Chapter III.

Silence should not remain unbroken, nor should it arise from idleness. How heart and mouth must be guarded against inordinate affections.

9. What then? Ought we to be dumb? Certainly not. For: “there is a time to keep silence and a time to speak.”16    Eccles. iii. 7.    Hieronymus, often mentioned by Cicero. Cf. Cic. de Finib. II. 3.—He lived about b.c. 300, at Rhodes. He held that the highest good consisted in freedom from pain and trouble. If, then, we are to give account for an idle word, let us take care that we do not have to give it also for an idle silence. For there is also an active silence, such as Susanna’s was, who did more by keeping silence than if she had spoken. For in keeping silence before men she spoke to God, and found no greater proof of her chastity than silence. Her conscience spoke where no word was heard, and she sought no judgment for herself at the hands of men, for she had the witness of the Lord. She therefore desired to be acquitted by Him, Who she knew could not be deceived in any way.17    Sus. v. 35.    Herillus. Cf. Cic. de Finib. V. 25. Of Carthage; a Stoic. The chief good, according to him, consisted in knowledge. Yea, the Lord Himself in the Gospel worked out in silence the salvation of men.18    S. Matt. xxvi. 63.    Aristotle, the famous philosopher and writer. Born b.c. 384. Taught chiefly at Athens, where Theophrastus was his pupil. David rightly therefore enjoined on himself not constant silence, but watchfulness.

10. Let us then guard our hearts, let us guard our mouths. Both have been written about. In this place we are bidden to take heed to our mouth; in another place thou art told: “Keep thy heart with all diligence.”19    Prov. iv. 23.    Theophrastus of Eresus in Lesbos, also a voluminous writer. He is mentioned by Cicero thus: “Sæpe ab Aristotele, a Theophrasto mirabiliter caudatur scientia, hoc uno captus Herillus scientiam summum bonum esse defendit.” (de Fin. V. 25.) If David took heed, wilt thou not take heed? If Isaiah had unclean lips—who said: “Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man, and have unclean lips”20    Isa. vi. 5.    Epicurus. Cf. Cic. Tuscul. V. 30. Born b.c. 342 in Samos. The founder of the Epicurean School of Philosophy. With him pleasure constituted the highest happiness, but probably not sensual pleasures. Cf. note on I. 50.—if a prophet of the Lord had unclean lips, how shall we have them clean?

11. But for whom was it written, unless it was for each one of us: “Hedge thy possession about with thorns, and bind up thy silver and gold, and make a door and a bar for thy mouth, and a yoke and a balance for thy words”?21    Ecclus. xxviii. 24, 25.    Callipho. Cic. Acad. II. 42: A disciple of Epicurus. The chief good of man he said consisted in the union of a virtuous life with bodily pleasure, or, as Cicero puts it, in the union of the man with the beast. (Cic. de Off. III. 33.) Thy possession is thy mind, thy gold thy heart, thy silver thy speech: “The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the fire.”22    Ps. xii. [xi.] 6.    Diodorus living about b.c. 110, at Tyre. His view was as stated above by St. Ambrose, whereby an attempt was made to reconcile the Stoics and Epicureans. A good mind is also a good possession. And, further, a pure inner life is a valuable possession. Hedge in, then, this possession of thine, enclose it with thought, guard it with thorns, that is, with pious care, lest the fierce passions of the flesh should rush upon it and lead it captive, lest strong emotions should assault it, and, overstepping their bounds, carry off its vintage. Guard thy inner self. Do not neglect or contemn it as though it were worthless, for it is a valuable possession; truly valuable indeed, for its fruit is not perishable and only for a time, but is lasting and of use for eternal salvation. Cultivate, therefore, thy possession, and let it be thy tilling ground.

12. Bind up thy words that they run not riot, and grow wanton, and gather up sins for themselves in too much talking. Let them be rather confined, and held back within their own banks. An overflowing river quickly gathers mud. Bind up also thy meaning; let it not be left slack and unchecked, lest it be said of thee: “There is no healing balsam, nor oil, nor bandage to apply.”23    Isa. i. 6 [LXX.].    Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic School. Sobriety of mind has its reins, whereby it is directed and guided.

