Das fiins que se resguardom as partes do siso.
The Foundations of Virtuous Action
Virtuous living requires the alignment of will, ability, knowledge, and divine grace.
To act well and virtuously requires a sufficient will, ability, and knowledge of prudence, discretion, and good understanding. A good will comes from a great, good, firm, and diligent desire. To have sufficient power, a good bodily disposition is required, along with the management of time and the possession of natural virtues graciously granted by our Lord. To know pertains to the understanding of the seven parts mentioned above, practiced through good conversation and the reading of virtuous books, from which one should acquire knowledge according to one's character, with exercise, so well continued that one understands not only the things related to one's duty but also recognizes more certainly all the cases that may arise, and through experience knows what one ought to do; and the body and its members should know how to serve according to good custom in fulfilling their responsibilities. And above all, it is necessary that our Lord grants us good terms and outcomes in all our actions, without which all knowledge, will, and power are of little value, for in small occasions there is a necessary and desired end; and through other slight events outside our will, power, and knowledge, we are often thwarted.
Five Ends of a Wise Life
The author outlines five key objectives for the wise person: divine love, honor, health, prosperity, and cheerfulness.
And for this reason, I declare that generally, through this wisdom, discretion, prudence, and good understanding, every child, for one thing, according to a good way of speaking, even if the names change, we regard five ends. First, above all else, because we have grace and love from Our Lord, which is given and bestowed upon us with a pure and good heart. Second, to gain honor, which is achieved by performing great deeds in war, living virtuously in peace through good habits and knowledge, and maintaining high status by governing our household and estate well and on a grand scale. Third, by living in health and a good disposition of our people, which has often been granted to us by living well governed in eating and drinking, and all other actions with reasonable work and enjoyment of the body, understanding and will, tempering our cares, desires, and sorrows, advising ourselves in our sufferings with knowledgeable physical and celestial friends, obeying and keeping their counsel and commands. Fourth, to grow our estates, lands, and farms, we should make sure we provide for our needs, and with diligence and foresight, prepare for everything related to our advancement, ensuring our expenses are reasonable for our income. Fifth, by continually being in good cheer, which is greatly aided by the grace of our Lord, we should diligently keep the four principles or intentions mentioned above, knowing how to choose honest spaces and joys, not allowing ourselves to be brought down by contrary things through snares, disgust, or worries; and with our friends or those close to us, knowing how to converse well and cheerfully.
The Primacy of Divine Love and Vigilance
True wisdom is rooted in the love of God and the constant vigilance against sin.
However, those who see and rightly guard and follow these five principles or tensions should be judged as wise, discreet, prudent, and well-understood; and those who follow some and neglect others, according to those they praise, should be excepted only if it is for the first principle, which is the love of our Lord God, for this alone satisfies all, and without it, everything that one thinks is wisdom, discretion, or prudence is of little value. I certainly see some people judged to be very wise because they know how to speak well with a certain calm and honest restraint, even though they disregard the principles of these matters; I would not judge them that way. Therefore, I have written this down, along with the explanations of understanding, memory, and will mentioned above, so that those who aren't well-practiced in these matters might gain a better knowledge of themselves and others. And since the main part of wisdom, prudence, and discernment is to achieve a clean heart, through which one gains and grants the kingdom of heaven; the foundation of such vigilance primarily lies in removing and distancing ourselves from sin, so that we have a necessary knowledge of them; therefore, I write this brief and summary declaration for those who study little about them, so they may gain some general advice and guidance, and if they ask what the reason is, or see the books that explain them in detail, they may, with the grace of God, be lightly informed. Vigilance against sin is so necessary for all the areas mentioned above that without it, we cannot do or possess anything good.
Read the original Latin
Pera bem e virtuosamente obrar do siso, prudencia, discreçom e boo entendimento se requere suficiencia de querer, poder, saber.
O bem querer vem da voontade grande, boa, firme, deligente.
Pera suficiente poder se requere boa disposicom corporal, da fazenda, do tempo, com possuymento de virtudes naturaaes graciosamente per Nosso Senhor outorgadas.
