S. AURELII AUGUSTINI HIPPONENSIS EPISCOPI DE BONO CONJUGALI LIBER UNUS .

 CAPUT PRIMUM.

 CAPUT II.

 3. Illud nunc dicimus, secundum istam conditionem nascendi et moriendi, quam novimus, et in qua creati sumus, aliquid boni esse conjugium masculi et f

 CAPUT IV.

 CAPUT V.

 6. Jam in ipsa quoque immoderatiore exactione debiti carnalis, quam eis non secundum imperium praecipit, sed secundum veniam concedit Apostolus, ut et

 7. Miror autem si quemadmodum licet dimittere adulteram uxorem, ita liceat ea dimissa alteram ducere. Facit enim de hac re sancta Scriptura difficilem

 8. Honorabiles ergo nuptiae in omnibus, et thorus immaculatus turpe est etiam dicere scientiae destruetur, charitas nunquam cadet 0380

 CAPUT IX.

 CAPUT X.

 11. Nec ipsis tamen peccatum sunt nuptiae, quae si in comparatione fornicationis eligerentur, minus peccatum essent quam fornicatio, sed tamen peccatu

 CAPUT XI.

 13. Quod ergo ait, Quae innupta est, cogitat ea quae sunt Domini, ut sit sancta et corpore et spiritu, non sic accipiendum est, ut putemus non esse sa

 CAPUT XII.

 CAPUT XIII.

 CAPUT XIV.

 17. Posse sane fieri nuptias ex male conjunctis, honesto postea placito consequente, manifestum est.

 CAPUT XVI.

 CAPUT XVII.

 20. Ideoque non sicut uni viro etiam plures habere licebat uxores, ita uni feminae plures viros, nec prolis ipsius causa, si forte illa parere posset,

 CAPUT XVIII.

 22. Si ergo et illi qui propter solam generationem, propter quam sunt institutae nuptiae, conjunguntur, non comparantur patribus, multo aliter ipsos f

 CAPUT XX.

 24. Bonum, inquam, sunt nuptiae, et contra omnes calumnias possunt sana ratione defendi. Nuptiis tamen sanctorum patrum, non quas nuptias, sed quam 03

 CAPUT XXI.

 26. Verum ut apertius intelligatur quomodo sit virtus in habitu, etiamsi non sit in opere, loquor de exemplo de quo nullus dubitat catholicorum Christ

 CAPUT XXII.

 CAPUT XXIII.

 29. Huc accedit quia non recte comparantur homines hominibus ex uno aliquo bono. Fieri enim potest ut alius non habeat aliquid quod alius habet, sed a

 30. Recte plane quaeritur, non utrum omnimodis inobediens virgo conjugatae obedienti, sed minus obediens obedientiori comparanda sit quia et illa nup

 31. Ex hac obedientia pater ille qui sine uxore non fuit, esse sine unico filio et a se occiso paratus fuit . Unicum enim non immerito dixerim, de quo

 CAPUT XXIV.

 CAPUT XXV.

 CAPUT XXVI.

 35. Pueros quoque ac virgines integritatem ipsam Deo dicantes, multo maxime commonemus ut tanta norint humilitate tuendum esse quod in terra interim v

3. This we now say, that, according to this condition of being born and dying, which we know, and in which we have been created, the marriage of male and female is some good; the compact whereof divine Scripture so commends, as that neither is it allowed one put away by her husband to marry, so long as her husband lives: nor is it allowed one put away by his wife to marry another, unless she who have separated from him be dead. Therefore, concerning the good of marriage, which the Lord also confirmed in the Gospel, not only in that He forbade to put away a wife,7    Matt. xix. 9 save because of fornication, but also in that He came by invitation to a marriage,8    John ii. 2 there is good ground to inquire for what reason it be a good. And this seems not to me to be merely on account of the begetting of children, but also on account of the natural society itself in a difference of sex. Otherwise it would not any longer be called marriage in the case of old persons, especially if either they had lost sons, or had given birth to none. But now in good, although aged, marriage, albeit there hath withered away the glow of full age between male and female, yet there lives in full vigor the order of charity between husband and wife: because, the better they are, the earlier they have begun by mutual consent to contain from sexual intercourse with each other: not that it should be matter of necessity afterwards not to have power to do what they would, but that it should be matter of praise to have been unwilling at the first, to do what they had power to do. If therefore there be kept good faith of honor, and of services mutually due from either sex, although the members of either be languishing and almost corpse-like, yet of souls duly joined together, the chastity9    Perhaps “charity.” continues, the purer by how much it is the more proved, the safer, by how much it is the calmer. Marriages have this good also, that carnal or youthful incontinence, although it be faulty, is brought unto an honest use in the begetting of children, in order that out of the evil of lust the marriage union may bring to pass some good. Next, in that the lust of the flesh is repressed, and rages in a way more modestly, being tempered by parental affection. For there is interposed a certain gravity of glowing pleasure, when in that wherein husband and wife cleave to one another, they have in mind that they be father and mother.

3. Illud nunc dicimus, secundum istam conditionem nascendi et moriendi, quam novimus, et in qua creati sumus, aliquid boni esse conjugium masculi et feminae: cujus confoederationem ita divina Scriptura commendat, ut nec dimissae a viro nubere liceat alteri, quamdiu vir ejus vivit; nec dimisso ab uxore liceat alteram ducere, nisi mortua fuerit quae recessit. Bonum ergo conjugii, quod etiam Dominus in Evangelio confirmavit, non solum quia prohibuit dimittere uxorem, nisi ex causa fornicationis (Matth. XIX, 9), sed etiam quia venit invitatus ad nuptias (Joan. II, 2), cur sit bonum merito quaeritur. Quod mihi non videtur propter solam filiorum procreationem, sed propter ipsam etiam naturalem in diverso sexu societatem. Alioquin non jam diceretur conjugium in senibus, praesertim si vel amisissent filios, vel minime genuissent. Nunc vero in bono licet annoso conjugio, etsi emarcuit ardor aetatis inter masculum et feminam, viget tamen ordo charitatis inter maritum et uxorem: quia quanto meliores sunt, tanto maturius a commixtione carnis suae pari consensu se continere coeperunt; non ut necessitatis esset postea non posse quod vellent, sed ut laudis esset primum noluisse quod possent. Si ergo servatur fides honoris et obsequiorum invicem debitorum ab alterutro sexu, etiamsi languescentibus et prope cadaverinis utriusque membris, animorum tamen rite conjugatorum tanto sincerior, quanto probatior, et tanto securior, quanto placidior castitas perseverat. Habent etiam id bonum conjugia, quod carnalis vel juvenilis incontinentia, etiamsi vitiosa est, ad propagandae prolis redigitur honestatem, ut ex malo libidinis aliquid boni faciat copulatio conjugalis. Deinde quia reprimitur, et quodam modo verecundius aestuat concupiscentia carnis, quam temperat parentalis affectus. Intercedit enim quaedam gravitas fervidae voluptatis , cum in eo quod sibi vir et mulier adhaerescunt, pater et mater esse meditantur.