De principe qui caput est rei puhlicae, et eledione
The Divine Appointment of the Prince
The prince is established in the commonwealth by divine providence, often through the consensus of the people and the guidance of the Church, and is expected to embody supreme virtue.
His privileges, the reward of virtue and the penalty for guilt, the fact that he should imitate the blessed Job, and the virtues of the blessed Job. It follows that, by following in his footsteps, we should examine the members of the commonwealth. It has been said, however, that the prince holds the place of the head, and that he is governed by the judgment of the mind alone. Therefore, as has already been said, divine providence has placed him in the citadel of the commonwealth, favoring him above others—sometimes through the secret mystery of its own providence, sometimes through the judgment of its priests, and sometimes through the votes of the whole people gathered to appoint him. Hence it is also read in the Old Testament that Moses, when he was about to appoint the one who would preside over the people, called together the whole assembly so that he might be chosen while the people stood by, so that no one might later retract it, and so that no doubt might remain. It is written in the Book of Kings that Saul, the future king, appeared before the people and stood head and shoulders above the entire crowd. Why, I ask, except that he who is to preside over others ought to stand out in heart and speech, so that he may be able to embrace and protect the breadth of the whole people as if with the arms of good works, being more learned, more holy, more circumspect, and more excellent in every virtue? For the Lord says to Moses: 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit of God in him, and you shall lay your hands upon him, set him before Eleazar the priest, and give him instructions in the sight of the whole assembly. Give him orders concerning him before them, and bestow your own glory upon him so that the children of Israel may obey him.' You can clearly hear the appointment of the people's leader described so plainly that it hardly needs any explanation. If, however, you want a clearer explanation, I'll provide it—with the Lord as my guide—at the right time and place when you ask, adding the meanings of the vestments and certain sacraments. In this case, there's clearly no popular acclamation, no consideration of bloodlines, and no regard for family ties. After Zelophehad died, his daughters claimed their father's inheritance before Moses. God himself testifies that their petition was just; for the inheritance of fields and estates—and, for the most part, of legal rights—must be left to the next of kin. The governance of the people, however, must be entrusted to the one whom God has chosen—that is, to a man who has the Spirit of God within him, whose life is guided by God's commands, and who is well-known and close to Moses, meaning one in whom the clarity of the Law and true knowledge reside, so that the children of Israel may listen to him. Yet it isn't permitted, out of favor for new men, to turn away from the bloodline of princes to whom the succession of children is owed by the privilege of divine promise and the right of birth, provided that they have walked—as was prescribed—in the justice of the Lord. If, however, they stray from the path for a little while, they aren't immediately cast out entirely; rather, their injustice is corrected patiently until it becomes clear that they are stubborn in their evil.
The Perils of Poor Counsel
Using the example of Rehoboam, the author warns that a ruler who rejects the wisdom of elders in favor of youthful folly invites division and ruin upon his kingdom.
For Rehoboam wasn't immediately cast from his father's throne, even after he ignored the elders' advice and turned away from Solomon's path, wanting to place an unbearable burden on the shoulders of the children of Israel. Nevertheless, his kingdom was torn apart when the ten tribes defected to Jeroboam, Solomon's servant, and the kingdoms remained divided as long as there was a kingdom of Judah or Israel. He felt the penalty for his stubbornness, but he also experienced mercy through the grace of God and the privilege of his lineage, so that he remained king, even if he was left with only a fraction of his kingdom. Why did this happen to him? Because he had clung to the advice of young men, despising the ways and principles of wisdom. For it's impossible for someone to govern a realm healthily if they aren't guided by the counsel of the wise. “Woe to the land,” it says, “whose king is a child and whose counselors feast in the morning; blessed is the land whose king is noble and whose leaders eat at the proper time for nourishment, not for excess; for where that isn't the case, wisdom cannot exist.” Hence holy Job asks: “Where can wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding?” No one knows its value, nor is it found in the land of those who live in comfort. Nothing that passes away can be compared to it, for wisdom is drawn from hidden places. It would have been far more useful for him to have rejected the young men and deferred to the counsel of the elders, taking the life of blessed Job as his model for how to rule.
