In quo tirannvs a principe differat ; et de
The Nature of Tyranny
The author defines the fundamental differences between a prince, who serves the law, and a tyrant, who serves his own iniquity.
The tyranny of priests; and how a shepherd, a thief, and a hireling differ from one another. We've already explained, while reviewing Plutarch's 'Institutio Traiani,' how a prince differs from a tyrant, and what the duties of a prince or the members of the commonwealth are. Because of that, it'll be easier and take fewer words to explain what must be said about the tyrant. A tyrant, as the philosophers have described him, is someone who oppresses the people through violent rule, just as a prince is someone who governs by the laws. Furthermore, law is a gift of God, a form of equity, a standard of justice, an image of the divine will, a guardian of salvation, a union and consolidation of peoples, a rule of duties, an exclusion and extermination of vices, and a punishment for violence and every injustice. This law, however, is attacked either by violence or by deceit; it's as if it's ravaged by the ferocity of a lion or undermined by the snares of a dragon. Either way, it's clear that grace is being attacked and that God is, in a sense, being provoked to battle. A prince fights for the laws and the liberty of the people; a tyrant thinks nothing is accomplished unless he voids the laws and leads the people into servitude. A prince is a kind of image of divinity, while a tyrant is an image of adversarial strength and Luciferian depravity, since he imitates the one who sought to set his throne in the north and be like the Most High, though stripped of goodness. For if he were to strive to be conformed to goodness, he would by no means labor to snatch away the glory of power or wisdom. Yet perhaps he aspired to be made equal through the authority of rewarding. The prince, as an image of the Deity, is to be loved, honored, and respected; the tyrant, an image of depravity, is generally even to be put to death. The origin of a tyrant is iniquity, and from a poisoned root it sprouts and buds into evil and pestilential fruit—a tree to be cut down with any axe. For if iniquity and injustice, the destroyers of charity, had not procured tyranny, a secure peace and perpetual rest would have possessed the peoples forever, and no one would think of expanding borders. There would even be, as the great father Augustine is witness, kingdoms quiet and rejoicing in friendly peace, just as in a well-ordered city there are different families or, within the same family, different people; or perhaps, which is more credible, there would be no kingdoms at all, which, as is clear from ancient histories, iniquity either presumed for itself or extorted from the Lord. And indeed, it isn't only kings who exercise tyranny; many private individuals are tyrants, as long as they use the strength they have to do what is forbidden.
The Tyrant's Arrogance
The author explores the prideful nature of tyrants and the consequences of their disregard for justice, illustrated by the story of St. Basil.
Don't be bothered that I've seemed to associate kings with tyrants, because although a king is so named from the 'right' [recto] that befits a prince, the title itself falls into the category of a tyrant through abuse. Hence that saying: 'Where the people could lead anyone free, I have ascended, and above I have left nothing but kingdoms'; and that other: 'It will be my only hope to have touched the hand of a tyrant.' If it's permissible to contrast duty with duty and the rules for living rightly, this man's sentiment reveals the duties—or rather, the vices—of tyrants. Photinus is the one (from whom they themselves can not undeservedly be called 'Photinians') who stands first among the monsters of the Pellaean house—that is, among the other portents of Egypt—distinguished by filth and cruelty. He dared to condemn Pompey to death, or rather, expressing the ways of tyrants with his habitual arrogance, said: 'Law and justice make many people guilty, Ptolemy.' 'Praised loyalty pays the penalty,' he says, 'and sustains those whom fortune presses; yield to the fates and the gods, and cultivate the happy, but flee the miserable.' As far as the stars are from the earth, and as far as flame is from the sea, so far is what is useful from what is right. The entire power of scepters perishes if it begins to weigh what is just, and the regard for what is honest overturns its battle lines. It's the freedom to commit crimes that protects hated kingdoms, and the restraint of the sword is removed. You aren't allowed to do just anything without consequences, unless you're the one doing it. Anyone who wants to be holy should leave the court; virtue and absolute power don't mix, and those who are ashamed of cruelty will always live in fear. Therefore, tyrants have little or no regard for what is honest and just; whether they are churchmen or secular rulers, they want to be able to do anything, ignoring whatever might come before or after such power. Still, I wish I could persuade both of them that the divine judgment—which was inflicted on our first parents and their descendants—has not yet expired; it was imposed because they refused to obey when they could, so that now they cannot obey justice even when they want to. There is a common saying: whoever doesn't want to when they can, certainly won't be able to when they want to. The great Basil is the authority for this saying. When a poor woman asked him to intercede for her with a prince, he took her letter and wrote to the prince: 'This poor woman has come to me saying that I have influence with you; if I do, then show it.' He gave the letter to the woman, who went and delivered it to the prince; after reading it, the prince wrote back: 'Because of you, holy father, I wanted to show mercy to the poor woman, but I could not, because she is subject to taxes.'
Tyranny in the Priesthood
The author warns that tyranny is not limited to secular rulers but can infect the priesthood, citing the prophetic rebuke of Ezekiel.
