Blanquerna

OF THE BIRTH AND GOOD UPBRINGING OF BLANQUERNA

In charity, patience and humility lived Evaft and Aloma ever, and on Sundays and great festivals Evaft went to the monasteries of the city, and with the monks therein he sang and praised his Creator. Even so likewise did Aloma in the convents with the nuns; and they went to the hos¬ pitals, doing service to the unfortunate that were therein, and visited the poor and needy to whom they secretly gave alms, and the orphaned children they put to some trade, to the end that, when they were of age, their poverty should not give them occasion to sin.

1. While EvaSt and Aloma did these and many other good deeds, God, Who is the fulness of all good and grace, was mindful of the desire of Aloma, and of her humility and patience, and gave her a fair son who received the name of Blanquerna. Great was the pleasure and joy and gladness of Evaft and Aloma at the birth of Blanquerna, and Evaft, delaying nothing, went to the church to give thanks to God 37

blanquerna

for the son that He had given them and to pray that Blan¬ querna his son might serve Him all the days of his life. On the day that Blanquerna was born, EvaSt made many alms to the poor of Jesus ChriSt; and on the eighth day the child received baptism, having for his godfathers and godmothers persons of holy life, that through their santtity God might bless Blanquerna with His grace. On that day EvaSt caused Mass to be sung solemnly by a holy chaplain, the same that gave the sacrament of baptism to Blanquerna; for that sacrament should be given by no miserable sinner that is unworthy of conferring it, since it is the beginning of life and of the road whereby man travels to everlasting reSt.

3. Blanquerna was given a nurse that was healthy in her person, that he might be nourished with healthy milk, for through poorness of milk children become weak and sickly; and the nurse was honeSt and of worthy life, for in suckling children it is greatly to be avoided that the nurse should be sickly or sinful or given to vice, or of evil humour, corrupt of body or in any other wise unhealthy.

4. During all that year wherein Blanquerna was born,

Aloma gave naught to her son save only milk, for by defeft of Strong digestion infants in their firSt year can digcSt no other food, such as bread sopped in milk or oil, which parents give them, or other such food which they are made by force to eat; and for this reason children have puStules or scabs, ulcers or boils, and the humours begin to rise ud and destroy their brain or their sight or cause in them many other infirmities. 7

diiL™* Cifd B!anqUCrna was broueht up with great thaf n w' trf'S m°ther C'0thed him - ^ch manner of the heat T"** °f the C°ld and in ^mmer

composid shol Te"tS Whereof the human body is Have their operationTto™1*1 ^ SeaSOnS in the which the7 body, that the u 1 C°nditi°n t0 the

Aloma tp her^n “ ^ ^ *«*»■ And

38 P son Blanquerna with her until he could

OF THE BIRTH OF ULAN QUERN A walk and play with other children, and she constrained him to naught that is contrary to that which nature requires of children at such an age : till the age of eight years she left him to the course of nature.

6. When Blanquerna was eight years of age his father Evaft put him to Study, and caused him to be inStrufted in the contents of the Book of OoClrine for Boys,1 wherein it is related how in the beginning a man should inftruft his son in the mother tongue, and impart to him sound doftrine and knowledge of the articles of the faith and the ten command¬ ments of the law and the seven sacraments of Holy Mother Church and the seven virtues and the seven deadly sins, and the other things that are contained in the said book.

7. It chanced one day that Aloma gave to Blanquerna her son for brcakfaft, before he went to school in the morn¬ ing, roaft meat, and afterwards a Hawn to eat in school if the desire for it came to him. When Evaft his father knew this, he reproved Aloma ftraitly and said to her that to children should be given naught but bread to eat in the mornings, left they become dainty and gluttonous, and lose the desire to eat at table when the hour comes to dine; for by eating only bread children find not therein such relish that through excess of eating the operations of nature are conftraincd; and even bread should only be given to children when they ask for it.

8. Of all things that were provided at table was Blan¬ querna accuftomed and made to eat, left his nature should be habituated more to one sort of viand than to another. He was forbidden to drink wine that was ftrong, and wine that was overmuch watered, and to take ftrong sauces that deftroy the natural heat. A tutor, who was given to Blan¬ querna for guardian and for mafter, took him every day to church, and taught him to pray to God and to hear Mass attentively and devoutly; and after Mass he took him to the school of music that he might learn to serve a sung Mass well.

* Doctrine pucril, — a book of instructions written by Lull himself.

blanqverna

9. Blanquerna learned so much grammar that he was b, w a|c and to understand Latin, and afterwards he Studied logic and rhetoric and natural philosophy, to the end that he might the better know the science of medicine where¬ with to keep his body in health, and the science of theology whereby he should know, love and serve God and guide his soul towards the everlasting life of Paradise.

to. When Blanquerna had learned the Book of the Prin¬ ciples and Steps to Medicine,1 whereby he gained sufficient knowledge to learn to govern the health of his body, his father caused him to go to the school of theology, wherein he continually heard Holy Scripture, and was catechized from time to time in questions rf theology.

n. While Blanquerna Studied thus, EvaSt nurtured him in fear and in love, in the habits of the which two virtues

children and youths should ever be nurtured and brought up, with faSting, prayer, confession and giving of alms, and humility of speech and conversation and companionship of good men; and in other things like to these. EvaSt in¬ structed his son Blanquerna, to the end that when he should be grown and arrive at man’s eState his manner of life should by nature and good habit be pleasing both to God and to man, and that he should not rebel againSt the customs which befit good breeding and which good citizens and men of gentle birth muSt ever bear in mind.