13. Let there be a door to thy mouth, that it may be shut when need arises, and let it be carefully barred, that none may rouse thy voice to anger, and thou pay back abuse with abuse. Thou hast heard it read to-day: “Be ye angry and sin not.”24    Ps. iv. 4.    S. John xvii. 3. Therefore although we are angry (this arising from the motions of our nature, not of our will), let us not utter with our mouth one evil word, lest we fall into sin; but let there be a yoke and a balance to thy words, that is, humility and moderation, that thy tongue may be subject to thy mind. Let it be held in check with a tight rein; let it have its own means of restraint, whereby it can be recalled to moderation; let it utter words tried by the scales of justice, that there may be seriousness in our meaning, weight in our speech, and due measure in our words.

CAPUT III.

Non perpetuum nec otiosum esse debere silentium: et quo pacto custodia cordi ac ori contra inordinatos affectus adhibenda sit.

9. Quid igitur? Mutos nos esse oportet? Minime. Est enim tempus tacendi, et est tempus loquendi (Eccles. III, 7). Deinde si pro otioso verbo reddimus rationem, videamus ne reddamus et pro otioso silentio. Est enim et negotiosum silentium; ut erat Susannae, quae plus egit tacendo, quam si esset locuta (Dan. XIII, 3). Tacendo enim apud homines, locuta 0026C est Deo: nec ullum majus indicium suae castitatis invenit, quam silentium. Conscientia loquebatur, ubi vox non audiebatur: nec quaerebat pro se hominum judicium, quae habebat Domini testimonium. Ab illo igitur volebat absolvi, quem sciebat nullo modo posse falli. Ipse Dominus in Evangelio (Matth. XXVI, 63) tacens operabatur salutem hominum. Recte ergo David non silentium sibi indixit perpetuum, sed custodiam.

10. Custodiamus ergo cor nostrum, custodiamus os nostrum; utrumque enim scriptum est: hic, ut os custodiamus, alibi tibi dicitur: Omni custodia serva cor tuum (Prov. IV, 23). Si custodiebat David, tu non custodies? Si immunda labia habebat Esaias, qui dixit: O miser ego, quoniam compunctus 0026D sum, quia cum sim homo, et immunda labia habeam 0027A (Esai. VI, 5): si propheta Domini immunda habebat labia, quomodo nos munda habemus?

11. Et cui, nisi unicuique nostrum scriptum est: Sepi possessionem tuam spinis . . . et argentum 5 et aurum tuum alliga, et ori tuo fac ostium et vectem, et verbis tuis jugum et stateram (Eccli. XXVIII, 28, 29)? Possessio tua mens tua est: aurum tuum cor tuum est: argentum tuum eloquium tuum est: Eloquia Domini, eloquia casta, argentum igne examinatum (Psal. XI, 7). Bona etiam possessio mens bona. Denique possessio pretiosa homo mundus. Sepi ergo hanc possessionem, et circumvallato cogitationibus, munito spinis, sollicitudinibus; ne in eam irruant, et captivam ducant irrationabiles corporis passiones, ne incursent motus graves, ne diripiant vindemiam 0027B ejus, transeuntes viam. Custodi interiorem hominem tuum. Noli eum quasi vilem negligere ac fastidire, quia pretiosa possessio est. Et merito pretiosa, cujus fructus non caducus et temporalis, sed stabilis atque aeternae salutis est. Cole ergo possessionem tuam, ut sint tibi agri.

12. Alliga sermonem tuum, ne luxuriet, ne lasciviat, et multiloquio peccata sibi colligat. Sit restrictior, et ripis suis coerceatur. Cito lutum colligit amnis exundans. Alliga sensum tuum, non sit remissus ac defluus, ne dicatur de te: Non est malagma apponere, neque oleum, neque alligaturam (Esai. I, 6). Habet suas habenas mentis sobrietas, quibus regitur et gubernatur.

13. Sit ori tuo ostium, ut claudatur ubi oportet: 0027C et obseretur diligentius; ne quis in iracundiam excitet vocem tuam, et contumeliam rependas contumeliae. Audisti hodie lectum: Irascimini et nolite peccare (Psal. IV, 5). Ergo etsi irascimur, quia affectus naturae est, non potestatis; malum sermonem non proferamus de ore nostro, ne in culpam ruamus: sed jugum sit verbis tuis et statera, hoc est, humilitas atque mensura; ut lingua tua menti subdita sit. Restringatur habenae vinculis, frenos habeat suos, quibus revocari possit ad mensuram: sermones proferat libra examinatos justitiae: ut sit gravitas in sensu, in sermone pondus, atque in verbis modus.