CAPUT III. Quid sit rex, quid esse, quidve cavere debeat.
The True Name of King
A king is truly named by ruling rightly, and his first work is to cleanse himself and his household so that his people may learn virtue and he may stand with the holy kings.
A king is named for ruling rightly. For if he rules devoutly, justly, and mercifully, he's rightly called a king; if he lacks these things, he loses the name of king. The ancients, though, used to call all kings tyrants; but later those who ruled devoutly, justly, and mercifully obtained the name of king. For those who rule impiously or unjustly and cruelly, the fitting name is not king but tyrant. Because a king is so called from acting rightly, his first concern must be that, with the help of Christ's grace, he cleanse himself and his household from wicked works and make them abound in good works, so that from that household the rest of his subjects may always take a good example. He himself must also follow Christ's saving commands faithfully and obediently, and by acting rightly keep those over whom he has temporal rule standing firm in peace, concord, and love, and in the practice of other good works, as far as God grants him; and by words and example he must carefully encourage them to the work of piety, justice, and mercy, mindful that he will have to give an account to God for them—so that by living this way, after this pilgrimage, he may become a companion of the holy kings who pleased God by serving him sincerely.1
The Biblical Charge of a King
Deuteronomy and the wisdom books command the king to avoid self-exaltation, cling to God's law, judge the poor in truth, and rule with mercy and humility.
As for what a king ought to be, or what he should guard against, we read this in Deuteronomy: When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you, and you have taken possession of it and settled there, and you say, "I will set a king over me, like all the nations around us," you shall set over yourself the one the Lord your God chooses from among your brothers; you must not make a man of another nation king who is not your brother. Once he is appointed, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor lead the people back to Egypt, puffed up by the size of his cavalry—especially since the Lord has commanded you never to return by that same road again.2 He shall not have many wives, who would entice his heart away, nor immense stores of silver and gold. But after he has taken his seat on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write out for himself a copy of this Deuteronomy of the law in a book, taking the model from the priests of the Levitical tribe; he shall keep it with him and read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and keep all the words and ceremonies commanded in the law. His heart shall not be lifted up in pride over his brothers, nor shall he turn aside to the right or to the left, so that he and his sons may reign for a long time over Israel (Deut. 17:14 and following). .3 Notice that the fear of God, keeping his commandments, humility—which prevents him from exalting himself above his brothers—and the uprightness of justice allow not only the king but also his sons to reign for a long time. Therefore, so that a ruler should guard against self-exaltation, Ecclesiasticus warns: They have made you a ruler; do not exalt yourself, but be among them as one of them (Eccli. 32:1). In Proverbs: The king who judges the poor in truth—his throne will be established forever (Prov. 29:14). Likewise: Mercy and truth guard the king, and his throne is strengthened by clemency (Prov. 20:28).
Cyprian's Mirror for Rulers
Through Cyprian's words the king sees himself as the corrector of injustice, learns the complete catalogue of royal justice, and faces the grim consequences of unjust rule.
But because we do not doubt that the teachings of the saints who reign with the Lord—brought forth by the gift of the Holy Spirit—carry more weight in the hearts of those who hear them than our own humble words, for that reason we have inserted into this modest work a few things from the words of blessed Cyprian, martyr of Christ, which we offer for Your Serenity to keep at hand, read often, and study carefully, so that in his words, as in a kind of mirror, you may continually contemplate what you should be, what you should do, and what you should avoid. His words are these: "The ninth degree of abuse," he says, "is an unjust king. For a king ought not to be unjust, but the corrector of the unjust. So he must guard the dignity of his name in himself: for the name of king, rightly understood, holds this—that he should carry out the office of ruler for all who are under him." But how can he correct others if he does not correct his own ways so that they are not unjust? For by the king's justice his throne is raised high, and by truth the government of the peoples is made firm. Now the justice of a king is this: to oppress no one unjustly by force of power; to judge without favoritism between a man and his neighbor; to be a defender to strangers, orphans, and widows; to restrain theft; to punish adultery; not to exalt the wicked; not to support the shameless and actors; to uproot the godless from the land; not to allow parricides and perjurers to live; to defend the churches; to feed the poor with alms; to appoint just men over the business of the kingdom; to have the elderly, the wise, and the sober as counselors; not to pay attention to the superstitions of magicians, soothsayers, and spirit-mediums; to set aside anger; to defend the homeland against its enemies with bravery and justice; in all things to live in God; not to become proud in prosperity; to endure every adversity with patience; to hold the catholic faith in God; not to allow his sons to act impiously; to devote himself to prayers at set hours; and not to eat before the proper hours. For woe to the land whose king is a child, and whose princes eat in the morning (Eccli.