may seem to be present more or less through grace—though not through the essence by which He uniformly fills every creature. For through the union in the only-begotten Son of the Virgin, His existence is faithfully confirmed. He is therefore now, as it were, to be everything in everyone, as it is written: all in all among the elect. Just as the nature of fire—though it is an unequal comparison, since nothing can be equally compared to Him—produces different effects from the sun according to the diversity of bodies, so He (if it is permitted to compare great things to the greatest) shines in many ways in many things. For a solar ray, if it happens to fall upon a carbuncle, makes the surrounding air glow red as it emerges or reflects. The same fire turns green in an emerald, and is conformed to a purer firmament in a sapphire. It also takes on the color of whatever is nearby. In the topaz—which is more precious the rarer it is—it shines with the color of almost everything. If you hold a rainbow up to it, it will reflect the image of Iris. When placed over water, it ripples on the ceiling, but it also casts a heavenly fire through the beryl placed beneath it. You see, then, how much fire is in many things. So, in some there is prudence, in others fortitude, in some temperance, in others justice, in some faith, and in others the long-suffering of hope; in these is the fervor of charity, in that one the patience of labors, in another the consolation of sorrows, elsewhere the perseverance of good works—yet all these individual things in individual people are one and the same God. But in the future, when we see Him face to face through His grace just as He is, He will be all in all, when no one will lack the substance of any virtue for their blessedness, since He Himself will be the fullness of virtue and the sum of blessedness in everyone; indeed, so much so that, according to the tradition of the fathers, He will appear to be present to the elect in such a fullness of His majesty that nothing will be lacking to them in any grace, and He Himself will appear almost alone in them, and they will be known by His name, while the truth of their substance remains and without any changeability of nature. Hence, perhaps, comes that saying: 'The saints shall exult in glory, they shall rejoice in their beds,' since the hearts of the saints are then believed to be open to one another, and each one glories not only in their own conscience but also in the conscience of all.
The Unity of God in All
The author explores the future state of beatitude where God will be all in all, and the threefold cord of fear, veneration, and love that binds the creature to the Creator.
To stick with the previous analogy, just as fire penetrates and ignites iron until nothing is seen in it but fire, and just as a sunbeam illuminating the air is identified as the sun or the beam itself, so God will fill all the elect. When every infirmity and changeability is swallowed up, and the mortal has put on immortality and the corruptible has put on incorruptibility, God alone will be recognized in all things. Some point to this, suggesting that angels, who already share in our future beatitude, are seen and adored by men because... in them a certain presence of the Godhead is visible, even though it is not permitted for one creature to adore another. Likewise, something of the Godhead shone forth in the face of the Savior when He made a whip out of cords and drove the sellers and buyers from the temple, teaching that all trafficking must be driven out of the house of prayer. In others, however, even if the presence of the Godhead is there, its fullness is by no means present in the present, yet it cannot be hidden entirely. He is therefore wonderful in majesty, venerable in wisdom, and lovable in goodness, and the faithful creature can offer this worship to Him without any intermediary. For what is necessary for this, that we should fear, venerate, and love Him? And this is perhaps the threefold cord between the Creator and the creature that cannot be easily broken. But the power of love is the most tenacious of all.
Worship in Spirit and Truth
The author distinguishes between internal spiritual worship and external physical service, affirming that God desires the devotion of both soul and body.
Charity never fails, and if anyone clings to God through it, they are united to Him and become one spirit with Him; indeed, whoever is united to Him in such a way that they are one spirit is close to Him and cannot be kept from His service, which is in the spirit. But worship that consists of outward displays of work requires a medium, because we have no direct physical access to the spirit; this is clearly what He taught when He instructed the Church through the Samaritan woman, saying: God is spirit, and those who wish to worship Him must worship in spirit. and in truth. Yet, so that our weakness might climb to His throne in whatever way it can and have some material for merit, He who gave us our senses willed to be worshipped through them; and since He will glorify both soul and body, He seeks the faithful service of both. He also willed to be honored physically, so that no amount of sluggishness, faithlessness, or negligence could have an excuse.
Read the original Latin
et de reuerentia exhibenda Deo et rebus sacris. In summa ergo quattuor sunt quae nititur rei publicae principibus inculcare: reuerentiam Dei, cultum sui, disciplinam officialium et potestatum, affectum et protectionem subditorum. Deum ergo in primis asserit honorandum; deinde seipsum colendum unicuique ut, secundum quod Apostolus sentit (licet ille Apostolum non agnoscat), unusquisque uas suum possideat in sanctificatione et honore; post ut doctrinam praepositi totius disciplina domus redoleat et tandem uniuersitas subiectorum de capitis praepositorum sibi incolumitate letetur. Magnorum quoque uirorum strategemmatibus et strategemmaticis utitur, quae, si per singula inserantur, tediosa erunt lectori et pro parte a fidei nostrae sinceritate recedent. Ceterum, quia sancti patres et principum leges illius deducta tamen perfidia uidentur inherere uestigiis, doctrinam eius sermone catholico et succincto, adiectis ex parte strategemmaticis eius, attingamus. Porro ei initium a reuerentia numinum est, nobis a Deo, qui ab omnibus generaliter amandus est et et sacerdotiorum uarii ritus, quibus ita barbariem oceupauit, ut ab iniuriis temperarent, feriarentur ab armis, iustitiam colerent, et ciuilem sibi inuicem impertirent afFectum; eoque ferocem redegit populum, ut imperium, quod ui (ut dicitur) et iniuria occupauerat, iustitiae et pietatis legibus feliciter gubernaret. Sed quid profero Numam, cum et patres fidei nostrae ueteris legis sacrificia asserant instituta, ne in demoniorum cultu populus occupatus uerae religionis dedisceret cultum, ritu gentium sacrificia sua demoniis immolans et non Deo? Colitur ergo Deus aut affectu mentis aut exhibitione operis.
Sed affectus dilectionis ipsum pure attingit, licet aliquo sensu corporis uel animae, dum peregrinatur a Domino et mens mole corporis praegrauatur, plene nequeat comprehendi; et certe eo amatur ardentius et studiosius quaeritur, quo altitudo et immensitas diuitiarum potentiae et sapientiae suae omnem exsuperat intellectum; uirtute tamen tanta omnem creaturam circuit penetrat implet et protegit, ut nequaquam latere ualeat quamlibet rationabilem creaturam. Ipsa quoque irrationabilia ipsum esse et talem esse et tantum plurimis indiciis protestantur. Miro itaque modo sic intelligentiam sui infundit ut subtrahat; sic subtrahit ut infundat; et secundum mensuram beneplaciti sui sic operatur in singulis ut, cum intensionis et remissionis uices ignoret, etsi non per essentiam, qua omnem replet uniformiter creaturam, plus uel minus uideatur inesse per gratiam. Nam per unionem in solo unigenito Virginis Filio esse fideliter approbatur. Est itaque nunc quasi singula in singulis futurus, ut scriptum est, omnia in omnibus electis. Et, sicut natura ignis, collatione tamen dispari, quoniam ei nichil potest pariliter comparari, a sole diuersos pro corporum diuersitate producit effectus, sic illa (si tamen magna maximis conferre liceat) in multis multipliciter lucet. Solaris siquidem radius, si forte incidat in earbunculum, egrediens aut reuerberans rutilus uicinum facit aerem rutilare. Idem ignis in smaragdo uirescit, firmamento puriori in saphiro conformatur.