The holy man wrote back to him: "If you wanted to but couldn't, things are fine as they are; but if you had the power and didn't want to, Christ will lead you to the choir of the needy, so that when you do want to, you won't be able." But the Truth, who is always present to the elect, did not fail them through his instrument. In a short time, that same prince, tempted by imperial indignation, was led away in chains among the captives, making amends through his own punishment to those he had unjustly oppressed. Yet, through the prayer of Basil, he was freed from his abduction after the sixth day, as the imperial sign descended, just as the holy man had hoped. And so, a king is sometimes called a tyrant, and conversely, a tyrant is sometimes called a prince, according to the saying: "Your princes are faithless, companions of thieves." And elsewhere: "The chief priests made a plan to seize Jesus by trickery and kill him," even though he certainly should have been set free by the just judgment of the law. For even in the priesthood, many are found who act entirely out of ambition and use all its arts so that they can exercise their own tyranny under the pretext of their office. For the commonwealth of the wicked also has its head and its members, and it strives to be conformable to a legitimate commonwealth, as if by civil institutions. The head of such a person is a tyrant, the very image of the devil; his soul is made up of heretics, schismatics, and sacrilegious priests—or, to use Plutarch's words, 'prefects of religion'—who attack the law of the Lord. His heart is a council of the wicked, like a senate of iniquity; his eyes, ears, tongue, and unarmed hands are unjust judges, laws, and officials; his armed hand is the violent soldier, whom Cicero calls a robber; and his feet are those who, in the most menial tasks, oppose the Lord's commands and legitimate institutions. Those in authority can easily understand all of this. Priests shouldn't be angry with me for admitting that tyrants can be found even among them. Otherwise, what is the point of that prophetic word: 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves!' Don't shepherds feed the flocks? You ate the milk, you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you slaughtered the fat ones, but you didn't feed my flock. You didn't strengthen the weak, you didn't heal the sick, you didn't bind up the broken, you didn't bring back the stray, and you didn't seek what was lost; instead, you ruled them with harshness and power. My sheep were scattered because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the beasts of the field, and they were scattered. What else does this curse and rebuke of Ezekiel teach us, other than that the shepherds lacked what they should have had, and possessed what they should have lacked? Therefore, the Lord says: 'Behold, I myself am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and I will make them cease so that they no longer feed my flock, nor shall the shepherds feed themselves any longer; I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no longer be food for them.' Does this not seem to express the manifest tyranny of the priesthood and depict the life of those who seek everything that is their own, while casting behind their backs the things that are of Jesus Christ? Indeed, it is not my word but that of another, and surely an oracle of unblemished Truth, by which a clear distinction is prescribed before the familiar friend of the Most High between the shepherd, the hireling, and the thief; for the good shepherd lays down his soul for his sheep.
The True Shepherd vs. The Hireling
The author contrasts the duties of a true shepherd with the self-serving behavior of hirelings who exploit their flocks.
If you're looking for his job description, you'll find it in the prophet already mentioned: "I myself will search for my sheep and look after them, just as a shepherd looks after his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep." I will lead them out from the clouds, gather them from the darkness, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the settlements of the land; their pastures will be in the richest meadows, on the high mountains, and they will rest in green grass and feed in rich pastures upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed them and make them lie down; I will search for what was lost, bring back what was cast aside, bind up what was broken, and strengthen what was weak, and I will guard what is fat and strong. For this is the diligence with which pastors ought to watch over their flocks. As for what he adds—'I will feed them in judgment and justice'—it certainly answers what he said earlier: 'But you were ruling them with austerity and power.' For it is written that 'a weight and a weight, a measure and a measure, both are abominable before God.' Yet among people who engage in business, this is seen as great prudence—though it is an illicit one, which is nothing but cunning and deceit—if they sell and buy from others using a different weight or measure of their own. But in a leader, the principle of equity requires that he himself should bear the burden he imposes on others, and that he should strive to fulfill in his own actions what he wishes to teach. This is what it means to shepherd with judgment and justice, rather than ruling with harshness and power. This is exactly what those do who tie heavy and unbearable burdens onto the shoulders of others, while refusing to lift a finger to help them. It follows, then: 'And when you have drunk the clearest water, you muddy the rest with your feet; and my sheep graze on what your feet have trampled, and they drink what your feet have muddied.' Therefore, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean, because you have pushed with your sides and shoulders and butted all the weak sheep with your horns until you scattered them outside. A hired hand may indeed shepherd the sheep in appearance, but because he does everything for a price, if he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away—for he isn't a shepherd but a hired hand, and he cares nothing for the sheep, only for profit. He is a dog that cannot bark, unable to raise a cry or a commotion to scare off the approaching wolf; he fears the one who might take away his worldly goods, but he pays no attention to the one who is going to torment his soul in hell. He is blind to great things, and he shudders at things that are nothing. Regarding them, it says: 'Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and see nothing; your prophets, Israel, are like foxes in the desert.' You haven't climbed up to face the enemy, nor have you built a wall for the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. For they have no freedom to speak out against the powers of the world, and no virtue to defend the truth in times of danger; in everything they seek profit, and in nothing—or at least very little—do they seek the salvation of souls. As long as they get what they want and their ambitions or greed are satisfied, they couldn't care less about the loss of things that belong to Jesus Christ. They want peace in their own time; they want fertile sheep, fat cattle, full storehouses, and a table heavy with food and drink to dazzle those who see it. They want an elaborate display of varied and precious furnishings, and they want to be honored and courted by the crowds, to be enriched and visited by their subordinates with gifts. In short, they want to be free to do whatever their desires dictate without any criticism. To all of this, they say, 'Well done, well done!'