Dell'Educazione Cristiana e Politica de' Figliuoli

Christian education of children
Silvio Antoniano

© Italian Library

2005

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THREE BOOKS OF THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF THE
CHILDREN, WRITTEN BY M. SILVIO ANTONIANO, AT THE
INSTANCE OF MONSIG. ILLUSTRISS. CARDINAL OF S.
PRASSEDE, ARCHBISHOP OF MILAN. IN VERONA, MDLXXXIIII.
APPRESSO SEBASTIANO DALLE DONNE, ET GIROLAMO
STRINGARI, COMPAGNI. BY PERMISSION OF THE SUPERIORS.

[Dedication].

FROM THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND REVEREND LORD AND
MY MOST RESPECTED PATRON MONSIG. CARLO BORROMEO
CARDINAL OF S. PRASSEDE.

The City of Milan has much to thank the Lord (Illustriss. et
Reverendiss. Monsignor) for having granted V. S. Illustrious
as its Pastor, and sure guide, and together with all the
neighbouring peoples, or rather all Italy, or rather the whole
Church of God, that he deigned in these calamitous times, to
provide it with such a minister, who was like an incentive to
all the other Pastors to make him exercise with diligence the
pastoral office, and who at the same time brought ornament
to his militant Church, granting it so many graces, and
giving it so much virtue, that it could be an example, and a

rule of good living to everyone: Many foreigners from distant
lands came to see the marvellous order of the great house of
the wise King Solomon; and finally the prudent Queen
Sheba, from the far corners of the East was drawn by the
fame of her wisdom: and when she had reasoned with him at
length, and had resolved all her doubts, considering the
order of her ministers, and the ornaments of her royal
palace, she was so greatly amazed, that she almost came
out of herself exclaiming: | have heard great things about
you, but what | have heard, compared to what | have seen,
can be said to have been nothing: blessed are those
servants who are worthy to be in your presence. It is no
wonder, if those who come to Milan from different parts,
having seen and understood the wisdom that Your
Illustriousness shows in the government of your Church, and
the holy institutions, with which you lead the flock to
Christian perfection, to your faith and care, claim to find
more in effect, than what they have heard reasoning. And
what increases the wonder is that not only she procures the
good and the health of her people, but she is always
thinking, and investigating how she can help the needs of
others, and she is not content that her Church alone feels
the benefit of her wise government, but in order to imitate
as much as she can the nature of God, she tries to
communicate her graces to others, and to spread her gifts to
all. Therefore, considering that with her great prudence
accompanied by true and sincere piety, how much
advantage it could be to understand what Christian
education is, and how much health it could bring to fathers
and children, and how much it was necessary for the good
government of the City, and how much consolation it gives
to the people (since the Devil does not triumph more than
anything else, Nor does he gain more than from the
negligence of the fathers in the government of their
children, putting more thought and care into the
government of wild animals, in the worship of the fields, in

reclaiming the estates, in the buildings, and in the
ornaments of the garments, than in the education of the
children; Wherefore so much misery is born in the world, and
people live with so little fear, and with so much offence to
God, and so many fathers find themselves disconsolate, and
so many mothers afflicted that it would be a long and
tedious task to narrate it), she judged that it must be
something above all useful, if one could find one who would
deal with this matter, and reduce it to precepts, and with
good order teach the way of instructing children. And
knowing very well the lively intellect, and the great learning,
together with the Christian piety, of the very Reverend
Messer Silvio Antoniano, judging him to be very apt for this
business, she asked him to help the need of this century for
such instruction for the fathers of families, by writing a book
of Christian education. Which he understood, because of the
great reverence and devotion that he has for Your
Illustriousness. Most Illustrious H.H., knowing that this was a
work of great charity, he willingly undertook the
undertaking, which he happily carried out to its end. Now
finding this work in Antoniano's hands, and (as he is most
humble) not trusting in himself, he wanted, before it was
seen in public, to be examined well by judicious men,
among whom he judged that the Most Reverend Monsignor
of Verona was most attentive to this; since his sure doctrine
was well known to him, he knew that with the perspicacity of
his intellect, he would have been able to judge very well,
what the Christian customs should be, and of what virtues
his children should be instructed, and as one who has much
experience in public governments, it would have been easy
for him to determine what the life of a Citizen of the
Christian Republic should be, he also considered that
Monsignor Reverend Verona, as the one who has the most
experience in public governments, would have been easy to
determine what the life of a Citizen of the Christian Republic
should be. Reverend of Verona, because he is bound to Your

Most Illustrionusness by a knot of holy friendship, and
because of the reverence he bears you, would have had the
same desire to help the world by this most effective means.
Therefore, trusting in the paternal affection that the Bishop
has always shown him, as he is wont to embrace and favour
all men of letters and the good servants of God, he sent him
the treatise that he had written on Christian education,
begging Most Reverend H.H. to take the trouble to read the
book, and then to notify him of his opinion. He did so very
courteously, and not only did he content himself with
reading it, but he wanted it to be seen by very learned
people, all of whom, conforming to the opinion of Most
Reverend H.H. judged the work to be most useful, full of
varied erudition, of serious sentences, of illustrious
examples, written with great perspicuity, and with admirable
piety, and zeal for the honor of God, and the health of souls.
And because Monsig. Reverendiss. was forced to leave
Verona, sent by N. S. to visit the Church of Padua, and of
Vicenza (finding myself at the present time in this City with
the obedience of my superiors, for some honourable, and
convenient occasions, with the wish however as soon as
possible to be allowed to return to my Roman Province, in
order to be able there the rest of the life that is left to me,
since | am still in charge of years, to serve God) desiring also
that the work be published, he was content to order me to
take care of having it printed, and atthe same time that |
should send it to Your Illustriousness as a departure. Your
Illustriousness as a work that has originated from you, and
as the fruit of your zealous desires. And | remember how
many favours she did me, and how many signs of love she
showed me when she deigned to call me to preach her
Church, and having then clearly known that she keeps a
vivid memory of me, because of the great devotion that |
have always brought to her singular goodness, she received
this as a signalled favour, since it gives me the opportunity
to make you reverence, and by this means to remind you of

my service, and | did it all the more willingly, since | judged
that these labours of the Antonian, must be most fruitful,
and most grateful to the world, and at the same time to obey
and satisfy Monsig. Reverend of Verona, who for consolation,
and for the satisfaction of V. S. Illustrissississ. and for the
profit that will come to the souls has wanted that this worthy
work be sent in light.

Plutharco wrote of the education of children a very grateful
little work, and again the Illustrississ. et Reverend Cardinal
Sadoleto good memory a very elegant, and learned book on
the same subject, but no one really (if | am not mistaken)
has treated it more copiously, nor with more sentences, nor
come more to the detail, and to teaching more useful things,
than the composer of this book, who, with the salt of
Christian wisdom, has seasoned the whole work, reducing it
to practice, and introduced this most useful doctrine into the
houses of simple and idiotic people, and has at the same
time expressed the juice of the whole Theology concerning
good morals, called Theologia prattica or morale. And at the
same time he has facilitated in a way the Roman Catechism,
a book so useful, as well as learned and pious, that it can
easily be enjoyed and understood by private and simple
people. For this great benefit, all those who will read this
book, will be obliged to Your Illustriousness who urged the
author to write it, who composed it, and ordered it with great
judgement, because it is seen that it is always improving,
and saying things which are more useful, and more
delightful, the more it reaches its end. Therefore, if the
whole volume is very fruitful, the third book is so delightful
and useful, that one cannot desire more, nor can one teach
more appropriate things for the education of children, in
which order, one discovers the art of the author, who has
very ingeniously expressed the true way of teaching,
beginning with the most universal things, as he does in the
first book, and then coming from hand to hand to the

particular things. And this was his own way, and easy,
because of his knowledge of many kinds of letters and
sciences, because of the practice he has always had with
great people, and much more because of his devotion and
Christian piety, because of the innocence of his life, and
because he frequently offers to God sacrifices, and prayers
as a good Priest, so that he has been able to implore the
grace of explicating the truth, so that this treatise of his, will
be able to help as much as to delight and to delight as much
as to help. To which one could very conveniently accompany
that which S. Thomaso wrote on the erudition of Princes,
different from another that he composed on the rule of
Princes. Which | have reduced to the vernacular, because
Monsig. | have reduced it to the vernacular language,
because the Most Reverend Bishop of Verona, has wished
that it be read by those who are born Princes, or true who
must be proposed to public governments, and perhaps with
the grace of God, it could one day be printed, as he wished
this to be printed, for the benefit of the noble City of Venice,
his homeland, and for the benefit of his beloved Veronese.
Therefore, as long as you are waiting to be seen, Your
Illustriousness deigns to receive this work, which l in the
name of the Reverend Messer Silvio Antoniano, your dear
servant, offer you. And since with your authority you have
given spirit and strength to the author to make such a
perfect work, receive it as your own. And I will not fail to do
so (as each one is obliged, and I in particular will pray to Our
Lord God that He deigns to preserve for a long time V.S.
Illustrississ. for the ornament of his Church, so that he may
be able to use such a noble instrument, as he has done and
continues to do, to instruct and teach Christian piety, not
only in the ecclesiastical and secular state of Milan, and of
all Italy, but also outside Italy, and in the parts where the
catholic truth is contested, as it does at the present time,
when by means of his preaching, and by the example of his
life the name of God has been so glorified in the countries of

the Griffins, and the holy Roman Catholic Church exalted,
and remaining desirous to serve it, | kiss you with all my
heart. | kiss your hands with all reverence. From Verona the
first of Novemb. M DLXXXIII. Of V.S. Illustriss. et
Reverendiss. Humiliss. et devotiss. ser. F. Alessio Figliucci de
l'’ord. de’Predic.

Exhortation

SILVIO ANTONIANO TO THE FATHERS OF FAMILY HEALTH IN
THE LORD

I have been constrained by the authority, and by the
commandment, of Monsignor Illustrississ. Carlo Cardinal di
santa Prassede, and Archbishop of Milan, to have to do
myself something, that many times | have wished, that
someone more suitable than me would do, that is to write
the present treatise on the Christian education of the
children, in which I have endeavoured, according to the
weakness of my forces, to show the way of good, and to raise
them in a Christian way, in conformity with the holy fear of
God, and with the norm of his salutary law. A subject, if one
considers the end, and the intention which I have had, and
the manner in which I have explained it, more novel by
chance, and not treated by others, than perhaps at first
sight it does not appear, but certainly, a necessary subject,
especially in these times, and which, put into practice with
due diligence, will be able if | am not mistaken, to bring
more than mediocre benefit to those fathers of families, who
from duty wish to bring up their children well.

Having therefore with the help of divine grace, brought this
discourse to its end, and having to consent, by the same
obedience which from the beginning moved me to make it,
that it should come out to you honorable fathers of families,
whatever it may be, | offer it, not as my own thing, but more

soon as that of that most vigilant Pastor of souls, and most
clear light of Holy Church, whose very serious judgement
must make you believe, with great reason, that Christian
education is not a trivial thing, but on the contrary is of
great importance, through which, cooperating with the
grace and favour of God, good children are raised, and
consequently good men, which is the most excellent and the
most beneficial of all human things.

And in order to give you a general idea of the whole work,
which will be given to you in a greater and more distinct way
by the Table of Chapters, which follows a little further down,
you should know that | have divided it into three main parts,
or rather into three books.

In the first of which we discuss the great importance of
raising children in a Christian manner, which in Latin,
although very well known, is called education. We also
discuss the dignity and sanctity of the married state, which
is the plant, so to speak, blessed by God, of which legitimate
children are the proper and most suavest fruit. And finally
some other things are treated, which are like preparatory,
and dispositions preceding the good education.

In the second book, because the substance of Christian
education consists in the knowledge and observance of the
divine law, it necessarily deals with some of the most
important aspects of our holy religion, briefly and easily,
reducing the doctrine to practice, so that the father may see
the goal, where he must continually look, and according to
which he must regulate all his studies in raising his son.

In the third, and last book, beginning with childhood, and
proceeding through the following ages, the conditions and
dangers of each are shown, and it is said which, from time to
time, must be the fatherly duties. And lastly it speaks of the

various states, and praiseworthy exercises, of the common
life, so that living our son of the family, not uselessly, but
virtuously in the homeland, and among men, he may then
after this brief pilgrimage, more happily live with God, and
with his chosen saints, in the true heavenly homeland.

I have written the present work in our vulgar language, out
of a desire to be of greater help to many, and from this same
desire, while | have descended much to the detail, and while
I have tried not only to teach, but to move, with some
delight, a certain prolixity has proceeded, which perhaps to
some of more delicate taste, will be less welcome; However, |
have tried to give the reader a certain amount of relief by
distinguishing the chapters, which are usually short, and it
should not be a burden to the father of a family, in his less
busy times, to read one or another for his own pleasure,
making a useful record of the documents that are given, in
order to put it into practice with judgment and discretion,
taking into consideration many circumstances which, by
necessity, are left to the prudent educator, to whom nothing
will be difficult, if he wishes to undertake the task of
Christian education with duty; For in addition to divine help,
on which all good depends, the same practice will be an
excellent teacher.

Therefore | beseech you, honorable fathers of families, to
consider often, that the dearest and most precious riches
that you have, are your children, whom God has given you
to guard, so that in due time, you may return them to him,
as faithful servants, and good negotiators of the talent
committed with fruit, and spiritual gain. Even if it is not
absolutely within your power, since a child, even a very well
bred one, may want to be sad, it is not probable that it will
happen, but if it should happen through his own fault, his
blood will be on his head, and you will free your soul, and
you will not lose the due merit before the just judge.

Therefore, look after yourselves, look after your children, and
see to it promptly that, as far as your side is concerned, they
succeed in such a way that in this life they may bring you
consolation, and not affliction, praise, and not blame, and in
the next life they may be the subject of a greater crown in

Heaven, and not of greater punishment, and greater torment
in Hell.

Book 1

LIBRO PRIMO DELLA EDUCATIONE CHRISTIANA DEI
FIGLIUOLI.

Chapter 1

AS IN THE HOLY CHURCH ARE VARIOUS, AND DIFFERENT
STATES.

David the Prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, describes in
the fourth and fortieth Psalm the wedding of the heavenly
bridegroom Christ Jesus with his beloved bride the Holy
Church. And after having sung highly of the beauty, of the
fortitude, and of the kingdom of the bridegroom, he turns to
narrate the praises of the new bride, whom he represents in
the guise of a most noble Queen standing at the right hand
of her beloved consort, adorned with beautiful, and very rich
attire, dressed in a golden robe, and surrounded by a
mantle, embroidered with various friezes, and with the
greatest artifice context of different colors of silk and gold to
marvel. Now these rich friezes and embroideries, which
adorn the robe of this great Queen, overshadow us, and
illustrate the diversity, and vagueness of the various states
of the holy Church militant, that is of the virgins, of the
continents, and of the married; For there are some who,
renouncing the cares of the world, and having made a
perfect sacrifice of themselves to God, live in the flesh,
almost outside the flesh, a life more quickly angelic than
human; others then, bound to the yoke of matrimony,
amidst the cares of the family, and the many occupations of
civil life, as though sailing on a troubled sea, toil to reach
the port of true quietness. And although among them are
these and similar states in the Holy Church of different rank
and dignity, all are nevertheless beautiful, all holy, all adorn
the noble bride, and consequently all are grateful and
pleasing to the eyes of the eternal bridegroom; who is not
only pleased with those who, in the holy cloisters, and in the
mountains, and in the woods, stay with the beautiful Rachel,

barren, but with sharp eyesight, and shining eyes,
contemplating God, but also greatly enjoys seeing his
beloved, adorned with numerous hosts of active, and
industrious men, who with Leah, though less beautiful,
nevertheless fruitful, toil in the exercises of the active life.
And just as from many distinct voices, which with great
harmony discord, a most sweet harmony and chorus is born,
and just as from various distinct limbs, deputed by nature to
different and separate operations, there results one body
beautiful to see, most useful to conserve, and most able to
work, so not otherwise from such a variety of states, which
are in the holy Church, a marvellous union proceeds, and
this spiritual body is formed, of which Christ is the head, so
ordered, and so strong that it frightens hell, so graceful, and
so beautiful, that it enchants God, and all of Paradise.

Chapter 2

THAT GOD HAS NOT OBLIGED US TO THE HEIGHT OF SOME
STATES

And truly great is the mercy of God, who has not obliged his
servants to choose some very high state of affairs, but,
considering the infirmity and weakness of many, has left
each one free to choose the way of life that pleases him
best. Christ our Redeemer and Master, has not said to
anyone under the obligation of law or precept, but by way of
evangelical counsel and perfection, go and sell what you
have, and give it to the poor, and follow me. Paul the
Apostle, speaking of the virginal state, affirms that he has
not been commanded by the Lord, but as his Legate and
Ambassador, he advises, persuades and desires that all be
as he was, freed from the cares and solicitudes of the world,
and not subject to the tribulation of the flesh, Therefore he
did not say to anyone not to take a wife, and not to marry
your daughter, but he only said exhorting, and inviting to
the highest, and most perfect state, he who marries his
virgin spinster does well, and he who does not marry her
does better, if however such is the will of the girl, or of the
son not to want an earthly marriage, but a heavenly one.
Therefore, much gratitude must be given to the most
gracious God, the Father of mercies, who has not closed the
way of eternal salvation to anyone, nor made it difficult, but
has opened it for us in many ways, so that not only the poor
of voluntary poverty, the religious, the cleric, the virgin, and
the continent, and those who, for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven, have deprived themselves of the procreation of
children, but the rich man also, the layman, and the secular,
and finally the father of a family, by keeping his riches, and
enjoying his possessions, his wife, his children, and his

servants, will be able by divine grace to have a place and
share in the kingdom of God, and in eternal beatitude.

Chapter 3

THAT IN EVERY STATE THE FEAR OF GOD IS NECESSARY,
AND THE OBSERVANCE OF THE DIVINE PRECEPTS.

Therefore, as has been said, these various states, although
distinct in perfection, are all nevertheless good, and
acceptable to God, and each of them is the way that leads to
paradise, although some are more perfect, others with
greater difficulty and toil. But let no one deceive himself,
and persuade himself that he has done everything by
choosing a state of life which is praiseworthy by nature; for if
in the good state he does not live well, and does not fulfill
the obligations of his vocation, in vain will he praise himself
for the goodness of his state; indeed as a bad and
disobedient servant, who knew the will of his Lord, and did
not take care to carry it out, he will be severely chastised.
Therefore the husbandman must not believe that he is not
bound by the bonds of religion, that he has not stripped
himself of his own abilities, nor of the use and power of the
flesh, and that he has not voluntarily deprived himself of his
own will, let him not believe, | say, that for this reason he is
freed, and free from all obligations, since the obligations of
married persons are many, and greater than some do not
understand, and especially concerning the inviolable
observance of the faith, and conjugal chastity, as will be
said in its place. Therefore, let no one say, | am neither a
monk nor a friar, | have made neither a vow nor profession of
chastity, poverty or obedience; but say more quickly, lam a
Christian, | made the great vow in baptism, and the noble
profession of soldiering under the banner of Christ crucified,
and of fulfilling by his divine grace his most holy law, | have
solemnly renounced the tyranny of the devil, and of the
world, and | have placed my neck under the sweet yoke of

the servitude of Jesus Christ. Therefore, he who with mature
advice, as will be said below, has chosen the life and state of
matrimony, let him happily marry, but let him also invite
Christ to us, as did that wise bridegroom of Cana of Galilee,
so that the great, so that the great and almighty host may
also convert the waters into wine in his house, may possess
his goods, but with Christ, may he be free, not of freedom of
the flesh, but of the spirit, from which freedom Christ has
freed us, may he attend to the generation of children, but for
the glory and honor of Christ. And briefly, knowing that each
one is told and commanded by the supreme lawgiver, if you
wish to enter into life, observe the commandments; seek
with all solicitude and diligence to fulfil your obligations,
and to live well and holily in the holy marital state.

Chapter 4

OF THE OBLIGATION OF FATHERS TO BRING UP THEIR
CHILDREN IN A CHRISTIAN MANNER.

For certain, and not lightly, are the obligations and duties of
a father of a family in the care and reign of the family, since
he is almost a small king in his own house, to whom belongs
the preservation of peace and domestic tranquility, the
maintenance of justice, and the provision of food and other
necessary things for his subjects, and all this with various
respects and modes, according to the variety of persons; for
in another way the care, and authority of the father of the
family concerns his wife, in another the children, and in
another the servants; now as we have begun to say, many,
and not slight are the aforementioned offices in the
government of the house, but without any doubt one of the
greatest, and most serious obligations, is that which the
father has towards his children, that is to educate them, and
raise them well, and in a Christian manner. For to bring them
up only in terms of body and natural life is common to us
with animals, and moral education, in accordance with the
light of reason alone, is likewise common to us with peoples
who are in the darkness of infidelity and do not know the
true path to health; but the proper of the Christian, and of
the faithful, is to bring up children according to the rule of
the law of Christ, so that, living and dying well and healthily,
they may be on earth instruments of God, for the benefit
and help of human society, and may be in heaven heirs of
the Kingdom of the same God, by whose grace and help we
have the right to live and die, and to live eternally in His
glory, that is, in the eternal benefit of Himself. Therefore, let
no one believe that he is doing a small fault, while he is
negligent in the offence of which we speak, and while he

does not take care to bring up his children well, indeed he
commits a very grave sin, and offends himself, his children,
his house, and his descendants, his country, mankind, the
saints of Heaven, and finally the supreme God in many
ways. In order that it may be better understood, it must be
considered that the father who neglects to bring up his son
well, first of all offends himself; for the son is in a certain
way his own part and work, which, remaining through his
own fault imperfect and defective, reverberates in him the
defect and the imperfection; and he is like a body, whose
members are either broken or dry and useless. In the second
place it offends the same children, to whom, having given,
as an instrument of God, being and living, it does not give
them good being, which is much more important. He offends
his house, and his lineage, because his evil children will
probably give birth to worse descendants; so that the
ancient nobility, which is the virtue of the eldest, is
gradually lost, and the way to acquire it by the true means
of virtue is closed, and families fall into ruin. He offends
likewise, and does grave insult to the country, and to the
republic, to which he was obliged to give good and useful
citizens, who knew and wished to help it, and succour it in
every need, where he leaves a useless and wretched
generation, but what is worse, it leaves guilty and pernicious
men, who are like so many little faces to kindle a thousand
fires of discord and dissension, and who enjoy nothing more
than to disturb and destroy with their bad example and bad
works the peace and quiet of the community. But the bad
fruit of the seed of paternal negligence does not stop here;
on the contrary, proceeding further, it is the cause that he
offends with his bad children the whole human generation,
and the whole community of men, of which each individual
man is a particle; This is because the indisposition and bad
quality of one part, however small, is not without harm to
the whole, and as far as this father destroys the human
consortium, and reduces the world to a forest of beasts; for,

as a wise man well said, the unjust man is worse than any
beast. And passing from earth to Heaven, how much offense
is committed by the father who has not well and healthily
brought up his children, against the saints and angels of
Paradise, who through his own fault are deprived of a great
joy which they would receive from the glorification of those
souls, and from their company in Heaven, which they greatly
desire. But who will ever suffice to say the most serious and
inestimable insult that is done against God, to whom alone
we are more obliged than to all creatures together? Woe to
the father who has ill-guarded so precious a deposit given
him by God, I say the soul of his son, entrusted to his care
under the danger of eternal damnation. A deposit, which
God esteems so highly, that, having made himself a mortal
man, in order to redeem it from the hands of the devil, who
through man's sin had usurped it, he judged that the price
of his most precious blood, shed with infinite charity, and
with most bitter pain and death on the trunk of the Cross,
was well spent.

Chapter 5

HOW ACCEPTABLE TO GOD IS THE GOOD EDUCATION OF
CHILDREN.

From what has been said above it is very easy to deduce on
the other hand, how much good is done and how much
praise deserves that good father, who, remembering his
great obligation, and loving his children no less according to
the spirit than according to the flesh, urges him to govern
them promptly, and endeavors with all diligence to bring
them up well; he will truly accumulate for himself a precious
treasure of consolation, and of merit in the present life, and
in the future; he will receive the sweetest fruits of his labors,
and his memory will be in the blessing of posterity; he will
increase with true honor and nobility his house, he will leave
to his country the dearest pledge of love that can be left to
them; for it often happens that the goodness, and valor of a
single Citizen, is the conservation, and the health of an
entire republic; and finally this one will be praised by men,
and rewarded by God; therefore we read in the sacred
scripture, the great Patriarch Abraham having been specially
commended by God in this part of the good of raising
children, when having to God to make the terrible
punishment on Sodom, and Gomorrah, he said in this
sentence: How shall | conceal from Abraham what | am
about to do? knowing that he will not fail to command his
children, and his descendants after him, to keep the way of
God, and to do justice and righteousness, so that the
promises which God has made may be fulfilled. Likewise the
Holy Spirit, not without reason, has left us a record of the
paternal care and solicitude of Job, who was continually
concerned that his children should not offend God. And
other similar examples are to be found in the divine letters,

from which it is evidently clear how much it pleases God
that his children should keep themselves holy, and how
much it displeases him to the contrary.

Chapter 6

OF THE NEGLECT THAT IS SEEN IN MANY ABOUT
EDUCATIONE CHRISTIANA.

Now after so many bonds of natural, human, and divine law,
by which (as we have shown in part) each father is obliged
to do every possible diligence, so that his son may be good
and virtuous; it is also something worthy of the greatest
wonder, and of weeping together, to see how commonly this
most important study of Christian education is neglected,
which many people hardly know the name of. | do not deny
that, by the grace of God, good fathers, zealous for the
honor of God and for the health of their children, are to be
found in all places and in all states, who with solicitude
attend to bringing them up in the fear of God and in virtue;
the prudence and diligence of whom is not detracted from
by anything | say, indeed | intend always to give them the
greatest praise. But the number of these is too small for the
holy people, to whom, as the prophet says, God has
manifested his judgments and his will, and who seek
something of such moment, and of such private and public
consequence, as good education; Because some fathers do
not think about it, neither more nor less than if it did not
belong to them, and as they are all devoted to sensual
appetites, so they not only allow, but they are pleased to see
their wretched children immersed in it. Others, a little more
careful, see to it that their children are shrewd, and alert,
and apt to the preservation, and to the acquisition of their
possessions, that they are educated in the letters, and
adorned with a certain apparent civic manners, or as they
say, of a gentleman, and it seems to them that they have
done a great thing, and that they are excellent masters of
feeding their children well, not paying much attention to

true, solid Christian goodness, either as little necessary, or
as not being the main thing, and in the end considered by
them as such, that as the child grows, in his more mature
years, he comes after the aforesaid things almost by himself
without any other industry, that is used in tender childhood;
which will be demonstrated at greater length in a more
opportune place.

Chapter 7

THAT FOR THE MOST PART THEY TAKE BETTER CARE OF
THEIR ANIMALS AND POSSESSIONS THAN THEY DO OF
THEIR OWN CHILDREN.

But there would be much less cause for complaint if we were
to bring up our children in a civil and moral way; for
everything that the light of right reason teaches us, though
it may not be perfect, is nevertheless good, and beneficial,
and can be ordered to its proper end; but the worst thing is
that the majority of fathers do not think about it except
superficially, and for a print, as they say. Nor can it be said
that this happens because men are coarse, material, and
lacking in understanding; indeed our century is too acute,
and prudent with the prudence of the flesh. But this is also
the case, that the fathers of families, not all of them, but
many, hold everything else in higher esteem than their own
children, and when they say “children”, they mean the soul
above all, which is the best and most essential part of
ourselves, and they mean it in relation to its true and final
end, which is God. A wise writer, though a gentle one, is
surprised and saddened at the same time, that he takes
more care and concern for his flocks, herds, oxen and horses
than for men. But with greater zeal the glorious father St.
John Chrysostom exclaims, as the one who was entirely
enkindled by charity, and who understood better the very
serious prejudice of souls, complaining of a very great
inconvenience, and too much out of reason, that greater
care should be taken of estates, and possessions, than of
one's own children, for whose sake the aforesaid things are
acquired, and preserved. And who is there that does not see
how much diligence is used in the breeding of horses? How
much effort is put into raising and taming them, as well for

the use of war as for pleasure? It is truly a matter of
amazement to consider the labour and patience of a
Cavalier while he labours to make such a ferocious animal
docile and obedient to every little movement of his hand
and his spur, not to speak of those who for the sake of a
slight pleasure, with much attention and industry train dogs
and birds, instilling in them with artifice something humane
and reasonable, stripping them little less of their natural
pride and rapacity. So much can toil and perseverance, that
in the end it overcomes everything; | leave to say of the
cultivation of the fields, of commerce, of trade, and of the
various exercises of men, in which neither toil, nor expense,
nor dangers, nor the health of one's own body are forgiven,
and God willing, that it should not often be of the soul too,
that if a particle of those vigils, of those many thoughts, and
labours were applied to bringing up a child well, admirable
effects would be seen, and the world would be all the better
for it; But it often happens, that while the father of a family
goes sometimes through the snows, and sometimes through
the heat of the sun, making sure that his possessions are
well cultivated, he leaves in abeyance the most precious and
fruitful field, that is the soul of his son, who neglected in his
childhood becomes a forest full of thorns, of abominable
vines, and sins. And while the unwise father, in order to
accumulate money for his children, sails the distant seas, he
leaves his unhappy children in a more tempestuous sea of
these unbridled affections, and evil inclinations of ours,
without any government, nor any regiment, so that it is no
wonder that such miserable shipwrecks of youth follow daily
as we see, with great disturbance of human and divine
things.

Chapter 8

HOW THE CALAMITIES OF OUR TIMES, CONCERNING
RELIGION, HAVE IN LARGE PART ORIGINATED FROM BAD
EDUCATION.

Perhaps it will seem to some that | use too much
exaggeration in what | am about to say, but the importance,
and gravity of the matter, moves me to say freely what | feel.
It seems to me that the many calamities, of which we see
the world full in these last times, and in this, so to speak,
decrepitude of the century, have their origin in large part
from the bad education of children, because just as men are
not made until after they have been children and young
people, so ordinarily speaking, good men and bad men are
made only from good and bad children and young people;
Therefore it happens that some, in their younger years,
being badly disciplined and brought up without the fear of
God, and being accustomed not to obey their father and
mother, but to do their own will and to love themselves in a
disordered way, putting the brakes on their carnality, their
appetite for things and their ambition, they go much further,
and their bad habits grow with the years, and in such a way
that, together with the strength of the body, it strengthens
the viciousness in a heart, that, not fearing nowadays either
men or God, and since the continued use, and the bad habit
of sinning to which one does not want to resist become
almost nature, and almost necessity, it finally runs without
any restraint to rush into the depths of all abominations, and
of all wickedness. The devil manufactures these as if they
were instruments prepared for every iniquity, not only the
seditious, the disturbers of the communal peace, the
turncoats of cities and kingdoms, but also the heretics, the
heresiarchs, and those who, with the ignorant and

foolishness of which the Psalmist speaks, say in their hearts,
there is no God. In this way were born divisions and heresies
in the Holy Church, as can easily be proved by infinite
examples, that is, that some proud and covetous men either
out of indignation and impatience at having been repulsed
by some honor and dignity, or because they do not know
how to contain themselves within the terms of private life,
and out of a desire to dominate, and of having followers to
make themselves known in the world, and lacking the true
means of virtue, they raise the banner of some new or old
heresy, found and revived from the ashes buried in hell, in
order to reach their evil ends more easily, and there they
draw and gather all those who have the same nature and
disposition; And these vessels of the devil, ministers of
perdition, are all the more pernicious when with the vicious
and gross life is joined some sharpness of intellect, some
knowledge of the law, and that knowledge which, being as
the Apostle says devoid of charity, does not edify, but
inflates, and makes others insuperbate, and this happens
much more, if there is language, and eloquence to reason
and to write, which is precisely the blowpipe and the bellows
that inflames every great fire of discord and sedition. In sum
one does not easily reach such an extreme of sin as
separating oneself from the Holy Catholic and Apostolic
Church if not after a long habit of sinning and this is done
with many acts, and long succession of time, beginning little
by little in the greenest age in which, if the first roots of
viciousness are not uprooted, the sense becomes so
powerful, that the force of the immoderate passion almost
blinds the intellect, and men come to such a fury and
terrible blindness that not content to sin, they want their sin
to be considered a virtue, and the most impure lusts and a
thousand other wickednesses to be worshipped as holy
things, and as such as far as they are in them, they place
them in the temple of God, dogmatizing in the cathedra of
pestilence such abominable errors, both in faith and in

morals, that not only the divine scriptures, the consensus of
the fathers, and the authority of Holy Church, but the very
light of reason itself detests and condemns them.

Chapter 9

AS MANY DISORDERS, ET PERTURBATIONS OF STATES, HAVE
OCCURRED FOR THE SAME REASON.

Similarly, whoever wishes to consider those who have raised
the people, stirred up rebellions, and turned cities and
provinces upside down, will find that in their infancy, and
while they were young, they were debauched in every kind
of sin, involved in the vice of gluttony, lust, and gambling,
and in the superfluous expenses of satiating their unbridled
appetites, for which reason, as the years went by, the fire of
lust increased, and the lack of possessions increased, of lust,
and of gambling, and in the superfluities spent to satisfy
their unbridled appetites, for which reason, since with the
years the fire of concupiscence becomes greater, and
lacking the goods that foment it, they begin to desire
changes of state and new things, For as they have not been
able to conserve their own faculties, so it does not give them
the heart to gain them in the proper ways, not being
accustomed to the arts of peace, nor wanting fatigue, like
those who from the first years are nourished in idleness and
in carnal pleasures, for whom, judging the common peace,
by their own war, not knowing how to be able to develop
from their debts, nor how to make up for the large, profuse
expenses, they throw themselves as if desperate into the
waves of any chosen deliberation. And others of them give
themselves to secretly forging in the Cities, others become
public thieves in the woods, and others plot treason against
princes, and government revolutions, especially those who
are nobly born, and used to live comfortably, and to feed
many servants, and dogs, and flatterers, and strikers, these
impatient of poverty, indeed of mediocrity, prodigal of their
own, and greedy of that of others, also stimulated by the

powerful ambition, they resolve to turn the iron in the
bowels of the country that has generated them, hoping in
the storms, and in the ruin of others, to find tranquillity, and
their own establishment, and if otherwise it is not made
possible for them to fulfil their wretched designs, they cover
themselves with the cloak of public good, and hide
themselves under the shield of religion deceiving the simple
people with strange names; Therefore it is seen that they
favor heresies, and become heretics themselves, although
truly most of the times they are more quickly ambitious,
seditious, obedient, and rebellious, than heretics, since their
aim is not so much that they must believe, of which nothing,
or little they care, as that of dominating, and of not being
subject neither to law, nor to any legitimate power.

Chapter 10

AS THE SUPERIORS PRUDENTLY DO, TAKING PARTICULAR
CARE OF THE GOOD EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN.

I think it has been sufficiently demonstrated that the many
evils that disturb the afflicted Christian Republic in so many
ways have had, and have in good part, their origin in the
negligence of raising children well, both privately and
publicly. For this reason we can say, with much reason, that
no less prudently, than pitifully do those Princes and
Superiors, who keep a very open eye, and take special care,
that their little children, and the youth are raised well, and
in the exercises of virtue, and introduce in their Cities
religious men, and saints, and make other similar provisions
for this so important respect; where otherwise, and reason
persuades him, and experience shows us all too clearly
through ancient and new examples, that if a lofty spirit is
not held back by the fear of God, much less is it held back
by the fear of the laws, and whoever does not care to break
the faith given to God, and to the Church in baptism, will not
care to break the faith given to his prince; and to say it in
one word, the change of the states, and of the kingdoms
goes almost necessarily after the change of the religion, and
where people live licentiously, and where men are carnal,
greedy, irreverent to God, and devoted to sins, there is a
great and very propitious disposition to accept, when the
opportunity comes, the change of the religion. And for this
reason, whoever wishes to prohibit such pernicious fruits,
should cut off the first root of bad education in the early
years, from which all the sins and disorders of the following
ages germinate.

Chapter 11

THAT IT WAS NOT SUPERFLUOUS TO WRITE THE PRESENT
WORK.

No one, | believe, who wishes to consider the things said up
to this point, will deny that the proper rearing of children is a
very important thing, both for public and private affairs. But
perhaps there will be those who will consider that it was a
superfluous effort to write this book, for they will say that in
the books of the ancient philosophers, both Greek and Latin,
and in the poets themselves, there are scattered sufficient
precepts for the government of each age, and that there is
no lack of authors, who not only incidentally, but purposely
have dealt with education, and among the others it is not so
long ago that there was a man of excellent wit, and learning,
who in the Florentine language wrote a pleasant little book
about the good manners of children. Although | believe this
to be true, | have thought that there is still plenty of room to
write usefully on this subject, and | have believed it to be a
work worthy of merit, to try to do what | can: and all the
more so because the way | am going to do it will be, if lam
not mistaken, very different from that of many others;
Therefore the aim of this book will not be to write simply
about political education, since it has to do with human
happiness, considered by the philosophers, but it will be
sooner to write about Christian education, which is ordered
and directed to the highest and perfect heavenly happiness.
In this treatise the child will be considered more principally
as a Christian than as a man or sociable animal, and more as
belonging to the City of God than as a citizen or part of an
earthly republic, if this too is given due consideration; it is
enough for now, that in this way the philosophers of the
Gentiles have not dealt with education, nor have they been

able to do so; from the vestiges of which some of our
moderns have not departed far.

And although in the ancient fathers, clear in doctrine, and
holiness, many notable things of similar matter are read,
nevertheless they are scattered, and almost hidden in
various places, and not being reduced together, in a certain
and distinct order, one cannot gather all the benefit that
would be useful, and perhaps more, they are not so well
adapted to the capacity of many, as | intend to do, having
proposed to write, generally speaking, for the more common,
and popular men, to whom there is a greater need of
instruction, and the number of whom is undoubtedly much
greater, than of the very knowledgeable.

For this reason, | believe that | should at least be excused if,
for the sake of good intentions of helping, | not infrequently
lead myself to very particular things, knowing that for
human operations, which consist in the particular, greater
help is given by particular documents, than by universal
rules, if perhaps these bring a certain greater dignity to the
writer. But, however it may be, | consider it expedient for
those who reason about the good of raising children, to
lower themselves even to the smallest things, if they can
really be a means to lead to the acquisition of a high end.

And if that skilful Florentine writer, of whom I spoke a little
while ago, has been able not only without reproach, but with
his own praise, to weave his book of very minute
recollections, to train a young man in only civic manners,
much more, if | am not mistaken, it should be licit to me,
that | do not pretend to introduce only in the children the
superior decorum, which is required in the common
conversation, but much more the inner composure, and the
solid virtue, by means of the good education, and Christian
discipline.

Chapter 12

OF THE REASONS THAT PERSUADE US TO DEAL FIRST WITH
THE DIGNITY AND SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE.

Therefore, as far as divine grace will grant us, we must show
the way of raising Christian children, born of a Christian
marriage, | am reminded of the saying of Saint Augustine,
that children are the fruit of marriage, as this same name
declares to us, the woman being married to become a
mother. And if the good fruit, according to the proverb of the
Savior, comes from the good tree, it will not be out of reason
to say, that good children are also to be expected from a
good and holy marriage; not that this is absolutely
necessary, since it is not infrequent to see bad children born
of good fathers, and on the contrary, but it is probably
spoken of, and as is most common. Therefore, it seemed to
me not inconvenient to begin our education from its first
principle, that is, from the excellence and sanctity of the
marriage state, expounding in part what Christian marriages
must be, since each one confesses that in everything the
good principle is of the greatest moment, and on the
foundation, so to speak, of a good marriage, rests in large
part the hope of the happy generation and holy education of
those children whom we are now raising.

And if it seems to some, perhaps, that | expand too much on

this subject, which is not the main one, | beg the kind reader
to consider that it was my duty, almost by necessity, in three
places of this work, to speak of marriage.

The first one is this one where we are now because of the
close connection between children, and marriage, as
between cause and effect, and because this is, as we have

touched upon, the first base, and the foundation of all our
building.

The second place was in the second book, where, for the
reasons mentioned in its place, we reasoned about all the
seven Sacraments of the Holy Church, and also about this
one, which is one of that number, it was convenient for us to
reason a little bit.

Lately in the third book, after having brought our son to the
age of taking a wife, we could not omit to say some things
pertinent to that so important deliberation, and to the
conjugal offences between husband and wife. So | thought it
would not be improper to collect the whole discourse in one
place, since there was a good opportunity. This | do all the
more willingly, since it is seen, if we may say so, that one of
the things, for the most part little understood, and less
considered by the faithful people, is the sanctity of
marriage, of which | do not intend, however, to treat subtly,
but as much as is sufficient for our purpose, more quickly
morally, than doctrinally, and with brevity, leaving the rest
to our own books and treatises, where the nature of
marriage, and its conditions, and effects, are taughtina
broader and more solid way.

Chapter 13

OF THE ORIGIN, ET INSTITUTIONE OF THE MARRIAGE, LIKE
OFFITIO NATURAL.

| say, therefore, that marriage is a marriage which is a
marital and legitimate union of man and woman tied with
such a tight bond, that it is indissoluble, and contains an
individual and inseparable communication of all life,
marriage, | say, was not introduced by invention, not by
human law, but by the disposition of nature, and of God the
author of nature; who instituted it in the state of innocence,
before Adam our first father sinned; for as we read in the
sacred writings, God having created the first man, did not
want him to be alone, but to have a helper, and a
companion similar to him, for which having put him to sleep
in a deep sleep, he took from his side a rib, and formed it
with his omnipotence, into a true woman, who was our first
mother Eve. And having brought her to Adam, he gave her
to him as a companion, and as a wife, and blessed both of
them, saying, increase and multiply; then Adam receiving
her for his own, according to the commandment of God,
spoke with high sentiment in this manner: She is bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called man,
because she is taken from man; therefore man shall leave
his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and they
shall be two in one flesh. So far these are Adam's words.
Therefore, the excellence and dignity of marriage is great
because its origin and institution is from God, from the
beginning of the world in the happy state of innocence and
original justice, in which, if our first fathers had persevered,
all their children and grandchildren would have been holy
and just. And not only God instituted marriage, but He
Himself bound it in that indissoluble knot of which we have

spoken above, as our Savior manifestly taught us in the
Gospel in the words: What God has joined together, let no
man put asunder.

Chapter 14

THAT CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE 15 NOT ONLY A NATURAL
OFFITIO, BUT IS A SACRAMENT OF THE NEW LAW.

Therefore, as has been said, marriage was instituted by God
as an offense of nature, for the propagation of the human
race, from which it follows that marriage, even considered
insofar as it is a work of nature, and a union and
companionship of one sex with the other, to which the
natural instinct by itself invites, as such | Say, was always
reputed to be something in a certain way sacrosanct, and
worthy of great veneration, and respect, and this not only
after the law given by God for Moise, but before that too,
and not only among the Jews, but among the people, if there
is no doubt that the marriages of the S. Patriarchs, and of
the Hebrew people were full of greater sanctity, and were
made and observed with much greater religion. Now it must
be known, that the Christian marriage is not only an offence
of nature, as it was in ancient times, but moreover it is a
sacrament of the new law, instituted by Christ Jesus Master
and our Saviour, and to say it more clearly it is one of the
seven sacraments of the Evangelical law, true and proper as
the others are; and in sum it is one of those seven fountains,
and of those seven golden channels, by which the divine
gratitude, and the virtue and efficacy of the passion and
merits of Christ are communicated to the soul that does not
place impediment. Nor is it necessary in this place to prove
with many arguments the truth of this doctrine, which has
been fully proven by the sacred Theologians, and Councils,
and lately, by the holy Council of Trent. We base ourselves
on the authority of St. Paul, who, writing to the Ephesians,
calls marriage a great sacrament in Christ and in the Church,
because it signifies the union of Christ with the Holy Church,

his spouse, and confers special grace and virtue, so that the
conjugal office may be exercised well and holily, as we will
say below, so has taught us, and teaches us the Holy Roman
Catholic Church, our mother, pillar, and firmness of truth,
and this is sufficient for the true Christian children of the
Holy Church, to whom, and for whom at the present time we
write.

Chapter 15

OF THE GREAT DIGNITY OF MARRIAGE INSOFAR AS IT IS A
SACRAMENT,.

The Holy Doctors say, that grace does not destroy nature, on
the contrary it gives it perfection and compliment, so that
marriage, being a sacrament, does not lose those
prerogatives, and goods which are appropriate to it, being a
work of nature, on the contrary it acquires others, and those
same ornaments, which it had before, become through the
sacrament more perfect, and, so to speak, of better alloy, as,
for example, is naturally achieved by marriage, which is
such a union, that it is not dissolved except by death, which
is a company of two faithful companions, husband and wife,
to whom is common the habitation, the living, the
sustenances, the lawful generation, and the raising of
children, the prosperous and adverse things of this life, the
helping one another with supreme love in all needs, and
other similar things. Now all these things and fruits, in a
greater and more perfect degree, are found in matrimony,
since it is the sacrament of the Gospel law; for this
venerable sacrament not only signifies, but also contains,
and works effectively in the soul, which does not put
obstacles in its way, a particular grace, which sanctifies the
husband and the wife, makes perfect the natural love that
exists between them, and confirms the indissoluble union of
matrimony; and as St. Bonaventure Says, it raises from the
depths of the womb, the womb of the man, the woman, the
woman, the woman, the man, the woman. Bonaventure says,
it raises from the disordered corruption of concupiscence; for
by the grace of this same sacrament there arises a sweet
bond of charity, which gently binds the minds of both
spouses, so that they love each other with holy and cordial

affection, so that one does not become annoyed by the
other; and that neither of them seek foreign and illicit love,
and do not stain the chaste marital bed, to which the
Apostle showed such reverence in those very serious words
when, writing to the Hebrews, he said In all things let the
husband be reverent and full of honor, and let their true bed
be immaculate. These and other graces and gifts are
conferred by marriage as a sacrament instituted by Christ
our Lord, who by his blessed passion has purchased and
merited them, as the sacred Council of Trent teaches us.

Chapter 16

OF THE THREE GOODS OF MARRIAGE, AND BEFORE THE
OFFSPRING.

And so that the dignity of Christian marriage may be better
understoodì, | shall continue to say that the holy Doctors
have reduced the goods and fruits of marriage to three
heads, and these are: offspring, faith, and sacrament. A
great good has always been in marriage the offspring, that
is, the children who are born of a legitimate wife, and who
by the laws, which in all things greatly favor them, are called
children born of rightful marriage; But this good is so much
greater in Christian marriage, as its end in this part is higher
and nobler, since marriage, being a natural union, has
regard to the propagation and multiplication of the human
race, and in each particular man, has regard to generate
another similar to himself, in accordance with the natural
appetite, for which each thing as much as possible wishes to
preserve and perpetuate itself; which cannot be naturally
pursued in the individual, is pursued in a certain way in the
conservation of the species, by means of generation, which
is also common to animals without reason; but man as a
very sociable and civilized animal, considers other more
perfect ends in his union, such as, for example, the
conservation of the family, and of the homeland, and other
similar ends, which are all, however, either natural or
civilized. But the marriage of the new law is elevated to such
dignity, that it is principally instituted to generate, and
multiply the chosen race, the holy people, the people of
God, purchased with the inestimable price of their blood; by
which, having washed and cleansed the little children in the
waters of holy Baptism, they are inserted into the body of
the holy Church, and are made living members of Christ, so

that, persevering in the faith, and in the worship of the true
God, and in the observance of his commandments, they may
fill not only the earth, where we are like strangers and
pilgrims, but much more Heaven, which is our true
homeland, and the end, and the quiet of this short and tiring
journey. And although the holy fathers of the Old Testament
had in their marriages the principal intention of having
children, who were lovers of the true God, and of preserving
that people, from whom the seed was born, in whom all the
nations were to be blessed, nevertheless their marriages
were not a true sacrament, as ours are, and every good thing
that was found in their marriages, is more perfect in ours,
how much more perfect is the grace, and the truth, than the
law, and the shadows, and how much more perfect without
comparison is the state of the holy Church, spread through
all the nations, than was that of the ancient, and narrow
synagogue.

Chapter 17

OF THE SECOND GOOD CALLED FAITH,

The second good is called Faith, that is, that fidelity which is
between the husband and the wife, who, having given to
one another the power of their own bodies, inviolably
preserve the marriage faith, not giving power over
themselves to anyone, since in this part they are not their
own, but belong to others, as the Apostle says, the husband
does not have power over his body, but over his wife, and
the wife does not have power over her body, but over her
husband. And this good of marriage is so necessary that
without it every other good of marriage is either destroyed
or greatly offended. Many things could be said in this place
against those who, failing in the faith given, and in the
strictest obligation of the conjugal bond, in contempt of the
holy sacrament, and of the law of God, against the debt of
justice, with offense and great insult to their neighbor and
spouse, to the detriment of their children, and of their
country, and finally to the ruin and damnation of their own
soul, they commit adultery, a sin so grave in the sight of
God, so abhorred by the human and divine laws, that | do
not have sufficient words to explain it. Therefore it is now
greatly to be mourned, that in these calamitous times of
ours this sin has already become so common, that many
take it for granted, and even less brazenly boast of it, who
by the hardness and impenitence of their hearts, to use the
words of St. Paul, hoard wrath and vengeance against
themselves on the day of God's just and terrible judgment.
Therefore, it is no wonder that in a house, where such a
grave offense is committed against holy matrimony, there
abounds as much dissension and calamity as we see all day
long. And what is more relevant to our purpose, and what

leads us to discuss the above-mentioned things, it is no
wonder that such marriages, by the just judgment of God,
are often unhappy, both in the generation and in the
education of the children; for where there is no observance
of the marriage faith, there can be no love, no charity, no
peace, no God, and no true good.

Chapter 18

OF THE THIRD GOOD CALLED SACRAMENT,.

But how cordial, and how open love must be between the
two spouses joined in marriage, and moreover how holy, how
chaste, and pure, and more quickly divine than human, is
shown by the third good of marriage called sacrament; for
marriage as a sacrament is a sacred and venerable sign,
which signifies the closest and most holy union of Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior with the Holy Church, his dearest
and most chaste spouse, from whom, like Christ, he is never
separated, but rather is perpetually united with her with the
firmest knot of charity, so the marital bond by virtue of this
sacrament, can never be loosened or dissolved while the
couple live, even if for some serious reason, by ecclesiastical
Judgment, the cohabitation between them is separated. If
this high mystery were to be carefully and often considered
by those who wish to marry, or who find themselves married,
they would fully understand what Christian marriages must
be, and what obligations and offences are owed between
husband and wife, and what union and delight it is agreed to
be between them. It will not be too much trouble for me to
explain this in more detail, since a great disposition to
obtain children from God, and to bring them up well, as has
been touched on elsewhere, consists in laying the
foundations of a holy marriage well, opening the door to the
grace which God wishes to give for this effect principally.

Chapter 19

HOW MANY USEFUL CONSIDERATIONS ARE DERIVED FROM
THE UNION OF CHRIST WITH THE CHURCH, REPRESENTED IN
HUMAN MARRIAGE.

and commerce of men, but sooner a work full of holiness,
and of the highest mystery, since Christ our Lord true God
and true man, wanted to declare to us the divine and closest
union, and the inestimable love that is between him, and
the Church, with the holy marital union of man, and of
woman. For this reason the Apostle rightly said those words
which we have already enclosed, namely, this sacrament is
great, but | say in Christ and in the Church, so that the man
is assimilated to Christ and the woman to the Church, And as
Christ is the head of the Church, so man is the head of
woman, the Church is the body and flesh of Christ, and
woman is the flesh and body of her husband, and of Christ
and the Church, and of husband and wife, according to the
sentence, they shall be two in one flesh. Now if we consider
what love Christ bears to the Church, and the Church to
Christ reciprocally, and how she loves and reverences him
with a holy loving and affectionate fear, how she desires
only to please her husband's eyes, how she flees impure and
false lovers, how fruitful she is in the procreation of spiritual
children, how solicitous she is in teaching them and raising
them well, how she is always in agreement with her spouse
and of the same will, and of the same disinterest in all
things; From these | say, and from other considerations one
can easily come to know what must be the behaviour of the
husband towards his wife, and conversely that of the wife
towards her husband. This is demonstrated by the Apostle
St. Paul. Paul who, in many places of his divine Epistles,
admonishes husbands and wives of their duties, so that they

may do well and live blissfully in the state and vocation of
marriage, is forming his precepts and exhortations from this
rule and norm of the heavenly wedding of Christ and of the
Holy Church, because wanting to show the great love, full of
chaste affection that husbands must bear to their dear
wives, he Says in one place in this wayHusbands, love your
wives as Christ loved the Church, and gave and offered
himself for her, in which place the Apostle means the
oblation to death, when the Savior, driven by excessive and
ardent love, underwent the most bitter passion of the cross,
to cleanse and sanctify the Church, and fill it with honor and
glory. And in the same place, a little further down, he says in
this way: Husbands must love their wives as their own
bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself; no one ever
hated his own flesh, but nourishes and fosters it, as Christ
does towards the Church; for we are members of his body,
and of his flesh, and of his bones, and what follows, applying
and comparing the heavenly and earthly nuptials. And with
the same similitude he also reasons about what belongs to
women in this form: Let women be subject to their husbands
as to the Lord, for the man and husband is head of the
woman and wife, just as Christ is head of the Church, and he
is savior of the body, that is, of the Church, which is his
body. Therefore the Apostle follows, just as the Church is
subject to Christ, so are wives subject to their husbands. And
at the end of that, after a long discourse, he concludes with
those words already attached more than once: this
sacrament is great, | say in Christ, and in the Church, and he
adds, let each man love his wife as himself, and let the wife
fear and revere her husband.

Chapter 20

EPILOGUE OVERO COLLECTION OF THE UTILITIES ENCLOSED
IN THE SIGNIFICATIONE OF THE MARRIAGE.

We conclude, therefore, that it is impossible to express
sufficiently how great and how holy the love of the
bridegroom and the bride must be, since it represents the
most holy and most fervent love of Christ with the Church;
hence it is also clear what reverence and respect the wife
must have for her husband, how much faith is common to
both, and how much custody of the marriage bed; so that no
small stain of impudence ever contaminates it, how modest
and truthful must be the matrimonial intercourse, how much
peace and concord in all things, together with a loving
communication of all the domestic secrets, and of the goods
and possessions, removing the hateful names of yours and
mine, which in such a union must have no place. Besides
this, that great readiness and charity, which is required
between two spouses in helping each other in necessity, a
common sorrow and enjoyment not regulated by self-
interest, but by sincere love. And in sum, whoever goes on
to discuss the matter will find that all the goods, all the
fruits, all the debts, and the offenses of marriage are
contained in this divine representation of the union of Christ
with the Church. And for this reason the married couple
must often reduce themselves to the mind, so as to know
better their own obligations, and also to receive continually
with this holy meditation new grace and virtue from God to
be able to fulfill them. But two things in particular, which
more closely pertain to our present purpose, are
demonstrated to us by this mysterious sacrament: one, that
the desire to obtain children is primarily to make them good
for the glory of God. And in this, maternal fecundity must be

considered happy, just as the holy Church, fecundated by
the divine grace of her heavenly spouse, generates every
day by water and spirit in holy Baptism numerous hosts of
beautiful and most holy children. The other thing is that
whoever wishes to place his head under the yoke of
matrimony, can and must learn from the marriage of Christ
what Christian matrimony must be, and with what intention,
for what respects, by what means, and for what purpose it
should be contracted by both parties, and how carefully they
must be warned not to commit anything that offends the
eyes, and the sanctity of him, whose purest and most divine
marriage, in the sacrament of this human marriage, is
represented, as it seems to me to be necessary to
demonstrate somewhat more distinctly.

Chapter 21

WHICH CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES MUST BE, AND OF THE
MATURE DELIBERATION OF CONTRACTING THEM.

It is evident that in whatever deliberation and action of the
moment the prudent and Christian man wishes to make, he
must not only proceed maturely and with much counsel, as
the wise men of the world have known it must be done, but
in the first place he must set before his eyes the glory of God
and the health of his soul, and this is sooner one end than
two, so that both ourselves and our health must be loved
principally in God, and for the glory of God, in such a way,
that where this end of the good of the soul and the honor of
God is jeopardized, there is no place for Christian
deliberation, since the saying of the highest truth is always
true: quam dabit homo commutationem pro anima sua?
meaning that there is nothing in this world of such value, in
which man must give his precious soul in exchange. And if
one must enter into any undertaking with right intention,
and with mature advice, even if it extends over a short
period of time, how much more will this be required in
entering into marriage? an act so great, and which, once
done, will continue forever until the end of one's life? He,
therefore, who intends to take a wife (for now we shall speak
of the man as the head, if the same things are
proportionately to be understood of the woman), should
know that, as has been said elsewhere, he intends to do
something which by its nature is good, holy, and grateful to
God, and that saying this alone is enough to praise it
greatly; But it may well be that a thing is absolutely good,
and not good for any particular person, just as good wine is
not good for the weakling, and it may also be that an
operation which is good in its own way, by the conjunction

of an evil circumstance, or of a bad end becomes harmful,
just as giving alms for vainglory would be. | therefore say
that the prudent and Christian man, deliberating among
himself to enter into the holy state of matrimony, must first
have recourse to the principal and most efficacious means of
bringing any negotiation to a good end, that is, he must
most earnestly commend himself to God in devout prayer,
both his own and that of God's servants, so that this
deliberation and election may be guided by him, who is
supreme wisdom and supreme goodness and who alone
understands perfectly and wants our true good, and after
this he must also adopt the human means, and sift through
all that his own prudence, and the advice and help of good
and faithful friends suggest to him. However, he must be
aware that if God calls him to a higher and more perfect
state of virginity and religion, he has no right to resist the
Holy Spirit because of the satisfaction of others, or for
human reasons, such as the preservation of his house, his
possessions and the like, and the same is said of those who
decide to marry for a second time, since holy virginity, and
his continence, however laborious, is more perfect. But
because these things consist of many particularities and
circumstances, which are innumerable, and cannot be
reduced to a certain rule, it is enough to have remembered
that one should not rush blindly or hastily, as many do, but
that one should cook and digest well the deliberation of
taking a wife with prayer, with time, with advice and with
obedience especially of the spiritual father, guardian, and
governor of our soul, for whom, going to us in truth, faith,
and humility, God will open to us his holy will, and will show
us what is most expedient for us.

Chapter 22

OF THE INTENTIONS, AND OF THE PURPOSES THAT THOSE
WHO WISH TO CONTRACT MARRIAGE MUST HAVE.

But supposing that it is expedient to marry, we must be
warned to enter into this path, as we say with good footing,
that is, with right and holy intention, and with good purpose,
so that God and his glory may always go before us, as we
have said above, and as St. Paul admonishes us writing to
the Corinthians when he says, do all things to the glory of
God, and he repeats it to the Colossians saying, whatever
you do either in deeds or in words, do it in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, let him decide, and make a firm
resolution, that he chooses that state for the glory of God,
and to save his soul in it, by divine grace, since it is one of
the praiseworthy states of Holy Church, ordained by God,
which by holy matrimony, though inferior to the virginal
state, brings forth virgins, who so please His divine Majesty,
and so highly crowns him, and finally by means of
matrimony multiplies the Church, and fills Heaven. Let him
also propose the procreation of children so that they may be
enrolled in the Christian militia, and in the profession of the
true and catholic faith, and in short, so that they may be
more God's children than his own, let him propose the holy
remedy against the battles of the flesh, which he does not
feel strong enough to resist, and, on the other hand, not
wanting to be ugly and to damn his soul in the mire of lust
and fornication, he chooses that state, which after the fall of
Adam began to be the remedy and medicine of human
concupiscence and frailty, to remedy the sins of lust, just as
before, at the time of original justice, when appetite obeyed
reason, it was the offence of nature.

Together with these principal reasons there may be other
holy and good reasons, which, if they are more than earthly,
do not contradict those above, but rather go together to the
same end; as it would be to have a help, and a company to
pass better, and more easily the stormy sea of the travails of
this life, the desire to leave heirs and successors to maintain
the families, to preserve the faculties, the states, and the
ancient honors of the houses, and what is so much better, as
the common good advances the private, for the desire to

preserve the country, and the republic, and other similar
reasons.

Chapter 23

OF THE ABUSES COMMITTED BY MANY IN THE ABOVE
MATTERS.

It should be reconsidered), if after having formed the
intention, and established the intention to take a wife,
according to the correct order of the above mentioned
reasons, then descending to the election of this or that
person in particular, one has some consideration of nobility,
kinship, beauty, wealth, and other such respects, which do
not repugn, simply speaking, to the sanctity of marriage. But
it is to be greatly regretted that the misery of our times, in
which one sees that in contracting marriages one has mainly
an eye open to large dowries, to the hope of successions, or
rather to the venting of a youthful ardor, immoderately
inflamed by the beauty of others, not remembering that
they are Christians, and hardly remembering that they are
not men, they run wildly where their appetite takes them, as
if they were brute animals, who if they considered, if nothing
else, at least what the Angel Raphael told young Tobias in
this regard, would be more ashamed of themselves, and
more afraid of the wrath of God; for we read in the Holy
Scriptures that when the Angel Raphael comforted Tobias to
take Sarah as his wife, the young saint feared to do so, and
said to the Angel, whom he believed to be a man; | have
heard that she had seven spouses, and none of them was
able to marry her, and they all died, and were possessed by
a demon; then the Angel of God comforted him and
answered in this way: Hear me Tobias, and | will show you
those against whom the devil can prevail. Know, therefore,
that those who choose matrimonial union in this way, who
exclude God from themselves and their hearts, and think
only of satiating their lust, like horses and horses without

reason, the devil has power over them. Then he follows the
Angel, and shows with what a different intention, and with
prayer to God the good Tobias should chastely and
religiously accompany his Sarah, and consequently enjoy a
happy and happy marriage. And since in this place it was
necessary to insert this part of the history of Tobias, | will not
forget to say, that it is a very useful book for the fathers and
mothers of families, and for the education of their children,
and in sum it is all full of holy and salutary teachings, so
that | remind the most knowledgeable, who find themselves
in that state, to read it often with attention, and devotion, as
befits the writing not of a simple man, but dictated by the
Holy Spirit.

Chapter 24

THAT MARRIAGES MADE ONLY FOR EARTHLY AND CARNAL
PURPOSES ARE OFTEN UNHAPPY.

But returning to our purpose, | say that if it is not
condemned, as has already been said, to have regard in
contracting marriages for nobility, faculties, and beauty,
nevertheless it is very much necessary to restrain with the
brake of reason the precipitate course of our appetite in
these things, so that they do not go before the other more
important respects, and worthy of a Christian man, but
follow afterwards in their place, with moderation and with
measure, otherwise reason and experience teaches us, that
such marriages reconciled only by flesh and blood, often
have unhappy successes; for as is the ordinary of human
things, that while they are not to be had they are ardently
desired, and afterwards that they are in our power they lose
much esteem, and we care little for them; So it often
happens that the young bridegroom, having vented the evil
flame of lust from which he burned, turns to new loves, and
as if intoxicated by a more powerful wine, not only becomes
impatient, but the love of his new bride cools down in him,
and sometimes it turns into its opposite and becomes
hatred, and contempt, and like an untamed animal, that
sees itself tied, trembles, and struggles under the
matrimonial yoke, from which follows a miserable and
unhappy life between the two spouses with great
perturbation of everything.

Now those too, who in order to increase their condition, and
to cover their lowliness under the greatness of others, go
after nobility, do not realise that in place of sitting beside a
friend, and a faithful companion they often place on their

head a harsh lord, so that ordinarily, according to our
corrupt customs, nobility of the blood, produces among
other bad offspring, the height and contempt of the inferior,
so that if the wife is disproportionately superior to her
husband in nobility, she wants to be a woman and a lady,
and not to be a man, produces among the other bad
children, the highness and contempt of the inferiors, so that
if the wife is disproportionately superior to her husband in
nobility, she wants to be a woman and a lady, and not to be
righteous, but to rule her husband, and to hold the offence
of head, and to be allowed what she likes, so that the good
order is greatly confused. And if, on the contrary, the
nobility of the husband is such, he forgets that his wife is
given to him not as a slave, but as a companion, by which
name Adam speaking to God named Eve, saying the woman
whom you have given me as a companion; so that often the
husband abuses the legitimate authority he has over his
wife, and by transforming it through the heat of nobility into
tyranny, imperiously takes all power to himself, with grave
prejudice to domestic government, and to that love which is
required between persons so closely united, who, as has
been said elsewhere, are not two, but one flesh.

But what shall we say of those who, lured by gold, think of
nothing else, and sell, so to speak, for the price of a large
dowry, the perpetual peace and quiet of their lives?
Therefore, according to an ancient proverb, as great as the
sea is, so great is the tempest; | mean that the rich wife, with
her great dowry, also leads to great expenses, and to
excessive pomp, which cannot be compensated for, or is
done by ruining houses, or if they want to be somewhat
moderate, they give rise to continual complaints, because of
the ill-desired dowry, which foments the vanity of others,
and opposes all disordered appetites as a shield.

Chapter 25

THAT IN MARRIAGES ONE MUST SEEK EQUALITY AND
VIRTUE.

It is not necessary, however, that the aforementioned
marriages, measured more by the love and interest of the
flesh than by the love of God, should always be
accompanied by the inconveniences we have mentioned,
because God, blessed by his supreme goodness, often
rectifies what men have done wrong, and the prudence of
one of the two spouses can gain in such a way the soul of
the other, and finally the grace that is given in this holy
sacrament, if it finds some spark of good disposition, does
marvellous effects in the place and time as it pleases God,
but because in human and moral things, as a wise man of
the world said, mathematical demonstrations are not
required, that is very certain and unchangeable; it must be
known that we reason according to what happens most
commonly, and therefore it is very likely that we can affirm
that everything that begins with a bad beginning, is not to
have either good success or a good end. And for this reason
it must be considered an excellent thing for those who wish
to be joined in matrimony to seek, as far as possible,
equality of country, and condition, and ability, and age, and
above all conformity of morals, which in itself can reconcile
friendship, so that since marriage is a bond which binds the
minds of two people with the closest knot of love that can be
imagined, the more effectively it will achieve its effect, the
greater the conformity and similarity it will find in the things
which are to be united, as we see in natural things, verbs
gratia, water which is cold and humid more easily
transmutes and converts itself into air, with which it
conforms to humidity, than it does in fire, which being hot

and dry, has qualities quite contrary to its own. Now then,
because grace, as has been said elsewhere, gives perfection
to nature, it is prudent in my judgement for those who wish
to marry to reject as dangerous a stumbling block as far as
they can, too much inequality in all things; but much more
prudently, and in a Christian manner, he will have greater
regard, in the election of something so important, for virtue,
for the sanctity of life, and for good and gentle manners,
than for beauty and dowry, to which most men are so intent,
that by doing great insult to the sanctity of marriage, it
seems that they are more likely to lead a concubine home,
or to trade, than to make an honorable and legitimate
marriage; The bride who is endowed with humility, modesty,
modesty, truthfulness, taciturnity, solicitude for family care,
chaste love for her husband, and other similar virtues, and
above all with the holy fear of God, from whom and with
whom all good comes. And if that Gentile said that he
wanted a man who needed money more quickly than a man
who needed money, how much more so must the Christian
say? Not because dowry should not be taken into account,
which was rightly introduced to be able to better bear the
burdens of marriage, but because this is by far not the most
important thing to think about, and yet it is considered so by
many, if not by the majority of men. | could also say that a
moderate beauty, with a lot of honesty is more eligible, for
many reasons, but because | see that | have gone too far in
this matter, | do not want to go any further; It is enough for
me to have said that the Christian must in all his actions,
and even more so in this, so holy and important for the good
of his soul, govern himself in a Christian manner, that is
more principally by the rules of the spirit, than by those of
the flesh, and more quickly according to the example of the
few, and good, of his state and condition, than of many.