lacincti quoque speciebus efficitur concolor. In topazio, qui quo rarior eo pretiosior est, omnium fere colore superbit. Si ei Yrim obicias, Thaumantiadis repraesentabit imaginem. Aquae superiectus undat in lacunari sed et ignem celestem in subposita traicit per berillum. Vides igitur in multis quam multa sit ignis. Sic in aliis est prudentia, fortitudo a in aliis, temperantia in quibusdam, in quibusdam iustitia, in nonnullis fides, longanimitas spei in aliis; in his feruor est caritatis, hic patientia laborum, illic dolorum consolatio, alibi perseuerantia bononim operum; quae tamen singula in singulis est unus et idem Deus. At in futuro, quando immediata facie per gratiam eius uidebimus eum sicuti est, omnia in omnibus erit, quando nulli ad beatitudinem alicuius uirtutis substantia deerit, cum ipse in omnibus futurus sit plenitudo uirtutis et cumulus beatitudinis; adeo quidem ut iuxta traditionem patrum tanta maiestatis suae plenitudine uideatur adesse eleetis, ut nichil eis desit in ulla gratia, et ipse fere solus uideatur in illis, et illius nomine censeantur, salua ueritate substantiae et sine omni uersibilitate naturae. Hinc forte est illud: Exultabunt sancti in gloria, letabuntur in cubilibus suis; cum sibi tunc peruia credantur esse corda sanctorum, et unusquisque non modo in sua sed et in omnium conscientia glorietur.
Sicut enim ignis, ut in praedicta moremur similitudine, ferri naturam penetrat et accendit, ut nichil cernatur in eo nisi ignis et, sicut solaris radius illustrans aerem, solis uel radii censetur nomine, sic Deus omnes replebit electos, ut omni infirmitate et mutabilitate absorta cum mortale immortahtatem et corruptibile incorruptibihtatem induerit, Deus fere solus in omnibus agnoscatur. Ad hanc nonnulli sententiam referunt quod angeli, iam futurae beatitudinis nostrae participes, uisi adorantur ab hominibus eo quod. in eis uisa est quaedam praesentia deitatis, cum tamen creaturam a creatura adorari omnino non liceat. Sic etiam in facie Saluatoris aliquid deitatis resplenduit, quando de funiculis facto flagello uendentes et ementes eiecit de templo, docens omnem negotiationem exterminandam esse a domo orationis. In aliis uero etsi assit diuinitatis praesentia, plenitudo eius in praesenti nequaquam adest sed usquequaque latere non potest. Est igitur in maiestate mirabilis, uenerabilis in sapientia, a bonitate amabilis, et hunc cultum citra omnem medietatem potest ei fidelis impendere creatura. Quid enim necesse est ad hoc, ut eum timeamus ueneremur et dihgamus Et hic est forte funiculus triplex inter creatorem et creaturam qui facile solui non potest. Sed omnium tenacissima est uis amoris.
Carita8 siquidem numquam excidit, qua si quis adheret Deo, unitur ei et cum eo unus spiritus est; utique qui unitur ei et sic, ut unus spiritus sit, familiaris est et ab obsequio eius, quod est in spiritu, arceri non potest. Ille autem cultus qui in exterioris operis exhibitione consistit, medio indiget, eo quod ad spiritum corporalis nobis non patet accessus; quod et illum planum est docuisse, qui in Samaritana Ecclesiam instruens ait: Spiritus est Deus, et eos qui uolunt adorare, in spiritu. et ueritate oportet adorare. Vt tamen ad thronum illius quocumque modo himiilitatis nostrae conscendat infirmitas et aliquam habeat amateriam meritorum, sensualiter coli uoluit qui sensum dedit; et qui animam glorificabit et camem, utriusque fidelem expetit famulatum. Se quoque uoluit etiam corporaliter honorari ut quantauis tarditas infidelitatis aut negligentiae excusationem non habeat.
Policraticus companion
Study the argument weekly; pray the tradition daily
Pair the outline with the Chosen Portion app, which serves short daily portions from the same royal devotional tradition — free on iOS.
John of Salisbury argued that rulers must keep the law of God before their eyes daily; Chosen Portion gives modern readers that same daily discipline in five minutes a morning.
- 8 weeks, one book per week, with the 3-4 key chapters flagged in each
- Discussion questions usable for a reading group from week one
- A daily 5-minute companion portion in the app alongside your weekly study