The Mirror of Job
The life of Job is presented as the ideal model for a ruler, characterized by justice, mercy toward the vulnerable, and a humble reliance on God.
Listen, then, to what he says about himself: "When I went out to the city gate and they prepared my seat in the square, the young men would see me and hide, while the elders would rise and stand. The princes stopped speaking and put their fingers to their lips; the leaders held back their voices, and their tongues clung to the roofs of their mouths." The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me bore witness for me, because I had rescued the poor man who cried out and the orphan who had no helper. The blessing of the one who was perishing came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow. I put on justice, and it clothed me; my judgment was like a robe and a crown. I was an eye to the blind and a foot to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I investigated the cases I didn't understand with the greatest diligence. I crushed the jaws of the wicked and snatched the prey from their teeth. I used to say, 'I will die in my little nest, and I will multiply my days like a palm tree.' My root was open to the waters, and the dew would linger on my harvest; my glory was always being renewed, and my bow was being restored in my hand. Those who heard me waited for my judgment, and they remained silent, intent on my counsel. They didn't dare add anything to my words, and my speech would distill upon them. If I ever smiled at them, they didn't believe it, and the light of my face did not fall to the ground. If I wished to go to them, I sat in the first place; and when I sat like a king with an army surrounding me, I was still a comforter of those who mourned. See, the formula for how a just man should rule is largely laid out here; if we were to follow it point by point, the series of virtues included would alone fill the size of an entire book. A diligent reader will examine every word, because in all of them, not a single iota or stroke is empty of the mystery of salvation. Still, I’ll briefly touch upon a few things that stand out on the very surface of the words. “When,” he says, “I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me; when I sat in the prepared chair in the square, the young men hid themselves, and the old men stood by me.” He implies, therefore, that an abundance of things and a rush of favors didn’t shake his prudence, but that in all these things his authority remained unshaken, based on his conscience and the testimony of good works. For he went out to the gate, having no need of hiding places, and he who had earned the seat of teaching raised up the prudence of the elders with a youthful lightness that was hidden. The princes stopped speaking, and the tongue of the leaders stuck to their throats, not daring to speak grandly or to impose on the shoulders of men unbearable burdens that they themselves would not touch with the tip of a finger. For he taught that all praise for virtue consists in action, and that the splendor of a word is empty if it isn’t supported by the solidity of a work.
The Virtues of a Just Ruler
A ruler must demonstrate integrity in speech, diligence in judgment, and a gravity of character that avoids the vanity of worldly excess and laughter.
In every work, Solomon says, there will be abundance; but where words are many, there is often poverty. It is the duty of princes and leaders to go before others on the path of character, not to shout down at them about what they ought to do. The ear that listened and the eye that saw brought me blessing. He elegantly described the instruments of the body by which the soul's senses are most strengthened; for knowledge of external things passes most faithfully to the soul through the service of the eye and ear, and an incautious tongue often scatters the treasures of the heart. By adding 'hearing' and 'seeing,' he expresses the judgment of a wise man, following the saying: Blessed is he who speaks into the ear of one who listens. Therefore, the human tongue doesn't call itself blessed, as it's often driven one way or another by love or hate. The testimony of a clear conscience is enough for him, especially when it's reinforced by the judgment of the wise. For, he says, because I had set free the poor, the orphan, and the one about to perish; and I comforted the heart of the widow. For in these things, the authority the Lord established to repel injustice shines most clearly. These are indeed works of mercy, and the name of the one who does them will be blessed forever. But so you don't think he gave boldness to vice through a laxer clemency, he says: 'I was clothed in justice, and my judgment was my crown; I investigated the case I did not know with the greatest diligence.' For a judge must examine everything and discuss the order of events with a full investigation, and not oppose anyone before the case has been most fully defined by