Chapter 26

OF IMMODERATE DOWRIES, AND PUMPS.

I would believe, if it is permissible for me to recall it, that it
would be something not mediocrely useful, if by public
authority some temperance, and moderation of the dowries
were placed where it is needed, which exceeding the due
measure in each state give rise to infinite inconveniences, so
that the poor father seeing himself burdened with
daughters, and not being able to marry them all with that
dowry, which the use, or sooner abuse of the homeland
requires, he resolves to make his effort in one, and the
others either remain to grow old at home, or go to the
monasteries more forced than voluntary, or if he wants to
marry all those who are inclined to the vocation of marriage,
the faculties remain exhausted to the prejudice of the males,
and sometimes the second and third daughters are married
with dowries less than the first, and consequently to
unequal husbands, from which arise emulation, and envy,
and many disputes. From here it also arises that many good,
and honest young women do not find that condition which
would be suitable for their state, and as the snares of the
devil are innumerable, they often lead themselves through
poverty to great misery, and precipices, to which and to
many other similar inconveniences, the public authority
could remedy not a little. And truly, if we see in the noble
Cities many very principal gentlemen who promptly and
charitably toil in the government of the Hospitals, and in the
care of the poor infirm, and in other pious works, it would
certainly be, if | am not mistaken, a work of great piety even
this, that some persons of quality, with the value of the
public authority, should put their hands into the marriage of
the poor spinsters, and all the more so the better born they

were, so that for lack of dowry, they might not remain
completely abandoned; and certainly | do not know why it
was not possible to give a courteous and Christian force to a
rich young man, who would take a good and well-mannered
young woman as his equal for a wife, even if poor; and |
understand that if some men of rank, and God-fearing,
would apply themselves to this care in the Cities, one would
see beautiful and very holy marriages emerge, with much
praise to the one, who had made greater esteem for
goodness than for property. But since all the excess of
dowries is covered under the veil of the many expenses and
burdens of marriage, | believe that it would be necessary
above all else to provide for the disorderly arrangements of
the wedding, and for the continual pomp of women, which
has never grown so much today, both in the clothing and in
the other precious ornaments, and in the number of maids,
and servants, and of coaches, and of carriages and in so
many other ways, that it is almost impossible to be able to
make up for it for a long time, so that the families go into
extermination, besides that every distinction of status is
removed, and in appearing in public every small citizen with
her ornaments seems to be a great lady, It is to be feared,
according to what we read in the Holy Scriptures and in the
Holy Prophets, that God will be greatly displeased and
perhaps the many scourges, with which the Father of
mercies visits us every day to awaken us from the sleep of
sin, are in no small part caused by this disorder, because
behind the pomp of dress and excessive embellishment is
followed by pride, vanity, lasciviousness, idleness, illicit
pleasures, covetousness, shameless love, and in sum this is
a bait of very great sins and for the advantage of men,
whose gravity should have been their own, it seems that in
the pumps they contend for lightness with the feminine
ones; Therefore whoever has the fear of God, the desire for
the public good, and zeal for the health of the soul must
rightly desire that provision be made for it, but as has been

said above, and not superfitially, for there is no lack in many
principal cities, good orders on this, but little or nothing is
observed), so that by raising children imitating the disorders
of their fathers and also leaving them to their children by
succession, they grow more and more, and become more
difficult to take care of. But since we have made a long
digression, let us return to our subject.

Chapter 27

OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE MARRIAGE IN CONSPECT OF
THE CHURCH, AND OF THE CHRISTIAN PREPARATIONS.

The Holy General Council of Trent, among many very useful
decrees made by the Holy Spirit, who always governs the
Holy Church, has also ordered many things pertaining to
marriage. And principally it has forbidden in every respect
those marriages, which often were contracted secretly and
furtively by simple and ill-advised young men, and are
called by their Latin name “clandestine”, and which the Holy
Council has taken away from them all efficacy and force, so
that they are no longer true marriages, and if by some after
the publication of the decree of the Holy Council they were
contracted in this way by mistake, or by malice, they would
not be the contracting husband and wife, but impudent
lovers, and they would commit a great sin. And therefore, in
order that the marriage may be true, firm, legitimate, and
holy, it must be celebrated in the face of the Church, in the
presence of a certain number of witnesses, and with the
intervention and authority of the parish priest, spiritual
father, and minister of God in this Sacrament, as the Council
itself has fully ordained for these and other solemnities to be
observed. Now, because in contracting marriage, the
spouses who are well disposed receive, as has been said
elsewhere, by virtue of this sacrament, divine grace, and a
particular help and favor from heaven, so that they may live
together with love, and in holy peace, and prosperity;
therefore it is fitting that every due preparation be made, in
order to receive the gift of God, cleansing through the
sacrament of confession the heart from sins, which divide us
from God, and close the door to grace. For this reason, the
Holy Council exhorts the spouses with very serious words,

that before they contract marriage, or at least three days
before consummation, they diligently confess their sins, and
receive with devotion the most holy sacrament of the
Eucharist. Similarly, before they are joined together in the
marriage bed, the newlyweds must be blessed in the temple
of God by the hand of their priest; This custom of blessing
the bride and groom is very ancient in the Holy Church,
which, filled with the Spirit of her heavenly bridegroom
Christ, has composed for this blessing some devout prayers,
which are said in the celebration of the Mass, and are so
sweet and affectionate, that the bride and groom must try to
taste them with all the depths of their heart, and conform
with their own desire to that of our Holy Mother Church,
which through the mouth of the priest makes these prayers
to God over the bride, saying

Lord, may this handmaiden of yours be as lovable to her
husband as Rachel, as wise as Rebekah, as long-lived, and
as faithful as Sarah, and little more: may she be grave in
truthfulness, venerable in modesty, and honesty, may she
be instructed in the heavenly doctrines; and little more,
after having wished him fruitfulness of offspring, holiness of
life, and the eternal joys, she concludes thus: Let them see
the children of the children together, until the third and
fourth generation, and let them reach the desired old age.
These and other religious, and mysterious ceremonies,
which the Holy Church uses in the solemnity of marriage,
show the faithful the sanctity of this act, and how much
reverence it is necessary to treat it, and likewise with how
much study, and solicitude the newlyweds must prepare
themselves, and dispose themselves, so that the vows, the
prayers, and the maternal supplications of the Holy Church,
which by themselves are always efficacious in the sight of
God, do not succeed in vain through their fault.

The same Council of Trent has exhorted the spouses that,
after having contracted the marriage by affirmative words,
and in the present time, with the other due circumstances,
they should not live together in the same house, before they
have received the priestly blessing, of which we speak. And
all this in order to obviate as much as possible the need to
proceed in anything pertaining to marriage, not according to
the impulse of the flesh, but according to the rule of reason,
and of the spirit, and finally the Council itself, in decreeing
the times in which it is permitted to solemnly celebrate a
marriage, has not left it to the discretion of the Bishops to
remind them, and to order them, that they should see to it
that the feasts and wedding celebrations should be done
with that modesty and honesty that is appropriate among
Christians, concluding all the reasoning done at length
about the matter of marriage, with these last brief, and very
serious words, worthy to remain perpetually engraved in the
hearts, and in the memory of the married while they live, as
words dictated by the Holy Spirit, and they are these: Sancta
enim res est matrimonium, et sancte tractandum, /.e.
marriage is a holy thing, and therefore holy is to be treated.

Chapter 28

EXAMPLE OF TOBIA, AND OF SARA, IN WHICH THE HONESTY
OF THE MATRIMONIAL UNION IS DEMONSTRATED.

| cannot restrain myself, for the benefit of the readers, not to
report in this place part of a useful history, recorded in the
divine scriptures, and in the booklet of Tobias, of which |
spoke incidentally not long ago, so that we may understand
from the example and comparison of that father of the Old
Testament, in the time of the law of fear, and of shadows,
and of figures, what the Christian must be in the time of the
law of love, and of grace, and in the time of fullness, and of
truth. Therefore it is written in the aforementioned book,
that the Angel Raphael, the guide of the young Tobias,
discussing with him the marriage that he had to contract
with the good Sarah, among others said to him these words:
Therefore, when you have taken her for your wife, you shall
go into the chamber, and for three days you shall abstain
from her, and you shall do nothing else but wait to pray with
her; the first night, by lighting the liver of the fish, the devil
will be cast out; the second night you shall be admitted into
the consortium, and the union of the holy Patriarchs, the
third night you will have the blessing so that your children
will be born with health, after the third night you will take
the virgin with the fear of the Lord, guided and moved more
by the love of having children, than by lust, so that in the
seed of Abraham you will achieve the blessing of your
children. These are the words of the Angel to Tobias, of
which he was a most diligent observer, as we read a little
later in this form:

After they had dined, they brought the young man, that is
Sarah's father and mother, to the bride, Tobias remembering

the reasoning of the Angel, took out of his pocket the part of
the liver, and placed it on the breeches, then the Angel
Raphael took the devil, and bound him in the desert of
Upper Egypt, and turning Tobias to the virgin, he began to
exhort her, saying to her, Sara, let us rise and pray to God
today, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, because
in these three days we have to be united with God, and after
the third night has passed, we will find ourselves in our own
marriage, so that we are children of the saints, and it is not
lawful for us to be united together as the people who do not
know God do. So both of them got up and continued to pray
together, asking God for salvation, that is, to deliver them
from the murderous devil. And Tobias spoke, and said, “Lord
God of our fathers, may the heavens and the earth, the sea,
the fountains and the rivers, and all the creatures within
them, bless you, for you formed Adam from the silt of the
earth, and gave him Eve to help him, and to keep him
company, and you know, Lord, that it is not for the sake of
lust that | take my sister, but only for the sake of love and
the desire for posterity, in which your name will be blessed
for ever and ever. And Sara spoke in this way, have mercy on
us Lord, have mercy on us, and grant us grace that we may
both grow old together in good health. Up to this point these
are the words of sacred scripture.

I have wanted to transcribe from word to word this notable
example, given to us by the Holy Spirit for the teaching and
instruction of those who take wives, so that they may know
how it is necessary to restrain the impulses of lust, with the
bridle of reason and the fear of God, since, as St.
Hieronymus says, there is nothing worse than loving one's
wife, like an adulteress or a harlot.

Chapter 29

AS MARRIAGES CONTRACTED IN A HOLY WAY ARE
PROSPERED, AND FAVORED BY GOD.

Therefore, marriages which will be reconciled according to
the law of God, with good and holy intentions, and with that
praiseworthy principle which is appropriate to a Christian
man, can undoubtedly be hoped for in divine grace, that
they will have a prosperous success and an excellent end,
provided that the husband and wife do not intermit the
study of piety, and good living, recommending themselves
continually to God, from whom every good, both spiritual
and temporal, comes, but not giving themselves to an idle
and negligent life, and the wife do not intermit the study of
piety, and of the good life, recommending themselves
continuously to God, from whom all good comes, both
spiritual and temporal, not giving themselves up to an idle
and negligent life, but toiling according to their state in
some honourable and fruitful exercise, so that they can
support their little family; To such as these God will give his
blessing both in substance and in children and they will
have, if it is expedient for the greater glory of God and their
own good, many good children, healthy and whole in body
and mind, which if well it is not a universal rule,
nevertheless it often happens that for the sins of the fathers,
God does not give children, or allows them to be born
imperfect and debilitated in body and mind, or takes them
away from them while they are children and young people,
or even leaves them for their punishment, because the bad
life of children brings infinite sorrows to the fathers, who
God permitting rightly taste the bitter fruits of their own
sins, and of the negligence used in bringing up their
children well. In sum, the first presupposition of the father

and mother of the family must be, that all our true good
depends on God, and therefore they must strive to live in His
Most Holy grace, avoiding sins, and attending the Holy
Sacraments, medicines for the soul, and secondly they must
toil in the family care, and not eat bread idly. These are the
ones that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David the
prophet calls blessed when he says, Blessed is the one who
fears God, and walks in his ways, that is in the observance of
his commandments, you will eat the labors of your hands.
Blessed will you be, and good will happen to you; meaning
that whoever fears God in a holy way will live abundantly,
and will enjoy peacefully what he has acquired by his own
labors, and everything will happen to him with prosperity.
The Psalmist goes on to say, your wife will be like a fruitful
vine in the fields of your house. Your children will be like
olive shoots around your table. Thus the man who fears God
will be blessed, that is, the one who, out of love and
reverence for God, abstains from sins and does the works of
virtue, and finally the prophet prays to this man from God
for every blessing, private and public happiness and long
life, so that he may see the children of his children through
long succession. And therefore we conclude that fathers and
mothers who are eager to have many and good children,
beautiful and fruitful as olive branches, must themselves
first of all be good Christians, and fearful of the Lord, and
make themselves capable of those favors and gifts that His
Majesty, even temporally and in this present life, is pleased
for His glory to grant to His true and humble servants.

Chapter 30

THAT ONE MUST PRAY TO GOD TO OBIAIN CHILDREN,

The Apostle Saint James says that every grace, and every
good and perfect gift comes from above, and descends from
the Father of lights, God our Lord. Therefore there is no
doubt that children are a gift from God, and therefore not
only the husband and wife must live in a Christian manner
and with the holy fear of God, as we said earlier, expecting
from the Lord’s goodness the desired children, but moreover
they must petition His divine Majesty with warm and humble
prayers, always referring everything to the glory and
goodness of God, for if it is true that God sometimes, for a
greater good hidden from us, does not want to grant
children to fathers and mothers, although they are his
faithful servants, and grateful and accepted in his presence,
it is also true that God wants to grant us many things by this
most effective means of prayer, in which the mercy of God is
greatly revealed, who is pleased that his gifts and graces are
also our merit, and are acquired by us with a just title of
reason, as a reward and merit of trust, humility,
perseverance, and of many other virtues which are exercised
in devout and fervent prayer, so that the benign father of
mercies, and wants to grant us the grace we desire, and with
greater measure, and with firmer possession, and with
greater contentment he wants to grant it to us, that we
ourselves know neither to desire, nor to ask for, and with
advantage he wants to crown us in Heaven, for his own gift,
as purchased, and deserved by us. Therefore, the husband
and wife who wish to be a father and mother should often go
before God, and there pour out their prayers with an
abundance of spirit and faith, making humble recourse to
the intercession of the most glorious Queen of Heaven,

Mother of God, and to the help of the other saints, often
recalling the intentions that the children want only for the
glory of God, and after this, if it pleases His Majesty to
dispose otherwise, they should not be contrite in any other
way, but should wait patiently, and with a tranquil spirit, for
the time of divine blessing, persevering nevertheless in
prayer, which is never unfruitful, if it seems that they are not
heard. And let the two spouses be of good will, so that when
the Lord sees them persevere in faith, he will say to them
what he said to the unconquered Canaanite woman: “Magna
mulier est fides tua, fiat tibi sicut vis”, “woman, great is your
faith, do as you do.

Chapter 31

THAT THE CHILDREN OBTAINED THROUGH PRAYER OFTEN
SUCCEED IN EXCELLENT GOODNESS, AND VALOR.

The power of humble and fervent prayer is so great, that it
not only imposes on the children from God, but also imposes
special grace and help so that they may be good. We read in
the divine histories of men distinguished for their valor, and
for their goodness, who were the fruit of the prayers of their
fathers and mothers, such as the great Samuel the prophet
and judge of the people of Israel, who, as the Scriptures say,
was so called by his mother Anne, and was called “quod a
Domino postulasset eum”, because he had asked God for it
with the warmest of prayers. We also read that Abraham
complained to God that he had no children, so that it was
necessary that a servant of his born in the house, should
succeed him as heir; and then God promised him the holy
Patriarch Isaac, telling him that not one of his servants, but
his natural and legitimate son, who would come out of his
womb, would be his heir; and although he was old, and
Sarah his wife old and barren, the holy man did not doubt
the firmness of God's word. In the New Testament we have
the example of John the Baptist, whose greatest son was
born among the sons of women. And that the old saints
Elizabeth and Zacharias prayed to God to have this child is
very clear from the words of the Gospel, where it is written
that the angel of God appeared to Zacharias in the temple
and spoke in this way: Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your
prayer has been heard, and Elizabeth your wife will bear you
a son and you will call him John, and you will have great joy,
and what follows. In writing about this passage the glorious
Doctor St. Ambrose says a doctrine very much in connection
with what we are now discussing, that children, and

especially good and holy ones are a gift of God, and
therefore it seemed to me to transcribe it in this place, and
he says it like this:

It is appropriate to rejoice greatly in the birth of the Saints,
because the Holy One is not only the grace of the father and
mother, but the health of many, so that this place
admonishes us to rejoice in the generation of the Saints;
fathers and mothers are also admonished to give thanks to
God not less for the birth, than for the merits and virtues of
their children, so that it is not a mediocre gift of God to give
children who are propagators of the lineage, heirs of the
succession. You see Jacob rejoicing in the generation of
twelve sons, Abraham is given a son, Zacharias is heard.
Therefore the fruitfulness of the father is a divine gift.
Therefore, let fathers be grateful that they have begotten
children, because they have been begotten; mothers,
because they are honored with the rewards of marriage,
since children are the salary and the wages of their military
service. Herein are the words of the Saint.

From the lives of the saints one can also gather many
examples of men of excellent holiness and virtue, granted
by God through prayer, such as Saint Nicholas the Bishop
and many others. Therefore, even if the husband and wife
are young and fruitful, they must not cease to pray to God
for children of such body and soul that God may be gilorified
in them, and that they may be, as Saint Ambrose says, not
only the joy of the home, but the common joy of the country
for the benefit of many.

Chapter 32

OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF ORATION IN THE TIME OF
PREGNANCY.

The good mother, when by the grace of God she feels to be
pregnant, must multiply her thanksgiving and prayers to the
Lord, commending to him the happy birth of her child, and
often dedicating her with new affection to his service, in
whatever state he wills, either in religion or in the world. In
this way | believe that some holy women were praying and
offering their children to God, to whom God wanted to
reveal, while they were pregnant, great things about the
children who were to be born from them; as we read about
the mother of St. Dominic, who, being pregnant, revealed to
God the great things about the children who were to be born
from them. Dominic, who being pregnant, it seemed to him
to see in a dream that she had in her womb a little dog,
which carried in its mouth a little face, with which, coming
out, it inflamed the whole world; as indeed Saint Dominic
did with the splendor of his holiness and doctrine, and has
done, and still does through countless illustrious men of his
order. Pregnant women must also abstain from violent
movements of the body, and from other disorders, which
could cause abortion, or other harm to the integrity and
health of the fetus, and of the creature, which to warn more
specifically is the work of doctors, and not of this institute.

Chapter 33

THAT BAPTISM SHOULD NOT BE DEFERRED.

If the good father and the pious mother have often
commended and offered their little son to God while he was
in his mother’s womb, it is only right that since he was born
and has come as a new pilgrim to this valley of tears, he
should be presented as soon as possible to the holy temple
of God and to the fountain of holy Baptism, so that he may
be reborn more happily in water and spirit and in the world,
and may be counted among the faithful people who, under
the banner of the Cross, are fighting in Christ, so that he
may be reborn more happily of water and spirit, and worldly,
and white, may be placed in Christ, and may be numbered
with the faithful people, who under the banner of the Cross
militate, and war against the devil, against the world, and its
pomps, and against the flesh, our perpetual and cruel
enemies. Therefore, fathers and mothers must be solicitous
to have the creature baptized without dilation, remembering
the firm decree of the Savior, that unless someone is reborn
of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God. Therefore, since there is no other way of health for little
children except that of baptism, a grave sin is committed
when the poor infants are left too long without the help of
divine grace, and without the justification, which through
Christ they achieve in the regeneration of baptism; so that
no one should be so unwise, not to say so unmerciful, that
for light-hearted and worldly purposes of celebrating, or
waiting for friends, and the like, exposes to so much danger
one of his dearest, and desired children, that by dying for
some immediate accident they remain eternally excluded
from the kingdom of God; especially since in that tender,
and weak age the dangers are infinite, as the most learned

book called the Roman Catechism gravely warns everyone.
Besides this, children must not be baptized in private
homes, except in case of necessity, but in the Church, the
house of God, the place specifically designated for prayer
and for the holy sacraments, where the presence of Christ
our Lord is truly present in the most holy Eucharist, the
assistance and custody of the Angels, the relics of the
Saints, and their venerable images, and many other
prerogatives, which the temple has dedicated, and
consecrated to God, here also His divine Majesty dispenses
with greater abundance His graces, and favors. And this is
remembered in spite of some nobles of the world, who with a
different spirit from the Centurion of the Gospel, do not
deign to go to the house of Christ, but want Christ to go to
their house.

Chapter 34

OF THE QUALITIES OF THE GODPARENTS, OR COMPANIONS,
AND OF THE NAME OF THE CHILD.

But more specifically for the poor, who most often sin in this
area, it should be pointed out that in the election of a
companion, and a godmother, more consideration should be
given to the spiritual utility of the soul, than to the temporal
utility of the body; For this reason, one should not so much
look for a rich man as for a good and God-fearing man, who,
if it should happen that the child should be deprived of his
father's education, either through death, negligence or any
other accident, has another father, who, remembering that
he has entered into the confidence of God for him, is
concerned for his godson'’s health and his own, so that, in
accordance with his duty, he may instruct him in the
doctrine of the faith, in the fear of God and in good morals. |
do not want to leave out of my mouth something that will
easily seem trivial to some, but perhaps it is not without
fruit, and is not far from our subject of Christian education,
whose end is true goodness. | say, therefore, that it is useful
and laudable to baptize the child with the name of some
Christian saint, more quickly than of a gentle man,
especially of some whose memory is famous only for their
pride, and for their choice. The same is said of some
extravagant names, and placed in order to invite the
children, once they are grown up, to revenge, or to wiles,
and to sins, which should not be behaved by the baptized,
rather they should, as it is said, impose on them the name of
Saint Christian, to whose intercession the father and the
mother could often recommend the child, and give himasa
particular advocate, training the child, as he grows up, to do
the same, and exciting him to virtue with the example of the

life of that Saint, who is piously called in needs, by the one
who was taught in childhood, has no doubt that he will
obtain from God many graces, and for the preservation of
life, and for the benefit of the soul, as in the histories and
legends of the Saints can be observed. And when there is no
other reason, the Christian father must in all things make an
open profession of his desire that his son may be a true
Christian in name and effect.

Chapter 35

OF THE CARE OF FORMING THE BODY OF THE CHILDREN.

In the beginning of childhood, it seems that one can hardly
expect anything other than the formation of the child’s
body, which, if studied from afar, and as a remote
disposition, nevertheless belongs to education; For this
reason the body is an instrument of the soul, and the better
it is disposed in all its parts, the better it can serve the soul,
and it often happens that in children there are some defects
of the body, which, while the child's limbs are like soft wax
because of their tenderness, they can be corrected to a great
extent with the diligence of some women breeders of such
things, besides that it is necessary to warn the child not to
offend any member, which would then make any difference,
and impede the human and civil operations; that if any
father, or mother is of such a cruel, and bestial mind, that for
the sake of gain he cripples, and deforms his own son, | do
not know what punishment does not deserve such impiety.

Let the mothers and nurses also be warned not to place the
creature easily in the same bed where they are lying,
because of the danger of suffocation; and let them also warn
that it should not remain alone, exposed to various
accidents, such as fire, or falling, or animals that could harm
it; since even domestic cats are read in some histories to
have taken the eyes from the head, and eaten them, of a
poor creature abandoned in the cradle.

And to continue the thread of this same subject, which
touches on the good formation of the body, | say that this
care and diligence must be persevered for a good period of
time, until the limbs are well established and firm. A great

philosopher says that it is a good thing for children to let
them weep, because with that movement their limbs expand
and become stronger; The same says, that they should be
accustomed to suffer the cold, which is understood after
some time that they are born, so that it seems that those
who, out of vagueness, put hoods and little hats on the
heads of children do not do very much, so that they become
less able to withstand the ravages of the air at a more
mature age, just as it is not good to want to see them
dressed like young people for a slight pleasure, to dress
them with clothes very suitable to the person, and too
affectionately, rather it is better when they begin to be
older, that the clothes are comfortable, so that the body
grows more easily, and in the dressing and undressing of the
putto that is done very often the limbs do not receive
distortion, or other kind of offense.

And because this part of the body, which is necessary for it
to be healthy, of good habit, and fit for the work that human
life requires for private and public needs, cannot be spoken
of in a determinate way in all the conditions of men, so that
the other requirements must be those of the farmer and the
craftsman, others of the middle-class citizen, and of the
noble man, and consequently various dispositions of the
body are sought, Therefore, generally speaking, we can say
that in the care of the body two extremes must be avoided,
one of making it too strong and fierce, and the other of
making it too soft and delicate; in the first extreme those
peoples exceeded, who, when their children were born,
immediately threw them into the waters of the coldest
rivers, and in all the rest proceeded as if they had not raised
a reasonable man, but a bull or a horse; In the other extreme
there are those who, loving their children too tenderly,
nourish them with such delicacy, that they are weakened by
every small harm, so that often a rain, a wind or a similar
extraordinary accident offends them so much that they fall

ill, and die, or if they live they are so unwell, and alienated
from their labors, that the house, the friends, and the
homeland can gather little or no fruit from their work. And
therefore, since each man is born not for himself, but to help
others, and since each one, however noble and rich, must
meet in the journey of this miserable life many
inconveniences and discomforts, the best thing is to
accustom the body in its tender years to suffer, using
however that discreteness and moderation which is
appropriate. And even if from the middle one were to decline
to one of the two extremes, it would be less evil, commonly
speaking, to bend towards too much suffering, than towards
too much pleasure, and comfort, not only for the reasons
mentioned above, but also because the soul has no greater
impediment to the acquisition of virtue, nor greater enemy,
than its own body, nourished and brought up in a harmful
way.

Chapter 36

OF SUCKLING CHILDREN, AND OF NURSES.

If education by its nature has more regard for the formation
of the soul than for the body, nevertheless there is such a
close connection between these two parts, from which one
man is composed, that it is almost impossible not to touch
something. And some people of great doctrine have held,
and not without probability, if we look at what happens more
generally, because of the negligence of his own, that the
habits of the soul follow the temperature of the body, not
that complexity can do violence to reason, and force the
freedom of the will, but they speak of a certain varied
inclination to the passions according to the different
temperaments; For this reason it should not seem far from
our purpose, something which, if it is remotely relevant to
the good education that is claimed, and among these the
first nourishment of milk, which is given to the child, is not
of little consideration. Now I do not want to enter into a
criticism of mothers who do not give milk to their children
outside of every law of nature, which in our times is so
common, and more so in the noblest women, that it would
seem very surprising to see some of them feeding their
child, who is their own flesh and blood, with their own
breasts. | will say well that very serious and saintly doctors. |
will say that very serious and saintly doctors have greatly
criticized this abuse, as an argument of little love, and also
of incontinence; nevertheless, because such respects can
sometimes occur, that the mother is justly excused from this
offense, at least it is to be greatly warned to the election of
the nurse, or nanny, in whom one should not only look for
good milk, but also for good manners, because it is evident
from experience, that very often the creature escapes with

milk the vices, and defects of the nurse, such as anger,
drunkenness, sleepiness, stupidity, and other similar ones.
And if we see that from fathers and mothers through
generation similar qualities are derived in their children, it
should not seem surprising that from milk, which is also
corrupted blood, and at that tender age is almost a second
generation, the same effects follow. So | repeat again that
the nurse should not be deputed at random, and without
any regard for her habits, otherwise, partly through milk,
and partly when the child grows through frequent
conversation, such seeds of vines are sown which take root
over the years, so that they may never or at least not be
uprooted without great effort. But in the particular of breast-
feeding, | will also add that it seemed to me strange to see
in some countries beyond the mountains, feeding their
young children with milk not of man but of animals, so that
perhaps in good part it arises, that many of the little people
fed in that way, have something more feral than reasonable.

Chapter 37

WHEN YOU BEGIN THE CARE OF EDUCATION WITH RESPECT
TO CUSTOMS.

Perhaps some will ask at what time the care of education
should begin, understood precisely as that diligence which
must be used to introduce slowly into the tender souls of
children the seeds of virtue, stimulating and nourishing
those that nature has placed there, and, on the contrary,
closing the door at an early hour to the vices that may come
from outside, and remedying the natural evil inclinations,
and trying to accustom the sensory appetite to obey, as it is
capable by nature, the rule of reason, and not to become its
lord and tyrant. And although some may say, by chance,
that to do this some use of reason is required in the child,
who being in his early years little different from a brute
cannot be capable of discipline, as one who understands
neither good nor evil, nevertheless | am of the opinion, that
it is necessary to begin this care at a very early stage, not
waiting for the use of reason, because it is not necessary for
children to do some things, and abstain from some other
things, so that they understand what is appropriate to
follow, so that they understand what it is appropriate to do,
or to avoid, but it is enough that they become accustomed
to do them, or not to do them, so that from simple principles,
with some small acts, as much as that tender age allows, the
good habit, or at least a certain disposition, is introduced,
not differently from what we see in artificial things, that very
first the matter is arranged, so that it is then easier, suitable,
and obedient to receive the form that one wants to
introduce. But it is not possible to give a certain and
determined time in all children, because according to the
various temperatures of the bodies, and varieties of regions,

and countries, and of the same way of nourishing and
governing, and for many other reasons, it happens that in
some children sooner, in others later, a certain light flashes,
as if it were dawn and aurora of the light of reason. And to
descend more to the particular, | say that just as the child
begins at first, already somewhat freed from the bonds of his
swaddling clothes, not only with his weeping, but also with
his hands and with the movements of his body, to make a
certain conato in order to express the affections of his soul,
if I am not mistaken, some diligence on the part of the wise
and shrewd nurturer can take place, and this diligence then
increases from time to time; Saint Augustine writes a
remarkable thing in this regard in the books of his
confessions, in which, being already old with a great sorrow,
and repentance of the sins of his past ages, he goes on
discussing his childhood, and his puerility for a long period
of life, giving us very useful teachings, in order to know the
many sadnesses of our nature; therefore that great father
writes in one place these words | have seen, and | have had
the experience of a little boy who had zeal and envy, who
did not speak, and who looked at his companion, that is the
other little boy who was in his company, with an eye anda
bitter look. Now then, if medicine must be applied to the
appearance of evil, surely this little spark of a vice so
contrary to charity as envy is is not to be despised; on the
contrary, we must try to extinguish it as much as possible,
and if not in any other way, at least by subtracting the
matter, and the occasion of fomenting this evil seed and
other similar ones of our corrupt nature. It could be said that
some people do not do it very well, who frighten children
with larvae and frightening things, making their blood
swollen, and nourishing natural fear without reason, so that
it becomes immoderate, and children become excessively
timid and weak. But if this which we are now discussing is
too minute a diligence, then it is certain that as the child
begins to walk, to stammer, and imperfectly unravel his

tongue, and more openly to discover the intrinsic passions,
some odour of virtuous affection can be spread in the little
pot. Because of the vocation to which it pleased God to call
me, | did not have the opportunity to practice much inside,
and to discover which affections sprout naturally in tender
infancy, so that by philosophizing in them, so to speak, |
could experience the ways and means, now to cure them,
and remove them as far as possible..., now to nourish them
according to their needs, but speaking in common, one sees
that around the first and middle year of infancy, and around
the second year, children do, according to what they have
been shown, or have seen others do, such things that have a
certain shade of virtue, such as hearing the name of God
with reverence, and speaking it too, inclining themselves to
divine images, honoring their father and mother with some
movement of their body, taking with certain modesty things
from the hands of others, and similar other good institutes
and customs. Therefore, | do not think it should be anything
but a useful warning, that good education should begin as
soon as possible, beginning first with small things, and then
continuing with greater care and vigilance from time to time,
always remembering that leading a child to such a state and
perfection, that he may be a good man and a good Christian,
is not as easy an undertaking as others think, indeed it is no
less tiring, than important.

Chapter 38

OF THE ERROR OF SOME, TO WHOM IT DOES NOT SEEM
NECESSARY TO BEGIN EDUCATION SO EARLY

I have promised above to show how some people are
deceived, who do not value, or at least do so very
superficially, the education of their children, | mean in the
most essential and most important part of all, which falls to
Christian goodness, for whose purpose this work is
principally written, and it is given to understand, that the
children by themselves, as they grow up, and converse with
other men, without other discipline will learn to be good, not
otherwise than one learns to speak perfectly the language of
one's own country, without much study, and effort of the
children, although it is harsh, and difficult to pronounce. And
certainly | cannot but be very surprised that there is no art,
however vile it may be, which, in order to learn it
excellently, every one does not confess that it is very
necessary to begin as a child to practise it; and that likewise
a good and skilful teacher is needed, and it takes time and
long practice and effort, and yet there are those who believe
that to become good it is not necessary to give oneself any
other thought, but to leave it to the benefit of chance and
time; Therefore we see that fathers are solicitous to see that
their children learn to read, write, number, sing, ride horses,
and other similar arts, and they seek to have good teachers,
and they do not spare the expense; which diligence is good
and praiseworthy, and they do not condemn themselves;
but it is certainly too strange to see how, on the contrary,
fathers care little or nothing about introducing in time the
good habits of Christian virtue into the tender breast of the
child, and to learn the art of serving God, and of knowing
how to tame the horses unbridled by these appetites of ours.

Therefore, most fathers, if not in words, then certainly, what
is more important, in the effects themselves, say that the
most important care among them is to make a son a good
singer, a good craftsman, a good horseman, a good tinkerer,
a good writer, and a good litterateur, rather than a good
Christian, as if all the other arts and studies were difficult,
and this art alone were very easy, or even as if knowing it, or
ignoring it, were of little importance in the sum of things. It
is therefore necessary to say something briefly about the
difficulty of acquiring virtue, and true goodness, because of
our wretched and defective nature; for this reason it is
necessary to be very careful, so that in early childhood, by
means of good education, one may learn this art of being
good; whoever has not learned it, in vain, and without any
fruit will know all the others, which the world esteems.

Chapter 39

OF THE CORRUPTION OF OUR NATURE, AND INCLINATION
TO SIN.

The divine scripture says, that God created man righteous,
just, and holy, but he entangled himself in a thousand
intricacies, for having our first father Adam transgressed in
paradise the commandment of God, he immediately lost
that justness and holiness which he had, by gift of his
Creator, and he fell into the wrath and indignation of God,
and into the necessity of death, and into a thousand
miseries, as much as to the body, as to the soul. And just as
if he had persevered in the righteousness and holiness given
him by God, he would have preserved not only for himself,
but also for his children and descendants that precious
heritage, so that they too might have been born holy and
righteous; so, on the other hand, Adam's transgression and
inobedience brought harm and damage not only to him, but
to all his offspring and posterity; So that each one who is
born of Adam, is not only born subject to death, and to the
innumerable pains and afflictions of this body, but by the
same generation contracts the death of the soul, which is
sin, which is called original sin. Just as the pride and
obedience of the first Adam made us sinners and enemies of
God, so the humility and obedience of the second Adam,
Christ our Savior, reconciled us to God and made us holy
and righteous, and the merit and virtue of his most precious
blood was applied to us in the sacrament of baptism, in
which we are regenerated in Christ and incorporated into
him, and thus the stain of original sin is removed from the
soul, and the obligation of eternal damnation, and all that is
true and proper reason for sin, so that the whole of the old
Adam remains buried in the waters of holy baptism, and

clothed with new clothes, we are reborn into a new creature,
and we are given that white stole, which if pure and
immaculate were kept by us, there would be nothing that
would delay us more from the eternal wedding, and from the
entrance into Heaven. Although by the sacrament of
baptism the soul remains purified, as has been said, and
filled with heavenly grace, nevertheless in the Christian
after baptism there remains the weakness and frailty of the
body, apt to suffer many infirmities, and to feel the acerbity
of pain; Likewise, there remains in us the disordered motion
of concupiscence, called by the sacred Doctors fomite, which
concupiscence is not its own and truly sinful, but proceeds
from sin, and inclines to sin, and as has been said, is a
certain motion and unregulated appetite, which by its
nature is repugnant to reason, but this movement which is
rebellious to reason, if it does not have with it the consent of
our will, or negligence at least, is not a sin at all, indeed this
concupiscence is left to us as a field, and matter of virtue, as
the sacred Council of Trent and the Catechism says; because
concupiscence, to those who do not allow it, or rather
virulently with the help of the grace of Jesus Christ resist it,
and repulse it, not only does not hurt, nor can it hurt, but it
is the occasion of victory, and of a crown, and of more
copious rewards, and of more abundant glory in Heaven;
because, as the Apostle says, only he who fights legitimately
will be crowned. Therefore, if the crown presupposes
legitimate combat, and the combat and the fight is not
without an enemy; we have no reason to complain to God
that he has left us this domestic adversary, but we have
much reason to thank him that he has given us such an
abundance of his most holy grace, that if we do not throw
ourselves down in a cowardly way, we will undoubtedly
remain victorious, and we will acquire the immutable crown
of glory; for which it is only right that we should toil for so
short a space, seeing that many for a crown, and for an

earthly and corruptible prize, willingly shed not only sweat,
but blood, and life itself.

Chapter 40

THAT FEW THERE ARE WHO FIGHT LAWFULLY.

But nevertheless there are few who, enraptured by the duty
of that noble crown, which the Apostle Paul shows us, want
to fight legitimately, and to do a little violence to
themselves, rather they let themselves be carried away by
the impetus of appetite, and of this carnal concupiscence of
ours, as by a very rapid torrent, which finally leads to the
sea of eternal condemnation. And because the senses are
not kept in check at a good hour, so that they do not run
wildly towards their goals, and men are not accustomed
from the beginning to the fear of God and the love of virtue,
good Christian education is greatly neglected, Hence, sins
and iniquities abound, so that the state before the universal
flood has almost been revived, of which Scripture says,
Omnis caro corruperat viam suam, all flesh, that is, all men
had corrupted, and contaminated their way. Therefore, as we
have said, our proneness and inclination to sin is great, and
as it is very true that we cannot overcome it without the
help of divine grace, it is also true that we must accept and
cooperate with divine grace, which prevents us, excites us,
and is offered to us by the most blessed God as a strong
armor against all evil; but because man is free, and works
freely, he may not accept grace, and he may, because of his
unwillingness, allow himself to be overcome by the
disordered appetite, and by the taste for present pleasures;
wherefore it is necessary, that man take upon himself a
certain force, and violence, and as S. Paul says, chastise his
body, and reduce it to the servitude of reason, remembering
the sentence of the Saviour, who says, that the kingdom of
Heaven suffers force, that is it can, and must be taken by
force, and the violent ones are those who kidnap it.

Chapter 41

OF THE GREAT FORCE OF ADDICTION, AND OF THE
NECESSITY TO BEGIN AT AN EARLY HOUR TO RESIST EVIL.

And therefore it is necessary that, wishing to be virtuous, we
do violence to ourselves, but this violence is accompanied
by fatigue, and by pain, because of the grief and
repugnance of the sensual side, which, as has been said,
most men do not wish to endure. And for this reason it
matters above all to accustom oneself to wanting good, and
to abhorring evil from the earliest age, because the force of
habit is very great in the one part, and in the other, and
from it arises the ability to operate not only without pain but
with ease and delight. Hence a great sage of the world left
this sentence written: “It is not of little importance, but
rather it is the chief, and the sum of the thing, to be
accustomed to one way or another. And this is so true, that
even in those things which are contrary to nature and
disagreeable, custom has the power to make them
agreeable; but how much more so in those things which are
in conformity with nature, as is virtue? This means that in
man there remain many seeds of a certain inclination
towards good, just, and honesty, but these seeds, although
small and hidden by themselves, must be discovered,
nourished, increased, and cultivated, so that they are not
suffocated by contrary inclinations, as we see happening
with a fat field, which, if not cultivated, produces only a
great quantity of incultuous grasses and thorns. In many
places the Holy Scripture admonishes us to begin early in
this spiritual culture, by weeding out the noxious weeds
which our flesh continually sprouts by itself; this sentence is
written in the Book of Genesis by God himself: The senses
and thoughts of the human heart are prone and inclined to

evil from its youth. And Solomon in Proverbs, showing the
great power of custom, relates this ancient saying: The
young man according to his way, that is, according to the
way of life, to which he will cling in his early years, when he
grows old he will not depart from it. And some expositor in
that place said, that the letter, and the Hebrew text,
admonishes fathers to establish, and introduce their children
in a good way while they are young, and that of this advice,
scripture gives the reason why when they become old they
will not depart from the way where they are already
accustomed, and the one sense, and the other is true, so
that the Sage in the Ecclesiasticus said so: Do you have
children? Teach them, and bend them from their childhood;
with this voice of bending, he tells us that it will happen in
men, as in tender bushes, which easily bend to the side that
others want, and with mediocre industry, leaning on a pole,
grow straight and beautiful, where hardened and distorted,
they sooner break than twist. Many other places could be
cited from the sacred writings, but to avoid being longer we
conclude two things; the first, that those who teach their
children in any other study than that of the fear of God and
true goodness are too deceivedì, as if this were a matter of
litttle moment, or as if by itself it would easily stick to the
minds of the young, when they have already attained
perfect discretion, and begun to practice with many, in the
same way that one sees that civil conversation teaches a
certain courtesy, and a way of knowing how to deal with
others, things that have only a shadow, and not solidity of
true goodness; So that those who hear this way show that
they understand little of the world in which we live, with
which adversary it is necessary for us to fight, which is the
devil, the most cunning enemy, and most greedy for our
loss; and finally they do not consider what flesh we are
surrounded by, infirm and weak for good, but strong and
most ready for evil. And for this reason the second
conclusion follows, that since we need to arm ourselves with

many weapons against so many enemies, it is necessary to
practice from our earliest years in this spiritual battle, until
the habit of virtue has taken root in us, and our sensuality
remains so debilitated and mortified by divine grace, by
good and continued education, and by frequent virtuous
acts, that there is no longer bitterness and pain, but
sweetness and delight in the observance of God's law. And
this is what St. Paul teaches us when, writing to the
Hebrews, he says thus: Every discipline from the beginning,
and in the present, does not seem to be of pleasure, but
rather of displeasure, but afterwards, to those who have
been exercised by it, it will bear fruit of supreme peace, and
justice.

Chapter 42

CONFIRMATION OF THE ABOVE THINGS, WITH THE
AUTHORITY OF THE TRIDENTINE COUNCIL.

It would not be difficult to prove, and confirm the truth of
the aforementioned things, by the authority of philosophers,
and worldly sages, who in dealing with the government of
republics have given particular warnings on the education of
children, understanding very well that in order to make a
good Citizen one must not postpone the more mature years,
but it is better to give him form from childhood, and likewise
with the example, and with the practice of some famous
Cities, in ancient times, one could very easily demonstrate
the same, and leaving the strange, and coming to our own
times, we do not lack authority, and examples, and we could
easily attach very serious sayings of the Holy Fathers, and
Doctors of the Church, among whom Chrisostom writing
about St. Paul, exclaims that youth is fierce, not unlike an
untamed horse, and a wild fair, and a wild beast, so that the
greatest diligence was needed, and to begin at the earliest
age to bring it up well, with the discipline of excellent laws,
so that, he says, the very habit of virtue, is then the law, and
the guide, passing into habit, and nature. But as for the
example of those who, through long experience, are most
efficacious witnesses of the truth, what more suitable proof
can there be than that of so many most holy religions and
congregations, some of which are very ancient, | say of
monks, friars and canons called “regulari”, who, being like
small republics or large houses and families, have always
taken great care of the education of the children and, as
they say, of the novitiate. But, leaving everything else aside,
| shall be satisfied with the authority of the great universal
Council of Trent, which in our age introduced, and certainly

after a very long period of time revived in the Church of God
the custom of raising and instructing clerical children as a
perpetual seminary for the ministers of the Holy Church. And
because the decree of the Council is very serious and worthy
of consideration, and is very appropriate to our subject, |
have thought to refer here only to the beginning, so that
from this teaching everyone may understand how necessary
it is to raise children well, beginning in their earliest and
most tender years. The words of the Council, then, spoken in
our vulgar tongue, are these:

It is therefore a fact that the age of the young, if it is not well
taught and instituted, is prone and inclined to follow the
pleasures and the voluptuousness of the world, so that if
from their tender years they are not trained and accustomed
to piety and religion, before the habit of virtue possesses the
whole man, they will never perfectly, nor without great and
almost singular help from Almighty God, persevere in
ecclesiastical discipline; therefore the holy synod orders and
decrees that each cathedral Church must nourish a certain
number of children in a College deputed to this effect, and
there religiously educate them, and train them in
ecclesiastical disciplines, and what follows; from which it
follows, that just as in order to make a good clergy, it is
necessary to make a seminary of good plants, which are the
children, in the same way, given the due proportion to have
good citizenship of secular men, it is necessary to begin to
educate them well from childhood.

Chapter 43

OF TWO WAYS OF EDUCATION, THAT IS PRIVATE AND
PUBLIC, AND HOW THEY MUST BE IN AGREEMENT WITH
EACH OTHER.

This authority of the Council gives me the opportunity to
gather together some of the seeds which have been
scattered above for various purposes, and to say in this
place a little more openly, that education can be considered
in two ways, either as private and particular under paternal
authority, or as common under public authority. And
moreover both can be considered as moral, and as Christian,
and finally Christian, private, and public education can be
considered as regulated, partly by the ecclesiastical, and
partly by the political, or secular regiment. If well there is no
doubt that more perfectly, and in a higher degree to the
ecclesiastical one it belongs, as that which more rightly, and
for its own offence has regard to the ultimate, true, and
accomplished happiness of its Citizens.

But it is certain that all these ways of education are in
agreement with each other, not only not impeding each
other, but rather helping each other more quickly, so that it
is easier to reach the very high goal of eternal beatitude.

Therefore we say that private education is ordered to public
education, and the latter leads to the perfection of the
private, and just as the fathers of families in their homes are
like particular magistrates, so the superiors in the city are
like common fathers. And nothing can be more salutary in a
republic than to be so well ordered that the good discipline
which the young man has learned in his domestic education
is preserved for the public, or rather increased, since it is

reasonable that the public good should be greater and more
perfect than the private, just as on the contrary it is too
much to be lamented when private discipline is lacking for
whatever reason, and the restraint of paternal authority, the
young man does not find in the public, many fathers, and
many restraints which restrain his impulses, and do not
leave him at his own will, and of his corrupters to dissipate
the sustenances not of his own, but of the family, and of the
country, and in sum do not allow him to live like that
prodigal son, of whom the Gospel speaks, from whom then
arise so many evils, that it would be long to recount them.

But returning to our purpose, not only between private and
public education, but between moral and Christian
education there must be such a union and order that it is
certain that every study of moral education is weak and
imperfect if it is not reduced to Christian education as the
highest and most excellent, and as the end and perfection of
all others.

Finally, it is fitting that between the temporal and spiritual
governor there should be supreme union and concord, and
that in public education and in every other matter
concerning the common good, the politician should
remember that he has to minister and assist the
ecclesiastical rector as well as the left arm working together
with the right arm for the benefit of the whole body. And the
more the temporal regiment orders itself to the spiritual, and
the more it favours and promotes it, the more it serves the
conservation of the Republic, because while the
ecclesiastical rector seeks to make a good Christian, with
spiritual authority and means, according to his purpose, he
also seeks in necessary consequence to make a good
Citizen, which is what is required of the politician. This
happens because in the Holy Roman Catholic Church, the
City of God, situated on the mountain, of which all the

baptized, and regenerated in Christ, are Citizens in this | say
Holy City, and most perfect Republic, which the ancient
philosophers saw through dreams, one and the same thing is
absolutely the good citizen, and the good man. The grave
error is that of those who disunite such things, and think
that they can have good citizens by other rules, and by
other ways, than those which make the good Christian. And
let human prudence say and discuss, as much as it pleases,
that it is not possible to give birth to true peace, nor to true
temporal tranquillity, whatever is repugnant, or departs from
eternal peace and happiness. But leaving this discourse,
which perhaps it will seem that | have gone too far in my
terms, | say in conclusion, that although that manner of
education and discipline, which depends on public
authority, is necessary in every way, | do not intend to speak
principally of this; but only of private authority and in
relation to the authority and care of the people; if at the
time and place where the matter requires it, it may happen
that some things will be touched on, since, as has been said,
they are very closely connected.

Chapter 44

THAT EDUCATION CAN BE CONSIDERED VARIOUSLY
ACCORDING TO VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.

In order that our reasoning may proceed in a more orderly
fashion, it is necessary to know that education can be
considered in various ways, according to the variety and
difference of the circumstances, of which, speaking not very
subtly, we can reduce them to two parts: in the first are the
circumstances which we can call natural and common, in the
second are those which can be called accidental and private.
And to state it even more clearly, the natural circumstance
is that which is taken from the sex, since the children who
must be educated are some male and some female.
Similarly, the circumstance of age is natural, since all
children are first infants, then children, and then
adolescents, so that according to the variety of age, the
education varies somewhat. Of the accidental
circumstances, which can be many, some are closer to the
natural ones, others are more remote, such as, for example,
the circumstance of birth, that is, the birth of noble relatives
or peasants, because there is no doubt that from the same
generation there is a different disposition in children, and
according to the body, and according to the mind, if this
does not always happen necessarily. The regions also, and
the diversity of the countries bring with them more
commonly certain inclinations, as we see that some nations
are more timid, and ingenious, others more fierce and of
lesser intelligence, others cunning, others simple, others are
in a certain mediocre disposition; so that education has the
field to exercise itself variously, proposing higher goals in
the noble, than in the commoner, and correcting and
helping masterfully the dispositions that the country brings.

But more accidental circumstances are the birth of rich or
poor fathers, of private property, or of Lords, and who
command not only a small number of vassals, but also
provinces and kingdoms. The fact of being born in a free
republic, where one has the right to participate in the same
government, with many, or even under the rule of a prince,
is also an accidental circumstance, and in these and many
other circumstances that can be numbered, it must not be
denied that according to their variety, education also takes
on various aspects, since in another way, generally
speaking, the son of a prince must be brought up, and the
son of a private gentleman, the citizen, and the man of the
villa, and so of the others. However, since the discussion of
all these matters would be infinite, and our purpose is to
deal with Christian education, which belongs to everyone,
since all of us are obliged to know and love God, and obey
his holy commands, in whatever state we wish to be, if we
seek greater perfection in some than in others, then we will
deal with education in a middle way, in relation to the
majority of the men who live in the Cities, and are of
average condition. And nevertheless this way will be
common to all the states of men in that all must, as has
been said, be good Christians, and it will be something that
seems to me not difficult, that every mediocre intellect for
itself will apply the same things variously with a certain
proportion to the various sexes, to the various ages, and to
the various conditions, and circumstances, so that it will not
be necessary for me to repeat the same thing several times,
although in the most important things, | will not fail to
consider separately what will be necessary.

Chapter 45

TO WHOM THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN MAY BE
ATTRIBUTED, TO THE FATHER OR TO THE MOTHER.

It is perhaps not out of purpose to seek to whom the care of
bringing up children should belong, or at least to whom the
care of bringing up children should belong more, to the
father or even to the mother, so that it does not happen, as
often happens with things that are entrusted to more than
one person, that one looks to the other, and as ordinarily the
work is avoided, and the greater part is willingly left to the
companion, it follows that that thing which should have
been governed communally is communally neglected. But if
it is true what we have discussed at length above, about the
union of husband and wife, and how they are no longer two,
but one flesh, then certainly that common defect which is
seen to occur in other couples, must not take place in them
in the government of their children, who are the effect of
both, and all the fruit, and the contentment born of good
education, must be common. Therefore, together they must
see to it that their children are well brought up, so that we
see that the Apostle St. Paul attributes to the father as well
as to the mother the burden of education, because writing to
the Ephesians he says: Fathers, bring up your children in
discipline and in the fear of the Lord. And writing to
Timotheus among the other conditions, which he requires of
the holy widow, who was elected according to the custom of
the primitive Church, he connotes this, si filios educavit, if
she has well brought up her children, although it could be
said, that she means after the death of her husband. But in
the same epistle above, speaking nevertheless of women
and married women, he says this: The woman will be saved
by the generation of children if they persevere in faith, and

delight, and sanctification with sobriety; which place the
Fathers explain, they intend that the woman must be saved
not only by the sympathetic fecundity, and for having given
birth to many children, but mainly for the education of them,
and not for what one wants education, but Christian and
holy, as those words show, in faith, delight, sanctification,
and sobriety; for the education is a second generation, if
well more perfect than the first one. We can therefore
conclude that the education of children is common to the
father and the mother, who, if in all things of domestic
government they must be in agreement, in this, which is the
most important of all, they must be very much in agreement.
It is, however, true that the difference in sex and age
teaches us that some greater care must be given to one than
to the other, so that generally speaking, the care of the
children, because of their sex, is given more to the mother.
And because a man's work is to be away from home a great
deal, so as to make a living for his family, as he is obliged to
do, so as to govern and manage the wealth that is out there,
so as to trade with other citizens, a woman must always stay
at home, unless a necessary and honorable reason leads her
away, in which case she must return as soon as possible. For
this reason, in infancy and early childhood, the greater part
of the education must fall to the mother, just as, when the
child is older and more capable of more mature precepts,
and able to go out more often, it will be more of a father's
duty to instruct and watch over his son.

Chapter 46

OF THE BENEFIT THAT GOOD MOTHERS CAN ALWAYS BRING
TO THEIR CHILDREN.

The female sex is ordinarily inclined to piety and religion, so
that the Holy Church calls it the devout sex with a singular
title; for this reason | believe that a good mother can at all
times, and in many ways, have a great share in the Christian
education of her son. In addition, there is the tenderness of
maternal love, and the most gentle way of admonishing, and
with greater perseverance and patience than perhaps the
father usually uses. And although in the father authority is
greater, the mother can more easily mix prayers with
authority, which sometimes is not disagreeable in her. And
because in the son there is a certain correspondence of more
tender love for his mother, he is also more willing to receive
her precepts and admonitions. It is true that it is often more
necessary to use paternal severity than maternal
pleasantness, but the mother can always be a useful
temperament of that severity which the father must
prudently maintain, for the preservation of his authority. In
short, both of them, father and mother, must agree to apply
all the appropriate remedies for the health of the child,
taking place in the care of the soul what happens in the care
of the body, which needs various medicines, sometimes
pleasant and soothing, sometimes harsh and effective. And
for this reason the good mother must never dismiss the
thought of her son, so that he may be good and virtuous, nor
must she say, he is already grown up, l leave it to his father;
for some things, as has been said, she will then be able to
persuade her son with greater ease, and dispose him more
willingly and more fruitfully to health. However, the wise
mother must not be so pleasant that she does not retain

severity; on the contrary, she must be very careful that her
love for her children is not so soft that it damages the vigor
of virtue, and with a certain false compassion dissolves the
nerves of good discipline. Let mothers love their children
according to the best part, that is, according to the soul, and
when it is necessary for their health, and for the glory of
God, let them clothe themselves with a manly spirit;
remembering that great mother of the young Maccabees, so
celebrated in Sacred Scripture, and by the ancient fathers,
who not only was present with great constancy to the death,
indeed to the most atrocious martyrdom of seven of her
children, but she herself with most efficacious words
exhorted them to die strongly for the law of God.

Chapter 47

EXAMPLE OF A HOLY MOTHER WITH HOW MUCH STUDY SHE
PROCURED THE HEALTH OF A SON WHO WAS LATER A
SAINT.

Many other examples similar to this one, which took place in
the time of the Old Testament, could be recounted under the
Gospel law, in the state of grace, but leaving them for
brevity, and for their height, | wish at least, so that good
mothers may understand, how children are to be born in
Christ, to relate in part the ardent piety of a good mother,
towards a son who was later, and is still, one of the principal
pillars, which support the holy Church, | speak of Monica,
and of Agustin; this mother gave birth to her son, according
to the spirit, with greater and more bitter pains, than she did
in the carnal childbirth. This one, then, as Saint Agustin
himself has left us written in the books of his confessions,
since he was a child, induced him to believe in Christ, which
Agustin’s father did not believe; to whom, because of the
good diligence of the holy mother, it was not possible to
bring the son to infidelity, indeed he himself, after some
time, was also won to Christ by his own wife. This same
pious mother admonished her son, who had already entered
adolescence, with great solicitude, to take care not to be
stained by the sins of the flesh. And finally S. Agustino being
already a man, and having fallen into a very deep abyss of
errors, for having approached the sect of the heretical
Manichees, in which he persevered for many years, as he
and these, and his other sins, with a rare example of
humility has left us written; the good mother wept day and
night, the death of the soul of her son much more bitterly,
than other mothers weep the death of the body. And she
never ceased to weep, and to pray to her son, that he might

return to the way of truth, and so fervently did she pray to
God, and so earnestly did she commend herself to the holy
Bishops, and learned persons, so that they might dispute
with Agustin, and to try to free him, and to reduce him, that
once among others, making a great request of this with a
Bishop, and importuning him with a great number of tears,
the holy Bishop almost annoyed, said with a prophetic spirit;
Go away, for it is impossible that a son of these tears should
perish. And the holy woman persevered so much with
prayer, with tears, with prayers, and over the fragility of her
sex, following her beloved son in distant countries, that is,
from Africa to Milan, that God finally granted her the grace
to see the wonderful conversion of Agustin, which had its
origin in the teaching of the glorious St. Ambrose in Milan.
Ambrosio in Milan, disposing, and working wisely, and
strongly the hand of God, the health of that new vessel of
election, and of what great light of the Catholic Church.

Chapter 48

HOW THE GOOD FATHERLY EXAMPLE IS SO IMPORTANT.

That therefore the education of children belongs jointly to
the father and the mother, and that because of the
difference in sex and age, one can consider some greater
convenience in the one than in the other, and that
nevertheless at all times the good mother can and must be
solicitous for the usefulness of the child as has been
demonstrated up to now. Now it is time to explain some
particular warnings that are properly adapted to Christian
education, so that the child, together with the milk, drinks
as much as possible the goodness and fear of God, and the
true worship of our holy religion. But before we begin this, it
seems to me that a general reminder is necessary, which is
useful at all times, and all the more so as the child grows
with the years, he will have greater light, and use of reason,
and this is the good paternal example; for if we speak of
children who are still tender, and not capable of reason, it is
certain that most of the things they do, they do by imitation,
and are by nature itself formed for this, that is to imitate; in
this way they learn to speak, and while someone else is
speaking, they physically watch the movement of the lips,
and observe the other movements of the body, and of the
eyes, while something is wanted or refused, and they
imprint those images in their memory, and like new
inhabitants of this world, they marvel at each thing they
see, and are curious to see new things, and because, as that
philosopher says, children are like a naked table, where
nothing is painted, therefore it happens that those first
colors make a great impression; for which it is necessary to
take great care, that children do not see, nor hear anything
less than honorable, rather on the contrary they see, and

hear all those things, that one wants them to do, and say;
because the first education is learned by a certain
assuaging, and imitation, to which, as has been said,
children are for themselves so inclined, that they willingly
go to imitate, what they see others do. But when the child
has grown in such a way that the rays of reason begin to
appear, then education is exercised around him in two main
ways, one with paternal authority, which is somewhat more
violent, the other with persuasion, which proposes the
beauty of virtue, and gently with the light of reason,
affections and tempts the will. Now the rule and persuasion
is of two kinds, that is to say of effects and words, of which
the most effective is that which consists in doing, so that he
who with effects contradicts the commandment and
persuasion is less effective in commanding or persuading, so
that if | am not mistaken, this must be a firm maxim for all
fathers and mothers of families, that a principal foundation
of good education consists in good domestic life, so that
whatever they wish to imprint of virtue, and of religion in the
soul of their son, in addition to the exhortations, and
commandments, which are good, and necessary, they must
principally represent to the eyes of the youngster vividly
expressed in themselves, otherwise if they said anything
else, and did anything else, more would be that which would
be destroyed with a single fact, than that which could be
built up with many words; Because, as that worthy man
says, things that enter through the ears move the soul less
effectively than those that are subjected to the eyes,
because our nature, friend of pleasure, more easily clings to
where it feels the greatest ease, that is to say to evil, and it
cannot be said often enough how much the authority and
credit of he who wants to persuade others is diminished
when his works are contrary to what is said; But Saint Luke
writes of the master of masters, Christ our Lord, saying that
he did and taught, putting doing in first place. And the
Savior himself said, learn from me, who am meek and

humble of heart, and another time speaking with the
Apostles: I have given you an example, so that you also do
as | have done. And the Apostle St. Paul, the Doctor of the
Gentiles, exhorted the Corinthians in this way: Be imitators
of me, as | am of Christ; and writing to his beloved disciples
Timothy and Titus, Bishops, and therefore fathers and
teachers, he admonished them that with doctrine and
exhortations they should principally unite the example of
their life and holy conversation, so that to the first he said
Let you be an example to the faithful in speech,
conversation, charity, faith, and chastity. And writing to the
second, after having admonished him to preach
continuously to every sex, and to every age, the obligations,
and the offenses, he concludes as follows: In all things set
yourself as an example of good works. The Apostle means
that no shorter or more effective way can be found to teach
others than by example. In short, the first example to which
a child’s eyes naturally turn is his own father, who, not
unlike a living mirror, represents in himself all the forms and
qualities that he intends to transfer from vase to vase in the
child. And for this reason our reasoning will ordinarily be
with the father of the family, since he is the first teacher,
and it falls to him like an eagle, to use the similitude of the
sacred scripture, to spread his wings before his chickens,
inviting them to fly, and teaching them to fly, | mean that
the father must be the guide who leads his son along the
path of virtue, and Christian goodness.

Chapter 49

HOW ALSO TO BE WARNED BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE
RELATIVES.

It is not, as has been said elsewhere, a small matter, nor of
little value, to bring up a child well, and therefore it should
not seem surprising if much diligence and care is required. It
is not enough that the father and the mother give their
children a continuous example of every virtue, and that they
do not do so with any kind of vice, but even in licit things it
is necessary to be warned not to give their children any,
however small, occasion for scandal, as for example, they
must be careful not to do in their presence any act, however
licit, and holy, because of the sanctity of marriage, but
nevertheless full of danger, in the curious eyes of the
children, because, as has been said above, our corrupt
nature, is like a bait of sin, which is ignited by every small
spark, besides that many, and very subtle are the wiles of
Satan. But in addition to all this, it is also necessary to keep
one's eyes open on the servants in the houses where there
are servants, because these, being for the most part, and in
the gestures of the body, and in the words, dishevelled and
immodest, and because of their desire to live licentiously,
unfriendly to any good discipline, bring great harm to the
poor children in a thousand ways. And when they see that
they are already grown up, there are those who try to gain
their gratitude by proposing pleasurable things to them, and
by opening to them the way to achieve them, with peril and
ruin of the soul. Therefore the good father of a family must
not give himself over to the sleep of negligence, nor trust
anyone indifferently, but must keep watch, and want to
know the nature and the conduct of his servants, and with
prudence and discretion let it be understood that he is on

the alert, and it is not easy to deceive him, and when he
notices something badly done, he will never bear it. The
father of a family must treat his relatives well, in their
wages, in the things necessary for daily food, and when they
are sick it is right to use much charity and gentleness, but in
the rest he must conserve his authority with them, keep
them occupied as much as he can, because idleness is the
master of evil deeds, and in short he wants them to live in a
Christian way in his house, because this is his duty as
master, and also because it is important for the education of
his son. And it is enough to have said of the good domestic
example of the father and mother, and of the other relatives,
in whom at least it is necessary to ensure that they do not
harm, and do not sow over the good seed of paternal
discipline, the joy, and the disease of their evil customs. AS
for the conversation outside the house with peers, and
contemporaries, and with all kinds of people, perhaps in
another place we will have a better opportunity to discuss.

Chapter 50

THAT IN TEACHING CHILDREN IT IS BETTER TO ADAPT TO
THEIR CAPACITY FROM TIME TO TIME.

It has been said above, that good education must be
prompt, and begin very early, even in the most serious
matters, as in imprinting in tender souls the holy fear of
God, and every good custom; but the same things must be
taught variously, according to the various dispositions of the
child, and according to the fact that from time to time he
acquires greater capacity and intelligence. And this happens
in the soul as in the nourishment of the body; for in the
beginning the child is nourished with milk, then with
somewhat more solid food, and gradually he grows in the
firmness of the food, according to the growth of his ability
and strength to digest it; So also in teaching children, which
is a certain food for the soul, it is necessary to proceed from
grade to grade to greater perfection of teaching; just as the
light of reason and the intellect of the child grows by
proportion. And in order that | may be better understood, |
will state this with some examples. | say, therefore, that as
soon as possible we must strive to instill in the child’s heart
some knowledge of God, some love and reverence for his
holy name, the same as we would say about obedience to
the father and mother, and honoring the elders, and other
similar good habits. So that in childhood, in childhood, and
in adolescence, good education demands that the child
should fear God, and honour his relatives, and his elders, but
more and more perfectly in the more perfect age, and so it is
done in various ways, and from time to time it acquires more
profit for the child, because from the beginning the child
loves God, hears him mentioned with a certain reverence,
kneels down, makes the cross, honors the elders, inclining

his head, and bowing his hands to them; not because he
understands that reason requires it, but because of imitation
and custom, and because he has seen others do so, and
because he is often reminded that he does so. But as he
grows, and acquires the use of reason, he exercises the same
acts with greater perfection, being already able to
understand the power and goodness of God, so that he must
fear and love Him and other things. And nevertheless that
first childish habit, if it seems that it informs the body more
quickly than it instructs the mind, it is of great benefit, and
so much so that it continues more easily from good to better
in childhood, just as in childhood it becomes ready for the
greater progress of adolescence, and it happens as with a
cloth, which with many, repeated dyeings soaks up the color
more. Now if everyone could easily understand by himself,
that regarding education it is necessary to observe that way,
which nature itself shows us in all things, which is to go from
the imperfect to the perfect, and from the less perfect to the
more perfect; it seemed to me however necessary to reason
about it somewhat more distinctly for my own excusation;
Because in the things that will be said later on, it would be
too long and troublesome to accommodate the same thing
now for childhood, now for puerility, now for adolescence,
and all the more so because these ages have a notable
latitude, and there is the first childhood, and the adult
childhood, to call it so, and likewise the other ages; So if |
will go into the details of these ages in detail, as far as | can,
it is nevertheless necessary to leave much to the judgement
of the prudent educator, who must know how to adapt to the
suggestion he has in his hands; which, however, as has been
said, will not have much difficulty, since everyone knows
that with children, in order to teach them to speak, first they
stutter, and then they express the words more and more
articulately, until they speak perfectly, which also takes
place in other things in proportion.

