LETTER XXXII. [A.D.387.]

S. Ambrose in this Letter applies the words of Jeremiah about the partridge (Jer. xvii. 11.) to Satan, and from it sets forth the way in which Jesus Christ has overcome him, and rescued man from his power.

AMBROSE TO IRENAEUS, GREETING.

1.  The partridge hath cried, she hath gathered what she hath not hatched   04-1  1. a The English Version has ' The partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not.' S. Ambrose is referring to § 11 of the preceding Letter, where he applies the text to Satan. He makes the same application of it in Letter xlvi. 14.  . From the conclusion of my last letter I may borrow the opening of the ensuing. The question has been much mooted: with a view therefore of solving it, let us consider what natural history tells us of the nature of this bird. For it is the part of no little sagacity to consider even this, for Solomon knew the nature  of beasts and of fowl, and of creeping things and of fishes! 

 2. Now this bird is said to be full of craft, fraud, and guile, skilled in the ways of deceiving the fowler, and experienced in the arts of turning him aside from her young ones; omitting no artful stratagem which may draw off the pursuer from her nest and lurking place. And we know that on observing his approach, she beguiles him until she has given her offspring the signal and opportunity for flight. As soon as she perceives they have escaped, she also withdraws herself, leaving her enemy deluded by her treacherous wiles.

3. It is said also to be a bird which copulates indiscriminately, and that the male bird rushes eagerly on the female, and burns with unrestrained desires. Wherefore it has been thought suitable to compare this impure malicious and deceitful creature with the adversary and circumventor of the human race, with him who is the arch-deceiver and author of impurity.

4.  The partridge then cried, he that is, who derives his name from destroying  04-2  2. 1 perdendo. : even Satan, which in Latin means the adversary  04-3  3. 2 contrarius. . He cried first in Eve, he cried in Cain, he cried in Pharoah, in Dathan, Abiram, Corah. He cried in the Jews, when they demanded gods to be made for them, while the law was being given to Moses. He cried again, when they said of the Saviour,  Let Him be crucified, let Him be crucified, and,  His blood be on us and on our children. He cried, when they required that a king should be given them, that they might revolt from the Lord God their King. He cried in every one who was vain and faithless.

5. And by these cries he gathered to himself a people whom he had not created; for God made man after His own likeness and image, and the Devil drew man to himself by the allurements of his voice: He gathered to himself the nations of the Gentiles,  getting riches not by right   04-4  4. 3 judicio.  . Wherefore it is a common saying concerning the rich and covetous man, that he is a partridge gathering riches not by right. But my Jesus, as a good Judge, does all things with righteousness  04-5  5. 1 judicio. , for He came saying, as it is written,  I   speak righteousness and judgement   ^{04-6  6. 2 judicium}  of salvation. 

6. By that grace then He despoiled that partridge the Devil, took from him the ill-gotten riches, even the multitude that followed Him, recalled from error the souls of the Gentiles, and the minds of the nations that wandered from the way. And since He knew that they were beguiled by the voice of the Devil, and in order that He might Himself loose the bonds and chains of ancient error, He cried first in Abel, the voice of whose blood cried out. He cried in Moses, to whom He said,  Wherefore criest thou unto Me? He cried in Joshua, He cried in David, who says,  Unto Thee do I call, help me. He cried too in all the Prophets. Wherefore He says also to Isaiah,  Cry, and Isaiah answers,  What shall I cry? He cried in Solomon, calling to all with a very loud voice in the power of of Wisdom,  Come eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. He cried also in His Body, as the  Beam out of the timber. He cried that He might deceive and circumvent the lurking Enemy, saying,  My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me. He cried that He might spoil him of his prey, replying to the thief,  Verily I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise. Wherefore when Jesus cried, straightway that partridge was left by those whom he had gathered  in the midst of his days. 