legitimate reasoning. For as the ethicist says, whoever judges quickly is quick to repent. I was crushing the jaws of the wicked. Anyone who follows the plunder rather than the facts in their judgments is wicked, and anyone who loves bribes so much that they follow the rewards is also wicked. And although it may be fair that what is owed is paid, the one who is greedy for gain proceeds toward death. And so it follows: 'And I snatched the prey from his teeth, and I said: I will die in my little nest.' The person who was content with the abundance of his own affairs had settled his mind this way. He wasn't driven by the goad of greed or ambition to join house to house and field to field, as if he were the only one who would live on the face of the earth. And I will multiply my days like the palm tree. Aristotle in the seventh book of his Problems and Plutarch in the eighth of his Memorabilia relate a remarkable thing: they say that if you place great weights upon the wood of a palm tree and press it down with such heavy burdens that the weight is too much to sustain, it doesn't yield downward or bend to the ground, but rises up against the weight, striving and curving itself upward. Therefore, Plutarch says, the palm was chosen as the sign of victory in contests, because the nature of its wood is such that it doesn't yield to those who press and oppress it. It is also said that the branch of this palm, which is called 'basileros' in Greek, cannot be pulled off if it is drawn downward, but if you pull it upward, it yields. However, it is clear that the trunk or stem of the palm is narrow at the root but widens at the top. It's different, however, with a tree that grows thicker the closer its trunk gets to the ground. Through the palm, therefore, invincible justice is signified—a justice that knows no descent, but only a progress toward higher things. Hence: The righteous will flourish like the palm tree. My root is open beside the waters (the scriptures, certainly, and the virtues I mentioned earlier), and the dew (that is, grace) will rest upon my harvest. Understand this as referring to good works, the sheaves of which the just Judge will store up for his chosen ones on that day. Hence it follows: My glory will always be renewed, and my bow will be restored; for there is something toward which the righteous person aims and at which he directs his bow, and he doesn't just chase after crows, potsherds, and mud. Those who heard me were waiting for a judgment, and so on. It has often been said that a judgment should always be taken in a good sense, according to the saying: A sluggard seems wiser to himself than seven men who speak opinions. You hear that three things come together in a wise person. “They were intent,” he says, “and silent at my counsel; they dared add nothing to my words, and my speech distilled upon them.” A difficult matter requires attention, and it befits a serious person to ponder their counsel, so that whatever they do and whatever they say is done with deliberation by one who seeks wisdom. It is, however, the mark of a circumcised mouth to bring forth things to which nothing can be added or taken away. But it’s most shameful for a serious person to constantly involve themselves in gossip and trifles, to clamor among those who chatter like a noisy goose mixed in with swans, and to believe every subject is fit for an argument. For what is there to argue about? Whether Castor or Docilis knows more, or whether the road to Brundusium is better taken by the Numician or the Appian way. Furthermore, things that are abundant lose their value through their own excess; and since sin is never absent from much speaking, the speech of one who speaks few things prudently is precious. This is why Socrates, when asked how one might gain the best reputation, replied: "By acting well and speaking little." This is what a just man, fearing to stumble in his speech, means when he says his words have trickled out; for whoever doesn't stumble in word is a perfect man. If I ever laughed at them, they didn't believe it. It’s a sign of his lack of seriousness; and the more obvious it is, the more shameless and reprehensible he becomes. For it says: "The fool raises his voice in laughter," and the Savior wept, though he is never recorded as having laughed. I wouldn't easily believe that someone who speaks of laughter with such ambiguity is prone to loud guffaws, so that even if he did laugh, it wouldn't be believed. And the light of my face did not fall to the ground. The just man may have laughed, but no worldly foolishness ever broke his composure in that mirth, and whatever was earthly in his ways was held in check by his austere expression. If I had wanted to go to them, I would have sat in the first place.
The Final Accountability of Kings
The chapter concludes by emphasizing that the ruler's ultimate duty is to protect the weak, warning that those who fail to heed God's voice will face inevitable judgment.