Book 2

LIBRO SECONDO DELLA EDUCATIONE CHRISTIANA, NEL
QUALE SI TRATTANO ALCUNI CAPI PRINCIPALI DELLA FEDE,
ET RELIGION CHRISTIANA, CONSIDERATI PRINCIPALMENTE
PER LA PRATTICA DELLA EDUCATIONE.

Chapter 1

THAT CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT THE THINGS OF THE
HOLY FAITH.

Innumerable are the benefits, that God has done, and does
continually to man, but very great, and most divine are
those that he does to the Christian man, to whom he has
done this singular grace of calling him, and aggregating him
to his people in the Holy Catholic Church, and enumerating
him among his children, and heirs, heirs, as St. Paul says, of
God, and co-heirs of Christ. Therefore we are greatly obliged
to know and to remember that we are baptized, and in holy
baptism we have received the gift of faith, of which we have
made an open and solemn profession in the presence of
God, of the Angels, and of men; Therefore we are called
faithful, and for the preservation of this faith, which, as has
been said, is a gift of God, and is the principle and
foundation of our health, and without which it is impossible
to please God, we must be prepared to expose not only our
property, but our lives to every danger, and trusting in
divine grace to die, if need be, with every acerbity of pain,
as so many glorious and strong martyrs did in the time of
the primitive Church. It is therefore worthy of both reproach
and compassion to see how little knowledge there is,
generally speaking, among the Christian people of the
mysteries of our holy faith, which, when understood, have
great power to inflame our hearts with the love of God, and
to awaken us from the sleep of sin, so that we are disposed
not to offend a God who is so good, who has done so much
for us, and who loves us so much, and has prepared the
eternal good, that neither language can express, nor
intellect think of those who love him in charity; For the
naked faith alone is not enough, of which some vainly boast

without charity, to lead us to eternal life; hence it is written,
that faith without works is dead and idle; but the living and
efficacious faith, which unites us perfectly with Christ, which
makes us living members of his body, and which gives us
eternal life, is the faith which works through charity and
delight, as the Apostle says. And although it is true, that the
multitude is not obliged to know so subtly many things of
our faith, which belong more to those, who in the people of
God hold the place of teachers, which are the Clerics, and
Pastors, nevertheless also the simple, and idiots are obliged
to know at least summarily, and so in universal the principal
mysteries of our Catholic Religion. As for example, that God
is triune in person, and one in essence; that the second
person, the eternal Word, the only begotten son of the
heavenly Father, became incarnate, and became man, and
suffered death for our health, and other similar things,
otherwise woe to him who through his fault in such
important matters is ignorant; for it is written, whoever
ignores, will be ignored, that is he will not be recognized by
God, nor admitted into the number of his chosen ones. But it
is often seen that not only the plebeian men, who are far
from the cities and from the many aids which the greater
number of inhabitants provide, are ignorant of the things of
religion; but not less than them are many well-to-do citizens,
and gentlemen, and such who are involved in many of the
world's affairs, and traffic, and business, and seem to them
to be of great judgement, and understanding, and yet they
are very little instructed in the things of our faith, and of the
offence, and the obligations of the true Christian, and they
know little by what means, and by what ways we must attain
eternal health, for which God has created us, and what is
worse, not only do some not know such important things,
but they do not even care to know them, and it seems
almost as if they are ashamed of them, and they keep them
for things of little girls, and in this way it happens what
Saint Augustine says, that the induced arise, and rapture

Heaven, and these men who are puffed up with themselves,
and prudent with earthly and carnal prudence, and perhaps
even learned and learned in secular doctrines, with their
prudence and science, descend into the depths of hell. So it
is very necessary that good education take in time a remedy
for such a serious drawback.

Chapter 2

OF THE SCHOOLS OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE, AND OF
THE PREACHING.

But few are the fathers who fulfill this obligation, and few
those who can fulfill it, as one would think, since they
cannot instruct others in what they do not know for
themselves; for this reason the holy Council of Trent, moved
to compassion by this universal ignorance of the faithful
people, ordered that the bishops take special care that the
priests in each parish on feast days be brought up, and there
they are to be taught the rudiments of the faith, that is, the
most important and necessary things of Christian doctrine,
at least in general and in a superficial way, and likewise they
are to be taught with diligence how they are to serve
obedience to God and to their fathers, with which order the
Holy Council has partly made up for the common lack of
education. Therefore, those fathers who do not know what
every Christian is obliged to know, let them go to these holy
schools, where Christian doctrine is taught by the authority
of the Bishops and legitimate pastors, and let them learn it
for themselves, and so that they may also teach it as is
fitting for their sons, and more so for their daughters, whose
sex and honesty requires less that they learn it outside the
home, if pastoral providence will not fail to provide them
with the necessary supervision. But if they do not fulfil their
obligation to teach their children, nor lead them to those
places where they can be taught, they must know that they
will have no excusation whatsoever; and if their children do
not know what it means to be Christian, and do not know or
fear God, they will not escape the just punishment, but God
will seek their blood by the strict hand of their fathers. The
same sacred General Council has ordained that the bread of

the word of God, which is the nourishment of the soul, be
broken and administered to the parable, that is to the simple
and ignorant people, and therefore it has established and
decreed that not only the Bishops, but also the popes and
other pastors of souls preach on Sundays and other feast
days, pasturing their sheep, according to their capacity for
holy and useful instruction, teaching those things which
each one needs to know in order to attain eternal health,
and expounding them with ease., and clarity, the vices from
which they must beware, and the virtues which they must
follow, so that they may escape from eternal punishment,
and attain heavenly glory. Now just as the sacred Council
has provided that pastors and preachers should do their
duty, so it wants and orders that the people should go to
hear the word of God, otherwise it would be vain to prepare
a table where there is no one who wishes to eat. And
therefore let the fathers of families know that they are
greatly obliged to go to the holy preaching and to hear the
word of God as often as they can, and to lead their children
there, so that by the efficacy of the living voice of the one
who holds the place of God, they may learn and become
inflamed with the desire to flee sin and to serve God. | could
say many things, demonstrating how useful and necessary it
is to hear the word of God, from good and legitimate
preachers, and not only to the ignorant, but also to the
learned, because to be saved it is not enough to know only,
but it is necessary to do good, which is not the work of the
intellect, but of the will, which is persuaded and moved by
divine grace through the word, from which St. Paul said, how
will they believe without a preacher? but | do not want to go
too far in this matter. | will only say that St. John Chrisostom,
the great preacher, exhorts Christians most earnestly to hear
the holy preaching, not only of the gentlemen and the
wealthy citizens, but also of the poor and of those who earn
their food by their daily toil, and not only on feast days, but
also on working days, proving with most effective reasons,

that not only according to the rules of the spirit, but also
temporally it is expedient to subtract a short part of the day
from the occupations, the negotiations, the exercises of
human life, to dedicate it to God in hearing his holy word,
and to know what his divine Majesty wants from us with the
desire to fulfill it with his help. And that holy and most
eloquent Doctor says that God, who is supremely good, and
never lets himself be conqueredì, so to speak, by any
kindness, will make up for that time with much usury, for he
will ease all our affairs, he will smooth out difficulties, he will
remove impediments, he will give health to the craftsman to
work, he will send buyers to his store, and in short he will
make him do more in one hour than others will do in a whole
day. And well could the holy man promise these and greater
things, having good assurance, that is, the infallible promise
of the Saviour when he said, Seek first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness, and all these other things will be
given you in addition. Therefore, good fathers should not fail
in every effort to accustom their little children to hear God
willingly and to listen to the holy sermons, using every
means of caresses, rewards, promises and punishments as
necessary, so that they may become accustomed to them.
And let the Fathers remember what has been said, and they
will have to repeat many times, that the greatest and best
inheritance they must leave to their children is the entire
and uncorrupted Catholic faith, as it has been left to us by
our elders for a very long succession, united with the most
holy fear of God.

Chapter 3

HOW IT IS NOT ONLY EXPEDIENT, BUT NECESSARY IN THIS
TREATISE, TO DISCUSS SOME HEADS OF CHRISTIAN
DOCTRINE.

From what we have said a little above, perhaps some may
come to the opinion that there is no need for me to go
further into the things of Christian doctrine, having already
shown the sources, so that others may, and for themselves
and their children, draw as much as is necessary, the
salutary water of such teaching and doctrine. But if you will
consider more carefully, you will see, if | am not mistaken,
that the matter lies in another way, and that it is not only
expedient, but necessary for our matter, to discuss a little
more in particular about some, as the principal heads of our
most holy religion.

And first of all it must be remembered that we are dealing
with education not in any way one wishes, but strictly as a
Christian education, the purpose of which is to make, with
divine help, a good Christian. Such is he who not only
believes correctly, but also acts virtuously according to the
law of God. But in order to believe, and to act as a good
Christian should, so that we may bring back the prize of
eternal life, it is necessary the heavenly grace, which is
conferred and communicated to us through the holy
sacraments. Likewise, fervent prayer is necessary, which
keeps us united with God, and in so many of our spiritual
and bodily needs we receive every help and succor from the
Father of mercies.

Therefore it will be necessary to discuss the articles of faith
contained in the Apostolic Symbol, and the seven

Sacraments, and the ten Commandments of the law, and
finally the prayer taught to us by Christ our Lord, vulgarly
known as our Pater; which four heads comprise almost the
entire sum of Christian doctrine, and what we must believe
and do. It is added that there is no part of Christian
education, however small, that is not regulated by this end,
that is, by the rectitude of faith and the observance of the
divine law. For this reason it is necessary that the father be
principally instructed in those things, without the
knowledge and observance of which he cannot raise his son
in a Christian manner, and therefore the father is reasoned
with, so that he, like a wet nurse, having first converted this
truly vital food into juice and blood, feeds his son, so that he
then grows into a perfect man in Christ.

Nor should it be believed by others, that all this could have
been done in very brief words, as we see in some small
booklets called Doctrines, since in the four chapters
mentioned above are contained infinite seeds, and very
important principles of all life, and of all human actions, so
that it was necessary to make a greater explication;
especially since experience shows us too much, that in order
to imprint effectively in our hearts the fear of God, and the
love of virtue, it is not enough to say so nudely, Honour God,
do not steal, do not adulterate, and such things, but it is
necessary to break this hard bread, and chew it well, and
with study and industry bring it to the child, so that the
weak stomach, of this miserable nature of ours, holds it, and
digests it.

It is not denied that pastors of souls and preachers are
expected to provide the faithful with these foods, but it is
well said that preaching is done more rarely, and that many
years pass before a child is fully capable of understanding
the sermons; nor are children sent so early to the schools of
doctrine, and many do not go there for various reasons. And

what is of great importance, is that there, for the most part,
many children are taught together, and only certain more
universal things are treated, and there is not the present
opportunity to put the doctrine into practice; and in short,
medicine is not applied to particular suggestions, and to the
various complexities, as much as would be necessary. Where
the paternal education, as has been said elsewhere, begins
to work very early, and coming to the individual, it does its
work at all hours with a thousand different occasions, and
uses many other ways of teaching, which the parish priests
and preachers do not do, nor can do, as will be discussed
below. And finally, to conclude, domestic discipline makes
the child more disposed to public doctrine, and helping each
other, as those who have no small conformity together, the
greater is the utility that is reported.

Therefore | judge, that the subject of this second book of
ours, is the most important, and the most principal of our
education, and as such | have placed it in the first place,
with respect to the third book, which subject we are going to
explain under the guidance of the noble, and most useful
book called Roman Catechism; whose order is distinct, and
appropriate to our purpose; but however we will treat things
less exquisitely, and with ease, and with a regard perhaps
more our own, that is to reduce the universal doctrine,
however, to the particular use, not being our intention so
much to teach Christian doctrine, which others have done,
as to derive from it many precepts, and documents
necessary for the daily practice of education.

Chapter 4

OF THE APOSTOLIC SYMBOL, VULGARLY CALLED THE CREED.

The Symbol of the Apostles, vulgarly called the Creed, is a
summary of the mysteries of our Most Holy Religion;
whereby the ancient fathers called it a rule of faith, because
in it is briefly contained all that pertains to the knowledge of
the true God, that is to the unity of the Godhead, and to the
trinity of the persons, and subsequently to the creation of
the world, and of all creatures, to the redemption of the
human race, and finally to the state of the future world, that
is to the eternal life of the good, and to the eternal
punishment of the bad. This brief rule was composed by the
Holy Apostles, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and as they
were twelve, so they divided it into twelve sentences, called
articles, each of which includes a doctrine of some thing,
that distinctly, and separately, with firm, and undoubted
faith we should believe. And this admirable and heavenly
doctrine is so well ordered that it is divided into three
principal parts, in the first of which the first person of the
Holy Trinity, God the Father Almighty, is spoken of, and the
marvellous work of the creation of the world is described; in
the second part, the second person of the Holy Trinity is
discussed, Christ our Lord Jesus, the only eternal son of the
eternal father, true God, equal and consubstantial to the
father, born of the substance of the father before all
centuries, and true man, born of the substance of his
mother, the Virgin Mary, at the end of the centuries, to work
in the midst of the earth for our salvation, to free us from sin,
and to reconcile us with God in his precious blood. And
therefore in this second part the admirable mystery of
human redemption is described. In the third part the third
person of the Holy Trinity is also spoken of, called the Holy

Spirit, true God, equal and consubstantial to the Father and
to the Son, and his divine effects in the government of the
Catholic Church and in our sanctification are discussed. In
the Symbol, therefore, the doctrine of the Catholic faith is
collected as a compendium, which anyone who does not
believe faithfully and with all firmness will not be able to
save himself. Of this faith we made profession in the holy
baptism, when we were ascribed to the militia of Christ, and
therefore also this confession of faith, is called with the
Greek voice Symbol, which in addition to other meanings,
means a sign, and a military card, by which we know, and
distinguish the soldiers of one Captain, from those of the
other. This faith is that which we must believe with the
heart, confess with the mouth, and manifest with good
works, so that it may be seen by all the world, of which
captain we are soldiers, and so that after having fought
legitimately, for the glory of our great Emperor against the
devil, the world, and the flesh, ours and his enemies, we
may bring back from him, the most just judge, the just
crown of the victories purchased with the sword of his grace.

Chapter 5

HOW FROM THE SYMBOL THE FATHER MUST DRAW
MATERIAL FOR EDUCATION.

The good father must promptly see to it that his son learns
the Apostolic Symbol in his mind, and recites it often
distinctly, and without any lack of anything, in
pronunciation as well as in things, and makes him make a
good habit of reciting it every day devoutly at least in the
morning, and in the evening, recalling before God, and all
the saints, the highest profession made in baptism, of
wanting to be a true Christian, and to live and die a faithful
servant and soldier of Christ. Similarly, the good father must
see to it that the child understands, according to his ability,
the things contained in the symbol, at least in such a gross
way, from which he will be able to draw material for salutary
warnings. And in order to give some brief example of this, let
us briefly take those four items mentioned above, which
embrace the entire substance of the symbol.

And before God, he will show with simple words, that in one
divine essence, one must believe in the distinction of the
three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, and
one God. Of this great God we will now consider his
omnipotence, because with the sole reign of his word, he
created from nothing this great machine of the world, and so
many beautiful creatures that we see, and others much more
beautiful that we do not see, which are the angelic
substances. Now we will consider the supreme wisdom that
governs all things with such order. Now the infinite
goodness, because being God in Himself most blessed, and
not needing anything, He wanted through His goodness
alone to communicate Himself to creatures; which He not

only created, but preserves and sustains continuously,
which if He did not do immediately would return to their
nothingness.

Concerning the creation of the world, we will discuss how
God created all the other creatures, and then from the dust
and silt of the earth he formed man, as King and Lord of
them all, so that if the Sun and the Moon are beautiful, the
Sky and so many different forms of things that are under the
Sky, man is much more beautiful in his first and entire
nature, the Sky, and so many different ways of things, which
are under the Sky, much more beautiful is man in his first,
and entire nature, because all these so vague creatures,
were made for man, as man is made for God.

Chapter 6

THAT THE MODE OF PATERNAL TEACHING IS DIFFERENT
FROM MAGISTERIAL.

From these considerations, proposed by the judicious
educator at the right time and place, the young man's soul
will gradually be raised to feel highly of God, to fear Him, to
revere Him and to love Him. Nor do I intend that these and
similar things, which will be said at a lower level in their own
places, should be taught to him in a certain order, and with
purpose, in the manner of a doctrine, as is done by teachers
or parish priests, if this can still be done, and perhaps it will
have to be done in due time, but in due time with a
thousand domestic occasions, that every day, and every
hour, happen smoothly, and without molestation, and not as
something only thought, but born in the present things, the
child will be taught many useful points of faith, and not only
will his intellect be enlightened, but what is more important,
and more to be searched for, will light up the affection and
the love towards God. And to descend to the particular
examples, of the same symbol, which we have in our hands,
if sometimes the father will lead his son to the vineyard, or
to the field, where one sees the trees laden with fruit, and
the vines full of grapes, and the fields full of grain, and the
meadows, and the hills covered with flowers, and a thousand
other beauties of nature, for the sustenance of man, turning
to his son, he will say softly, “Behold my son, this is the
bread, and the wine, which God prepares for us to nourish
us, and our family, all these creatures serve us, and sustain
us in this life. See the great power of God, how from a little
grain that | sowed he made such a great harvest, and
multiplied it with his blessing. See how he favors our labors,
and how he cares for us not to be idle, he sends us the sun

and the rains, and makes the earth germinate, and without
God's help the industry and the cultivation of men would be
vain. Wait for his great goodness, that never tires of doing us
good, for in the past years he has fed and nourished us, and
this year he has already prepared the table to nourish us,
and the following year, if it pleases him to give us life, we
must be sure that he will open the hand of his goodness
again, However, my son, we must not behave like brute
animals, who graze under the tree, nor ever look upwards,
but we must thank our most loving Father who created us
and governs us with the greatest love, and we must take
care not to offend him, but strive to do his will, as obedient
children.

Chapter 7

OF SOME PROPOSITIONS, ET MAXIMS CHRISTIANE MUCH,
IMPORTANT, THAT THE FATHER MUST EXTRACT FROM THE
SYMBOL.

With these, and other similar ways, that prudence, and
paternal affection will administer to the day, many universal
propositions will be impressed on the tender soul, and
Christian maxims very important for the whole life about the
goodness, and about the providence of God, not only in
general, but in particular of each one, as for example

That God is supreme goodness, and author of all good.

That life, property, health, intelligence, strength, and all that
we are, and can do well in body and soul, is a gift of God.

That we should always thank and bless God and glory in him
alone.

Because God has created us, and because he has bought us
back from the servitude of the Devil, of whom we were
slaves, as will be more fully said later, and because he
governs us, and keeps us continually, we all belong to God,
and we are obliged to spend our lives, and what we have for
his honor.

That the eyes of his providence, are always open above us.

He contemplates all our actions night and day, and he is
pleased with our good and virtuous works, and he dislikes
the bad ones, and he rewards them in this life, but without
greater comparisons in the eternal one, so he punishes sins,
and in this world temporally, and in the other eternally, as

we will say below. And this is a very necessary persuasion,
that is to say that the child firmly believes that God sees him
in every place, however secret, and observes his actions, so
that the child knows that he is never alone; this true
opinion, rooted in long habit, will always be a brake for him
not to sin in the presence of God, because if we see that by
human decency this respect is shown to men, much more
with good discipline it can be introduced, that it is shown to
God.

Chapter 8

OF SUFFERING IN TRIBULATIONS, IN PARTICULAR.

And because our life is subject to infinite miseries, it is
necessary to accustom our children to patience at an early
age, and to thank God for everything, not breaking, as some
do, on the rocks of despair, but remaining firm and steady
with the support of this most firm anchor, that God is
supreme goodness, who sees all things, and that no tree leaf
falls to the ground without his providence, This is to be done
by our father of the family principally by example, which is a
very effective way of persuading, as we said above, and
then also by words, so that if the son sees that his father,
when he is ill or when he loses his possessions, or any other
of those things which the world calls misfortunes, happens
to him, he may be constant, and bears his cross with
patience, and he will often hear from the mouth of his father,
and of his mother, words worthy of a Christian, similar to
those of the holy and most peace-loving Rab, blessed be the
name of God, praised be God, thanked be God, God's will be
done, and other similar things, the son will easily do the
same, and with greater approval he will receive his father's
admonitions, when he will tell him that God as a father
chastises us for our own good, that he wants to give us a
greater crown in Paradise for our suffering, that poverty,
infirmity, and other similar things which the blind world
considers as very serious evils, are not real evils, but only
sin, which deprives us of God's grace, is the real evil. That
the tribulations tolerated with patience are the seed that
produces life, and earthly happiness, and that therefore God
gives more to his dearest and most beloved children. Many
other things could also be said, such as the confidence one
must have in God, our most loving Father, and in all needs

to have recourse to his help, and in all dangers to hope in
him, but it is not necessary to say everything, since each
one can for himself, from what is said, make up for the rest,
which is silent, which is said in this place for other similar
things. And nevertheless, if elsewhere it is necessary for
some good purpose, to discuss the fear and love that we
have to bear to God, it will be the duty of the prudent reader
to take from these places, as much as will conform to the
present matter, and to make useful use of everything, in
order to make use of it in the Christian education, which we
are still defining and outlining.

Chapter 9

OF THE MYSTERY OF HUMAN REDEMPTION. CHAPTER IX.

If from the creation of the world, of the angels, and of man,
we know the power, the wisdom, and the goodness of God,
and we discover the great obligation that we have to
reverence and love Him, much more are the same things
manifested in the admirable work, and in the most profound
mystery of the human redemption, where the most powerful
God is shown, most powerful, most wise, and most merciful
God, great power was that by which the divine nature and
the human nature are united in unity of person, so that one
and the same person is God and man, and of two things so
distant, a union so great has been made, as the Evangelist
Saint John gives us to understand in those words: The Word
became flesh and dwelt among us. But the wisdom of God is
declared in the incarnation of the Word, and in the liberation
of the human race, for since man transgressed the
commandment of God, and therefore became guilty of
eternal damnation, justice demanded that the transgressor
should not find forgiveness unless he satisfied it, and mercy,
on the other hand, demanded that man, most powerless to
satisfy his great debt, should be freed by grace; Therefore
divine wisdom found a most admirable way of satisfying
both, for when God became man justice and peace kissed
each other, and God used infinite mercy on man, giving him
his own son, so that with the blood of the son of God, made
man, he might satisfy man to the utmost with the infinite
justice of God. The justness, mercy, and goodness of God,
who chose such a wonderful way to redeem the servant, with
the great price, that is, with the blood and death of his own
son, which St. Paul, considering this, was almost beside
himself, in amazement, called this love of God boundless

and excessive, in those words, God, through his excessive
love, with which he has loved us, since we are dead in sin,
has made us alive in Christ, that is, through the most bitter
death and passion of Christ our Saviour. Now the cross and
the passion of Christ is the book where all the saints have
studied the great goodness of God, and there they have
learned the doctrine of perfect love. Therefore the father
who desires his son to be well instructed in this supreme
knowledge should see to it in time and place that he knows
all that pertains to the fall of our first father Adam, through
whose fault the whole human race fell into the tyranny of sin
and of the devil, from which no creature, neither angel nor
man, could free it; therefore it was necessary that, as has
been said, God became man; and so, from hand to hand, he
will make the child aware of the incarnation of the Word, and
as by the work of the Holy Spirit he took on the human flesh
of Mary ever Virgin, he conversed poorly and humbly with
men, gave them the highest example of virtue, and salutary
doctrine, and finally, after having shown himself to be the
true son of God in the power of his works and words, in order
to perfect the great undertaking of our liberation and
reconciliation with his eternal father, he suffered a most
bitter and ignominious death on the trunk of the Cross.

Chapter 10

OF THE GREAT USEFULNESS OF REMEMBERING OFTEN THE
PASSION OF CHRIST OUR LORD.

Nothing is more fruitful than thinking often of the Saviour's
Passion, and this is the glory of the Christian, as St. Paul
said, may God protect me from glorying in anything other
than the Cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, the good
father should see to it that this most useful thought is
impressed on the child’s mind, accustoming him to
remember it often; it will help to do this if he often and
devoutly makes the sign of the Holy Cross, venerates the
Most Holy Crucifix and the holy images of the mysteries of
the Passion, keeping them in the house, so that they may be
vividly represented to him, likewise, to recite some prayers
genuflected before the Crucifix, to introduce that the child
has in particular veneration the sixth feria, called Friday, in
memory of the Lord crucified for us, and similar other things,
which kindle the heart, and refresh the memory of the child,
who will gradually acquire a good habit, to think devoutly of
the passion of Christ. But there is no Christian virtue that a
father cannot teach his son about the book of the Cross. And
by way of example he will often narrate how much we are
obliged to render love to so much love. That great is the
benefit which God has bestowed on us by having created us,
and by preserving us, but greater because he has redeemed
us. That Christ died so bitterly for the sins of all in the
universal, and of each one in particular, since he alone is
most innocent and immaculate, and therefore it is necessary
to have in supreme abomination sin, and to take care not to
commit it, so as not to crucify again, as far as he is on the
sinner’s side, Christ Jesus. That the Christian must flee all
pride, and be most humble in imitation of Christ, who, being

true God, took the form of a servant, and humbled himself to
the point of death, and death on the Cross. We must not
esteem so much the honor and vain opinion of the world,
that by it we transgress the precept of God, because Christ
our Lord chose the ignominy of the Cross, and we are
followers and disciples of the Crucified.

It will also be possible from here to take abundant matter to
persuade the suffering of insults, the forgiveness of enemies,
the suffering of the tribulations of this life, so that being
companions of the passions of Christ, we may also be
companions of the consolations and glories of Christ.

In sum it is necessary that each one is persuaded, that there
is no other way to reach Heaven, no other ladder to climb,
no other door to enter Paradise, than that of the Cross, and
that all the study of the Christian must be in expressing, and
representing in himself the image of Christ crucified,
otherwise as a coin that does not have the sign, and the
impression of the prince, it will not be received, and will not
be able with it to buy the rich, and precious margarita, that
is the eternal beatitude.

And because our sense, and our flesh, does not understand
this language of the Cross, and on the contrary hears very
willingly, and understands very well the pernicious, and
diabolical languages of the world, therefore it is necessary
that for a long time the child be accustomed to the sound of
this idiom, and learn it little by little, and make a habit of it,
so that he does not keep his ears open to the serpentine
voices of the flesh, and of carnal prudence, for if anyone
imbibes from the beginning opinions, and rules rightly
opposed to the Cross, apart from the manifest danger of the
loss of the soul, which is worth more than Heaven, and earth,
what fruits can the country expect from a citizen, who has
for his maxims, that pleasures, and voluptuousness are the

highest good? That it is lawful to do anything to have great
riches? That one must never forgive one's enemy, that one
must avenge insults, and with greater measure, and similar
dogmas from hell? Therefore, as has been said, before the
world has sown its poisonous plants in tender souls, it is
better to sow good and Christian ones, so that the contrary
ones have no place there, or at least do not take root there

so easily.

Chapter 11

OF THE HOLY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

In the Apostolic Symbol we confess that we believe in a Holy
and Catholic Church, that is universal, because the faithful
people are scattered throughout the world, always in all
times, in all places, and by all the faithful the same Catholic
faith has been confessed and is confessed, outside of which
every other faith is not faith, but perfidy. Now this article of
the Church is of great importance, because outside of the
Holy Church there is no health, but condemnation, not
differently from the time of the great flood, no one was
saved, except those who were in the Ark. This is our mother,
who gave birth to us in spirit; and as a saint says, God will
not have for a father in Heaven, he who does not recognize
the Holy Church as his mother on earth. This, by the Apostle
Saint Paul, is called the house of God, where all the faithful
dwell, under the government of a father of the family, where
is the food of the soul, and the communion of all spiritual
goods; for in her alone is the legitimate power to forgive
sins, and to open Heaven. This is called by the same Apostle
the pillar and firmness of truth, because it is governed by
the Holy Spirit, who teaches it all truths; for which reason all
that the Holy Church determines and commands is to be
kept and observed. This is not instituted by human, but
divine invention; it did not begin yesterday and the next,
but Christ is its founder, who being the stone, and the
firmest foundation, and immobile by nature, gave, and
communicated by grace, the strength of stone to a man
fragile for himself, who was Simon son of lona, a poor
fisherman, and made him Peter, that is rock, stone, and rock
so strong, that over him, and on his legitimate successors as
Supreme Roman Pontiffs, Christ our Lord has built, and will

build until the end of the century his holy Church, whose
strength not of flesh, but of spirit, is so great, that all the
machines of hell, all the persecutions of tyrants, all the
frauds of heretics have not been able, nor will they ever be
able, to conquer it.

Chapter 12

AS THE FATHER MUST TRAIN HIS SON TO BE OBEDIENT TO
HOLY CHURCH.

Having now briefly touched upon a few things of the
excellence of the Holy Church, as many as suffice for our
purpose, leaving the rest to those who principally deal with
this subject, it only remains for us to remind the good father,
that he should not miss any opportunity to educate his son
well, and in a Christian manner in this area. And descending
to some particulars, he will have to propose to the young
man, who will already have some capacity, how great
happiness it is to be inside the Holy Catholic Church, and to
have God as a father, who has prepared for us, if we do not
lack the heredity of eternal life, something to which those
who are not in the Holy Church cannot aspire, as infidels,
heretics, and excommunicated, while they persevere in their
error, and obstinacy, and therefore they must be considered
most unhappy.

And because, in order to attain eternal health, it is not
enough to be in the Church, but it is necessary to fulfill what
God and the Holy Church command us, because out of the
number of the faithful there are good and bad, just as on the
same plough there is wheat and straw, and in the same body
there are good and bad spirits, and in the Ark of Noah, which
was a figure of the Church, there were worldly animals and
unclean ones; Therefore it is appropriate to train the son in
such a way that he will have great reverence for the Holy
Church, and for the Pastors, Bishops, and other magistrates
and presidents of the Church, and especially for the Roman
Pontiff, the successor of Saint Peter, the Vicar of Christ, the
visible head of the whole universal Church, the Pastor of

Pastors, and the father of the spiritual fathers. Therefore, it is
most useful to teach the child to revere the holy priests, to
kiss their hands, to kneel before them, and to ask their
blessing, as has been the ancient custom of the faithful. And
so that the son may be more ready to obey the commands of
the Holy Church, the good father will often say to him such
things that will imprint this concept in his memory, as, for
example, once the father will say, dear son, let us go and
hear Mass, because the Holy Mother Church has commanded
us to do so; another time he will say, see, today we are not
working, but we are observing the feast of this and that
saint, because it is the Church's precept. In sum, tell him to
understand that the will and the law of God is manifested to
us by the Holy Catholic Church, his beloved spouse, so that
whoever obeys the Church obeys God, and whoever is
inobedient to the Church is inobedient and rebellious to
God.

Chapter 13

WARNING TO BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS AND
SEDUCERS.

And because we are in very dangerous times, in which false
prophets and false evangelists are multiplied, who run and
God has not sent them, and are dressed on the outside with
a sheep's skin, and on the inside they are ravening wolves,
and they always have an apple in their mouth and an iron in
their hand, with which they kill the souls of the simple ones,
therefore it is very necessary this precept of obedience of
the Holy Church, which is like a safe harbor, and a very
strong fortress, and a very strong fortress, which is very
necessary, and the iron in their hand, with which they kill
the souls of the simple ones, therefore it is very necessary
this precept of obedience of the Holy Church, which is like a
safe harbor, and a very strong fortress, where the Christian
must always withdraw, not to fall into the snares of the
Devil; it is not the offence of the layperson, of the idiot, of
the craftsman and of the woman to want to discuss subtly
the things of our faith, nor to arrogate to oneself the place of
the teacher. Our body is not all eye, nor all hands, nor all
feet, but they are various and distinct members of a single
body, and each member is content with its offence, so it
happens in this mystical, and spiritual body of the Holy
Church, and when the foot wants to do the offence of the
eye, of necessity the good order is disturbed, and great
confusion of schism, and of errors follows. For this reason the
good Christian does not have to search curiously for many
things on his intelligence, but he has to believe simply what
the Holy Church, our mother, proposes to us and in this holy
simplicity he will be saved, so that to go to heaven he does
not need much doctrine, but much charity, humility, and

obedience. And therefore if any of those who, under the
cloak of a false and pretended sanctity, sow new and
pernicious doctrine, wish to enter into dispute with the
Christian, Catholic and obedient son of the Holy Roman
Church, saying why do you do this, and why that other?
since it is not necessary at such a time to abstain from the
flesh, nor to fast, nor to do similar things, let the faithful be
warned to cut off reasoning, and flee more quickly than one
would flee from a trampled asp, and let him not be
entangled by sweet and melted words, such as those which
the ministers of perdition frequently use to gain credence
with the simple-minded, that is, the Word of God, Holy Writ,
the Gospel, the Passion of Christ, and the like, for the devil
transforms himself into an angel of light, and under this bait,
is the weapon of heresy, and therefore as soon as possible, it
is necessary to retreat to the fortress of the Holy Church, and
with a single answer, as the Holy Church, our mother, has
taught us, so believes, so orders the spouse of Jesus Christ, a
holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Roman Church, with this | say
only answer, as with a sharp knife one cuts off all the heads
of the infernal Hydra. For this reason it is of great
importance to have a good education in infancy, regarding
this most important article, that of obedience to the Holy
Church, and therefore as has been said, the good father
must be solicitous, to accustom his son, and to impress
firmly in his soul this truth, which by doing so will at the
same time achieve that the son be obedient to God, to his
father, and to his mother, to his country, and to his
legitimate superiors, because all this is commanded by the
Holy Church; and once the child has reached a more mature
age, he will know how to safeguard the precious heredity of
the Catholic faith, and will know how to protect himself with
divine help from the children of darkness who in these last
calamitous days have grown in such numbers that great
caution and prudence of spirit are needed to guard against

their nets, as St. Paul admonishes us at the end of his epistle
to the Romans with these divine words:

Brethren, | beg you to be warned against those who sow
dissensions and scandals, teaching other doctrine than that
which you have learned, and stay away from them; for these
do not serve Christ our Lord, but his own belly, and by
means of sweet sermons and blessings, they seduce the
hearts of the innocent and simple. | know your obedience,
which is spread everywhere, and I rejoice in you; but | wish
you to be wise, and shrewd in good, and simple in evil. Up to
this point St. Paul's words are very worthy to be kept in
memory, and necessary for every faithful Christian to
observe them faithfully.

Chapter 14

OF THE FOUR ULTIMATE THINGS.

The Sage says in the Holy Scripture: In all your works
remember your most recent ones, and you will never sin;
according to the sentence of the fathers there are four of
these most recent ones, or last things, that is death, the
Judgment of God, eternal damnation, and eternal life, of
which Dionysius Cartusianus wrote a divine and useful book,
entitled de quatuor novissimis. These are mentioned in the
Holy Apostolic Symbol when we confess that Christ our Lord
will come from the right hand of the Father, where he now
sits to judge the living and the dead, and likewise in the last
articles in which we confess the resurrection of the flesh and
eternal life. Now it would take me a long time to tell you all
the great fruits that each of these novissimus brings, but in
particular the consideration and mediation of death, which
our sensuality by nature abhors; But by election men also
ordinarily flee so much from this thought, that among many
it is a common proverb, that one should not speak of death;
seeming to them that this is the absentia, which makes
every sweetness of this life bitter, as if not speaking of
death, or not thinking of it, could prevent the irreparable
necessity of dying; And these people do not consider how
much better it is to think often about that action, which one
must necessarily do, so that one may do well, since it
matters to us as much as that which judges correctly, easily
can be understood, that is, to say in one word, from good, or
not well dying, hangs the eternity of glory, and the eternity
of punishment. But among the many utilities which the
memory of death brings, great is that which is contained in
the sentence of the wise man, that is, that this is like a brake
which withdraws us from sin, while we consider not only that

we must die but that we must render a very close account of
our actions to God, the most just judge, before whose eyes,
as the Apostle says, everything is naked and open, and who
will render to each one according to his works, either reward
or eternal punishment. For this reason the very cunning
Devil, who understands the fruit of this thought, in a
Christian heart, having made an agreement with the flesh
and the world, our perpetual enemies, tries to keep us as far
away as he can. But it is better for us to listen to Christ our
Lord, who admonishes us many times to be vigilant, because
we do not know the day or the hour.

The thought of death also helps to abate our pride,
especially among the noble, the rich, and those who are
superior to others, either by some dowry of body or soul, to
whom the Scriptures speak, partly reproving them, partly
deriding them, and partly admonishing them, saying: Quid
superbis terra, et cinis? or ashes and dust, and what are you
so proud of? He will not easily despise those who are lesser
than himself, nor will he superbly exalt himself with the gifts
of God, for which he should humble himself as the more
indebted he is to His Majesty, who will consider that we are
all little dust, and in little dust we return.

From the same thought we draw another great utility not to
rejoice excessively in the prosperity, nor to be too much
attracted by the adversities of this short life.

It is also a great remedy for the anxious solicitude that men
have to buy things, which we will perhaps discuss
elsewhere. And finally, in order not to be longer, he who
thinks of dying does not go mad behind the vain honors of
the world, realizing that neither they can be with us, nor we
with them, as Saint Hieronymus said, he who always thinks
that he will soon die, easily despises everything.

Chapter 15

AS THE FATHER MUST TRAIN HIS SON TO THINK OF DEATH.

Therefore, if it is very necessary for the Christian not to sin,
to be humble, to be moderate in prosperity, constant in
travails, and generous in despising, as much as is fitting,
riches, honours, and those things which the blind world
considers to be the greatest happiness, certainly it will also
be necessary to keep in mind death, and the tremendous
Judgment, so that he may close his ears to the insidious
songs of the sirens, and not hear the insidious songs of the
sirens, which the blind world considers to be the greatest
happiness, it will certainly be necessary to keep in mind
death, and the terrible judgment, so that he may close his
ears to the insidious songs of the Sirens, and so that the
things of this world may not be a snare of the Devil, so that
he may lose God through them. Therefore the good father,
remembering that he is a Christian, and desirous of his son's
health, as he will see sufficient capacity in the young man,
will try with discreet manners, to imprint in his heart this
salutary doctrine of thinking about death, and to die well,
and so that the things, which are esteemed distant are not
feared, and death, for the most part, we believe to be
distant, therefore, show him with the same examples that at
all hours the uncertainty of the hour of death occurs, and
how death threatens us when we least believe it, like a thief
who comes at night. And let the father beware of being too
tender, so that he may think he is endangering the life of his
son by speaking of death, nor let him excuse himself, that
his heart does not suffer, even thinking that his son must
die, this too much carnal tenderness does not suit a
Christian heart, nor is love regulated, that which loves the
body more than the soul, or the temporal life more than the

eternal one. And it is not the same as carnal men think the
thought of death bitter, and melancholic, to the good
Christian, who if he is of the flesh as we all are, and as such
feels the natural repugnance, does not however live
according to the laws of the flesh, but according to the laws
of the spirit, and when he thinks of death he does not
consider it only as the separation of the soul from the body,
but considers it as a means that leads the soul to perfect
union with God. And the spiritual man does not see death as
the end of all goods and pleasures, with which the carnal
man sees it, on the contrary, illustrated by the light of faith
and grace, he sees it as a door through which, although
narrow and hard, one enters into the possession of true and
eternal pleasures. And for this reason, as has been said,
when the good father sees that his son is already capable of
reason, he must also train him in these holy thoughts, which
will be the seed of many virtues in him at a more mature
age, as has been shown above in part, but nevertheless,
according to the various dispositions of the child, more and
less generous and sweet of heart, and more easily moved by
fear or love, so that, differently, now of the most bitter
punishment of the damned, now of the inestimable glory of
the blessed, and of the enjoyment of God, which is the sea
and the lake of all good without any evil, he sweetly
motivates them, endeavouring however that the fear of
death, and of judgement, and of hell, may lead to the love of
virtue, and of God, so that we serve the Lord not as reluctant
servants for fear of the lash, and of punishment alone; of
which fear it is written that perfect charity drives out fear,
but as dear children out of love and filial reverence moved
by that holy fear, of which it is written, The holy fear of the
Lord endures for ever. And since we have said enough about
the Apostolic Symbol, let us now briefly say a few things
about the seven sacraments, following our intention,
however, to draw from them some instruction in practice for
our education.

Chapter 16

CONSIDERATIONE ABOUT THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE
HOLY CHURCH.

Great things, certainly, are those which the most high and
perfect law of Christ our Redeemer requires of the Christian,
but great also, and most effective above all else, and more
than can be expressed or imagined, are the aids which the
same law gives us to lift our feeble and infirm nature, which
the weaker it is by itself, the stronger it is by the grace of
God. Considering the Apostle, he said in one place that he
was not sufficient, as if by himself, to think good, but not to
do it, but in another place he says: | can do all things in him
who comforts me, that is, in God.Therefore we give infinite
gratitude to that most wise and powerful lawgiver, who so
commands us great and perfect things, that at the same
time what no human law can do, nor less that of Moisé could
do, he gives us the virtue and strength to carry them out,
communicating to us his divine grace through his holy
sacraments, of which many are the sacraments of the Lord.
sacraments, of which we can speak very abundantly; but so
as not to go too far beyond the terms of our subject, | say in
brevity, that the holy sacraments of the new law, and of the
state of grace, in which by God's mercy we are, are seven,
and no more and no less, which were instituted by Christ our
Redeemer, true God and true man, no other than God could
institute them, for God alone is the author of grace, and of
glory, and God alone is that which makes us just and holy.
The sacraments are some sensible signs and admirable
instruments, in which the omnipotence of God has placed so
much virtue and efficacy that they penetrate into the depths
of the heart, sanctify the soul, adorn it and enrich it with
divine grace, provided that the soul itself receives with

humility the gift of Heaven, and does not resist the Holy
Spirit, and does not hinder its justification, and
sanctification, while with an impure heart, and with the
affection of sin, it receives the holy sacraments. And
certainly words are not enough to express how serious an
offense is committed against that most blessed God, who
made man for us, with so much pain, and with most bitter
death left us these most suavest, and most efficacious
medicines, and how much chastisement he heaps upon
himself the wretched sinner, who prevents the gift, and the
effect of grace, if returning to himself with true repentance,
he does not take anew with due disposition, and reverence
the salutiferous medicine.

And because it has been said that the holy sacraments of
the Gospel law are no more or less than seven, as the Holy
Church has taught us continually, it will not be out of
purpose, | think, to demonstrate the sufficiency of this
mysterious number, with a brief and clear doctrine of the
Roman Catechism, taken from sacred Theologians, which
every Christian should have in memory; And because it is
taken from something that we have in our hands at all
hours, which is our mortal life, it is easy to understand and
remember, and it can be of great spiritual benefit for the life
of the soul, to those who will give it careful consideration.

Chapter 17

OF THE CONFORMITY OF THE NATURAL LIFE, AND OF THE
SPIRITUAL.

| say, therefore, that regarding the bodily life of man we can
consider seven things, five of which pertain to each man
individually, for the conservation of himself, and the last two
pertain to him in order to maintain the public and common
good. The first five are: to be born, to grow, to nourish
oneself, and falling into infirmity, to heal oneself; and finally,
to drive away the weakness of evil, and to restore the
weakened forces of the body. As for the public, then,
magistrates are necessary, with the authority and rule of
which the republic is governed; and in the last place is the
legitimate propagation of children, for the preservation of
the citizenship itself, and of the human race. The same
seven things respond adequately to the spiritual life, by
which the soul lives to God, and therefore it is easy to gather
the sufficiency of the sevenfold number of the sacraments;
for in the first place is baptism, by which, regenerated of
water, and of spirit, we are born again in Christ. In the
second place is Confirmation, or Confirmation, which
increases and strengthens divine grace in us, so that we can
fight manfully against all our enemies. In the third place is
the Most Holy Eucharist, true manna, and heavenly food,
with which our soul is nourished and sustained. In the fourth
place is Penance, the soul's medicine, by which the lost
spiritual health is restored, and the wounds of sin are
healed. In the fifth, and last place, of the things that pertain
to man in particular, according to the life of the spirit, is the
sacrament of Extreme Unction, which takes away the relics
of sin, and recreates, and revives the virtues of the soul. But
out of respect for the public good, in the sixth place follows

Holy Orders, by which we are granted the legitimate power
to administer and dispense the other sacraments, and to
exercise all public ministries in the Holy Church. And finally,
in the seventh and last place, is the Sacrament of
Matrimony, by which a man and a woman are joined
together in holy wedlock, and beget children, and raise
them religiously, for the worship of God, and for the
preservation of the faithful people, and of the Holy Church,
spread throughout all peoples, as we have declared at
length above.

Chapter 18

CONSIDERATIONE MORE PARTICULAR OF THE SACRAMENTS
IN ORDER TO EDUCATION, AND BEFORE BAPTISM.

Therefore, since these seven Sacraments are so excellent
and divine, both because of the dignity of the One who gave
them to us, God Himself, to whom alone is due all honor and
glory, and because of the admirable virtue which they
contain, it will be the good father’s duty to teach his son, so
that he may recognize in them the great mercy of God, and
hold them in that esteem and reverence which is justly due.
And since the life of the soul depends, as we have seen, on
the Holy Sacraments, let the father ensure that his son
understands this great need, so that by the example of the
corporal life, out of a similar desire to preserve himself, and
to make himself ever stronger in spirit, he may desire and
frequent the Holy Sacraments. And to descend, according to
our institution, more to the things of practice, we are
presented in the first place with Holy Baptism, the door of all
the sacraments, through which we have entered the Holy
Church, and where we have made that solemn obligation to
God, renouncing the devil, the world, and its pumps, and its
works, and promising to follow in everything Christ our Lord,
and Emperor, who has promised us eternal life. So little
thought is given to this most serious and important
obligation, and so little is observed, that those who consider
the common life of men, will judge that they have made the
earliest possible obligation to renounce Christ, and follow
the world, and the flesh. Therefore, the good father should
make his son accustomed to give thanks to God every day
for being a Christian, and to pray to His Majesty to give him
special help, so that he may fulfill the obligations made in
Baptism. And he will especially encourage him to keep in

mind the day on which he was baptized, as his true
birthday, so that he may celebrate it every year with
thanksgiving to God, with the use of the holy sacraments,
and with every offense of Christian piety.

Lead him sometimes to the Church to see children baptized,
and admonish him to consider carefully those mysterious
ceremonies, and see to it that he understands in some way
their meaning, as for example, the white robe, or the white
cloth, which is placed on the little creature, the priest saying
with Latin voices this sentence: Take the white robe, which
clean and unblemished you bring before the tribunal of
Jesus Christ, to receive eternal life. Understand that this robe
shows us the beauty and purity of the baptized soul, and the
innocence and purity that the Christian must maintain
throughout his life to obtain eternal life. Similarly, the
lighted white candle, which is given in the hand of the
baptized person, or on his behalf to the communion,
signifies the sincere faith inflamed with charity, which is
given to us in baptism, and we must nourish it, and increase
it with the study of good works, until the end of life.

I know well that, ordinarily, there is little knowledge of such
things among the faithful, so that few fathers can teach
them to their children. But if men were so solicitous of the
things of health, as they are of those which touch the
comforts of this corruptible body, there is no lack, by God's
grace, in the holy Church of pastors, and doctors, and
spiritual fathers, who teach them; besides that in the Roman
Catechism they are diligently declared. But if he knows
nothing else, at least remember, the good father, often to his
son the promise, which he makes to the Church, to be
always her faithful servant, and to renounce the devil, and
the works, and the pumps of the world. In this regard, much
could be said, and perhaps will be said elsewhere, against
those fathers and mothers, who accustom their children to

the pomp and splendor of dress, and lead them willingly to
vain entertainments, and sometimes not very modest, not
remembering the promise made on the day of baptism, and
not not realizing what they give to drink at an early age,
which in the more mature years then takes over the soul.
But to conclude this part, | will only say that it occurs to me
to have read in St. John Chrysostom, if | am not mistaken, a
father and doctor of great authority, that he reminds the
Christian that every morning he should renew the pact made
with God in baptism, and turning inward to the Lord, he
should say with all the affection of his heart: “My Lord, |
renounce the devil, and | unite myself with him to you. And
the Greek word has such a force, that expressing better, how
our life is a spiritual militia, it comes to say: | do not want in
any way to be of the squad, nor of the soldiers of Satan, but
of the militia of Christ, with which intention the Christian
must be armed every day, against all the temptations of the
devil, of which he has made, and must make open profession
of always being an enemy.

Chapter 19

OF CONFIRMATION OR CONFIRMATION,.

Since in holy baptism we are reborn in Christ, and we are
like little children, the sacrament of confirmation comes
which gives us spiritual growth, and strengthens us, and
confirms us with new virtue of Heaven, and we begin to be
perfect soldiers of Christ, for if well in baptism we are
received and written in the militia of Christ, in the
confirmation we are then armed for the fights, that overtake
us from our perpetual enemies, flesh, world, and Satan, and
the Holy Spirit gives us particular strength, so that we freely
confess not only with the heart but also with the mouth the
truth of our faith, not fearing threats, nor any danger, even if
it were necessary to die as so many holy martyrs did. And
how great is the efficacy of this sacrament, in confirming

and establishing us in the confession of faith, from which
confirmation is called, was openly demonstrated in the
primitive Church, in the holy Apostles, who at the time of the
Savior's passion were so fearful and frightened, that not only
the others fled, But the good Peter, who had always shown
greater fervour of love towards Christ, and who a little earlier
had promised himself with too bold words constancy and
firmness above all the other disciples, at the voice of a little
woman fell so cowardly to the ground, that he denied his
Master and Lord three times. On the day of Pentecost the
Apostles were clothed with the virtues of highness, and filled
with the Holy Spirit, who appeared with a sound, a
vehement spirit and a tongue of fire, that they went about
the whole world without fear, preaching the Gospel of Christ
crucified before kings, principals and magistrates, and
rejoicing and glorifying when they were despised and

beaten for the name of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 20

THAT THE FATHER MUST HAVE THE CHILD CONFIRMED.

Therefore, the good father, who knows by experience what
battles the new soldier of Christ enters into in this miserable
world, should remember to see to it that his son is in every
way confirmed, or, as is commonly said, confirmed; If this
sacrament is not absolutely necessary for health, as baptism
is, it is howeverof the greatest utility, since that same Holy
Spirit, who worked in the Apostles and Martyrs, is also given
to us, and that same divine virtue spreads through our
hearts, which, if we want to use it manfully, we too will be
victorious in spiritual battles, as the Saints were. For this
reason, those deserve great reproach, who, showing little
esteem for such a great treasure, pass not only pueritia, but
also youth and more mature age without having received
this venerable sacrament, whose excellence and dignity,
besides other things, is demonstrated to us in this, that only
the Bishop is its proper and ordinary minister. As for the age
at which the child must be confirmed, it will be, generally
speaking, a suitable time after the seventh year, or
thereabouts, when for the most part the use of reason is
already beginning, and consequently the soldier of Christ
must already be armed to be able to fight spiritually, for
which the too young children are not yet suitable.

Chapter 21

OF THE CONTEMPT OF WORLDLY FEAR.

From this sacrament the father will be able to derive a very
useful document for the education of his son, that is to
remind him often, that he despise every worldly fear, and
banish from himself every vicious shame, and openly in
word, and in deed, and with his whole life make an open
profession of Christianity; which is so important, that |
almost dare to say, that in this consists the sum total of the
documents of the Christian life; for the majority of men
withdraw from those means, which are the most certain and
the safest way to lead them to health, and do not flee, but
rather follow those things, which lead to sin, and to
damnation, just for this fear of the world. And, as a saintly
man well says, what will be said, and what will not be said,
are a great net, with which the devil leads many souls to
eternal perdition. Therefore let the father admonish his son
often, that he has been anointed with the sacred oil of
chrism, and has been marked by the Episcopal hands, with
the sign of the Holy Cross, which is the character, and the
imprint of the Christian militia in the middle of the forehead,
which is the place where the passions of fear, and of shame,
appear most, with the blush, and with paleness, so that he
may understand that nothing must frighten him, nor should
he be ashamed, so that he does not freely confess Christ
crucified, which confession does not consist only in saying, l
am a Christian, with simple words, but it is necessary to do it
with living works, in conformity with the Christian law and
profession, otherwise he will be of the number of those of
whom the Apostle Saint Paul says, with words they confess
to know Christ, but with facts they deny him. Therefore, the
father is accustomed to hold the child in higher esteem than

what God will say, than what the foolish world will say. And
because the affection of shame is good in children, when it
is moved by the knowledge and repentance of some defect
committed, they are therefore accustomed to be ashamed of
their sin, and of having failed in their duty as good
Christians, and not as many do, who are ashamed not to do
evil, or at least to do good, of which the Saviour says in the
Gospel: Whoever has erubescence of me, and of my
doctrine, of this one will have erubescence the son of the
Virgin, when he comes in his majesty, and glory of his father.
For this reason it will be a good and useful custom for the
son to mark his forehead often with the sign of the Cross, as
we read that it was the custom of Christians in the early
Church, so that he may often remember that he bears the
sign of the Knight of Christ, and he renews inwardly the
resolve, to want openly, and as is customary to say, with his
face uncoveredì, to confess in his life, and in his actions
Christ crucified, saying with Saint Paul, | do not blush, nor
am | ashamed to preach the Gospel.

Chapter 22

OF THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST, AND HOW THE FATHER
MUST SEE TO IT THAT HIS SON IS DEVOTED TO IT.

If it is the duty of a good father to teach his son to show
great reverence for all the sacraments, ordained by God,
most precious vessels of grace, and efficacious instruments
of our health, he has no doubt that with much greater
diligence he must strive to ensure that he reveres them
singularly, and be very devoted to the most holy sacrament
of the Eucharist, where, after the consecration under the veil
of those specimens of bread, and of wine, that we sensibly
see, and taste really, truly, and sustantially is the source of
all the graces of Jesus Christ S. N. author of the life, and
donor of the Holy Spirit. N. author of life, and giver of glory.
This is the memorial of his blessed passion. This is the
sweetest pledge of the inestimable love that he bears us,
since not content with having died for our redemption, he
made himself food for our souls, to unite us and incorporate
us into himself with the closest union of love. Food that
gives life, vigor, and strength to the soul, so that it can
perform living works, which are appropriate to it in spirit,
virtue, and holiness, not differently from the natural
nourishment that gives strength to the body, so that it can
vigorously exercise its actions. This is the celestial fire,
which nourishes in our hearts the warmth of devotion. This is
the true manna, which has every flavor of suaveness, and it
relieves us of the taste of the flesh of this unhappy Egypt.
This is the dew that restrains the ardor, and the flames of
the fomite, and of concupiscence, because that virginal
flesh, concocted by the operation of the Holy Spirit of blood
equally virginal, and pure, without any sobriety of lust,
confers particular virtue to whoever worthily feeds on it,

against the carnal impetus. In this way, young people in
particular, in whom the fires of lust usually blaze the most,
need to communicate often with all humility, so that they
may preserve unharmed and immaculate the flower of holy
virginity, most grateful to God.

Therefore, as we have begun to say, let the good father
accustom the child to revere supremely the holy sacrament
of the Altar, and in every good way let him kindle in his
tender heart this fire of love and devotion.

To this end, it will be useful to teach him to adore it with
great veneration in the Church, to accompany it in solemn
processions, and while it is being carried to the sick, with the
lighted torch in his hand, and with his head uncovered.
Similarly, when he encounters it by chance, and when it is
necessary to pass by the tabernacle where it is placed, he
should never forget to greet it reverently, and with a
humiliated heart, and with his knees bowed to the ground.

When the child has reached the age of discretion, so that he
may already be able to discern the excellence of this
heavenly bread from that of the earth, let him communicate
it according to the judgment of his confessor, and gradually,
as his capacity grows, introduce him to the more frequent
use of this most divine sacrament. Do not fail to teach him
how, in order to sit at the table of the supreme King, it is
necessary to have white garments, that is, a pure soul,
washed from sins in holy confession. Add with how much
reverence, and with a holy loving and filial fear, with how
much interior recollection, and also exteriorly, with how
much devout composition of the whole body, one must
attend that sacrosanct and tremendous table, to feed on the
bread of the Angels.

These and other necessary things the father will teach his
son all the more easily, if with the instruction of words, he
joins the more effective instruction of work and of his own
example, for since children, as we have said elsewhere, are
by nature disposed to imitation, they will always do more

readily and with pleasure what they see their fathers and
mothers do.

Chapter 23

OF SOME WHO DO NOT APPROVE OF COMMUNICATING
OFTEN.

It is a sad fact that among those who have the title and the
profession of being followers of Christ, there are some who,
priding themselves on the name, are nevertheless ashamed
to appear Christian in their deeds and in their effects, of
which shame, vicious and pernicious, was spoken of not so
long ago. And of these there are two ways, for some know
and approve of good, and choose to do it, but because of a
certain pusillanimity, and fear of being shown the finger,
they do not dare to reveal themselves as true disciples of
Christ and faithful observers of his doctrine, but they are like
Nicodemus, who secretly and by night converse and
negotiate with the Savior, and by mid-day with the
Pharisees, that is, with sinful men, and friends of the glory of
the world.

But of a worse kind are those others, who despise and mock
the works of true and pious Christians, which they do not do
so much for lack of faith, which already do not deserve the
name of faithful and Catholics, but so as not to be spoiled by
the world, and to serve more freely the appetites and desires
of the flesh. And as they deride many of the exercises of
Christian piety, considering them the work of women, and of
simple people, they make in particular a certain profession
of not approving the frequenting of the holy sacraments, of
confession, and communion, saying that it is enough to
observe the precept of confession, and communion once a
year, which if the Church did not constrain them with the
fear of punishment, perhaps they would also do it, but they
want to appear wise with advantage, blaming their little

devotion, with a foolish prudence, and with a false, and
simulated reverence, discussing that it is not convenient to
contract such familiarity, and domesticity with God, as if any
good could happen to us, without being servants of God,
and without being united with him, as much as possible. But
if l am not mistaken, the truest reason for their fear of
becoming too familiar with God is because they do not want
to distance themselves from another familiarity, which they
like too much, that is, from the close understanding and
bond that they have with the freedom of the flesh, and with
the world, and with disordered lusts.

It is added that this is one of Satan's cunning, who, not
being able to bear the love of God for men, has arrived at
such a sign, that he has not only made himself a man, but
food and nourishment for men, and knowing by experience
how strong is this armor, against all his insults, he seeks
through envy and anger to divert his children, for whom this
bread is prepared, from the precious table of his heavenly
Father, and he moves every machine so that the souls do not
feed on that food which, received worthily and with due
preparation, makes them very strong and insuperable from
his temptations.

Now | do not intend to reject in this place, with more words,
such a false sentence, unworthy of a Christian man, | will
only say that there has been no lack, as there has never
been a lack in the Holy Church, of men of spirit and doctrine,
who have opposed this battering ram of the Devil with a
wall, and have written useful books in this matter, evidently
proving the necessity, and the fruit of frequent communion,
made however with that disposition, and with those
circumstances that are deservedly suited to such a
sacrament. And already by God's grace, and by the
solicitude of religious men, and servants of God, the use of
the good is multiplied in such a way, and has so confirmed

the doctrine with the work, that now the ancient serpent
does not dare in this part, so openly, as in later years it used
to, to vomit its venom.

And to end this digression, it is not said that each of the
faithful people indiscriminately is fit to communicate often,
but it is well to remind our father of the family, and for
himself and for his son, that they have great devotion to this
wonderful sacrament, that they listen with their inner ears to
the sweet invitations of Christ, who above all desires to eat
with us, that they try to live with purity of heart, as far as
our human frailty implies, purging the maculae of the soul
with penance, and holy confession, so that with the
obedience of the discreet spiritual father, they may much
more often, than many ordinarily do not, eat at that divine
table, where we eat that bread, which makes us live forever.

Chapter 24

OF PENANCE OR CONFESSION,.

There are many infirmities, to which, as everyone knows
from experience, this frail and corruptible body of ours is
subjected, but many more and much more serious are those
of the soul, whose substance is too noble and delicate. The
diseases of the soul are the disordered passions, and our
unbridled affections, and in sum the many sins, in which we
overflow at all hours in a thousand ways. Therefore, if we are
diligent and concerned about the care of this transient body,
which is irreparably dying, we should be much more
concerned about the soul, which is eternal in nature, and is
the most excellent and important possession of ourselves.

Now the spiritual medicine of the soul is the holy sacrament
of penance, or confession, where the virtue and efficacy of
the blood of Christ is applied to us in such a way that the
soul, which was previously dead through sin, recovers the
life of grace; something that no human medicine can do in
the death of the body. And even if the soul were not dead
from mortal sin, which is what spiritually kills it, but only
found itself languid and weak from the thick punctures of
the lesser and everyday faults, which are called venial, it
receives in this sacrament health, and acquires at the same
time vigor and strength of spirit, so as to be able to resist
temptation better, and to be farther from the dangers of
mortal sin; Therefore, holy confession is not only a curative
medicine, which restores the lost health of the inner man,
but it also has a preservative virtue, by which the soul is
preserved and perseveres through divine grace not to fall
easily into sin. And therefore, just as for those who have
fallen into mortal sin, there is no other remedy for health

than the sacrament of penance, so for others it is extremely
useful and fruitful; Therefore venial sins, even if they do not
deprive the soul of the life of grace, as mortals do,
nevertheless weaken it, and cool the fervor of devotion, and
little by little after many small blows, such an indisposition
comes about, that when a rather strong temptation comes,
the soul is thrown miserably to the ground; For this reason,
those who are not very prudent are those who do not
estimate the faults and the less serious falls, to whom
happens what the Sage says, He who despises the smallest
things little by little makes a great fall. And it is marvelous
to see how these same ones, in temporal things, and in
things of the flesh, feel very differently, with the result that
as far as possessions are concerned, they not only avoid
great losses, but also small ones; and as for the body, not
only do they guard against mortal wounds, but also against
any light wound, and it is natural to flee not only the total
destruction of this compound, and the deprivation of a
principal member, such as an eye, or an arm, but there is no
one who voluntarily chooses to lose even the extreme part of
a small finger, only for the health and integrity of the soul
are men prodigals.

Chapter 25

HOW CHILDREN SHOULD BE ACCUSTOMED TO THE
ABHORRENCE OF SIN AND TO CONFESSION.

Now the good Christian father, who does not want to rule
himself, nor even less his house with the false rules of the
world, but with the true rules of Christ, will teach his son
from his tender years to abhor sin absolutely, of whatever
manner it may be, as something ugly, harmful, and
displeasing to God, and at the same time to confess it
humbly. Therefore, beginning with minor things, it will be
useful to accustom the children to blush for things they have
done badly, seeing how their father and mother are
disturbed and offended by them, so that, feeling the sting of
shame and sometimes of punishment, they may regret
having committed them; in this way they will gradually
become accustomed to fearing offending their supreme and
heavenly Father God. They will make a great effort in this, as
perhaps some might doubt, because of the little capacity of
the putti; For just as beauty, and the vagueness of virtue is
revealed by its splendour, and brings by itself a certain
delight, which invites and attracts the soul, which is not yet
accustomed, and hardened to evil, so on the contrary every
sin, and whatsoever defect one wishes, and deformity, if it
were not sin itself, makes itself known, and is naturally
abhorred, and even in animals, which have a certain greater
shade of reason, signs of sorrow sometimes appear, and of
repentance for having done any evil. For this reason it is
appropriate to nourish these seeds in the child, so that he is
ashamed of the fault, not only out of respect for his father's
presence, or fear of reproach and punishment, but also
because the fault itself is ugly and disgusting.

It is also very important to train children not to obstinately
deny their faults, but rather to confess them humbly, and to
ask for forgiveness; and for this reason it is well done, that
when they make themselves guilty, and humble themselves,
and promise to amend, the father becomes more exorbitant,
and easier to forgive. This will be a good way for the child to
gradually become humble, reverent, truthful, and fearful of
his father, in the hope of being able to obtain forgiveness in
the tribunal, so to speak, of the paternal judgement, and his
mind will be disposed to go in truth to the tribunal of Christ,
that is, in the sacrament of holy confession, which is of great
importance, and at the same time one will acquire a good
habit of humbly confessing one's sin, and not excusing it,
but detesting it with confidence in divine mercy, with the
firm intention of not committing it again. Truly it is a thing
worthy of compassion to see how this proud sensuality of
ours goes most unwillingly to confess its sin; indeed we are
so far from accusing ourselves, that we immediately find
apparent reasons and a thousand arguments to excuse
ourselves; which we have through the ancient heredity of
Adam, who, when questioned by God why he had eaten the
forbidden apple, instead of confessing his crime and asking
forgiveness, rejected it in the woman, and a little less in God
himself, saying The woman whom you have given me for a
companion has given me some apple. Now, as I have begun
to say, confession seems to be a heavy yoke to our flesh;
and the very cunning devil, so that we do not escape from
his bonds, tries to render that shame which he first takes
away from the sinner so that he commits the sin, after he
has committed it, so that he either escapes or does not
confess it. Therefore, it is necessary to begin early to train
the child to carry the Lord's gentle yoke; not differently from
what is done by the peasants, who put some light wicker
collars on their young calves destined for the plough, and
then make them a little heavier, so that the real yoke may
be less heavy and less tedious for them. Let the good father,

therefore, often lead his little son to the feet of his confessor,
where, in penitent acts and words, as he may be able, he
gradually learns holy humility, kneeling devoutly, beating
his breast, kissing the priest’s hand, and taking his blessing.
And in the rest the confessor will sweetly comfort him in
virtue, promising him that Jesus Christ will give him paradise
if he is good and obedient to his father and mother. And
after this he will make him do some cotal puerile
penitentiola, to introduce him little by little to do in due time
the true satisfactions, and briefly he will instruct him with
other similar ways, as best will seem to the prudence of this
confessor, who will not consider it a trivial thing, nor of small
moment, to insert by this way in the soul of the child, as ina
soft soil, the seeds of the fear of God, which with the divine
grace will then produce great fruit.