 7. Wherefore some have thought that this also agrees with the nature of the partridge, forasmuch as it steals the eggs of others, and hatches them with its own body, seeking by this treachery to gain for itself the offspring of others. But when she whose eggs have been stolen, or nest invaded, or her young have been tempted by a fraudulent resemblance, and deceived by the appearance of beauty, when she, I say, perceives this, she 'picks out the crow's eyes  04-7  7. b 'Cornici oculum effodere' was a familiar Latin proverb for overcoming craft with craft. See Cic. pro Mur. 11, pro Flacco, 20. ' as the saying is, and, being inferior in strength, puts on and arms herself with cunning. And when all the labour she has bestowed on their nurture has exhausted her store of food, and her young ones have begun to grow up, she utters her cries, and calls to her offspring with the trumpet (as it were) of affection. And they, roused by this natural sound, recognise their mother, and desert their pretended parent. And thus, seeking to gather what he has not hatched, he loses those whom he thought to bring up.

8. Not without need therefore was it that Jesus also cried; it was in order that the whole universe which had been deceived by the voice, the allurements, the art, the specious beauty of the partridge, and enticed by his treacherous wiles, and had wandered from the true Author of their being, might be recalled by the voice of her true Parent, might abandon this deceiver, and desert him  in the midst of his days, that is, before the end of this world. From him the Lord Jesus has rescued us, and called us to eternal life. Wherefore now,  being dead to the world we live to God. 

9. When then this partridge shall have been completely forsaken by his false children, then that foolish one whom God has chosen and who has confounded the wise man, will be saved. Wherefore  if any man seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 

Farewell my son, and love me, as indeed you do, for I love you.

EPISTOLA XXXII.

 Perdicis fallacia et libidine adumbrari Satanam tradit. Quomodo hic clamando sibi congregaverit populos, et eos Christus etiam clamando ad se revocaverit? quonamve pacto id cum perdicis natura conveniat? Sub quae colligit non incassum Christum clamasse,   1069A  ac postquam diabolus omnino spoliatus fuerit, tunc stultum illum, quem Deus elegit, salvum futurum. 

AMBROSIUS IRENAEO salutem.

1.  Clamavit perdix, congregavit quae non peperit (Jerem. XVII, 11). Licet enim mihi de superioris fine epistolae, sequentis mutuari exordium. Celeberrima quaestio; et ideo ut possimus eam absolvere, quid de natura avis istius habeat historia, consideremus. Nam et hoc considerare non mediocris prudentiae est, siquidem et Salomon cognovit naturas animalium, et locutus est de pecoribus, et volatilibus, et de reptilibus, et de piscibus (III Reg. IV, 33).

2. Dicitur itaque avis ista plena esse doli, fraudis, fallaciae, quae decipiendi venatoris vias calleat, atque artes noverit, ut eum a pullis avertat suis; omniaque  1069B tentamenta versutiae 918 non praetermittere, quo possit venantem abducere a nido et cubilibus suis. Certe si insistere adverterit, tamdiu illudit, quamdiu soboli fugiendi signum tribuat et potestatem. Quam ubi evasisse senserit, tunc se et ipsa subtrahit, et lubrica arte deceptum insidiantem relinquit.

3. Fertur etiam promiscuae esse permixtionis, ut in feminas cum summo certamine mares irruant, et vaga calescant libidine. Unde impurum et malevolum et fraudulentum animal adversario et circumscriptori generis humani, fallacissimoque, et impuritatis auctori conferendum putatur.

3*. Clamavit ergo perdix, qui a perdendo nomen accepit, Satanas ille, qui Latine Contrarius dicitur,  1069C Clamavit in Eva primum (Gen. III, 4, 5), clamavit in Cain, clamavit in Pharao (Exod. V, 2), Dathan, Abiron, Core (Num. XVI, 2). Clamavit in Judaeis, quando petierunt sibi fieri deos, cum Moyses Legem acciperet (Exod. XXXII, 1). Clamavit iterum, quando de Salvatore dixerunt:  Crucifigatur, crucifigatur; et:  Sanguis ejus super nos, et super filios nostros (Matth.  1070A XXVII, 23, 25). Clamavit, quando sibi regem fieri postulaverunt; ut recederent a Domino Deo rege (I Reg. VIII, 5). Clamavit in omni vano et perfido.