—acting just like the wall in the prophet's warning, built with mud but no straw, which the Lord commanded to be torn down so that it would collapse and the worst abominations would be cleared from the house of the Lord. These are the people who sew cushions for every elbow and put pillows under the heads of all ages, yet they are so eager to lay down their lives for others that they refuse to share the gifts of fortune—or, more accurately, the temporal gifts of God's grace—with their brothers in need, even though those gifts were granted for that very purpose, so that they might earn eternal life. Yet the Prince of shepherds showed us what the pastoral office should look like, both by his example and by his word. Therefore, these hirelings, running with such ambition, are rushing to become thieves. Still, it goes well for the sheep who are entrusted to the care of someone who only tends them for a price. For there are degrees and differences even among these hirelings. They all cast their nets to make a catch, but while some fish for souls and for things, others fish only for things, ignoring the danger to souls; and they often stir up everything just to find a better opportunity to fish for what they want.
The Integrity of the Church
The author critiques clerical corruption while affirming the sanctity of the Roman Church and the necessity of judging leaders by their fruits.
You'll be amazed at the varied furnishings and the wealth—as they say, of Croesus—found among those who preach a poor Christ; and because they aren't forced to serve at their own expense, they preach the Gospel so they can eat and abuse the stipends of evangelists. They do indeed turn over the cup that Joseph used for divination at the mouth of their sack, but it doesn't fall into their hands. For the priest's tongue is the cup of Him who is in Truth, and by the prefiguration of His name is interpreted as the Savior of the world, established to prophesy hidden things and to water the minds of the faithful with that Spirit by which the disciples, filled and belching forth the word of faith and salvation in Judea, were thought to be drunk, dispensing the grain of wheat that had fallen into the soil of their hearts and was already germinating much fruit for the Lord in the purity of their speech. Some indeed live off the Gospel without the Gospel, and it's a good thing if they live only so as not to be luxurious as well. I would hardly call them hirelings who don't labor so they may eat, but rather desire to be idle and luxurious, instead of not eating without labor, which is a matter of necessity. Grace and reverence are indeed owed to all who exercise the office of a pastor; and those who announce Christ for whatever reason and make a profit—even if it's with their own and for their own benefit—should be gathered with the pastors of souls and the dispensers of salvation, and be friends, and be venerable, and rejoice in the honor of the fathers; even if they are hirelings, they will never be deprived of their reward by me, the author. If only there were some among them who speak the word of God, who build up the Church of God, or even for the sake of profit. I don't begrudge the profit, provided the work comes first. Those who are so hungry for profit that they despise everything belonging to Christ—even if they don't teach heresy or tear the Church apart with arguments—are worthy of neither the name nor the honor of a shepherd or a mercenary. I'm not speaking of legates. I leave the Roman Church untouched—the parent and nurse of faith and morals by the authority of God, protected by a heavenly privilege, and unable to be judged or accused by any human being. It's not believable that they would presume or deign to commit acts known to be illicit under the law of the Gentiles for provincial governors and proconsuls, that is, the Emperor's legates. But with what impudence could a disciple of the Crucified, a vicar of Peter, and a shepherd of souls dare to attempt this, when even a vicar of the Emperor—a ruler of bodies under the office of consul—didn't dare to presume such a thing while the discipline of the infidels was still in force? The penalty for extortion is clear from what I've said above, and it's become known in our own age through both legal statutes and historical examples. It was forbidden to accept anything from provincials except for food and drink, and even then, only on the condition that what was accepted wouldn't in any way count as a gift. Who, then, would believe that the fathers of the Church—judges of the world and, if I may say so, the brightest lights of the world—would love bribes, pursue kickbacks, shake down provinces to empty them out, empty the purses of others to fill their own, preach poverty in words while rushing toward riches through crime, condemn the trade in spiritual goods so that they alone might be allowed to deal in such things, acting in a way that makes them a terror to everyone, fearing no one, teaching peace while causing strife, showing humility while faking it to claim pride, attacking the greed of others while feeding their own, dictating generosity while insisting on stinginess? And, to sum up the twists and turns of this place and its vast volumes in a few words, who would believe they would cast their lot with all the wicked and shameful, or claim the shame for themselves entirely, so that they appear to be a council of vanity, a synagogue of those who do evil, a church of the malignant, in whose hands are iniquities and whose right hand is filled with bribes? God forbid that anyone would dare to suspect this; let no one fall into such a great sin as to set their mouth against heaven and expose the things of the fathers that shouldn't be seen. Everything about them is white and beautiful; there's nothing in them that's open to a dog's bite or that fears a mocking look behind their back, as the satirist says. If, however, anyone presumes to do this, they will be met with one very powerful argument that all our opponents will be afraid to resist or contradict. What is it? You ask. The works they do themselves, I say, bear witness to them. If you are looking for the place, pay attention to the effect that confirms the sincerity of the cause; for whoever’s work is good, they themselves are good as well. If you are looking for the author, consider the one who says: “By their fruits you will know them,” for a bad tree cannot produce good fruit, nor can a good tree produce bad fruit.✦ More could be said in their defense, if there is anyone who thinks they should be criticized, but let this one thing suffice in their defense. It is clear, after all, that we must honor the footsteps of the Apostles and treat those who hold their seat and imitate their life as fathers to be honored and as lords to be revered.
