Verba fidei sponse ad Christum, et qualiter Iohannes baptista inducit sponse certitudinem Christi sibi alloquentis et de boni diuitis felicitate, et qualiter indiscretus episcopus propter sui fatuitatem et pessimam vitam assimilatur symie.
The Bride's Prayer and the Witness of John
The bride expresses her firm faith in Christ, while John the Baptist confirms the divinity of the Son and calls the faithful to follow His path.
The bride spoke humbly to Christ in prayer: "O my Lord, Jesus Christ, I believe in you so firmly that even if a serpent were lying before my mouth, it wouldn't enter unless you allowed it for my own good!" John the Baptist replied, "The one who appears to you is, by his very nature, the Son of God; the Father bore witness to him in my hearing, saying, 'This is my Son.'" He is the one from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds, who appeared above Him as a dove while I was baptizing Him. He is, in the flesh, the true Son of the Virgin, whose body I have touched with my own hands. Believe in Him firmly, then, and follow His way. For He is the one who has shown the straight path to heaven, by which both the poor and the rich can enter heaven.
The True Nature of Riches
The text clarifies that a rich person can be dear to God if they remain detached from worldly possessions and focused on divine love.
But you might ask: how should a wealthy person who wants to enter heaven be disposed, when God himself said it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven? To this, I answer you: The wealthy person who is disposed to fear they may have acquired something wrongly, who is anxious that their wealth not be spent uselessly or against God, and who, while possessing worldly property and honor against their own will, gladly desires to be separated from them, He is troubled by the loss of souls and the dishonoring of God; and although he is compelled by divine dispensation to have some involvement with the world, he nonetheless keeps his whole intention fixed on the love of God—such a rich man is fruitful and happy, and dear to God.'
The Foolish Bishop as a Monkey
The bishop is compared to a monkey, illustrating how his vanity, carnal desires, and lack of spiritual works deform his sacred office.
But this bishop isn't rich in that way. In fact, he is like a monkey with four traits: first, it is dressed in clothes that hang down to cover its front, while its private parts remain completely exposed. The second condition is that it touches foul things with its fingers and brings them to its mouth. The third is that while it has a human face, its color and the rest of its appearance are beastly. The fourth point is that, even though he has hands and feet, he still uses his fingers and hands to trample in the mud. In this way, such a foolish bishop is like a monkey, curious about the vanity of the world and deformed by his lack of any praiseworthy work. For he wears the garment—that is, the episcopal orders—which are truly honorable and precious before God, but his more shameful parts appear naked, because the levity of his character and his carnal desires are displayed to people to the destruction of souls. In response, that noble soldier says that a person's more private parts deserve greater modesty, noting by this that the animal impulses of clergy ought to be hidden by good works, so that the weak aren't scandalized by their example. An ape, too, touches and smells foul things. What does a finger do but point to what is being seen? Just as I, seeing God in human form, pointed Him out with my finger. "Look," I said, "the Lamb of God." What, then, are a bishop's fingers if not his own commendable habits, by which he ought to demonstrate the justice of God and His love? Now, however, he demonstrates through his own works that he is rich and generous, a wise man of the world, and a squanderer of money. But what are all these things, if not like pointing at something foul? For what else is it to boast of one's flesh and a large household than to boast of inflated bags? An ape also has a human face, but the rest of its form is beastly. In the same way, this person has a soul marked with the seal of God, yet it's deformed by their own greed. Fourth, just as a monkey touches and tramples mud with its hands and feet, so this person hungers for earthly things in their desires and deeds, turning their face away from heavenly things and bowing down to earthly ones like a mindless animal. Does someone like this appease the wrath of God? Not at all; instead, they only provoke the justice of God against themselves.
The Judgment of the Soul
A specific judgment is rendered against a soul who, despite being a leader, chose worldly vanity over divine love, leading to a period of purification.
This revelation was given regarding a cardinal legate of the jubilee year, and so on. The Son of God says, "O proud debater, where is your pomp, where is your display of horses?" You refused to understand when you were in a position of honor. Therefore, you are now without honor. Tell me then—even though I know everything—in the hearing of this new bride, what is it that I am asking for!" And immediately, like a trembling and naked person, she appeared, miraculously deformed. The Judge said to her, "O soul, you taught others to despise the world and its riches. Why, then, did you follow them?" The soul replied, "Because the foulest stench tasted sweeter to me than your most fragrant scent." And immediately, at that word, a vessel of sulfur and poison was poured into the soul by an Ethiopian. The Judge also said, "O soul, you were placed before the people as a lampstand of light; why didn't you shine through your words and your example?" The soul replied, "Because your love was scraped from my heart." I walked like someone without a memory, like a wanderer looking only at the present and ignoring what was to come." When this was said, the soul was deprived of the light of its eyes. One of the Ethiopians, who seemed to be standing there, said, "O Judge, this soul is mine." What should I do?" The Judge replied, "Purify it and test it as if in a winepress, until the court arrives where the claims of friends and enemies will be weighed."
