Chapter VI.

Having mentioned the Baptist, St. Ambrose enters into a description of the events concerning his death, and speaks against dancing and the festivities of the wicked.

26. And since we must not cursorily pass by the mention of so great a man, let us consider who he was, by whom, on what account, how, and at what time he was slain. A just man, he is put to death by adulterers, and the penalty of a capital crime is turned off by the guilty on to the judge. Again the reward of the dancer is the death of the prophet. Lastly (a matter of honour even to all barbarians), the cruel sentence is given in the midst of banqueting and festivities, and the news of the deadly crime is carried from the banquet to the prison, and then from the prison to the banquet. How many crimes are there in one wicked act!

27. A banquet of death is set out with royal luxury,135    S. Mark vi. 21 ff. and when a larger concourse than usual had come together, the daughter of the queen, sent for from within the private apartments, is brought forth to dance in the sight of men. What could she have learnt from an adulteress but loss of modesty? Is anything so conducive to lust as with unseemly movements thus to expose in nakedness those parts of the body which either nature has hidden or custom has veiled, to sport with the looks, to turn the neck, to loosen the hair? Fitly was the next step an offence against God. For what modesty can there be where there is dancing and noise and clapping of hands?

28. “Then,” it is said, “the king being pleased, said unto the damsel, that she should ask of the king whatsoever she would. Then he swore that if she asked he would give her even the half of his kingdom.”136    S. Mark vi. 22, 23. See how worldly men themselves judge of their worldly power, so as to give even kingdoms for dancing. But the damsel, being taught by her mother, demanded that the head of John should be brought to her on a dish. That which is said that “the king was sorry,”137    S. Mark vi. 25 ff. is not repentance on the part of the king, but a confession of guilt, which is, according to the wont of the divine rule, that they who have done evil condemn themselves by their own confession. “But for their sakes which sat with him,” it is said. What is more base than that a murder should be committed in order not to displease those who sat at meat? “And,” it follows, “for his oath’s sake.” What a new religion! He had better have forsworn himself. The Lord therefore in the Gospel bids us not to swear at all,138    S. Matt. v. 34. that there be no cause for perjury, and no need of offending. And so an innocent man is slain that an oath be not violated. I know which to have in the greatest horror. Perjury is more endurable than are the oaths of tyrants.

29. Who would not think when he saw some one running from the banquet to the prison,139    S. Mark vi. 27. that orders had been given to set the prophet free? Who, I say, having heard that it was Herod’s birthday, and of the state banquet, and the choice given to the damsel of choosing whatever she wished, would not think that the man was sent to set John free? What has cruelty in common with delicacies? What have death and pleasure in common? The prophet is hurried to suffer at a festal time by a festal order, by which he would even wish to be set free; he is slain by the sword, and his head is brought on a platter. This dish was well suited to their cruelty, in order that their insatiate savageness might be feasted.

30. Look, most savage king, at the sights worthy of thy feast. Stretch forth thy right hand, that nothing be wanting to thy cruelty, that streams of holy blood may pour down between thy fingers. And since the hunger for such unheard-of cruelty could not be satisfied by banquets, nor the thirst by goblets, drink the blood pouring from the still flowing veins of the cut-off head. Behold those eyes, even in death, the witnesses of thy crime, turning away from the sight of the delicacies. The eyes are closing, not so much owing to death, as to horror of luxury. That bloodless golden mouth, whose sentence thou couldst not endure, is silent, and yet thou fearest. Yet the tongue, which even after death is wont to observe its duty as when living, condemned, though with trembling motion, the incest. This head is borne to Herodias: she rejoices, she exults as though she had escaped from the crime, because she has slain her judge.

31. What say you, holy women? Do you see what you ought to teach, and what also to unteach your daughters? She dances, but she is the daughter of an adulteress. But she who is modest, she who is chaste, let her teach her daughter religion, not dancing. And do you, grave and prudent men, learn to avoid the banquets of hateful men. If such are the banquets, what will be the judgment of the impious?

181 CAPUT VI.

Mentione sancti Praecursoris inductus, omnia caedis ejus adjuncta quam eloquentissime describit et amplificat, ut a saltatione impiorumque conviviis deterreat.