Ao saber perteece comprimento das sete partes suso scriptas, praticadas per boa conversaçom, e vista de livros virtuosos, de que se aja pertencente saber, segundo a pessoa for, com exercicio, assy bem continuado que das cousas a seu officio pertencentes nom soomente per entender, mais de todollos casos que se oferecerem conheça mais certamente, e per speriencia saiba o que deve fazer; e o corpo e nembros por boo costume saibam servir do que comprir. E sobretudo he necessario que Nosso Senhor outorgue boos termos, e acabamentos em todos nossos feitos, sem o qual todo saber, querer, e poder he de pouca vallia, ca por pequenas ocasioões ham devida e desejada fim; e per outros ligeiros acontecimentos fora de nosso querer, poder, saber som storvados.
E por moor declaraçom consiiro que geeralmente per este siso, discreçom, prudencia, e boo entendimento, que todo filho por hũa cousa, segundo boa maneira de fallar, ainda que os nomes se mudem, reguardamos a cinquo fiins.
Primeira, sobre todas principal, por avermos graça e amor de Nosso Senhor, a qual se da e outorga oos de lympo e boo coraçom.
Segunda, por cobrar honra, a qual se percalça por fazer grandes feitos de guerra, e na paz vyvendo virtuosamente com boas manhas e saber, e por termos grande stado, governando nossa casa e fazenda bem e grandemente.
Terceira, por vyvermos em saude e boa desposiçom de nossas pessoas, o que as mais vezes nos he outorgado por vyvermos bem regidos em comer e bever, e todos outros feitos com razoado trabalho e folgança do corpo, entender e voontade, temperando os cuidados, sanhas e tristezas, conselhandonos em nossos padecimentos com fisicos e celorgiaães sabedores, obedecendo, guardando seus conselhos e mandados.
Quarta, por acrecentar nos estados, terras e fazendas, o que se faz poendosse boo proviimento no que ouvermos, e com boa deligencia e avisamento nos despoermos a toda cousa de nossos avançamentos, que aos stados de cada hũu convenham, teendo despezas razoadas para nossa renda.
Quinta, por continuadamente starmos em boa ledice, o que muyto por graça de Nosso Senhor se ha por bem guardarmos as quatro fiins ou tençoões suso scriptas, sabendo filhar honestos spaços e folganças, nom nos derribando nas cousas contrairas per sanhas, nojos, ou cuidados; e com nossos amygos, ou pessoas a nos chegadas, bem e ledamente sabendo conversar.
E porem os que vyrem, e dereitamente guardarem e seguirem bem e ledamente estas cinquo fiins, ou tençoões, devem seer julgados por sesudos, discretos, prudentes, e bem entendidos; e os que hũas seguem e outras leixam, segundo aquellas os louvem, salvo se for por a primeira parte, que he amor de Nosso Senhor Deos, ca esta per sy satisfaz per todas, e sem ella todo que se pensa seer siso, discreçom, ou prudencia he de pouco vallor. E certamente eu vejo algũus julgados que som muy sesudos, por saberem bem fallar nas cousas com algũa sessegada e onesta contenença, que nom esguardam as principaaes destas fiins, os quaaes eu assy nom julgaria. E porem pus esto em scripto com as declaraçoões do entendimento, memoria, e voontade suso dictas, pera os que desto nom teem grande pratica averem de sy, e doutrem milhor conhecymento.
E porquanto a principal parte do siso, prudencia e descriçom he avermos limpeza de coraçom, per que se gaança e outorga o reyno dos ceeos; e de tal guarda seu fundamento esta principalmente em nos tirar e afastar dos pecados, pera que nos he necessario delles boo conhecimento; porem screvo esta breve e somaria declaraçom, pera os que sobrellas pouco estudam o poderem aver em geral com algũus conselhos e avisamentos, e se perguntarem os que he razom, ou vyrem os livros que largamente os declaram, poderem com a graça do Senhor Deos ligeiramente seer avysados. A qual guarda dos pecados pera todas estas partes suso scriptas nos he tam necessaria, que sem ella cousa de bem nom podemos fazer nem possuyr.
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