✦ X, 16). These things bring about the prosperity of the kingdom in the present, and lead the king to better heavenly kingdoms. But the one who does not administer according to this law will, of course, endure many adversities of rule. That is why the peace of peoples is often broken, and stumbling blocks even spring up from the kingdom; the yield of the lands is diminished too, and the services of the peoples are hindered. Many sorrows also poison the prosperity of the kingdom: the deaths of loved ones and of children bring grief; enemy raids lay waste the provinces on every side; wild beasts tear apart the herds of cattle and the flocks of sheep; storms of spring and winter check the fertility of the lands and the work of the sea; and sometimes lightning strikes scorch the crops, the blossoms of the trees, and the vine shoots.4 Above all, though, a king's injustice not only darkens the face of his present reign, but also darkens his sons and grandsons, so that they do not hold the inheritance of the kingdom after him. For because of Solomon's sin the Lord scattered the kingdom of the house of Israel from his sons' hands, and because of King David's merit He left a lamp from his seed always in Jerusalem.✦5 See how much a king's justice is worth to the world: it is clear as day to those who look carefully. It is the peace of peoples, the safeguard of the homeland, the safety of the common people, the fortification of the nation, the care of the sick, the joy of human beings, mild weather, calm seas, fertile land, comfort for the poor, an inheritance for children, and for the king himself the hope of future blessedness. Yet let him know that just as he has been set first on the throne among human beings, so too, if he does not do justice, he will hold first place in punishments. For every sinner he had under him in the present he will have above him in that future punishment. »6
The Christian Empire's True Strength
Fulgentius teaches that an emperor is a vessel of mercy when humility and the Church's peace, not mere power, govern his rule.
Fulgentius, in his book On the Truth of Predestination and Grace: "The most merciful emperor," he says, "is not a vessel of mercy prepared for glory simply because he has received the summit of earthly rule; but if, at the height of imperial power, he lives by right faith, and, endowed with true humility of heart, subjects the height of royal dignity to holy religion; if he delights more in serving God in fear than in ruling the people through fear; if gentleness softens anger in him, and kindness adorns his power; if he shows himself to all as one more to be loved than feared; if he looks to his subjects' true good; if he holds to justice so that he does not abandon mercy; if above all he remembers that he is a son of holy mother the Catholic Church, so that he makes his rule serve her peace and quiet throughout the whole world. For a Christian empire is governed and extended more when the Church's standing is provided for throughout the whole earth than when people fight for temporal security in any part of the world.7
Humility and the Eternal Crown
Isidore and Gregory show that true kingship is kept by humility, self-rule, and peace, while pride and cruelty cast rulers from glory into torment.
Isidore: "Whoever uses royal power rightly ought to be so far above everyone else that the more he shines with the height of honor, the more he humbles himself in mind, setting before himself the example of David's humility—who did not swell with pride over his own merits, but casting himself down humbly says: 'I will walk as someone lowly, and I will appear lowly before the Lord who chose me' (2 Sam. 6:22). Likewise Isidore: "Whoever rules well in temporal things within this world reigns forever without end, and passes from the glory of this age into eternal glory. But those who exercise kingship wrongly, after the glittering robe and the gleam of gemstones, will go down naked and wretched into hell to be tormented. Kings are so called from acting rightly, because by doing right the name of king is kept, and by sinning it is lost.8 Gregory in the Moralia: "For we also know that holy men are accordingly called kings in the sacred writings, because they act rightly, govern their own senses well, and by reasonable discernment bring into order the impulses that resist them. Rightly, then, are those called kings who, by ruling well, have known how to bring both themselves and their subjects to peace.9 Some turn the very name of rule into the savagery of cruelty; and once they have reached the height of power, they immediately fall into apostasy, and they lift themselves up with such swelling of heart that they despise all their subjects by comparison with themselves and do not recognize those over whom it has fallen to them to preside.
Kings as Gift or Judgment
Gregory reminds rulers of their mortality, teaches that good kings are God's gift and bad ones the people's sin, and warns that power can corrupt even the good.