Indeed, he was worthy of the highest seat who led others along the path of such great virtues. When he sat like a king with others serving him, he wiped away the tears of those who were suffering. It is a pleasant conclusion when public authority strives to rule in such a way that it doesn't allow anyone in its community to be sad. The moral field subject to this rule carries out this task with such pleasantness of flowers and abundance of fruit that, if anyone enters it, they rejoice to find themselves in the delights of Paradise. Perhaps you are amazed and astonished that anyone in this exile of flesh could share in such sweetness and be a fellow citizen of the heavenly inhabitants; but judge for yourself whether this is possible, based on the works of a just man. If I denied what the poor wanted, or made the widow's eyes wait; if I ate my bread alone and the orphan did not eat from it—because compassion grew with me from my infancy and came forth with me from my mother's womb; if I looked down on someone passing by because they had no clothing, or the poor person without a covering; if his sides did not bless me, and he was not warmed by the fleece of my sheep; if I raised my hand against the orphan when I saw myself to be the superior at the gate; then may my shoulder fall from its joint and my arm be broken at the bone.✦ For I have always feared God like swelling waves over me, and I could not bear his weight.✦ If I have considered gold my strength, and said to the fine gold, 'You are my trust'; if I have rejoiced over my great wealth and because my hand has found many things; if I have looked at the sun when it shone and the moon walking in brightness, and my heart has been secretly enticed, and I have kissed my hand with my mouth—which is a great iniquity and a denial against God Most High; if I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me, and exulted when evil found him; if the men of my tent have not said, 'Who can find one who has not been satisfied by his meat?'✦ The stranger did not remain outside; my door was open to the traveler. If I hid my sin like a man and kept my wrongdoing in my heart; if I panicked at a great crowd, and the contempt of my neighbors wore me down, and I did not stay silent or go out the door; if the earth cries out against me, and its furrows weep along with it; if I ate its fruit without payment and oppressed the soul of its farmers—then may thorns grow for me instead of wheat, and thistles instead of barley. Don't you believe that he walks in the breadth of God's delights, who confesses these things about himself under such a solemn oath, with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a faith that isn't faked? Who would need an interpretation of these words, or who could fail to see them in such a clear light of virtue? Anyone who can't see this for themselves is clearly dull and slow-witted. So many things are gathered here into one place that even one of them would be enough to illuminate a whole world. If rulers are too bored to read or hear more, let them at least read and hear this little bit, and examine it with diligent inquiry as they seek to imitate it. For it follows in the same place: If kings listen and keep the voice of the Lord, they will complete their days in goodness and their years in glory; but if they don't listen, they will pass through the sword and be consumed by foolishness. Do you see the twofold outcome for useless kings? They either pass through the sword or are consumed by their own foolishness. It's accurate to say they pass through the sword rather than being finished by it, because the sword is, in a sense, a passage for them to a place where the powerful are punished powerfully according to the multitude of their sins; yet foolishness also consumes the wicked, because the ruler's strength is sapped by the oppression of the people, for a crushed people cannot or will not lift up the ruler's strength.
Read the original Latin
eiu8, et priuilegiis, et praemio uirtutis et culpae; et quod beatum loh debeat imitari; et de uirtutihus beati lob. Sequitur ut eius imitantes uestigia de membris rei publicae dispiciamus. Dictum est autem principem locum obtinere Capitis, et qui solius mentis regatur arbitrio. Hunc itaque, ut iam dictum est, dispositio diuina in arce rei publicae collocauit et eum nunc archano prouidentiae suae misterio ceteris praefert, nunc quasi suorum iudicio sacerdotum, nunc ad eum praeficiendum totius populi uota concurrunt. Vnde et in Veteri Testamento legitur quia Moyses, ordinaturus eum qui praeesset in populo, conuocauit omnem synagogam ut eligeretur astante populo,ne qua postmodum retractatio cuiquam, ne quis scrupulus resideret. Legitur in libro Regnorum quod Saul rex futurus apparens in facie populi ab humeris sursum supereminebat uniuersum populum. Quare, quaeso, nisi quia quem oportet praeesse aliis, pectore debet et ore prominere ut quasi bonorum operum ulnis totius populi latitudinem amplexari ualeat et protegere tamquam doctior sanctior circumspectior et omni uirtute praestantior? Dicit enim Dominus ad Moysen: Assume ad temetipsum lesum filium Naue, hominem qui habet Spiritum Dei in semetipso, et impones manus tuaa super eum et statues coram Eleazaro sacerdote et praecepta ei dato in conspectu totius synagogae et praecipe de ipso coram eis et dabis claritatem tuam super illum ut audiant illum filii Israel.