Chapter 26

HOW IMPORTANT A GOOD CONFESSOR AND SPIRITUAL
FATHER IS.

One cannot consider, nor report without pain, that men are
commonly very prudent in things of the flesh, and in those
of the spirit, and of their health, not very prudent, and very
negligent, as in another regard we have touched upon
above. Hence it is that for bodily health an excellent doctor
is procured, not wasting any expense, and it is sought that
he has perfect knowledge of our complexion, and he is
discussed with him very minutely, even during the time of
health, so that when we are ill, he knows how to better treat
the evil from the root. And since the doctor is well
instructed, and we have a certain faith in him, we do not go
lightly to change him, on the contrary we see that the
appearance of our own doctor alone is a way of medicine in
hell. Now it would be very just, if this same prudence were
observed in the care of the soul, and if penitents did not go
every day to a different spiritual doctor; many things could
be said about this, but | will leave them out so as not to be
too long. | will only say that all the fathers and teachers of
the spirit have considered it of the utmost importance, and
almost the sum of Christian life, to have a firm and ordinary
director, and a spiritual father expert in the government of
souls, and full of charity, and who knows how to pity the
sick, and has, as they say, knowledge and conscience; under
whose hand, and obedience to others, he governs himself in
all his actions, proceeding with great truth, and with sincere
openness of the whole heart. Our affairs will now be safe,
when they will be approved by this charioteer and rector of
our life; which we must hold firm, not only because of the
particular knowledge he will have of the complexity, so to

call it, of our soul, but because of the special light, which
God will grant him, according to the place he holds, for our
benefit and health. Therefore let the good father teach his
son this doctrine, not only with words, but with the practice
of himself, so that the son may see the honor and esteem
which his father places on his parishioner, or on any other
wise confessor whom he may have chosen, as is the case in
large cities, where there is a large number of religious and
approved confessors, and seeing that he reports to his
council all the important decisions of his house, he should
also learn to do the same when he becomes the father of a
family; And in such a case let the father, as has been said,
lead his son always to the same confessor, and assign him to
him as a guide and teacher; and he, like a pilot ship, will
lead him, with the help of divine grace, through the many
storms of this life, into safe harbor. And let it not be doubted
at all, that even if the spiritual father were less prudent and
practical in human affairs than we are; nevertheless God
through his minister, as has been said, will correspond to our
faith, as experience itself, at all hours, clearly shows us.

Chapter 27

DE I TRE ULTIMI SACRAMENTI ET IN SPETIE DELL'ESTREMA
UNTIONE.

There is littIe need to discuss the last three remaining
sacraments, since we have already spoken at length about
marriage, and perhaps we will need to say something about
Holy Orders when we discuss the election of the clerical
state, and the sacrament of extreme unction; it does not
seem that much can be learned for our education, since this
sacrament does not take place except when we are about to
depart from this life, nevertheless, so as not to pass it away
completely in silence, we say that if this sacrament is proper
to those who are already close to death, so that it seems that
it should be given only once, nevertheless it is certain that if
one does not die of that infirmity, it can be repeated,
whenever a similar need arises, that is, that death be judged
to be above us, and not only can it be done, but it must be
done in that difficult passage, on leaving this valley of tears,
at the moment when the soul, with greater and more
dangerous pain, has to meet its enemies at the door, one
must arm it with the virtue of this sacrament, as that which
was instituted by Christ our Lord to comfort the soul in that
last battle, besides that sometimes this same sacrament also
confers the health of the body, if it is an expedient for the
good of the soul. And since we are speaking of the
sacrament of the sick, it must not be forgotten that the good
father, by the admonitions he gives at the right time and
place, and by the example of himself, must teach his son
that when he falls ill, immediately the greatest care is to
have recourse to the spiritual doctor, evacuating the evil
humours of the soul, that is the sins, for which bodily
infirmities often occur, by means of confession, and

proposing to change life for the better, and then the human
medicines will be more effective. And finally our father of
the family, who in life and in death must be an example to
his son of a perfect Christian, after having taught him how to
live well, will also teach him how to die well, which is more
important, disposing himself according to the saying of the
Holy Scriptures, to the things of his house, and in particular
by confessing devoutly, and receiving the most holy
viaticum, and by asking while he still has feeling, and life
the extreme unction, protesting to the last spirit thathe isa
true, and obedient child of the Holy Church. And this is
enough to have said about the seven sacraments of the
Gospel law. Now let us say something about the ten precepts
given by God at the time of the ancient law.

Chapter 28

THE DECALOGUE, OR THE TEN PRECEPTS OF THE LAW.

Although in the soul of man a law has been impressed and
engraved by God, and such a light that by it we discern
good from evil, the just from the unjust, and the honourable
from the contrary, nevertheless God wanted to give to his
people, through the hands of Moise his faithful servant, the
same law written in the two famous tables of stone, so that
the inner law of the heart, which by the malice of men, and
by the long tyranny of sin, was so darkened by this law,
written in the two famous tables of stone, so that the inner
law of the heart, which by the malice of men, and by the
long tyranny of sin, was greatly obscured by this new light of
the written law, might become clearer and more manifest.
Therefore God wrote his very short law, because it is
explained in ten precepts, and nevertheless it is the sum of
all the laws, indeed these same ten precepts are reduced to
a much smaller number, that is to two only, that is to the
love of God, and of one's neighbor, from which as the Savior
said in the Gospel, hangs the whole law and the prophets.
So that the whole law is reduced to a single precept, of
which the Apostle, writing to the Romans, said, the fullness
and compliment of the law is love and delight. And Christ
himself, our Lord and Master, confirming and explaining the
law given in the Old Testament, reduced everything to love,
so much so that this alone was the sign, and so to speak the
mark of a good Christian, when he said to the Apostles: This
will be known by men that you are my disciples, if you love
one another. From here one understands how not only the
law of God is not serious, but how wise it is, and how little
we are worthy of excuse for not observing it, and how worthy
we are of punishment for our transgressions. For this reason

St. Augustine says divinely: Who is he who dares to say that
it is impossible for man to love? | say love the creator and
benefactor, the most loving father, and then also love
himself, his brothers, and his neighbors? Now he who loves
God and his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Chapter 29

HOW CHILDREN MUST BE TAUGHT TO BE OBSERVERS OF
THE DIVINE LAW.

Therefore, let the good father try to instill in the child’s soul
a great reverence for the law of God, a holy fear and a firm
resolve never to transgress it, but rather, with divine help,
without which our strength is weak and insufficient, to
observe and guard it always. It will therefore show how
much we are obliged to observe the will of God, which he
has deigned to manifest to us in his holy law, for he is our
God, that is our Lord, our Creator, who has redeemed us,
who maintains us, from whom we have and expect every
good in time and in eternity. He is the Judge, before whose
Tribunal we must all represent ourselves, and there each one
will be given a strict account of the observance or non-
observance of the law. So that the good father, sometimes
with the lure of love and reward, sometimes with the lash of
fear and punishment, will move the tender soul of the child,
forming and imprinting in it some Christian maxims, most
useful throughout life, both to withdraw us from evil and to
spur us to good); for it is a great uplift in good and virtuous
works, and almost a refreshment of food and drink to those
who toil, to remind themselves of the will of God, with these
or similar words: God commanded me, God wills it, | do this
for God. And for the other part, God does not want it, God
has forbidden it, it displeases God, God forbid me to do it, |
will never do such a thing, which offends God. These and
similar sentiments, rooted in our hearts from childhood,
through good doctrine, and much more through good
paternal example, since as has been said many times, and it
cannot be said often enough, this is the most effective way
of persuading, these precepts, | say, are like a very strong

shield, against all the temptations of the devil, who loses as
they say his temper, when he finds a firm and resolute mind,
that for anything in the world, no matter how great,
beautiful or pleasant it may be, nor for any harm or danger
that may overtake him, he does not want to transgress the
law of God; in this way was raised up Saint Joseph, and the
chaste Susanna, and a thousand others, of whom the divine
writings and the histories of the Saints are full.

Chapter 30

AS THEY MUST LIKEWISE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO
REVERENCE FOR HUMAN LAWS.

It is also necessary that the child becomes accustomed to
reverence and observe human laws, not so much for fear of
punishment, as for the love of virtue, being convinced that
the Princes and Superiors are God's Lieutenants on earth,
and that all power is from God, and the very law of God
commands us this obedience, so that whoever resists human
power resists the order of God. Let the father, therefore, seek
to imprint love and reverence in his son towards the Prince
and the Republic, and because, as has been said elsewhere,
in the family government one sees a certain image of
political rule; for the greater things, it will be very useful for
the son to be ready to obey the domestic laws, and to see
that his family promptly obeys them, and to prove and
recognize in himself and in others the reward and
punishment of obedience and of non-obedience; often he
hears his father praise the Prince and the Governors, who
maintain justice and provide for all, as common fathers, as
will be said below, and when it becomes necessary for the
father to exercise some public office, or to do something
according to the order of the laws, let him warn his son, and
let him show that he does what he does, with gladness and
readiness to obey as he must, the prince, and the laws, so
that the son also may be well disposed to do the same, not
judging, but obeying his superiors. How necessary and
salutary this is, the calamities of our times, the many
revolutions of states, the rebellions of peoples, despisers of
divine and human laws, show us all too openly. And this is
enough for now, since something else pertinent to this same
matter will be found in the precept of honoring relatives.

Chapter 31

OF THE FIRST PRECEPT. THOU SHALT NOT HAVE ALIENS.

Let us briefly discuss the ten commandments, in order to
derive from them some instruction in practice, as our
institution requires. | say, then, that there is only one true
God, the creator of Heaven and earth, as we said above in
the Apostolic Creed, and that God is the first, supreme, and
infallible truth, and therefore all faith must be given to him;
this God is all-powerful, most gracious and most ready to do
us good, and therefore in him we must place all hope, he is
finally an abyss of infinite goodness, so it is right that we
love him with all our heart, so that under this precept come
the three virtues, called Theological, faith, hope, and
charity, without which, we cannot please God, nor obtain
eternal life. Now it is to be known that the precept of the
ancient law, which says thus, you shall not have alien gods
in my presence, contains in itself two precepts, one of which
has the force to command, and the other to prohibit, and so
it is as if it said, You shall render supreme honor to me true
God, and not to false gods. How many obligations we have
to love and revere this great and excellent God, we have
said enough above, as far as it pertains to our matter, in the
explanation of the Apostolic Symbol. Let the good father,
therefore, be careful to remind his son at all hours of the
holy fear and love of God, since at all hours, even now, or
rather at every moment, his graces and benefits rain down
upon us, and every creature cries out and invites us to love
and honor him. May the child be filled with a holy
confidence, so that in every need he may have recourse to
God's help, and hope in Him.

Let him learn in his mind, and speak often those words
spoken by the Savior, speaking of this first commandment,
that is, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the highest
and first commandment. The second commandment is
similar to this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself; in
these two commandments consist the whole law and the
prophets. So far these are the words of the Redeemer, from
which we understand what a saint pointedly said, that the
measure of loving God is to love him without measure.

Chapter 32

OF THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST THE FIRST PRECEPT, AND IN
SPITE OF THE HERETICS.

Many are those who, contrary to the first precept of the law,
do not render due honor to the true and supreme God, such
as the idolaters, infidels, Mohammedans, and Jews, but
leaving the others aside, in this number are also the
heretics, who worship the vain idols of their false, and
damned opinions, idols truly made of gold, and silver, that
is, doctrines fabricated, and adorned with a certain splendor,
of lying holiness, and of a sound, andof a light of pestiferous
eloquence, that dazzles the eyes of the sampled. Now, how
the good Christian and obedient son of the Church must
guard against their deceptions and snares, always
withdrawing to the strongest and impregnable stronghold,
which is the Holy Roman Catholic Church, has been
discussed at length above, so that in this place, which has
fallen into their lies, we do not need to say anything else,
except to remind the good father, that he should keep his
son far away from any trade with heretics, neither for the
sake of gain, nor for the sake of trade, nor for the sake of
curiosity to see foreign regions, nor to learn chivalry, ne to
learn sciences, ne studies, ne for any human interest,
exposes him lightly to so much danger, to lose the precious
margarita, | mean the purity of faith, and if for the bodily
health, so much guard is made, et private, et public in time
of plague, and all commerce is forbidden, not only of
persons, but of goods and of the letters themselves, what
should be done by the public vigilance and by the paternal
solicitude, so that the youth may not be infested or even
feel the wind or the breath of heresy? Many things could be

said about this, and especially for those places which are
closest to this most dangerous infection.

Chapter 33

OF FLEEING SPELLS.

But leaving the rest to paternal prudence, and to the care of
the superiors, we pass on to speak of a miserable abuse,
which by the cunning of the devil, is sown in many parts of
the Christian people, | speak of incantations, sorceries,
auguries, and other similar superstitions, and vanities, which
have a great kinship with Idolatry and through them God is
greatly dishonored, and the devil is honoured, if sometimes
it seems to the simple ones to use pious things, and words of
piety, and religion, being proper to Satan, as the Apostle
Says, to transfigure himself into an Angel of light. Therefore
the good father should teach his son, when he is able, and
according to need, | say, and by the exhortation of words,
and by his own example, how these things are to be
avoided. And how severely God is offended by having
recourse in any way to the devil by tacit agreement, or
indeed by express agreement, for the devil is the greatest
enemy of God and of man, and seeing that through his own
fault he has fallen from the height of glory, to which man
has been raised by the great goodness of God, the accursed
man cracks, and becomes furious with anger, and tries by all
means to ensnare man in the same net of his condemnation;
So it is never to be trustedì, if it should appear that through
him and his enchantments some secret is revealed, or some
apparently profitable thing is achieved; one must not trust
the most cunning and irreconcilable enemy, who has no
greater thirst than for our perdition; everything is
simulation, everything is deception; in short, the Devil has
no good for himself, so much less can he give it to others.
Therefore, fathers do very badly, who, in order to know the
future events, which God has placed in his power, lead their

children to certain unworthy astrologers, who, uncertain of
the present things, recklessly arrogate to themselves the
knowledge of the future. And they do evil likewise when in
their own diseases, and those of their children, they go to
enchanters, and use the remedies of very vain and
superstitious women; against whom God is angry, not less
than He was angry against the impious King of Israel,
Chozia, who, being ill, sent to the Idols to know if he should
be healed; for which reason God commanded Elijah to meet
the King's messengers and speak to them in this way: Is it
not God in Israel, that you go to seek counsel from
Beelzebub, God of the Akharachians? But God says, From
the couch where thou art laid, thou shalt not come down,
but shalt die of death. Let the father therefore take care not
to give his simple son similar examples; but in all his needs
let him have recourse first to God our Father, and then to the
common and ordinary remedies of human art and prudence.
And remember what God tells us through the mouth of the
prophet: Invoca me in die tribulationis, eruam te, et
honorificabis me, that is, have recourse to me in the time of
tribulation, | will free you, and you will honor me. Beware
also of auguries, dreams, and the observance of days, and
times, made not for natural reasons, but for the sake of mere
survival, and of other similar vanities; for the imitation of
these things sticks so strongly in the minds of the young,
and they remain so impressed upon them, that they retain
them all their lives, to the serious detriment of their souls;
Moreover, often these imaginations, more than puerile, make
the soul vile, and incapable of honorable actions; and finally
these things are ridiculous to men of intellect. And because
these are vices proper to women, the prudent mother of a
family must use great vigilance, so that this scabies does not
spread to her daughters, especially through the trade of
some wicked and diabolical old women, who must not be
allowed to enter houses where the fear of God reigns. It
seemed to me to extend myself somewhat in this matter,

because curiosity, avarice, and various disordered passions
of men, are not lightly sinned against by many.

Chapter 34

OF REVERENCE TO THE ANGELS AND SAINTS OF HEAVEN.

One could not sufficiently express the great love that the
Saints, who gloriously reign with Christ in Heaven, bring to
the rest of us, who wander through this valley of tears, and
through this terrible desert full of innumerable dangers, and
the snares of our enemies, we walk to the land of promise,
and to the heavenly Jerusalem our mother, to which the
saints have already arrived, and are already assured of their
own glory, and on the other hand, all burning with charity in
the fire of the first, and immense love, that is in God himself,
are greatly desirous, and so to say anxious for our health.
And for this reason they intercede and pray continuously for
us to the Supreme King of Glory, who by their merits and
prayers grants us many graces, as the evidence in all
ancient and modern times has openly demonstrated, so that
if only one is our mediator, who with his own blood has
reconciled us to the Eternal Father, of whom it is written. We
have with the Father the Advocate, the just Christ, and he is
the propitiator, and the one who merited us, and obtains for
us the forgiveness of our sins, many nevertheless are our
intercessors, that is the Saints of Heaven, living members of
Christ, and united with inseparable union of love to him, and
consequently most grateful to the eternal Father, as the
Saviour himself said on earth to his disciples: Know that the
Father loves you, because you have loved me. And if God
has done marvellous things to the prayers of his Saints,
while they were still in this exile, clothed in frail and mortal
flesh, as the divine writings and other histories are full of,
how much more will he grant them now in Heaven, where
gratitude is consummated and beatitude perfect, and where
the saying of the Psalmist is fulfilled, your friends and God

are honoured above all. For this reason the Holy Catholic
Church, our mother, to whom the Holy Spirit teaches and
reveals every truth, has always taught her faithful to revere
the Angels and the Saints of Heaven, and to appeal with
supplication to their prayers and aids, glorifying in them
God, who, as the Prophet says, is admirable in his Saints,
and has often disposed to grant us graces, not otherwise
than through the intercession of the Saints. Let us therefore
pray to the Most Holy Trinity and to the only-begotten Son of
God as the author of all graces, but let us also pray to the
Saints as friends of God and intercessors of graces.
Therefore, instituted by our Most Holy Mother, we say to
God, Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us, Son of God,
Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. But we pray to
the Angels and the Saints in another form, that is, St.
Michael now for us, St. Peter now for us, Saints of God
intercede for us, recognizing the difference between the
Lord and the servants, between the Creator and the
creatures, between the King of Glory and his dear and
intimate relatives. Perhaps | have gone on too long in this
discourse, but | excusimi good zeal, while | consider how
much venom the ancient serpent has tried to spread,
especially in our times, both in this and in many other
catholic truths.

Chapter 35

OF THE PARTICULAR DEVOTION TO THE MOST HOLY MOTHER
OF GOD.

Therefore the good father, accustomed the child at an early
age, to show great reverence to the glorious Saints, and
especially to the most blessed Queen of Heaven, exalted
above all the Saints, and above all the choirs of the Angels,
Mother of God, Mother of mercy, Mother of all the children of
grace, Most merciful advocate of sins, so that, just as the
child begins to develop his tongue and to stammer a few
words, so too, by the efforts of the devout Mother, he begins
to utter, even if imperfectly, the sweetest names of Jesus
and Mary, imitating the reverence that the mother has in
uttering them. Let him also see often some beautiful and
devout image of our Lady in his mother’s room, and see how
reverently his mother and the others bow to her, and then
learn the angelic greeting, that is the Hail Mary, and greet
her morning and evening with devotion; When the child
grows up a little in his needs, let his mother lead him to Our
Lady, and there with him he should commend himself to his
mother and to her sweetest child, and let the child believe
that some of these little children's houses, which that age
delights in, are sent to him by Our Lady and the little child,
or that the father gives them to him because he is devoted
to Our Lady; Let him also offer something to the most holy
Virgin, such as wreaths of flowers, and similar, and let him
learn and practice frequently the devout and useful prayer
of reciting the crown, and the Holy Rosary, and in short, from
time to time, let him nourish himself in the child’'s breast,
and increase the fire of devotion towards the Mother of God,
so that throughout his life he may have her as his special
advocate, and protector. And if this should be done in male

children, it should be done even more in females, to whom
this most high Queen should be proposed as a mirror, and
an example of humility, and of every virtue, and to her
especially the virgins, and the married ones, should
recommend themselves, as the one who alone is virgin, and
mother, glory, ornament, and crown of the feminine sex.

Chapter 36

OF REVERENCE TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL.

The child must also be taught to show reverence to the holy
Angels, and especially to his guardian Angel, recognizing
the great care that God has for us, and as for the soul, and
as for the body also, since to each one of us, although of a
very low state, he has given an Angel as a guardian, a most
noble creature, who always sees the face of God, and
nevertheless does not fail to always take care of man. And
therefore the child is accustomed to entrust himself to his
guardian angel, for whom the Holy Church has made a brief
and particular prayer; believe that his Angel never
abandons him, that he defends him from infinite dangers by
the will of God, and for the love he bears him, that he
represents his prayers to God, and that he prays for him,
that he rejoices when he is virtuous, and good, and on the
contrary he is sad when he is disobedient, and less solicitous
in the works of virtue. And that the Angel, being most
blessed in Heaven, desires nothing more than to lead him
too to that blessed glory. With these and other similar
exhortations and examples, which are easily found in the
divine Scriptures and in the lives of the saints, of the great
benefits that God grants us through the angels, the child
should be led to love his angel and to revere him in such a
way that, even when he is alone and hidden from human
eyes, he may have truthfulness and respect for the presence
of his guardian angel.

And to end this matter, we say that besides the honor due to
all the saints, it is also very good to have some in particular
devotion, and especially the one whose name the child
bears, that if human prudence teaches us too much, to

procure suitable means, to enter into the grace of some
great Prince, and deservedly honour, and recommend
ourselves to his favourites, much more we must do this
towards the saints, so that they may introduce us to God,
and bring us back with the favour, and with the grace they
obtain from His Majesty, the effect of our petitions.

Chapter 37

OF HONORING THE RELICS OF THE SAINTS.

So that men might better understand, how grateful and
acceptable it is to God that his saints be honored by us on
earth, whom his divine Majesty honors with inestimable
glory in Heaven, it has pleased God to illustrate to their
tombs with stupendous miracles, working through the
sacred ashes of the strongest martyrs, and other saints,
marvelous effects, freeing the oppressed from demons,
healing the sick, and raising the dead. Therefore, the Holy
Church, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, has always taught us
to honor the relics of the saints, and those blessed bodies,
which have been living members of Christ, and temple of
God, whose bodies will be raised by God immortal, and
glorious to eternal life. It is therefore part of the duty of
Christian piety to honor the tombs and the memories of the
saints, and to render them with interior affection and
exterior reverence that veneration which is fitting. And for
this reason the good father will also do in this part, his
offence towards his son, making him aware, how worthy of
being venerated are those members, who have suffered so
much for love of Christ, sometimes from the fury of tyrants,
sometimes through their own will in fasting, and maceration
of the flesh, and building up the holy Church by example, by
preaching, and by the doctrine which they have left us in
writing, and by a thousand other holy labours, so that from
these arguments the young man at the same time becomes
inflamed with a generous desire to imitate the virtues of the
saints, and acquires a certain warmth of devotion, which is
greatly aroused in us, who by means of the senses ascend to
the operations of the spirit with these visible objects, as in
seeing the places where the saints have suffered

martyrdom, or done penance, and where are the tombs, and
their holy relics.

Chapter 38

OF THE VENERATION OF SACRED IMAGES.

The spirit of devotion and the desire to imitate the sacred
images of Christ our Redeemer, of the Blessed Mother of
God, and of the saints, the use of which in the sacred
temples and in the houses of the faithful, as it is very
healthy, is also very ancient in the Holy Church. The
serpentine malice of the Devil has the place to take back
with reason the reverence that is done to the sacred Images
by taking off their biretta, basciandoli and bowing their
knees, because we do not honor those colors, nor that
matter, or marble, or wood, or metal that is, nor do we think
that in that image for itself there is any virtue and divinity,
for which we must honor it, and we do not direct our prayers
to the image, or expect help from it, but all our honor, and
prayers, and the hope of being heard, concerns the
representation of that image, so that adoring the image, and
figure of Christ our Lord we adore Christ himself, and
likewise we venerate the saints who reign with Christ, the
similitude of whom their images represent to us, not
otherwise than if they were themselves before our eyes. And
if any simple person should err in this matter, this does not
prejudice the truth, of which he must be instructed by the
legitimate teachers and fathers of souls. But because, as a
saint says, the faithful people are saved, not by the subtlety
of understanding, but by the simplicity of believing,
therefore the good father should accustom his son to revere
the sacred images, with Christian devotion and simplicity,
and according to the common custom of the faithful, and
finally with the spirit of the Holy Church, our mother, who
cannot err.

Chapter 39

OF THE MUCH FRUIT THAT CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM THE
VENERABLE IMAGES.

Among all our senses, the sense of seeing is very effective,
and the things that are seen make a greater impression on
the mind and are more easily preserved in the memory, for
which much fruit can be drawn from the venerable images,
for the Christian education of children, which we are still
discussing. We said above, in discussing the Apostolic
Symbol, how necessary it is to teach children the principal
mysteries of our holy faith. But in this case, it will be of no
small help to raise the child’s intellect, and to make him
more docile to the understanding of what he hears, to show
him the same thing expressed in figures and images, which
are like a book, where not only the learned, but also the
simple, can read, and learn with ease, and with delight,
beautiful histories of the great works of God, and of the
Saints, which have been described in long books. In ancient
times the walls of the churches were all painted with stories
of the Old and New Testament, as can be seen in the ancient
temples; from which paintings follow many utilities, because
the faithful people, reading in this way of book, as it is said,
learn with delight, and with a certain taste the mysteries of
our religion, and they confirm themselves more in the faith,
and they are also interiorly moved to devotion, and they
remember the great benefits, that God has made us, so that
it follows that they thank God. And truly the paintings in the
churches are like memorials, which reduce us to memory the
great mercies of God, and how we are perpetually obliged to
thank and bless Him. They are also an occasion, and a
matter of being able to pray in the holy Churches, which, as
the Saviour said, are a house of prayer, and not of vain

thoughts, and of useless reasoning; meditating now on the
Son of God made man for our health, being born in a most
vile crib, now being cruelly beaten on a column, and the
scourges due to our sins falling on his innocent shoulders;
now to suffer a most bitter and shameful death to free us
from eternal death, now to rise again, glorious, and
triumphant over his and our enemies; and this can be
understood of the other mysteries of the life of Christ, and of
the most holy Virgin Mother; which greatly excite the
devotion, and inflame us with the love of God, and likewise
seeing the images of the saints, and of their glorious
martyrdoms, inflames the heart to imitate them, and to bless
the wondrous God in his saints. And if the place allowed it,
one could find many examples of the conversion of many
sinners, who through some divine painting have entered
into the consideration of death, and of the punishments of
the damned, or of something similar, and have changed
their lives, and it is no wonder that painting moves even
more effectively than books and narrations do; for the fact is
proposed not as past, but as present, and not otherwise than
if in that same point it is performed in our presence, and
under our eyes, which without doubt has great power to
move our affection.

Therefore the father, as it is said, helps the weakness of the
puerile understanding, with the expression of the images, of
which naturally that age delights, and makes him learn the
doctrine of the same thing with two senses, that is with the
hearing, and with the face, which two senses, as the
philosophers say, are those through which we mainly learn
the knowledge, and the cognition of many things. I have
seen the articles of our faith, contained in the Apostolic
Symbol, having been masterfully engraved in copper, and
printed on a sheet, such that one could see at a glance the
whole doctrine of the Symbol, neatly arranged, and under
each mystery there were the words of the same Symbol. This

painting seems to me to be very useful, so that the child
learns with delight the Creed that we say, and so that he
understands it, and holds it more easily in memory, and in
the same way as the other similar paintings; as in spetie he
reminds me that he has seen not so long ago the seven
sacraments of the Church, which by the authority of a great
ecclesiastical person of supreme goodness, and doctrine,
were represented very vaguely in a figure, and declared
briefly with a beautiful and appropriate instruction.

Chapter 40

OF PLACING DEVOUT IMAGES IN VARIOUS PLACES IN THE
HOUSE.

It will therefore be expedient for the father of a family to
have many paintings in the house, which will motivate
devotion, and will be, as has been said, a reminder to the
child, and to all in the house, to turn our minds often to God,
and to accustom the child to look at them, and to greet them
reverently, not only in the house, and in the Churches where
we are most united with God, but also when in the streets,
and in public places, one encounters in the images, placed
in some conspicuous place, to excite divine devotion, and in
the Churches where we must be more united with God, but
also when in the streets, and in public places, one
encounters images, placed for this purpose in some
conspicuous place, to excite the devotion of the faithful, the
little child must not pass without bowing to them, so that he
may grow up and keep this good habit. And as for the
paintings of the Saints, which, as we have begun to Say, it is
very expedient to have in one's own house, those who
cannot have those made with colors, and with greater
artifice, it will be enough to have the printed ones, which
there are very beautiful, and are available for a small price;
and it is good to place them according to the size of the
house, not confusedly, but in some main places, although in
some part of the house, as in some oratory, or loggia, it will
also be good to have many images together, arranged with
order, and consequence of things; as for example, the fifteen
mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Madonna, and similar,
and such places are like spiritual gardens, for the recreation
of the soul.

Chapter 41

OF THE SIGN IN PARTICULAR OF THE CROSS.

But because the compendium of the mercies of God towards
man is the Holy Cross, where the most ardent love that Jesus
Christ bears us is vividly manifested, and this is the
victorious sign, which conquers the world and all hell, and is
our glory. Therefore, there must not be any Christian house
where the image of the Most Holy Crucifix is not placed in a
decent place, and where the little son can see his prostrate
father beating his breast, so that he too, both by his words
and by his father's example, as | am always reminding you
must do, becomes accustomed to remember the passion of
Christ, to thank him for the great benefit of our redemption,
and to abhor the sin for which Christ was crucified. For these
reasons, it is an ancient custom that the banner of the Cross,
under which we fight, is placed in an eminent place in the
churches; so that, just as the children of Israel in the desert,
looking at the bronze serpent, placed by Moisé as a sign,
were healed from the stings of the venomous serpents, so
we, looking at Christ, are healed from the venom of sin; For
this reason, crosses are also used to be raised in the public
streets, so that those who go by the road, having been well
educated as children to honor the holy sign of the Cross, arm
themselves with the memory of the passion of Christ,
against imminent dangers, as the Holy Church teaches us to
pray to God, with that brief prayer: Per signu Crucis de
inimicis nostris, libera nos Deus noster.

Therefore, one of the first things that must be taught to
children is to make the sign of the Holy Cross, and to repeat
it many times a day, as | recounted above in another
connection, which was the custom of the faithful in the early

Church, when the creed of the flesh was not disdainful of the
creed of the spirit; because, according to what is written by
very ancient authors, those first Christians, living portraits of
Christ crucified, and rising, and taking their breakfast in
bed, and leaving home, and entering the Church, and
placing themselves at table, and in every eventuality, very
frequently signed themselves; the example of whom must
imitate the good father, teaching his son to do so, at least
when he is relieved, and goes out of the house, and does the
things already said, in which he mainly dispenses himself
during the day, and when he enters to do something of the
moment, as in the negotiations, and human commerce very
often happens, begin from this good principle, invoking as is
usual in making the Cross the whole Holy Trinity, so that in
its name, and in its virtue, and through the merits of the
passion of Christ, all our actions may succeed happily. But in
spite of this, whenever he sees himself in some danger, or is
overcome by some temptation, he should immediately arm
himself with the Holy Cross, saying that well-known and very
effective verse of the Psalm: Deus in adiutorium meum
intende, etc.

And because the sign of the Cross is made, as is well known,
by extending the palm of the hand from the forehead to the
lower part of the breast, and from the left shoulder to the
right, the Father can, with brief words, in the very sign of the
Cross, teach the most lofty mystery of our redemption to his
son, so that by touching those four parts with his hand, he
may constitute, as a local memory of these four points, that
is, that Christ our Lord descended from the heights of
Heaven, and became incarnate in the virginal womb of Mary,
to free us from the left hand of the cursed and damned, and
to place us at the right hand in the number of the blessed of
the eternal father, so that we say, Amen, praying to God,
that through his mercy, and through the virtue and imitation
in us of the Holy Cross, he may make it so.

Chapter 42

OF THE VAIN, AND INHONEST PAINTINGS.

One cannot, after the things said above, leave aside to make
some just complaint, of the abuse that one sees in many
Christians, who not only keep in their houses devout images,
but on the contrary keep there vain paintings and statues,
and what is worse sometimes unholy, and impudent, and
they keep them in the most secret places, and where they
stay most of the time, and for the most part alone, as if the
fire, which we carry within ourselves, were not enough,
without trying to light it with these external foments, which
thing as it is full of great danger, so it is not without grave
offense of God, and of the Christian profession. And it is
something worthy of wonder, that sometimes one enters the
palaces and the houses of Christians, and looking around
one's eyes one does not recognize any sign that it is the
habitation of a Christian man, not to say that sometimes it
seems more likely to be the habitation of a gentleman. The
Christian is not forbidden to have beautiful houses, and
vineyards, and gardens, according to the decency of his own
state, but it would be right that in every house of ours,
Christian piety and virtue should shine forth, so that God
would have no cause to complain about us, as He did about
His own people, saying: because of you my name is
blasphemed among the unbelieving peoples. Therefore,
returning to the first point, | say that the good father, who
pretends to raise his children in a Christian manner, must
take great care not to keep in his house such vain and
dishonest paintings, which can be a source of fomentation
and stimulus to great vices; rather, wherever he can, he
must keep the eyes of his children far away from them, if
well they were of excellent masters, and of singular artifice,

and remember that if gold, and the gems that are nothing
but little corruptible earth, are guarded under many keys,
and are kept far away, and hidden from the eyes of others to
avoid any danger, how much more must this be done in
guarding the purity of a child, and of a virgin, so that the
devil does not steal it? | want to say that no caution should
seem excessive in something as important as the soul and
the health of children.

Chapter 43

OF THE SECOND PRECEPT, DO NOT TAKE THE NAME OF
YOUR GOD IN VAIN, AND HOW YOU HONOR THE NAME OF
GOD.

The precept of the law, which follows in the second place,
has much closeness and conjunction with the first, for after
the worship and honor that we must render to God, it
necessarily follows that we must also honor his most holy
name, that is, God himself, whose immense majesty is
signified to us by no name, if no name can express it
sufficiently. This second precept contains two parts: in the
first, we are commanded to honor the name of God, which is
done in many ways, as we shall demonstrate; in the second,
we are forbidden to despise the divine name, which can also
be done in many ways.

And so that the good father of a family may understand at
least in part how it is fitting to teach his son to reverence
God's holy name, and to guard against the contrary, we will
briefly discuss the two parts of the precept. | say, therefore,
that he who honors the name of God freely confesses it in
the sight of men, even at the risk of his life, when necessary.

Likewise he who humbly hears the word of God, and takes
delight in knowing his divine will, with a desire to carry it
Out.

The name of God is also to be honored, praising him
devoutly with prayers, psalms, and other prayers, according
to the teachings of Christ our Lord and of the Holy Church.

The name of God is greatly honored when we praise and
bless him in adverse and prosperous things.

And likewise, when we are afflicted and suffering, either in
body or soul, let us invoke the divine help with devout
affection, so that the Lord may give us patience and deliver
us, according to the good will of His holy will.

It also belongs to the honor of the divine name, when for the
confirmation of some truth, we take it as a witness, swearing
by God, as the author of all truth, and the truth itself, and
punisher of those who transgress it, this way of honor, is to
be understood with the conditions, which will be exposed
below.

From what has been said, if | am not mistaken, it will be easy
for a good father to understand how he must instruct his son
so that he may render all honour and reverence to the name
of God. And because, as has been said many times, children
learn most things by imitation, and example has great
power, so let the father express in himself, and in his
customs, that beautiful image of religion, and of Christian
decency, which he wishes to form, and impress on the
tender soul of his son. Let him, therefore, go willingly and
often to hear the word of God, and let him lead his son to it,
and let him teach him to hear it attentively, no less with
effect than with words.

Have the child learn some psalms in his mind, of those that
have been composed not by human artifice, but by the Holy
Spirit, and are sung in the Church, and some of the hymns
and canticles of the glorious Virgin, so that the child may
recite them sometimes in prayer, and sometimes in a certain
way of recreation, but always with devotion.

Instruct the father to a certain reverence and holy fear
whenever he hears or speaks the name of God, as one who
hears or speaks the sacred name of his Lord, and especially
to the sweetest name of Jesus, which means Savior, let him
bow or remove his cap, remembering how he saved us, and
thanking him with that act.

Let the child enjoy his father's good teaching and example
in attending the divine offices, where the praises of God are
sung, and let him hear his father say often in his mouth, in
the afflictions of this human life, the words of the most
patient Job: blessed be the name of the Lord. Let the father
also invite his son to give thanks to God in good times and
to commend himself to him in adversity, and fill him with
good confidence in the name of God.

Chapter 44

OF HONORING THE NAME OF GOD IN GREETINGS AMONG
FRIENDS.

It would also be very good if in the greetings that are made
among friends the name of God were mentioned more often,
not disdaining Christian simplicity, by saying God save you,
God give you good day, and if well when without adding
anything else we say good morning, it is understood that we
pray to God, the giver of all good, to give it to us,
nevertheless it is better to say it expressly so that the bond
of friendship, and the entrance to every reasoning, and
every negotiation is the name of God. | have heard it said,
that by the work of a great preacher, and of holy life, this
beautiful form of greeting was introduced in some parts, that
one said in greeting to his friend, praised be the name of
God, and the other replied, always be praised. We read that
other times at Easter time the faithful used to greet each
other in this way, The Lord is risen. And the friend rendered
the greeting with these words: Truly the Lord is risen, or the
one said, The Lord is truly risen, and the other answered,
and appeared to Simon, that is to Peter; and a famous writer
of the rites, and divine offitii warns that this should have
been done at that time. Other terms of good manners are
not taken up in the greetings and conversations, such as the
bowing of hands and the like, but the obligation we have to
always praise the name of God is recalled, and to show that
we are so educated in the school of worldly and courtly
manners that it does not appear that we are totally ignorant
of Christianity. And now that | have entered into these
recollections, which will perhaps seem minute, but if l am
not mistaken, they are useful and fruitful, | will also add this,
that it would be a praiseworthy custom for me also in the

greetings that are made among the absent ones in order to
give God his place, either in the beginning or in the end of
the letter, as we see in the Epistles of St. Paul, who always
prays in the beginning for the grace and peace of God, and
also concludes his Epistle with the same or similar sentence.
In short, the tongue of the Christian must always be ready
and willing to praise God, confirming what the prophet said:
Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore, semper laus eius in
ore meo. That is, | will bless the Lord at all times, and the
praise of his name will always resound in my mouth.

Chapter 45

OF THOSE WHO ABUSE, THE WORDS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.

It is not necessary to explain in detail how one despises and
dishonors the tremendous name of God, contrary to the
prohibition of the present precept, because from what we
have said above about praise, it is easy to gather what its
opposite is, which we must avoid with all study, but it is not
necessary to conceal a very bad custom of some people,
who, dyed with few letters, sometimes to seem sharp,
sometimes to move the laughter of others, sometimes to
vent their curses, sometimes for superstitious purposes,
abuse the holy writing, twisting the sentences of the
Gospels and other divine books to buffoonery, to impudent
words, to detractions, and famous books, to sorcery and
other vanities, against which the glorious St. John
Chrysostom wrote many centuries ago. St. Chrisostom, and
lately the great Council of Trent, has issued a most serious
decree ordering that this kind of men who are reckless and
profane of the word of God be severely punished. Therefore,
so that the roots of this plague may soon be cut off, let the
good father adhere to his son’s high veneration of the holy
and divine writings, in which God speaks to us, and has
shown us his will, and the way to our health, and likewise, if
in his City, or in the places where the young man must stay,
there is danger of such recklessness, let the young man
adhere to it, and especially if he has a lively intellect, and is
introduced to the study of literature, to abhor and detest
such irreverence, and above all to flee, as has been
mentioned elsewhere, from heretics, who abuse Holy
Scripture more brazenly and to the greater detriment of
souls, corrupting the true understanding of it, contrary to

the sense and consensus of the Holy Doctors of old, and of
the universal Church.

Chapter 46

OF THE HORRIBLE SIN OF BLASPHEMY.

And it is more worthy of tears than of words to see that in
the Christian people, called by the Apost. S. Peter, holy
people, and chosen generation, who have the true worship,
and the true religion of the true God, there are nevertheless
men so perverse, and so without fear of God, that they dare
to put their impure, and defiled tongue in Heaven, and to
blaspheme, and curse the tremendous name of God
almighty, creator, and sustainer of Heaven, and of the earth,
the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour, to whose name, as St.
Paul says, all creatures in Heaven, on earth, and in hell bow
down; the name of the most holy and immaculate Virgin
Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, our advocate, the most
excellent of all pure creatures; the name, finally, of the holy
friends of God, who reign with him in glory, and who are
continual intercessors for us before God. Truly one cannot
find sufficient words to deplore, and detest a sin so
abominable, and so inexcusable, because it cannot be
concealed in any way, neither under the pretext of human
frailty, nor with the vehemence of pleasure, nor with the
acquisition of any utility, indeed this diabolical and infernal
sin is openly demonstrated at first sight, and infernal sin,
raising in the company of the accursed Lucifer the horns of
pride directly and immediately against God, as if he wanted
to expel him from Heaven, and throw him from the chair of
his omnipotence, blaspheming the source of all good, which
all creatures bless, praise, and exalt forever. And what is
most to be lamented is that this detestable sin dwells most
in the noblest hosts, where it should least find shelter, |
mean among knights, who pride themselves on the clarity of
blood, and make a profession of honour, and the profession

of arms, who more than all should pursue this vice by the
law of true chivalry, as those who must be defenders of
religion, and of virtue; so that they often bear a particular
and public sign, adorning their chests and their rich robes
with crosses of gold and silk, and of various colors. And
nevertheless the effects of appearance are so discordant, |
do not say in all, but in many, that they take the blasphemy
of God and the Saints as a game, and in family and domestic
speech, without any emotion of mind, almost as a joke, and
for gracefulness they spread horrible blasphemies, and some
come to such blindness, that they give themselves to
understand that this is precisely the true way to appear
noble and valiant knights. Against whom, and against all
blasphemers great and small, if human justice is not
sufficient, or does not take care to remedy them, which I do
not think is worth seeking, God will use, in time and place,
his divine justice with such severity, as the words of God
himself, subject to this second precept, show to a good
understanding, when he says Nec enim habit insontem
Dominus eum, qui assumpserit nomen domini Dei frustra,
i.e., The Lord will not let pass without punishment the one,
who will take the name of his Lord God in vain. And if serious
punishment is threatened to those who take the name of
God in vain, what will become of those who choose to
blaspheme and curse Him?

Chapter 47

OF FATHERLY CARE ABOUT THE SIN OF BLASPHEMY.

May it please God through his infinite clemency, that the
time may come, that through good diligence, and private,
and public discipline, this detestable abuse of blasphemy
may be completely eradicated from the Christian people,
people of grace, and of blessing. But leaving to the
providence of the magistrates, that which pertains to the
public remedy, we will continue to give around this some
reminder to our father of the family.

| say, therefore, that this terrible sin of blaspheming God
and the Saints at every step, arises as with many other evils,
from small principles, not to restrain the tongue, and often
times, as it is easier to imitate evil, than good, this plague
sets in, having heard others blaspheme, and appearing to
the wretched youngsters to make a manly act, and to come
out, as they say, they burst out into some less serious
blasphemy, and then stopping with the frequency of the
acts to the worst ones, and repeating them sometimes as a
joke, sometimes out of anger, or other passion, a very
dangerous habit is contracted, and above all difficult to cure,
the tongue being a member of our body, which easily does
its work, and especially when it is accustomed to often
uttering some words; Therefore the good father should begin
in time to make remedies, so that by divine grace, and with
his solicitude, he may preserve his son’s soul from such
danger. All that we have said above about the reverence of
the divine name, confers on this; for he who is accustomed
to praise and bless God always, and to name his holy name
not in vain, but with fear and veneration, will not easily fall
into the vice contrary to this virtue, and if by any accident

he should fall, he will rise more easily. And because the fear
of punishment is a great brake on sin, it will be useful to
show the young man, already capable of this remedy, the
severity of divine judgments, and how much God hates this
sin; so that by his commandment, in the time of the old law,
blasphemers were stoned to death; and if it were not for the
great mercy of God, who waits for sinners to do penance, all
creatures would arm themselves against the blasphemer,
and the earth would open up to devour him alive. In short,
the young man is horrified to hear blasphemies, but never to
utter them. And this is one of the most necessary measures,
as mentioned above, that is, that the child does not hear
others blaspheme, nor curse, and similar things; for which it
is appropriate to take great care of the servants, and family
members of the house, and to warn each one to beware of
such pestiferous vices, otherwise the father of the family will
cleanse his house, and alleviate the scandal, if the servant is
useful for domestic service. The conversation of young
people of the same age is also very important, and if they
are not well brought up, they can do great harm. And
because this consideration of the conversation of children
and young people with their peers extends far and wide,
because of the inconveniences which it can bring to a good
education; for this reason we will perhaps speak in more
detail elsewhere. In any case, we say that those fathers who
teach their children to curse others, and to curse that this
and that evil may come to them, are much to be blamed,
and they laugh about it, and they make merry with the
children, so that they take pleasure in giving pleasure to
those who invite them to do so, and to take revenge in that
way against those who in some way offend them, so that an
innocent soul is poisoned with greater cruelty than if the
body were harmed. But our good and judicious father, just
as he will ensure as far as possible that his son's ears do not
hear such ways of speaking either in the house or outside
the house, so he will teach him to bless, and not to curse,

either man or any creature, so that he and his son may both
be blessed by God.

Chapter 48

MEMORABLE AND FRIGHTENING EXAMPLE OF A
BLASPHEMING CHILD.

In order that fathers may use the appropriate diligence and
caution in raising their children, and that they may be
moved to a just fear of the hidden judgments of God, it is
useful for me to relate a terrible example of a blasphemous
child, written by Saint Gregory, Supreme Pontiff and Doctor
of the Holy Church, in the fourth book of his Dialogues.

He says, therefore, that in the City of Rome, there was a man
known to all, who three years before had had a son of about
five years of age, loved by him too carnally, and therefore
nourished restlessly, that is without restraint of good
discipline, and of the fear of God, so that the child had taken
to custom, that as something was not to his taste,
immediately, what he had to say, blasphemed the Majesty of
God. It happened that, since the plague was at that time in
Rome, the boy was struck by it, and as God pleased, he
approached death. And being in the arms of his father, he
saw the evil spirits coming towards him, and looking at them
with fearful eyes, and trembling all over, he began to cry
out, help me father, help me father. And turning his face so
as not to see them, he tried to hide himself in his father's
bosom, who, seeing him so frightened, asked him what he
Saw, and the angel said: They have come, dead men, and
they want to take me away, and saying this, incontinently
blasphemed the name of the Divine Majesty, and
surrendering his soul, he died on the same spot, miserably.

Then the glorious Saint Gregory goes on to speak about why
God allowed that wretched child to blaspheme in such a

way, to die, and demonstrates the grave sin of his father,
which it is not necessary to go into at length. But | do not
want to leave out a notable sentence of that great father,
which serves not only for the present purpose but for many
others of our education, and it is this one.

They are some little children, to whom the fathers
themselves close the entrance to the heavenly kingdom,
raising them badly.

Chapter 49

OF THE OATH.

It has been said above, that the oath pertains to the honor
and worship of the divine name, which is undoubtedly true,
because the oath originates from the faith, that men have,
that God is supreme truth, and sees the depths of our
hearts, and he can never deceive or be deceived, and for
this reason he is called to testify to the truth that has been
done, or is to be done, or that at present is such, in order to
prove our justice and innocence, and to put an end to many
disputes. But although it is true that by swearing we render
a certain honor to God, it is not true that swearing is often a
good or praiseworthy thing; quite the contrary. Therefore, as
in the case of swearing, as in the case of medicine, which is
not to be used except in case of need, so the oath, which is
like a medicine for the infirmity of faith, and of the belief of
men, is not to be used except in respect of something
serious and important, which will happen only rarely. And as
much as the thing will be such that it deserves an oath, it is
necessary moreover that some conditions be observed,
without which the Christian must not go to swear, and they
are touched upon briefly by Hieremia the prophet in one
place, when he says: Swear, Live the Lord God, in truth, in
Judgment, and justice. Three things, then, are required for
the perfection and righteousness of the oath, the first being
the truth, that is, that what is asserted or promised by
swearing is true, and conforms to the opinion and belief of
the one who swears, which opinion, or science, others
believe, which opinion, or science which others believe, is
not based on mere conjecture, but on firm arguments, and
likewise in the things which are promised there must be
truth, that is, the intention to observe them in due time, so

that the tongue agrees with the heart. The second thing is
giuditio, by which condition it is to be understood that no
one must swear inconsiderately, nor for frivolous things, but
with much maturity, and deliberation. Finally, justice is
required, a condition which is very necessary, especially in
promises, otherwise if what is promised is neither just nor
honourable, and one sins in the oath, and even more so in
the execution. When, therefore, these three things come
together, and giuditio, and prudence, considering all
circumstances, persuades him, and truth and justice
intervene, one can certainly swear.

Chapter 50

OF THE ABUSE OF SWEARING FREQUENTLY.

But no one will say that these conditions are observed by
the majority of men, who for things of the slightest moment,
buying or selling, and discussing familiar things, at all hours,
and at every word have the oath in their mouth, and without
thinking about it at all, or for the interest of gain, or for the
bad habit, contracted by the frequency of the acts, they
swear a hundred thousand times a day, calling with great
temerity, and presumption as witness of their very vain not
to say lying assertions, God of infinite Majesty. Therefore, in
order that from all this discourse we may obtain the fruit
which we principally expect for our education, let the good
father remember to keep his son far away from oaths, so that
he may swear, nor require an oath from others, nor send an
oath against himself, nor against other curses, nor by God,
nor by the Cross, as the putti inconsiderately tend to do, and
when the child, in order to excuse himself, makes a shield of
the oath, and of the name of God, then he believes him
much less, and chastises him doubly. In somma avvezzi il
fanciullo, alla semplice affirmatione, et negatione, secondo il
preetto del Salvatore, et se pur pur pur talor volte occorresse
affermar una cosa, con alquanto maggior efficacia, potrà con
reverenza dire, certo è così, così è veramente, siate contento
di credermi, o altro modo tale modesto, et christiano.
Otherwise the frequency of swearing, is full of great dangers,
and sins, so that the wise man says in the holy scripture: Do
not accustom your mouth to swearing, because in it there
are many lapses, and it is not enough to say as many say, l
swear the truth, because the habit also leads to swear
falsely, or at least not to think whether it is true or false
what is said, and very serious sins are committed. For this

reason, whoever cares for the health of his soul must abstain
as much as possible from swearing, and even from swearing
which is dressed in the proper garments; | mean that he
should take such swearing with slow steps, and almost by
necessity, for he who walks on the edge of the precipice
easily overflows. And as in every state of people, this
institution of not swearing lightly is necessary, much more is
it to be warned in those who will have to have it more often
because of the corrupt custom of the world, such as artisans,
and merchants, and the like, some of whom, forgetting the
fear of God, and their own health, swearing falsely for very
useful gain, sell their precious soul to the devil a thousand
times. Not in this way will our good father persuade himself
and his son of this true maxim, that with God's offence, one
cannot prosper in anything, and that much greater power
has finally the pure and simple truth, than the badly colored
lie.

Chapter 51

OF THE VIRTUE OF TRUTH.

The thread of the present reasoning, admonishes me to say
something about truth, a virtue most grateful to God, and to
men, and as necessary to the common life of all, as it is
necessary to the private life of each one the breathing of
this air, because one could not live together, and not last
long the consortio, and the human company, if men among
themselves did not tell the truth, and did not believe each
other. Therefore the good father must teach his son to be
truthful, and to flee above all lies, and every vice contrary
and opposed to that beautiful virtue, such as duplicity,
simulation, hipocrisy, jealousy, and the like. It is useful from
the beginning for the little son to realise that his father
greatly dislikes lies, and that he does not accept his own
false excusations, nor those of his servants; on the contrary,
then it is easier for him and his servants to find forgiveness
when they accuse themselves of a fault and confess the
truth, and so little by little, partly out of paternal reverence,
and partly knowing that no fruit is to be gained from lies, to
cover up the faults committed, he will begin to abhor them;
But then, as his intellect and the light of reason grow, his
father will show him the beauty of virtue, and the ugliness of
sin. Tell him that God is supreme in truth, and is faithful in
his promises, so that he loves the truthful, and abhors liars,
that lying is a servile vice unworthy of a gentle man, and
born ingenuously, that every person of intellect flees
commerce, and bargaining with a double man, and
simulated, and on the contrary with a sincere man, and of an
open nature each one willingly negotiates, that liars with
their lies in the end gain nothing else, if not that they are
not believed nor even the truth, even if they add a thousand

oaths, and execrations, and more credit, and more authority,
has the simple word of a truthful man, than all the
obligations of a man reputed to be a liar, and quibbling,
which opinion of truthfulness, and reality, acquired in the
concept of men, is infinitely useful in all negotiations, both
private and public, and sometimes explicates very great
difficulties, and which for other things are almost
inexplicable. With these and other reasons, let the father
persuade his son to be truthful, and this will also serve to
abstain from swearing, so that a man who is considered
truthful has no need to swear, since, as we said above,
swearing is a medicine for the discredit of others. We do not
intend, however, that because of things said in praise of the
truth, anyone should think it necessary to say openly, and to
everyone, what he knows to be true, nor that the young man
should unthinkingly uncover domestic secrets, so that when
he has become great he may not know how to keep the
public, and those of his friends and patrons, which would be
too great a defect, as will perhaps be said more fully
elsewhere. But it is understood that the truth should be told
when it is convenient, and according to what is appropriate,
but never a lie.

Chapter 52

OF A VENERABLE COMPANY OF THE NAME OF GOD.

It was a venerable Spanish Father of the Order of the
Preaching Friars, who, according to what is said, instituted a
company, or confraternity as we want to call it, called of the
Most Holy Name of God, which in Rome, which by the grace
of God abounds in many similar institutes, is in the place of
the said Fathers above Minerva, and has been approved by
the Supreme Pontiffs, and favored with great graces of
spiritual treasures. | believe that this company is also in
other cities of Italy, and perhaps outside, and it would be
very useful if it were not only in the noble and populous
cities, but also in the castles, and in the villas, and in every
place inhabited by men; so that it is introduced to honor the
holy name of God, of which nothing should be done more
readily by the Christian, and likewise to avoid blasphemy,
and oaths, and any irreverence towards the tremendous, and
blessed name of God. And to this effect they have made
some brief, and fruitful chapters, and ordinations to be
observed by the brothers of the Company, and they are
printed, so that | urge everyone to read them for the good of
his soul, because he will find useful remedies, against some
daily abuses of swearing, and cursing this, and that, which
to no one who holds his own health dear should seem light,
here too he will learn how many ways of swearing, and
certain little considered words, which at every moment are
said, without thinking about it at all, either out of anger, or
out of bad habit, are very serious sins, from which it is
convenient to guard oneself with every study. Therefore, our
good father will do a very laudable and Christian work,
entering, if he can, into this holy company of the name of
God, together with his sons, and with the whole family, so

that in every way, with the divine help, and with the good
human diligence, he will keep his house clean from these
abominations.

Chapter 53

OF THE THIRD PRECEPT, REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE
SABBATH DAY.

Nature itself, and a tacit law which God has engraved on our
hearts, admonishes us that it is not right that the precious
time we have should be spent entirely on sustaining this
frail and weak body of ours in various earthly occupations
and exercises, but that some part of the time should be
assigned in particular to divine things, occupying ourselves
piously and religiously in the contemplation of God, and in
rendering due honor to His Majesty, not only with interior
affection but also with external worship. D. Majesty, not only
with interior affection but also with external worship. This
natural obligation brings us back to the memory of the third
precept of the law with those words: Remember to keep holy
the Sabbath day, where we see that the Sabbath day was
determined and prescribed for the ancient people, so that,
resting from the corporal fatigue, they could freely serve
God with the body and the spirit. And because this part of
the precept, which is to render honor and worship to God
more on the Sabbath day than on any other day of the week,
is not a natural and perpetual precept, but something
pertaining to the rites and ceremonies of that law, and
therefore variable, so much so at the time of the new law
when Jesus Christ came into the world, Our Savior, Sun of
justice, and of truth, when the shadows and the ancient
figures were no longer to be found, the Apostles of the Lord,
by the instinct of the Holy Spirit, designated another day,
that is the first of the seven days of the week, and it was
called Dies Dominica, which is just as valid as the day of the
Lord; If all the days are God's, nevertheless it is named so,
because it is specially dedicated and consecrated to the

divine cult. It was truly the mysterious day of the Sabbath,
whose name, meaning rest and cessation, recalled that God
is the creator of Heaven and earth, who, having finished this
wonderful and beautiful machine of the world and its
creatures, rested on the seventh day. God also wanted the
Sabbath to be a memorial to the hard and ungrateful people
of their liberation from Egypt; But more than that, it
overshadowed the mysterious Sabbath, of the redemption of
the human race, when our great liberator, who freed us from
the cruelest Pharaoh, and from the harshest servitude,
defeated death, and he who had the rule of death, that is
the devil, rested from the great work, which was to have
remade the man undone by sin, and on Sunday then, rose
glorious, and immortal, and then ascending victorious, and
triumphant to heaven, opened to us the door of perfect
Sabbath in eternal rest.

Chapter 54

OF THE OBLIGATION, AND OF THE FRUIT OF CELEBRATING
SUNDAYS AND OTHER HOLIDAYS.

If therefore the Jewish people, because of the memory of the
creation of the world, and of the recovery of carnal freedom,
were both by the law of nature, and by written law, and by
every right of gratitude obliged to keep the Sabbath, and to
give thanks to God for the benefits received, what shall we
say of the Christian, who by faith knows and confesses that
God is not only his creator, but also his redeemer, and that
he has freed and redeemed us not with the blood of a vile
lamb, but with his own blood of infinite price and value? The
Christian also knows and confesses that he has not passed
through the Red Sea, nor eaten the manna of Heaven, nor
been led to little Palestine, the land of promise of that
people, but has passed through the blood of Christ in holy
baptism, is nourished in the desert of this world, of the true
heavenly bread, that is of Christ himself, and finally is
described as a citizen of the true land of promise, that is of
the heavenly homeland to reign in it, and to be eternally
blessed with Christ; Now who can deny that not just one day
of the week, but all the days, and all the hours should be
spent in thanking God for the innumerable and great
benefits that he has done to us, and does continually
without intermission? and if he had commanded us that only
one day of the week should be ours, and that all the others
should be set aside for his service, who would ever have
reason to complain? Certainly no one. But God, rich, as the
Apostle says, and abounding in mercy, has wished to take
pity on our infirmity, and just as in the terrestrial paradise,
having granted to our first father Adam the free use of
infinite trees, full of the most suavest fruits, he reserved only

one for himself, as a sign of supreme dominion, so of so
many days of the year, he has wished that a few should be
reserved for his worship; but however with great fruit, and
our benefit, because what sweeter, and more desirable thing
can be that after many labors of the arts, and negotiations of
civil life, after the clamors of the courts, and of the squares,
and after a thousand daily miseries of this laborious
pilgrimage of ours, after | Say so many storms that have
agitated us, to rest a little, and to retire as in a tranquil port,
in the house of God, and to give some spiritual refectory to
the hungry and tired soul? Who does not see how much
instruction and nourishment they give to Christian piety, the
mysterious solemnities of the life of Christ, united with those
of the Blessed Virgin Mother, the memory of the glorious
Apostles, the victories of the strongest martyrs, and other
saints, that the Holy Church with celestial artifice, in every
day of the year, presents to us? | certainly dare to say, that if
it were not for the holy feasts, which refresh our Memory of
the divine benefits, we are so forgetful for ourselves, and so
wrapped up and occupied, like the Hebrew people in Egypt,
in gathering the straw and the mud of this world, that we
would hardly ever remember them. And yet, although the
obligation and the usefulness of keeping the feasts holy is so
great, there are some who, in order to show themselves to be
true sons of the old Adam, consider the feast day as a heavy
burden, as an impediment to their greed to gain, and almost
as time wasted; Others are more numerous, who wait for the
feast day not to serve God, but to serve the devil, and the
unbridled appetites of the flesh, in the games of
drunkenness, and in the fire of lust that will burn eternally in
hell, if they do not change their lives. And certainly it is a
miserable thing, and worthy of abundant tears, the abuse,
and great irreverence that in this part is seen in the
Christian people generally speaking, a fault if | am not
mistaken, not small of lack of good education, both public
and private.

Chapter 55

OF THE PUBLIC CARE, ET OF THE DOMESTIC, ABOUT THE
OBSERVANCE OF THE FESTIVITIES.

The ancient and religious Emperors took great care that
Sunday and other feast days be observed with all reverence,
prohibiting not only the noise of the courts, but also the
spectacles of the theatres and other public games, and even
up to the solemnity and feast of Christmas and of their own
empire, they ordered that it be postponed, if by chance it
was necessary, to a day dedicated to the honour of God, as
can still be seen in the laws recorded in the Code of Reason.
And truly the Princes, and public magistrates, deserve great
praise when with the authority they have from God, of whom
they are ministers, they try as well in this particular matter
of the sanctification of the feasts, as in many other such
things, to do service to God, helping the pastoral solicitude
of the Bishops, and ecclesiastical superiors as they are
obliged. But leaving this aside, and returning to the
principal motive of our education, | say that the good father
of a family must be a diligent observer of feast days, so that
he can easily accustom his children and servants to the
same observance, and if at all other times he must keep an
eye open that God is not offended in his house, he must do
so much more at feast time, occupying himself and others
not in illicit pleasures, and in the vanities of the world, but in
holy and Christian exercises, as will now be said more
distinctly.

Chapter 56

HOW THE FEAST DAYS ARE TO BE CELEBRATED IN A
CHRISTIAN MANNER.

Whoever will consider well the words of the divine precept,
will understand for himself how the feast day is to be
observed, and in what activities the Christian man must
exert himself at that time. God says, remember to keep holy
the Sabbath day; in which voice sanctify openly
demonstrates that the feast is a time consecrated to God,
and that in it all our study must be principally in the works
of holiness, and of religion, so that God sanctifies us with his
most holy grace, for this reason God has ordained that on
the feast day one should not work, not because this is evil of
his nature, indeed he himself has said, six days you shall
work, and do all your works, the seventh is the feast of the
Lord your God, but because the culture of the earth, and the
mechanical artifices, and the other earthly occupations,
distract us from uniting ourselves perfectly with God, and
from raising our minds to the consideration and love of
heavenly things, therefore in the precept of the
sanctification of the Sabbath, he has forbidden the work to
men, and to the instruments, which are like instruments of
the operations of man, so that on that day at least, he could
dedicate himself totally to the worship, and service of God.
Therefore the good father should imprint in the tender soul
of the child, and with the growth of the years he should
imprint more firmly this opinion, that the time of the true
gain, is the time of the feast, when one gains the divine
grace, which blesses, and prospers all the negotiations, and
all the operations of the other days, and that, on the
contrary, miserable, and unhappy gains are those, which are
made contrary to the law of God, and contrary to the orders

of the Holy Church, therefore the feast day never prompts its
servants to work, except perhaps in some case of necessity
permitted by the Sacred Canons. Show also, how on Sunday,
and the same we intend for the other feast days, we present
ourselves before God, as our Father, and our Lord, who has
created us, and redeemed us, and governs us continually
giving us life, health, substance, and every good of body,
and soul, and therefore we go to the holy temple to exile
ourselves as servants, and obedient children, ready to every
commandment of his, and to thank him for the innumerable
benefits, which he gives us at all hours, and at the same
time to ask forgiveness from his Majesty, of the many faults,
and negligence of ours, that if well no day should pass, that
we do not give thanks to God, who never ceases to do us
good, and likewise every day we must ask his forgiveness for
our daily failings, nevertheless with greater attention, and
affection, and more purpose, we must do it on the day
consecrated to the Lord with the spirit of the holy Church
our mother, who at this time particularly invites us,
gathering all together in a spirit of charity, and undoubtedly
the union of the faithful, congregated in the name of God in
the holy temple, has no small effect in warming our minds to
devotion, while the holy priest, as a public minister, offers in
the name of all the people the sacrifice of the Mass.

And because the hearing of the Mass is one of the principal
obligations of the feast, which many fulfil tepidly, and are so
present to that very grave work that little, or nothing seems
to them to understand what is here treated, therefore |
consider it necessary to linger a little in this matter, so that
our child may be well instructed in the Christian creed, with
which one must enter, and stay in the Holy Church, and
attend Mass, and the other divine offiices. And remembering
what | have promised in another place, | will not hesitate to
go into minute things, as long as | think that they can be of
benefit to the Christian education of our children.

Chapter 57

OF THE REVERENCE THAT MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE
TREMENDOUS SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.

If in all spiritual matters pertaining to divine worship, the
good Christian must be attentive and devout, so that that
terrible curse of the Scriptures does not fall on him, cursed is
he who does the work of God negligently, with how much
greater attention and devotion must the Christian be
present at the tremendous sacrifice of the Altar? a work of
such majesty, and sanctity, that nothing holier, nor more
divine can be done on earth, where that same hostia vivifica,
and immaculate, that same Christ, who for the redemption of
mankind, offered himself once only to the Father on the
Altar of the Cross, with bloodshed every day by the ministry
of the Priests, is offered without bloodshed? where, with a
very high Sacrament, we make alive the memory of the
ineffable love that God has brought us; where, finally,
raising our pure hands with our contrite and humiliated
hearts to God, we appease His Lordship with this true and
propitiatory sacrifice of the new law, figured in so many
ancient sacrifices, and we impart mercy to Him. M. and we
impart mercy, and gratitude for the living, and for the dead,
and we bring back abounding fruits of the salutiferous
passion of Christ, since as it is said, and that, and this is one
and the same oblation, and one and the same sacrifice,
different only in the manner. Truly the height, and
usefulness of this mystery is so great that one cannot say,
nor think enough, with how much inner purity of heart, and
with how much devotion, and outward reverence it is
appropriate, and to treat it, and to be present in it, while the
public minister of the Church, treats it for himself, and for all
the faithful people, in the celebration of the Mass. Therefore,

our good Father, who is more solicitous to treasure heavenly
treasures for his son than earthly treasures, should endeavor
with all study, doctrine and example to make him
particularly devoted to the Holy and Venerable Mass.

Chapter 58

OF THE OBLIGATION TO HEAR MASS.