The Final Warning to Prelates
The author concludes with a stern warning to those who abuse their office, reminding them that they are responsible for the souls they lead astray.
This page is aimed rather at those who are carried on soft cushions, who argue about fasting while they're full, and who tear down with their actions what they build up with their words; who, like the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, recite and read the Scriptures with their eyes closed, and who either refuse or are unable to look upon Him who was led like a sheep to the slaughter and did not open His mouth before the one shearing Him, and who do not deign to gather the disciple of truth as an interpreter until they have descended to the waters by which they are cleansed from dead works. Indeed, even if they sit on the wheels of the Scriptures and are carried along by the force of the winged creatures, their tongue licks the dust when it argues about higher things; they don't understand the Scriptures because the Lord of knowledge doesn't open their hearts—the same Lord who, as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles, opened the heart of Lydia the purple-seller so that she would listen to what was being said by Paul—things which are made known to those who fear God more faithfully through humble obedience to His commands than through wordy debate. But how one is a thief is gathered from a twofold reason. A person who, through worldly conduct, climbs into the sheepfold by the ladder of pride, ambition, and vice, while despising Christ—that is, by neglecting the straight and level path—and who undermines the threshold with winding detours, breaks through the walls, or slips in through the roof, is truly a thief and a robber. But the one who enters when Christ opens the door—that is, when the Church calls—and who afterwards becomes a persecutor under the shepherd's shadow, plundering, slaughtering, killing, and destroying, is an undoubted thief. You can see where those people belong who aren't satisfied with the license of divine law to shear and devour the flock, but must also implore the help of secular laws. Having become officials of princes, they don't fear committing acts that any other tax collector would easily blush at. Meanwhile, they serve pleasure or greed, while those who chose or admitted them into their care are depopulated and oppressed; they desire the death of those whom they ought to have cherished in flesh and spirit. They certainly keep in mind that prophetic word: See, I have set you over nations and kingdoms to pluck up and to destroy and to scatter and to build and to plant. They try to tear up whatever they find already planted, so they can build the Lord's house for themselves through the gifts of their hands, their tongues, or their service; or they replace what was planted with those chosen by their own fleshly attachments—that is, either their own children or those they have brought into their circle through carnal ties. A vast field of work opens up here, and the path stretches out before my pen; but I'll stop, sparing the joints that ache from public scrutiny. If anyone finds what I've said here too harsh, they'll easily forgive me once they read what the Fathers have said on the matter. For if a secular tyrant is condemned by both divine and human law, who would think a tyrant in the priesthood deserves to be loved or honored? If this seems bitter, I call upon the blessed Gregory—who spoke nothing but the truth—to act as my advocate, for he pursues these matters even more sharply. And, to say nothing of the rest, this one thing is known to all: prelates must know that when they themselves go astray, they are worthy of as many deaths as the examples of ruin they pass on to their subjects.
Read the original Latin
tlrannide sacerdotum; et in quo pastor fur et raercennarius ab invicem differunt. In quo princeps differat a tiranno, dum reuolueretur auctore Plutarco Institutio Traiani, superius dictum est et quae principis sint officia aut rei publicae membra diligenter expositum. Vnde facilius et paucioribus poterunt innotescere quae e regione dicenda sunt de tiranno. Estd ergo tirannus, ut eum philosophi depinxerunt, qui uiolenta dominatione populum premit, sicut qui legibus regit princeps est. Porro lex donum Dei est, aequitatis forma, norma iustitiae, diuinae uoluntatis imago, salutis custodia, unio et consolidatio populorum, regula officiorum, exclusio et exterminatio uitiorum, uiolentiae et totius iniuriae pena. Haec autem aut uiolentia aut dolo impugnatur, et quasi aut leonis immanitate uastatur aut draconis supplantatur insidiis. Quocumque autem modo id fiat, planum est gratiam oppugnari et Deum quodammodo prouocari ad praelium. Princeps pugnat pro legibus et populi libertate; tirannus nil actum putat nisi leges euacuet et populum deuocet in seruitutem.
Imago quaedam diuinitatis est princeps et a tirannus est aduersariae fortitudinis et Luciferianae prauitatis imago, siquidem illum imitatur qui affectauit sedem ponere ad aquilonem et similis esse Altissimo, bonitate tamen deducta. Si enim bonitati studeret esse conformis, nequaquam potentiae aut sapientiae gloriam praeripere moliretur. Remunerandi tamen auctoritate aspirauit fortasse coaequari. Imago deitatis, princeps amandus uenerandus est et colendus; tirannus, prauitatis imago, plerumque etiam occidendus. Origo tiranni iniquitas est et de radice toxicata mala et pestifera germinat et puUulat arbor securi qualibet succidenda. Nisi enim iniquitas et iniustitia caritatis exterminatrix tirannidem procurasset, pax secura et quies perpetua in euum populos possedisset, nemoque cogitaret de finibus producendis. Essent etiam, sicut magnus pater testis est Augustinus, ita regna quieta et amica pace gaudentia, sicut iu composita ciuitate diuersae familiae aut in eadem familia diuersae personae, aut forte, quod credibilius est, omnino regna non essent quae, sicut ab antiquis liquet historiis, iniquitas per se aut praesumpsit aut extorsit a Domino. Et quidem non soli reges tirannidem exercent; priuatorum plurimi tiranni sunt, dum id uirium quod habent in uetitum efferunt.
Nec moueat quod reges tirannis uisus sum sociasse, quia, licet rex dicatur a recto quod principem decet, tamen appellatio eius abusu cadit in tirannum. Inde est illud: Quo potuit populus quemquam perducere liber, ascendi, supraque nichil nisi regna reliqui; et illud: Spes michi pacia erit dextram tetigisse tiranni. Et si officium contra officium et recte uiuendi regulam dici licet, sententia imius omnium aperit officia immo uitia tirannorum. Photinus is est (a quo et ipsi possunt non immerito appellari Photiniani) primus in monstris Pelleae domus, id est inter alia portenta Egipti, immunditia et crudelitate insig is, qui Pompeium leto dampnare ausus aut potius mores tirannorum sueta praesumptione exprimens ait: lus et fas multos faciunt, Tholomee, nocentes. Dat penas laudata fides, eum sustinet (inquit) quos fortuna premit; fatis accede deisque, et cole felices, miseros fuge. Sidera terra ut distant, ut flamma mari, sic utile recto. Sceptrorum uis tota perit, si pendere iusta incipit, euertitque acies respectus honesti. Libertas scelerum est quae regna inuisa tuetur, sublatusque modus gladii.
Facere omnia seue non impune licet, nisi cum facis. Exeat aula qui uult esse pius; uirtus et summa potestas non coeunt; semper metuet quem seua pudebunt. Ergo respectus honesti et iusti minimus aut nullus est in facie tirannorum; et, siue ecclesiastici siue mundani sint, omnia posse uolunt, contempnentes quid potentiam antecedat hanc et sequatur. Vtrisque tamen hoc persuaderi a uellem, diuinum nondum expirasse iudicium quo primigenis et semini eorum inflictum est; quod, quia noluerunt cum possent, inflictum est, ne possint etiam iustitiae obtemperare cum uolunt. Nam et prouerbio dici solet: Quia qui non uult cum potest, non utique poterit cum uolet. Huius uerbi et magnus Basilius auctor est. Rogatus enim a muliercula ut pro ea prineipi intercederet et cartam eius accipiens sic scripsit principi: Paupercula haec accessit ad me dicens posse me apud te; si ergo possum, ostende. Et dedit mulieri cartam; quae abiens dedit epistolam principi; legensque eam princeps rescripsit haec: Propter uos, o pater sancte, uolui misereri mulierculae, sed non potui pro eo quod tributis subiacet.
Sanctus uero rescripsit ei: Siquidem uolens non potuisti, bene utcumque se res habet; si autem potens noluisti, ducet te Christus ad indigentium chorum ut quando uoles non possis. Sed organo suo quae semper electis adest Veritas nequaquam defuit. Nam in breui princeps idem, imperiali indignatione temptatus, ductus est uinctus inter captiuos uel pena sua satisf aciens iniuste oppressis. Oratione tamen Basilii post sextum diem de abductione liberatus est, descendente signo imperiali, sicut uir sanctus optauerat. Itaque et tiranni nomine rex et e conuerso interdum principis nomine tirannus appellatur iuxta illud: Principes tui infideles, socii furum. Et alibi: Principes sacerdotum consilium fecerunt ut lesum dolo tenerent et occiderent; qui utique iusto legis iudieio debuerat liberari. Nam et in sacerdotio inueniuntur quam plures, id tota agentes ambitione et omnibus artibus eius, ut sub praetextu officii suam possint tirannidem exercere. Habet enim et res publica impiorum caput et membra sua, et quasi ciuilibus institutis legittimae rei publicae nititur esse conformis.
Caput ergo eius tirannus est imago diaboli; anima heretici scismatici sacrilegi sacerdotes et, ut uerbo Plutarchi utar, praefecti religionis, impugnantes legem Domini; cor consiliarii impii, quasi senatus iniquitatis; oculi, aures, lingua, manus inermis, iudices et leges, officiales iniusti; manus armata, milites uiolenti, quos Cicero latrones appellat; pedes qui in ipsis humilioribus negotiis praeceptis Domini et legittimis institutis aduersantur. Haec quidem omnia possunt a superioribus facillime comprehendi. Michi uero indignari non debent sacerdotes, si et in eis fatear inueniri posse tirannos. Alioquin quorsum est illud propheticum: Fili hominis, propheta de pastoribus Israel, propheta et dices ad eos: Haec dicit Dominus Deus: Ve pastoribus Israel qui pascebant semetipsos. Nonne greges pascuntur a pastoribus Lac comedebatis, lanis operiebamini, et quod crassum erat occidebatis, gregem autem meum non pascebatis. Quod infirmum fuit non consolidastis, et quod egrotum non sanastis, quod fractum est non alligastis, quod abiectum non reduxistis, quod perierat non requisistis sed cum a austeritate imperabatis eis et cum potentia; et dispersae sunt oues meae, eo quod non esset pastor, et factae sunt in deuorationem omnium bestiarum agri et dispersae sunt. Quid sibi aliud adesse docet Ezechielis haec imprecatio et increpatio, nisi pastoribus abesse quae adesse debuerant et adesse quae abesse oportuit Propterea haec dicit Dominus: Ecce ego ipse super pastores et requiram gregem meum de manu eorum et cessare eos faciam, ut ultra non pascant gregem meum nec pascant amplius pastores semetipsos, et liberabo gregem meum de ore eorum et non erit ultra in escam eis. Nonne tirannidem sacerdotii uidetur exprimere manifestam, et uitam illorum depingere qui in omnibus quae sua sunt quaerunt et quae lesu Christi sunt post tergum faciuntl Siquidem non meum sed alienum eet et profecto intemeratae Veritatis oraculum quo apud familiarem Altissimi inter pastorem mercennarium et furem differentia manifesta praescribitur; bonus enim pastor animam suam ponit pro ouibus suis.
Cuius si quaeris offieium, apud iam dietum prophetam inuenies: Ecce ego ipse requiram oues meas et uisitabo eas, sicut uisitat pastor gregem suum, in die quando fuerit in medio ouium suarum dissipatarum. Educam eas de nube, congregabo de caligine, inducam eas in terram suam et pascam eas in montibus Israel in riuis et in cunctis sedibus terrae; in pascuis uberrimis, in montibus excelsis erunt pascuae earum, requiescent in herbis uirentibus et in pascuis pinguibus pascentur super montes Israel. Pascam eas et accubare faciam; quod perierat requiram, quod abiectum erat reducam, quod confractum fuerat alligabo, et quod infirmum erat consolidabo, et quod pingue et forte custodiam. Haec est enim diligentia qua gregibus debent inuigilare pastores. Quod autem subiungit: Et pascam illas in iudicio et iustitia; ei utique respondet quod praemisit: Sed cum austeritate imperabatis eis et cum potentia. Scriptum est enim quia pondus et pondus, mensura et mensura, utrumque abhominabile est apud Deum. Apud o homines tamen qui negotiationem exercent grandis uidetur esse prudentiae sed tamen illicitae, quae calliditas et dolus est, si alio pondere uel mensura sua distrahant et aliis comparent aliena. At in praelato ratio exigit aequitatis ut quod aliis imponit onus ipse praeferat, et quod docere uoluerit opere studeat adimplere.
Hoc est enim in iudicio et iustitia pascere et non in austeritate et potentia imperare. Quod utique faciunt qui humeris hominum alligant onera grauia et importabilia et digito suo ea contingere recusant Vnde sequitur: Et, cum purissimam aquam biberitis, reliquam pedibus uestris turbabatis, et oues meae hiis quae conculcata pedibus uestris fuerant pascebantur, et quae pedes uestri turbauerant, haec bibebant. Propterea ecce ipse iudico inter pecus pingue et macilentum pro eo quod a lateribus et humeris impingebatis et cornibus uestris uentilabatis omnia infirma pecora donec dispergerentur foras. Mercennarius autem oues quidem uel specie pascit; sed, quia omnia fa;it ad pretium, si lupum uideat irruentem, dimittit oues et fugit qui non pastor sed mercennarius est nec quidem ouium sed lucri curam habet, canis utique mutus, latrare non ualens ut uel clamore et tumultu lupum absterreat uenientem; siquidem eum timet qui temporalium dirripit facultatem, et eum non attendit qui animam cruciaturus est in gehenna. Cecus siquidem est ad grandia et quae nullius sunt perhorrescit. De his inquit: Ve prophetis insipientibus qui sequuntur spiritum suum et nichil uident; quasi uulpes in desertis prophetae tui, Israel. Non ascendistis ex aduerso neque opposuistis murum pro domo Israel ut staretis in praelio in die Domini. Nichil enim in eis libertatis est ut mundi potestatibus obloquantur, nichil uirtutis ut ueritatem in periculo tueantur; in omnibus lucrum, iu nullis aut paucis quaenint salutem animarum.