Audis euidenter ordinationem principis populi tam manifeste descriptam ut pene expositione non egeat. Si eam tamen manifestius quaeris, eam tibi auctore Domino, suo loco et tempore cum praeceperis, explanabo, adiciens indumentorum et quorundam sacramentorum significationes. Hic autem plane nulla est populi acclamatio, nulla consanguinitatis ratio, nulla propinquitatis habita contemplatio est. Mortuo Salphaat filiae patemam apud Moysen uendicant hereditatem. Petitionem earum iustam esse Deus ipse testatur; propinquis namque agrorum et praediorum hereditas relinquenda est et ut plurimum actionum. Gubematio uero populi illi tradenda est, quem, Deus elegerit, homini scilicet tali qui habet Spiritum Dei in se et praecepta Dei in conspectu eius sunt, qui Moysi ualde notus sit et familiaris, id est, in quo sit claritas legis et scientia, ut possint eum audire filii Israel. Nec tamen licitum est fauore nouomm recedere a sanguine principum quibus priuilegio diuinae promissionis et iure generia debetur successio liberorum, si tamen (ut praescriptum est) ambulauerint in iustitiis Domini. Si uero a uia paulisper defluxerint, non statim usquequaque deiciuntur, sed patienter corripitur iniustitia, donec fiat conspicuum eos pertinaces esse in malo.
Neque enim Roboam statim excussus est a solio patris, ex quo, seniorum contempto consilio, recessit a uia Salomonis, onus importabile uolens imponere in humeris filiorum Israel. Verumtamen cissum est regnum eius, recedentibus decem tribubus post Hieroboam seruum Salomonis, fueruntque regna diuisa, dum regnum habuit luda uel Israel. Sensit ergo de contumacia penam, de gratia Dei et priuilegio sanguinis misericordiam, ut rex quidem maneret sed magna regni parte mutilatus. Vnde hoc illi? Quia adheserat consiliis iuuenum, con3, tempnens uias et praecepta prudentiae. Impossibile enim est ut salubriter disponat principatum qui non agitur consilio sapientum. Ve, inquit, terrae cuius rex puer est et cuius consiliarii mane comedunt; beata terra cuius rex nobilis est et cuius principes uescuntur tempore suo ad ref ectionem non ad luxuriam; ibi etenim sapientia esse non potest. Hinc sanctus lob: Sapientia ubi inuenitur, et quis est locus intelligentiae?
Nescit homo pretium eius, nec inuenitur in terra suauiter uiuentium. Non aequabitur ei labentium quicquam, trahitur enim sapientia de occultis. Longe utilius iuuenes reppulisset, adquiescens consilio seniorum, uitam beati lob habens regnandi formam. Audi ergo quid de se fateatur: Quando procedebam ad portam ciuitatis et in platea cathedram parabant michi; uidebant me iuuenes et abscondebantur, et senes assurgentes stabant; principes cessabant loqui et superponebant digitum ori suo; uocem suam cohibebant duces, et lingua eorum gutturi suo adherebat. Auris audiens beatificabat me, et oculus uidens testimonium reddebat miehi, eo quod liberassem pauperem uociferantem et pupillum eui non erat adiutor. Benedictio perituri super me ueniebat, et cor uiduae consolatus sum. lustitia indutus sum, et uestiui me, sicut uestimento et diademate, iudicio meo. Oculus fui ceco et pes claudo.
Pater eram pauperum, et causam, quam nesciebam, diligentissime inuestigabam. Conterebam molas iniqui, et de dentibus illius auf erebam praedam. Dicebamque: In nidulo meo moriar, et sicut palma multiplicabo dies. Eadix mea aperta est secus aquas, et ros morabitur in messione mea; gloria mea semper innouabitur, et arcus meus in manu mea instaurabitur. Qui me audiebant, sententiam expectabant, et intenti tacebant ad consilium meum. Verbis meis addere nichil audebant, et super illos stillabat eloquium meum. Si quando ridebam ad eos, non credebant, et lux uultus mei non cadebat in terram. Si uoluissem ire ad eos, sedebam primus; cumque sederem quasi rex exercitu circumstante, eram tamen merentium consolator.