And a little later: «Even when the kings of the world feel themselves higher than other mortals, let them still recognize that they are mortal; and let them not fix their eyes on the glory of kingship by which they are raised up in this world, but let them attend to the work they carry away with them.10 Again not long after: «When kings are good, it is God's gift; but when they are bad, it is the people's crime. For the life of rulers is ordered according to what the peoples deserve, as Job bears witness: 'Who makes a hypocrite reign because of the sins of the people (Job' 34:30). For when God is angry, they receive such a ruler of the people as they deserve for their sin. Sometimes, because of the people's wickedness, even kings are changed; and those who before seemed to be good become wicked once they have received the kingdom. »
The King's Final Account
The chapter closes by urging the king to live out his name not only personally but in all his people, since God will ask him for their good fruit as well as his own.
With these things thus set out, the king must strive to live up to the name of king not only in himself, but also in those subject to him, and see to it that the people under him abound in piety, peace, love, justice, and mercy, and also in concord and unanimity, and in the other good works, so that those who have these things may deserve to have God with them; and he should know with complete certainty that the Lord will demand from him the good fruit of good work not only for himself, but also for them.
Read the original Latin
Rex a recte regendo vocatur; si enim pie, et juste, et misericorditer regit, merito rex appellatur: si his caruerit, nomen regis amittit. Antiqui autem omnes reges tyrannos vocabant; sed postea pie, et juste, et misericorditer regentes regis nomen sunt adepti: impie vel injuste, crudeliterque principantibus, non regis sed tyrannicum aptatum est nomen. Quia ergo rex a recte agendo dicitur, primo ei studendum est ut semetipsum suamque domum, Christi adjuvante gratia, ab operibus nequam emaculet, bonisque operibus exuberare faciat, ut ab ea caeteri subjecti bonum exemplum semper capiant; ipse etiam salutiferis Christi praeceptis fideliter atque obedienter obsecundet, et recte agendo eos, quibus temporaliter imperat, in pace et concordia atque charitate, caeterorumque bonorum operum exhibitione, quantum sibi divinitus datur, consistere faciat, et dictis atque exemplis ad opus pietatis et justitiae et misericordiae solerter excitet, attendens quod pro iis Deo rationem redditurus sit: quatenus ita agendo sanctorum regum, qui Deo sincere serviendo placuerunt, post hanc peregrinationem consors efficiatur.
De rege autem qualis esse, vel quid cavere debeat, ita in Deuteronomio legitur: Cum ingressus fueris terram quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi, et possederis eam, habitaverisque in illa, et dixeris: Constituam super me regem, sicut habent omnes per circuitum nationes; eum constitues quem Dominus Deus tuus elegerit, de numero fratrum tuorum: non poteris alterius gentis hominem regem facere, qui non sit frater tuus. Cumque constitutus fuerit, non multiplicabit sibi equos, nec reducet populum in Aegyptum, equitatus numero sublevatus; praesertim cum Dominus praeceperit vobis, ut nequaquam amplius per eamdem viam revertamini. Non habebit uxores plurimas, quae alliciant animum ejus, neque argenti et auri immensa pondera. Postquam autem sederit in solio regni sui, describet sibi Deuteronomium legis hujus in volumine, accipiens exemplar a sacerdotibus Leviticae tribus, et habebit secum, legetque illud omnibus diebus vitae suae, ut discat timere Dominum Deum suum, et custodire verba et caeremonias ejus, quae in lege praecepta sunt. Nec elevetur cor ejus in superbiam super fratres suos, neque declinet in partem dexteram, vel sinistram, ut longo tempore regnet ipse et filii ejus super Israel (Deut. XVII, 14, seq.) . Attende quod timor Dei, et custodia praeceptorum ejus, et humilitas, quae non patitur eum extollere super fratres suos, et justitiae rectitudo, non solum regem, sed et filios ejus longo faciat regnare tempore.
Ut ergo princeps extollentiam cavere debeat, Ecclesiasticus admonens ait: Principem te posuerunt, noli extolli, sed esto in illis quasi unus ex ipsis (Eccli. XXXII, 1) . In Proverbiis: Rex qui judicat in veritate pauperes, thronus ejus in aeternum firmabitur (Prov. XXIX, 14) . Item: Misericordia et veritas custodiunt regem, et roboratur clementia thronus ejus (Prov. XX, 28) .
