Quod etiani in sacra Scriptura mnt optimae
The Humility of the Banquet
True civility is rooted in the humble teachings of Christ, which govern our conduct even in times of celebration.
Rules of civility; and that nothing is more virtuous than civility; what the rules of civility are that must be observed at banquets; and concerning modesty. It’s been said that philosophy is the teacher of all civility and everything we do, and that it governs the duties we must carry out at banquets. Since there are many precepts of civility, the rule of the one who surpassed all philosophers and wise men—and who is more civil than any philosopher—seems worthy of being placed before the rest. He says, therefore: 'When you’re invited to a wedding, don’t take the first place, lest perhaps someone more honorable than you be invited, and the one who invited you says to you: "Give place to this man"; and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.' But sit down in the lowest place so that, when the one who invited you sees you, he may say to you: 'Friend, come up higher'; and you’ll have glory before those who sit at the table with you. Then, confirming this point as if it were a general rule, he says: 'For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.' And, although this may seem to be a precept of religious life rather than of civility, I don’t separate the form of religious life from civility, since nothing is more civil than to persist in the cultivation of virtue. Furthermore, it doesn’t admit a law of self-indulgence, nor does it exclude joy, nor does it shun a more lavish arrangement, yet it doesn’t seek the provocations of gluttony; for it says: 'My oxen and my fatlings are killed.'
Discernment and the Worthy Guest
Hospitality requires discernment to distinguish between the worthy and the shameful, ensuring the feast remains a place of virtue.
And when the loving father prepared a joyful feast for the returning prodigal, he brought in music and dancing to stir up happiness, and the fattened calf was killed; and so that a shabby garment wouldn't spoil the feast, a ring and a robe were brought out from the storeroom to clothe and adorn the naked man. But just as the doors of generosity are open to the worthy, they must be closed to the shameful. For even the foolish virgins, though they knock at the door, are turned away because of the mark of their foolishness, lest they be cast out after having been admitted. It is clear that it is more shameful to be cast out than not to be admitted as a guest; yet one is cast out without a mark of shame if they disgrace the feast by their own vileness. Indeed, even the man who didn't have a wedding garment was cast out. These things, though they have a mystical meaning, still offer basic lessons on the very surface of civility. What the Apostle commands also rings true even literally: if any brother is known as a fornicator, a greedy person, or an idolater, don't even eat with such a person. Therefore, the door of a generous house exists to exclude the lascivious, the criminal, and the infamous.
The Dangers of Excess
True abundance is found in temperance, whereas the pursuit of luxury and the rejection of restraint lead to moral ruin.
A house has a doorkeeper or usher for this reason: to keep out the boorish, to welcome the worthy with reverence, to speak to them with respect, to comfort the stranger, to instruct those new to the house's ways, and to bring them before the master when the time is right. It's possible to have abundance without excess, joy without lewdness, and to use things in a way that is free rather than licentious, all while keeping your virtue intact. For the banquets of Herod or Pharaoh, when they stir up an immoderate joy—whether at the gestures of a dancing girl or the heat of wine—end in tragedy and are stained by murder. Even the gravity of the pagans doesn't approve of this. Valerius records that Porcius Cato removed Lucius Flamininus from the list of senators because he had impiously beheaded a condemned man with an axe—not even at the time of the execution, but for the amusement and spectacle of a mistress he was infatuated with and sharing a bed with. But Lucius Flaccus and his colleague, the censors, also removed Durionius from the senate because a tribune of the people had repealed the law meant to curb the expense of banquets. A remarkable reason for a censure. For how shamelessly Durionius climbed the rostra to say: 'Citizens, we've been bridled in a way that must not be endured; you are bound and constricted by the bitter chain of slavery, for a law has been given that orders you to be frugal.' Let's do away with that authority, rusted over by the grime of a horrific past; for what good is freedom if you aren't allowed to perish by luxury if you want to?
The Sanctity of Conversation
A civilized gathering is sanctified by thanksgiving, wise discourse, and the avoidance of mindless clamor.
There is also another mark of civility in the sacred writings: that prayers of thanksgiving should come first. For it is also a known fact that the most generous, most civilized, or most witty head of a household—the one who satisfied five thousand guests with five loaves—was accustomed to give thanks before breaking the bread. It is also a famous saying of the wise that philosophy, which is the unique gift of the gods and the discipline of disciplines, must be honored with an opening word. It is also civil and consistent with the sacred writings either to remain entirely silent at the table so that you may listen for your own progress, or to offer learned conversation from which others may benefit or find innocent joy; for even while eating, the Lord frequently shared parables or words of life with his listeners. However, it is overly dismal and almost ignorant of civility where the belly is filled alone without the pleasure of listening, or where gatherings are deafened by goose-like clamor and foolish tales. Nor is there anyone who would forbid music, since it is an art so innocent that even Socrates took care to learn it in his old age. Dametas and Licius Egon will sing to me, 'It is civil;' Alphesibeus will imitate the dancing satyrs, 'he moves toward the plebeian.'
The Transformation of the Soul
The story of Polemo illustrates that even the most intemperate soul can be reclaimed through the power of wise and modest instruction.
Therefore, words that are more straightforward and more directly opposed to vices—and that strike down luxury—should be brought forward, provided that even the slightest suspicion of greed is removed. For although a spark of genius may lie dormant in the intemperate, the reformed Polemo is proof that it isn't entirely extinguished. This young man in Athens was lost to luxury, taking pleasure not only in its enticements but in its very infamy. When he rose from a banquet—not after sunset, but after sunrise—and was heading home, he saw the open door of the philosopher Xenocrates. Heavy with wine, drenched in perfume, wearing a garland on his head and a transparent robe, he entered the school, which was filled with a crowd of learned men. He did not sit down, even though he was in such a shameful state, so that he might wash away the drunkenness of his revelry with the most brilliant eloquence and the most prudent teachings. Indignation naturally arose among everyone there, but Xenocrates kept his composure; he set aside the subject they were discussing and began to speak about modesty and temperance. Compelled by the gravity of his words to come to his senses, Polemo first threw off his crown, then a little later pulled his arm inside his cloak. As time went on, he cast off the cheerfulness of the banquet, and in the end, he stripped away his entire life of luxury. Healed by the wholesome medicine of a single speech, he emerged from an infamous glutton as a great philosopher. His soul had merely traveled through wickedness, not lived in it; he had wandered for a little while, but he had by no means made it his home.
Modesty as the Guardian of Virtue
Modesty is the essential protector of all honorable actions, as demonstrated by the Lacedaemonians' respect for age.
Finally, there is one goal toward which the entire philosophical community directs its intention: an honorable end, a joyful and pleasant outcome, which clearly cannot happen unless philosophy employs modesty as a guardian for all its offices and for everyone who serves in them. As Cassian says, modesty is the parent of every honorable plan, the protector of solemn duties, the teacher of innocence, dear to those nearby, acceptable to those far away, and it neglects private interests so that it may increase the common good, always wearing a favorable expression in every place and at every time, to such an extent that it is accepted even by the shameless. In Athens, an elderly man came into the theater to watch the games. When none of the citizens offered him a seat, he happened to reach the Lacedaemonian envoys; out of respect for his age, his gray hair, and his years, they rose to honor him and gave him a seat of honor among themselves. When the people saw this happen, they applauded loudly, approving of the modesty of a foreign city. They say that one of the Lacedaemonians then remarked, "So, the Athenians know what is right, but they neglect to do it."