Ecce regnandi in uiro iusto ex magna parte expressa est formula, quam si per singula exequi uoluerimus, integri libri magnitudinem insertarum uirtutum series uel sola complebit. Diligens lector singula uerba discutiet, quia in his omnibus nec iota nec apex a misterio salutis uacat. Pauca tamen quae in ipsa superficie uerborum eminent, quanta potero breuitate perstringam. Quando, inquit, lauabam pedes meos butiro et petra fundebat michi riuos olei; cum in parata cathedra residerem in platea, abscondebantur iuuenes et michi senes astabant. Innuit ergo quia rerum affluentia gratiarumque concursus ei prudentiam non excusserint, sed in his omnibus ex conscientia et testimonio bonorum operum auctoritas inconcussa permansit. Egrediebatur enim ad portam qui latebris non egebat, et qui docendi promeruerat sedem, senum prudentiam erigebat leuitate iuuenili aba scondita. Cessabant loqui principes, et lingua ducum gutturi adherebat, non audentes grandia loqui, et imponere in humeris hominum onera importabilia, quae nec superficie digiti tangi solent. Docebat enim omnem uirtutis laudem in actione consistere, cassumque esse splendorem uerbi cui non subest soliditas operis.
In omni opere, inquit Salomon, erit abundantia; ubi autem uerba sunt plurima, ibi frequenter egestas. Principum uero et ducum est alios in uia morum praecedere, non quae facienda sunt aliis tumide intonare. Auris audiens et oculus uidens beatificabat me. Instrumenta corporis eleganter expressit, quibus sensus animae maxime conualescit; exteriorum namque notitia oculi et auris obsequio fidelissime transit ad animam, et thesauros cordis saepius lingua incauta dispergit. Quod uero 'audiens' et 'uidens' adiecit, sapientis iudicium exprimit iuxta illud: Beatus qui loquitur in aure audientis. Non itaque beatificatum se dicit Hnguis hominum quae in alterutram partem uel amore uel odio frequenter impelluntur. Sufficit ei testimonium conscientiae, praesertim cum roboratum sit iudicio sapientum. Eo, inquit, quod liberassem pauperem, pupillum, et periturum; et consolatus sum cor uiduae.
In his enim maxime principalis claret auctoritas quae a Domino instituta est ad iniurias propulsandas. Haec quidem sunt opera misericordiae, et erit nomen agentis ea benedictum in secula. Sed, ne credas eum remissiore clementia uitiis audaciam praestitisse: lustitia, inquit, indutus sum, et diademate iudicio meo; causam, quam nesciebam, diligentissime inuestigabam. Oportet enim iudicem cuncta rimari et ordinem rerum plena inquisitione discutere, nec ante obuiare alicui quam causa sit legitimis rationibus plenissime limitata. Vt enim ait ethicus, ad penitendum properat quisquis cito iudicat. Conterebam molas iniqui. Iniquus est quisquis in iudiciis sequitur non causam sed praedam, qui sic munera diligit ut sequatur retributiones. Et licet aequum sit quod decemit ad pretium, auaritiae seniiens pergit in mortem.
Vnde sequitur: Et de dentibus illius auf ered bam praedam, dicebamque: In nidulo meo moriar. Mentem itaque composuerat qui rerum suarum amplitudine contentus erat. Nec auaritiae aut ambitionis stimulo urgebatur, ut domum domui, agrum agro coniungeret usque ad terminos loci ac si solus habitaturus esset in superficie terrae. Et sicut palma multiplicabo dies. Rem admirandam Aristotiles in septimo Probleumatum et Plutarcus in octauo Memorabilium dicit: Si super palmae, inquiunt, arboris lignum magna pondera imponas, ac tantum grauiter urgeas oneres, ut magnitudo oneris sustineri non queat, non deorsimi cedit nec in terram flectitur, sed aduersus pondus resurgit et sursum nititur recuruaturque. Propterea, inquit Plutarcus, placuit palmam signum esse uictoriae in certaminibus, quoniam ligni ina genium huiusmodi est ut urgentibus opprimentibusque non cedat. Fertur item quod ramus eius pahnae, quae Graece dicitur basileros, auelli non potest si trahatur deorsum, sed, si sursum producas, cedit. Constat autem quia truncus palmae uel stipes a radice contrahitur sed in superioribus dilatatur.