It would be a very fruitful thing, and worthy of praise, if
every day the Mass were heard by Christians, | speak of
men, because as for women, because of different respects of
that sex, and because of domestic care, it is perhaps not
possible to persuade the same so indistinctly. | do not know
anyone who is so busy, even speaking of craftsmen, who
with their daily labors earn their food and support
themselves, that he could not consecrate less than a small
hour to God, to attend Mass devoutly, especially where it is
easy to hear it, which would be of particular help, so that all
the activities of that day might be happier, and blessed by
God, but nevertheless, since the impediments and
occupations of civil life are many, and of many ways, and
the Holy Mother Church, merciful and benign, has not
wanted to oblige us under sin, if not to the dominical and
festive days, at least in these days the father of the family
must never pretermit to hear Mass with all the people of the
house, among whom I also mean those who take care of the
fields, and of the herds, for whom with some good way that
prudence, and much more Christian charity will suggest to
him, he must try to provide; so that, as far as possible, they
may attend Mass without any inconvenience or notable
damage to their ministries. But as far as our child is
concerned, he should see to it that he is accustomed to the
firm resolution never to leave Mass, neither he nor his family
for any temporal occupation or need, and not only for the
vain pleasure of hunting or the like, as some do, who, not
only for gain but also for pleasure, occupy their servants in
such a way that they cannot fulfill the precept of the
Church; whose guilt is most grievous, so that human service

cannot and must not go on likewise, nor prevent the service
of God. Here we could touch on some words, of certain un-
Christian customs, when, either because of grief, or because
of the death of the parents, or because of viduity, or because
the daughters are already unmarried, they leave the Church,
which respects, and other similar things that can happen, if
they are sufficient to excuse in any particular case, | leave it
to the determination of the good, and understanding
confessors, with the judgment of whom must govern
themselves, whoever loves the health of his soul. But our
son, well and christianly educated, will have as a very
certain rule, that if just and grave necessity does not
interpose itself, the day of Sunday and feast day must be
God's, and his own, that is to say of the soul, and of the
quiet and spiritual reflection. It would not be a very
praiseworthy thing, if not a very praiseworthy thing, to
touch a word of this, that the Mass be heard by each one in
his own parish, honoring his own Pastor, and for many other
good effects, for which in ancient times this institution was
observed by the faithful, and commanded by the sacred
Canons.

Chapter 59

OF THE WAY OF GOING TO CHURCH, AND OF MERCY
TOWARDS THE POOR.

The child is accustomed by good paternal discipline, to wait
for Sunday with a certain desire, and Christian taste to go to
the Temple, and to present himself before God our Lord,
Father, Creator and Redeemer, and from whom we have and
expect every good, and then it will happen that the child
himself, well brought up, will sometimes anticipate his father
and mother, inviting them to go to the Church. And what is
customary for urbanity, to dress oneself in the best clothes
on the feast day, must be converted for the glory of God,
before whom we must appear primarily with the world's
heart, but also with the outer garment composed, and
without debauchery, guarding ourselves however from the
excess of vanity, especially in female children, of which
perhaps we will speak in a more convenient place. Therefore,
when Sunday comes, after a little prayer and preparation in
the house, after reverencing the image of the Savior and of
the Madonna, after having received the maternal blessing,
and having signed himself with the holy sign of the Cross,
let the little son be led by his dear father to the Church. And
because the blind, the crippled, and other needy people are
used to stand at the doors of the Churches, asking for
money, the father must have taught his son many times
before, that we are all poor, and in need of God's grace, so
that we go to the temple to beg him to open the hand of his
immense liberality, and to help us with our spiritual and
corporal needs. But if we want to move God to compassion
towards us, it is necessary that we also be compassionate
towards our neighbor, which, since it must always be done,
it is right that we do it especially when we go to ask God for

help and mercy in his house, in which the poor are like
porters, who open the first entrance to us, and that affection
of mercy that we will use with them, we will find from God,
for it is written, Blessed are the merciful, for they also will
obtain mercy. Now | know well that a small child is not so
soon capable of these and other things, which are said to be
done by the father's instruction, so that he may teach them
to his son when he will see in him a greater capacity and
disposition. But in the meantime it is necessary to accustom
him for a long time to compassion for the poor, and to give
them alms willingly, which will not be difficult, seeing the
example of the father, and invited by him with sweet words
to do so, take my son, and give this alms to the poor, see, In
him dwells Christ, Christ is the one who stretches out his
hand, and will give it to you most abundantly in heaven, we
also receive every day great alms from God, and other
similar concepts, which the Spirit of God gives, and are
heard every day from the holy preachers, and all the books
are full of them. Let us conclude in one word, that the
miserable aspect of the poor, on entering the Church,
provides no mediocre matter of education, and of Christian
education. When entering the Church, the father must make
sure that the child serves with a certain gravity and
modesty, and with a certain recollection and holy fear, that
he recognizes the veneration of that place; therefore, the
father must be careful not to enter it laughing or speaking
loudly, as is customary at times, or looking here and there,
and if he has been somewhat distracted on the way, he must
immediately recollect himself at the entrance to the Church,
and show a composure within himself that will motivate his
son to imitate it; If, on entering the chamber where the
Prince is, one feels a certain fear, and feels that others are
moved to reverence, how much more should we be clothed
with these feelings, on entering the house of the Supreme
King of Glory? In order to be moved inwardly by this spirit of
reverence, it will also be useful to utter some verses of the

Psalms in a low voice at the entrance to the temple, such as
the one that says Domum tuam Domine decet sanctitudo,
Lord, in your house one must stay with holiness, and
respect, and that other one, Domine in multitudine
misericordiae tuae, introibo in domum tuam adorabo ad
templum sanctum tuum in temore tuo, that is, my God
whose mercies are iIMmeasurable, | will enter your house full
of religious, and filial fear to adore you, and other similar
ones.

Chapter 60

OF THE OTHER THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO, AFTER ENTERING
THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD.

When you have entered the church, let the father take the
blessed or holy water, and sprinkle himself and his son,
saying that verse of the psalm: Asperges me Domine
hysopo, et mundabor, lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor,
that is to say, sprinkle me Lord, with hisopo, which is a herb
of great virtue, and signifies Christ our Redeemer, with
whose blood we ask to be sprinkled and purified, and
therefore following the sentence of the verse, wash me Lord,
and I will be whiter than snow. The father must know that
holy water has the virtue of erasing minor and venial sins, in
which, because of our great frailty, we daily incur, and
therefore the child must be accustomed to receive it with
reverence, and in due time he must be taught of this
salutary effect, of the remission of venial sins, remembering
the passion and blood of Christ, in which and through which
we have all remission. It also reminds us of the fountain of
holy water, that fountain of the holy baptism where our soul
was perfectly washed, and because we have not preserved
that whiteness and purity, rather we have soiled ourselves
with many stains of sins, it is appropriate for us with tears
and sighs to pray many times to God to wash us.

After this, let them go before the Holy Sacrament, and with
both knees bent to the ground, with their eyes downcast,
and with their hands joined, and with every composition of
the whole body, let them pray devoutly, saying the Pater
and the Ave Maria three times in honor of the Most Holy
Trinity, and the Apostolic Symbol, inwardly thanking God,
that through His goodness we are Christians and faithful,

and begging Him to help us, so that with works and effects
we may correspond to this high calling and fulfill the
obligations of a good Christian.

And because the Holy Church is like a heavenly hospital,
where there are admirable and most effective medicines to
heal all the infirmities of our soul, so the good Christian, who
will consider the many wounds of his soul, received
throughout the week, will not be lazy, at least on Sunday, to
procure the remedy through the sacrament of penance, for
which it is a very laudable and fruitful institution to confess
every Sunday. And there has been some Theologian of great
authority in the schools, who has said that every Christian,
under penalty of new sin, is obliged to have contrition on
the Dominical day, and sorrow for his sins. But how it is, we
do not need to discuss for now, it is very sure, and very
useful to do it, and to confess at present, because in the
sacrament of the confession, not only the soul is cleansed
from the sins committed, but acquires, as elsewhere it has
been said, virtue, and strength, to resist temptations, and
not to fall so easily in the future. And therefore, let the good
father confess, and let his son do the same, however small,
with that modesty, and compositione of body, of which we
recalled above, so that, growing, he may grow with this holy
habit.

Chapter 61

MORE IN PARTICULARE OF THE WAY OF BEING TO THE
MASS, AND OF SOME DIVOTE, ET CHRISTIANE CREANZE.

After the reconciliation made with God in holy confession,
the soul being beautiful in the presence of its creator, who
has filled it with grace, our prayers will be more acceptable,
and of greater fruit and merit every holy exercise that we
will do. And because hearing Mass is the principal obligation
of the feast day, as has been said, if we have already
touched on how much devotion and reverence is required to
comply with this obligation in general, it seems to me in this
place, however, to descend more to the particular, so that
our good father may know, both for himself and for his son,
the true Christian creed in this part, not to appear
outwardly, but to please the eyes of God inwardly with
sincerity of heart, giving at the same time edification to his
neighbors.

It is therefore to be known that the Mass in all its parts is a
representation of the passion and death of Jesus Christ
crucified, and there is no word, no gesture, no ceremony that
the priest performs that is not full of mystery, there the
priest prays for himself, and for all the people, and for the
living, and for the dead, and as ambassador of the faithful
people, his assistant, and of the whole Church, he deals with
God in very important matters, such as are not dealt with
any king on earth; Therefore, even if the simple Christian
does not understand these mysteries so distinctly, he must
remain with great attention, accompanying with devout
affection the intentions and actions of the celebrant. And
beforehand one must remain in the entire Mass, and kneel
from beginning to end, except when the Holy Gospel is read.

In ancient times it was the custom, every Sunday of the
year, and in the pastoral season, which runs from Easter to
Pentecost, to remain at Mass, and to pray on one's feet, in
memory of the resurrection and triumph of the Savior, but
nowadays this custom is not generally observed, and
considering our great facility in distracting ourselves from
the due attention, it seems better to me to always remain on
one's knees at all times, because that position of the body
humiliates and gathers the soul; and this is intended for the
low Mass, or small Mass, as we wish to say, because in the
sung and solemn Mass, one can stand for a certain period of
time, or sit, as we see the Canons do in the cathedral
churches, but in any way and place that the body is, beyond
external decency, our mind must always be united with God
in the interior. But returning to the subject, one must be
present at Mass kneeling with both knees, so that some are
very much to blame, who either stand, or only at the
elevation of the Most Holy Sacrament even bend a little,
almost violated by the sound of the bells, and by the respect
of the most devout, others bow only one knee, not to speak
of other more unseemly ways, that are a manifest sign of
littIe devotion, and these are often people who make
profession of Knights, and of well created, and are not
ashamed to know so little of the Christian creed, if they do
not consider themselves ashamed to know it, and to observe
it. Not so will our father to whom we speak, not so will he
raise his beloved son, but he will remember that praying to
Christ our Lord in the garden, the night before his passion,
not only with one knee, but with his whole person prostrate,
he shed for us not only tears, but the sweat of blood, so that
one Evangelist writes of him, Procidit in faciem suam orans,
and another says, Procidit super terram, and the third writes,
Positis genibus orabat, and of St. Stephen is written, that
praying in the extreme spirit for his stonecutters, he bowed
his knees, and St. Paul writes of himself: Flecto genua mea
ad patrem Domini nostri lesu Christi, but more than

anything else we should be moved by seeing the Son of
God, made man, confined for us on the cross with both feet,
whose bitterest pains we should reduce to memory at all
times, but especially while celebrating Mass, which as
mentioned above, is a living representation of his passion.
But what shall we say of those who, out of vanity, pride, or a
certain opinion of greatness, keep their heads covered
without any necessity, not remembering that the King of
kings, who is present on the same altar, while on the cross,
did not have any covering but the crown of thorns. There are
others who, because of their vagueness, and in order to
show that they are occupied with many affairs, do nothing
more than call this and that servant, and speak to them in
their ears, or hear answers; others negotiate with friends, or
for entertainment they reason, which for now I do not wish to
say of those who shamelessly spend that time of such
sanctity, and veneration, in impudent looks, but concluding,
| say that it is something to do for pain to break a heart of
stone, to see the great irreverence, with which many of
name, and of Christian profession, attend the Mass, as if it
were something to joke about, and not the highest, and
mysterious act of our religion. And for this reason our good
father will instruct his son to remain with all attention,
completely united and fixed to the work of the holy priest,
accompanying him from part to part, as for example in the
general confession, in rendering the greeting, when the
priest says God be with you, and when he invites the people
by saying, pray brothers, so that my sacrifice and yours may
be acceptable before God, one must humbly pray to God to
give an abundance of divine grace to his minister, and to
hear his prayers; Likewise, when the priest says in a
somewhat elevated voice, Memento Domine, now for the
living, and then for the dead, that is, before and after the
consecration of the Most Holy Eucharist, the devout
Christian must also do the same, commending to God
himself, his relatives, and the whole Church, and likewise he

must never forget the souls in purgatory, and in sum he
must conform step by step with the priest, and whoever is
simple, and does not learn everything so distinctly, at least
in general have this intention, always waiting as much as
possible for what the priest is doing, so that at that time it
would be better to postpone certain devotions that some
people have, such as reciting the Litanies, and the seven
psalms, and the hours of Our Lady, if they are good things,
and holy, and are sometimes also in the Mass itself, a way of
remedy against distraction, especially while the priest is now
in silence. Finally, let the good father understand and see to
it that his son also understands, as, and when he can, that
they too in their own way, offer to the eternal father that
tremendous oblation, and are not idle spectators, but
cooperators, and helpers of the public minister, with holy
desires, with uniformity of intention, and with fervent
prayer; for this reason some deserve reproach, who not only
do not help, but disturb the priest, and among these there
are those, who pretend to be more devout than the others,
and run the first to be very close to the altar, and at the time
of the reading of the Gospel, they approach with one ear,
and with such a manner, that shows more ardor, than
reverence; others look physically into the face of the priest,
who show well that they do not understand how great a
thing is to be done at that point by the priest, who should
not be given any opportunity to distract himself, because he
is also a man, surrounded by infirmity, and many are the
snares of Satan. Therefore, let our educator know that he
must adhere to the Christian way of life, in which he intends
to educate the child, to place himself behind the celebrant,
a little far away, because it is not necessary to hear all the
words of the Mass clearly, but it is necessary to be attentive,
and devout, considering us unworthy to approach so close to
the sanctum sanctorum, which was called the most intimate
part of the ancient temple, where only once a year the high
priest entered, and there were only the Ark of the testament,

and other figures, and shadows of future goods. In this
regard the father can tell his son about the example of the
good Publicanus praised in the Gospel, who stood far away,
and did not dare to raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his
breast, asking God for forgiveness; from which history, and
from that of the proud Pharisee, the good father will learn
many good lessons, so that his son may learn with how
much humiliation of body and soul a sinful and guilty man,
as we all are, must stand before his supreme judge, God of
infinite majesty. Those do not do well who, in wanting to
respond to the priest, or in saying their private prayers, raise
their voices too much, and disturb the others; likewise, in
my opinion, it is not to be praised in the Church, and at
Mass, to do some acts, devout yes, but not used in common
by all the faithful, such as opening one's arms in the form of
a cross, prostrating oneself on the ground with the whole
body, and the like, which are done in private rooms, when
we pray secretly to God, are very useful to kindle devotion,
and can also be done in some oratory among a few people of
the same spirit, and are also sometimes lawful in public
Churches, when all the people are moved together with the
weeping, but generally speaking, one must not be singular,
nor seem to want to condemn others as not being devout,
besides we must not expose ourselves to the danger of the
thin wind of vainglory; However, the father will warn that our
child serves mediocrity in this part, but always remaining
attentive and reverent, and meditating in his heart on the
passion of Christ, inviting others to be attentive with his
attention.

It has been said elsewhere, and it is not out of purpose to
repeat it here, that the child must always be accustomed to
make a sign of reverence, when he hears the most holy and
sweet names of Jesus and Mary, and when glory is said to
the most holy Trinity, he must likewise bow down to the
ground, when the priest says, Et homo factus est, and in the

Gospel at the end of the Mass, Et verbum caro factum est,
which words remind us of the great benefit that God has
done for us, who for our sake has made himself a man, so
that | marvel at how some are so proud and ungrateful, or so
little observant of Christian decency that when the priest
bows down, they stand frozen and motionless as if they were
statues, and it is a great thing that the most high God for
the love of man has bowed down to take our earth, and dust,
and vile mud, and does not want to honor God by raising his
hand, bowing his head, and bending his knees; not in this
way will our well-bred child, but with all subservience,
decently humble himself to the name of Him, to whom God,
as the Apostle says, has given a name which is above every
name. Finally, let the child know that he must receive the
priestly blessing with great devotion, as from the hands of
Christ himself, and as a seal of this holy act, so that the fruit
of it may persevere in us, and we may be blessed in eternal
life. It is also a term of good and Christian decency not to
leave before the priest departs from the altar, and to bow to
him as he passes, greeting our neighboring brothers, as a
sign of love and union, which is the effect of that holy
sacrifice, that we are one with God, and one with each other
in charity. Some devout people, while passing the priest,
touch the sacred garments, and bash their hands; | would
not dare to repeat this custom, but | would like it to be done
with such modesty, that it does not seem that they want to
hit the shoulders of the priest, but to limit the humility of
that holy woman who suffered from the flow of blood, who,
as if secretly, with great faith, touched the fimbri, or rather
the fringe of the garment of Christ, and was healed.

Chapter 62

OF THE HOLY COMMUNION, AND OF THE SERMON OF THE
MORNING.

I realize that to some it will seem that I fill the pages with
very minute memories, and others perhaps will say that
these are ordinary things, and known to everyone; to the
latter there is no need to say anything else, since | have
already protested elsewhere that | write many things for the
simple, and it pleases God that they are so common, and so
observed among the Christian people, that it is not
necessary to remember them; To the former | will only say,
that nothing that disposes us, and inflames us to the love of
God, should be neglected, nor considered as small, seeing as
a practice many times, that a genuflection, by saying the
name of Jesus, softens a hard heart, and obstinate heart, and
to each of these small things, when they are done in
gratitude, corresponds such a reward in heaven, that if we
thought well about it, we would not be so negligent, as
many of us are, leaving to do with small labors the great
gains. But returning to our subject of the divine worship on
Sunday, it seems to me a good institute that of some, who
hear the solemn and sung Mass, and are pastured by those
venerable ceremonies, which truly are an image of paradise.
When the Mass has been devoutly heard, it will be a good
time for the father to go with his son to receive the most
holy Eucharist, or if the child is not yet capable of that
divine table, he should at least remain reverent to see it, so
that little by little he may be inflamed with a holy desire to
taste the food of the Angels. And since the fruit of frequent
communion, done in the proper way, has been sufficiently
discussed elsewhere, | will not be longer, | will only say, that
great crown of glory will be granted by God to that father,

who will lead his son along the paths of health, and will give
him the opportunity to be able to say, when he is dead,
blessed be the soul of my father, who taught me this way,
and thus accustomed me. It is also the duty of a pious and
devout Christian to listen attentively to the sermon, where
the will of God is exposed, the vanity of the world is shown,
the snares of the Devil are revealed, and finally it is declared
what each one must do to obtain eternal life.

Chapter 63

OF THE CUSTODY OF HIMSELF RETURNING HOME IN THE
MORNING FROM THE DIVINE OFFICES.

After having spent the morning in the way we have said in
the service of God, the good father of a family will return
home happy, not otherwise than a faithful servant, returns
to the face of his prince, with many graces, and favours. And
because the envious and very cunning Devil is especially at
work on such a day, to make us lose the fruit of the
morning's good expenditure, the father should take care, if
by chance the food is not prepared, and the table is not set,
not to break out in a sudden outburst, but to quietly
command the necessary things, and wait patiently. And it is
written in this regard, in the life of the blessed Gio
Colombino Senese that being all wrapped up in the earthly
gains of the merchants, one morning among others, not
finding the food prepared as he wanted, in order to return
quickly to his business, he became very upset. But his wife,
who was a discreet and devout woman, gave him a book of
legends of the saints, she sweetly begged him to stay with it
for a short time, and taking it unwillingly, he began to read
it, and coming to him, as God would have it, the story of the
sinner Maria Egittiaca, he took such pleasure in it, that he
forgot about the bodily food, he not only read it all, but he
impressed it vividly in his heart, so much so that by divine
operation, from that hour he began to despise the world, and
in a short time he gave himself entirely to serve God, and
was then the founder of the order of the Giesuati brothers.
This is how from a small seed, from a not entirely voluntary
suffering, God drew great fruit. Let our father of the family,
therefore, also imitate that great servant of God, and let him
not be afraid to read, or to do anything else, but wait

patiently; in this way he will confound the Devil, he will not
disturb the domestic peace, and he will teach his son to be
meek and patient, and to know how to overcome himself,
which is very necessary in life, both at home and abroad.
Finally, let the good father of a family and his family sit at
table, and give the necessary nourishment to the body, with
hilarity, and spiritual joy, blessing the giver of all goods, and
therefore do not fail to bless the table at the beginning, and
at the end give due thanks to God, which must be done
every day, morning and evening, and see the child, and
observe what the father does, and see in the mother, and in
the others at that time signs of reverence, and of prayer, and
then he himself, by commandment of the father, says the
blessing, and is pleased, and is accustomed to wanting that
God is the beginning, and the end of all our actions. The
good father may also invite his son, while we are eating, to
say something heard in the sermon, and with some salutary
warning, or with some example of the life of that saint,
whose feast is celebrated, not with severity, but gently, Let
him also spiritually feed his family, so that Christ will be in
their midst, and will give such wholesomeness, and taste to
the food, that often a table of a mediocre citizen, and of a
poor artisan, with a poor food apparatus, will advance the
lavish banquets of the richest; For the sentence of the
Redeemer is true, that man does not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Chapter 64

OF THE GOOD DISPENSATION OF THE REST OF THE DAY.

At all times the Devil our capital enemy lays snares, and
binds the Christian, to make him overflow in sin, but above
all on Sundays, and on the most solemn feasts as he knows
very well, that at that time the weather is more acceptable,
and days of health, offered to the faithful people, like some
spiritual fairs and markets, so to speak, in which, whoever
knows how to haggle well around this not earthly, The most
astute adversary, therefore, makes every effort, first of all to
prevent us from gaining the true fruit of the holy feast days,
and secondly to steal from us what we have gained, and if
he could, he does everything possible so that at the same
time, and in the same places, where the Christian soul could
and should be enriched with divine treasures, he may suffer
the gravest losses, and lose the most. Therefore, our good
father of the family, solicitous for his own health, and that of
his children, after that by the grace of God he has well and
christianly dispensed the morning, will give perfection to the
work begun, continuing to dispense well and holily what
remains of the day, remembering that God in the Old
Testament ordered that the morning sacrifice and the
evening sacrifice be offered to His Mother. Therefore, the
time will be divided into various virtuous exercises, usefully
deceiving the young man, because the variety of things
recreates the soul, and the second spiritual activity is like a
rest of the first, because recreation is not denied, indeed it is
useful and necessary, as will be said more distinctly in
another place, but whoever has made a taste for the things
of God, while passing from one to another, finds, as has been
said, room for recreation. Therefore, after the middle of the
day, the time for Christian doctrine appropriately arrives,

and it must be done in such a way that the child will be
pleased with it, which will happen easily when he sees that
his father and mother commend him for having learned well,
when sometimes he relates some part of it, and by his
father's authority he exercises the office of teacher in the
house, teaching his sisters and younger brothers, and giving
not only praise, which must be moderate and serious, but
also some childish rewards; Then follow the Divine Offices of
Vespers, and where if one can read the Holy Scripture, one
must not fail to hear it, because that portion of time is
passed without boredom, and God is greatly honoured, and
food and nourishment are given to the soul. In some places
processions are also made, and Litanies and lauds are sung,
to the honour of God, and of the Most Blessed Queen of
Heaven, at which our good father, with his son, must
intervene with every devotion, and so little by little the child
will be accustomed to stay willingly in the house of God, and
to enjoy the ecclesiastical chant and the venerable
ceremonies of the sacred offices, worthy of a true Christian,
and he will come to such a state with the frequency of the
acts, and with the good habit acquired willingly, that not
only is it not a nuisance, but it is a great pleasure to occupy
oneself in the above-mentioned things. And because on
feast days, dedicated to the glory of God, Christian piety
must be more evident, it will be an appropriate time to visit
the sick, and in public hospitals, and in private homes, and
especially the poor and afflicted, relieving their need as
much as possible, and consoling them with sweet and
affectionate words, giving the child to understand how
Christ is visited in their person, who will render very great
reward for this and other similar works of charity and mercy.
And it is also useful to go for pleasure to the places of the
religious, where there are cloisters, and pleasant gardens,
and one has the opportunity to discuss with some fathers of
holy life, and to take material for edification. In sum, the aim
of the father of a family must be to spend himself, and all his

family, on the holy day of the Lord in such a way that, when
evening comes, he has no regrets about having offended
God, when he should have done less, but he has sooner
consolation of spirit, and interior joy, and he gives thanks to
God with the whole house, by whose grace, refreshed and as
if revived, he prepares himself happily in the following days
of work, for the usual labors.

Chapter 65

OF SOME ABUSES, AND IRREVERENCES THAT MANY COMMIT
ON HOLIDAYS.

It has been said, that in the precept of the observance of
feasts, it is expressly forbidden to do servile, manual, and
mercenary works, not because by their nature they are evil,
so that at other times they are lawfully done, but because
they distract us from divine worship, which is the purpose of
this precept, however great is the blindness and misery of
those, who, either do not demand anything on the feast day,
other than to cease from ordinary labors, or what is worse,
give themselves then to every license and dissolutione, as if
that were the proper time assigned to broaden the brake to
the flesh, and to all illicit voluptuousness, not realizing, that
no work is more servile than sin, of which it is written, he
who does sin, is servant of sin, nor is there any operation,
however mecanical, and low, that so distracts us from the
study of divine things, as sin, which not only diverts us, but
totally separates us from love, and union with God.
Therefore it is a very sad thing to see how little observance
there is in common among the Christian people of the feast
day, and in how many ways the divine Majesty is offended,
in that time which has been deputed especially to honor her.
I leave aside those who buy and sell and work for money and
make others work, | leave some others who for minor reasons
do not go to Mass, but who will be able to keep silent about
those who wait until Sunday to immerse themselves in the
mud of all their lusts? Then the temple of God is profaned
with glances full of lust, and men are voluntarily thrown into
the flames of hell, and gazing fixedly at the objects
proportioned to our frail nature, they are miserably
wounded, and they take pleasure in it, and use every artifice

to pull any simple virgin, or other innocent soul into the
same perdition. | do not want to exaggerate in this place,
the gravity of such a sin, as | could, and perhaps | should,
but suffice it to say that if they do not return to true
penance, Christ our Lord with scourges of fire, and with
eternal punishment, will expel them from Paradise, the
heavenly Temple of Godi, since they so brazenly dare to
defile his earthly, and visible Temple, not by selling oxen,
and doves, but by selling their own soul to the Devil. Others
are those who consume the day, in which the soul must be
nourished with spiritual food, in the taverns, in the
drunkenness, and crapule, and especially the artisans, and
those of the minute people, who in one day alone, throw into
the insatiable chasm of the throat all the efforts of the week,
and often they take it away from the necessary nourishment
of the poor little family, and returning home in the evening,
drunk and out of their minds they fill everything with
shouts, and sometimes they beat the poor wives, and they
give occasion to curse the days, instituted to fill us with
blessing, and peace. What shall we say of illicit games,
nourishment of a thousand evils, a seminary of brawls, of
bickering, of deceit, where, in a short space of time, by badly
dispersing the money, an instrument of family care, the
good domestic order is disturbed and destroyed for many
months? From which, how many evil consequences have
then originated, each one can easily consider for himself.
But what shall we say about dances, very familiar and
proper to some countries? The inhabitants of these countries
are all the more obliged to bless the giver of every good, and
to sanctify the feasts more devoutly, the greater the
quantity and abundance of the earth's goods which God has
given them; It is not my intention to discuss these ways of
recreation in detail, which perhaps, considered so nakedly
and in their own nature, are not bad, so that some have
wished to defend them, or at least to excuse them, but going
down, as they say, to the practical act, and to the common

way in which they are done, there seems no doubt that they
are accompanied by very bad circumstances; It is too
dangerous to make a congregation of young men and
women, where not the restraint of reason, nor of the fear of
God, but the license of the flesh guides the dance, | mean,
that there the place, the end, the means, and all that is
done, serves no other purpose, nor has any other rule than
the flesh: who will place the straw and the bait near the fire,
and prohibit the flame? Who will be able to deny that a
young man full of blood, warmed by motion, by wine, by the
emulation of rivals, and by the present object, does not burn
with lust, and with a thousand impure desires? Besides that
a certain ancient simplicity of men has been missing, or has
been completely extinguished, which is still spoken of by
reputation. | leave it to say of the disputes, and of the
scandals that are bound to follow, because the Devil does
not keep his hands to himself, but knows how to make use of
the opportunities of the time, and of the place.

Now I do not intend to reduce things to such an extreme
that | do not grant any recreation, even on the feast day,
indeed it is necessary in our life, as perhaps will be said
elsewhere, but however recreation may be public or private,
let us remember that it is a medicine, and as such it must be
taken moderately and in such a way that it does not
prejudice the greater good, that is, the usefulness of the
soul, the honor of God, and the reverence, which is due to
the day, and the holy time of Sunday, and of the other
feasts.

Chapter 66

CONCLUSION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED THINGS, ABOUT
HONORING HOLIDAYS.

It is certain that public authority, to which public education
is also attributed, can take many useful measures against
the abuses and irreverences which are committed on public
holidays, and can in many ways help the care and pastoral
solicitude of Bishops, so that the time dedicated to God may
be dispensed for the greater part, at least, to the glory of
God, and the health of souls, and may also order for the
entertainment of youth such public recreations, which do
not contradict Christian piety, as we may come to say
elsewhere; but since we are now speaking with our father of
the family, who is the first to lay the foundations of good
education, on which the building of public government rests,
we remind him once and again that he should prepare the
child at an early age to enjoy the things of God, and to
delight in the good dispensation of that holy time, so that
when he grows up, and is gently drawn by good habits, he
does not seem to live on that feast day, that morning and
evening he does not participate in the divine offences, and
does not give himself entirely to God. Therefore withdraw
him from those places, and from those conversations, which
go against the way, where the devil’'s snares and the
corruptions of youth are, and lead him to the places where
God is praised, and finally impress on the young man this
firm opinion, that the feast day is the Lord’s day, and this is
the greatest gain, the greatest delight, and the greatest
contentment, to preserve it and dispense it all for the glory
of the Lord.

Chapter 67

OF THE FOURTH PRECEPT, HONOR THY FATHER AND THY
MOTHER.

It was said at the beginning, that God gave to Moisé the ten
precepts of the law, described in two tablets, in the first of
which were contained the three precepts, which directly
regard the highest good, and our final end, and teach us
charity toward God, of which we have spoken so far; in the
second tablet were carved the other seven precepts, which
teach us charity toward our neighbor. And this charity, and
love of neighbor, derives from and depends on the love of
God, and it is related to God, and it must be regulated
according to God's love, so that it may be a just and
righteous love, for in God and for God we must love our
neighbor, and exercise toward him every due offering of
charity, otherwise that love, which is repugnant and
contradictory to the love of God, is false love. It remains,
therefore, to reason briefly about the precepts concerning
our neighbor, the observance of which is above all necessary
for the maintenance of human society, and is a clear sign of
the love and obedience which we bear to God, from which
the Apostle Saint John argued in this way, saying: Whoever
does not love his brother, whom he sees, how can he love
God whom he does not see? Now, among the
commandments of the second table, the precept of honoring
one's father is deservedly placed in the first place, since
after God our supreme and heavenly father, the obligations
we have to our earthly fathers are very great, and the
sentence of the divine precept is this Honour thy father and
thy mother, that thou mayest have long life on earth, which
the Lord thy God shall give thee; under the heading of
honour, is meant love, observance, obedience, respect,

esteem for our fathers, and prompt help and assistance in all
their needs. It is also important to know that under the name
of father is meant not only the natural father, who generated
us, of whom, however, it is principally meant, but many
others are also meant, who with a certain proportion do
paternal work towards us, such are the Bishops, and pastors
of souls, and priests, and religious, who are rightly called
spiritual fathers; such also are the Princes and magistrates,
the godfathers who have held us to baptism, and to
confirmation, from which also vulgarly, compatri are called,
similarly the guardians of the pupils, that the paternal
authority, or the public has deputed, come under this
appellation; place likewise of fathers hold the teachers, and
governors of the children, and finally for fathers we intend
the old, the age of which, and long experience of the things
makes them honorable, and venerable. AIl those whom we
have mentioned are included under the name of father, and
in conformity with the intention of the present precept, we
must render them that honor and reverence which is
appropriate.

Chapter 68

OF THE OBLIGATIONS THAT ARE OWED TO THE FATHER, AND
TO THE MOTHER.

It would take a very long time to recount fully and distinctly
in how many ways and for how many reasons we are obliged
to honor our fathers, from whom we were born, but in one
word alone it is enough to say that they have given us
being, on which rests all the good that we have and can
have; Although Almighty God is the principal author of our
being and of all being, and he alone is the creator of the
soul, he has nevertheless made use of our fathers, and
through them has brought us into this life and made us
reasonable men capable of bliss. Add to this that
immediately after our birth we were presented to the Holy
Church and to the font of baptism, where we were
regenerated more happily than we had been born a short
time before; How much more must we owe to our fathers,
who through many difficulties, and dangers of infancy, and
childhood, have brought us up, and tolerated us, and led us
to a state of being able to operate in some part for
ourselves, what shall we say of the benefit of finding
teachers, who teach us various arts, and faculties, and
sciences, which give man such excellence, and perfection?
In addition to teaching us good morals, and what above all is
important in piety and the fear of God; add to this the
introduction into the common and civil life, and into the
honors of the major, the preservation of the ancient
heredity, and the clearing of the way for us to live honorably
in the world, and to be able finally to arrive by the path of
virtue, with the guidance and favor of divine grace to
heaven. But not without grave, and particular reason, the
mother is mentioned in the precept, for the tender, and

singular love she bears her children, for the acerbity of the
pains she endures in childbirth, and for the infinite number
of molestations she endures with great patience, and love in
feeding and raising them. In short, the many reasons which
oblige us to honour the father and the mother, who in our
eyes must be like an image and a representation of God
himself, by whom, as the Apostle says, every fatherhood in
heaven and on earth is named.

Chapter 69

OF THE VARIOUS WAYS OF HONORING THE FATHER, AND
MOTHER. CHAPTER LXIX.

And therefore it is rightly our duty to honour him with every
manner of honour; in this respect it is important to know
that, in addition to that honour which is shown by certain
external signs and demonstrations of the body, such as
standing, taking off the biretta, bowing, and other such
modes of reverence, honour extends to many other things,
as was mentioned above. Therefore the obedience of the son
is of great importance to his father's honour; he promptly
carries out his commands, governs himself according to his
own advice, and submits everything to his father's will and
authority; he truly honours his father. His father is honored
by the son who prays to God for his father, who makes sure
that he is held in high esteem among all, who provides him
with all the necessary help, who bears with love and filial
patience, if sometimes his father in his old age, either
because of indisposition or because of age itself, which is an
ordinary and natural disease, becomes somewhat bitter and
annoying. But above all things the good son has to honor his
father in the extreme of life when, after all the human cares
and diligence, nature has already yielded to the force of evil,
and is about to depart from this world, and return to God, at
which time no solicitude must be neglected, so that the old
father is helped to die well, with the salutary medicine of all
the holy sacraments, which are required for that very
important passage, with the comfort of religious men, and
good servants of God, and finally with all the means, and
ways, that Christian piety and charity administers. Nor after
death does the honor due to the father cease, not only in
burying him honorably according to his state, in which thing

no one is commonly lacking, but much more in prayers,
alms, and holy sacrifices, for the soul of the deceasedì, of
which honor the blessed Widow Monica, sought in death her
beloved son Agustino saint. And if the son must give alms
for the health of his father's soul, he is even more obliged to
carry out the alms ordered by him, and to fulfill with all
readiness the pious legacies, according to the last will of the
father, in which many sons are not very careful, with grave
offence to God, and to the honour and debt of the soul, and
to the paternal memory. Now to that son who will honor his
father and mother in this way God promises long life on
earth, as Saint Paul says in writing to the Ephesians: this is
the first commandment to which the promise has been
added, which not only refers to the length, but also to every
other prosperity of this life, as much as it is expedient for the
good of the soul, and therefore principally this promise will
have its full and perfect fulfillment in the future life, and in
the land of the living, that is in eternal beatitude, just as, on
the contrary, those ungrateful and unmerciful children who
curse their father and mother, and are disobedient and
insulting to them, will be punished by God in this world, will
have by the just judgement of God the same amount of
disobedience from their own children, and finally if with
many, and heartfelt tears dipped in the blood of Christ, they
do not wash away their sin, they will be with most severe,
and eternal punishment in hell.

Chapter 70

OF PATERNAL DILIGENCE REGARDING THE OBSERVANCE OF
THIS FOURTH PRECEPT.

Up to this point our custom has always been to reason with
the father, as the one to whom the office of education is
appertaining, and of forming and clothing the soul of the
child with all the good habits of virtue, since the child,
because of the weakness of age, is not yet capable of being
his own guide and director. But in the exposition of this
fourth precept of the Decalogue, we have for the most part
reasoned with the son, induced by the form of speech used
in the same precept, when turning to the son it says: Honor
thy father, and what follows, and because it does not seem
so convenient that the father himself should persuade and
admonish the son to honor him. And nevertheless in this
part, which is undoubtedly most important, his father's
diligence is not otiose; Therefore, taking up again the
manner of the usual reasoning, we say that the father must
not fail to explain to his son this precept, not as his own
thing, but as it really is, as a will, and divine ordinance, the
observance of which is no less important to the health of the
son than to the satisfaction of the father, so that if the
prudent father will not say so crudely to his son; son, obey
me, son, honor me, because | am your father, he will
nevertheless tell him that God our heavenly father, and our
creator, has commanded him in this way, that children
should honor their fathers, and from the things said above
he will show how deservedly it is to do so; he will also often
take him to those places and to those people who, for their
own sake and for the sake of good intentions, and not as
something artificially done, will instruct the child in this
great obligation, such as teachers of Christian doctrine,

preachers and spiritual fathers. And truly it would be very
expedient if the preachers would descend more often to
these particulars, imitating the style of the holy Apostles,
who in their Epistles, after having dealt with the doctrine of
the faith, as the time then required, turned to giving
precepts to every state, and condition of men, as to
husbands and wives, fathers, and children, masters, and
servants, and the like; Let the father sometimes narrate to
his son an example from the divine scriptures, or from the
venerable histories of the saints, how grateful and
acceptable to God the obedient children have been, and
how abundantly he has blessed them with every blessing,
like one Isaac, who allowed himself to be bound by his
father, and to offer himself as far as he was able, as a victim
to God; like the chaste Josep who promptly carried out his
father's commandment, and went to visit his disdained
brothers with whom he was sold, and being then, as it
pleased Godi, in a great state in Egypt, he did not seem to be
able to have the full consolation of that greatness, if he did
not share it with his father; such was Solomon, of whom the
Holy Spirit has willed that it remain written for our
instruction, that when he was in the royal seat, and saw his
mother coming, he stood up and went to meet her, and
placed her at his right hand and sat down, and a thousand
other such examples, although the highest of all examples is
our Lord Jesus Christ, who was obedient not only to his
heavenly father until death and death on the Cross, but also
to his most holy mother, and even to his foster father, the
reputed saint Joseph, for it is written in the Gospel that he
was obedient and subject to both. Similarly, it will
sometimes demonstrate the severe punishments that God
has exercised against the rebellious and disobedient sons,
as happened to Absalon, who was miserably hit with three
spears in the heart, hanging from an oak tree by his thick
hair, while in battle he was fleeing the forces of his father
David. There are also in the sacred writings, very serious

sentences in this regard, such as that of proverbs: Qui
maledicit patri suo, vel matri, extinguetur lucerna eius in
mediis tenebris, /.e. whoever curses his father, or his mother,
will extinguish his lamp in the midst of the darkness,
meaning that in the greatest need he will lack all help, and
his life will be short, and every clarity he had in this life will
be extinguished, or of honor, or of contentment will be
extinguished, and what is worse in the darkness of death,
since he has not wanted in life to open his eyes to the light
of grace, he will not have the light of good works, nor of
merit, but for his own fault justly abandonedì, he will go into
eternal darkness. With these and similar ways, taking
occasion from what is heard in the preaching, and with other
good opportunities, the good father will go about explaining
to his son the importance of this precept. If | am not
mistaken, it will also be a good and effective way for the
wise mother to admonish her son about the obedience and
honour due to his father, and for the father to admonish his
son about what he owes to his mother, both with the same
aim, the benefit of the child. But above all, with the same
works, let the father make the son worthy of obedience and
honour, which will not be difficult to do, since nature itself
has placed in the child’s heart the respect of the father.
Therefore, the father should warn his son not to be too
lenient, and not to become too familiar with him, especially
when he has already grown up a little, and not to be too
strict or severe, but to maintain a certain gravity, seasoned
and tempered with gentleness and sweetness, so that the
son may fear and love his father, and this is what we call
reverence. He should also take care not to do things in the
presence of his son which make him feel cowardly, and he
should begin at an early age to do things in such a way that
the child becomes accustomed to obeying his commands
promptly, and finally, with the servants and family of the
house, he should hold such authority that the son has the
opportunity to imitate that obedience and reverence which

he sees in others, or rather, all the more so, as is more
appropriate to the son than to the servant, the love and
obedience of the father of the family, who nevertheless,

both with the sons and with the servants, will guard himself
as far as he can from excessive harshness, keeping, as has
been said, his face sweet and serene with gravity, not
showing himself rigorous and angry except when the fault of
others requires it.

Chapter 71

OF HONOUR TOWARDS THE OTHERS WHO HAVE PLACE OF
FATHER AND BEFORE THE ECCLESIASTICS.

We have touched elsewhere on the honor and obedience
which we owe to our superiors, spiritual as well as temporal
and earthly, but the consequence of the matter admonishes
us to remind our father of the family that the honor and
obedience which he desires from his children, he should
show in himself towards his elders and lead them to do the
same. Teach them that our Bishops, priests, parish priests
and pastors are the fathers of our souls, are our mediators
before God, praying for us, sanctifying us with the
sacraments, and teaching us the way of eternal health, But
let the father and the son be accustomed to show great
reverence to priests as the ministers of God, in which many
are guilty, especially the nobility, some of whom seem to be
disdainful of honoring priests by giving them the way, Some
of them seem to disdain honouring priests by giving them
the way, saluting them, and giving them the first places,
who show little understanding of the dignity of the priest,
and that even if he were of low lineage, and dressed poorly,
and even not of good living, which it would please God that
it should never happen, nevertheless out of reverence for
him whose place and authority they represent on earth, they
must be honoured, esteemed, and obeyed by all, and all the
more so when with the preeminence of rank, is joined the
goodness of life. It is well known the memorable example of
Theodosius, first Emperor of such power, who, forbidden by
Saint Ambrose not to enter the Church because he had too
bitterly taken revenge on a rebel City, not only obeyed, but
humbly accepted the penance imposed on him, and did not
scorn to perform it publicly in the presence of the whole

world. And truly, whoever well considers the humiliation of
the holy priests is to aggrandize himself, because all that
honour redounds principally in God himself, and in the
eternal, high priest Christ Jesus, who, speaking with the holy
Apostles, and with their successors, his lieutenants, so to
speak, on earth, said: Whoever hears you hears me, and
whoever despises you despises me. To the performance of
honour belongs properly, as we have already said, the
overventione, however it is the offitio of the father of the
family, and with the example, and with the admonitions
imprint in the puerile breast, and however more highly in
the mature age, to plant this propensity of will to help the
pastors, and ecclesiastical superiors, and also the religious
men who for the love of God have made themselves poor,
and have shut themselves up in the cloisters of the holy
religions, who preach the Gospel to us, and who spiritually
feed us; It is no great thing, says St. Paul, if one gathers
fleshly fruit from those from whom spiritual things are sown;
and in the same place, which is in the first epistle to the
Corinthians, he goes on to say very beautiful things in this
regard, showing by the example of the soldier, the farmer,
and the shepherd, the one who plants the vine, how rightly,
out of a debt of justice, spiritual fathers and shepherds must
be sustained and maintained in temporal necessity. And so
they commit a great sin who take away from the Churches,
and in a thousand ways diminish or delay the payment of
tithes, and fees, and other rights due by them to the
Churches, where they ought to give their due promptly. Men
do not understand how mercantile it is to earn money, and
how fruitful is the industry and sure art of the field, to offer
with a happy heart to God and to his ministers, the tithes
and the first fruits of one's own sustenance; Solomon
understood it well, who said in the proverbs, “Honour God
with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your fruits
and crops; then your granaries will be full of abundance, and
your vats and presses will overflow with wine. But we are so

far from this, and from the imitation of our ancestors, and
our elders, who have founded so many noble Churches and
Monasteries with their offerings, that one sees more quickly
in this calamitous century of ours, a common thirst, and
greed to take away from the Churches, which how much it
displeases God and of how many evils it is the cause, and in
the private, and in the public, it does not concern me now to
discuss at length; It is enough for me to remind our good
father, that after having persuaded himself, he must
persuade his son effectively, that everything that is unduly
withheld, or usurped from the Church is hellfire, which
consumes the other faculties, and what is more important,
destroys souls.

Chapter 72

HOW GRAVE IS THE SIN OF MELEDICENCE AGAINST
SUPERIORS, ESPECIALLY ECCLESIASTICAL ONES.

But a grave sin and above all one opposed to this precept of
honour, is committed against superiors, and in particular
against the Ecclesiastics with meledicence, and detraction,
and murmuring, of which if well elsewhere we will have to
discuss in general, | cannot however contain myself, not to
make some complaint, now that we speak of the honor due
to our superiors, especially Ecclesiastics, for this being a sin,
where many easily overflow, with great offense to God, who
in the ancient law left us with an express prohibition saying
Diis non detrahes, et principi populi tui non maledices, that
is, Do not detract from the Gods, and do not curse the prince
of your people; and by the Gods are meant the priests,
because of the excellence of their rank and office, so that it
is shown how much we must be subject to them, and
obedient, and not want to arrogate to ourselves the
Judgment, and the union of their actions, because it is not
the offense of the sheep to judge, but to follow the
shepherd. Therefore, let the son never hear from the mouth
of his father anything that would give him scandal toward
the priests; rather, sooner on the contrary, let him hear
things that would invite him to veneration and respect, so
that he may never be among those who take pleasure in
speaking ill of religious persons, and spiritual fathers,
imitating the terrible Cam son of Noah, who with laughter,
and mockery, revealed to his brothers that his old father lay
Jewish, and naked, but imitating more quickly the other two
sons blessed by their father, who with their own clothes
without even looking at him covered him. And this is said,
even if sometimes it happened that the religious was less

than good. And in this matter it is most worthy of
remembrance and imitation that saying of the most
Christian emperor Constantine the Great, after whom,
accusing some bishops of various sins among themselves
through human passions, he rejected not only the judgment,
He said to them, among other things, these words: “If | saw a
priest fall because of superficial weakness into danger of the
flesh, | would cover him with my purple cloak so that no one
would see him.

Chapter 73

OF THE HONOR DUE TO THE TEMPORAL SUPERIORS.

Now all that we have said so far about the honour and
reverence due to the spiritual fathers and ecclesiastical
superiors, and how one must give them obedience and help,
and not judge or murmur about them, and if anything else in
this way appears, | say everything is to be understood in
proportion to the magistrates, princes and temporal
superiors, towards whom we must be obedient and ready to
obey, all the holy writings are full of it. St. Paul writing to
Titus said thus: Admone illos principibus, et potestatibus
subditos esse, dicto obedire etc. that is, admonish the
faithful who are under your care, that they be subject and
obedient to the princes, and to the powers. And in the
Epistle to the Romans he discusses this at length,
demonstrating that the superiority, and preeminence of the
magistrates, and of the princes, and the authority they have
over the peoples, is from God, so that whoever resists them,
resists the divine disposition, and several times he calls
them ministers of God, and commands that tributes, and
taxes be paid to them promptly, and all due honor, and fear.
And it is to be noted that in those times the Christian people
were under the empire of unbelieving princes, and
nevertheless our saintly teachers, the Apostles, persuaded
so effectively that the faithful should remain under their
obedience, with every subject, and it is no wonder, since this
is what they had learned from Christ our Lord, when he said,
render to Caesar the things that are Caesar'’s, and to God the
things that are God's, how much more, therefore, should all
honour and obedience be rendered to the Christian princes?
This is a point of great importance for the good, and for the
public tranquillity, and therefore the good father must use

every solicitude, and industry, to form the young man's
mind in this part too, so that he recognises in the prince
something divine, and sacrosanct, so that on certain
solemnities, when the prince shows himself to the people in
greater majesty, the father may bring his son to see him,
showing him with a happy face, as a father, and benefactor,
telling him then, as he will be able, how much obligation he
has to the one who administers justice, preserving to each
his own, and defending us from insults, and from violence,
procuring peace, and abundance, and in sum every good of
this common and civil life, and civil life, therefore it is right
that in recompense for so many labors, obedience is
rendered to him, and every Citizen is so disposed, that after
God he has nothing more dear nor more venerable, than the
life, and the authority of the Prince; and how readily the
limbs are offered to every danger, for the preservation of the
head, so much so, that every particular citizen should do
neither more nor less, for the Prince, persuading himself that
without the health of the head, the limbs cannot be saved.
And because a good prince is a singular gift of God, just as
God sometimes allows sour princes because of the sins of
the people, so the Holy Church has taught us to pray for
them, so that they may rule the people of God with justice
and peace, wherefore Saint Paul writing to Timothy
admonishes him that prayers be made for the Kings, and for
all those who are placed in highness, and Lordship, so that,
says the Apostle, we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in
every way of piety, and holiness. It will be a good and
laudable institute for the father of a family to teach his
children to render to their superiors this truly Christian form
of honour, that is, to pray to God for their life and health,
and for the good state and happy government of the public,
so that, except for the helmsman, the ship may be brought
prosperously to port.

Chapter 74

OF HONOR TO THE MASTERS, AND THE OLD MEN.

From what has been said above one gathers enough, how
children must be taught to revere their teachers, who have
the place of fathers, and the old as well, and truly, out of
Christian charity and for the benefit of the country, every
citizen of mature age and more so the old ones to whom the
white beard and senile gravity gives authority, they should, |
say, esteem all the children and young people for their
children, and always in case of serious need, and sweetly
admonish them, and take them away from the youthful
indiscretions, which are often seen in the streets, and public
places by young people who are not very well behaved, so
that the correction can be more fruitful and effective, it is
very necessary to get used from childhood through good
education, to show reverence to the old people not
otherwise than if they were fathers, This custom is said to
have been very much observed by the Lacedaemonians, a
republic already very famous, and full of good institutes, and
of great esteem, and power among the Greeks, and an
example is recounted in this regard that for having been
considered worthy of memory by ancient writers, perhaps it
will not be without fruit to refer to it in this place. In Athens,
the principal city of Greece, a solemn feast and spectacle
was celebrated, to which a great multitude of citizens and
foreigners were gathered. lt happened that an old man was
looking for a place to sit as the others had, but because of
the great crowd he could not find it, so many people
laughed, and mocked him, and passing through the theater
he arrived in a part where some young Lacedaemonese were
sitting, who saw the old man, not otherwise than if a father
or a superior had seen them, immediately stood up, and

courteously invited the cow, they received him in their midst
to sit down, which thing warned by the people, raised a
great shout applauding, and approving that act of good
manners. And so much for this digression.

Chapter 75

OF HONOR, AND GOOD MANNERS TOWARDS EQUALS AND
INFERIORS.

Now if the present discourse is only about the honour that is
due to the father and to some other persons, who however
are in some way included under the name of father,
nevertheless because to the child, because of the
tenderness of age, each in a certain way is father, and
superior, and to continue the consequence of the matter, we
will remind our father of the family in this place of some
things of that honour, and of those terms of courtesy, and of
urbanity, that should be used with everyone in common
conversation. These consist of words and reverent gestures
of the body, by which we show the esteem in which we hold
a person. Therefore, our good father will not neglect in any
way to accustom the young child to this good manners, so
that he may be called promptly, do reverence, not be coy
and uncouth in the presence of others, but modest and
ashamed, not clamor with his body, nor with his hands at his
mouth, or in any other way make any indecent gesture, but
remain composed and attentive while others speak to him,
and in reply be accustomed to leave the naked yes, and the
no, which is more common for cherubs as it is shorter and
more expedient, saying in that place according to the
custom of our times, Mister yes, and Mister no, and Sir yes,
and Sir no, likewise in giving and receiving things let him
make a sign of reverence, and as he grows older let him be
ready to greet, to ascend, to yield the first places, always
using a certain modesty, which is a great ornament of young
people. And because at times very serious inconveniences
arise from slight words, the father is accustomed to answer
modestly, especially in denying something, and

contradicting what others say; So it is not necessary to say,
as many do, “You do not understand, you are deceived, it is
not true,” and other similar ways of speaking, which have
the appearance of a certain contempt, or at least of not
having much esteem for the person with whom we reason,
which is a serious error in civil conversation, and when it is
necessary to contradict, it must be done with a certain
temperament, so that others may realize, that if they show
him respect, as for example by saying, forgive me I will
speak my mind, | could be mistaken, but it seems to me that
the thing is like this, always saving the truth, saving your
gratitude, and in other such forms of saying, and more
quickly aggravating himself than his companion; it does no
harm to say of oneself, | did not know how to say, | was not
warned to remind you of such and such; but on the contrary
it can offend to say, you did not hear me, you did not
remember to do this and that. If my memory serves me well,
the booklet called Galateo speaks of such courtesy and
modesty of speech, as well as of many other things that are
useful to know, and it is expedient that our educator
observes them, so that his child may be in all respects well
constituted, for if the aim of this treatise of ours is to treat
primarily of education as well as of the education of the
child, then | would like to ask you to read it, is to treat
principally of education as Christian, nevertheless it does
not exclude moral decency, on the contrary it is desired, and
it is persuaded, as more than once has been said, and
therefore where in this I would be less diligent, | refer to
those who write about it more copiously. In conclusion,
therefore, | say that the vulgar proverb is very true, that the
honour given to others in word or deed costs little, and is
worth a great deal, and the more it is worth, the greater the
honourer, and certainly it is something worthy of
consideration, that with such an easy price as a loving
greeting, a happy face, a pleasant welcome, a call by name,
and similar things, one buys such a precious commodity, as

is the heart, and the goodwill of men, and therefore our
father should take care to cultivate the tender soul of his
son, so that in him are not born thorns of rusticity, and pride,
but flowers of the most suavest humanity, and pleasantness.

Chapter 76

OF THE FIFTH PRECEPT, NON OCCIDERE.,

And it is impossible to think of it, that a man, by his very
gentle nature, should become so proud and bestial that he
should kill another man like himself, and run, as the Psalmist
says, quickly to shed the blood of his brother, because
although we are separated by kinship or by birth, we are all,
however, spouses of the same nature, and children of the
same heavenly father, in whose house and whose abundant
resources we all live; and after this short pilgrimage we all
expect from him the same heredity in heaven, of which even
those who are different from us in faith and religion are, as
reasonable men, and of free will capable, and can when they
do not fail to accept the faith, and receive Holy Baptism to
be participants. And truly | cannot persuade myself that a
man reaches such an extreme that, almost deprived of his
humanity, he becomes in a certain way a wild animal, if not
after a long chain of sins and after a very bad previous
disposition, caused in great part by a defect of good
education. And therefore our good father of the family
should watch over his son and try to uproot all the evil
seeds, which growing in the course of time can produce such
bitter fruits, and on the other hand try to introduce those
virtues and opinions, which can keep him far from such
abominations, as we shall now say in more detail. Et in
somma habbia il padre sempre avanti a gli occhi questo
pensiero, che egli deve allevar alla patria, et a tutto ‘|
consortio del genere humano, un’'huomo man tame,
sociabile, et beneficico. et non una fiera cruele, sanguigna,
et micidiale.

Chapter 77

HOW GREATLY IT DISPLEASES GOD TO HOMICIDE.

The supreme God, after having created Heaven, and Earth,
and all these beautiful creatures that we see, also created
man in his own image and likeness, and placed him in this
great and rich hotel as King and Lord of the Earth and of the
animals; Therefore he who kills man, greatly offends God,
because he spoils one of the most beautiful and noblest
works that he has done, and everyone knows how much an
artist dislikes the destruction of his work, and all the more
when it is of greater excellence and perfection, because it is
seen that the homicide is violent against God as far as it is
possible, since it cruelly destroys his image, and just as the
insults made to a royal statue, are meant to be made against
the person of the King himself, so for the homicide one
mainly offends the divine majesty. Add that the homicide
spoils, and corrupts, as far as it is in itself all creatures,
taking away the man, for whose conservation, and
maintenance they have been created. Moreover, in the same
way, he is the destroyer of all mankind, and of every
company and fellowship of men, not failing for him to reduce
this world to the habitation of beasts, for which reason God
has always given manifest signs of how much this terrible
sin displeases him, so that speaking with Caimo after the
murder and fratricide committed, he said to him in this
sentence: Ah wretch, what have you done? The voice of your
brother's blood cries out to me from the earth, so cursed will
you be above the earth, which has opened its mouth and
drunk your brother's blood, shed by your hands. And
although Caius was the first shedder of human blood, he was
not the first murderer, but the devil, of whom the Savior Says
in the Gospel, he was a murderer from the beginning, either

because in the earthly paradise he killed man through sin,
both in soul and body, causing him to fall into the necessity
of dying, or because, as some Doctors contemplate in great
detail, having heard of the incarnation of the Word and of its
glory, he was moved by pride and envy and wished to kill it,
and so Christ our Lord said to the Pharisees in the same
place, who were already planning to kill it; You are children
of the devil, and seek to fulfill the desires of your father. This
sin is properly called diabolical, and as we began to say, it
displeases God so much that in the ancient law he
commanded that homicide done out of hatred and
vengeance be severely punished, hence the famous
sentence, he will render the offender soul for soul, that is life
for life, tooth for tooth, eye for eye, and what follows. And so
that those uncouth people might better understand how
much God abhorred homicide, he commanded them that if
any of the animals killed a man, he would kill him for no
reason; and after the Flood, having given men the custom of
eating the flesh of animals, he ordered them to abstain from
their own blood, and this order was renewed under Moisé, so
that the people, still children, might be more distant from
the shedding of human blood under these veils.

Chapter 78

OF RESTRAINING THE IMPETUS OF WRATH.

Therefore, our good father, from the things said above, will
take the matter, according to the child's ability, to explain to
him this precept of the law, You will not hide it, so that he
will be greatly dismayed), and as in a horror of homicide, and
he will consider a deadly man almost a wild beast, enemy of
men, and demonstrates to the child that the magistrates,
using their legitimate power, chastise criminals with the last
punishment, and are not guilty, nor transgressors of the
precept of God with such an occurrence, on the contrary
they execute the divine will, providing for the life, and
health of many with the death, and chastisement of a few.
But in addition to the reasons which have been given and
which could be given, it must be considered that the effect
of such a grave excess, such as insulting first with words,
then with deeds, striking, wounding, and killing, has its
origin in immoderate anger and other passions of the soul,
For this reason it is necessary to put the brake of reason and
the yoke of the fear of God on these untamed horses at an
early stage; the Christian law, a loving and most perfect law,
wanting to keep the Christian far from the most serious sins,
forbids the remote causes, and for fear of a great fire
promptly extinguishes as far as possible the sparks of our
affections. Therefore our Savior, speaking in Saint Matthew
about this precept, of which we are speaking, said these
words:

You have heard that your ancients were told not to kill, and
whoever kills will be guilty of judgment. But | say to you,
that each one who is angry with his brother will be guilty of
judgments, and whoever says to his brother, “racha”, will be

guilty of the Council, and whoever says to him, “pazzo”, will
be guilty of the fire of hell. From this doctrine one
understands that the Christian must beware not only of
homicide, which is the extreme evil of this kind, but also of
anger, hatred, insulting words, inner desire, and everything
that in some way is a way, and a disposition to the death of
his brother. For this reason, as has been said, while the child
does not yet understand the gravity of evil, the good farmer
must smooth out the roots of evil, and restrain anger, and
the other affections that are in our hearts, not unlike so
many beasts. Children are by nature wrathful, and having
different appetites, and not achieving them, and not being
able to defend themselves because of the weakness of age
from many things that displease them, they become
inflamed with anger and indignation, and having no other
way, they avenge themselves with weeping; For this reason
those who entice children by inviting them to speak insults,
and to beat up those who have offended them, do not do
very wisely, giving bait to anger, and the natural appetite
for revenge, rather it is better to do the opposite, and to
train them to bear some small insults patiently and to
reconcile easily, which from that tender and simple age is
easily obtained. And because children are eager, and they
ask for many things, which some, not to hear them cry,
immediately grant them, so that they are more ready to ask
for others because of the instability of childhood, hence it
happens that little by little, tney become such friends of
their own will, that if anything is denied to them, they
become indignant and angry; for this reason it is expedient
to break the children in their wills, and not to allow them to
become obstinate, and stubborn, but that they be ready,
and agile to obedience, and turn to every direction, without
feeling hardness, nor passion, not differently from well
tamed chickens, which are obedient, and light at every small
movement of the Knight's hand. And this care and diligence
must be used more with the sons of gentlemen and great

men, who have more things around them that nourish the
spirit of pride in them, such as delicate dress, many
domestic comforts, many servants, many caresses and
flattery, and the greater facility of having what they want,
that if from the beginning they are childish desires, they
grow with the years, and come to such a point, that if they
are not obeyed at a sign, they burst out in great anger, and
say rude words, and are intolerable to the family, and to the
vassals, and no service pleases them. And so they begin to
be obedient, and to be content with what is given them, and
to ask for things not with authority, but with modesty, and
fear, and to render them willingly when their father and
mother ask for them, and to suffer when they are not always
pleased. As the child's capacity grows, show him with
reasons the ugliness of iIMmmoderate anger, which is called by
the sages “furor breve” (short fury), because truly a man
taken by vehement anger, does not use reason, but is like a
raging madman, so that his face is full of a bloody redness,
his eyes sparkle like flames, his mouth foams, he cannot find
his place, and his body moves in deformed ways, and he
cries and says and does things of which, since that ardour
remains, he has great cause to repent. Wrath is a natural
passion, and therefore useful, and at times even necessary
to operate with a certain vigour and vivacity in many
virtuous actions, and to know how to take up and punish the
failures of subjects when necessary, and to rise up against
vices, so that philosophers have called wrath the whetstone
of virtue, which sharpens and sharpens virtue, not
differently from the whetstone of a knife; So it is not said
that it trains the child to be stupid and foolish, but to know
how to temper the impetus of anger, so that it may be the
servant, and minister, and not the mistress of reason,
otherwise it is no more intolerable than an angry man, and
everyone flees from talking and conversing with him, and so
the Sage exhorts us in his proverbs saying: Do not be a
friend of a wrathful man, and do not practice with a furious

man, adding that it is not without danger that that evil habit
of getting angry will be set in motion, so that one then
incurs a thousand scandals, and very serious disorders,
besides that it is very difficult to remain a friend of such a
man who at every slight encounter breaks down, and bursts
into indignation.

Chapter 79

HOW BENEFICIAL AND GRATEFUL MEEKNESS IS.

But on the contrary the father shows his son how beautiful,
how grateful to God and to men is the virtue of meekness; A
pleasant and meek man attracts the hearts of all to love
him, and all the more so if this virtue is in a noble man, who
is like a gem in gold, and shines all the more, since it is no
great marvel that the poor man is meek, in whom necessity
may seem more quickly than election, but if the rich man, If
the rich man, the gentle man and the Lord is pleasant, it is
well seen that it is a mere virtue, and how much, according
to the opinion of many, it is less due, the more it is
esteemed, and appreciated, although truly to no one is this
virtue more appropriate than to the noble, and great, and
generous of heart, but certainly to no one does it bring
greater fruits. It is the sentence of our Saviour, Blessed are
the meek and gentile, for they shall possess the earth, which
has various intelligences, but it also receives this one, that
truly these men of gentle nature, especially if there is
accompanied by valor, are reconciled with the goodwill of
others, so that they are like masters of peoples and cities.
We read of Moise, who was most meek above all the men of
the earth, and likewise the meekness of David, is recorded in
the sacred scriptures, and both of them of a lowly state, were
exalted both by God, and by men to great power, yet they
lacked it, when it was necessary to exercise wrath, or sooner,
holy zeal against sinful men, for the glory of God, this is
said, so that no one may believe that the meek man does
not know, and cannot in place, and time, in the rule of right
reason, take out of his vagina the knife of wrath; On the
contrary a great sage of the world says that the truly strong
man is fervent and good in battle, but pleasant elsewhere;

and on the contrary we see many who falsely claim to be
brave, who in common conversation and in civil
deliberations are terrible, and in times of trouble are
cowardly and vile. They are also very profitable in the
Republic, the meek men, because in the councils, in the
Judiciary, in the government, and in every deliberation, they
are like the triac, and the temperament of the broken,
choleric, and hasty men, of whom there are always some in
the congregations, and because of their roughness, and
imperious nature, they are so ungrateful, that sometimes
good opinions are rejected, just because they are proposed
by them, besides that they excite discord and quarrels,
which the tame man with his dexterity calms down, and
composes, so well said Solomon; Vir iracundus provocat
rixas, qui patiens est, mitigat suscitatas, that is, the angry
and choleric man stirs up fights, and the patient and meek
man mitigates and restrains them. Therefore the paternal
diligence will be usefully tested in this matter, to bring up
the son in a pleasant and meek manner, and that he may at
times, as is necessary in human commerce, be able to bear,
and dissimulate the impertinence and unruliness of
someone, otherwise a man who is too sensitive and easy to
anger will very often meet with great anxiety; and however
the Saviour said, learn from me, who am meek and humble
of heart and you will find rest and peace in your hearts.

Chapter 80

OF FORGIVING INSULTS, AND OF THE FALSE RULES CALLED
OF HONOR.

The perfection of the Christian law, as has been said
elsewhere, consists in charity, and in the love of God, and of
one's neighbor, and he who loves has fulfilled the law, for so
grave a sin is the hatred one bears towards one's neighbor
and brother, and this obstinate hardness of not wanting to
forgive, nor to forgive the insult received. And truly one of
the highest and most excellent actions of the Christian
profession is to forgive those who have offended you, and to
love, for the love of God, one's enemies, so that this virtue is
a divine thing, and raises us above the human condition,
and makes us similar to God, as our Saviour said in Saint
Matthew, where he exhorts us at length and with great
efficacy to ascend by his grace to the height of this
mountain, which our corrupt nature abhors so much, | mean
to the delight of our enemies. This very high doctrine sealed
the most innocent lamb on the cross, while he was more
pierced by the most bitter pains, asking forgiveness from the
eternal father for his crucifiers, and offering for their
salvation that same immaculate blood, that they with
supreme cruelty, and choiceness shed. But the ancient and
irreconcilable devil, an enemy of God and of man, envious
that man should acquire such a noble crown as to be similar
to God, or rather desirous of making him similar to himself,
that what he is, is all pride, anger, hatred, and vengeance,
has sown in the good seed of the Gospel his pestiferous
zealotry, and he has introduced into the world some laws
falsely called of honor, and with them he has so intoxicated
the minds of many, that he has led them miserably like
beasts to the slaughter to offer spontaneously to the devil

with the bloody death of the bodies the eternal perdition of
their own souls. Now woe to those fathers who are the devil’s
ministers and satellites in procuring the damnation of their
children, and who, as they are painfully removed from their
swaddling clothes, instead of teaching them the fear of God
and Christian meekness, teach them these detestable laws.
And they think only to leave them for their inheritance the
implacable hatred, that they have brought to some whom
they call their enemies; to this end they impose on them
bizarre names or nicknames, and they keep in their houses
for a long time such things, that keep alive the memory of
the ancient and already buried offences, and with every way
they instigate the simple and miserable children like dogs
destined to hunt wolves, and similar beasts, so that they
may be greedy, and hungry for human flesh and blood. Our
good father and Christian educator will not do the same, but
he will remove from the child’s eyes and ears every
incitement of hatred and vengeance, and he will never say
in the presence of his son what some, in the opinion of
honorable knights, inconsiderately and without being
harassed by some, say for a certain vain bravery, | will never
let a hair on my head be twisted, if anyone should say or do
anything to me, | would pay him back, such a one is not to
resent such an insult, if he had done it to me | would not let
him live, I would cut out his heart, such another has done
very well to avenge himself, so it must be done. These and
similar words are said all day long by some, who also give
the impression of being good Christians, and for their own
pleasure, while sitting at table, or walking through their
rooms, they often commit not small sins, proposing many
times that they do not want to obey the law of God, but that
of the Devil. And when the children hear these propositions,
as the scab of sin sticks easily, they remain impressed in
their minds, and remember it after many years, and say, so |
heard my father say; but our father will not say, nor will he

allow his son to convert where others say such doctrine, but
with deeds, and with words he will teach him the opposite.

Chapter 81

SOME REASONS, ABOUT PERSUADING THE REMISSION OF
INSULTS.

And for this reason, in addition to what has been said above,
that forgiving and loving our offenders makes us like God, so
that Jesus Christ also said, Blessed are the peacemakers for
they shall be the children of God, let the father show his
child, already capable of reason, that true Christian nobility
admits of no law contrary to the law of God, and let the
world say and believe what it will, that true and false honor
is not proved by its own comparison, but by that of God. The
strongest martyrs were reputed by the world as dishonoured,
when, in order not to offend the supreme King of heaven,
they left the honours and the magistrates of the Kings of the
earth, and voluntarily loosed their military belts, sign of
nobility and chivalry, and nevertheless in that act, and in
suffering the same death for God, they were no less
honoured than strong and valiant. True honor is the reward
of true virtue, true virtue never consists in the opinion of
others, nor in what others do or say, nor even in viciousness,
otherwise it would follow that one could be virtuous or
vicious for the deeds of another, but it is not so, indeed each
one is virtuous for his own deeds, done deliberately for love
of honor and for God, and so on the contrary. And certainly it
would be not only hard, but ridiculous, that after having
lived virtuously for thirty or forty years, the misdeed of
another should take away his honour; even the philosophers
have understood that it is better to suffer than to do wrong,
because in doing wrong is injustice, and with injustice sin,
and with sin dishonour, and there is nothing more vile, nor
more dishonoured than sin. The same philosophers, by the
light of reason alone, have understood that it is a matter of a

generous spirit to despise insults, and they have attributed
it to the property of the magnanimous, and they have also
said that there is no greater victory than to conquer the
passion of anger and to overcome oneself; indeed reason
and experience show that vile women and timid souls are
more vindictive. Therefore let the good father persuade the
noble and generous young man to act virtuously, and if
someone, out of envy or malice, detracts from his reputation,
let him renounce it, because the works themselves answer,
and convince him as a liar and malignant, but if by chance
what is opposed to him is true, he will have no reason to be
angry against him, but against his own sin, and he will
wisely convert the adversary’s melicitation into a friendly
warning; and this is one of the utilities that one derives from
enemies, as some gentle writers have shown, that
sometimes an enemy is more useful than a friend, because
through his bad will he has a sharp eye, and penetrates and
discovers our faults, and gives us the opportunity to amend
them. The father also reminds his son that it is a sign of a
noble spirit not to render great insults for small insults, but
on the contrary to render great recompense for small
services, and to forget and mock insults, just as we read that
an ancient non-Christian king, laughing at those who spoke
ill of him, was accustomed to say: It is a thing for a king to
hear evil after having done good, but without doubt it is a
thing for a perfect Christian to do good, and to suffer evil in
this life. The father adds by saying, that a grave insult is
done to the country, when he wants to be the judge of the
insults received by others, and in contempt of the laws, and
of public authority, takes in his hand the rod and the power
to punish the guilty, over whom he has no jurisdiction, with
great perturbation of the whole government, besides that no
one is a just judge of his own cause, because the affection,
and the passion do not allow the right estimation of the
offence, but always seems greater, so that one sees by
experience, the great excess of a heart impassioned by

anger, and disdain, that for a little word, for a twisted look,
for a gust of air, wants the blood, and the death not of one,
but of many, even innocent, and the extermination of an
entire family.

Chapter 82

CHRISTIAN REASONS MORE IN PARTICULARE ABOUT THE
SAME MATTER.

These and many other reasons, which for the sake of brevity
we shall omit, the natural light alone teaches us, and
uncovers from us the false doctrine of the world clothed in
the pitiful name of honour. But in the Christian mind
Christian reasons founded on the principles of humility, and
regulated by the eternal rules of true honor, must have
greater strength and effectiveness. And this above all the
good father must inculcate in the soul of his son. And before
this is the will of God, who has promised us, that if for his
sake we forgive our enemies and forgive our offenses, he will
take our cause into his hands. Wherefore St. Paul exhorted
the Romans in this form, Do not avenge yourselves, dearly
beloved, but temper and remit your wrath, for God has said,
Leave vengeance to me, and | will be the rewarder; in which
place St. Paul says many other things not only about
forgiving, but about doing good to the enemy, and he
concludes by saying: Do not let yourself be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good, and for certain this is a
noble victory and high vengeance, to overcome the malice
of others with your own goodness. Let the good Father also
say that in the Holy Scriptures God's chosen ones are
likened to the sheep, a most tame and patient animal, to
which nature has given no weapons to defend itself other
than to offend, no horn, no tooth, no nail, and finally, as
other unarmed animals have, not even the speed of their
course, but the whole defence of the sheep is in the
providence of the shepherd; such is the Christian, he knows
no harm to anyone, such was the good David, whose psalms
are full of this confidence in God, calling him with great

affection his defender, protector, his helper, refuge, and
tower of fortitude against all his enemies. Let the Father add
that we must consider the grave offences, which we commit
at all hours against the supreme God, Father, Lord, and our
perpetual benefactor, and nevertheless the long-suffering
and benign God dissimulates with us, and waits for us to do
penance, and is the first to invite us to reconciliation, and
when from afar we rise to return to him, he runs to meet us
with the arms of his mercy open. And how then will the
worm of the earth dare to deny his brother and his guardian
the remission of one hundred denarii, that is, a slight
offense, having God forgiven him the debt of ten thousand
talents? As in that noble Gospel parable our Savior
expounds to us; therefore, whoever wishes to find
forgiveness from God, let him forgive his neighbor, this is
the law that the supreme judge has proposed to us, and as
we do to our neighbor, so shall it be done to us. Let the good
father see to it that his son understands and remains
convinced that there is nothing more dishonorable than sin,
nor more honorable than doing the will of God, and that true
honor does not depend on the judgment of the world, which
is blind anda liar, but on the judgment of God, who in his
time will honor his servants so highly, that the worldly men
will be astonished, when, having opened their eyes through
punishment, which are now closed by guilt, and having
repented of the false ]udgments made by them, they will say
of the deeds of the righteous those words which we read in
the Holy Scriptures: We foolish and senseless ones thought
their life madness, and their end dishonoured and vile,
behold how they are numbered among the sons of God, and
their portion is with the saints.

And because the anger, and the hatred that is kindled in us
against our brother arises from the opinion that he has done
Us, or can do us, some harm, the good father carefully
demonstrates that no one can be truly offendedì, if not by

himself, for the true and most serious offense is that which
touches the soul, that is, sin, which deprives it of the life of
grace, which makes it a slave of the devil, and obliges it to
eternal punishment, and it is not a creature to be offended,
and most serious offense is that which touches the soul, that
is sin, which deprives it of the life of grace, which makes it a
slave of the devil, and obliges it to eternal punishment, and
there is no creature that can bring us harm to the soul,
except our own will. And this is that famous paradox, which
many holy fathers, but especially the glorious St. John
Chrysostom treated with great eloquence, Nemo laeditur nisi
a se ipso, that is, no one is offended except by himself.
Moreover, the good Christian knows that no small
inconvenience can happen to him without God's permission,
so that he does not become angry with his neighbor, but
humiliates himself before God, who sometimes awakens us
from the sleep of sin, sometimes preserves us in virtue, and
sometimes crowns us with a greater crown, hora for other
effects to his glory, and our utility, allows that we are
afflicted, and offended, but if we will not offend ourselves
with impacience, and with anger, and we will take together
with Job everything from the hand of God, the small losses of
this world will bring us the great gains of Heaven. With these
and other similar Christian reasons let the good father
persuade his son to forgive his insults willingly, and not to
wound himself with a mortal wound in his soul, while he
holds his hatred against his brother, who has to hope, desire
and pray that he may be consort with him in divine glory. It
could not be sufficiently expressed how great an evil it is to
kill a man, who, overcome by an unthinkable violent death,
has no room for penitence, and for the vain interest of
money, for a childish indignity, and for nothing is deprived
by his brother's hand of the life of the body, and that of the
soul together, with irreparable loss, and with such a weight
of damage, that neither all the gold, nor all the honours of
the world, nor the temporal life of all men can match him.

Chapter 83

THAT ONE MUST TAKE CARE OF HONOR, AND
GOODESTIMATION.

Do not believe that because of what has been said above, |
mean that the Christian gentleman does not take into
account the honour and the good esteem of his citizens, for |
remember well what Solomon says in his proverbs, Better is
a good name than much wealth, and he has no doubt that
having reputation and credit in common is a means of doing
many good and useful things for the benefit of the country,
so that generally speaking one must not be contemptuous of
gratitude, and good opinion of men. But the Christian, who
with the prudence of the Spirit separates the precious from
the vile, must be convinced that true honour is preserved
and maintained by the same ways and manners by which it
is acquired, that is, by virtuous works and deeds, and that
no work can be truly virtuous, Nor can any work be truly
virtuous, nor honored that is contrary to the law of God, just
as, on the other hand, true honor is never offended by the
observance of the law of God, if the world with false
judgments should judge otherwise, so let the Christian wait
to work according to virtue, and not fear that a fact, or a
dishonorable saying, of whoever it may be, may take away
his honor; and because we are not speaking now of the
highest perfection, which for the love of heaven, despises all
earthly things, but we are speaking of the common, and civil
life, therefore it is not taken away, nor is it taken back that
the Christian retains his rank, and his dignity, and does not
make himself acceptable to men, and does not expose
himself to insults through lack of prudence, but maintains
his gravity, and is such in works, in words, in keeping, and in
dealing that without vanity, and swelling of pride he makes

himself worthy of being respected. Likewise, one can and
must conserve one's own property, and desire its right, but
everything is to be done in the ordinary and lawful way,
according to the rules of divine and human justice, without
offending God, and without hating one's brother. And this is
what is remembered, that the good father persuades his son
not to burst into anger at every little word, that he does not
make a mountain out of a small stone, which sometimes he
crosses between his feet, that he does not see many things,
and does not hear them, and dissimulates them, and
generously scorns them, continuing to work virtuously,
because in the end the good will judge incorrectly, and the
time itself, is father as it is said of the truth. Let him make
himself easy to forgive, and let him make more of a
profession of this, than of something too sensible and
terrible. Similarly, in the matter of giving and having, where
serious disputes often arise, he should not always be willing
to make amends as much as he could, but should be content
at times to suffer some slight damage for the preservation of
peace and friendship. It is true that one should value one's
possessions, but not to such an extent as the world does; on
the contrary, it is often a great gain to let a few coins fall
from one's hands, and to withhold one's neighbor's love; as
a wise man said, it is an expedient to withdraw a little, and
to yield one's reasons for living in peace. In short, let the
father show his son that if one must esteem the honour of
men who deceive themselves, one must esteem even more
the honour of God who never deceives himself, nor by the
opinion of men must one in any way transgress, or not fulfil
the law of God, which, if in order to observe it, the world
either reprimands or mocks us, then one must remember
what Saint Paul says: | take very little account of being
judged by you, or by human prudence, and in another place;
if | were pleasing to men, | would not be a servant of Christ.

Chapter 84

OF OVER SUSPICION,.

I don't know if perhaps | have gone too far in the matter of
this fifth precept, Non occidere (Don't kill), but whoever will
consider the great evils, that are born of anger and of the
shedding of human blood, and of this idol of honour so
venerated by men, and will see before his eyes the ruins of
houses, and of cities, and sometimes of provinces because of
the bloody sects, and divisions and parts, of which the old
histories are full, to say nothing of our times, one will easily
come to believe, that to deal usefully with this part, a few
words were not enough, so that by chance he will judge this
length to be less long, to which to put an end now I will add
this only, that being the purpose of good education so in
this particular one, as in many others, to remedy future evils
from afar, and consequently not having to leave any
diligence behind, it will be useful, as it seems to me, to
avoid anger, hatred and the bitter fruits that such plants
produce, to ensure at an early stage, that the child does not
become too suspicious, and this is said so studiously, or by
inadvertence the father does not approach it himself, or by
example, or by persuasion, because ordinarily this defect is
very far from the young, just as it is very proper to the old,
who partly because of the cooling of the blood, partly
because of the long experience of the offenses, and of the
deceptions received are suspicious beyond measure. There
are some fathers who seem to give very useful reminders to
their children while they say, see son, don't believe in
anyone, don't trust anyone, let yourself be awakened, and
want to know everything, and similar things, which prepare
the children for a restless and painful life. Whoever wants to
know everything that is said about him, whoever delights in

hearing detractors, and reporters will have oftentimes
matter of anger against his neighbors, and well often
without foundation of truth, for there is no lack of men who
curse and slander, who partly because of a certain
malignity, that seems to feel no other pleasure than to do
evil, partly for various purposes, and interests, go about
sowing scandal, and dissension, and where they find
credence, all day long they come before you with lies, and
little stories, he who has said, and the other one has done,
and they show themselves zealous of our honour, and
exaggerate so much the little things, that the wrathful, and
bold ones rush to avenge themselves in fact, or at least to
speak altered and resentful words, which, once out of their
mouths, are irrevocable, and come to the knowledge of the
offended, and true enmities are generated, and it is not
enough to say, | had bad relations, | deceived myself. But if
someone else is of a timid and suspicious nature, and has
ears which are easy to slander, he conceives hatred within
himself, and nourishes it with the fomentation sometimes of
anger, sometimes of fear, so that to secure himself he
resolves to make dangerous and terrible deliberations
against the life of his neighbor. Therefore, it is appropriate
now to remove the root of evil, and to accustom the child not
to be too suspicious, nor too curious to know everything that
is said about him, and not to listen willingly to this sort of
men, of whom David says in the Psalm: Detrahentem secreto
proximo suo hunc persequebar, that is, | persecuted him
who secretly detracted from his neighbor. Finally, persuade
your son to live virtuously and in accordance with God's law,
and after this to generously despise others who speak ill of
him, or try to slander him, or seek to bring him down, and
when one of these slanderers and complainers happens to
him, if he shows little regard for his gossip, he will throw
water on the fire, and prudently extinguish the sparks of
great fires. Now it is not said ill of princes, and of kings, and
of most holy men, and even in Heaven, the boldness of men

puts their mouths; it will not seem to us therefore great
wonder, that evil is also said of us, we are all defective, and
without doubt there is in us matter, that can give others a
just occasion to reproach us, and if we do not seem to be
guilty in those things that others accuse us of, it is enough
that we have others and by chance greater. In short, the
good father accustoms his son not to be hasty in judging,
nor to believe anything lightly, worrying, and sometimes
losing his true friends and getting himself into a thousand
tangles through vain suspicions; it is not denied, however,
that the father of the family must keep his eye open, over
his house, and prudently suspect those evils that commonly
OCCUr, not to judge inconsiderately and define that one is
sad, but to close the ways, and the ease of being able to be;
and it is said vulgarly, but wisely, that the father of a family
must not esteem anyone as a thief, but he must watch over,
and guard his goods, and much more his children, and to
say it in one word, it is not warning, and caution that is
condemned, but too much credulity, and excessive
suspicion.

Chapter 85

OF THE SIXTH PRECEPT, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

After the offense against the person and the life of someone,
the most serious offense is that of adultery, which can easily
be considered from the sanctity of marriage and from the
great union of the two spouses who are already one and the
same flesh, so that between them there must be supreme
love and observance of faith, as has been discussed at
length above, and it is properly adultery to offend the
legitimate marriage bed, so that if the married person
commits adultery with the unmarried one, he is violator of
his own bed, and if the unmarried one, and free from the
bond of marriage sins with the one who is maritally obliged,
he stains and defiles the alien bed, and in any case, besides
the ugliness and deformity that is in the same sin, as an act
of incontinence, there is also a great injustice against one's
neighbor, because as has been said elsewhere, according to
the Apostle’'s teaching, the husband and wife have no power
over their own bodies, but one possesses the body of the
other, but exchange it with the other, so that to take it back
to its legitimate possessor, and to give it to someone who
has no right to it, nor any reason, is something above all
unjust, and iniquitous, and doubly God the author of this
venerable sacrament, is offended by it, besides the great
insult, which is committed against the public, and against
the civil society, which by the true, and sincere succession
of the legitimate children preserves the families, and the
heredity, and the honors, and finally itself. Therefore, all
human and divine laws have forbidden and severely
punished adultery, and in the Old Testament, by divine law,
adulterers were stoned and punished by death, so that it is
greatly to be regretted that among Christians in the state of

evangelical perfection, there are those who take upon
themselves this most serious sin, which God will punish by
means of the eternal and most cruel stonecutters in hell
without end. But leaving this aside for the moment, it must
be known that under the prohibition of adultery, of which
the law principally makes a lie, as full of injustice, and of
harm to the common good, every other manner of impurity
and carnal sin is also included, of which it is not convenient
for us, nor is it necessary to speak distinctly, it is enough
that all are forbidden, and not only as to the exterior act and
operation, but also as to the interior thought, and desire,
which if well it is contained and virtually enclosed in this
precept, Do not adulterate, this is understood, neither with
the effect of work, nor with affection of heart, as we also
understand the precept about homicide, and of the others
such, because the law, as St. Paul says, is spiritual and
spiritually has to be understood, is spiritual and is to be
understood spiritually, if | say well, the ancient law also
forbids disordered affection of heart, nevertheless it pleased
the great Master, and our Doctor Christ Jesus, to declare it
openly, so that no doubt would remain, nor any veil to cover
the too coarse Pharisaic ignorance, and therefore he said in
Saint Matthew, he who seeing any woman will be inflamed
with lust, and with the desire to sin, already by the sole will,
and consent, has committed, and consumed in his heart
adultery, and fornication, therefore we must be in great fear
and guard of the heart, praying continually to God with
great humility to give us the gift of chastity, so that we may
be worlds from all ugliness of flesh and spirit, and be able to
fulfill this precept completely, which so forbids adultery and
all lechery, that at the same time commands the observance
of chastity and modesty, which is necessarily required not
only in those who have chosen the high and sublime virginal
state, but in widowers, in those who are married, and in
those who have chosen to live free of the yoke of matrimony,
and finally it is necessary in every age, and in every state,

since no one who is not chaste and pure can share with the
purest and iMmaculate lamb; therefore it is right that our
good father should take pains in this matter, as in something
very important for the health of his son, as will now be said
more fully by divine grace.

Chapter 86

OF PATERNAL CARE ABOUT THE CHASTITY OF THE SON.

Wrath and lust, are two passions of the sensory appetite,
very strong and natural to man, which used well, and
according to the rule of reason, and the law of God, are like
two useful tools for human operations, as well as on the
contrary they are the cause of great disorders, if they are not
restrained, but are allowed to flow impetuously in their
objectives. Therefore some philosophers have very aptly
likened our soul to a chariot drawn by two fierce horses
which are the concupiscible and the irascible appetite, and
the charioteer, or rather the charioteer is the reason, to
which it is appertaining to keep the brake, and to lead by
the right path these steeds, that is these appetites, which if
well by their nature are like untamed beasts, they are
however apt to be disciplined, so that they become obedient
to reason, but it takes diligence, and study, and effort, and it
is right, since even the true horses are not suitable for the
service of man, without the artifice of the good tamer, but
the more right it is to put study, and effort into taming the
beasts of our soul, the greater the utility and profit.
Therefore our good father of a family should not tire in
caring for the education of his children, always having
before his eyes how beautiful, how fruitful, how praiseworthy
is the work of making a good man for the glory of God, and
for the service of the homeland, and of all mankind, and for
the health of the same children, that there is not, nor was
there ever a painter, nor an architect, nor a craftsman, nor
any other craftsman, who did work of such value, and so
perfect and excellent; Therefore, having understood in part
in the discourse on the previous sin, how he must restrain
and correct the anger of the young man, it follows that he

should dispose himself with all his soul to restrain and
repress the second element of lust, while the child is still
tender, otherwise it will overflow at every age, and the more
seriously the more it grows up, in a thousand precipices of
abominable sins of gluttony and lust, as we see happen
ordinarily, because the vice of the flesh is a great net with
which the devil draws infinite souls to eternal perdition. And
although no age is safe from carnal urges; Therefore our
flesh is always flesh, and while we are still in this valley of
tears, if it is not preserved by divine gratitude, and seasoned
by the salt of the fear of God, nothing but worms and
corruptions will spring forth; nevertheless, this domestic
enemy most commonly infests adolescence, and youth,
when the amount of blood is greater, and the scourge
stronger, and therefore it is necessary to begin at an early
hour to protect against the fire that burns so many souls,
because the sparks are already in us, and the devil blows
and the world invites; and therefore it is necessary that the
good education be solicitous in this part, continuing from
time to time with opportune remedies, with which, and with
divine grace above all, which is always prepared for those
who humbly ask for it, our young man will be able to
preserve himself as a pure vessel, and as a world of the Lord,
prepared for Heaven in honor and sanctification.

Chapter 87

OF THE ERROR OF SOME INDULGING IN YOUTH.

Before | enter into a more detailed discussion of the offence
and care of the father, concerning the chastity of his young
son, | cannot restrain myself from making a complaint
against some, who call themselves wise men, and prudent,
and are accustomed to say, that it is not fitting to be so
strict, and that it is good to conceal, and allow men in their
youth to let off steam a little, and to take their own course,
as they use to say; because at the end, weary and sad of
certain vain pleasures, like untamed chickens, who have
joked and run around for a while in the wide meadows, they
then reduce themselves with a more sedate and composed
spirit to the affairs, and to the civil and family care, and
dedicate themselves totally to serious and virile thoughts;
which opinion, if the name of opinion deserves an open
error, shows very clearly for itself to have origin from carnal
prudence, called in the sacred laws, earthly, animal,
diabolic, and enemy of God. One does not enter, nor can one
enter through the door of vice into virtue, nor through the
acts of one contrary, does one acquire disposition for the
other, so it is ridiculous to persuade oneself that loosening
the bridle of sensuality, is the way to become chaste, and it
is a most false proposition that youth vents its impetus, or
rather inflames it more, and the acts repeated are like wood
added to the fire, and the proportion that our corrupt and
spoiled nature has with carnal lust is so great, that if it is not
repressed with great solicitude, it takes on so much vigor
and strength that it possesses the whole man, and the fear
of God is lost, and the respect of men, so that without any
restraint the torrent of pleasure already tasted, of which the
sense is greedy, carries reason, so that it no longer does any

work, and men become like beasts; for as the saints say,
there is no vice that so obscures the intellect, and
submerges it in the mud, and makes it more obtuse and
incapable of its own workings, than the vice of dishonesty;
so that up to the philosophers, and gentle writers have
understood, and said, that men who are studious, and who
wish to give themselves to speculation, should abstain from
crapule, and from wine, and from lust. How much more so
must the Christian abstain, who knows not only the temporal
and sensible damages of this sin, but also the spiritual and
eternal ones, that is, the disgrace of God, the death of the
soul, and the eternal punishment of hell, in which
horrendous evils one incurs by a single simple fornication,
for which reason it is much to be marveled at, that from the
mouth of a Christian such words come out, as are often
heard, he is young, let him be, as if he were saying, let him
be submergedì, let him kill himself; But on the other hand it
is less to be wondered at, that some hear and speak in this
way, since as has been said the dark smoke of lust obscures
the intellect, indeed some reach such a degree of blindness,
that measuring all others by themselves they dare to speak
blasphemy, and not only do they not believe that one lives,
but they consider it impossible that one can live chastely,
and from this belief it is then a very short passage to
heresies, and to many heresies, as we have so many, and all
too clear examples of in our times. Therefore our good father
of the family knows, and holds it to be an undoubted fact,
that if in order to uproot the seeds of any viciousness and to
plant any virtue in the soul of a young man, it is necessary
to be solicitous and to begin at an early hour, in this
particular case which we are dealing with, it is necessary to
be most solicitous because it is certain, and by reason, and
by experience, that this enemy, when it begins to be
conquered, becomes weaker and weaker, and loses almost
all its strength; where, on the contrary, if from the beginning
he has begun to throw the wretched young man to the

ground, his viciousness becomes so strong, and the vigor of
the soul so weak that it is a most difficult and rare thing to
be able to rise again, and when by the singular grace of God
he does rise again, it is not done without great effort, and
with the sweat of blood, so to speak, since the ardor of the
flesh, burns, and stimulates with greater vehemence those
who have experienced it the most, even if it has been
lawfully in holy matrimony, and therefore the fathers have
called the continence, and chastity of widowers laborious,
where the virgins who have never been thrown to the
ground by this hostile intestine, feel it less fierce, and more
easily with divine grace they resist it.

Chapter 88

OF THE CAUTION THAT MUST BE USED IN REASONING
ABOUT CHASTITY.

And our misery and readiness to sin is so great, that often
the same things, which are said to remedy sins, give
occasion and incitement to sin. Therefore it is very
necessary that the good father, while he is discussing with
his son such filthy matters, is well warned and does not
descend to the particulars, and to the various ways, by
which this infernal Hydra poisons so much of the world, so
that perhaps in place of quenching this fire, he may awaken
it, and light it imprudently in the simple, and tender breast
of the child; in which thing it is also advisable that the
preachers, and the spiritual fathers be much considered.
And generally speaking, while childhood lasts, it will be
enough to use these remedies, which introduce the virtue of
chastity with the same effect, and close the entrance to its
opposite, which will be discussed below, not entering with
the child into many words, but after the years, will have
brought maturity of judgment, and the previous good
education will have armed the young man in such a way,
that there is not so much danger of discovering in part the
qualities of this enemy, and cruel oppressor of youth, the
good father will then be able to discuss chastity with his son,
so that he may fall perfectly in love with this beautiful
virtue, and take hatred, and disgust of the vice of lust, and
in particular when the time of tying him in marriage
approaches, he will effectively exhort him to the observance
of the matrimonial faith, as we see that the holy old Tobias
did with his young son, saying to him in this way: Beware,
my son, of all fornication, and never know any other woman
than your lawful wife, and as for this part, one can have

abundant material from the things said above about the
sacrament of marriage.

Chapter 89

SOME CHRISTIAN REASONS TO PERSUADE CHASTITY.

And to say briefly and in particular how the good father can
praise chastity, and persuade his son with sound reasons,
and on the other hand detest incontinence, the first
consideration will be the will and commandment of God, to
which we must always obey, and although this is a common
respect for all the precepts, it must be known, however, that
God is particularly pleased with chastity, from which the
Apostle Saint Paul writing to the Thessalonians said The will
of God is your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from
fornication, and that each of you know how to possess his
vessel in sanctification and honor, not allowing himself to be
carried away by the passion and disordered affection of
concupiscence, as people do who do not know God, in which
place it is to be warned, that the Apostle calls chastity
specifically by the name of sanctification, as the same is
chaste and holy, not because this virtue alone is sufficient
for holiness, for we read in the Gospel of the foolish virgins,
but because this virtue is a great disposition for the
acquisition of the others, and because holiness means purity
and cleanliness, and such is chastity; and finally because he
who is perfectly chaste in body and spirit is also holy,
therefore he who has a pure and worldly heart is holy, as the
Saviour said, Blessed are the worldly in heart, for they shall
see God. Therefore the good father should kindle his son to
the love of this virtue by showing him how grateful it is to
God, and how dear a gift it is to him to give him the flower of
youth, white and immaculate, and that virgins are like
Angels on earth, and after this short life, will be like Angels
in Heaven, and as the sacred Theologians say, besides the
essential beatitude of all the blessed, which consists in

seeing and enjoying God, they will have a particular
splendor, and beauty, and a special glory called a halo, God
being pleased that in the kingdom of heaven his virgins are
distinctly recognized, marked with a particular sign, in such
a way that on earth with certain distinct garments the
authority and excellence of some person is declared, and of
these haloes, a few other very high states of the holy
Church, will be privileged, as for example the very strong
martyrs of Christ, but happy is the one who, being in fear,
and watching with solicitude, and recommending himself
with great humility to God, will know how to preserve
himself with precious joy, to which the devil tends
continuous snares. Let the good Father also show that not
only our spirit, but also our bodies are the temple of God and
the habitation of the Holy Spirit, since we are sanctified by
the holy sacraments and incorporated into Christ; for this
great insult is done to the Holy Spirit by expelling him from
our heart, which, as it falls prey to the abominable sin of
lust, becomes a den of all filthiness, as the Apostle
exclaimed in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, saying: Do
you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Wherefore, taking away the members of Christ, shall I make
them members of a harlot? God preserve me from this. And
above he said, “Do you not know that you are the temple of
God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone
violates the temple of God, woe to him, God will send him
into dissipation and ruin. Therefore the Christian must have
a certain reverence for his own flesh, not defiling it with the
mud of impurity, remembering that God has taken our flesh
with immense purity, and with the same virginal flesh he
feeds us in the wonderful sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

Chapter 90

OF THE DAMAGE THAT TEMPORALLY IMPUDENT LIVING
BRINGS.

The good Father will also say of the very serious
inconveniences and damages that gross carnal vice brings
with it, not only spiritually, but also temporally, for, leaving
aside for the moment how miserable it is to lose for a
momentary and bestial pleasure, the grace of God, and the
kingdom of Heaven, and to be condemned to eternal
punishment, it often happens that for a brief incontinence
one falls into serious and incurable infirmities, which full of
pain in the body, and of shame in the soul, make one's
whole life unhappy, and unfit for civil affairs, and for the
deeds of chivalry, and of gentle man, and ordinarily the
lustful men, are short-lived, losing their strength and natural
vigour, where the continents live healthier and longer;
chaste men are also more awakened and witty in their
intellect, and more apt to the study of literature, to judging,
to government and to all things, where intellect and
prudence are needed; where the carnal man is so immersed
in the sense, that he becomes almost a brute, and does not
know how to raise his thought to anything spiritual, but like
a pig finds no greater pleasure than to be in the lotus;
Therefore impure pleasure, as a saintly doctor says, absorbs
the whole man, and these people are pernicious citizens of
the Republic, and all the more so when they are in a greater
degree; for it is easy to make them deviate from the right
path of justice, no less than a miser for the thirst for gold.
What shall we say of the loss of goods, because of the
disordered expenditure that others, having gone mad, make
in order to satisfy their disordered appetites? What shall we
say of the infamy that follows? Because impudent men

become the talk of the town, and the fact that they have
spent their youth imprudently is often a great impediment
to the acquisition of due honour, with a great lowering of
families. | leave aside to say of the fights, the emulations,
and the deadly enmities that arise from unbridled lusts, and
how many caught in the unhappy adulteries and rapes
remain miserable, and shamefully wounded and dead. But
what greater misery, and misery than to see free men, and
of noble blood and high status, who have many servants,
and family members around them, nevertheless having
become servants, of their servants, who are conscious, and
mediators of their impudent delights; So that a great man is
often obliged to be subject to the vilest and most infamous
people for fear that his wounds may not be discovered,
which are most often revealed to the world with a great
stench of infamy; and this happens to those who make
themselves servants of sin. But since a great number of
reasons have been prepared for our father of the family,
from which he will be able to deduce many others for
himself, we pass on to speak of the other remedies which
consist in doing, and which are very necessary and effective.

Chapter 91

OF VARIOUS REMEDIES TO PRESERVE CHASTITY, AND
BEFORE THE CUSTODY OF THE SENSES.

The Holy Scripture says in one place, that death enters
through the windows, that is through these external senses
of ours, which are like windows of the soul, and by bringing
to the heart the images of the sensitive objects, which from
outside are represented to us, inwardly kindle various
desires, which kill the poor soul of death by sin, therefore
the first care of the good father of a family must be, that his
son does not see, nor hear anything that gives occasion,
however small, of lust, to the simple, and innocent child;
Therefore, as has been said elsewhere, the father and
mother must beware, in the presence of the children, of
every act, every gesture, and every word, which might
excite some curiosity. The same, and much more if it is
meant by the servants, | say much more, because ordinarily
the children are willingly with them, and this kind of people
is not used to watch neither from indecent acts, nor from
inhonest words, indeed what is worse they take pleasure in
teaching them to the small children, and hear them report
them with simplicity, besides that when they are grown up,
to be grateful to them, and for other purposes they invite
them, and pave the way for them to commit sins. And it is a
general reminder, which we have discussed elsewhere, to
have a very open eye for those who keep themselves, men
and women, in the house. Good neighbourliness is not a
small matter, especially in houses which are joined together,
so that one can easily hear and see many things, both useful
and harmful; and so the good father of a family should try to
stay close to good people, and, as they say, of his own
humour, understanding them well, so that together and in

the same way they can procure the common good of their
children, so that one neighbor may be the guardian of the
house of the other, with Christian love and charity. It is not
necessary to speak of paintings and other lewd images, of
which we have said enough above, because these must be
banished in their entirety from the house of a true Christian,
even if he were a painter or a similar artist by profession. But
it is well to remind our father of the family that he should
not allow in his house books of love, and fables, and
comedies, and novels, and other such things, from which
little use is derived, and for the most part they are the cause
of much evil, and are hidden, and pernicious teachers of
grave sins, and the more the sweetness of the rhymes, and
the variety of the events that are told, and the vagueness of
the narrative allures and invites, the greater the harm they
bring; It is necessary above all that such books do not fall
into the hands of children, and | am not speaking only of
those that deal with obscene and impudent things, worthy
of not being known by their name, against whom we have a
serious problem, and express prohibition made by the
authority of the sacred Council of Trent, but | also mean
those who, veiled by apparent honesty, infuse the venom of
lust into the breasts of youth more secretly, but no less
perniciously. But in that change, provide for good books
according to the advice of religious and devout men, who by
the grace of God do not lack books, and of spirit, and of
honorable delight, and entertainment, such as the lives of
saints and the like. As for the care of the teachers in this
part, while they teach literature to children, and the
knowledge of languages, this will be said in its place.

It is part of this same custody of the senses, not to hear
comedies, which for the most part are full of not very modest
sayings, and of events that fill the hearts with fire; similarly
the child should not be present at lascivious shows, and
licentious dances, nor at banquets where young men and

adorned women are found together to celebrate, so that the
wretched young man does not learn the hidden looks, and
lusts and remains, not realizing it, miserably wounded. And
so as not to descend into every detail, it is necessary to
repeat in this place, what has been said so many times, that
is, that it is of the utmost importance for the education that
the life of the father agrees with the precepts, and with the
provisions he makes for the good and Christian upbringing
of his son. And for this reason the father must take care not
to be involved in incontinence, because besides the great
insult he would do to holy matrimony, he would add sin to
sin, and would lead the poor son into the same precipice,
who will consider the words to which the facts contradict
them as a joke, and the father will not be understood, to be
able to keep hidden in his son, because apart from the
blurred conscience which will prevent him from persuading
the contrary of what he does, believe also that at some sign,
and some day the curious eyes and ears will come to the
knowledge of the truth, and in one point, with the evil
example one destroys more, than one builds up in a long
time.

Chapter 92

OF FLEEING IDLENESS, AND OF SOBRIETY.

And idleness, and a life of neglect and dissipation, is the
source of all vices, as not only the divine Scriptures show us
in many places, but the philosophers themselves and the
wise men of the world have known; but in spite of this,
idleness is the father of carnal viciousness, and just as water
which has no motion is easily corrupted and generates
worms and similar troublesome animals, so the idle man
conceives in himself a thousand thoughts and abominable
desires, and gives birth to filthy and vicious deeds, and
although we all have in ourselves the seed and matter of sin,
nevertheless there is no one who is more exposed to the
temptations and snares of the devil than the idle man; and
therefore a great saint said to one of his disciples, always do
something, so that the devil finds you occupied. Now we will
discuss this same matter of avoiding idleness, and of
dispensing time usefully, and especially young people, by
applying themselves to some honourable occupation for the
common service of the country, in another place, more
generally, but it is sufficient for now to point out that the
prudent father of a family must drive out idleness from his
house as much as he can, and from his servants, and from
his children, and not less so, indeed by good fortune, more
so from his female children, otherwise he will see the effect
of what Scripture says, Multam malitiam docuit otiositas,
that is, idleness is the teacher of many sins.

The temperance and sobriety of eating and drinking is not a
small remedy against the ardors of lust, just as craziness and
drunkenness are a foment of lust, especially in the young,
whose blood boils for itself, so that the more it is inflamed by

food, and by the heat of wine, the more it is not able to
contain the fire spread through the veins, the more it
overflows, and as a saint well says, the belly full of lust
foams, and flows out in lust. And not only must one beware
of eating and drinking too much, exceeding in the quantity
of nourishment, but one must also have regard for the
quality of food and wine, because the hot food, and too
delicately seasoned, with an abundance of aromas, and
spices, and the powerful and strong wines, heat the flesh in
such a way that like a fat and well-fed horse it recoils, and
does not allow itself to be held in check by reason. And this
is enough to have said about temperance for the present
purpose, since in another place we will have the opportunity
to touch on something about the nourishment that is
convenient for children as something that not only must be
considered alien to simple education, but also to Christian
education.

Chapter 93

OF THE DELICACIES, AND EXCESSIVE ORNAMENTS OF THE
BODY.

AII the things that make our body too soft and delicate, are
enemies of chastity, because the flesh itself is nothing more
than a brute, all devoted to sensual pleasures, so the saints
who have chosen to serve God in the sacred monastic
cloisters, and in the solitudes, have taken great care to
mortify, and tame this rebellious beast, feeding it with vile
and scarce food, and with bad bedding, and with coarse
clothes, and giving it continuous labors, and occupations, as
we see in the lives of those ancient holy fathers, who have
been lights of the Church, both for holiness of life, and for
doctrine, considering them, and rightly, that the greatest
enemy that the Christian has, is the body and the own flesh.
But because for the moment we do not reason with men of
such perfection, and in the Holy Church there are divisions
of grace and of state, as has been said elsewhere, for this
reason the due and moderate care of one's own body is not
taken, indeed it is necessary to preserve this instrument of
the soul, so that it may be suitable and well disposed to all
honest, and virtuous actions, but it takes back that excess,
and that superabundance, which outside of the needs of
nature and civil decency serve only to effeminate the soul,
so that weakened it cannot resist this domestic enemy of
which we speak. Therefore, our good and prudent father of
the family will take care to bring up his son in too many
comforts and delicacies, which can be of many ways, but for
now, continuing the proposed reasoning of the remedies
against lust, we say that the too vague and refined
ornaments are often not a light occasion to make a soul
overflow into the pit of sin. And usually mothers are the ones

who exceed most in this respect, and provided that in young
children, it is possible to conceal some little thing, the good
father should not in any way impose on the young man, who
is being raised to be a servant of God, and a useful citizen of
his country, that his face be painted, or his ears pierced, and
his hair ringed, so that he may appear in public as a pretty
young woman, full of odours, and of lasciviousness,
pompously dressed, that it would be better to dress even
very noble children in thick cloth, than to expose an
innocent soul to a thousand dangers, some of which it is not
lawful to name. Therefore the father must remember that in
every age some ray of virility must shine in the man, and he
must not let himself be carried away by the fullness of
common use, and he must not easily accept what many,
with many intentions, are accustomed to say for their
excusation, that is, this is how it is used, and this is how it is
done; but he must watch, according to the prudence
regulated by the fear of God, and by the law of Christ our
Lord, what must be done, and what the few, and the best of
his state do.

Chapter 94

THE ADORNMENT OF WOMEN IN PARTICULAR.

It is my intention (as | have elsewhere warned our father of
the family) that the memories which are given for male
children must also be proportionately understood for
females; for which reason the things said above serve no
less for their education than for that of their children, as far
as the state and condition of the sex is appropriate. But
since the present reasoning is about vain and superfluous
ornaments (a common abuse of women), it seemed to me to
touch on a few things in particular in this place. | do not
wish for the moment to enter into a dispute as to whether or
not the adorning and embellishment that women commonly
do is a grave sin, or a light one, and how and how much it is,
or how much it is not worthy of excusation, which I leave to
the scales and to the definition of the sacred Theologians
and of the wise and learned confessors; | will only say that
the ancient fathers, in whom the highest doctrine and
sanctity of life shone together, reproached women for this
abuse, among whon St. John Chrysostom, bishop of such a
great city, was one. St. Chrisostom, Bishop of such a great
city, and such a principal city as Constantinople, and a man
greatly exercised in the government of souls, raises in many
places in his divine sermons, against this license of
ornaments, and of beauty; something that in our times, and
especially from a few years on, in many cities of Italy has
grown so much, that it would need not only a private good
education, but a public remedy. That Saint speaks of women
who paint their faces in various colors, not content with the
form God has given them, as if they were better craftsmen,
and knew, and could correct the works of God; he
demonstrates that beauty is a useless thing, and dangerous,

and full of harassment; for easily, where it is found, it gives
occasion, if it is not accompanied by great honesty, for it to
be believed, and ill-accounted for; and the husband himself
lives in jealousy, and full of bitterness, knowing the many
insidiators of modesty, and even more so when the woman
with her excessive adornment gives just cause for suspicion
to her husband; For that blessed saint does not accept the
excuse that many women make, saying that they adorn
themselves to please their husbands, that those who adorn
themselves to please foreigners need not be reasoned with,
since these are clearly nets of the devil, and if they do not
adorn anyone, their corrupt intentions condemn them in the
sight of God; but speaking of the former, the saint laughs at
that ill-conceived reason; Because, he says, ornaments,
Jewels, smells, and other vanities are laid away on the way
home, and we considering this same sentence from another
point of view, we can say, that now women with more study,
and more artificially adorn themselves when they go to
feasts, shows, and places where crowds of spectators gather,
and where well and often their husband is not present. But
besides the fact that this excuse is insufficient, and false for
the most part, it proves moreover Chrisostomo, that the poor
wenches are much deceived, and procure, not realizing it,
harm to themselves, teaching their husbands not to love
them, while they try by adorning themselves, and by
coloring themselves, to be more loved. And so that the truth
of this paradox may be better understood, | want to recite in
our language the formal words of the Saint, who says,
speaking to women:

We do not teach husbands to beware of anything but their
faces, for as soon as your husband begins to be pleased with
the study of adorning himself, he will very soon be attracted
by the vagaries and the face of a whore, like one who is
accustomed to love the face. But if, on the contrary, you
teach him to love good morals in his wife, and a modesty

and gravity in her appearance, he will not easily turn to
harlots, for these qualities are not to be found in them, but
quite the opposite: do not teach your husband to be
deceived by a gentle laugh, nor to be taken in by a soft and
lascivious manner, otherwise you will be giving him
weapons against yourself; teach him to delight in chastity,
and what follows. Now, as we began to say above, the books
of the holy Doctors of old are full of complaints, and rebukes
of the immoderate adornment of women; but it is not
necessary to refer to them here, and the doctrine of the two
glorious Apostles, and teachers of the world Peter and Paul
must suffice; the first of whom exhorts women to try to
please their husbands, not with braids and headdresses,
with gold and gems, and with vaguely adorned garments,
but with holy conversation. And the other, writing to
Timothy, says in the following words: Let the women be in a
composed dress, adorning themselves modestly and soberly,
not with curls, gold and pearls, and precious garments, but
as befits women who promise piety and religion through
good works.

Chapter 95

OF THE OFFICE, AND PARTICULAR CARE OF THE MOTHER OF
THE FAMILY ABOUT THE ADORNMENTS OF HER DAUGHTERS.

Therefore, in conclusion, we say that the good mother of a
family, to whom this care belongs, must bring up her
daughters in such a way that they may be clean and pure,
but not vain and light, and by her own example she must
teach them to despise blondes and false whites and reds,
not only while they are in their father's house, where no
appearance of colorful reason can excuse them, but also
when they are married, teaching them that it is a very ugly
thing that an honorable gentlewoman adorns herself as a
whore, where the true beauties and ornaments of a wise and
worthy wife are chastity, modesty, truthfulness, taciturnity,
and sobriety, love of her husband and children, knowing
how to conserve her wealth and dispense it prudently, and
other similar virtues grateful to God and to men. Therefore
the good mother must take care that her daughter does not
see in her the vestiges of perdition, and that she does not
allow some bad women to come to her house, masters of
these and of worse inventions, but she must watch over the
chastity of her daughter from afar, Mainly preserving in her
the beauty of the soul, so that she may be pleasing to her
heavenly husband, besides she will also preserve the bodily
beauty that comes out of a virginal soul, not to say that
those who give themselves too much to the study of
adorning themselves, distemper their heads, and often spoil
their complexion, and contract various infirmities, and much
more quickly grow old, and when there is no other
inconvenience than a woman being well, and vaguely
adorned, in a public place, a devil’s bait, and a stone of ruin,
and a stone of scandal to a thousand unhappy men,

certainly a Christian woman should never want to appear
beautiful, with such and such great offense of God, and loss
of souls, bought back with the inestimable price of the blood
of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 96

OF REMOVING THE OCCASION.

It is said by vulgar proverbs that the pleasure of stealing
makes others become thieves, and this same saying can be
applied to many other things, because we are so weak, and
so little ordinarily disposed to resist virility to temptations
that at every small encounter, and invitation to sin we
remain cowardly losers, therefore it is useful advice to flee
from opportunities, and not to expose oneself to dangers, of
which the holy scripture warns us with that famous
sentence: He who loves danger, will perish in it. But above
all this remedy is necessary to preserve the precious chastity
of children, and of young people of every sex, and of every
age, since victory over carnal sin, as the saints say, is won
by fleeing, and there is no surer way of fighting than not
fighting oneself. Therefore the good father of a family,
solicitous and diligent custodian of his God-given deposit,
that is, of his soul, and of the purity of his children, should
take care to avoid any occasion in the house or outside, nor
should he trust lightly either his servants, or his nurse, or his
own relatives, because the wiles of the devil are many, and
it is precisely here that he spreads his nets, where there is
less cause for suspicion. It is not said, however, that the
father of a family perturbs and disturbs the house, and by
too much suspicion is overshadowed by every little thing,
but it is said that he does not sleep and removes the
occasions, and does not let the fire and the straw get so
close that the fire follows; Therefore | wish to know,
especially in noble houses, and in those with a large family,
where and with whom the young man spends the hours of
the day, so that he does not stay long with servants, or with
women, except when necessary, and does not remain so

alone that no prudent eye, be it that of a father, or of a
master, or of an old and very faithful servant, is not
somehow open over him, and not only in the house, and in
the City, but also outside when one goes for recreation, or
according to the custom of many places to stay there for
some time, because the gardens, the vineyards, and the
villas, for the width of the place, and for the solitude in
many parts, and for a certain greater freedom of time, and of
place, are often the occasion of great ruin. And because the
night is the mother of many dangers, let the good father
keep his house well guarded, and let his son sleep in a place
where he can, as the saying goes, sleep safely. And do not
think it a matter of gratitude to anyone that | remember
things impossible to practise, regarding the custody of the
children, because if in watching the fields, the herds and
even a small dog in the house, not to speak of gems and
gold, so much care is taken, what must be done with one's
own children? But if the father is persuaded that the most
precious thing he has is the soul, the chastity and the health
of his son, and that this is a treasure of God given to him for
safekeeping, and that God wants to pay him eternal reward
for his good and faithful guardianship, he will certainly not
find it difficult, and he will guard it not anxiously, but with
pleasure. And for this reason we intend that this
guardianship should be done not with a harassing solicitude,
scolding and shouting without need, but with good orders
for living in the house, and with not opening the door
inconsiderately, or rather closing it to inconveniences, and
in short with using that vigilance, and attention that is
prudently used in the things that concern us greatly; and in
the rest always proceed rightly as far as you can, and with
gentleness and discreteness, because extremes are harmful,
and sometimes by too much suspicion the opposite effect is
achieved, and desire is aroused in others, for something that
perhaps had not previously crossed their minds. But above
all the good father of a family should always commend

himself to God, and ask Him for the grace to be able to carry
out the will of His Lordship in the education of His children,
and be of good cheer, who will feel greatly comforted, and
will see the help of the Lord present, and the Holy Spirit, the
excellent teacher and guide of our actions, will show him
and make a thousand ways easy to bring this boat to port,
which neither language nor human pen could ever
remember, nor write.

Chapter 97

HOW IT'S A LOT TO FEEL TO THE CONVERSATIONS OUTSIDE.

Besides all the things said above, it is necessary to be very
careful with the practices, and conversations outside the
house, or in the schools, or in whatever other way one
wishes, because the world being broken, very rarely others
will meet with children raised with the fear of God, and with
that good discipline with which it is assumed that our good
father trains his son. This consideration of the people with
whom one converses closely is, in my opinion, one of the
most important things that can be remembered for a good
education, and it is very certain from experience that much
good, and much evil is done in the company of others; for
this reason, as a very necessary thing, it will be discussed in
another place more in general, in any case we wanted to
mention it so that the father of the family may be cautious,
and very well warned in this part, because if our child will
converse domestically, | do not say only with young people,
but with children of the same age, who through little
paternal care are in some way stained, and impure, it is to
be feared greatly that in the end he too will be stained, by
many ways, and of speaking, and of seeing, and by a
thousand hidden ways, the fire of sin will be set in the bait of
this our spoiled nature. And to say it in one word, with the
sentence of the Holy Scripture, Whoever touches the pitch
will be soiled by it.

Chapter 98

OF THE FREQUENCY OF THE SACRAMENTS, AND OF THE
LOVE OF GOD.

I have left in the last place that remedy which is
undoubtedily the first, that is, to ensure that in the tender
and pure heart divine love is kindled, which when it has
taken root in the soul, does not allow earthly and carnal love
to penetrate. And if we see many young people in the
greatest boiling of their blood not only abstaining from the
pleasures and delights which tend to enmesh that age most
tenaciously, but also disgusting and nauseating them, and
this because they are taken by another love, albeit a human
one, be it the knowledge of science, or of the acquisition of
honors, and of possessions, or of the desire to possess, by
means of an assiduous and indefatigable servitude, the
gratitude of some powerful prince, or for whatever other
reason one wishes, what shall we say of the sweetest and
strongest love of God, which has greater conformity to our
soul than all the others? and which satisfies and pleases it
more? Therefore, let this be the principal study of our good
father of the family, that the child falls in love with God, and
with the glory of Paradise, and with the beauty of virtue, so
that, like the holy and most chaste Joseph, he chooses to die
before offending God and blotting out the most candid
flower of his virginity. Therefore with every good, and holy
exercise of piety, and of religion, with thick, and sweet
teachings, and with the study of prayer, the good father
arms the young man against the thunderbolts of the devil,
but especially with the use and with the frequency of the
holy sacraments of confession and of the Eucharist, because
through these channels divine grace is infused into the soul,
and as has been said elsewhere, it is the property of the

most holy and virginal flesh of Christ taken in the holy
sacrament to mortify the flesh, and purify, and sanctify in a
certain way the flesh itself. And let there be no one who
doubts, that asking for help from God without whom one
cannot be chaste, and using those remedies that the doctor
of our souls Christ Jesus has left us, and following the good
memories and advice of spiritual men, and exercised to
overcome this enemy, it is not only possible, but easy and
pleasant to preserve the precious chastity, as so many
servants of God in the Holy Church preserved it in ancient
times, and preserve it every day, by the example of whom
Saint Augustine was already moved, and considering that
countless others similar to himself, clothed with the same
infirmity, nevertheless lived continually, he took great heart
and confidence in overcoming this adversary, that is carnal
sin, from which, as he himself has left us written, he was
bitterly infested in his youth, and finally, with the help of
God, he was victorious, because the strength of divine grace
is greater for those who desire it and who humbly ask for it
from Him who is always ready to give it to us, than for the
weakness of our nature. And here we put an end to this
matter, which has perhaps been dealt with too extensively,
but certainly not without necessity, since this is one of the
greatest nets, with which the devil draws more souls to
perdition. The fact that holy matrimony is also one of the
remedies for human frailty has been said enough elsewhere,
and there is no need to repeat it. But when the time comes
for the marriage of children to be more suitable, when we
shall be dealing with the election of various states and forms
of life, it will be possible, as it seems to me, to touch on
something more appropriately.

Chapter 99

OF THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT, DO NOT FURARE.

God's love for man is so great that he has surrounded him
on every side with the custody of his divine precepts, and
placed around him, like so many shelters, so that without
any offence he might live peacefully and quietly on earth, so
that not only has God forbidden homicide, so that our life
and our body might be safe from any offence, but not only
has he forbidden adultery for which we are offended, and
which is so dear to us, and which is so dear to us, and our
body is safe from all offence, and not only has He forbidden
adultery for which we are offended and insulted in a thing
very close to us, and which is so important to us, and in
short it was not enough for Him to show great care for our
life, and the preservation of all our being, and of our fame
and honour; but as far as our property and assets, which
among the goods we possess are in the lowest degree, God
has taken them under his protection and tutelage,
commanding by law that they be neither taken from us nor
usurped by anyone. And this is what is contained in the
seventh precept, when God says, do not commit theft. The
subject of theft is a very wide one, and has been copiously
treated by the sacred Doctors, in their books and sums, to
which I will only refer, according to my custom, to a few
things for the instruction of our father of the family, so that
with all solicitude he may ensure that this pestiferous
poison, which so delights in taking the property of others,
does not infect the soul of our child with death of the soul,
and often also of the body. It is well known that theft is
taking, or keeping, and possessing something of another
against the will of one's own master, and it is also well
known that this name of theft extends as a kind to many

ways of theft, and stealing; for some are done secretly,
others openly, and by force, which are properly called
robberies, and are all the more serious when to robbing
others, violence, and contempt are added. Other thefts, and
robberies are committed against private persons, others
against the public, sometimes profane things are taken
away, some other sacred things, and dedicated to the divine
worship, such as sacred vessels, altar ornaments, and the
like; and likewise enter in that number, those goods which
are attributed to the ministers of the Church, and to the poor
of the Lord, this way of theft is a very serious sin, and with
the same name is called sacrilege. But who could number
the many ways of theft and robbery, which the avarice of
men, and the thirst for gold has subtly found, and finds
every day? for in buying, selling, renting, and conducting, in
private and public offices and loads, and in many other
human contracts and trades, there is an infinite amount of
theft, of which there is neither time nor place to speak in
detail here, it is sufficient to say that all are detestable, and
forbidden by God in this seventh precept, when he says, do
not commit theft.

Chapter 100

THAT THE NAME OF THIEF INCLUDES MANY, AND THE
OBLIGATION TO RETURN.

However, so that no one may deceive himself, and so that
our good father may better teach his son to flee this ugly
vice, it must not be forgotten that by the name of thief is
meant not only the one who by himself immediately
commits the crime, but all those who consent to it, and lend
aid and favor, or in some way share in the miserable and
abominable gain of stolen goods. Therefore it is not enough
to say, |l have not taken anything, | have not intervenedì, |
was not present, but if you have commanded with authority,
if with counsel you have persuaded and induced, if you have
consented and allowed, if you have given help to the thief, if
you are the custodian and receiver of thefts, if you buy or
receive knowing stolen things; for all these and similar ways,
which it would take a long time to say, the name of thief
suits you, and you are really such, and consequently you are
obliged to restitution; Well it is true that the main ones, and
the others involved in the theft are obliged to restitution in a
different way, as can be seen in full from the Doctors, who
deal with these matters, it is enough for now that all of them
in some way abstain from the obligation of restitution, an
obligation as strict, and as necessary as that famous
sentence of Saint Augustine shows: Sin is not forgiven
unless it is returned. And because making the due
restitution is often very difficult, and more so in those who
are accustomed to theft, and robbery, and who by usury and
other illicit ways, sucking the blood of the poor, have
become rich and wealthy, so that not wanting, and almost
not being able, by their own fault, to unwind from this
tenacious mistletoe they go, before going to make

restitution, into eternal damnation, therefore it is fitting that
good education be solicitous to repair so much evil,
preventing at an early hour the wiles of the devil, and the
evil inclinations of our corrupt nature. As to how this is to be
done, it is time that we discuss this in more detail with our
father of the family.

Chapter 101

OF PATERNAL CARE REGARDING THE OBSERVANCE OF THIS
SEVENTH PRECEPT.

And it is well to recall in this place what has been said
elsewhere in similar regard, that in three ways the father
must lead his son away from sinfulness, and promote him to
virtue; the first is by the living and continual example of
himself working virtuously; the second is by the paternal
admonitions and by the efficacy of reasoning, demonstrating
the deformity of sinfulness, and the beauty of virtue, so that
the one may abhor it and the other may fall in love with it:
The third way consists in doing the same, taking away the
incitements of evil, and making the child accustomed to do
good, if he does it well without election, and without
knowledge, so that little by little he acquires the good habit,
and it becomes sweet and pleasant, and so to speak, natural
to live according to virtue. Now applying these general
recollections to the present matter, and beginning with the
last way, | say that it is a very bad thing that some fathers
do, and for the most part this happens to men of low
condition, and sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes
because of ignorance, sometimes because of a bad
disposition of will, who, having found or simply taken
something from someone else, praise it, and applaud it with
laughter, and do it in such a way that the child is often
pleased to bring something to his father or mother, or to the
mother, so that the bad talent of the bad nature is
sharpened, in finding ways of having nine things, so that the
child is often praised, and sees the laughing face of him,
who should show it to him severely, Because praise is a
great incentive in that tender age to nourish good and evil
inclinations, and the little child takes delight in having

known how to do well, and how to do wisely the same evil,
which he does not yet know to be such, and so it happens
that from slight principles, deep roots are taken in
viciousness. | do not say, however, that the child should be
accustomed to neglect the things lost in the house, when by
chance he finds them, but | do say that he should get used
to discerning his own things from those that are not, and
that he should hand them over to his father or indeed to his
mother, and he must know that these must be given back to
his own master, but if, as it usually happens, something of
the neighbor's has fallen into the house, and the child has
found it, tell the father, son, this is not ours, let us give it
back to the master, and let him make the restitution himself,
so that, praised by his father and by his neighbor, he may
rejoice and make a habit of returning it willingly, and if he
finds something in the public street, orin a place where it is
not known whose it is, let his father pretend to have found
its owner, and let him return it to a friend, who will then give
it to the poor, whose things are really those found by
chance, and whose owner is not known after due diligence,
and let the same thing be done by the child, | mean to give
it to the poor, when the owner is not found. But if by chance
the child has stolen something, even if it is minimal, it is
better to scold him, and take him back, and if there is need,
beat him again, and lead him as far as possible to return the
stolen goods, so that he will not be tempted to take other
people's goods again. | am well aware that | am speaking of
very minute things, and that some will say that | waste time
and ink in writing these little things, but for this reason I will
not remain in memory of what | judge to be profitable for the
good education of our children, seeing from ancient
examples and from daily experience, that the neglect of
simple things leads to the most serious disorders. Therefore,
continuing with our institute, | say that it does not seem
good to me to put the way in which some people hold
money in too high esteem among children, to whom,

showing them gold and silver, and with gestures and words,
giving them the impression that it is a precious thing, they
make the simple age become joyful of that which it does not
naturally desire, and with these stimuli their desire grows all
the more, when the children realize that money is the means
to obtain those things for which they have a natural
inclination to desire, so that they like to have money, and
they strive to have it, even taking it secretly where they can.
But just as the instilling of these seeds of avarice in a young
child does not seem to be well done, so when the youngster
has come to the use of reason, and understands the
difference, and the value of things, | think it is not expedient
to hold him so tightly that he does not have a penny in his
power, On the contrary, it seems to me that according to his
state and condition, he should be allowed to have a certain
amount, besides providing him sufficiently with all the
necessary things, because the things that are forbidden to
us are desired more ardently, where when they are in our
power they move us less. And it will happen sometimes that
the child will give his money to his mother, or to his sisters,
or will lend it to them, and will be pleased to keep it, and like
a father of the family will be a good dispenser of it, but what
is more important, many dangers will be avoided, for not
only will he have no reason to steal, but he will not be easily
ensnared by the use of money, with which, as with a bait,
the poor youngsters are often drawn into the nets of sin. It is
also very important to warn, especially as the years grow,
and in the first stages of youth, that the servants and family
members of the house be trustworthy people, so that for
whatever reason, or to gain profit, or to gain goodwill, they
do not persuade, or at least do not give help to the ill-
advised young man, to squander the money, and the
father's wealth, preparing nourishment for gluttony, lust,
games, and all the disordered appetites of youth. And so the
wise father should watch over his son's care, and above all,
as has been said before, should warn him of the practices

and conversations of young people of the same age. And
although the dangers of youth are very great, and especially
in this corrupt century of ours, so that | know well that some
may say, that giving reminders and precepts is easy, but
carrying them out, and putting them into practice is a
matter implied by many difficulties, our good father of a
family must not lose heart, indeed, he must firmly hope in
divine grace, that, having guided his son's education in his
tender years, through those Christian ways, which have
been shown up to now, and having known how to maintain
with his son the paternal authority, and love together,
everything will be easier for him, than one could ever
believe, and in the end he will reap the sweetest fruits of his
many labors and efforts.

Chapter 102

OF THE MORAL REASONS, ET CHRISTIANE CONTRA IL
FURARE.

There is no need for too long a discourse, in order to give our
father of a family the field of reason, so that he may make
theft odious to his son, who will already have become
capable of reason, and able to understand the beauty of
virtue, and the ugliness of its opposite, it is enough to say,
that this vice is directly contrary to the queen of virtues,
that is to justice, of which it is the proper offence to render
to each his own, where theft, and robbery unjustly takes
away the property of others; and this vice is so ugly, that it
does not seem to be able to fall into a naive mind, rather it is
proper to the most useful servants and slaves, called by the
ancient proverb furaci, so that all civil laws have always
detested thieves, and punished them with severe penalties,
even with death itself, but with penalties, and death full of
opprobrium, and ignominy, to demonstrate their cowardice.
How many private and public inconveniences are brought
about by crimes in the commerce of human life, it would be
too long to say, and they are such that by their nature they
destroy the society and communion of men, which is greatly
preserved, while each one has and possesses his own
peacefully. But if reason and human fear do not suffice to
curb the immoderate avarice of some, who with subtle
inventions cover up their chosen thefts, at least the fear of
the severe and inevitable judgment of God must suffice, for
it is written, thieves, misers, and rapacious will not possess
the kingdom of God, therefore it is a great wonder that a
Christian man goes to take, or to retain illicitly the property
of others, knowing for sure that without returning it, he
cannot obtain forgiveness, nor health.

Chapter 103

OF SOME LITTLE CONSIDERED LATROCINII.

| said earlier, that theft and robbery are such ugly and vile
crimes that it is hardly credible that they can be committed
by a gentleman, or by anyone else, who is even naively
born; and without doubt a nobleman, and even a mediocre
citizen, would be reputed to be greatly insulted to be
esteemed, and called a thief. But it is a great marvel that
those very ones, who because of their nobility abhor this
name so much, do not notice, or pretend, or do not care to
commit serious crimes; as if there were no other manner of
thieves, than certain miserable little thieves, who at night
time secretly, and with great fear, steal well and often things
of small value, or through the woods, and solitary places,
with a thousand inconveniences, and dangers to
themselves, tend snares to the wayfarers; he has no doubt,
that such thieves are like guilty men, and infamous
generation, justly punished, and vituperated. But it is too
serious a deception to condemn petty thefts, and not to
esteem the greater and more pernicious ones. Many do not
consider the withholding of due wages from workers, who by
their sweat nourish the wealth of the rich, to be theft; the
taking of the goods of poor children and widows, harassing
them and oppressing them with unjust quarrels, the
devouring of the poor with usury, the locking up of the
granaries in the caristries, and with various artifices to raise
immoderately the prices of the things necessary for the
profit, are thefts, and robberies, of which some nobles are
little ashamed. What shall we say about the administration
of the public revenue, how many frauds and robberies are
committed there? And as far as the Hospitals, and other
pious and miserable places, they are not safe from avarice,

and from the rapacity of the ministers. | leave to Say of
those, who do not pay tithes, and other duties to the
Churches, and to the Ecclesiastical Prelates, according to
their obligation; and likewise of those who with subtle
deceptions do not pay the debts given, and tributes to the
Princes, and secular magistrates. In sum, whoever considers
well, will see that in the Cities, in the palaces, and in the
courts of the judges, in the stores of the merchants, and in
the midst of the greater frequency of civilized and well-born
men, more crimes are committed than in the woods among
the beasts.

Chapter 104

OF THE REMEDIES MORE PARTICULARLY, AND OF THE
PATERNAL DILIGENCE AGAINST THIS VICE.

Therefore, since this vice has spread through all the states,
and exercises of men, because of the too disordered appetite
for things, so much so that whoever well considers the
common way of living, sees everything to be full of thievery,
deception and theft, without distinction of sacred or profane
things. Without doubt it must be granted that great
remedies, and not mediocre diligence is necessary so that
this plague does not nest in the bosom of our well educated
son. | remember having heard other times, of a great Prince
of our times, very shrewd and who watched over his affairs,
and by his power was to be well feared, and nevertheless he
was accustomed to say, in nothing did he find greater
difficulty, than in not being stolen by his minors; Such is the
power of avarice, and the greed to enrich, that men expose
themselves to manifest danger, not only of their souls, which
if it is more certain, seems more distant, but of their own
lives; Therefore, it is necessary that good education be
emploved for a long time, and that our father, by persuasion
and good example, provide strong protection and weapons
for his son’s soul, so that he may not be overcome by this
terrible monster. Therefore do not cease to remind him, and
teach him with the same works, to render to each his due, to
pay creditors promptly, and especially the poor workers and
servants. And since we are speaking to nobles, citizens and
craftsmen, each father must inculcate those precepts which
are more in conformity with the state of his son, as for
example, the nobleman must detest the oppression of the
poor, he must persuade them that in public offices the
revenues must be administered with the greatest faith, that

the judgments must be uncorrupted, so that no price, no
gift, however great it may be, may ever be taken away from
the rule of justice; the citizens have to be real in the great
commerce, and not introduce, and maintain the famine, with
serious damage to the poor; those then who are in the
lowest rank of the people, and resell the merchants at the
retail level, must sell at a fair price, and honest goods, not
corrupt, nor simulated, and must not deceive in the weight,
and in the measure the simple buyers, or who at least, not
being able to do anything else, endure, if they are well
aware of it, the unjust burdens, in these things, which have
now become so ordinary among sellers, that few make any
offence of them, so that the sentence of the Saviour is well
verified, Wide, and spatiosa is the way, which leads to
perditione, and many go for it. Similarly, those who hire out
their works at a price must fulfil their obligation in full,
otherwise they do not receive the full payment, which rule is
extended to every kind of person who is led to any kind of
work, whether private or public. In short, in order not to go
into infinity, the good father should try as much as he can to
make his son fall in love with justice, as we read that the
Persians did, who, sending their children to school, taught
them to answer, if others asked them, that they should go
and learn justice, a doctrine which is undoubtedly very
important, since it is of little use to know how to speak
congruently according to the rules of grammar, if one does
not also work well according to the rules of Christ the Lord.
Most shining Sun of justice, who for the conservation and
maintenance of this our human consortium has naturally
impressed in the hearts of men those two famous precepts
and as two principles and universal maxims, that is one: Do
unto others as you would have others do unto you, and the
second, on the contrary: Do not do unto others what you
would not have others do unto you, which two precepts,
given to us by the law of nature, the Lord wanted to repeat
in the Gospel, and again command them, and sanctify them

with his own mouth. And we read that Alexander the Roman
Emperor, unfaithful but morally good, and who in many
things approved of the Christian institutes and rules, always
had this saying in his mouth, learned from Christians: Quod
tibi non vis fieri, alteri ne feceris, which we have already
declared, not to do to others what we regret, that others do
to us, and he was so delighted with this sentence, that he
had it also carved in various places of his palace, and in the
public buildings. How much more appropriate then is it that
the Christian father admonishes his son to the observance of
this salutary precept? which if it were done, there would be
no need for so many quarrels and judgments, and one would
live among men with supreme love and peace.

Chapter 105

FRUGALITY OR THRIFTINESS.

An infirmity is not perfectly cured, if not when the main
cause is removed, and the root of the evil is eradicated. Hor
non ha dubbio, che se gli huomini volessero fare quello che
l’Apostolo dice di se stesso a i Philippensi, Ego didici in
quibus sum sufficies esse, volendo dire che l’egli sapeva
contentarsi de lo stato suo presente, et di quel poco che
hava, non ha dubbio dico, that if men were to do the same,
that avarice, and greed, the root of all evil, would not only
lead them to the hidden crimes, and subtle inventions of
illicit gain, but much less lead them, as often happens, to
violent, and manifest robberies. The disorder, therefore, is
that men do not want to be content, | will not say of poverty,
but also of mediocrity, and sufficiency, rather they all want
to pass over their state, and their condition, in the pumps, in
the delights, and in every way of disordered expenses, so
that great confusion is generated in the Republic, and it
follows that, not being enough their own abilities to make up
for their immoderate appetites, they deliberate to want in
any way of the others. There are also the rich who, because
of their insatiable avarice, put no end or termination to the
acquisition of riches; others want to stay in idleness, and
even though they are poor, they nevertheless want to live
comfortably, and as they do, almost excusing themselves
they say to maintain their rank, now these, and other similar
ones tend for various reasons to the same effect, that is to
want that of others, either by the straight way, or by the
crooked way, truly plague and ruin of the Cities, and
seminary of infinite evils. Therefore our good father, who
labours to give his country a good citizen, and not a son of
iniquity, will try by example and by doctrine to persuade his

son and to impress upon his heart that the greatest, surest,
and most stable wealth is the holy fear of God, and the
observance of his divine precepts, and his grace and
protection, under the shadow of which we will always live
securely, and we will never lack anything necessary, just as
David said, | was young and have grown old, and I have not
seen a righteous man abandoned, nor his seed lacking
bread. But on the contrary, without divine grace not only do
great riches come to nothing, but the very kingdoms and
states are lost, and fall into ruin. Try to persuade your son
not to be such an admirer of riches, as the blind and foolish
world is, which does not seem to know, esteem, or expect
other goods, except those which it sees and touches, and
tastes with those senses, common to beasts; likewise, teach
him not to be so afraid of holy poverty, so beloved of God, as
if it were the supreme evil of this life, but only to be afraid of
sin and vice, which deprives us of true and eternal goods,
where poverty not only does not prevent us, but helps us to
go more expediently to Heaven, and not only does the very
high doctrine of Christ teach us to esteem these temporal
and transitory things on earth, and vile mud, as they really
are, but even to the Gentile philosophers they have
despised them, and in the ancient Roman and Greek
histories we read of valiant heroes, and Greeks we read of
valiant captains who were so poor that with their own hands
they ploughed their own small fields, and sometimes at
death there was no money to bury any of them, but they
were buried at public expense, and nevertheless they
generously repudiated the treasures offered to them by
vanquished enemies, offered to them by vanquished
enemies, and they handled the public revenue with clean
hands, and they brought back the great spoils of the
victories they had won without appropriating anything for
themselves, delighting in public wealth and magnificence,
and in private poverty and frugality. And nevertheless their
poverty did not prevent them from doing great and

honorable things, which after so many centuries, still live in
the memory of men with clear praise.

Chapter 106

SOME AUTHORITIES IN HOLY SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE
IMMODERATE COVETOUSNESS OF RICHES.

Now if the gentle and unfaithful men, by the light of reason
alone, were so generous in heart that they were able to
despise riches, how much more so must the Christian, whose
inheritance is in heaven, and who knows that this life is
nothing but a pilgrimage and an exile? Therefore let the
good father console his son, if by chance they should be
poor, with those words of the good Tobias, when he said to
his son: Fear not my son, for our life is poor, but we shall
have much good, if we fear God, and turn away from all sin,
and do good. Show him that there is nothing more wise,
than to have the little that one possesses with just title, and
of good purchase, as the Holy Spirit says through the mouth
of David, Melius est modicum iusto, super divitias
peccatorum multas, that is, better is the little that is just,
over the many riches of sinners.

Riches are not damned, but the poor are consoled; riches,
which are an instrument of human life, are not damned, but
the insatiable thirst of many is damned, who appetite what
is only a help and a means of good living with such ardor, as
if it were the ultimate goal, and our happiness; the rich are
useful and necessary in the Republic, and although poverty
chosen voluntarily for the love of God is a heroic Christian
virtue, and a state of the highest perfection, nevertheless,
because for now we are speaking to ordinary men and
fathers of families, it is said that riches are appropriate to
their state, and they are good, when they are well used, and
bad if not, and one can be rich and good at the same time,
and there have been anciently and always there will be rich

people, and saints if good is not a thing without great
danger, and difficulty, according to the saying of the Savior
in the well-known parable; that it is easier for a camel, or for
that great and tortuous animal, or for a large ship’'s beam, to
enter through the eye of an anchor, than for a rich man to
enter paradise; but as it is, the evil is not in riches, but in
disorderly will, as St. Paul shows us very well writing to
Timothy, whose doctrine, being very notable, and for the
purpose of our reasoning, it seemed to me to record it word
for word in this place. He says thus:

Piety is a great gain, to be content with what is sufficient,
because we have brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain that we can bring nothing away, having therefore
food and clothing of which we are content, so that those who
wish to become rich, stumble into temptations and the snare
of the devil, and many useless and harmful desires, which
submerge men in death and perdition, stumble in
temptations and in the snare of the devil, and in many
useless and harmful desires, which submerge men in death
and in perdition, for the root of all evil is greed and the love
of money, which some, by appetite, have deviated from the
faith, and have involved themselves in many miseries and
travails. So far these are the words of the Apostle, well
worthy of being very well pondered and considered.

Chapter 107

OF THE HONEST INDUSTRIES, OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
GOODS, AND OF THE ESCAPE FROM DEBTS.

We have heard from the Apostle, in whom Christ spoke, that
the unbridled greed to become rich, leads to the most
serious and extreme evils, but this does not forbid moderate
care and diligence about the conservation of one's
possessions, nor does it forbid the attempt to increase them
with due and honorable means, because our father of a
family must prudently consider. that perhaps he has many
children among whom he has to distribute his wealth, and
there are by chance some female children, who must be
married decently, so that, according to the saying of the
same Apostle Paul, fathers must hoard for their children,
which is meant by just ways, and according to the rules of
Christ our Lord, and not according to the rules of the world,
which has for the most blessed the richest. But our good
father will always have in his heart and in his mouth that
sentence of the Saviour, what good is it, and what profit is it,
for someone to gain the whole world, and then lose his own
soul? Now, since the young man whom we are teaching will
also be able to be a father in his own time, it is appropriate
that he learn from his father's example and admonitions to
know how to preserve and increase his wealth. And to touch
on a particular point, | say that the best way to increase
one's income is to cut off excessive appetites, because
where greed exceeds wealth, there one cannot call it wealth,
but rather poverty, for an ancient and wise writer, speaking
on this subject, said Of my small income, after deducting my
greed, at the end of the year | will have something left over,
and so it is truly true that knowing how to curb one's
appetites is a way of income, because what is necessary,

and also what is comfortable with modesty, does not put
domestic things in disorder, but the games, the superfluous
banquets, the wanting to exceed the number of servants,
the competing with the richest and vainest in dress, and
feasting, and feeding horses, dogs, and sparrow hawks, and
a thousand other similar superfluities, outside the decency
of one's own state, are good. There are others who do as
they say, the study of collecting medals, and ancient
statues, which others with more reason call humour, others
want paintings by excellent painters, others jewels, and
similar things, which are bought above all by the desirable,
at a great price and in need they make a very small portrait
of them. | leave to say about the furnishings, that have
arrived to such luxury, that those that today are used in the
villas, surpass much in value those, that our major, and of
the noblest, and better off used already, it is not however
ancient time in the same Cities. Hor do not believe that |
want to teach our child deafness, from which thought | am
far away. It pleases me that the father of the family keeps his
house furnished with linen cloths, and with good beds, and
other such things, not only for the domestic necessity, but
also for the comfort of the guests, and it is allowed that in
dressing, and in living there is used in some way to the use,
or abuse of the times, spending as they say the current
currency, but that the walls, the tables, the chairs, and
finally everything should be covered with velvet, damask,
tapestries, and the finest rockets, and the clothes should be
full of embroidery, and of vain ornaments, and of extreme
expense, with the richest linings, and that every day there
should be an effort to find new inventions and styles, and
that the small craftsman should want to match himself to
the citizen, the citizen to the gentleman, the gentleman to
the titled, and these to the Prince; these are things beyond
all reason, and intolerable, things that displease God, that
lead to a thousand sins, and to this one in particular which
we are dealing with, | mean to the robberies, and there is no

wealth that can compensate for such a chasm. Then the
debts, and the interests, and the large, and multiplied
usuries, slow and pernicious fever, arise, and one cannot
find a worse state in this part of the world than an indebted
man, who is not even master of the bread he eats, nor sees
any fruit of his income, committed and devoured before it is
born, nor can he remedy one disorder without another
greater disorder, and at the end he goes to fall into a
miserable, and ignominious bankruptcy. Therefore our
prudent father of the family, should abhor living with debts,
and measure his expenses by his wealth, and more
prudently reserve something which exceeds his income, pay
his creditors promptly, at least at certain times of the year,
so that the debts do not swell, and do not imitate the
custom of some fathers, who seem to have provided enough,
saying that their children will pay, Besides the fact that one
should not burden one's children with such burdens, when
not necessity, but the disordered life of the father has made
them so, it often happens that the son, following the
vestiges of his father's bad example, accumulates new debts
to his elders, so far he is from paying them, so that the cries
of the poor creditors ascend to heaven, there is damage to
the honour and good name, and the souls suffer in the next
life.

Chapter 108

OF THE SAME MATTER OF PRESERVING, AND LAWFULLY
INCREASING FACULTIES.

It is therefore a good thing, and worthy of a Christian man,
to be content with what God has given us, and to know how
to conserve and increase it without offending God, nor
harming one's neighbor, partly, as we have said, by curbing
appetites, and reining in and moderating superfluous
expenditure, partly also by making sure that everything in
the house is dispensed in moderation, not lacking what is
needed, but not wasting, nor squandering, and although
some people laugh, and mock at this assigned life,
nevertheless no one should deny that it is much better to
live sparingly from one's own, than amply from the life of
others. And because in these things one cannot descend to
the last individual, we intend, as has already been said, not
to persuade meanness, and sordidness, against the
honorableness and decency of that state which others can,
and must maintain, but only to persuade moderation, and
frugality, which does not destroy, indeed helps to maintain
for a long time in families, the decorum of civil life. In
addition to this, it is very useful to take care of the
conservation of wine, wheat, and the things that are stored
annually for human food, otherwise what should suffice for
the entire year, and beyond, does not suffice, often only for
half. The same is said of the furnishings, and of all the kinds
of instruments which are used in the house, and outside,
which good government maintains, and if it has good service
for a long time, without having to continually incur nine
expenses. But above all our father of the family must avoid
idleness, and sitting with his hands at his waist, so that at
the proper time he must apply his son to some honourable

exercise in conformity with the state and inclination of the
young man, which we will discuss elsewhere, but in the
meantime, continuing our purpose, | say that our good
father must teach his son to increase his wealth in a way
that is very honourable among others, and safe, that is with
the diligent cultivation of the land, which as a benign
mother, gives us ample nourishment, as long as we are not
idle, nor negligent in cultivating it, and it is this very proper
office of the father of the family, to have an understanding
of agriculture, and to ensure that his fields are well
cultivated, and although he is busy in civil affairs and
exercises, there are, however, his times of leisure, which
serves the health, and the domestic care, and we read of
those ancient Romans, who were good ploughmen, and also
good Senators, and good Captains, so that they reputed
themselves with great honor to be well versed and diligent
in agriculture, and from the ploughs to be called to the
consulships, and if well | do not absolutely say, that our
father of the family makes the exercises of villa, as | do not
exclude it either, according to the convenience of his state,
as long as this is not an impediment to greater good, and to
greater service of God, and of our neighbor, | nevertheless
say that he should go there at time and place, and take
pleasure in seeing, and in understanding, and in
commanding, and in making sure that his lands are well
cultivated, and in sum all rustic things are well, and usefully
governed.

Chapter 109

OF TWO EXTREMES IN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THAT IS OF
NEGLECT, AND OF ANXIOUS SOLICITUDE.

And now that the thread of reasoning on the care of the
family has taken us so far, | shall continue to say that our
father of the family must distance himself in this part from
two vitriolic extremes in the one, and in the other of which
they overflow very differently, indeed in a totally contrary
way, because some, even if they are of good intellect and
prudent in other matters, are very neglectful in the
government of the family, and do not want to understand
anything about it, and they leave the care of it entirely to
mercenary men, nor do they want to know the state of their
affairs, not otherwise than if they did not belong to it, and
this happens either through laziness, or delicacy, or
impatience, or other similar reasons, so that these people do
not receive half of the profit of their goods, which diligent
fathers of families would receive, and often to escape from
some harassment, which taken with justice would be a
pleasure, they incur in very serious inconveniences and
troubles. Others are at the other extreme, so anxiously
solicitous, and diligent, that it seems that the ground is
missing under their feet, and they must die of hunger, and
they lean so much on their industry, vigilance, and labors,
that it seems they do not know that God has provision for us.
And these people lack, as they say, the time to hear the
word of God, to read some good spiritual book, to revise the
accounts of the soul, and to confess, both of which are
damaging extremes, and the second most of all, because it
keeps the hearts of men so much in the mud of earthly
things, that they forget, with too great a prejudice, heavenly
things. Therefore, it is necessary that our father, at times,

uses the spur, to excite his son who is too slow, and
neglected, and at times the brake, to hold him back so that
he does not get so engrossed in the care of temporal things,
that he does not forget eternal things, and neglects the best
part of himself, that is the soul, and he also becomes in a
certain way coarse, and inept, in the civil conversation, as
some people are who do not want to converse with others,
but with their peasants, who think, negotiate, and have no
other taste, than to talk about making things.

Chapter 110

SOME AUTHORITIES OF SACRED SCRIPTURE AGAINST THE
LAZY, ET NEGLECTED.

In the Holy Scriptures, which are like an armoire full of
precious and most effective medicines for all the infirmities
of the soul, there are, | say, many sentences against these
two vicious extremes, and it may be out of place to relate
some of them here, so that our Christian educator,
comforted by the word of God, may proceed happily and
happily in the enterprise begun. Solomon, therefore, in the
book of his proverbs, which is full of very useful morals,
scolding the lazy man, says: “I, lazy man, go to the ant, and
consider the ways, and the movements of that small animal,
and learn to be wise, it has no leader, no master, no prince,
and even in the state it prepares food, and gathers at the
time of eating, so that it can then feed itself. How long will
you sleep? When will you wake from your sleep? Behold,
while you sleep a little, and then snooze a little more, and
stand with your hands clasped, behold, | say thatopia will
come upon you suddenly, like a traveler running through
the post, and will attack you like an armed man. Solomon
wants to say that the lazy man will not have a shield or a
shelter against poverty, like an unarmed man, caught
unawares, against an armed knight. And then the sacred
scripture follows, saying:

But if you are diligent and diligent, the harvest will come to
you like a spring, and poverty will flee from you; with these
words the wise man teaches us that the man who is the
enemy of laziness will reap abundant and copious fruit, like
a spring. Solomon himself, speaking of the lazy man, says in
another place

| passed through the field of the lazy man, and through the
vineyard of the foolish man, and behold, everything was
filled with nettles, and thorns covered the whole surface,
and the wall had fallen to the ground, which | saw and set
myself to think about in my heart, and from the example of
others, | learned useful doctrine. So far Solomon, whose
words give us to understand that the fields and vineyards of
lazy men become uncultivated and wild, and do not bear the
proper fruit. And although the Holy Spirit in these and
similar places pretends to teach us a higher doctrine, that is,
of the evil state of souls incapable of virtue, and untamed by
vines, nevertheless the literal and moral sense is what we
have said, in detestation of the laziness and carelessness of
many.

Chapter 111

SERMON OF THE SAVIOR AGAINST THE EXCESSIVE
SOLICITUDE OF TEMPORAL THINGS.

But against the excessive solicitude for temporal things,
which turns us away from the service of God, and plunges us
wholly into the mire of earthly love, it seems to me that |
cannot enclose a more appropriate place than a notable
sermon of the Savior recorded in Saint Matthew, which, if it
is well proposed to us by the Holy Church at certain times of
the year, and is well known to all, nevertheless because this
is a very common evil, so much so that it seems that all the
labors and industries of men, even of the noblest
professions, are reduced to the comforts of this short, and
transient life, And because it seems to me that in the above
sermon our Lord is striving, so to speak, to eradicate this
anxiety from our hearts, so many and so effective are the
reasons and the similes he gives, Therefore | have judged it
expedient to describe it in this place, according to the
formal words, and | beg the good father of the family that he
does not regret to read carefully what | have not regretted to
report, for his benefit, and for the benefit of the Christian
education of our child. Therefore the Saviour said in this
form:

Do not be anxious and anxious for the sake of your soul and
life that you will eat, nor for the sake of the body that you
will clothe yourselves with; for is not the soul more precious
than the bait, and the body more precious than the
clothing? Look at the birds of the air, how they neither sow
nor reap, nor put back into the granaries, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them: are you not more than they
are? And which one of you, for so much that he thinks of

you, can add one cubit to his stature? And why do you have
so much concern for the clothing? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow, do not toil and do not spin. Truly | say
to you, that even Solomon in his greatest glory was covered
as one of them. If, then, the hay of the field, which is today,
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, God dresses it in such a
way, how much more so do you, men of little faith? Do you
not therefore grieve so much, saying that we shall eat, or
drink, and what shall we be clothed with? These are the
things that the people are seeking and searching for; your
father knows well that you need all this. And therefore seek
first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given you for granted.

Up to here are the words of the Saviour, with which, as we
have already said, the supreme master does not forbid the
moderate care and providence of domestic affairs, but that
anxiety and restless continuous occupation that does not
allow us to seek the Kingdom of God.

Chapter 112

OF THE VIRTUE OF LIBERALITY.

From what has been said above, we can conclude that our
child has been brought up with frugality and modesty, and
has been taught to flee from disorderly desires, and to be
content with his state, dispensing his own abilities with
moderation, and not neglecting his affairs, and, on the other
hand, having been fully taught by his good father, how
much our Lord God displeases him with every kind of theft
and robbery, and how strict is the obligation of restitution,
from this | say good education and teaching we can
conclude, and hope with divine help that our young man will
always be a good and faithful observer of the seventh
commandment, and not only will he not take illegally from
others, but he will rather give voluntarily and freely of his
own, which is the part that nowadays is the only one among
those that belong to this precept, It remains for us to deal
with after such a long discourse, because it is not enough to
abstain from evil, but it is necessary to do good, and it is not
entire praise, not to take away that of others, but one must
be ready to be charitable, fleeing avarice, and tenacity, a
sordid vice, and unworthy of every ingenuous, and Christian
soul. Since our purpose is not to deal with the virtues in a
subtle way, since there are many who have been fully and
expertly fulfilled in this, it will suffice to say that liberality is
a moral virtue, which moderates our affections with regard
to the desire and greed for money, and by money we mean
every kind of substance, and anything that is measured by
the price of money, around which this virtue is exercised,
dispensing it usefully where, when, and to whom it suits,
and receiving it also, or not receiving it according to the rule
of reason; although this virtue consists more in giving than

in receiving, as an operation of much greater difficulty, and
more praised, and more honorable, because according to the
saying of the Savior, Beatius est dare quod accipere, that is,
it is greater happiness, and it is more excellent to give, than
to receive, and therefore this virtue makes men very lovable,
as that which is mainly employed in helping others. And just
as it happens with the other moral virtues, which are a
certain mediocrity between two vitriolic excesses, so too
liberality is placed in the middle between two extremes,
which are illiberality, or true avaritia, and prodigality, for
which reason some people are very deceived, especially
young noblemen and rich men, who give themselves to be
liberal and virtuous, in order to spend, and donate
inconsiderately to clowns, parasites, and pimps, and to make
banquets, and hunts, and shows for the people without any
other fruit, than a very vain popular aura, who instead of
being liberal, fall into the vicious extreme of throwing away
their goods, and discover their other vices, either of
intemperance, or of ambition, or other such, according to the
variety of the ends for which they spend profusely. But the
true liberal takes care of his goods, and does not dispense
them indifferently and without judgement, in order to use
them where it is necessary at those times, in those places,
and with those people that honour and the due
circumstances of virtue require.

Chapter 113

OF ALMSGIVING AND WORKS OF MERCY.

Therefore the good father must train his son to be
charitable, and ready to help with all his power, and
especially to exercise it in Christian liberality, so that he may
be merciful to the poor, and promptly give them alms for the
love of God; Almsgiving and charity are a way of people who
are most grateful to God, and he rejoices in this so much
that he considers that he has done for himself all that good
which is done for the poor out of love for him, so that on the
day of judgment, as we read in the Gospel, the supreme
judge, Christ our Lord, will praise him highly, not for having
helped the poor, but for having helped himself, saying | was
hungry, and you gave me food; | was a pilgrim, and you took
me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; | was sick, and you
helped me; and so of the other works of mercy, for which he
will give them eternal beatitude. On the contrary, nothing
seems to anger him more against the impious than for not
having had a heart of pity and mercy towards his poor, or
rather towards himself, as he says: What you did not do to
one of my least ones, you did not do to me. For this reason,
all the divine writings are full of exhortations to give alms,
and the sacred Doctors inculcate it continually in their
sermons to the faithful people, and especially the glorious
St. John Chrysostom, who seems not to have done so. St.
Chrisostom, who, it seems, never ceases to celebrate this
virtue which he calls the art of great gain, and little known
to men, and truly it is so, because almsgiving imparts to us
from God the remission of sins, and mercy gives birth to
mercy in the next life, as it is written, blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy, but also in this present
life God blesses and multiplies the abilities of men of mercy,

so Solomon promises us this from God, in that notable
sentence, which was given above in a similar vein, and it
need not seem burdensome to us to repeat it; he Says
therefore Honour God with your substances, and with the
first fruits of all your fruits, soothe the poor, and your
granaries will be filled with abundance, and your tanks and
presses will overflow with wine. And elsewhere it Says so,
Feneratur Domino qui miseretur pauperis, that is, he who
has mercy, and provides for the poor, lends to God at usury.
Therefore, our good father should accustom the tender child
to give alms gladly, giving, as it has been said elsewhere,
with his own hands, sometimes the penny to the poor man,
and sometimes the bread to the religious, learning to
recognize Christ in his poor, and persuading himself to
receive while giving for God. Let the son see that his father
gives alms with a happy face, and never rejects the poor
with disdain, and with insulting words, as some do, but let
him always see in his father at least an affection of pity and
compassion. And so that no one may excuse himself for not
being able to give alms because he is poor, | wish to
transcribe here the words of Saint Tobias, whom we have
often proposed as an example of a good father of a family, to
his son, and they are these Son, of your own ability, give
alms, and do not turn away from the face of a poor man, for
it will happen that even the face of God will turn away from
you, according to your power, so be merciful, if you have
much, give abundantly, and if you have little, then study to
give it promptly, and willingly, so that you will have a good
reward to treasure, and store it for yourself for the time of
need, so that the almsgiving frees you from all sin, and from
death, and will not allow the soul to go into darkness, the
almsgiving will be a great confidence in the confidence of
the most high God to those who will have made it.

So far these are the words of Saint Tobias, which are not to
be understood so nakedly, that alms alone without anything

else is sufficient to acquire Heaven, but with the company of
other virtues, and with the observance of the other divine
precepts, as the same Tobias admonishes his son in that
place. It is true, however, that this is a very efficacious
means of imploring forgiveness and gaining health, because
the voices of the poor, who pray for their benefactors, are
heard by the Father of mercies, and when any one is silent,
the alms are shouted with such a loud voice that they reach
the throne of the Most High, so that the holy scripture Says
in another place, “Place the alms in the poor man's bosom,
and he will pray to God for you, and he will ask for help in
every need.

Chapter 114

HOW EACH ONE CAN GIVE ALMS, AND THE ADVICE OF ST,
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM FOR THE POOR ARTISANS.

Therefore, let not the poor be afraid, and let them not fear,
because they are not rich, not to be able to exercise this
beautiful virtue, but of the little they have, according to the
advice of Tobias, let them give a little, but with great
readiness, for as far as the wise men of the world have
understood, that being more liberal does not consist in the
greater quantity and value of the gift, considered absolutely,
but considered with respect to the strength of the donor, So
that sometimes a great rich person giving for example one
hundred scudi, will give less than a poor person giving only
one, besides that the greater act of virtue, consists in the
inner habit, and in the greater affection of the heart, and to
speak christianly in the greater charity, and for these
respects the Savior said, that the poor widow who offered
the two minutes, had offered more than all. Therefore, each
one, poor as he may be, can give alms, and when all
temporal faculties are lacking, certainly giving alms with the
affection of the heart, having compassion for the afflicted,
consoling them with sweet words, exhorting them to
patience, praying to God for them, and other similar things,
can never be lacking, for as Saint Augustine says, no one
can truly say, | cannot love, and therefore each one can and
must do spiritual alms, which depend only on the inner
affection, such as giving for the love of God to enemies,
faithfully advising those in need, and the like, which are
called spiritual works of mercy. But our glorious Father St.
John Chrysostom gave the poor artisans a reminder that it is
very easy for them to give alms in the temporal world. May
there be no one who considers the advice of such a saint to

be trivial, but strives to put it into practice for the good of
his soul. Each craftsman, he says, when he sells something
of his own artifice, or in any way he wants, takes the money
of some of his work, and toil, let him set aside a small
particle not to be considered, as we call it a baioco, or a
quattrino, and this is the money of God, and let him keep it
ina box or in a separate case, and never interrupt to do it,
and at certain times open it, and give the harvest to the
poor of the Lord.

Chapter 115

TO SUBSIDIZE IN PARTICULAR THE RELIGIOUS, AND THE
MAGNIFICENT ALMS OF THE RICH AND POWERFUL.

With these and other similar ways, our father of the family
will teach his son to be charitable, not only towards the poor
who go begging from door to door, but also towards the
hidden ones, who, because of an erubescence worthy of
compassion, are ashamed to ask for alms openly, and above
all towards the poor religious, who by election have made
themselves poor, in order to more expediently seize the
kingdom of Heaven, and stay night and day praising God,
and they give to us the great spiritual alms, of which we are
all in need, so that we must help them very promptly, and in
particular our parish priests and pastors who minister the
sacraments to us, and have care of our souls, and it is much
to be regretted, that the ancient custom of the faithful
people, of making offerings to the altar, and giving the
tithes, and the first fruits to the priest, is almost extinct, so
that it is observed by those who are bound by strict
obligation. But our child will be so educated that he will be
persuaded to make a great gain, when he will be able to
give alms to pious and religious men, and servants of God;
and if he is rich and great, he will do works of the rich and
great for the glory of God, knowing that God has made the
rich to be treasurers, so to speak, and depositories of the
poor, for which reason he will be more pleased to build
churches and monasteries, to provide for hospitals and pious
places, to marry poor maidens, to establish colleges where
they can learn science for the service of the Republic,
especially for poor students, and other similar praiseworthy
and magnificent works, and of public benefit, in these | say
he will spend more than in some superfluous things of great

expense, of short duration, and of no use at all, except for a
slight pleasure, and to satisfy a vain appetite, which praised
by a few adulators for their own interest, is then finally
blamed by all. Do not think, however, that | want to sit on
the bench, and reproach those who build noble palaces, and
places of honourable recreation, in the Cities and outside,
only remember to avoid excesses, according to the state and
the various conditions of people, and that we give moderate
satisfaction to our sensual tastes so that we do not forget to
fulfil our spiritual obligations.

Chapter 116

OF THE GOOD TREATMENT OF THEIR FAMILY

Now if it is required of the father, that with exhortation of
words, and of effects, he teach our child to be charitable
towards strangers, and far away if well we are all one in
Christ, nevertheless because charity is ordered, it is certain
that in equal terms, and if no particular reason of greater
goods does not persuade otherwise, the relatives, the
neighbors, and the servants and relatives, and the poor
friends, as more related are also more included in the
number of those, towards whom charity must be exercised.
This will be done at times liberally by giving to them,
especially in some serious cases of infirmity, famine and
other similar events, and in spite of this, so that they can
place their poor daughters, which is one of the alms which
are very acceptable to God, and at times, if it is not possible
to do otherwise, by graciously lending money, without any
kind of gain, as is always necessary in the case of loans,
which in time and place can be no small service. But to
speak in particular about the servants and family members
to whom we are also obliged by justice, | say that the father
of the family must treat them well and with charity as if they
were his own children, so that they do not lack the things
necessary for food, and that they are generally good and
wholesome, and likewise their wages must be paid promptly
in their own time, and when it happens that they fall ill, it is
very convenient to visit and console them, and to provide for
them with the affection of a father, not of a master, so that
they may be healed, and with good care for the body be
helped in the needs of the soul; which, besides the fact that
they must be done out of Christian charity, are also useful
for the care of the family, since the servants are more

faithful and loving and better able to take care of the
household, and with these attitudes, and by giving them
some recognition at times, and donations above the ordinary
salary, they come to oblige themselves in such a way that
the master is more loved, and more revered by them, and he
with more authority, can command them, and they with
more respect obey him, and willingly continue their
servitude with their children, and with their grandchildren,
and they come to take that love towards the things of the
master, as if they were their own. Therefore, let our child
learn from a prudent father, to treat his servants well, and to
be a good acknowledger of their servitude, and their
labours, and not to have them in place of animals, or slaves,
but of men as they are, and to keep them under a common
Lord, who is God, and to retain with them such dignity and
authority that they do not pass into bitterness and tyranny.
It is true that good servants are seldom found, but our father
of the family with his prudence will try to find some, and
when he has some, he should remember the saying of the
wise man: Servus sensatus, sit tibi quasi anima tua neque;
inopem derelinquas illum, that is, Love the good and
prudent servant as yourself with all your heart, and do not
leave him in poverty. But now let us pass on to the eighth
commandment, since we have been much preoccupied with
the seventh, and perhaps not without some benefit to our
subject.

Chapter 117

OF THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. THOU SHALT NOT BEAR
FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR.

God's works are perfect, and his holy law has made sufficient
provision so that among men, who live a sociable and
common life together, there may be no matter of offence,
which slows down or altogether breaks the bond of that
union, and of that love which ought to be among us. And
because, generally speaking, offenses are made either in the
person, or in the possession, or in the reputation of others,
therefore, after having forbidden God that anyone offend his
neighbor unjustly in the person, or in the possession, he
forbids in this eighth commandment the offense that is
made against good esteem and reputation by saying: Do not
speak falsely against your neighbor. And just as homicide
and butchery are offenses of hand and effect, so false
witness is an offense committed with the tongue and with
words. And although the tongue is a weak part of our body,
and of much less strength than the hand, nevertheless the
thing is otherwise, that where the hand by removing, and
striking damages only the body in temporal things, the
tongue is a knife so sharp, and a venom so penetrating, that
it kills the body, takes away the faculties, denigrates the
reputation, and kills even the soul itself with the pestiferous
persuasions, and with the false doctrines. And what is more
marvellous is that not with great apparatus or movement,
but with great ease it makes stupendous effects, so that a
single word that passes with such speed, not otherwise than
a small spark has excited such great flames and fires, that
not only individual persons and families are miserably burnt,
but also cities, provinces and entire kingdoms. In sum, there
is no language, nor pen that is sufficient to express the

many damages that a cursed, and serpentine language can
do, as we see by experience every day, and modern and
ancient histories are full of examples. The tongue is such an
untamed and cruel beast, that the blessed Apostle St. James,
speaking of it in his Epistle, writes in this form: All kinds of
beasts, birds, snakes and sea animals can be tamed, and
have been tamed by man, but the tongue is not a man who
can tame it, a restless evil that cannot be restrained, full of
deadly poison, and what follows. With these words, and
others that were written before and after in the same place,
the Holy Apostle shows us the many evils that the tongue
does, and how difficult it is to restrain it. For this reason, it is
the merit of our good father of a family to make every effort
in this matter, so that the tongue of his son may not be a
sword of an enraged man, nor a net of deceit and snares, but
a vessel of blessing for the glory of God, and for the help of
his neighbors. And because the subject matter of this eighth
precept is very broad and abounding, we shall limit
ourselves to those things which seem to us most relevant to
our education, leaving the rest to the sacred Theologians
and Doctors who deal more exactly with this doctrine.

Chapter 118

OF LOQUACITY, AND OF SPEAKING CONSIDERED.

A principal root, as it seems to me, of many sins that are
committed with the tongue, is loquacity, a vice familiar to
young girls, among whom the child is ordinarily reared), it is
to be warned that in the tender breast seeds of this defect
are not sown, so that later he may become, when he grows
Up, an idle talker, because as the wise man says, In much
talking there is no lack of sin. And because in this, as in all
other things pertaining to morals, it is true that famous
saying, A teneris assuescere multum est, which means that
it is very important to become accustomed to something
from tender years, so that the nature of the nurse is taken
into consideration, and the wise mother helps, as elsewhere
has been said, the paternal diligence, and especially around
the daughters, remembering that in women is a great
ornament the modesty, and the taciturnity, so that St. Paul
wrote to Timothy saying, The woman learns in silence with
all submission. And in another place of the same Epistle he
complains that young widows go around idly in the houses
of others, and not only idle, but verbose, as he says, and
chattering, and curious, speaking of what is not necessary,
and in the Gospel history we read few times that the Blessed
Virgin spoke, and always briefly if not praising and
magnifying God, and her speech, was for works of charity,
and necessary, but it is well written about her, that with the
silentio she preserved, and conferred in her heart the things
heard. Therefore our father accustomed his son to modesty,
and to speak soberly, above all in the presence of his elders,
because at a childish and youthful age, which, as
inexperienced, needs to learn from older men, it is more
appropriate to listen than to reason; and we read of our

Saviour in the Gospel, that when he was in the midst of the
Doctors, at the age of twelve he listened to them, and
questioned them. We also read of the blessed saint
Thomasso d'Aquino, nobly born, and sanctimoniously
educated, who was so taciturn that his school companions
called him a dumb ox, but the skilful teacher, knowing that
this was not stupidity, but attentiveness and modesty, used
to say, this dumb ox will one day give great mourning, of
which he was not deceived. But generally speaking, and for
the most part, it helps to be restrained in speaking, and
according to an ancient sentence it more often harms to
have spoken, than to have been silent; and a wise man said
that nature itself has taught us to be more ready to hear,
than to speak, having made two ears, and one tongue; and
another one said, that not without mystery the blessed
nature has made two shelters, which are the lips and the
teeth, so that the tongue does not break out in haste to
speak. And in the divine letters St. James exhorts us to
speak weightily, saying: Let every man be quick to hear, and
slow to speak, and slow to anger. And the Apostle rightly
linked the slowness of anger with the slowness of speech,
because anger is often aroused by many words, and because
people speak more carelessly when others are angry.

Chapter 119
OF VITRIOLIC TACITURNITY

But since vice is always inimical to virtue, it is not my
intention that the father of a family should teach his son to
be so stupid that he knows neither how to speak, nor to
question, nor to answer; truthfulness and modesty are good,
but to such an extent that they may be a condiment and not
an impediment to virtuous action; Moderate speech is also
good, as long as it does not overstep the mark, because in
the government of the house, and of the republic, and of all
human affairs, speech is above all necessary, which if done
at the right time and place, produces excellent effects, just
as, on the contrary, if badly used, it is the seed, and the
cause of great harm. And therefore our child should answer
modestly when asked, and when needed, with the same
reverence, question his elders, and know that speaking is
not forbidden, but rather speaking carelessly and without
purpose, and even more so when it is harmful to one's
neighbor, which we will discuss a little later. David said it
well when he prayed to God to place a guard over his mouth,
and a door around his lips; for just as the door is not always
closed, nor always open, so too is the similitude of our
mouth, which must now be closed, and now open, in order to
know how to be silent, and to speak according to prudence
and charity.

Chapter 120

OF MURMURING, AND DETRACTION. CHAPTER. CXX.

A very bad, and most pernicious way of men are in the Cities
the murmurers, and detractors, others of whom, placing
their mouths in Heaven, keep in check all the actions of the
Princes, and of the Superiors, and there is nothing where
they do not find that to reproach; Others, penetrating into
the hearts of men, who are naked and open to God alone,
when they cannot slander the actions, accuse the intentions,
and make endless reckless judgments, and pronounce a
thousand sentences every hour, not only without having the
power to judge the alien servant, as the Apostle says, but
also without having sufficient information about the fact.
This vice of murmuring and detracting from the reputation
of others, partly out of ambition and envy, partly out of an
abundance of idleness, is very proper to courts and
courtiers; for many hope to gain honor by the destruction of
their neighbors; and many, while they are idly singing by
the fire, or in other conversation, enter to read the book of
their companion, forgetting their own, and take such
pleasure in murmuring, that it seems they cannot live
without discussing the facts of others, and it has passed into
proverb, that murmuring is the fifth element. Others are of
such a malignant and wicked nature, that by secretly
reporting the truth, but with amplifications, and by keeping
silent what convinces their evil mind, now fabricating
completely artificial slanders they delight in sowing scandal,
and very serious discord among friends, and relatives, and
among the closest people. How many hatreds, how many
fights, how many deadly enmities are born because of these
serpentine tongues, and likewise how much damage and
harm is done to property and honour, it would be a very long

thing to say, but it is not necessary, since all day long we
see open examples of it everywhere.

Chapter 121

OF THE PATERNAL CARE, AND DILIGENCE AGAINST THE
AFORESAID SCREWS.

It is therefore appropriate that our father of the family uses
effective remedies to preserve the soul of his son from this
plague, for which it is not good to bring up children to want
to know the facts of their neighbors, and it is often the fault
of curious fathers and mothers, who while wanting to know
everything that is done in the neighbourhood, accustom the
poor child to keep his eyes and ears open always to the facts
of others. And those who think that it is their own service,
that children should be explorers, and reporters of all
domestic affairs, | do not know how prudently they do it,
because the cherubs, partly because of such a curiosity of
childhood, partly because that paternal applause excites
them, and it seems to them to do well, sometimes penetrate
to see things, so that that simple age learns sin in time, and
nourishes it like a venomous seed, which kills the soul. It is
not even certain that they will know the truth, because the
putti easily deceive themselves because of their little
knowledge, but the damage is very certain and evident,
since with these ways they acquire a bad habit of being
curious about the facts of others, and of reporting them.
Therefore, the father of the family himself watches over his
house, and he also checks the diligence of one of the most
trustworthy and prudent relatives, and he does not expose
his poor son to such dangers, neither as a joke, nor less out
of duty.

But as the child grows in years and years to a greater
capacity for reason, let him see how much God displeases
the detractors and sowers of discord, whom the Holy

Scriptures call “troublemakers”, who will be severely
chastised, as the Holy Spirit well demonstrates through the
mouth of David in the first fiftieth psalm, where he
assimilates the tongues of those who think of nothing else
all day long, He likens them, | say, to a sharp razor, which
with every little twist of the hand wounds grievously, so that
they have such a sharp and poisonous tongue, that with
pain they turn it so that it wounds others to the living, for
which reason the prophet says, that God will destroy them,
and will remove them from the earth of the living; But Saint
James in his Epistle admonishes us with great affection to
flee from this evil, saying: Do not detract from one another,
my brothers; whoever detracts from his brother, or whoever
judges his brother, detracts from the law and judges, and
despises the law; and all the sacred writings are full of
similar judgments. Let the good father add how much we
must fear the just and strict judgment of God, who has told
us, by the measure you measure others you will be
measured, and if idle and useless words, which do not help
or harm, will have to be accounted for in the divine
examination, what will become of pernicious, unjust and
contrary to the charity of God, and of our neighbor? Let him
often propose to his son that most just law, of which we
spoke above, Do not do to others what you would not want
others to do to you, and not only do not lay snares and
snares for those who do not offend him, but if others have
offended and slandered him, remember that he is a
Christian, and that the judge of his cause is God, and
therefore do not render evil for evil, as elsewhere when
speaking of insults we have recalled, but with Christian
generosity let him overcome with his goodness the malice of
others, and let his defense be to work ever more virtuously,
and if it is necessary to say something in defense and
justification of himself, let him do it with modesty, and with
such a temperament that he does not offend his slanderer,
indeed where he could with truth, let him praise him, or at

least excoriate him, so that he himself may burn and repent
of his error. With these gentle ways, and with a few discreet
fraternal corrections, prudently made at the right time and
place, as the Holy Spirit, the most excellent teacher, knows
how to teach to those who truly wish to gain their brother,
the noblest vengeances are often made, that is, the enemy
becomes a friend, and the slanderer becomes a praiser, and
what is most desirable for the glory of God and the health of
the brother, he detests, and leaves his sin forever.

Chapter 122

SOME OTHER REASONS AGAINST CURSING.

Now returning to the reasons and convictions of our father of
the family, we must not leave out this one, that is, that of
the cursers, detractors, and slanderers, the same thing
happens as is said in the proverb about those who, despising
the law of God and their own souls, betray someone in order
to please others, that the betrayal pleases, but not the
betrayer, so that the very ones who cherish and approve of
the fact, have in abomination the author. Now this also
happens to the slanderer, who delights in slandering: for
who is he to whom the slanderer takes such pleasure, that
while he hears his slander he says tacitly to himself, this one
is of such a bad nature, that when it becomes good for him,
he will do the same and worse towards me, and will gossip
with the same imprudence about me in my absence, as he
does now about others with me. And so it is that these
people most of the time carry and report their lies on both
sides, either to inflame them more with enmity, or to gain
credit and gratitude with more people, or because such is
the condition of malignant tongues, that they have no more
restraint, nor any restraint. In short, the slanderer should
never think of being surely loved, nor of giving true
satisfaction, if those who hear him for some purpose, and
interest, would show otherwise. What shall we say of the
public disgrace that these evil-mouthed people bring? For
they cannot remain hidden for long, and often their lies and
tricks come to light, so that they are shown to be the
enemies of all, they are abhorred by all, and no one trusts
them, so that they live a most unhappy life, full of outward
infamy and inward remonstrance. With these, and other
similar arguments, the father of the family will make our

young man abominable, every curse, and detraction,
inflaming him to be such, that by true virtue he may aspire
to reach the gratitude of men, and the acquisition of honour,
and not by way of depression, and the lowering of his
brother, to which means those who do not know in
themselves the quality, nor the merit of being loved, and
honoured, cling.

Chapter 123

OF NOT WILLINGLY LISTENING TO DETRACTIONS.

But it must not be enough for our good father of a family,
that his son does not turn out to be a murmurer, nor a
slanderer, but he must also persuade him, not to lend his
ears to this kind of men, and not to communicate in any way
to their sin. This matter has been discussed above, when we
spoke of excessive suspicion, and in that place we spoke
only of those murmurings and reports which were in the
particular interest of our well-bred son, and which he was
warned not to believe in lightly, so as not to arouse
suspicion in vain, so that he might fall into wrath and other
evil consequences, but now more universally speaking, we
say that he must abhor all manner of murmuring and
detraction of people and things that do not belong to him,
and our young man must not be deceived, but must know
that itisnolessa sin to willingly hear detractions and
curses than to detract from them, and few detractors would
be found if it were not for those who willingly listen to them,
fomenting their wickedness. Therefore the Christian who
fears God, and who from his earliest years has been
educated in the observance of the divine law, and who
remembers the obligation that we all have to love our
neighbor as ourselves, having reached a more mature age,
may with some greater authority remedy the situation, so
that he may be able to remedy with some greater authority
this plague that is going around so much, if by chance he
finds himself in a place where the reputation of others is
torn, when he cannot do otherwise, show at least by his face,
and by his appearance that he does not like that reasoning,
and this is what the Sage says in the proverbs:

Ventus aquilo dissipat pluvias, et facies tristis linguam
detrahentem, that is, The north wind dissipates the clouds,
and the melancholy face, by which others show that they do
not hate willingly, dissipates the tongue of the detractor,
and chases away the curses. Sometimes he also uses a
clever way of reasoning, or amuses the reasoning, or throws
in a few words of correction, pointing out that we all have
our own beam, and as the Scripture says: In many things we
all err, so we must not be so severe censors of the faults of
others, considering our own. In short, let our well-educated
young man try to excuse as much as he can the common
frailty, and let him not sharpen, but rather let him discreetly
sharpen his biting tongue, and let him develop from similar
reasoning, which is of no use whatsoever; and on the other
hand, for the benefit of himself and his neighbors, let him
remember that admirable sentence of Scripture, and let him
always have it in his heart and mouth: Attende tibi ipsi, that
is, attend to yourself; on which Saint Basil, a father of
singular eloquence and learning, wrote a beautiful sermon.
And truly he who would observe this precept well, would be
free from infinite curiosity, and useless cares, and sins.

Chapter 124

THAT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL MUST MOST FLEE THE
DETRACTORS, AND FLATTERERS.

I do not wish in this treatise to go into the particulars of the
education of Princes who have the power to govern great
states and provinces, having proposed from the beginning to
reason with the nobles and citizens of the most common
state, but without doubt the detractors and similar sowers of
calumny are a plague, from which it is necessary that
Princes guard themselves more than from any other, since
each one desires by good and evil means to insinuate
himself into their grace, and to possess the greater part of it,
and it is all the more difficult for Princes to guard against it,
since for the interests of their states they are almost obliged
to hear many people, and to want to know many things.
Therefore it requires great judgement to discern a true man,
zealous for the service of his Lord, from one who is simulated
and pretended, and who walks with the aim of his own
interest. But generally speaking | would believe that it was
expedient to train the Prince not to give easy access to
detractors who make him timid and suspicious, and
mistrustful of all, so that it is necessary that great
inconveniences follow, and there is no peace and harmony
among his courtiers, and often he deprives himself of the
ancient, and faithful judges for the guilty. | already had a
close servitude with a Cardinal, who died young, but was of
a shrewd prudence, who, when one of his relatives reported
to him the gossip of another, used to answer him in this way:
why do you think so little of the good opinion that | have of
you, that now you give me the occasion to make a different
Judgment, seeing that you so keenly observe the faults of
your brother, and try to put him at the expense of the

common master? How would you like this to be done to you?
Or do you not have any defect? Put your hand to your chest
first. Having soon learned of the nature of the Lord, and that
these were not good ways to be ungrateful to him, the
courtiers began to think of gaining their master's goodwill
by serving him well and diligently, and not by supplanting
and crossing one another. It is not said, however, that the
Prince despises the warnings of the moment, indeed he must
open his eyes to them, and make the necessary provisions,
only that he does not believe in them lightly, and does not
begin, as is said, from the execution where it concerns the
fame, and life of others, and even more so of those who by
ancient experience are known to be good, and loyal. And
whoever hears someone being detracted from, should
always do what one reads of Alexander the Great, who, while
he was talking to the one who was doing the office of
accusing, closed one ear, wanting with that way of doing
things, to show that he reserved the place for the accused to
be able to defend himself, and in this way he did not
prejudice him, nor did he pronounce the sentence against
him.

Another kind of domestic enemies princes have, no less
pernicious than their detractors, and these are the flatterers,
cunning, artful, simulators, who under the appearance of
love, do great harm to those who lend them faith, for they
say good evil, and good evil, as they see it more agreeable
to him from whom they hope to gain profit by this means,
according to which they measure the praising, or blaming,
the persuading, or dissuading, the affirming or denying of
anything, and not according to the rules of truth, so that as
iniquitous, and false witnesses they are guilty of this eighth
commandment. Therefore, God forbid that our young man
should be in such a number, on the contrary, the good
father of a family will show him the vile condition of these
people, who, like weathervanes placed on towers, turn to

every wind, and have neither firmness nor stability, and are
often ridiculous to everyone. Nothing is more unworthy of a
naive and noble soul than servile flattery, just as candor and
truthfulness are worthy of a true gentleman, who loving the
Lord cordially, and his friend, speaks the truth out of pure
love, which, if as a bitter beverage is not so pleasant to the
taste, has however the virtue of evacuating the corrupt
humours of the soul, and finally knowing the simplicity of
the one, and the duplicity of the other, the bitter friend is
more grateful than the suave flatterer. And this is what
Scripture says in one place: Meliora sunt vulnera diligentis
quam fraudulenta oscula odientis, that is, the wounds of
those who love are better than the fraudulent kisses of those
who hate, meaning by wounds, and by kisses the truth that
stings, and the flattery that delights. It is not said that the
son whom we seek to raise well, civilly, and in a Christian
manner uses an indiscreet freedom of speech, as one who
cares for no one, rather distinguishing between people,
times and places, must use prudence and modesty together,
because even medicines used against time, or in greater
quantity than necessary, do not heal, but often kill the sick
person.

Chapter 125

OF THE FALSE WITNESSES IN GIUDITIO.

If every false witness, in whatever place it is said, affirming
the false, or denying the true, is always a grave sin,
nevertheless it is most grave when it is done in a judgement,
where there is public authority, where the oath intervenes,
where the name of God is interposed, and where finally the
sentence is to be pronounced according to the acts and the
evidence, and that which is true, which the legitimate
number of the sworn witnesses asserts, not being able to
judge the hidden. For which the false witness commits a
great sin, as the many and so important circumstances of
that judicial and public action openly show us. It is all the
more to be regretted that this crime is very frequent in our
times, and that there is a great number of men, who not only
for love, hatred and other similar affections, but for a small
price have their own souls venal, and exposed to every
iniquity, to this kind of crime are reduced the false
contracts, and wills, and the supposed persons, and a
thousand other similar deceptions and falsehoods, of which
we hope that our young man by divine help, and by good
paternal education will be inimical and therefore the good
father must persuade his son with the most effective reasons
that are possible, that never in his life, neither to harm his
enemy, nor to help his friend, nor to satisfy the prayers of
anyone, nor to acquire all the gold, nor all the honours of the
world, should he allow himself to be led to bear false
witness, and that he should know that he is not truly a good
man who, whose integrity in some way, whatever it may be,
can finally be destroyed, whatever he may be, can finally be
conquered, just as that woman would not be properly
chaste, whose modesty could be bought for any price, even

the greatest, so that the virtuous man is such electively for
the same virtue, and for the love of God, and not for human
respects. And because our young man will in due time have
to exercise himself in government, and in public offices, he
will be fully instructed by his father, and well resolved in
himself that not only as a witness, but not even as a
procurator, or advocate, and much less as a judge, neither in
saying, nor in doing, nor in public congregations, and
councils, nor less in private ones will he bear witness to
falsehood, nor will he approve, and favour lies, nor oppress
the truth. And woe to those who, in contempt of the human
and divine laws, will do otherwise, for the slander, the
perjury, and the false judgments will be justly condemned,
and severely chastised in the just and tremendous Court of
God, besides that many times infamy and chastisement
begins in this world, allowing God, that the hidden
deceptions of such, more likely monsters than men, come to
light, and to the notice of all the world.

Chapter 126

OF TRUTH IN UNIVERSAL, AND OF SECRECY.

In sum, by virtue of this precept, all falsity is forbidden, and
we are commanded, that after all simulation and deception
is laid aside, we are in all actions, and in simple,
straightforward, and true words. And because in discussing
the second precept of the law above, and in particular the
oaths, we have said enough about the virtue of truth, how
praiseworthy it is, how grateful it is to God, how beneficial in
private and public life, Therefore it is not necessary to say
any more in this place, except that between telling the truth
and not telling a lie, there is some difference, because the
lie must never be told, and is always a sin, although more
and less serious, according to the matter, and the offense
one does to one's neighbor. But our child must be brought
up in such a way that he abstains as much as possible from
every lie, even playful ones, and where no harm is done,
because from light lies one passes to serious ones, and
acquires the evil habit of lying, with serious damage to
health and good reputation. As for the truth, it is very
certain that where the judge legitimately interrogates in
giuditio, the witness is obliged to manifest the truth, and
according to the saying of Saint Augustine, he who conceals
the truth is not less guilty in such a case than he who
asserts the lie. But outside of legitimate judgement it is
sometimes lawful, and sometimes even obligatory, to
conceal the truth. And so many deceive themselves,
believing that they are not guilty, nor detractors, for having
spoken the truth against their neighbor, as if it were lawful
to reveal the hidden wounds and miseries of one's neighbor
and to show them to those to whom one is not obliged to
make them known, and from which there follows no other

fruit than to denigrate the reputation of one's brother, and
to put himina bad light with one who previously held him in
good stead; But even if it were not a matter of infamy, it is a
reprehensible thing, to be like a vase full of leaks, which
leaks out on every side, and does not contain the liquor,
such are some who are so incontinent that it seems to them
that they cannot live, if after having heard some secret, they
do not immediately run to report it, to this one and to that
one, who greatly offend the laws of friendship, since it is a
necessary thing in life to communicate our secrets to our
friends, in order to bring back their counsel; Wherefore the
wise man used to say in his proverbs, Treat and confer with
your friend about your affairs, and do not reveal your secret
to a stranger. But from the good education of knowing how
to curb the tongue, and not to be a chatterer and talkative,
of which we spoke above, we will also obtain this fruit, that
our child will become more easily accustomed to serving
secrecy, This is a very necessary condition in those who
administer public affairs, and are participants in the
counsels of Princes, otherwise it often happens that a word
spoken out of lubricity of tongue, or out of vanity in showing
oneself aware of the secrets of great ones, ruins an
important business. And so the Angel said well to old Tobias
and to his son in this sentence, The hiding of the sacrament,
that is the secret of the King, is a praiseworthy thing, and
well done, but the works and mercies of God must be
revealed and made public. Therefore, let our father of the
family teach his son to know how to observe secrecy, where
and when it is appropriate, and not to be like the foolish
girls, whose curiosity in wanting to know the secrets, and
the ease of discovering them in others, is very peculiar. In
the ancient histories a noble Roman boy is celebrated, who,
annoyed by his curious mother, to hear what was decided in
the council, was able to cleverly conceal the affairs heard by
him in the Senate; to gossip inconsiderately, and to tell all
his own affairs, and those of others on every subject, is

something to be drunk on, as the holy scripture says, There
is no secret where drunkenness reigns, and finally men of
this nature lose their old friends, and do not acquire new
ones. Let our young man therefore remember the saying of
the wise man in the Ecclesiasticus, Qui denudat arcana
amici fidem perdit, et non inveniet amicum ad animum
suum, which means, whoever discovers the secrets of his
friend loses his faith, that is he loses credit, both with the
first friend to whom he has not served the faith, and with the
others, who will not trust him, so that it follows that he will
not find a friend, according to his mind and desire.

Chapter 127

OF THE OBLIGATION TO RETURN THE FAME TAKEN AWAY.

The divine scripture says, speaking of excessive drinking,
that wine is drunk with relish, and descends gently, but in
the end it bites like a snake; this saying can be morally
applied to every sin, but for now we will use it for our
purpose of detraction. It is a tasty thing for many who have
a depraved taste, and who drink iniquity like fresh water, to
detract from the fame of others, and it is done with great
ease, but they do not think of the bitter taste that remains
afterwards of restoring the fame taken away, which part |
have reserved in the last place as a seal to all this reasoning,
so that the father of the family may effectively impress on
the young man's soul, how tight is the knot, which obliges
us to the restitution of honor and fame. And if it is true, as it
is true, and we have said sufficiently above, that he who has
taken away the property of others, will not have remission of
his sin if he does not return it, what will become of fame, a
good of a higher order, and of greater price, and esteem
without greater comparison? So that if men would consider
with due attention what they do, and in what necessity they
place themselves, when they defame someone, for certain
they would sooner bite off their own tongue, than speak.
Therefore, let our good father inculcate in his son, on the
one hand, the great obligation of restitution, under penalty
of the eternal disgrace of God, which is the most horrible
thing that can be said or thought, and on the other hand,
the great difficulty of coming to the practical act as is
customary, because men, out of a vain worldly fear, do not
wish to be accusers of themselves, nor do they wish to be rid
of false, slanderous, and accursed relations, and when they
do so with the most sound advice, it is not the same as with

goods, which easily become equal, but with fame it often
happens that the infamy has spread so much that the
damage is almost irreparable, as for example, the honor of
women is such a fragile thing, that for a sonnet, for a famous
book, or for a little word said for boasting, a poor virgin is
offended in such a way, that all the water of the sea is not
enough to remove the stain of an infernal tongue. Besides,
the soaked men who once have an opinion do not lay it
down lightly, even if the slanderer disdains it. And briefly,
these cases are so serious, and full of so many and so many
difficulties, that very learned men have written long
discourses on them, to which | refer so as not to pass over
the terms of our institute, it is enough for me to remind our
father of the family, who so disciples his son that he lives far
from this obligation, and from his earliest years trains him to
know how to refrain from speaking, often reminding him of
the sentence of Saint James the Apostle, who writes as
follows in his Epistle:

If anyone considers himself to be religious and pious, not by
refracting his tongue, but by seducing and deceiving his
heart, his religion is vain and useless.

Chapter 128

OF THE LAST TWO COMMANDMENTS OF THE DECALOGUE.

As a compliment to the Decalogue there remain the last two
precepts, about which we need say little, in accordance with
the manner observed so far, which is not primarily to explain
the doctrine, but to extract documents for our Christian
education. Therefore the sentence of these two precepts is
as follows: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor
his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaiden, nor the ox, nor
the ass, nor anything of his. The first seed, and the root of all
evil is lust; hence the Saviour said in St. Matthew, that
homicide, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, and
blasphemy come out of the heart; hence these last precepts
are like a compliment to all the others, keeping our hearts
far from the effect and affection of sin. And because there
are two principal objectives of sin, that is, the useful good
and the pleasurable good, two concupiscences are forbidden
in these precepts; the one concerns the pleasurable good,
when it is said not to desire another's woman; the other
concerns the useful good, whereby it forbids the desire for
one's neighbor's house, servants, horses, and other
possessions. It is not enough for the observance of the
divine law not to kill, not to commit adultery, or any other
impudent act, not to take away the property, and the
reputation of others, abstaining from the work, and from the
external act, which is done through this body, of which the
human laws are content, but God above all wants the pure,
and sincere heart, and the chastity, and integrity of mind,
which does not cost, but leaves the brake to the lusts, and
unbridled cupidity, and unrestrained, and unbridled greed,
and delights in, and pleases, and gives consent to the illicit
appetites, that now the flesh, now the world, now the devil

suggests to us, besides the fact that he is already guilty of
sin in the presence of God, it easily follows, that lighting up
the flame of desire, he finally comes to the execution, and
puts into manifest work, what was already conceived in his
heart, as S. lacomo shows us speaking of the origin and the
progress of sin with these noble words:

Each one, he says, is tempted by his own lust, drawn and
enticed, and then when lust has conceived, that is, when it
joins with consent, it generates sin, and sin consumed not
only by the external work, but by full consent, generates
death, and eternal death. So then are the robberies and
oppressions of the poor, then the insidiousness of the
marital bed, then the infamy of others, either to lower it or
for some other end, and this is finally the source of all evils,
which naked beforehand, and open to the eyes of God, in
the depths of the heart, are then manifested to the eyes of
men, by external works. Therefore our father of the family,
whose aim is to make a true man of good, that is a good
Christian, and not a hipocrite, nor a Pharisee, content only
with an outward appearance of righteousness, and inside all
hatred, and robbery, like whitewashed sepulchres, as the
Lord called them, will seek with all diligence, that his son
may be truly good in the depths of his heart, for the love of
God and virtue, exhorting him not to want to serve the
cruelest of tyrannical greed, but to serve the will of God, and
to want above all to appear good with a pure heart, for he is
the scrutinizer of hearts, and not to care about the praise
and glory of men, except for the greater glory of God,
otherwise the eternal reward will be lost; Moreover, it often
happens that men, careful observers of the faults of others,
discover the feigned and simulated goodness, and despise
and mock the simulator. Tell him that there is no greater, nor
more noble victory, than to overcome one's own greediness,
which if we are accustomed to resist, will become weaker
and weaker, and the devil will have less powerful and

effective stimuli to tempt us. Add that a man given over to
his greed, advises nothing, nor discourses, nor judges
correctly; and not differently from the eye, over which is
placed a colored glass, sees all things of that color, so he
regulates everything by his own appetite, and not by
honesty, nor by the common good. In short, the purpose and
aim of all the Christian’s work, as a holy man says, is to
attain and attain purity of heart, which then leads to the last
of all ends, that is to God; for it is written, Blessed are the
worlds of the heart, for they shall see God. But because all
this and every other perfect gift comes from above, as St.
James says, and descends from God. lacomo says, and it
descends from the Father of Enlightenment, and from him it
is fitting that it be asked humbly and with devout prayer,
otherwise human solicitude is vain and fruitless without
divine help; therefore it is necessary to discuss prayer a
little, especially since of the four things proposed from the
beginning, which were the Symbol of the Apostles, the
seven sacraments, the Decalogue of the ancient law, and
Dominical prayer, only this last point remains for us to
discuss a little.

Chapter 129

OF THE ORATION.

| therefore say that prayer, as the Holy Fathers have taught
us, is an elevation, an ascent of our mind towards God,
when, withdrawing ourselves into the little room of our
heart, and closing as much as we can the door of it, so that
the temporal solicitudes and the burdensome cares of this
earthly life do not disturb us for some time, we begin to
consider the greatness of God's mercies, and in general
towards the whole human race, and in particular towards
ourselves, and raising ourselves little by little from the earth,
and ascending by this divine ladder to heaven, the eye of
the soul, previously clouded by the fog of carnal affections,
is purified and sees with greater light than usual other
countries, other honors, other goods, and consequently
other desires, and other loves are kindled in the soul, which,
nevertheless, drawing nearer to the source of every good,
fixes its gaze of consideration and meditation on God and on
his innumerable benefits, and is completely immersed in the
abyss of that infinite clemency and goodness, and there
humbly prostrates itself at the feet of its most benign Lord,
its most loving father, and its most beloved spouse, and now
praises him, now she blesses him, magnifies him, rewards
him for herself and for all creatures, now with great trust she
pours out, as the prophet says, in God's conspect her desires
and her petitions, and she exposes to him her tribulations,
and she asks him for help and succor, and the supplicating
soul never returns empty from the presence of him, who
desires nothing more than to find in us the capacity to fill us
with his grace. In short, prayer is a key that opens Heaven, it
is a trustworthy messenger, and a most acceptable
mediator, who offers our petitions to God and implores us to

forgive our sins; and finally it is a chain of celestial gold,
which binds us to God, from whose union all good in the soul
rejoins, so that prayer is more perfect, the more it pursues
this goal of raising and uniting our mind with God.

Chapter 130

OF THE PARTS, AND CONDITIONS OF THE ORATIONE.

Now it is not our duty to deal in detail with the two parts of
prayer, which, as we mentioned above, are two, the
performance of gratitude and petition, nor is it our purpose
to explain subtly many other things that can be considered
about prayer, such as, for example, we can say that there
are two ways of prayer, one called vocal and the other
mental, and the other mental, the vocal one is done by
pronunciation, and with the external sound of the words,
which way is more commonly used in the sacred temples
salming, and reciting divine prayers, according to the
institution of our mother holy Church, and this way of
praying is very useful to excite the devotion of the faithful
people, in public oration, and in private, it also helps to
warm and inflame our heart, so that it is more disposed to
the mental prayer, which is so called, because the tongue is
silent, or only speaking a few words, that the ardor of the
spirit, mixed with fiery sighs from time to time pushes out, in
the rest the mind is the same as now, in silence and in the
secret of the heart, where God hears it with great pleasure,
and responds to the beloved soul, and reasons with it such
noble things, that the human tongue cannot express it, and
it is this way of prayer so perfect, that is the life, and the
soul, so to speak, of the vocal prayer, otherwise if the inner
man is not now in spirit, and truth, little is the fruit that only
the movement of the lips, and the sound of the words brings.

