Da declaraçom das voontades.
The Fourfold Nature of Desire
The author introduces four distinct types of human desire as categorized by the Holy Fathers.
Our desires depart in many ways according to the misguided longings we feel for them, but in the book of the Collations of the Holy Fathers, it is shown that there are generally four. The first is called carnal; the second is spiritual; the third is pleasant and delightful; the fourth is perfect and virtuous. And having taken a large part of the aforementioned book, I declare some of its contents in the following manner.
Contradiction and the Crucible of Reason
The carnal, spiritual, and pleasurable desires are examined in their conflict, contrasted with the fourth, virtuous desire that uses reason as a refining crucible.
Carnal desire seeks pleasure, physical comfort, and ease, distancing itself from any danger, expense, or hard work. Spiritual desire seeks to follow the path where virtues most incline. It urges those who have committed to a religious life to fast, keep watch, read, and pray as much as they can without reservation. For those engaged in knightly deeds, it encourages them to face any dangers or labors that arise, regardless of their personal status or ability. This leads to a focus on certain works that seem good and virtuous, which are pursued so recklessly that the person ignores the body's natural needs for food, sleep, or rest. Regarding expenses, they advise immediate action whenever it seems good to them, without considering what their actual resources can support. And these two desires continuously contradict each other within us, as each one finds its own experience of a desire that advises doing some things and others contrary. From these two arises a third, a pleasurable and sensual desire. In trying to satisfy both without any discomfort, it leaves the person unable to live well or virtuously. It advises fasting but ensures they feel no hunger or thirst; it suggests keeping watch but ensures they suffer no pain from lack of sleep. In seeking the honor of knighthood, it prevents them from exposing themselves to danger or labor, from finishing difficult tasks without extreme caution, or from gaining an honorable reputation without incurring expenses that might cause loss or discomfort. The fourth desire is entirely contrary to the others, because it presents everything that comes to the heart before the understanding to judge whether it should be done or left undone. Based on that judgment, it often rejects what the others demand, does what they do not want, and breaks their influence entirely. Just as goldsmiths, wanting to know if gold should be accepted or refined, place it in a crucible—or silver in a furnace—and refine or accept it based on the test, so this fourth desire determines whether to do or leave undone all things, based on the examination of understanding and reason. When carnal desire wants to indulge in the things mentioned earlier, this fourth desire forbids it, forcing it to endure hunger, thirst, sleep, and exposure to great dangers, labors, expenses, and cares whenever understanding and reason determine it is good to do so. The same happens to the spiritual desire, which is not allowed to pursue its high and great ambitions beyond what understanding and reason command, taking into account the person's disposition, state, and resources. In this way, this fourth will differs significantly from the third, because the third doesn't allow itself to contradict the first two in a way that causes them any distress, while this one contradicts everything whenever understanding and reason determine that it's good to act accordingly.
The Wisdom of Discernment
The author explains how the conflict between desires creates space for the exercise of prudence and true wisdom.
The conflict between those two wills greatly affects the understanding of what is best to do, in this way: when the spiritual will requires fasting, or when it seems that they act in a way that is meritorious, the carnal will, desiring pleasure and benefit for the body, recalls the work and danger that may follow from it, creating a contention between them, as each holds back from fulfilling what they desire, allowing the fourth will the time to present this before the judgment of reason and understanding, and according to its determination, thus it is executed; this would not happen if such a contradiction did not exist, nor does it occur in those who live bestially, following every demand of the carnal desire without restraint, nor does it happen with those who live presumptuously, glorying in this carnal will, not allowing it to be contradicted, nor recalling anything of what they desire, but wanting to fulfill without discernment everything that the spiritual will demands, they fall into great downfalls, of which there are many examples. And for this reason, I write that some, who do not know how to discern these wills, are continually tempted and required; and as for the first three, we should not follow them, but govern all our actions and concerns by the fourth, consenting to them according to the determination of reason and understanding, and not merely from our own will, but in those actions that require it, of which we have no great certain experience, knowing well how to counsel the soul, body, state, and possessions of people who are reasonable, not allowing ourselves to be led by the desires of our wills, we should obey their good counsel. This is the way of discernment, which in our language we call true wisdom. It is highly praised by the wise because it guides those who live by it with the grace of God toward all good, steering them away from great evils. And this fourth will provides the foundation for true prudence, because we choose the good over the bad, the greater good over the lesser, and the lesser evil in all our own actions.
Read the original Latin
Nossas voõtades se departem de muytas maneiras segundo sentimos dellas desvairados desejos, mas no livro das Collaçoões dos Santos Padres se demostra que geeralmente som quatro. Primeira que se chama carnal; segunda spiritual; terceira tiba prazenteira; quarta perfeita e virtuosa. E filhando grande parte do dito livro, com algũus adimentos as declaro na maneira seguinte.
