life of john picus earl of mirandola - The Center for Thomas More ...

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Picus’ Second Letter to Francis
ing praise thee, thy virtue certainly, in that it is virtue, maketh thee like
unto Christ; but in that it is praised it maketh thee unlike Him, Which
for the reward of His virtue received the ⌐ opprobrious ¬ death of the
cross; for which, as the apostle saith, 1 God hath exalted Him and given
Him a name that is above all names. More desireful is it, then, to be
condemned of the world and exalted of God, than to be exalted of
the world and condemned of God. The world condemneth 2 to life,
God exalteth to glory: the world exalteth to a fall, God condemneth to
the fire of hell. 3 Finally, if the world fawn upon thee, unneth it may be
but that thy virtue (which all lifted upward 4 should have God alone to
please) shall somewhat unto the blandishing of the world and favour
of the people incline. And so, though it lose nothing of the integrity
⌐ of our perfection ¬ , yet it loseth of the reward; which reward while
it beginneth to be paid in the world where all thing is little, it shall be
less in heaven, where all thing is great. O happy rebukes, which make
us sure that neither the flower of our virtue 5 shall wither with the
pestilence blast of vainglory, nor our eternal reward be diminished for
the vain promotion of a little popular 6 fame! Let us, my son, love these
rebukes, and only of the ignominy and reproof of our Lord’s cross let
us like faithful servants with an holy ambition be proud. “We,” saith
Saint Paul, 7 “preach Christ crucified, which is unto the Jews despite,
unto the Gentiles folly, unto us the virtue° and wisdom of God.” The
wisdom of this world is foolishness afore God, 8 and the folly of Christ
is that by which He hath overcome 9 the wisdom of the world, by which
it hath pleased God to make His believing people safe.
If that you doubt not but that they be mad which backbite thy virtue,
which the Christian living, that is very wisdom, reputeth° for madness,
consider then how much were thy madness if thou shouldst for the
judgment of mad men swerve from the good institution of thy life,
22 virtue power / 27 which…reputeth who consider
1. as the apostle saith: Cf. Philippians 2:9.
2. condemneth: The Latin is crucifigit, “crucifies” (CW 1:356, 357).
3. the fire of hell: Latin Gehennam (CW 1:356).
4. all lifted upward: The Latin has tota sursum erecta, “totally directed on high” (CW 1:238).
5. flower of our virtue: More’s rendering of iustitiae flos, “flower of righteousness” (CW 1:358, 359).
6. popular: More’s usage, apparently to denote what is “vulgar” or “common,” antedates the earliest
found in OED (s.v. popular a. 2c).
7. saith Saint Paul: 1 Corinthians 1:23–24.
8. wisdom…God: Cf. 1 Corinthians 3:19.
9. hath overcome: The Latin is vincit, “overcomes” (CW 1:358).
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Happy rebukes
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