Blanquerna

QUI SEDES AD DEXTERAM PATRIS, MISERERE NOBIS

It came to pass that upon a day of high festival in the city of Rome a deacon had sung the Gospel wherein Jesus Christ says that it is better to enter Paradise with one eye and with one foot, than to go with two eyes and two feet into hell. The deacon considered long upon that com¬ parison, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit there came to him the will to go through the world making comparisons to all men, that he might lead them into the life of salvation. This deacon went to the Pope and to the Cardinals, and begged for the office of comparisons. The Pope said that he would give that office to a Cardinal, and that this Cardinal should have beneath him many officers who should go through the whole world making comparisons, and that this office should be called Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. When the Pope had spoken these words, there rose a Cardinal who took the office aforementioned. That Cardinal ordained that a book should be written, wherein should be kept the comparisons which his disciples would propound to all men. It came to pass one day that a king came to the court, and made complaint to the Pope concerning a king that had disinherited him, and ca& him out from his kingdom albeit he had done him no wrong. When he had ended his complaints, the king wept and made semblance of great sorrow, saying these words : “ For 388 “ “

QUI SEDES AD DEXTERAM PATRIS long have I been in the world honoured ; now have I be¬ come poor and despised by men because of a king that is proud and a wrongdoer, who, through his great power and avarice, has taken from me my dominions.” While the king wept thus and despaired, the Cardinal of the offices aforementioned enquired of the king which thing was the more pleasing to him, whether juftice or wrongdoing. The king answered “ Juftice.” The Cardinal said to him that it was better to be disinherited, and to be juft and patient, than to be a king that was unjuft and miserly and proud ; wherefore he adted againft juftice if he wept at that for the which he should rather rejoice, for it was he who had disinherited him that should weep because he was proud and an evildoer. After this comparison the Cardinal made another, namely, that for one that has patience and humility it is of more advantage to be loved by God than it is harmful to be blamed by men. Deeply did the king consider these words which the Cardinal had spoken, and he spake as follows : “ If I have possessed with my body in this world the kingdom which has now been taken from me, henceforward may my soul possess patience, hope, humility, juftice and charity, praising and resigning itself to the will of God.” Greatly were the Pope and the Car¬ dinals pleased at that which the king had said, and from the possessions of Holy Church they made for him honour¬ able provision, and debated how that whereof he had been deprived might be reftored to him.

2. To that Court there came a Bishop who was accused by his chapter. That Bishop was a man both juft and of holy life, and, because he used juftice with his clergy, they desired to depose him and to have over them a lord who should be consenting to their sins. That Bishop went to the Cardinal, and asked counsel of him which was better, whether to allow himself to be accused without excusing himself, and to have patience, humility and poverty, or to excuse himself, and to permit his chapter to accuse him

BL.4NQUERNA

and to bring the accusation into court according as was allowed by juftice. The Cardinal and the Bishop spake for a great space of time concerning the matter aforementioned, and they debated according to which of the two manners aforesaid the Bishop could use the greater perfeftion and the more virtues ; and they found that to the Bishop it was of greater advantage that he should not make excuse for himself, for from this course would follow greater patience and virtue and humility ; but that, with rcspcft to juftice and charity, it was well that he should excuse himself and that the truth should be made manifest, to the end that juftice should not lose its right in his chapter. Wherefore the Cardinal said to the Bishop that he could make choice of which course he desired to follow, for in cither case he could aft virtuously and in such wise as would be pleasing to God.

3. To a certain city there came a man who made com¬ parisons, and he went through the ftreets crying aloud: “ Which thing is the more needful, whether to bring up a son in good cuftoms, or to make him heir to great riches? Or which thing is better, whether to rcftorc wealth illgotten and to leave one’s children poor and enter into Paradise, or to leave one’s children wealthy and make no satisfaftion for wrong-doing and enter into hell ? ” While this man went crying aloud in this wise through the ftreets, he passed by the house of a usurer, who thought deeply upon the words that were spoken by this man, and so often did he hear these words cried aloud that his conscience vanquished his sensual nature and ever fortified him in charity ; so he undid the wrongs which he had done, and brought up his children in good habits.

4. Death, who spares neither young nor old, slew the 6on of an honoured citizen of Rome. That citizen had none other sons save one, neither hoped to have any again, and by reason of the death of his son he was moved to very great sorrow and wrath. It came to the ears of the Cardinal 390

QU1 SEDES AD DEXTERAM PATRIS that that citizen was in great despair, so he went to him, and made a comparison before him in these words: “ Be¬ loved son ! Which thing is of greater utility to a man, whether to praise God for the good things which He has given in this world, or to praise Him for the good things which He takes from him ? ” “ Lord ! ” answered that citizen : “ The one kind of praise has respeft to gratitude, and the other to patience; and since patience gives suffer¬ ing without fault, there belongs thereto greater virtue than to gratitude, which gives pleasure without passion.” “ Happy son ! ” said the Cardinal: “ Thou haft given a right judgment, and therein haft thou judged that thou thyself muft have patience; for God has satisfied thee in two manners : namely, by giving thee occasion of gratitude, for this thou hadft in praising God for giving to thee thy son ; and likewise, by giving thee patience, when He called him from this life to the next. Now if thy son had not died, thou hadft after one manner loft the merit which is prepared for thee, to be to thee an occasion of great happiness.”

$. There went a man through the city of Rome, crying aloud: “ Which thing has the greater worth, whether to sell cheaply and speak the truth, or to lie and sell dearly ? As he cried aloud these words, there passed through the square a great number of women. Among these was a great lady who was wondrously adorned and garbed, and greatly made up in her features with colours and other adornings. And that man cried aloud, enquiring which thing was of the greater worth, whether a fair lady who showed herself to be enamoured of luft, or a lady that was ugly but gave semblance of chaftity. This man went before all these women crying aloud in the words a ore said. With that lady there went squires who followed her and she commanded that the man should be eaten an scourged, because of the words which he sp e. o t e squires beat the crier of comparisons and he had not

BLANQUERNA

patience thereat, but made complaint to the Cardinal of the wrong which was done to him. The Cardinal reproved him Slraitly because he had made complaint, and deprived him of his office, and in his place set another who was a lover of patience.

6. To a certain city there went a crier who cried aloud enquiring which of these two things had the greater worth : whether “ Little-care-I ” or “ What-will-men-say.” As he passed through the principal square crying aloud in this wise, the men who were therein besought him that he would expound to them these words which he cried aloud. So he said that “ What-will-men-say ” was the reproach which men have when they do aught againSt the vanities of this world, and “ Little-care-I ” was the despising of this re¬ proach because it is contrary to virtue and to the honour of God and the contempt of this world. Then a certain wise man spake to this crier and said that Sir What-will-men-say has a greater number of followers, but that Sir Litde-care-I has nobler followers.

7. It came to pass on a certain occasion that two friars who had learned Arabic went to the country of the Saracens to preach the Incarnation and the Passion of the Son of God ; and in one of these friars devotion and charity grew cold, so he returned and left his companion, for death made him to fear, and he longed for the dainty meats which he had been wont to enjoy, and the honours which he was accustomed to have among the people. As he returned, he met at the entrance to a certain city a crier who cried aloud, and asked which was of the greater worth, whether death that came through wrong-doing or death that came through martyrdom ; and which of these manners of death accorded better with the seven virtues or was more con¬ trary to the seven deadly sins ; and through which of these manners of death is man more fitted to wear the crimson veSlments which the Son of God took in human nature. While this man cried thus aloud, the friar, who had re- 392

QUONIAM TV SOLUS SANCTUS turned from his journey, was seated beside a fair woman and had temptation of carnal pleasure; and the crier made comparison, asking which thing had the greater merit, whether to go among the unbelievers in peril of death, mortifying the fear of death through Strength of mind, or remaining among faithful Christians and Striving againSt temporal pleasures. Long did this religious think upon the words which the crier spake, and he returned to his com¬ panion, and had contrition for the weakness of mind into the which his want of devotion had led him.

8. Another time it came to pass that that crier cried aloud in the palace of the king, asking which thing was of the greater worth, whether to be merely a simple knight or to be king. Then he went to the palace of the bishop, and cried out asking which thing was of the greater worth, whether to be only a parish prieSl or to be bishop. After this he went to an abbey, and cried aloud enquiring which was of the greater worth, whether to be a cloistered monk or an abbot. Then he went before the Pope, crying aloud and asking which thing was of the greater worth, whether that the tithe of Holy Church should for ever be assigned to the government of the world, or that the bishops should have superfluity to spend on vanities. In all these manners and in many more cried the officers that were appointed to make comparisons. And very great was the good which they did, for daily they awakened in the minds of men devotion, conscience, diligence and the other virtues.