A voõtade carnal deseja viço, folgança do corpo, e cuidado, arredandosse de todo perigo, despeza e trabalho. A spiritual quer seguir aquellas partes em que se mais inclinam as virtudes, e faz aos que se despoõem aa vida de religiom requerer que jejuem, vigiem, leam, e rezem quanto mais poderem sem nenhũa discriçom; aos que andam em feitos de cavallaria que se ponham a todos perigos e trabalhos que se lhes oferecerem, nom avendo reguardo aos que segundo seu estado e poder lhe som razoados. E esto medes faz nos cuidados dalgũas obras que lhe parecerem boas e virtuosas, que se despoõem a ellas assy destemperadamente que nom teem cuydado de comer, dormir, nem da folgança ordenada que o corpo naturalmente requere; e as despezas, onde lhe parece que he bem, conselha que se façom logo sem nenhũu resguardo do que sua fazenda pode abranger e governar. E aquestas duas voõtades continuadamente se contrariom dentro em nos, segundo cada hũu per sy achara speriencia de hũa voõtade que o conselha fazer algũas cousas e outras em contrairo. Dantre estas duas nace a terceira, prazenteira e tiba, a qual por querer ambas satisfazer, sem nenhũu agravamento, poõe o que a segue em tal stado que nunca o leixa viver bem nem virtuosamente, porque ella assy conselha jejuar que nom senta nenhũa fame nem sede, e assy vigiar que nom haja pena em sofrer o sono, e queria percalçar honra de cavallaria nom se despoendo a perigos nem a trabalhos, a acabar pesados feitos sem filhar grande cuidado, e aver nome de graado sem fazer tal despeza que lhe algũa mingua ou empacho fezesse, e assi o comprimento destas tres faz seguir e cair em grandes erros e maldades. E a quarta todo per o contrairo, porque todallas cousas que se apresentam ao coraçom de cada hũa destas tres as oferece ao entender que julgue se som de fazer ou leixar; segundo elle determina, muytas vezes nom segue o que ellas demandam, e faz o que nom querem, e as quebra de todo. E assy como os ourivezes querendo conhecer algũu ouro se he de receber ou dengeitar o metem no cimento, e a prata na cenrada; e segundo seus ysayes a engeitam ou recebem, assy esta quarta voõtade todallas cousas faz ou leixa de fazer per exame do entender e razom. Quando a voõtade carnal se quer deitar a aquellas cousas ja dictas, e esta nom lho consente mais faz-lhe sofrer fame, sede, sono, e despoerse a grandes perigos e trabalhos, despezas e cuidados, quando o entender e razom determinom que he bem de se fazer; e esso medes faz a outra spiritual que lhe nom da lugar a mais seguir seus altos e grandes desejos do que o entender e a razom mandam, consiirando a desposiçom de sua pessoa, estado, fazenda.
E naquesto se desvaira esta quarta voõtade muyto da terceira, porque aquella nom consente em tal guisa contradizer as duas primeiras que algũu agravamento sentam, e aquesta de todo lho contradiz quando determina o entendimento e razom que he bem de o fazer assy.
O contrariamento daquellas duas voõtades faz muyto ao entender julgar dereitamente o que he melhor que se faça, per esta guisa: quando a voõtade spiritual requere que jejũem, ou por cousa que meritoria pareça obrem destemperadamente, e a carnal desejando viço e proveito do corpo relembra o trabalho e perigoo que dello se lhe pode seguir, fazem antre sy hũa contenda, per que se retem cada hũa de comprir o que deseja, e dam lugar aa quarta voõtade que haja tempo de representar esto ante o juizo da razom e do entender, e segundo sua determinaçom assy se faz executar; o que se nom faria se tal contrariedade nom ouvessem, nem se faz naquelles que assy bestialmente vivem que todallas cousas que o desejo carnal requere seguem a seu poder, nem esso medes nos que vivem presuntuosamente, e se gloriam em esta voõtade carnal nom nos contrariar, nem lhe nembrar algũa cousa do que desejam, mas querendo sem discriçom comprir quanto esta voõtade spiritual demanda caaem grandes queedas, das quaaes hi ha muytos exemplos. E per aquesto que screvy alguus que tanto nom sabem poderom conhecer como destas voõtades continuadamente sumos tentados e requeridos; e como as primeiras tres nom devemos seguir, mas todos nossos feitos e cuidados governar per a quarta, fazendoos, consentindo em elles por determinaçom da rezom e do entender, e nom do nosso sollamente, mas naquelles feitos que o requerem de que nom avemos grande certa speriencia per boo saber avendo conselho pera alma, corpo, stado, e fazenda das pessoas que razoado for, nom nos tendo perfiosamente na teençom que requerem nossas voõtades, obedeçamos a seus boos conselhos. E aqueste he o caminho da discriçom, que em nossa linguagem chamamos verdadeiro siso, que per os sabedores he muyto louvada por trazer os que se per ella regem com a graça de Deos a todo bem, e arredar de grandes malles. E sobresta quarta voõtade faz fundamento a real prudencia, porque scolhemos o bem do mal, dos beens o mayor, e do mal o menos em todos nossos proprios feitos.
The Loyal Counselor — Opening companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit