life of john picus earl of mirandola - The Center for Thomas More ...
life of john picus earl of mirandola - The Center for Thomas More ...
life of john picus earl of mirandola - The Center for Thomas More ...
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56 <strong>Thomas</strong> <strong>More</strong>’s Life <strong>of</strong> John Picus<br />
<strong>The</strong> Tenth Rule.<br />
In all temptation withstand the beginning:<br />
<strong>The</strong> cursèd infants <strong>of</strong> wretched Babylon<br />
⌐ To suffer them wax° is a jeopardous° thing: ¬<br />
Beat out their brains there<strong>for</strong>e at the stone 1 :¦<br />
⌐ Perilous is the canker° that catcheth° the bone: ¬<br />
Too late cometh the medicine if thou let the sore<br />
By long continuance increase more and more. 2<br />
<strong>The</strong> Eleventh Rule.<br />
¦Though in the time <strong>of</strong> the battle and war<br />
<strong>The</strong> conflict seem bitter, sharp and sour, 3<br />
Yet consider it is more pleasure 4 far<br />
Over the devil 5 to be a conqueror<br />
Than is in the use <strong>of</strong> thy beastly pleasure: 6<br />
⌐ Of virtue more joy the conscience hath within<br />
Than outward the body <strong>of</strong> all his filthy sin. ¬<br />
In this point many men err <strong>for</strong> ⌐ negligence ¬ 7<br />
For they compare not the joy <strong>of</strong> the victory<br />
To the sensual pleasure <strong>of</strong> their concupiscence, 8<br />
But like rude beasts unadvisedly<br />
7 suffer them wax allow them to grow / jeopardous hazardous / 9 canker disease, corruption<br />
/ catcheth infects, attacks<br />
¦8 <strong>More</strong> omits petra autem est Christus, “and the rock is Christ” (CW 1:374, 375). / 15 <strong>More</strong><br />
omits recordare quod, “remember that” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> cursèd . . . stone: An allusion to Psalm 136:9.<br />
2. Too late . . . more: <strong>More</strong> expands the Latin quia sero medicina paratur, “because it is too late to<br />
apply the medicine” (CW 1:374, 375), thereby filling out a quotation from Ovid’s Remedia amoris<br />
91–92 (CW 1:246).<br />
3. Though in . . . sour: <strong>More</strong> expands and alters the Latin licet in ipso conflictu tentationis amara videatur<br />
pugna, “although in the conflict with temptation the battle seems bitter” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
4. more pleasure: Instead <strong>of</strong> the Latin dulcius, “sweeter” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
5. devil: In place <strong>of</strong> the Latin tentationem, “sin” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
6. Than is . . . pleasure: <strong>The</strong> Latin is quam ire ad peccatum ad quod te inclinat, “than to commit the sin<br />
to which it inclines you” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
7. err <strong>for</strong> negligence: Instead <strong>of</strong> the Latin decipiuntur, “are deceived” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
8. For they . . . concupiscence: <strong>More</strong> expands and alters the Latin quia non comparant dulcedinem victoriae<br />
dulcedini peccati, “because they do not compare the sweetness <strong>of</strong> victory with the sweetness <strong>of</strong><br />
sin” (CW 1:374, 375).<br />
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