Quomodo beata Agnes imponebat sponse Christi coronam de septem lapidibus preciosis, scilicet paciencie in tribulacionibus.
The Crown of Patience
Agnes invites the bride of Christ to adorn herself with a crown of seven precious stones, symbolizing the virtues forged through tribulation.
Agnes speaks to the bride of Christ, saying, "Come, daughter, and place upon yourself a crown made of seven precious stones." After all, what is a crown if not the proof of patience, forged through tribulations and adorned by God with crowns?
The Seven Stones of Tribulation
Each of the seven stones—jasper, sapphire, emerald, pearl, topaz, diamond, and carbuncle—is explained as a specific trial that, when endured with patience, beautifies the soul.
The first stone of your crown, then, is the jasper; it was placed there by the person who insulted you by saying he didn't know what spirit you were speaking from, and that it would be more useful for you to spend your time spinning like a woman than arguing about the Scriptures. Just as jasper sharpens the vision and sparks joy in the mind, so God uses tribulation to spark joy in the soul, to illuminate the intellect for spiritual things, and to mortify the soul against disordered impulses. The second stone is the sapphire, and the person who spoke kindly to your face while slandering you behind your back has placed this upon you. Just as a sapphire is heavenly in color and keeps the body healthy, the malice of others tests the righteous, making them heavenly and preserving the members of their soul so that pride doesn't cause them to become puffed up. The third stone is an emerald. The person who claimed you said things you neither thought nor spoke has placed this upon you.1 Just as an emerald is fragile by nature yet beautiful and green, a lie is quickly brought to nothing, but it still makes the soul beautiful because of the reward for patience. The fourth stone is the pearl. The person who insulted a friend of God in your presence placed this stone upon you; you were more troubled by that insult than by one directed at yourself. Just as a pearl is white and beautiful and lightens the heart's suffering, so the sorrow of love brings God into the soul and calms the passions of anger and impatience. The fifth stone is the topaz. The person who spoke bitterly to you—the one you answered with a blessing—has placed this stone upon you. Just as the topaz is golden in color and keeps its purity and beauty, so there is nothing more beautiful or more acceptable to God than to love those who hurt you and to pray for those who persecute you. The sixth stone is the diamond. The person who caused you physical harm—the one you patiently endured without wanting to shame—is the one who placed this stone upon you. Just as a diamond isn't broken by blows but by goat's blood, so it pleases God for a person to forget and overlook physical harm for God's sake, and to always think on what God has done for the sake of humanity. The seventh stone is the carbuncle. The person who lied to you—telling you that your son Charles was dead—placed this stone upon you, and you bore it patiently, committing your will to God. Just as a carbuncle glows in a house and looks most beautiful set in a ring, so anyone who remains patient when losing something very dear to them moves God to love them, and in the sight of the saints, they shine and are as pleasing as a precious stone.
The Call to Persevere
The bride is encouraged to remain steadfast in her trials, looking to the examples of Abraham, Job, and John as models of holiness through suffering.
Therefore, daughter, stand firm, because some stones are still necessary to enlarge your crown. After all, Abraham and Job became better and more well-known—or rather, more famous—through their trials, and John became holier through his testimony to the truth.
Read the original Latin
Agnes loquitur ad sponsam Christi dicens:"Veni, filia, et impone tibi coronam factam ex septem lapidibus preciosis. Quid vero est corona nisi probacio paciencie, que ex tribulacionibus conflatur et a Deo coronis adornatur?
Primus igitur lapis corone tue est iaspis; quem apposuit tibi ille qui contumeliose tibi dixit se nescire, quo spiritu loquebaris, et esse tibi utilius mulierum more subtiliter filare quam de scripturis disputare.
Ideo sicut iaspis acuit visum et accendit gaudium animi, sic Deus ex tribulacione accendit gaudium in animo, intellectum illuminat ad spiritualia, mortificat animam a motibus inordinatis.
Secundus lapis est saphirus, et hunc apposuit tibi ille qui fauorabilia loquebatur in facie tua et in dorso detrahebat de te.
Sicut ergo saphirus est celestis coloris et seruat membra in sanitate, sic hominum malicia probat iustum, ut fiat celestis, et seruat membra anime, ne superbia eleuetur.
Tercius lapis est smaragdus. Hunc apposuit tibi ille qui dixit te dixisse ea que nec cogitabas nec loquebaris.
Ideo sicut smaragdus est fragilis ex se sed tamen pulcher et viridis coloris, sic mendacium cicius adnichilatur sed tamen pulchram facit animam propter paciencie remuneracionem.
Quartus lapis est margarita. Hunc apposuit tibi ille qui amicum Dei te presente vituperauit; ex cuius vituperio plus quam de tuo turbabaris.
Ideo sicut margarita est alba et pulchra et alleuiat cordis passionem, sic dolor caritatis introducit Deum in animam, compescitque passiones ire et impaciencie.
Quintus lapis est topazius. Hunc apposuit tibi ille qui amara loquebatur tibi, cui tu e contrario benedixisti.
Ideo sicut topazius est aurei coloris et seruat castitatem et pulchritudinem, sic nichil pulchrius et accepcius est Deo quam ledentem se diligere et pro persequentibus exorare.
Sextus lapis est adamas. Hunc apposuit tibi ille qui fecit tibi corporale dampnum, quem pacienter tolerasti et noluisti eum dehonestare.
Ideo sicut adamas non frangitur tunsionibus sed sanguine hircino, sic placet Deo hominem obliuisci et negligere propter Deum corporale dampnum et cogitare semper ea que Deus propter hominem fecit.
Septimus lapis est carbunculus. Hunc apposuit tibi ille qui falsa annunciauit tibi, scilicet filium tuum Karolum esse mortuum, et pacienter tulisti committens voluntatem tuam Deo.
Ideo sicut carbunculus lucet in domo et in anulo est pulcherrimus, sic qui paciens est in amissione alicuius rei carissime sibi prouocat Deum ad dileccionem sui, et in conspectu sanctorum lucet et placet sicut lapis preciosus.
Ideo, filia, sta stabilis, quia pro amplianda corona tua adhuc aliqi lapides sunt necessarii. Nam Abraham et Iob meliores et magis noti seu famosiores facti sunt ex probacione, et Iohannes sanccior ex testimonio veritatis."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'ille qui dixit te dixisse' refers to an accuser or a source of false testimony, here contrasted with the gift of the emerald (patience).
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