4. His vocibus congregavit sibi populos, quos non creaverat; Deus enim hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem suam fecit (Gen. I, 27), et diabolus sibi hominem vocis suae fraude sociaverat. Congregavit sibi nationum populos, faciens divitias non cum judicio. Unde in proverbio est de divite avaro, quia perdix iste congregat divitias non cum judicio. At vero meus Jesus quasi judex bonus cum judicio omnia agit, qui venit, sicut scriptum est, dicens:  Ego loquor justitiam et  judicium salutis (Esai. LXIII, 1).

5. Ea igitur gratia depraedatus est perdicem illum diabolum, abstulit ei male congregatas divitias multitudinis,  1070B revocavit ab errore animas gentium, mentesque nationum deviantium. Et quia diaboli voce deceptos sciebat, et ipse ut vincula nexusque veteris erroris solveret, clamavit primum in Abel, cujus clamavit vox sanguinis (Gen. IV, 10). Clamavit in Moyse, cui dixit:  Quid clamas ad me (Exod. XIV, 15)? Clamavit in Jesu Nave (Josue I, 1). Clamavit in David, qui ait:  Clamavi ad te, salva me (Psal. CXVIII, 146). Clamavit et in omnibus prophetis. Unde et ad Esaiam dicit:  Clama; et ille ait:  Quid clamabo (Esai. XL, 6)? Clamavit in Salomone, convocans cum altissima praedicatione sapientia:  Venite, edite de 919  meis panibus, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis (Prov. IX, 5). Clamavit etiam in corpore suo, sicut scarabaeus in ligno (Habac. II, 11). Clamavit ut insidiatorem  1070C falleret et circumveniret, dicens:  Deus, Deus meus, quare me dereliquisti (Matth. XXVII, 46)? Clamavit ut dispoliaret, respondens latroni:  Amen, amen, dico tibi, hodie mecum eris in paradiso (Luc. XXIII, 43). Itaque ubi clamavit Jesus, continuo perdix ille a congregatis in dimidio dierum suorum derelictus est.

 1071A 6. Unde et quidam naturae perdicis etiam istud aptandum putarunt, eo quod aliena diripiat ova, et foveat suo corpore, atque hac sua fraude partus alienos studeat acquirere. Sed (quod aiunt, cornici oculum; habent enim et volatilia suas artes) ubi istud adverterit, cujus aut singula ova direpta, aut cubile fuerit invasum, aut sollicitata soboles errore similitudinis, speciei simulatione decepta, etsi infirmior viribus, induit se atque armat versutia; et cum labor omnis impensus nutrimentorum educantem exhauserit, atque adolescere pulli coeperint, tunc vocem emittit, et quadam pietatis tuba prolem advocat. Quae naturali quodam auditu excitata agnoscit parentem, et simulantem deserit. Ita cum vult congregare quae non peperit, amittit quos  1071B nutriendos putavit.

7. Non superfluo igitur et Jesus clamavit; ut quia totius mundi populus voce perdicis, blanditiis, arte, specie deceptus ab auctore proprio deviaverat, lubricas artes secutus, veri parentis voce revocatus fallacem relinqueret, atque in dimidio dierum ejus fraudulentum desereret, id est, ante hujus finem saeculi, cui nos eripuit Dominus Jesus, et ad vitam aeternam vocavit. Itaque nunc mortui mundo, vivimus Deo (Rom. VI, 8).

8. Cum igitur perdix iste penitus a falsis filiis derelictus fuerit, tunc erit stultus ille, quem elegit Deus, et sapientem confudit, salvus; quoniam quae stulta sunt mundi, elegit Deus. Ideoque si quis videtur sapiens esse in hoc saeculo, stultus fiat, ut sit  1071C sapiens (I Cor. I, 27). Vale, fili, et nos dilige, ut facis; quoniam nos te diligimus.