Dum in suis optineant, dum ad ambitionis aut auaritiae succedat uotum, eorum quae Ihesu Christi sunt iactura contempnitur. Fiat pax in diebus eorum, sint fetosae oues, boues crassae, promptuaria plena, cibis et uasis onusta mensa in admirationem intuentium splendeat, uariae et pretiosae suppellectilis operosus cultus habundet, honorentur et colantur a turbis, ditentur, uisitentur a subditis in muneribus, sit denique Kberum impune et sine nota facere quicquid libido dictauerit, ad singula dicent: Euge, euge, ut iuxta increpationem propheticam luto absque paleis Huisse peccati indurati parietem uideantur qui praecipiente Domino fuerat fodiendus ut rueret et abhominationes pessimae a domo Domini disperirent. Hi sunt qui consuunt puluillos, sub capite uniuersae etatis ceruicalia supponentes, auiditate curnint ut pro aliis animas ponant qui fortunae munuscula uel, quod rectius dixerim, gratiae Dei temporalia dona, in hunc tamen concessa usum ut promereantur etema, recusant in necessitate fratribus erogare. Hanc tamen esse pastoralis officii formam praemonstrauit tam exemplo quam uerbo pastorum princeps. Ergo tanto currentes ambitu mercennarii properant aut fures fieri. Bene tamen agitur cum ouibus quae illius custodiae demandantur qui eas uel ad pretium pascat. Nam et in ipsis mercennariis gradus et diflferentiae sunt. Laxant quidem omnes retia in capturam; sed hi in capturam animarum et rerum, illi res piscantur dumtaxat, contempto periculo animarum; et saepe turbant omnia, quo piscandi ad uotum uberior succedat occasio.
Miraberis uariam supellectilem et Cresi, ut dicitur, facultates apud eos qui praedicant pauperem Christum et, quia suis non coguntur stipendiis militare, euangelizant ut comedant et euangelistarum stipendiis abutantur. Calicem quidem in quo loseph augurari consueuerat in sacci sui ore reuoluunt, sed non descendit in manus. Lingua siquidem sacerdotis calix est eius qui in ueritate est et praefiguratione nominis interpretatur Saluator mundi, institutus ut uaticinetur abscondita, et fidelium mentes potet eo Spiritu quo repleti discipuli uerbum fidei et salutis eructuantes in ludaea ebrii reputati sunt, dispensantes granum frumenti quod in terram cordis eorum ceciderat et iam in castitate eloquii eormn fructum plurimum Domino germinabat. Alii quidem sine Euangelio de Euangelio uiuunt, et bene si uiuunt tantum ut non etiam luxurientur. Hos uix mereennarios dixerim qui non laborant ut manducent sed sine labore non manducare, quod necessitatis est, sed otiari et luxuriari desiderant. Omnibus quidem qui pastoris exercent officium gratia debetur et reuerentia; et qui Christum quacumque ratione annuntiant et lucrum faciunt, cum sua tamen et pro sua utilitate, animarum pastoribus et salutis dispensatoribus aggregentur, sintque amici, sint et uenerabiles, et patrum letentur honore; etsi mercennarii sunt, mercede sua me numquam priuabuntur auctore. Vtinam sit in istis qui uerbum Dei loquatur, qui edificet Ecclesiam Dei uel ad a lucrum. Non inuideo lucro, si opera antecedat.
Qui uero sic inhiant lucris ut quae Christi sunt uniuersa contempnant, etsi nec heresin doceant nec contentionibus Ecclesiam scindant, nec pastoris nec mercennarii digni sunt nec honore nec nomine. Non loquor de legatis. Ecclesiam Romanam, quae parens auctore Deo et nutricula fidei et morum est et non potest ab homine iudicari et argui celesti priuilegio munita, relinquo intactam; nec enim credibile est quod ea committere praesumant uel dignentur, quae de iure gentilium in praesidibus prouinciarum et proconsulibus, id est legatis Cesaris, constat esse illicita. Qua uero impudentia hoc attemptare audeat discipulus Crucifixi, uicarius Petri, pastor animarum, quod uigente infidelium disciplina uicarius imperatoris sub officio consulis rector corporum praesumere non audebat? Pena repetundarum ex superioribus liquet, et tam institutis legum quam historianim exemplis seculo nostro innotuit, et quod nisi in causa esculenti et poculenti iudiei a prouineialibus accipere non licebat, ita tamen ut accepta nequaquam cederent in muneris rationem. Quis ergo credet quod patres ecclesiae, iudices orbis et, ut ita dicam, clarissima lumina mundi diligant munera, sequantur retributiones, prouincias concutiant ut excutiant, loculos exinaniant alienos ut solident suos, uerbis praedicent paupertatem et criminibus ad diuitias properent, bonorum spiritualium dampnent comc mercia ut cum eis dumtaxat in talibus contrahere liceat, id agentes ut omnibus sint terrori, araentur a nullo, quietem doceant ut faciant rixas, humilitatem indicant et simulent ut uendicent fastum, alienam pulsantes et suam fouentes auaritiam, dictantes largitatem, tenacitati insistentes; et, ut paucis loci huius amfractus et uolumina spatiosa complectar, cum sceleratis et flagitiosis omnibus ponentes portionem aut flagitia uendicantes in solidum, ut uideatur concilium uanitatis, iniqua gerentium sinagoga, ecclesia malignantium, in quorum manibus iniquitates sunt et dextera eorum repleta est muneribus? Absit ut hoc quisquam audeat suspicari; ne cadat in quemquam tantum scelus ut os suum ponat in celum et patrum quae non sunt uidenda denudet. Omnia eorum alba sunt et decora, nichil in eis est quod canino morsui pateat aut sannam, ut satiricus ait, posticam uereatur.
