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

Wicked people worship
many gods.
Blood
[99]
46 Thomas More’s Life of John Picus
this vale of wretchedness, that we may reign in that heavenly country
with God and His holy saints.¦
Multiplicatae sunt infirmitates eorum, postea acceleraverunt–“Their infirmities
be multiplied, and after they hasted.” These words the prophet
speaketh of wicked men. By infirmities he understandeth idols, and
so it is in the Hebrew text. For as good folk have but one God whom
they worship, so evil folk have many gods and idols, for they have many
voluptuous pleasures, many vain desires, many divers passions, which
they serve. And wherefore seek they many sundry pleasures? Certainly
for because they can find none that can set their heart at rest, and for
that ⌐ (as the prophet saith) 1¬ wicked men walk about in a circuit ⌐ or
compass whereof there is none end ¬ . Now after these words, ⌐ “Their
idols be multiplied,” ¬ it followeth, “After they hasted,” that is to say,
⌐ ‘after their idols:’ ¬ after their ⌐ passions and beastly desires ¬ they run
forth headlong unadvisedly, without any consideration. 2 And in this
be we taught that we should as speedily run to virtue as they run to
vice, and that we should with no less diligence serve our Lord God
than they serve their lord the devil. The just man considering the estate
of evil folk determineth firmly with himself (as we should also)
that utterly he will in no wise follow them; and therefore he saith: Non
congregabo conventicula eorum de sanguinibus: nec memor ero nominum eorum–“I
shall not gather the congregation of them from the blood, nor I shall
not remember their names.” He saith ‘from the blood’ both because
idolaters were wont to gather the blood of their sacrifice together and
thereabout to do their ceremonies; and also for that all the life of evil
men forsake reason, ⌐ which standeth all in the soul, ¬ and follow sensuality,
that standeth all in the blood. ⌐ The prophet saith not only that he
will not gather their congregation together from the blood, that is to
say, that he would do no sacrifice to those idols, but also that he would
not remember their names, that is to say, that he would not talk nor
speak of the voluptuous delights which are evil peoples’ gods, ¬ which
¦ 2 More omits Cum ergo iustus descripsit statum suum, qui totus est in affectu erga deum & divina, despicitque
ex alto…, “Thus, when the righteous man describes his state, which consists totally in a desire for
God and the things of God, he both looks down from on high at the…” (CW 1:366, 367). The
remainder of the sentence, statum hominum malorum & dicit, More modifies and inserts as a separate
sentence two lines below: “These words the prophet speaketh of wicked men” (ll. 4-5).
1. as…saith: Cf. Psalm 11:9.
2. unadvisedly…consideration: More’s expansion of inconsiderate , “thoughtlessly” (CW 1:366, 367).
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