Read the original Latin
ciuilitatis regulae; et quod nichil uirtute ciuUiua; quae mnt regulae ciuilitcUis in conuiuiis obseruandae; et de uerecuTidia. Dictum est philosophiam totius ciuilitatis et omnium agendorum esse magistram et eorum quae in conuiuiis exercenda sunt officia dispensare. Cum sint ergo plura ciuilitatis praecepta, illius qui omnibus philosophis et sapientibus anteceUit et qui quouis philosopho ciuilior est ciuilis regula uidetur merito anteponenda posterioribus. Ait ergo: Cum inuitatus fueris ad nuptias, noli locum praeoccupare primum, ne forte honoratior te sit inuitatus et dicat tibi qui te inuitauit: Da huic locum; et tunc incipias cum rubore nouissimum locum tenere. Sed recumbe in nouissimo loco ut, cum te uiderit qui te inuitauit, dicat tibi: Amice ascende superius; et erit tibi gloria coram simul discumbentibus. Deinde hunc articulum quasi generali loco confirmans ait: Omnis enim qui se exaltat humiliabid tur, et qui se humiliat exaltabitur. Et, licet religionis potius quam ciuilitatis uideatur edictum, ego religionis formam a ciuilitate non diuido, cum nichil ciuilius sit quam cultui uirtutis insistere. Ceterum nec ualuifragam admittit legem nec letitiam excludit nec lautiorem refugit apparatum, gulae tamen irritamenta non quaerit; ait enim: Tauri mei et altilia occisa sunt.
Et ubi redeunti prodigo pater pius iocundum instruxit conuiuium, ad conciliandam letitiam symphoniam admisit et chorum, occisus est uitulus saginatus, et, ne uestis abiecta conuiuium deuenustet, anulus et stola ministrorum ofRcio in usum nudi et ornatum promitur de conclaui. Sicut autem dignis liberalitatis ostia patent, ita sunt turpibus praecludenda. Nam et fatuae a uirgines, licet pulsent ad ianuam, ob stultitiae notam repulsam patiuntur ne forte eiciantur admissae. Constat enim quia turpius eicitur quam non admittitur hospes; et tamen sine nota eicitur, si sua turpitudine deformet conuiuium. Siquidem et ille eiectus est qui uestem non habuit nuptialem. Haec autem, licet misticum habeant intellectum, nichilominus in ipsa superficie ciuilitatis praeferunt rudimenta. Nam et illud quidem fideliter sonat ad litteram quod Apostolus praecipit: Si quis frater nominatur fornicator aut auarus aut idolis seruiens, cum eiusmodi nec cibum sumere. Ad hoc ergo est liberali domui ianua ut lasciuos criminosos et infames excludat.
Ad hoc ianitorem habet aut hostiarium ne quis insulsus irruat et ut sit qui dignos et admittendos reuerenter exeipiat, honeste alloquatur, solatietur ignotis, instruat nouitatis ignaros et, cum opporb tunitas fuerit, ad dominum introducat. Est et rerum eopia sine luxu, iocunditas sine lasciuia, et usus rerum licentiosus immo liber sed uirtute incolumi. Nam conuiuium Herodis aut Pharaonis, dum immoderatam ad gestus saltatricis aut feruorem uini letitiam concipit, fine tragico exit et homicidio maculatur. Hoc nec etiam gentilium grauitas approbat. Valerius auctor est quod Porcius Cato Lucium Flaminium sustulit a numero senatorum quia aliquem dampnatum impie securi percusserat, tempore tamen supplicii, sed ad arbitrium et spectaculum conuiuantis mulierculae, cuius amore tenebatur et lecto. Sed et Lucius Flaccus et collega eius censores Durionium senatu mouerunt, quod legem de cohercendis conuiuiorum sumptibus latam tribunus plebis abrogauerat. Mirifica notae causa. Quam enim impudenter Durionius rostra conscendit, illa dicturus: Freni sunt iniecti nobis, Quirites, nullo modo perpetiendi, alligati et constricti estis amaro uinculo seruitutis; lex enim data est quae uos frugi esse iubet.