Verum quia sanctorum qui cum Domino regnant, documenta sancti Spiritus munere prolata, in cordibus auditorum plus valere, quam nostrae exiguitatis verba non dubitamus, idcirco pauca de verbis beati Cypriani martyris Christi huic opusculo parvitatis nostrae quaedam inseruimus, quae vestrae serenitati prae manibus habenda, et saepe legenda, atque tractanda offerimus; quatenus in ejus verbis, quasi in quodam speculo, quid esse, quid agere, quidve cavere debeatis, jugiter vos contemplemini; cujus verba sunt haec: « Nonus, inquiens, abusionis gradus est rex iniquus: etenim regem non iniquum, sed iniquorum correctorem esse oportet; unde in semetipso nominis sui dignitatem custodire debet: nomen enim regis intellectualiter hoc retinet, ut subjectis omnibus rectoris officium procuret. Sed qualiter alios corrigere poterit, qui proprios mores, ne iniqui sint, non corrigit? Quoniam justitia regis exaltatur solium ejus, et veritate solidantur gubernacula populorum. Justitia vero regis est neminem injuste perpotentiam opprimere, sine acceptione personarum inter virum et proximum suum judicare, advenis et pupillis et viduis defensorem esse; furta cohibere, adulteria punire; iniquos non exaltare, impudicos et histriones non nutrire, impios de terra perdere, parricidas et perjurantes vivere non sinere; Ecclesias defendere, pauperes eleemosynis alere, justos super negotia regni constituere; senes et sapientes, et sobrios consiliarios habere, magorum et hariolorum, pythonissarumque superstitionibus non intendere, iracundiam differre, patriam fortiter et juste contra adversarios defendere; per omnia in Deo vivere; prosperitatibus non elevare animum, cuncta adversa patienter ferre: fidem catholicam in Deo habere; filios suos non sinere impie agere, certis horis orationibus insistere, ante horas congruas non gustare cibum. Vae enim terrae cujus rex est puer, et cujus principes mane comedunt (Eccli. X, 16) . Haec regni prosperitatem in praesenti faciunt, et regem ad coelestia regna meliora perducunt. Qui vero secundum hanc legem non dispensat, multas nimirum adversitates imperii tolerat.
Idcirco enim saepe pax populorum rumpitur, et offendicula etiam de regno suscitantur, terrarum quoque fructus diminuuntur, et servitia populorum praepediuntur. Multi etiam dolores prosperitatem regni inficiunt, charorum et liberorum mortes tristitiam conferunt; hostium incursus provincias undique vastant, bestiae armentorum et pecorum greges dilacerant, tempestates veris et hiemis terrarum fecunditatem et maris ministeria prohibent, et aliquando fulminum ictus segetes, et arborum flores, et pampinos exurunt. Super omnia vero regis injustitia non solum praesentis imperii faciem fuscat, sed etiam filios suos et nepotes, ne post se regni haereditatem teneant, obscurat. Propter piaculum enim Salomonis regnum domus Israel Dominus de manibus filiorum ejus dispersit, et propter meritum David regis lucernam de semine ejus semper in Hierusalem reliquit. Ecce quantum justitia regis saeculo valeat intuentibus perspicue patet: pax populorum est, tutamentum patriae, immunitas plebis, munimentum gentis, cura languorum, gaudium hominum, temperies aeris, serenitas maris, terrae fecunditas, solatium pauperum, haereditas filiorum, et sibimetipsi spes futurae beatitudinis. Attamen sciat quod sicut in throno hominum primus constitutus est, sic et in poenis, si justitiam non fecerit, primatum habiturus est. Omnes namque quoscunque peccatores sub se in praesenti habuit, supra se in illa futura poena habebit. »
Fulgentius in libro de Veritate praedestinationis et gratiae: « Clementissimus, inquit, imperator, non ideo est vas misericordiae praeparatum in gloriam, quia apicem terreni principatus accepit; sed si imperiali culmine recta fide vivat, et vera cordis humilitate praeditus, culmen regiae dignitatis sanctae religioni subjiciat: si magis in timore servire Deo quam in timore dominari populo delectetur; si in eo lenitas iracundiam mitiget, ornet benignitas potestatem; si se magis diligendum quam metuendum cunctis exhibeat; si subjectis salubriter consulat; si justitiam sic teneat, ut misericordiam non relinquat; si prae omnibus ita se sanctae matris Ecclesiae catholicae meminerit filium, ut ejus paci atque tranquillitati per universum mundum prodesse suum faciat principatum. Magis enim Christianum regitur ac propagatur imperium dum ecclesiastico statui per omnem terram consulitur, quam cum in parte quacunque terrarum protemporali securitate pugnatur.