Si tamen quispiam hoc praesumpserit, ei uno ualidissimo respondebitur argumento, cui resistere et contradieere non audebunt omnes aduersarii nostri. Quo? inquis. Opera, inquam, quae ipsi faciunt, testimonium perhibent de eis. Si locum quaeris, effectum quo de causae sinceritate constet attende; cuius enim opus bonum est, ipsum quoque bonum est. Si auctorem, eum qui ait: A fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos; non enim potest arbor mala fructus bonos facere aut a conuersim arbor bona fructus malos. Possent pro eis, si quis tamen est qui eis censeat detrahendum, plura proponi; sed in defensione eorum hoc unum sufficiat. Constat enim quia Apostolorum oportet adorare uestigia et illos esse ut patres honorandos, colendos ut dominos, qui eorum possident sedem et imitantur uitam.
Illos potius haec pagina respicit qui plumis uehuntur pensilibus, in saturitate disputant de ieiuniis, et quod uerbis astruunt operibus destruunt; in curru eunuchi reginae Ethiopum clausis oculis Scripturas locuntur et lectitant, et eum qui sicut ouis ad occisionem ductus est et os suum coram se tondente non aperuit respicere dedignantur aut nequeunt, nec discipulum ueritatis interpretem, donec descendant ad aquas quibus mundentur ab operibus mortuis, dignantur colligere. Vtique, licet Scripturarum insideant rotis et pennatorum animalium impetu perferantur, lingua eorum, cum de superioribus disputauerit, terram lingit; nec Scripturas intelligunt, quia cor eorum non aperit scientiarum Dominus qui aperuit, sicut in Actibus Apostolorum scriptum est, cor Lidiae purpurariae ut audiret ea quae dicebantur a Paulo, quae fidelius humili obedientia mandatorum quam disputatione uerbosa Deum timentibus innotescunt. Fur autem quis sit duplici ratione coUigitur. Nam ille qui de conuersatione terrena per superbiae scalam ambitionis et uitiorum gradibus innitentem in ouile ascendit Christo contempto, id est neglecta recta uia et plana sinuosis amfractibus liminaria suffodit aut parietum iuncturas imimpit aut per tegulas infusus illabitur, profecto fur est et latro. Qui uero Christo aperiente ostium, id est Ecclesia uocante, ingreditur, et postmodum sub umbra pastoris efficitur persecutor, id est spoliat mactat occidit et perdit, fur indubitatus est. Tu uide in quo gradu ponendi uideantur quibus non sufficit diuini iuris licentia tondere et deuorare pecus nisi secularium legum iraplorent auxilia et officiales principum facti ea committere non uerentur quae facile alius quilibet publicanus erubescat. Interim uoluptati seruient aut auaritiae, et qui eos elegerunt uel admiserunt in custodiam sui depopulantur et premunt, mortemque eorum desiderant quos foueri oportebat in came et spiritu. Tenent profecto memoriter illud propheticum: Ecce constitui te super gentes et regna ut euellas et destruas et disperdas et edifices et plantes.
Quae ergo plantata inuenerunt, nituntur auellere, ut edificent sibi domum Domini in muneribus manus aut linguae aut obsequii, aut eos substituant explantatis quos eligit affectio camis, id est aut genitos a se aut sibi ab aliis camaliter genitos. Immensum hic aperitur opus et uia calamo dilatatur; sed subsisto, parcens articulis qui publicis aspectibus ingemntur. Si quis autem hic quippiam dici durius calumpniatur, si ea quae a patribus dicta sunt legerit, michi facile ueniam indulgebit. Si enim a tirannus secularis iure diuino et humano perimitur, quis tirannum in sacerdotio diligendum censeat aut colendum? Quod si istud uidetur acerbum, illum qui non nisi uera loquebatur et dulcia in patrocinium aduoco beatum Gregorium, qui acerbius ista persequitur. Et, ut cetera taceam, hoe ipsius omnibus notum est, quia scire praelati debent quod, cum ipsi delinquunt, tot mortibus digni sunt quot ad subditos perditionis exempla transmittunt.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.7.16-Matt.7.18 — You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? Matt.7.17 — So every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces bad fruit. Matt.7.18 — A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit.
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