Abrogemus ergo illud horridae uetustatis rubigine obsitum imperium; etenim quid opus est libertate si uolentibus luxu perire non licet? Est et alia in sacris litteris ciuilitatis nota ut ab initio gratiarum praecedant actiones. Nam et illud constat quod liberalissimus et ciuilissimus aut facetissimus paterfamilias, qui de quinque panibus satiauit quinque milia conuiuarum, panem antequam frangeret benedicere consueuit. Sed et illud celebre est sapientis, quod philosophia, quae unicum munus est deorum et disciplina disciplinarum, honoranda est anteloquio. Ciuile quoque est et sacris litteris consentaneum aut omnino silere in mensa ut audias ad profectum, aut unde proficiant alii aut sine culpa letentur doctum proferre sermonem; siquidem et inter comedendum Dominus parabolas aut uerba uitae frequenter auditoribus miscet. Sunt autem nimis tristia et fere ciuilitatis ignara, ubi citra uoluptatem audiendi solus uenter impletur aut ubi clamore anserino et ineptis fabulis conuiuia perstrepunt. Nec est qui musicam arceat, cum ars innocens sit adeo quidem ut eam Socrates discere in senectute curauerit. a Cantabunt michi Dametas et Licius Egon ' ciuile est; ' Saltantes satiros imitabitur Alphesibeus ' ad plebeia transit.
Illa ergo quae apertiora sunt et uitiis magis aduersa proferenda sunt uerba et quae luxuriam iugulant, amota tamen uel tenui suspicione auaritiae. Licet enim intemperantibus sit sopita uena ingenii, non omnino extinctam esse correctus Polemio testis est. Hic autem perditae luxuriae adolescens Athenis fuit, neque illecebris eius tantummodo sed et ipsa infamia gaudens. Cum e conuiuio non post occasum solis sed post ortum surrexisset domumque rediens Xenocratis philosophi patentem ianuam uidisset, uino grauis, unguentis delibutus, sertis capite redimito, perlucida ueste amictus, ref ertam turba doctorum hominum scolam eius intrauifc. Nec confcentus tam deformi introitu consedit etiam ut clarissimum eloquium et prudentissima praecepta temulentiae laciuiis elauaret. Orta deinde, ut par erat, omnium indignatione Xenocrates uultum in eodem habitu continuit omissaque re quam disserebant de modestia ac temperantia loqui coepit. Cuius grauitate sermonis resipiscere coactus Polemio primum coronam capiti detractam proiecit, paulo post brachium intra pallium reduxit, procedente tempore oris conuiualis hilaritatem deposuit, ad ultimum totam luxuriem exuit, uniusque orationis saluberrima medicina sanatus ex infami ganeone maximus philosophus euasit. Peregrinatus est itaque huius animus in nequitia nec habitauit; diuertit paululum sed nequaquam domicilium fixit.
Postremo unum est ad quod totius philosophici cetus tendit intentio, scilicet finis honestus, letus exitus et iocundus, qui plane euenire non poterit nisi philosophia omnibus officinis et omnium ministris officiorum custodem adhibeat uerecundiam, quae parens est, ut ait Cassianus, omnis honesti consilii, solemnium officiorum tutela, magistra innocentiae, cara proximis, accepta alienis, priuatas negh'gens facultates ut communes amplificet, omni loco omni tempore prae se fauorabilem gerens uultum, adeo quidem ut etiam inuerecundis feratur accepta. Athenis quidam ultimae senectutis,cum spectatum ludos in theatrum uenissefc eumque nemo e ciuilibus sessum reciperefc, ad Lacedaemonid orum legatos forte peruenit; qui hominis etatem canos eius et annos assurgendi officio uenerati sunt sedemque ei inter ipsos honoratissimo loco dederunt. Quod ubi fieri populus aspexit, maximo plausu alienae urbis uerecundiam comprobauit. Ferunt tunc unum e Lacedemoniis dixisse: Ergo Athenienses quid sit rectum sciunt sed id facere negligunt.
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