Isidorus: « Qui recte utitur regni potestate, ita se praestare omnibus debet, ut quanto magis honoris celsitudine claret, tanto semetipsum mente humiliet, proponens sibi exemplum humilitatis David, qui de suis meritis non tumuit, sed humiliter se dejiciens dicit: Vilis incedam, et vilis apparebo ante Dominum qui elegit me (II Reg. VI, 22) . » Item Isidorus: « Qui intra saeculum bene temporaliter imperat, sine fine in perpetuum regnat, et de gloria hujus saeculi ad aeternam transmeat gloriam. Qui vero prave regnum exercent, post vestem fulgentem et lumina lapillorum, nudi et miseri ad inferna torquendi descendent. Reges a recte agendo vocati sunt, ideo quia recte faciendo regis nomen tenetur, peccando amittitur. » Gregorius in Moralibus: « Nam et viros sanctos proinde reges vocari in sacris eloquiis novimus, eo quod recte agant, sensusque proprios bene regant, et motus resistentes sibi rationabili discretione componant. Recte igitur illi reges vocantur, qui tam semetipsos quam subjectos, bene regendo pacificarenoverunt. Quidam ipsum nomen regiminis ad immanitatem transvertunt crudelitatis, dumque ad culmen potestatis venerunt, in apostasiam confestim labuntur, tantoque se tumore cordis extollunt, ut cunctos subditos in sui comparatione despiciant, eosque quibus praeesse contigit, non agnoscant.
» Et paulo post: « Dum mundi reges sublimiores se caeteris sentiunt, mortales tamen se esse agnoscant, nec regni gloriam, qua in saeculo sublimantur, aspiciant, sed opus quod secum deportant, intendant. » Item non post multa: « Reges quando boni sunt, muneris est Dei; quando vero mali, sceleris est populi. Secundum enim plebium meritum disponitur vita rectorum, testante Job: Qui regnare facit hypocritam propter peccata populi (Job. XXXIV, 30) . Irascente enim Deo talem rectorem populi suscipiunt, qualem pro peccato merentur. Nonnunquam pro malitia plebis etiam reges mutantur; et qui ante videbantur esse boni, accepto regno fiunt iniqui. »
His ita praemissis, studendum est regi ut non solum in se, verum etiam in sibi subjectis regis nomen impleat, provideatque ut populus sibi subjectus, pietate, pace, charitate, justitia, et misericordia atque concordia et unanimitate, caeterisque bonis exuberet operibus; ut haec habentes Deum secum habere mereantur; sciatque certissime quod non solum de se, verum etiam de ipsis Dominus ab eo fructum bonum bonae operationis exacturus est.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eccl.10.16 — Woe to you, O land, whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
- ↩1Kgs.11.36;2Kgs.8.19 — And to his son I will give one tribe, so that there may be a lamp for David my servant always before me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 2Kgs.8.19 — Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, just as he had promised him — to give a lamp to his sons all the days.
Notes
- 1 ↩charitate rendered as 'love' per default charitas policy; the triad with peace and concord also supports 'charity' as a theological-virtue reading.
- 2 ↩equitatus numero sublevatus: rendered as "puffed up by the size of his cavalry" (raised/swollen by cavalry numbers); could also be read more neutrally as "supported by a large cavalry force."
- 3 ↩Source sentence is only a residual period from the citation split after (Deut. XVII, 14, seq.).
- 4 ↩maris ministeria rendered as 'the work of the sea' (shipping, fishing, and seaborne commerce); alternative: 'the services of the sea.'
- 5 ↩lucernam ('lamp') preserves the biblical image of a continuing royal line; piaculum rendered as 'sin' (grave offense / expiatory guilt).
- 6 ↩Closing quotation mark ending the embedded Pseudo-Cyprian / Cyprianic citation begun in the previous section; no independent propositional content.
- 7 ↩Source has protemporali as one word; read as pro temporali ('for temporal').
- 8 ↩Isidore's etymology takes reges from recte agendo ('acting/ruling rightly'): the name 'king' is held by right action and forfeited by sin.
- 9 ↩Normalized reading has fused 'pacificarenoverunt'; translated as the highly plausible 'pacificare noverunt' ('have known how to bring to peace').
- 10 ↩opus quod secum deportant: the work or deed they take with them (into death/judgment), not royal pomp left behind.
On the Institution of a King (De institutione regia) 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