Secus autem est in quauis arbore quae tanto magis turgescit quo ad t rram stipes uicinius accedit. Per palmam ergo significatur iustitia inuincibilis, quae descensum non nouit sed solum ad superiora processum. Vnde: lustus ut pahna florebit. Radix mea aperta est secus aquas (scripturarum utique et uirtutum, de quibus supra) et ros (seilicet gratiae) morabitur in messione mea. Intellige bonorum operum, quorum manipulos electis reponet apud se in illa die iustus iudex. Vnde sequitur: Gloria mea semper innouabitur et arcus meus instaurabitur; quia est aliquid quo tendit et in quo dirigit arcum iustus, nec passim sequitur coruos testaque lutoque. Qui me audiebant, expectabant sententiam, et cetera. Saepe dictum est sententiam in bono semper accipiendam esse, iuxta illud: Sapientior uidetur sibi piger septem uiris loquentibus sententias.
Audis in sapiente tria concurrere. Intenti, inquit, tacebant ad consilium meum, uerbis meis nichil addere audebant, stillabat super eos eloquium meum. Res ardua desiderat attentionem et uirum grauem decet consilia meditari, ut quicquid agit, quicquid loquitur, sit pro consilio homini sapientiam affectanti. Est autem oris circumcisi illa proferre, quibus nichil liceat demi uel apponi. Est autem uiro graui turpissimum, si iugiter se fabulis et nugis immisceat et inter congarrientes perstrepat ueluti rabulus anser admixtus oloribus et omnem materiam credat aptam esse litigiis. Ambigitur quid enim? Castor sciat an Docilis plus, Brundusium Numici melius uia ducat an Apii. Praeterea quae abundant, sui copiositate uilescunt, et cum multiloquio peccatum non desit, pauca prudenter loquentis " sermo est pretiosus.
Vnde Socrates quaerenti quo modo quis famam optimam compararet: Si gess6rit, inquit, optima et loquutus fuerit pauca, Hoc est quod uir iustus et ueritus deKnquere in sermone dicit stillasse eloquium suum; qui enim non deKnquit in uerbo, hic perfectus est uir. Si quando ridebam ad eos, non credebant. Eisus leuitatis indicium; et quo patentior, eo impudentior et reprehensibilior est. Ait enim: Stultus in risu exaltat nocem suam; et Saluator fleuit, qui utique risisse non legitur. Nec enim facile crediderim pronum esse ad cachinnum qui sub tanta ambiguitate de risu loquitur ut etsi riserit non credatur. Et lux uultus mei non cadebat in terram. Risit forte uir iustus, sed eum in hilaritate temporalis ineptia nulla resoluit, et quicquid terrenum erat in moribus, uultum uerebatur austerum. Si uoluissem a ire ad eos, sedebam primus.
Prima siquidem cathedra dignus erat qui alios tantarum uirtutum itinere praecedebat. Cum sederet quasi rex famulantibus aliis, lacrimas merentium abst rgebat. locunda quidem conclusio, cum potestas publica sic studet praeesse ut in uniuersitate sua tristem aliquem esse non patiatur. Qua uero arte id fiet, moralis campus subiectus exequitur tanta quidem amenitate flonim et fructuum ubertate ut, si quis eum ingreditur, Paradisi se deliciis gaudeat interesse. Miraris forte et attonitus obstupescis quemquam in exilio camis huius tantae dulcedinis esse participem et celestium ciuium esse conciuem; sed an ita esse possit, ex operibus uiri iusti tu ipse diiudica. Si negaui quod uolebant pauperibus, et oculos uiduae expectare feci; si comedi buccellam meam solus, et non comedit pupillus ex ea, quia ab infantia creuit mecum miseratio et de utero matris meae egressa est mecum; si despexi praetereuntem, eo quod non habuerit indumentum, et absque operimento pauperem; si non benedixerunt michi latera eius, et de uelleribus ouium mearum calefactus est; si leuaui super pupillum manum meam, cum uiderem me in porta superiorem; humerus meus a iunctura sua cadat et brachium meum cum ossibus conteratur. Semper enim quasi tumentes fluctus super me timui Deum, et pondus eius ferre non potui. Si putaui aurum robur meum, et dixi obrizo: Fiducia mea; si letatus sum super multis diuitiis et quia plura repperit manus mea; si uidi solem cum fulgeret et lunam incedentem clare, et letatum est in abscondito cor meum, et osculatus sum manum meam ore meo, quae est iniquitas maxima et negatio contra Deum altissimum; si gauisus sum ad ruinam eius qui me oderat, et exultaui quod inuenisset eum malum; si non dixerunt uiri tabemaculi mei: Quis det de camibus eius ut saturemur?
foris non mansit peregrinus, ostium meum patuit uiatori; si abscondi quasi homo peccatum meum et celaui in sinu meo iniquitatem meam; si expaui ad multitudinem nimiam, et despectio propinquomm termit me, et non magis tacui nec egressus sum ostium; si aduersum me terra clamat, et cum ipsa sulci eius deflent; si fmctus eius comedi absque pecunia, et animam agricolamm eius afflixi; pro fmmento oriatur michi tribulus, et pro ordeo spina. An non credis eum ambulare in latitudine deliciarum Dei, qui de corde puro et conscientia bona et fide non ficta sub imprecatione tanta de se ista fatetur? Quis istorum uerborum desiderat interpretationem aut in tanta uirtutum luce non uidef? Nimium plane hebes est et obtusi ingenii, cui per se ista non lucent. In unum hic plurima congeruntur, quorum uel unum orbem quendam illustrare sufficeret. Si principes plura legere uel audire fastidiunt, saltem hoc tantillum legant audiant et inquisitione diligenti discutiant dum imitentur. Sequitur enim in eodem: Si audierint reges et obseruauerint uocem Domini, complebunt dies suos in a bono et annos suos in gloria; si autem non audierint, transibunt per gladium et consumentur stultitia. Videsne inutilium regum duplicem exitum?
Aut enim per gladium transeunt, aut stultitia consumuntur. Et recte dicuntur transire per gladium, non finiri, eo quod gladius quasi quidam transitus eis est ad locum ubi secundum multitudinem iniquitatum suarum potentes potenter puniuntur; sed et stultitia consumit impios, quia in depressione populi robur principis eneruatur; populus namque contritus erigere uires principis non potest aut non uult.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Job.31.16-Job.31.22 — If I have withheld what the poor desired, or let the widow's eyes grow dim, Job.31.17 — and I ate my bread alone, and the orphan did not eat from it Job.31.18 — For from my youth he raised me as a father, and from my mother's womb he guided me. Job.31.19 — If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or a poor person with no covering, Job.31.20 — If his loins have not blessed me, and if the fleece of my sheep has not warmed him, Job.31.21 — If I have raised my hand against the orphan, because I saw my help was in the gate, Job.31.22 — then let my shoulder fall from the blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.
- ↩Job.31.23 — For dread of calamity from God was upon me, and because of His majesty I could not endure.
- ↩Job.31.24-Job.31.31 — If I have made gold my confidence, and have said to fine gold, 'You are my security,' Job.31.25 — if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had found much; Job.31.26 — if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, Job.31.27 — and my heart was enticed in secret, and my hand kissed to my mouth Job.31.28 — That too would be a punishable offense, for I would have been unfaithful to God above. Job.31.29 — If I have rejoiced at the ruin of my enemy, or exulted when evil overtook him, Job.31.30 — I did not allow my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse. Job.31.31 — If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who can find one of his flesh who has not been satisfied?'
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