Read the original Latin
Sponsa loquebatur Christo in oratione humiliter dicens: "O domine, mi Ihesu Christe, sic firmiter credo, tibi, quod eciam si serpens iaceret ante os meum, non intraret nisi te propter bonum meum permittente!"
Respondit Iohannes baptista: "Ille, qui apparet tibi, ipse est naturaliter Dei filius, cui pater me audiente perhibuit testimonium dicens: 'Hic est filius meus'.
Ipse est a quo spiritussanctus processit, qui me baptizante super eum in columbe specie apparuit. Ipse est secundum carnem verus filius virginis, cuius corpus manibus meis attractaui. Crede ergo ei firmiter et ingredere viam eius. Ipse enim est, qui viam rectam ad celum demonstrauit, per quam pauper et diues ingredi potest celum.
Sed querere poteris, quomodo diues debet esse dispositus, qui ingressurus est celum, cum Deus personaliter dixerit, quod facilius est camelum per foramen acus transire quam diuitem ingredi celum? Ad hoc respondeo tibi:
'Ille diues, qui sic dispositus est, quod timet aliquid secum male esse acquisitum, qui sollicitus est, ne bona sua inutiliter et contra Deum expendantur, qui inuite possidens possessionem et honorem mundi libenter desiderat separari ab eis,
turbaturque de dispendio animarum et inhonoratione Dei et quamuis ex dispensatione diuina cogitur quodammodo habere mundum, tota tamen intentione vigilat circa amorem Dei, hic talis diues fructuosus et felix diues est et carus Deo.'
Sed non est sic diues iste episcopus. Ipse quippe similis est symie habenti quatuor condiciones, quarum prima est, quod preparantur ei vestes tendentes ad inferiorem partem et anteriora velantes, sed verecundiora eius apparent tota nuda.
Secunda condicio est, quod digitis suis tangens fetentia applicat ori suo. Tercia est, quod faciem quidem habet humanam sed colorem et speciem reliquam beluinam.
Quarta est, quod licet habet manus et pedes, attamen cum digitis et manibus calcat lutum. Sic episcopus iste fatuus est quasi symia curiosus in mundi vanitate deformatus a laudabili operatione.
Nam habet vestem, idest ordines episcopales, qui sunt valde honorabiles et preciosi apud Deum, sed verecundiora sua apparent nuda, quia leuitas morum suorum et affectus carnalis ostenditur hominibus ad animarum destructionem.
Contra que dicit miles ille egregius, quod verecundiora hominis maiorem honestatem habent, notans per hoc, quod motus bestiales clericorum celari debent bonis operibus, ne exemplo eorum infirmi scandalizentur. Symia quoque tangit et odorat fetentia.
Quid facit digitus nisi demonstrationem rei vise, sicut ego videns Deum in humanitate demonstraui eum digito. 'Ecce', inquiens, 'agnus Dei'. Quid ergo sunt digiti episcopi nisi mores sui laudabiles, quibus demonstrare deberet iusticiam Dei et eius caritatem?
Nunc autem in operibus suis demonstrat, quod est diues et generosus, sapiens mundi et prodigus pecuniarum. Quid autem sunt hec omnia nisi tamquam digitos mittere ad fetentia? Nam gloriari de carne et lata familia, quid aliud est quam gloriari de inflatis saccis?
Symia quoque habet faciem humanam sed speciem reliquam beluinam. Sic iste animam quidem habet signaculo Dei insignitam sed per propriam cupiditatem deformatam.
Quarto sicut symia tangit et calcat cum pedibus et manibus lutum, sic iste affectu et opere terrenis inhiat auertens vultum suum a celestibus et inclinans ad terrena tamquam animal obliuiosum. Numquid talis mitigat iram Dei? Nequaquam, sed magis prouocat contra se iusticiam Dei."
Hec reuelatio facta est de legato cardinali anni iubilei et cetera. Filius Dei loquitur: "O, disputator superbe, ubi pompa tua, ubi apparatus equorum? Noluisti intelligere cum esses in honore. Ideo nunc inhonoratus es. Dic igitur, quamuis omnia scio audiente ista sponsa noua, que quero!"
Et statim quasi una persona tremula et nuda apparuit mirabiliter deformata. Cui dixit iudex: "O, anima, tu docuisti spernere mundum et diuitias eius. Cur ergo secutus es ea?"
Respondit anima: "Quia dulcius sapuit michi fetor pessimus, quam odor tuus suauissimus". Et statim dicto verbo per Ethiopem unum infusum est anime vas sulphuris et veneni. Item dixit iudex: "O, anima, tu posita fuisti populis in candelabrum lucis, quare non lucebas verbo et exemplo?"
Respondit anima: "Quia caritas tua fuit abrasa a corde meo. Ibam sicut homo sine memoria et sicut vir vagus respiciens presentia et non attendens future." Quo dicto anima priuata est lumine oculorum.
Et dixit unus Ethiops, qui astare videbatur: "O, iudex, hec anima mea est. Quid facturus sum?" Respondit iudex: "Purga eam et quasi in prelo examina, donec veniat consistorium, in quo allegationes amicorum et inimicorum discutientur."
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