26. Et quoniam talis viri non strictim praetereunda est recordatio, interest ut quis, et a quibus, et quam ob causam, quomodo, et quo tempore sit occisus, advertere debeamus. Ab adulteris justus occiditur, et a reis in judicem capitalis sceleris poena 0227D convertitur. Deinde praemium saltatricis mors est prophetae. Postremo (quod etiam omnes barbari horrere consueverunt) inter epulas atque convivia consummandae crudelitatis profertur edictum: et a convivio ad carcerem, de carcere ad convivium feralis flagitii circumfortur obsequium. Quanta in uno facinore sunt crimina!

0228A 27. Exstruitur regifico luxu ferale convivium, et explorato quando major solito turba convenerit, reginae filia intimis mandata secretis, in conspectu virorum saltatura producitur (Marc. VI, 21). Quid enim potuit de adultera discere, nisi damnum pudoris? An quidquam est tam pronum ad libidines, quam inconditis motibus ea quae vel natura abscondit, vel disciplina velavit, membrorum operta nudare, ludere oculis, rotare cervicem, comam spargere? Merito inde in injuriam divinitatis proceditur. Quid enim ibi verecundiae potest esse, ubi saltatur, strepitur, concrepatur?

28. Tunc rex, inquit, delectatus, dixit puellae, ut peteret a rege quod vellet. Deinde juravit quod vel dimidium regni, si petisset, concederet (Ibid., 22, 23). 0228B Vide quemadmodum saeculares ipsi de saecularibus suis judicant potestatibus, ut pro saltatione etiam regna donentur. Puella autem admonita a matre sua, poposcit afferri sibi in disco caput Joannis. Quod dicit: Rex contristatus est (Ibid., 25 et seq.); non poenitentia regis, sed confessio iniquitatis est: quam divinae habet consuetudo sententiae, ut qui gesserunt impia, ipsi propria confessione se damnent. Sed propter discumbentes, inquit. Quid indignius quam ut homicidium fieri juberet, ne discumbentibus displiceret? Et propter jus, inquit, jurandum. O religionem novam! Tolerabilius pejerasset. Unde non immerito Dominus in Evangelio jubet non esse jurandum, ne sit causa perjurii; ne sit necessitas delinquendi. Itaque ne jusjurandum violaretur, percutitur 0228C innocens (Matth. V, 34). Quid prius horrescam nescio. Tolerabiliora perjuria, quam sacramenta sunt tyrannorum.

182 29. Quis non cum e convivio ad carcerem cursare videret, putaret prophetam jussum esse dimitti? Quis, inquam, cum audisset natalem esse Herodis, solemne convivium, puellae optionem eligendi quod vellet datam, missum ad Joannis absolutionem non arbitraretur? Quid crudelitati cum deliciis? quid cum funeribus voluptati? Rapitur ad poenam propheta convivali tempore, convivali praecepto, quo non cuperet vel absolvi: perimitur gladio, caput ejus affertur in disco (Marc. VI, 27 et seq.). Hoc crudelitati ferculum debebatur, quo insatiata epulis feritas vesceretur.

0228D 30. Intuere, rex acerbissime, tuo spectacula digna convivio. Porrige dexteram, ne quid saevitiae tuae desit; ut inter digitos tuos rivi defluant sancti cruoris. Et quoniam non exsaturari epulis fames, non restingui poculis potuit inauditae saevitiae sitis; bibe sanguinem scaturientibus adhuc venis exsecti capitis profluentem. Cerne oculos in ipsa morte 0229A sceleris tui testes, adversantes conspectum deliciarum. Clauduntur lumina non tam mortis necessitate, quam horrore luxuriae. Os aureum illud exsangue, cujus sententiam ferre non poteras, conticescit, et adhuc times. Lingua tamen, quae solet etiam post mortem officium servare viventis, palpitante licet motu, damnabat incestum. Portatur hoc caput ad Herodiadem: laetatur, exsultat, quasi crimen evaserit; quia judicem trucidavit.

31. Quid dicitis vos, sanctae feminae? Videtis quid docere, quid etiam dedocere filias debeatis? Saltat, sed adulterae filia. Quae vero pudica, quae casta est, filias suas religionem doceat, non saltationem. Vos autem, graves et prudentes viri, discite detestabilium hominum epulas vitare. Si talia sunt 0229B convivia, qualia judicia perfidorum?