It would also take a long time to recount the conditions,
which are sought in good prayer, as if to say, that it must be
full of trust, and hope in the immense goodness of God, it
must be humble, resigned to the will of God, especially in

asking for things that pertain to the body, and to the
sustenance of this life; prayer must also be fervent, not
lukewarm, and remitted; and moreover it is necessary that
prayer be assiduous and persevering, in which way it finally
overcomes the invincible; | leave it to say that all the
impediments must be removed, which make a dam and a
wall, so that our prayer cannot penetrate to God, that is sin,
and the affection and willingness to sin, and hatred of our
neighbor, not wanting to forgive the insults received,
otherwise with what face will we dare to raise our bloody
hands to Heaven, and hope to be heard? And since we
ourselves are unworthy of imploring anything, therefore our
prayers must take efficacy from the merits of Christ, and in
hisname we must implore the Father of mercies, that he
may grant us, as we see that the Holy Church does in all her
prayers, imploring together the help of the Most Blessed
Mother of God, and of the glorious saints who reign with
Christ, so that they may be our helpers and intercessors,
praying with us and for us to the Supreme God the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, the only author and giver of grace and
glory.

Now of the aforementioned things, and of others very
similar, pertinent to good and fruitful praying, it is not, as |
have already said above, my business to discuss subtly, |
remind our father of the family, however, to read some of
those books, which purposely, and copiously treat this
matter, such as the Roman Catechism, which has never been
praised enough, and the book of Friar Luigi Granata, great
master of the art of the spirit, which book is inscribed, of
prayer, and meditation, and other similar books, from the
reading of which books, and learned treatises the father of
the family, will be able to teach many useful things to his
son, which for us are silent.

Chapter 131

HOW SERIOUS DAMAGE IS DONE TO THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE
BY THE LITTLE STUDY OF PRAYER.

Among the many calamities of these last times, in which
charity has cooled and iniquity has abounded, the least is
not to be considered the little study of prayer, which is
commonly seen, indeed some spiritual men are wont to say,
that all the evils by which the people of God, and the whole
world is afflicted, arise from a lack of prayer, just as, on the
contrary, all that is good on earth is the fruit of prayer. And
truly it is a thing to be lamented, seeing that some reputed
experts do not know by name what mental prayer is, so far
they are from exercising it, others consider it as something
to be done by old women, and by monks and friars, others
wearing beautiful and rich crowns as an ornament in their
hands, and saying some part of it, while they deal with
family matters with the attendants, or discuss with friends
impertinent things, not to say while they are wishing for
their pleasure, and in sum praying with no, or very little
attention, it seems to them to have accomplished enough
with the obligation of praying. Therefore it is necessary that
good Christian education should remedy this drawback, and
that the prudence of the flesh, God's enemy, should be
understood and practiced to the extent that we are
Christians by the grace of God, and no longer Gentiles, as
our most ancient ancestors were, so that in a Christian way,
according to the precepts of Christ, and according to the
institutes of the Holy Apostles who so often remind us to
pray, it is necessary that we live, and not as people who do
not know God. Now I would like to know from those who,
under the name of Christians, live a little less than as
Gentiles, what is more necessary to us than prayer? Who

does not know how many needs and necessities we have,
both for our body and soul, for ourselves and for our
relatives, for private and public life? Without doubt we are
poor and in need of infinite things. But perhaps it does not
seem true to the rich and powerful that they are neither poor
nor needy, for what have we that does not depend on the
mighty hand of God, not only as giver, but as preserver, and
as absolute mistress, to return to us, when it pleases, our
state and strength, our body, our health, our children and
our life itself, as was well understood by that very strong
fighter against the devil when he said to each of his
temptations: God has given it to me, God has taken it back,
blessed be the name of the Lord; and not only for these
carnal goods that we like so much, it is convenient for us to
knock at the door of divine mercy, but much more for
spiritual goods, as more important, since we are all, as a holy
Doctor says, poor and in need of God's grace. Therefore,
whether it be to impose on the Supreme God the things
necessary for the body and soul, or so that he may deign to
preserve them for us, or to thank him for the continual
benefits which we receive at every moment, since we cannot
turn our eyes in any part, that we do not see ourselves
surrounded by the gifts of our most blessed Father, or
whether it be to ask his forgiveness for our daily offenses
and sins, and to obtain light, and intellect, and strength of
spirit, so that all our actions may be directed to a prosperous
end, and so that we may walk in safety among so many
dangers of this life, and among so many snares and traps
that the devil, our most bitter enemy, tends to us; in sum,
for all the needs mentioned above, and for many others that
it would be difficult to enumerate, we have a great
necessity, to have recourse continually to prayer. | leave to
say what sweetest and most suavest fruits this blessed plant
produces, and what treasures God dispenses to the soul in
the colloquy of prayer, and how much worship and honor is
rendered to God by this most adored sacrifice, and how the

most sublime virtues called Theological virtues, that is faith,
hope, and charity, are exercised to the highest degree; Of
these and other admirable effects that prayer has, | refer to
its own writers, who for the main subject, as we have said
above, deal with it copiously.

Chapter 132

OF THE PATERNAL CARE ABOUT THE HOLY EXERCISE OF
PRAYER; AND BEFORE THE TIME, AND THE PLACE.

But to come down now more specifically to the paternal care
and diligence in prayer, and especially in the time and place
of praying, | say that one of the most necessary things in
human life and in the good regiment of the family is the
dispensation of time, which, even if it is very short and very
fast, if it is shared with discretion, it makes up for many
tasks, as we see from experience in the well-ordered
congregations of religious. For this reason, in domestic
activities, all confusion should be avoided, assigning to each
its proper time. And since prayer is as necessary and
important an activity as we have demonstrated, it is only
right that of the twenty-four hours of each day, at least one
hour should be allotted to this holy exercise of prayer,
leaving a large part for the moderate care of the body, and
for human exercises and affairs. But which of these hours is
more convenient for the family to gather together as at the
table, to be nourished with spiritual food, is up to the
prudence of the father of the family, considering the order of
the house, and the particular circumstances to determine it;
but generally speaking, the hour that is more removed from
the noise, and from the commerce, for the reason of which
many come and go in the house, that will ordinarily be more
appropriate; Because in order to pray it is very necessary to
have a quiet mind, and not to have things that divert us,
since one of the greatest difficulties, especially for those who
are not well trained, is to collect and unite our soul,
scattered by the senses, and by the various cogitations,
which distract it. So it is that the remote and solitary places,
and the less sensational hours, such as those of the night,

help us not a little to be better disposed to pray. | would
therefore believe that the evening after the sign of the Hail
Mary, when the Holy Church invites us, and the occupations
of the day largely cease, would be a suitable time for this
holy exercise. | say the same thing about the first hour of the
day, and about dawn, especially in the season of summer, in
which one could also use the middle of the day, to resist the
meridian devil, who is more infamous there. It should be
known, however, that the longer the interval after eating,
and the more the head is cleansed of the vapors that rise
from the stomach, the better disposed a man will be to pray.
And because, as we said earlier, the condition of the place is
very important, | return to what | have said on other
occasions, namely, that in every Christian house, but at
least in those of the nobility, which are spacious and large,
there should be a small oratory, according to the number of
inhabitants, devoted only to divine worship; Because we are
men of soul and body, and not naked spirits, we learn things
by means of those external senses, and more so do children,
so that the appearance of the place alone, where prayer is
done, moves a certain reverence and devotion, all the more
because it is decently decorated, and with holy images, and
with some lighted lamps; all these things help to make the
soul withdraw into itself, and to apply itself with greater
attention to this office. But because the snares of Satan are
many, therefore, in order to avoid any scandal, it does not
seem to me to be expedient, especially where there are
many families, for all men and women to meet together in
the oratory, and even if they could be separated, if however
the division were not such that they could not see each
other at all, but in any case it seems better to me that the
father of the family be with the men, and the mother of the
family with the women at separate times; and if the separate
apartments, as is the case in noble palaces, also have
different places, it would be even better. If, however,
because of the small number of members of the family or for

some other reason, the father of the family should find that
all the members of the house are present in the same place
for the prayer, he should at least warn that there is always
light in the oratory, and that he should be in a corner where
he can easily see what is being done by each member.

Chapter 133

HOW LITTLE BY LITTLE THE CHILD MUST BE ACCUSTOMED
TO PRAYER.

We see from experience in natural things, that a small seed
first sprouts from the earth with difficulty, then sprouts into
a plant, then grows into a small shrub, and finally becomes a
sturdy and perfect tree; the same happens with the culture
of the soul, around which the paternal care is labored in the
education of the child; for which it is necessary to have a
little patience in the first principles, and not to withdraw
one's hand from the work, but to propose before one's eyes
the fruit, which in due time by divine grace will be
harvested. | therefore say, returning to the purpose | began
with, that from the beginning it will be sufficient that the
child be present in the oratory with a reverent act, for as
long as the father sees fit, and it will be no small thing that
he observe silence with the others, and to make the sign of
the Holy Cross, or some similar thing, then to say the Pater,
and the Ave, and to listen, from hand to hand, then, as he
will be more able, he will answer to the Litanies, and he will
make vocal prayer, saying the penitential Psalms, or the
nocturne for the dead, or other devout prayer, and other
offence approved by the Holy Church. However, the child
should be accustomed to kneel down with his whole body,
and to pronounce the words in an appropriate manner and
with the attention that age demands, so that he may
accompany his inner devotion in some part with the devout
utterance of his tongue, and this may warm up the heart's
intentions. And because while one is in the oratory there is
not much opportunity, the first thing to do is to warn the
child of what he is going to do, and then the father corrects
him where necessary, and gently with some praise, he adds

spurs to the course. But after he has reached a more perfect
use of reason, after the vocal prayer, which is always good to
use, as a preparation for the mental one; so that with the
pronunciation of those words, which are full of the spirit of
God, the soul will begin to warm up, and it will be easier to
dispense with that time, because to do a whole hour of
mental prayer requires habit, and not mediocre exercise.
Therefore, as | have begun to say, after the vocal prayer, the
father of the family will briefly propose one or two points to
meditate on, or he may do it later, as he sees fit, until such
time as the spirit itself, and the assiduity of praying, will
teach our devout youngster how to pray, so that frequent
prayer is an excellent teacher of itself. However, since from
the beginning it is necessary, like a weak vine, to lean on
some support, the father of the family will be able to have
his son read to him some part of some divine book, so that
the others will also be edified, and the subject of prayer, and
the widest field of meditation is the life and death of our
Savior Jesus Christ, and the book of the cross, and likewise
the consideration now of death, and of the vanity of all
present life, now of the glory of paradise, and of the other
new things, of which we spoke in the treatise on the
Apostolic Symbol, the feasts which also occur daily, in which
the holy Church represents to us all the principal mysteries
of our redemption, the sermons heard, and other similar
things will provide material for meditation. The father of a
family should also remember to pray in spirit for his
domestic needs, for those of his relatives, friends and
benefactors, for the dead, for his homeland, and for the
whole of the holy universal Church, so that the child may
broaden the affection of charity, and become accustomed to
having recourse to God in all private and public needs.

Chapter 134

OF THE EXAMINATIONS OF THE CONSCIENCE, AND SOME
MAIN POINTS.

We read that the ancient Cato the Censor, used to remember
every evening, and to repeat to himself all that he had said,
heard, and done that day, which, following the custom of the
Pythagoreans, he used to do in order to exercise his
memory, which, if a Gentile man, for the sake of not much
time, did not burden himself with doing daily, how much less
should it be burdensome to the Christian for the health of
his soul? And if careful merchants revise their books every
day, and if the diligent father of a family wants to know daily
and with reason, about his factors, and the most important
things of the day, how should not the Christian revise the
book of his conscience, which is done in a very short time,
even while lying in bed? Besides that for the same family
care, and for the good domestic regiment, the consideration
of the day's activities can help not a little, referring
everything to God, and reordering where it was lacking,
ourselves, and our activities, and with the rule of the divine
law. lt reminds me in this regard to have seen printed a little
memoir which contains the way of examining the conscience
every evening, reduced to five very brief points, which
because they conform to our subject, it seemed to me good
to record in this place.

So the first point is this;

To give thanks humbly to God for all the benefits received
that day. The second is to ask for grace and the light to know
and hate sin. The third, to ask his soul to account for all the
offenses done to God that day, in thought, word, deed, and

omission of what he should have done. Attending especially
to those faults, to which one usually feels most inclined.

The fourth, to beg God's forgiveness with a humble heart, for
the above defects and failures, and to grieve and rebuke
Him.

The fifth, to firmly propose to guard oneself in the future
with the help of God against sins, and as for those already
committed, to make a resolution to confess them.

It contains the same memorial, five other points, for the
morning when we get out of bed, and because they serve
our Christian education, and the matter of prayer, | will not
leave to report them too.

The first, to thank God and bless Him in all His gifts, and in
spite of Him for having guarded us that night.

The second, to offer all of oneself into the hands of His
Divine Majesty, begging Him to have us on His guard, and to
give us the grace to do everything that day according to His
holy will.

Third, to strengthen ourselves inwardly against those sins
where we are most wont to fall, renewing our resolutions to
abstain from them by divine help.

The fourth is to ask God for help in this and every other
need of ours, commending ourselves to the glorious Virgin
Mother, to the Guardian Angel, and to all the blessed of
Paradise.

Fifth and last, to say three times the Pater noster, and Ave
Maria, for all the faithful living and dead, and then to hear
Holy Mass with devotion, offering to God that blessed

sacrifice, for his sins, and for all the needs of the Holy
Church.

Chapter 135

OF THE USEFULNESS OF THE AFOREMENTIONED POINTS,
AND OF THE ORATIONS CALLED IACULATORY.

These same points will be able to provide us with the
material to make mental prayer longer when it will be
opportune. But when, because of the human occupations
and various accidents of this painful life, we are not allowed
a long time to retire, at least let us not leave morning and
evening to make a little recollection of our heart, according
to the above-mentioned way, and each one will feel the
wonderful benefit of this little preparation and meditation in
the morning and evening, and will spend the days happier
and the nights quieter. And although earthly affairs and
occupations should be taken with such measure, that they
do not impede the negociation of health, and the principal
care of the soul, nevertheless no one can be excused from
not praying because of lack of time, since our mind is free,
and can always rise to God while our hands are also
exercising themselves in some work. Besides a single
movement of the will, which lovingly turns to God, a chaste
sigh, which bursts forth from the depths of the heart, a
single saying with true affection, Lord, and God my sinner's
wretchedness, such a short prayer will often be so effective,
and these are those prayers called “iaculatory”, which, like
thunderbolts, propelled by the bow of a humble heart, lit by
love of God, fly very quickly to Heaven. And the Christian
must often arm himself with these prayers during the day,
as, for example, when he begins a conversation, when he
has to speak for a moment, when he is assailed by some
temptation, and finally to rekindle in ourselves and to keep
alive the fire of the love of God, because we are in this valley

of tears, where cruel winds blow from all sides, continually
chilling it.

Therefore, our father of the family should accustom his son
little by little to these holy exercises, and first make him
learn these points in his mind. Secondly, it will be very
useful for the child to see his own father who, morning and
evening, presents himself before God, to say at times the
father in a loud voice, in a beautiful way, so that the child
understands in an act of prayer, and to repeat every day
some of the points mentioned above, as for example, “My
God, give me grace that | do not offend you. | thank you,
God the Father of mercies, for all the favours it has pleased
you to do me, and the like, so that the child will learn to
imitate his father, and then, from hand to hand, the child
will begin to say some of those prayers, in a devout act
before the most holy Crucifix, as verbs of gratitude, rising in
the morning, he will say one or two points in his own person,
with simple and brief words, saying, My Christ, | dedicate
myself entirely to your Majesty this day. Let him also propose
that he does not want to commit that day, with God's help,
any defect, in which he may fall and be taken back, and
such things. In short, little by little, he will become so
accustomed that when he is older he will not feel fatigue,
but with wisdom he will do the examination of conscience
and other things. And this must be the father’s study, not to
want the child to do everything at once, nor less at a certain
rate, as one who works at work, but he must sweetly try to
make him fall in love with good, so that the child delights in
it, and works with taste, and with slow, hidden growth he
comes to such a point that he acquires the good habit, for
which he then works perfectly with ease and with pleasure.

Chapter 136

YOU RESPOND TO SOME WHO MAY RESUME THIS MANNER
OF EDUCATION.

| fear that some learned and judicious men, if they should
ever come across this treatise, and have the pleasure of
reading it, apart from what they may deservedly desire in it,
of greater prudence, and doctrine, will take up one thing
among others, certainly very serious, and worthy of
consideration, for they will say that this way of education
will not only be of little use, but harmful to the republic, and
that in exchange for raising noble Gentlemen, Knights, and
Citizens, as the country requires, there will be many monks,
and religious, more suitable for the choir, and the cells, than
for the palaces, and the cells, and for the palaces, and
Knights, and Citizens, which the need of the country
requires, they will make many monks, and religious, more
suitable to stay in the choir, and in the cells, than in the
palaces, and in the squares, in the administration, and civil
commerce, and they will affirm this to be an evident thing,
then that with these exercises of prayer, with the
examinations of conscience, and with attending the
sacraments, all will give themselves to the spirit, and will
want to become religious. To which objection, wanting to
answer something briefly, | beg the kind reader, who wants
to remember that the title of this work is Christian
education; so if | thought to lead our child by other ways,
than by those of the observance of the law of Christ, | could
certainly spare this effort, whatever it may be, and leave
writing. But going on, | would like to know from those who
feel otherwise, if it is true, as it cannot be denied, that the
Philosophers in their Ethics and Politics, have proposed for
man's end the happiness of this life, which they did not see

beyond, except perhaps very faintly and doubtfully. And if
they have placed this happiness in the operation of virtue,
as is also certain, for this reason they seek in the civil man
the habitations of all the moral and intellectual virtues,
which however do not exceed the forces of nature. Now if
the Philosophers proposed to themselves, according to their
understanding, such a high end, that in order to achieve it it
was necessary to form a perfect virtuous man, what shall we
say of the Christian man, whose end is eternal happiness,
who does not know, that such a height cannot be reached by
other means, than by virtuous deeds, done in the grace of
God? and climbing the ladder of those highest theological
virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, which the Philosophers did
not know? But divine gratitude, which is that which gives
life, and efficacy of eternal merit to our works, is given to us,
and multiplied by the holy sacraments, as by some channels
of gold, and by that trustworthy messenger, and
ambassador of our needs, that is by holy prayer, of which we
have spoken above. Therefore, in conclusion, we say,
whether the gate of paradise will be open only to the friends
of God, whether the friendship of God, which he bestows on
us through his goodness alone, is then preserved and
continually increased by the means already mentioned; and
whether grace is that which is deserved, and brings forth
new grace to those who do not keep idle talent, but work
according to grace; if, | say, it is so, for sure those who want
little commerce with the sacraments, and with prayer, show
that they want little close friendship with God, and want
little of his help, and favor, and show that they do not know
well among how many enemies, and how many dangers we
are, and how much need we have of the continuous grace of
God, from which it is written in Saint Luke: It is necessary
always to pray, and never to lack.

Chapter 137

THAT THE FORM OF LIFE PROPOSED IS COMMON TO ALL.

So, they will say, would you like all men to be religious, and
what else is Christian? On the contrary, they will reply, you
will make all children monks and reformed clerics in this
way. To this | say that it occurs to me that | have read an
answer of a holy Doctor, who, praising virginity highly and
advising it, introduces some people who say that if all
wanted to be virgins, the world would soon be lacking; to
whom he replied in this or a similar sentence: O God willing,
heaven will soon be filled with the blessed; perhaps | could
reply in the same way. But leaving this aside, | say that
holiness does not repulse, indeed it confers on the affairs of
the world, and on the government of states, and on the
administration of magistrates, and one could cite
innumerable examples of kings, queens, and lords of high
business, and noble and rich men, who have followed this
form of life, which we are overshadowing with our education;
On the contrary, many of them have kept their eyes on a
higher goal of perfection, as it appears from the testimony of
the Holy Church, which has canonized them as saints; as it
was Saint Ludwig King of France, Saint Liopoldo of Austria,
and many others, and not less they kept their states, their
preeminence, their honors, and they governed cities, and
led armies, and did things worthy of knights, and senators,
indeed they did them all the better, because they were
saints, and servants of God. Now whoever will consider the
progress of my reasoning, will see that | have
accommodated myself to that Christian way of life, which
according to our infirmity can be observed most commonly.
The fear of God is necessary to all, not to remain in a state of
sin, or rather to abominate it, and to strive as much as one

can with the second grace not to offend God, the
resurrection as soon as possible, when one falls because of
frailty, the fulfillment of the obligations of his vocation,
proceeding with justness, and truth in all his ways, finally
loving God, and one's neighbor, are very common things,
and necessary to everyone. It is well known that the Saviour
answered to the one who asked him what he had to do to
obtain eternal life, Si vis ad vitam ingredi serva mandata;
that is, observe the commandments, if you want life, do not
fornicate, do not commit fury, and the others. But how much
of this can be done without some frequency of sacraments,
without some study of prayer, without some care, and
vigilance of his soul, say it to himself in the secret of his
conscience, but openly say it to the whole world, full of
discord, robbery, luxury, quarrels, of slander, of false
witnesses, of venal judgments, of usury, of impudicitie, and
of a thousand other miseries, and yet those who so live are
called, and want to be called Christians, and are in the lap of
the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and confess, and
communicate at least once a year. Therefore, if | am not
mistaken, the prudence of the flesh will not be right in
saying that this education of ours pulls the rope too much,
and that this is a desire for all the children to become friars. |
have said, and | say, that | would like all of them to be good
Christians, and the same must be desired by anyone who
rightly wants it; but if there is another better form of
education to do this, let it be observed, which | do not
repudiate, but | do not think that it will be found by law. But
we have made too long a digression, if perhaps not without
necessity, so it is time to return to where we left off, and now
to give a compliment to this part of the oration, and to the
whole treatise on Christian doctrine.

Chapter 138

DELLA ORATIONE DOMINICALE OVERO PATER NOSTRO.

The Dominical prayer, that is the Lord’s prayer, which by
another name we call the Our Father, is so called, because
the Lord and our Savior composed and instituted it himself,
so that each one can understand for himself how perfect it
is. And because many holy Doctors have labored to discover
the artifice of the Holy Spirit, from which it is most full, and
lately the Roman Catechism has described it in such detail,
that nothing remains but to be desired; therefore it is not
necessary that | extend myself much in this part, but only in
order to observe our institution, we will briefly go over it not
without utility for our education. The Apostolic Symbol
contains the sum of things pertaining to the faith and what
we must believe; the Decalogue, that is, the Ten
Commandments, contains what we must do; the Lord's
Prayer contains what we must ask of God and hope for from
his ineffable clemency. And this admirable, and divine
prayer is divided into two parts, the first is an invocation to
God, and almost a small proem, before we come to the
prayers, and questions, which are seven, and are contained
in the second part, /.e. in all the rest of the prayer.

Beginning therefore from the proem, comprised in those
brief but very mysterious words, Pater noster qui es in celis,
our father of the family will have, and from this sentence,
and from the others that follow from the Dominical prayer,
ample, and abounding matter, to insert in the soul of his son
many Christian virtues, of which we are going to scatter a
few seeds.

Father is the name of love, of providence, of honor, and of
discipline, most sweet, and most lovable is the name of the
father, and it declares to us the ineffable love of God
towards us, so that if he is creator, and Lord, he wants us to
go to beg him not timidly as servants, but confidently as
children.

And God is the father of all men by reason of creation and
government, but in a singular and most lofty way he is the
father of the Christian, that is, by the work of redemption,
having adopted us in his only begotten Son Jesus Christ our
Lord, when we were regenerated in the waters of holy
baptism.

The name of “father” assures us that God has so much
providence for us, that He has given to every man, no matter
how low and vile he may be, according to the world, an
angel from the first birth as a guardian; this same name
makes us certain and sure that not only we will never lack
the necessary sustenance in this life, but what is more
important, without comparison, it makes us understand that
in heaven the eternal heredity is reserved for us.

It is the offence of a father to exercise the discipline of
correctness, and to chastise his son not out of hatred, but
out of love.

Finally, the name of father implies honour and reverence,
and not servile but loving fear on the part of an obedient
son who, representing his dear father in his fatherhood, fears
not to offend him, or to be separated from him.

Therefore let the father of the family apply these and similar
considerations, showing his son how much we are obliged to
give love, and how hard we must go to the throne of his
mercy, and how much we must console ourselves in

affliction, and not be faint-hearted, and humbly kiss our
father's hand, not only when he gives us prosperity, but also
when he touches us with some tribulation, since all are
equally effects of his love, either to withdraw us from sin, or
to give us a greater crown in paradise. But above all let the
good father engrave this concept in the soul of his son, that
he may think often what it is necessary for him to be like his
father, and how humble he must be, and fearful not to
commit any act, unworthy of so high a lineage.

Moreover, while praying we all say Our Father, so that it is
understood that we are all brothers, so that we must love
each other in a brotherly way, and help each other, and pray
for the needs of the brothers, because as a saint says, it
pleases the heavenly Father very much that a brother prays
for another: To pray for oneself is a work of nature, but to
pray for others is grace; to pray for ourselves is necessity,
but to pray for one's brother is charity.

But from this place, let the good father take occasion to
admonish his son to be pleasant and humane towards all, of
which admonition the nobles and the rich have the greatest
need, who have a habit of despising the poor, as if God
himself were not the father, both of kings and of the
beggars, Therefore the nobles must lower their highness,
and the poor and vile must console themselves with their
spiritual nobility, and not call themselves wretched and
miserable, having God as their father, and Jesus Christ as
their brother, and expecting, if they are good and virtuous,
the immense heredity of glory, no less than the greatest and
most powerful,

Let us say in addition to this, praying, that our Father is in
Heaven, that if he is for all things, sustaining all things with
the arm of his infinite virtue, nevertheless in Heaven his
power and majesty shines more brightly, and therefore

remembering that our Father is the King of Heaven, there
our desires must ascend, and all our requests must be
directed primarily not to lowly earthly things, but to the
acquisition of heavenly goods.

Chapter 139

BRIEF EXPOSITIONE OF THE SEVEN PETITIONI CONTAINED IN
THE ORATIONE DOMINICALE.

PRIMA PETITIONE, SANTIFICETUR NOMEN TUUM.

Here follow the seven petitions, with which our Redeemer
and Master has taught us, not only what we must ask, but
the order of asking, in accordance with the dignity of the
very things that are asked, and with the rule of charity. The
first request is that the name of God be sanctified, for since
God is the supreme good, he must be loved above all things
and above ourselves, and everything that pertains to the
honor and glory of God must take precedence over any
other respect and desire of ourselves and of our neighbors.
And this is the maxim which, through good fatherly industry,
must be firmly rooted in the heart of the son, so that in all
his actions he may put the glory of God first. Now there is no
doubt that the name of God is holy in itself, as God is the
source of all holiness, nor can new holiness increase it, but
our prayer expresses the affection of our heart, for which we
desire that the holy name of God may be better known, and
that all people come to the knowledge and obedience of the
true God, so that His Kingdom, by which He reigns spiritually
in our hearts, may be expanded and increased, as is more
expressly stated in the following petition. Thus are the joyS
of the true Christians for the conversion of souls, then the
ardent desires that all the infidels come to the light of the
Gospel, and the heretics return to the Holy Catholic Church
from which they left, then on the contrary the pain that the
name of God is blasphemed and dishonored. Therefore our
child will be brought up in such a way, that not only with
words, but much more with effects, and with works, he will

sanctify in himself, and in others as much as he can, the
most holy name of God.

SECOND PETITION. ADVENIAT REGNUM TUUM.

We are children of God, but our Kingdom does not belong to
this wretched and deceitful world, on the contrary here we
are exiles and pilgrims, surrounded by a thousand calamities
and miseries, not only as regards the body, but what is more
serious, as regards the soul, since it is in constant conflict
with this rebellious flesh, and is in the midst of cruel
enemies who continually make war on it; from whose forces
and snares no one would be safe, if the mighty hand of God
did not defend us; therefore foolish are those who, like brute
animals, never raise their eyes to heaven, and only in the
mud of the pleasures and delights of this life have placed
their kingdom. But the truly wise Christian, thinking night
and day of those ineffable goods, with which the house of
his heavenly Father is filled, cries out from the depths of his
heart, and says, Thy Kingdom come, which is the end, and
the compliment of our desires. But whoever wants the
Kingdom of glory must first pass through the Kingdom of
grace, and God must reign in him, and not sin. And this we
pray and ask in the present petition, that God may reign in
us and in the hearts of all men through faith, hope, and
charity, so that, reigning in us here by grace, he may make
us sharers in the Kingdom of glory, which as the sacred
Theologians say is perfect and consummate grace.
Therefore, let our father of the family see to it that his son
falls in love with this Kingdom, reminding him that such
happiness, which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor
human heart imagined, is not prepared for the idle and
negligent, who ask for it only with the sound of their tongue,
but to those who strive to please God, with the works of
virtue, cooperating with divine grace, and fighting manfully,

for it is written that the Kingdom of Heaven is exposed to
force, and the violent and courageous rob it.

TERZA PETITIONE. FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA.

The sure way to reach the Kingdom of God, is to do his most
holy will, which he declared to us in the divine writings of
the Old Testament, and more expressly Christ our Lord
manifested it to us, and manifests it to us every day through
his Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The Apostle St. Paul
Says, this is the will of God, that you be holy; hor this will we
pray to the heavenly Father, that he fulfill in us, and that he
give us virtue, and strength to observe his holy
commandments, and to serve him in holiness and justice all
the days of our life. Let us also pray to God not to do our will,
which has banished us from Paradise, not the will of the flesh
and blood, prone to sin, not the will of the devil, so greedy of
our loss, but the will of God; for in this consists our
beatitude. To this petition is added the particle, Sicut in
Coelo, et in terra; desiring to obey the divine will, with that
readiness, with that joy, and with that purity of love, which
the Angels do, and the Blessed in Heaven. And this addition
can also refer to the two first petitions, asking that the name
of God be sanctified on earth, as in Heaven, and likewise
that God reign on earth in the hearts of men, as He reigns in
the Blessed in Heaven.

As regards the matter of this third petition, the father in
particular must instruct his son, so that he may be resigned
to the will of God, and in all his actions pray to God that he
may conform to His will, which is the rule of all good, and
often make a sacrifice and oblation to God of his will, and for
the love of God submit it to the obedience of his superiors
and spiritual fathers, who have the place of God. In short,
exhort him to rest in all the events of this life in the will of
God, which will free him from infinite anxieties, since our

vision is very short, and often some things seem to us good,
and expedient for us, which if they happened according to
our desire, would be the cause of our total ruin, and so on
the contrary. And such a one with poverty, with infirmity or
with persecutions will go to paradise, than with riches, with
health and with the favor of men will be condemned to hell,
therefore in the midst of the stormy waves of so many
travails, and dangers, by which we are continually agitated,
the firm anchor that sustains us is the resignation of
everything to the will of God. And | for my part desire that
by divine grace, through good paternal care, our good and
christian child may be raised, in whose heart, and in whose
mouth resounds in every respect that truly christian
sentence, may the will of God be done.

QUARTA PETITIONE. PANEM NOSTRUM QUOTIDIANUM DA
NOBIS HODIE.

After the glory and kingdom of our heavenly Father, and the
fulfilment of his will, in the fourth place we neatly and
fittingly mention temporal and earthly goods, which are to
be referred to those, eternal and divine, as to their end,
according to that sentence, Seek first the Kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and you will have the other things in
consequence and in addition. By way of speaking, the things
which we need to sustain this transient life of ours are
infinite, and in order to attain them it is necessary to toil and
sweat, even though that great sentence endures, In the
sweat of your face you shall eat your bread, and
nevertheless all our diligence and toil are in vain, without
the paternal blessing of God, as has been said elsewhere in
sufficient measure. And therefore the father must admonish
his son, that with humility and faith he should go to the feet
of his father, who is in heaven, and ask him for bread as a
petition; by which voice is meant all that is necessary for the
maintenance of the bodily life, but not less also that which is

necessary for the life of the soul, whose nourishment we
must never forget. In addition, let the father teach his son
that our heavenly master taught us to ask for bread, that is,
enough, and what is sufficient for moderate food and
clothing, and not luxury, pomp, and superfluous abundance,
which the insatiable thirst for enrichment demands. And this
bread must be ours, that is to say justly and legitimately,
and not with fraud and evil arts acquired. It is also called
daily bread, referring to the persimony mentioned above,
and because we understand that our life depends daily on
God, and from day to day we must beg him to sustain us,
and no less the rich than the poor. And not only do we ask
for food and clothing, but we pray that God grants it to us,
because that food truly nourishes, and those goods are
beneficial to the body and soul, which the hand of God gives
us, from which comes all blessings. Moreover, saying that he
gives to us, and not only to me, we are warned not to be
solicitous of ourselves alone, but of our neighbors, and that
he who abounds the most, must share with his needy
brother, because, as has been said elsewhere, God extends
his hand to the rich, so that they may be Treasurers, and
dispensers of the poor. In sum, the father of a family has
ample opportunity to teach his son in many important
Christian matters in this fourth chapter. But above all let him
not forget the spiritual bread, and the food of the soul, of
which our well-bred son will always be hungry, and this food
is especially of two kinds, the one is the word of God, the
other is Christ our Lord himself, who is contained in the
sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, truly our bread, that is of
the faithful, and of the true servants and friends of God, who
strive to live in such a way, that every day they may feed on
it, if not really communicating, at least spiritually with the
affection of the heart, but often also receiving with all
humility, and devotion the same sacrament, as elsewhere it
has been recalled that it should be the custom of Christians,
at least to take every Sunday the most holy Eucharist,

considering that it is the bread of the soul, and daily bread,
without which by the way of this life, which is like a barren,
and tiring desert, we fail through weakness; from which not
without reason Saint Ambrose said those notable words: If
this is daily bread, why do you take it after the year?

QUINTA PETITIONE. DIMITTE NOBIS DEBITA NOSTRA ETC.

We are all sinners, and there is no one who can say in this
life, world is my heart, | am pure from sin, and therefore we
are guilty and debtors of divine justice. But because the
sinner is powerless to satisfy himself, he has recourse to
divine mercy, and this is what the present petition teaches
us, that is, to ask God for remission of our debts, that is, sins,
through his infinite liberality, and for the inestimable price
of the precious blood of the immaculate lamb Jesus Christ,
which price was paid on the hard wood of the Cross, and is
applied to us by means of the holy sacraments, when we
effectively or at least with true desire receive them, nor is
remission possible without this blood. Let the good father,
therefore, try as much as he can to make his son hate and
abhor sin, which makes us indebted to such a debt, that no
human creature can pay it, and which brings us infinite
evils, for it is in itself most ugly, and defiles and deforms the
soul, the spouse, and deforms the soul, spouse of Christ, and
Temple of the Holy Spirit, and subjects it to the hardest and
most bitter servitude of the devil, a cruel tyrant, who never
ceases to torment it from sin to sin, until with it he hurls it
into the crucified realms of hell. But above all sin must be
detestable to us, because it offends the immense majesty of
our most clement Father, who loves us so much, and has
shown us his love so highly and with such efficacious effects,
and whose terrible ingratitude it is to offend such a good
God and Father; nevertheless, because we are fragile and
miserable, at least we do not like our falls, that break the
bones of the soul, but we desire to rise again, and

remembering with the sharpest sting of pain, to the depths
of the heart, the offenses done to God, let us humbly ask his
forgiveness, who God is so merciful, and so ready to forgive
us, that he himself invites us, and teaches us the same
words, with which we ask him for vengeance, and remission
of our debts. But we warn, that it would be too
presumptuous and unjust to ask God to be liberal and
benevolent towards us, since we are stingy and bitter
against our neighbor; it is necessary, therefore, that if we
wish to obtain mercy, we also be merciful; and if we wish
God to forget the insults done to him by us, let us likewise
forget those that others have done to us. And although this
flesh of ours, rebellious to the spirit, recalcitrates, and does
not wish to be able to forgive its enemy, we do not cease,
however, to offer this petition to God, begging Him to give
us true and perfect penance, and all that we need to impose
total remission of our debts, which, as has been said, cannot
be, if we do not also forgive those who have offended us,
about which matter we have discussed elsewhere in great
detail.

SESTA PETITIONE. ET NE NOS INDUCAS IN TENTATIONEM.

And such is the frailty of human nature, such are the
occasions of sins which surround us, and such are the snares
and traps which the irreconcilable and perpetual adversary
of the devil tends to us at all hours, that it is necessary for
us to be vigilant and to keep constant watch over our souls,
But above all it is necessary to have recourse to divine help,
and not to trust in ourselves, because we have to deal with
an enemy, who has thrown down such things on the ground,
that like very strong towers placed on high mountains,
seemed to human judgment unconquerable and
impregnable. And therefore this sixth petition teaches us to
pray to God, who does not allow us to be tempted by our
strength, but gives us such an abundance of his grace that

we remain victorious. The good father of a family will
therefore teach his son, when he sees him capable, that our
life is a continuous battle of a thousand temptations, and
the more we strive to do the will of our heavenly father, the
more the wrath of Satan is kindled, who persecutes more
bitterly not his subjects and followers, but those who make
open war on him with good works. However, comfort him not
to fear, for it is not lawful for our enemy to do against us all
that he can do by his own strength, and that he would like to
do because of the hatred he bears us, just as he could not
offend a sheep of Job if God did not give him permission.
And therefore in whatever adversity, or persecution, and in
every way of temptation, that assails us, let us have
recourse to the tower of our strength, that is to God, who is
present at our duels, and who arms us with his grace, if
recognizing our weakness, and distrusting ourselves, we
place ourselves in the omnipotent hand of God, so that we
do not ask not to be tempted, but not to be led into
temptation, that is, that we do not allow through deception,
or yield through weakness to temptation, which God allows
to give us a greater crown, if, as it is written, we will fight
legitimately.

SETTIMA, ET ULTIMA PETITIONE. SED LIBERA NOS À MALO.

In the preceding request we asked God, that He might watch
over us so that we do not fall into the evil of guilt; here we
ask Him to deliver us from the evil of punishment, that is,
from all the inconveniences, calamities, and miseries, which
afflict this painful life of ours. And although it is almost
natural that when we see ourselves oppressed by some evil
we have recourse to God, the good father must however
teach his son to invoke God in the time of tribulation humbly
teaching him to have the glory and honor of God as the
principal thing before his eyes, and therefore to observe
from the heart the order that the celestial master has

established in these seven requests, asking first for the
sanctification of the name of God, his Kingdom, the
fulfilment of his holy will, and the rest that follows, and then
ask to be freed from bodily infirmity, and other similar evils,
always relying on the good will of God, who alone sees
perfectly, and wants the best for our soul. And for this
reason we must pray to him to free us from the evils of the
soul, which are sins, and from the wiles of the evil and
perverse devil, our capital enemy and author of sin, and in
the rest we must be full of good hope, that our most benign
Father, whose eye is open day and night over us will not let
us perish, and will not abandon us. Therefore the Christian
must be most resolved to suffer all his life, if need be, any
infirmity, or calamity, before having recourse to demons, or
to enchantments, or superstition, or to any other means,
which is with sin and offence against God. Therefore, let our
good son be raised with a generous heart, and let him
endure the tribulations with patience, manfully embracing
the Cross where Christ is. And this is the straight and royal
way by which the saints have walked to glory, and the saint
of saints, of whom it is written: It was necessary that Christ
suffered, and so entered into his glory. And elsewhere the
Scripture says: Through many tribulations it is fitting for us
to enter into the Kingdom of God, to whom it pleases him
through his immense goodness to grant our petitions and
prayers, and to give us a share in his Kingdom, in the
company of his chosen ones.

Chapter 140

EPILOGUE OVERO COLLECTION OF THE THINGS SAID
ABOVE, AND CONTINUATION OF THE FOLLOWING.

By divine grace we have reached the end of a long voyage,
having declared, as far as our institute implied, those four
principal heads of the Christian doctrine, which | proposed to
myself at a great distance, when, having brought our family
son to his first childhood, | entered into this long discourse,
of the things pertaining to our holy faith, and religion. And
the reason that motivated me to enter into it was exposed in
the very entrance. But because | wanted to place this part in
this place, and not earlier in the end of the whole work,
sending forward everything that pertains to each age, it was
not said as clearly as perhaps it should have been. And yet
some may be of the opinion that the subject matter of the
third book should have preceded it, not only as being more
delightful, and more likely to attract the reader because of
the variety of many things, but as being more proper, and
more immediately pertinent to education. Therefore, wishing
to give some reason why | was induced to do this, | say that
this happened for two reasons. The first was so that others
might not think that this care for the law of God was one of
the last things to be done in education, arguing perhaps in
appearance probably, that such facts, because of their
gravity, should be taught to the child, when he had already
reached a more mature age, and a perfect use of reason. But
I was and am of this opinion, which I think to be more
probable and more useful, that it is necessary to instil in the
tender soul of the child the fear of God, and all the seeds of
Christian virtues, if only in various ways, and more or less
perfectly, according to the greater or lesser capacity that he
acquires from time to time, as | have remembered

elsewhere. But the second respect, and in my opinion, more
important for those who wanted to do what | wanted to do,
was that everyone should understand very clearly that the
main purpose of this book, and that which makes it different
from other similar books, was to deal with education, as
Christian education, which can in no way be without the
knowledge and observance of the law of God through His
most holy grace. And therefore from those four sources it
was necessary for us to extract all the essential precepts,
according to the rule of which the Christian father could
raise his son in a Christian manner at every age. So, if it
would have been a little difficult for me to include in the
Third Book this part, which seems doctrinal, so to speak, and
speculative, but in fact, treated in our way, is the essence,
and the very practice of Christian education, if | say that it
would have been easy to place it elsewhere, nevertheless |
have not been able to do so, persuading myself that in the
end this way of order, and of disposition, which has been
observed, must be judged by the understanding, not only
expedient, but necessary in our case, for if it is true, as it
certainly is true, that the principal and proper end of this
education is that the child should know God, and love Him,
and love Him, and do His will, in order to possess Him and
enjoy Him eternally in Heaven, it follows that at no time, and
in no part however small, should the child know God, and
love Him, and do His will, in order to possess Him and enjoy
Him eternally in Heaven, and in no part, however small, of
the education, neither before, nor afterwards, can paternal
care be used, if not in order to the above mentioned end,
that is to say that such is the nature of the end, that gives
norm, and rule, to all the other actions that tend to the end.
Therefore it was necessary that before everything else, the
end be fully understood, and that the father of the family
should see the target, and the aim, where he must
continually direct the bow of his vigilance, and solicitude,
otherwise in vain was required of him, to bring up his son in

the fear of God, and in the observance of his
commandments, if he himself was not instructed, and did
not know the way to lead him there, beginning, as has been
said so many times, from the earliest years, as did the good
Tobias, who, having had a son from infancy, taught him to
fear God, and to abstain from all sin, a doctrine so
necessary, that blessed is he who, beginning at an early age
to learn it, studies in it all his life, without which all human
wisdom and knowledge is foolishness before God.

Having thus far prepared for our father of the family the
most solid, so to speak, and principal material for Christian
education, it will be less difficult for us now, as | hope, to
bring our construction to its complete perfection on this
good foundation. Therefore, resuming our discourse, with a
new beginning of the book, beginning with the first age of
childhood, and following through the others as we go along,
we shall speak of the conditions of each, as far as divine
grace will be pleased to give us.

Book 3

DELLA EDUCATIONE CHRISTIANA DEI FIGLI LIBRO TERZO. IN
WHICH FROM AGE TO AGE IS DISCUSSED, DEMONSTRATING
THE NATURE, AND DANGERS OF THEM, AND WHAT ARE IN
EACH THE OFFITII PATERNAL, ACCORDING TO THE RULE OF
THE FEAR OF GOD, AND OF THE CHRISTIAN LAW.

Chapter 1

OF THE VARIOUS INCLINATIONS OF CHILDREN TO VIRTUE,
AND TO SIN.

Although the seeds of every sin are in us because of the
corruption of human nature, there is no doubt that some
defects are more proper to one age than to another; Just as
we also see that the variety of complexions makes men
variously disposed, and more, and less inclined, sometimes
to certain affections, and dispositions of virtue, and
sometimes to its opposite, so that it is necessary for the
prudent father to observe the nature of his son, which in
those early years, not yet accustomed to simulate, and
dissimulate, is discovered for itself to those who wait a little
for it. And this is the field where the paternal diligence has
to toil, moderating with education certain excesses of
nature, and correcting as much as possible the defects, and
planting the first shoots of some vines, which like small
nettles, and thorns, come out. And if in the culture of the
earth, and in the generation, and conservation of the herds,
and of the flocks, and in the vines, and in the plants, and in
the seeds, men have been such curious and diligent
investigators, that they have learned to know the various
qualities of the land, and of the animals. and of the other
things mentioned above, so that from some present signs
they will know how to conjecture the future, as for example,
they will judge of a chick, whether it will succeed in being a
generous horse, fit for war, and also with art they have found
many ways of remedies, to compensate for natural defects.
And if these diligences, as | say, have been done, and are
being done in the care of the villa, how much more
reasonable will it be to strive to know the various
inclinations of a child, in order to nourish and increase the

good ones, and weaken and perhaps completely eradicate
the bad ones? Although it is true that this is not the case
with men, who are free and masters of their own affairs, than
with wild animals, it is nevertheless true that education is
very effective, and is almost another nature, especially when
it is used in time, as has been amply explained elsewhere.
Therefore, our father should not regret, but rather take
pleasure in observing and philosophizing, so to speak, about
the nature of his son, beginning from his earliest childhood,
and continuing to observe the progress of nature; which will
serve two very important purposes among others. The first
will be to discover where it is most necessary to apply the
remedy of good discipline. The second will be to conjecture
from afar, as we said earlier about the instruments, so
proportionately about the child, to what manner of life and
praiseworthy exercise he will be best able to apply, when he
has reached the proper age to be elected, that is, whether
he should be a merchant, a doctor, a cleric, or something
similar; for it is in the paternal care to accommodate the
good inclinations, and to promote them ahead, leading the
child along that path where he discovers himself more
inclined, and not twisting him to the contrary, for then there
is something perfect, and a task, when nature and art are
joined together.

Chapter 2

OF CERTAIN DEFECTS PROPER TO PUERITIA.

We said that each age has its own defects, which are
common to almost all of them, as for example, youth is more
stimulated by the ardors of the flesh and less by the love of
money, while in old age the opposite is true. But because in
all things the beginning is of the greatest importance, and in
the small seed is contained virtually all the trunk and
branches of a great tree; therefore in the early years
paternal care must be more fatiguing, because, generally
speaking, all the serious vices, which then burst forth in the
more mature ages, have some root in puerility; wherefore
the father of the family must be persuaded that it is
necessary to use the defensive and preservative medicines,
so to speak, against the defects and vices of all the other
ages, and this is what we have said so many times, that it is
necessary to remove very early the small roots of evil, which
can hardly be seen; And this likewise is what was said a little
while ago, and | return to repeat it, that one must observe
the proper inclinations of particular children, and the most
common of childhood, and think of the remedies in time,
which many fathers do not know, or do not care to do, in
vain when they do, as is said by the proverb, the evil has
penetrated as far as the bones, and the stench can be smelt
everywhere, in vain | say, they have recourse to curative
medicines, and often to the most extreme, such as to put
them in prisons, and to exterminate their children, and
similar things, which most of the times are not enough. Now,
it is not possible to discuss in detail the particular
inclinations of children, since they are as many and as
varied as the children themselves, as long as they are not
hidden from a good and diligent speculator, and so that

what | want to say may be better understood, | will give one
or two examples. lt seems to me that | have read in an
ancient writer, that it was once observed that a small child
gouged out the eyes of a bird with an axe, which was judged
to be a sign of a proud and very bad nature, and as some
ancient authors tell of the severity and constancy of Cato,
called Uticense by his nickname, memorable signs were
seen in childhood, and at an age so tender that it did not
exceed the fourth year; because one day, being asked as a
joke by some ambassadors, that he wanted to help his uncle,
a senator of authority in the Republic, in one of their serious
affairs of state, he answered with a firm face, that he would
not do it, and begged several times for the same thing, he
always persisted in denying it, so that one of them, to make
him afraid, took him in his arms, and placed him above a
high window of the house, showed that he wanted to throw
him to the ground if he did not consent, but it was never
possible to make him say yes, so that he turned to his
companions and said, we can rejoice that this child is not a
man, otherwise we would never have been able to obtain
what we seek. And subsequently, in all of Cato's childhood,
there were clear signs of that rigorous goodness and
firmness of spirit which he maintained throughout his life.
Now, in the same way, by various events, and with
interrogations made at a good study, the inclinations of
children are seen from afar, both good and bad, to those who
carefully consider them. But passing on to speak of the most
common inclinations of childhood, the cherubs are
excessively fond of games, and shows, and of jugglers, and
similar amusements, and therefore little fond of those
occupations which distract them from this, such as going to
school, or learning any art. They are also ready to pretend to
excuse themselves and to tell lies, in order to cover up the
little faults committed, and just as they are ready to excuse
themselves, so on the contrary they willingly accuse and
blame others. They are also addicted to gluttony, and this is

where domestic theft comes from, either to buy what they
like, or to play with other children of the same age, to whom,
as nature delights in her own kind, they take great delight,
and have no greater pleasure than to be with them. The
children are also curious to know what others do, and say,
and they report it lightly, they have many desires for what
they see, and not allowing themselves, they are irritable,
and for the most part they are not ready to obey, on the
contrary they are retrogressive, and unwillingly do what
does not suit their taste.

Chapter 3

THAT CHILDISH FAULTS ARE NOT TO BE DESPISED.

We could also say other things, but this is enough, so that
our father of the family may see and understand in part the
evil inclinations, and the dangers, and sins of childhood,
which we can imagine arriving up to the fourth decade; so
that he may be solicitous to remedy it in time, not
considering it something to be despised, however small the
defects of childhood may appear. There is no doubt that the
sins of the young man, and of the perfect man, are born of a
more deliberate election, and of greater malice, so that there
is greater light of reason than in the child, just as in the man
there will be a firmer and more accustomed disposition to
evil, which is not so impressed in the child that in a shorter
space of time he has been able to do less, and the greater
will be the effects that force will produce, and the greater
capacity of the man, so that by way of example, the thefts of
the child will ordinarily be of lesser things, and likewise the
effects of anger will be weaker because of the weakness of
his strength, but nevertheless the vehemence of affection
does not yield much in the child, even to the point of blood,
which with stones and knives many have shed from his little
companions. In sum, as has been said, our nature is spoiled
and corrupted in such a way that, if it is not preserved and
seasoned with the salt of good discipline, small worms
spring from its sores, which then become venomous snakes,
| mean to say, that small sins are proportionately found in
children, which are then great in mature men. And therefore
the glorious saint Augustine, speaking in the first book of his
confessions of these puerile sins, demonstrated this
proportion, saying that from childish frauds and deceptions,
which are committed in very light things, and as he says

from nuts, from balls, and from the birds, one passes in the
greater age, to the gold, and to the possessions, as from the
pedagogues, and from the teachers, one goes to the
governors, and to the magistrates of the Cities, and to the
rod with which the children are punished, succeed the
serious punishments for the wrongdoers. So if this is the
case, the father of a family must not in any way despise
small errors and defects, and must not say, they are idiots,
they do not have more intellect than that, there would be
too much to do to take into account the apples and nuts of
children; Let us not say this, but rather close the way to evil
at an early hour, and make good remedies, and put virtue in
the house, and in possession, and introduce it, and establish
as much as possible the habit of working virtuously, and of
fearing God, and build the banks before the torrent of evil
inclinations swells through frequent acts, even though from
the beginning it is so small that it may seem difficult. And
because it has been said that children also have little
intellect, and therefore do many things thoughtlessly, our
father of the family knows that this is precisely the reason
that obliges him to watch over the custody of his son. And
truly it is a thing worthy of compassion to consider the
condition of poor human nature, that within ourselves we
have the venom, and the infection of sin, that is, the fomite,
and the lust of the flesh rebellious to the spirit, which bows
us down, and stimulates evil, and from the beginning the
child lives, and works without speech, following only those
things that are sweet, and pleasing to the senses, and before
reason, almost buried in sleep, awakens, and opens its eyes,
and begins to discern between the light of virtue, and the
darkness of sin, and before it can take the reins in its hand,
already the appetite, the flesh, and the sense have taken
such strength and so much possession, that like fat, and
fierce horses they recalcitate, and carry the soul into the
precipice of sins, not being able to suffer to walk by any
other road, than by that where for a long time they have

been accustomedì, that is to sensuality and pleasure. It could
be said, not without apparent and probable reason, that the
condition of men is worse than that of brutes, who, born with
pain, know what is good and useful to them, and guided by
natural instinct do not go astray, and do not err from their
goal. But it is answered that reason, which even now does
not exercise its office in the child, is perfect in the father and
in the mother, who must make up for the lack of age not
otherwise than a guide to one who is either blind or short-
lived, and a support to one who is weak, and in the same
way it is not permitted that the child, lured by the lust for
light, take with his hands the fire, the operation of which he
does not know, nor does he allow himself to walk through all
his senses, so that he does not inadvertently fall into the
dangers he does not know, to the detriment of the body, so
and much more it is right that one should not let the
cherubs do whatever they want to do to the detriment of the
soul, On the contrary it is better that not only the actions of
the elder putti, but of the children, as far as possible, be
reasonable, and directed towards the end of virtue, not by
the rule of their own reason, which does not yet come into
being, but by that of their father, which must not seem
strange, since animals also operate inanimate things, and
even inanimate things act in this way reasonably, that is
with speech and intelligence, which is in him who moves
them, so the lightning bolt runs straight to the target, so the
painter's brush paints a beautiful figure, and so the zither
makes a sweet, harmonious sound.

Chapter 4

THE WAY TO REMEDY CHILDISH DEFECTS.

Wanting to descend to the detail, of the way of remedying
childish defects, although the field is very wide, and almost
infinite, as singular things are, nevertheless in the reasoning
done behind, if | am not mistaken, we have sufficiently
satisfied a good part of what could be wished for, since
against lies it has been said, dealing with the second and
eighth commandment of the law, against theft in its own
precept not to fure, and of the matter of curbing childish
excandescence, and their many desires, and of accustoming
oneself to bear the yoke of obedience, which is the principal
point, and without which nothing good can be done; It is
also touched on in the fifth precept, which is not to kill, and
in particular in the. of restraining wrath. And if our father of
the family will observe with some attention, what has been
said so far, he will find scattered in many parts, various
seeds of useful memories, both for childhood, and for the
following ages. But in coming to the application, and to the
present use, it is necessary that judgement, and paternal
prudence do its office, to which it is necessary to refer in
many things. However, in what remains for us to say, we will
recall some opportune things. But the general and most
common remedies are the fear of God, obedience, and
paternal reverence, mixed with love and fear; and under
these we include the teacher, who in terms of morals must
be a father; good occupations, good domestic example, and
generally good conversation, and the lash when necessary;
of which, since it is more proper to pueritia, we shall discuss
something in this place.

Chapter 5

OF BEATING THE CHILDREN.

Just as cities, in order to preserve themselves quietly and
well, use the reward and the punishment, the one
encouraging virtue and the other repressing vice; so we can
say that the same is necessary in the government of the
house, which is like a small city. And for this reason it must
not be denied that the father of the family, who holds the
place of the magistrate, should use the rod and the scourge
to correct the children, either to withdraw them from evil or
to incite them to good. We have in the Holy Scriptures
various places which confirm this sentence, and especially in
the Proverbs of Solomon, a book full of excellent teachings
on the subject of morals. Therefore the Sage says in one
place in this form: Qui parcit virgae odit filium suum, qui
autem diligit illum instanter erudit, ;.e. the father who
forgives the rod, /.e. refrains from beating his son, hates him;
because although he seems to love him, he nevertheless
does something contrary to the true good of his son, and
therefore follows the Sage, saying: but he who truly loves
him chastises him, and quickly corrects him. And in another
place the same one replies more openly, saying: Do not take
discipline away from the child, for if you strike him with the
rod, he will not die; and as if declaring what death he
means, the Sage adds: Thou shalt smite him with the rod,
and deliver his soul from hell; which words give us to
understand that if children are not corrected at an early age,
when they commit small errors, they then become so guilty,
that they incur eternal death, and often also temporal death,
and where the rod was forgiven, the gallows and the horses
are not forgiven. And the same Solomon elsewhere says:
“Stupidity is bound in the heart of the child, and the rod of

discipline will drive it out”, meaning that the inclination to
vanity, vanity and sins, is so natural to children, that it
seems to be closely bound up in their hearts, as if all their
studies and thoughts were of useless and harmful things, so
that this evil quality cannot be eradicated and eradicated by
admonitions and words alone, but it is necessary to use
beatings; which, says Sage, finally drive it out. The Sage
agrees with Solomon in Ecclesiasticus al. trentesimo, where
he says many notable things in this regard, and generally
commending the good education of children, which in order
not to be longer I leave to report.

Chapter 6

OF THE TOO MUCH INDULGENCE AND TENDERNESS OF
SOME FATHERS.

But experience itself shows us the benefit of beating
children. However, as in other things, the extremes are
vicious, and virtue consists in mediocrity, there are some
fathers who are so indulgent, that not only do they not beat,
but they do not even want to suffer, that the masters, or
others, give their children a single stroke, and this happens
more in the nobles, and the rich, and in those who have only
one child, and a much desired one; and there are fathers
who are so tender, that if by chance the child is of a kind
appearance, and somewhat witty, they are so fond of him
and so little can they conceal their inner affection, that the
child, as our wicked nature is sharp in evil, notices it, so that
he loses the fear, and the paternal reverence, which is one of
the greatest drawbacks that can be in the matter of
education. And these same indulgent fathers, if at times
they correct their children with words, do so coldly and
remissly that very little or no use follows. It is memorable in
the Holy Scriptures the example of Helios the High Priest,
and of two of his sons, ministers of the Temple, dissolute and
licentious young men, who gave public and serious scandal
to the people of God, of which the father warned them, but
not with the effectiveness that the fault required, so that he
did not satisfy God, and they remained in their sin, and it
can be conjectured that in their childhood their father, too
loving according to his sense, did not beat them, so they
became proud and insolent, and when the bone was too
hard, they did not bend to their father's admonition, so that
God caused them both to die in one day at the hands of the
Philistines, of whose history St. John Chrysostom gives an

account in a place, where he tells us that the Philistines
were not the only ones to die. Chrisostom in a place, where
he speaks remarkably of the education of his children, says
in this same regard against the overindulgent fathers, that
Helios was the cause of his own ruin, and that of his
children. The first extreme, therefore, is too much paternal
indulgence, and such a badly regulated compassion, either
for impatience to hear the children weeping, or for too much
tenderness towards them, and undoubtedly this extreme is
harmful, and deserves reprimand. In the other extreme there
are other fathers whose nature is so quick and angry, and
who let themselves be carried away by the impetus of
passion, that for every slightest thing they beat their
children as fiercely as if they were horses, and such is their
fury, and in the motions of their whole body, and in their
scolding, and in the redness of their face, and in the
gleaming of their eyes as if they were on fire, that it can be
said that often the greater is the sin which they commit by
correcting, than that which they wish to correct; but keeping
silent about this, a notable disorder follows, that the son
many times remains so stunned, and astonished that he
does not feel the fruit that he should have from the
correction, indeed he sooner learns to be angry, and furious,
with double inconvenience

Chapter 7

OF MEDIOCRITY IN BEATING CHILDREN, AND OF FILIAL LOVE
AND FEAR.

Mediocrity, therefore, is that which must be kept in time and
place, and moderately, even giving the child, according to
his ability, the reason for the punishment, so that he may
know that he is not beaten by chance, but justly for his own
demerit. The father and the teachers should remember that
beatings are medicine, and as such must be given at the
right time, and with measure, so that it does not offend more
than it helps, and they must be beaten with discretion and
judgement in order to truly heal the soul of the child, who
for the most part can sin through ignorance, and frailty, and
it is not good to beat him in such a way, that it seems as if
one wants to take revenge, and more quickly to vent one's
own anger, than to correct him. The doctor uses iron and fire
also, but very carefully, not with anger and indignation, but
with compassion for the sick person, and with a great desire
for his health, and he leads himself to these harsh remedies
when the soothing ones are no longer needed. And since
this similitude of medicine is very appropriate, | will
continue to say that just as the too frequent use of
medicines is harmful to the health of the body, so in my
opinion too frequent beating brings harm to the soul, and
makes well-born children become servile and unworthy, and
perhaps this is what the Apostle meant when writing to the
Colossians he said: Patres nolite ad indignationem procurare
filios vestros ut non pusillo animo fiant, for truly the very
frequent beating of children makes them pusillanimous, and
on the contrary they become hard to beat, and they make a
callus and do not care for them any more or less than if they
were mules. And if I have the right to freely express my

sense, | wish that this remedy of the scourge be used by our
fathers of families as little as possible, and especially with
naive and nobly born children. And it should be noted that
in domestic punishments, the proportion does not entirely
conform to public punishments, because the magistrate is
sufficient through his punishments to preserve justice and
external peace. But the father's main aim is to make his son
good on the inside, so that he abstains from sin more for the
sake of virtue than for fear of punishment. And therefore the
most effective means is the fear of God, and the knowledge
of the beauty of virtue, and of the deformity of sin; and
sometimes the reason itself scourges the soul more bitterly
than the body does the rod, and finally paternal reverence
must be the brake, and the spur, which withdraws and
pushes the child according to need. And in short, | would
wish that our well-behaved son be so accustomed to
reverence his father, that the sight of his father's face being
disturbed, and with a sign of unhappiness with any of his
actions, would be a very serious punishment for him. And,
on the contrary, the son was nourished, as with a healthy
food, by the desire, and the effect of giving satisfaction, and
contentment to his own father. As we read in the ancient
Roman histories of Coriolanus, and of Sertorius, valiant
warriors, who, when they did some honorable deed in the
battles, the greatest joy they felt was the pleasure they saw
their mothers receive from them, who had no father.
Therefore the father must proceed in such a way with his son
that he loves him and fears him at the same time. Too much
domesticity without any gravity, causes a certain contempt,
and | think that Savio meant this excess, when he said with
irony: “Do as much as you like and caress your son, and he
will frighten you, joke with him and play with him, and he
will mock you. But, on the contrary, to make oneself feared
only, does not win the heart of the child, and does not
become virtuous in the intrinsic sense, and things done out
of fear alone, are not lasting, and other not mediocre

inconveniences follow; Let him therefore temper the one
with the other, and retain a sweet severity, so that he may
be loved and feared, but with a filial and not servile fear and
of a slave, who fears the stick, just as the son, because he
loves, fears not to do something that displeases his dear
father. | do not deny, however, as was said at the beginning,
that one must sometimes put one's hand to the lash,
especially since it may be that there are harsher natures
than usual, with which it is necessary to do what the wise
man says: Incline and bend his neck and neck, while he is
young, and strike his hips while he is a child, so that he does
not harden, and does not want to listen to you, so that you
will have bitter pain in your soul, with which words of
striking the hips, it seems that he shows an extraordinary
hardness; and with these words, so as not to harden them
more, | would believe that the beating should be rare, if
perhaps somewhat more sensitive, and that it would bring
more pain. In short, whenever the good father wishes to beat
the child, he should send forth for guidance not blind anger,
but discreet reason; and for this reason fathers and teachers
are to be blamed, who without any consideration
whatsoever, beat their children in any part of the body,
especially in the head, which is the principal seat and
dwelling place of all feelings, and where nature has created
the instruments that serve the noblest operations of the
soul, and sometimes suspending and lifting the poor child in
the air, by the hair, or beating his head in the walls, or
debating him in the banks, or ferociously and
inconsiderately scourging his face and eyes, they not only
stun him, but deform him, and another inconvenience also
follows, that either the father, having rested the ardor of
anger, and love succeeding, regrets what he has done, or
the relatives and spouses of the child disdain it with the
master, and in the one way, and in the other, one falls into
the other extreme, of never wanting to beat, nor allowing

others to beat the child, which then harms in many ways,
that each one can consider for himself,

Chapter 8

OF THE VARIOUS WAYS OF CORRECTION AND PUNISHMENT
OF CHILDREN.

Not only must our father of the family abstain from the
aforementioned furious and bestial ways of chastising his
son, but he must also consider that this is not the only, nor
is it always the best, and most convenient remedy for
correcting his son, and however he must not believe that he
has immediately satisfied his offence by having beaten him,
because the end of paternal chastisement, as mentioned
elsewhere, is the fruit of true emendation. Now just as
various illnesses are cured by intelligent doctors with
various medicines, so too with various punishments the
child can and must be corrected, no less effective than
beatings, but all the more proportionate to man, the more
they move reason, and understanding to the consideration
of the fault committed, for which it is always expedient with
the beating of the hand, to add reprimand, so that the child
knows where, and how he has failed, because every error is
deformity, and as such it is appropriate that he be
reprimanded for himself. lt has been said above that often
the mere erubescence is a serious punishment, especially in
a noble soul, and not without reason, because if the wand
adorns the body, the repression made in time penetrates
and pricks the soul, which is more sensitive. In this regard it
occurs to me that the glorious St. Basil in his monastic rules
speaks of the corrections, and punishments that must be
given to young monks, and to be useful doctrine to our
subject, | will report in substance a good part of it, that if
well we do not raise monks, nevertheless this one must have
for certain, that the first foundations of every praiseworthy
institute of life are to be laid in the paternal house. The

saint, therefore, wants the errors of children to be amended
in such a way that the punishment of sin itself becomes,
together with the child, a school and an exercise, he says, so
that the child learns to overcome that passion of the soul by
which it has fallen, as for example, he will be angry with a
companion of his, the punishment will be that of having to
serve the offended in proportion to the gravity of the excess,
for what the Saint says, this humiliation truncates and
represses the haughtiness of the soul, which is that which
often makes us angry. Has he eaten before the due time? Let
him fast until the greater part of the day; it is seen that he
eats more than his duty, and in an uncoordinated manner,
let him be obliged at the time of eating, while he is fasting,
to look at those who eat moderately and with decency, so
that he will be punished with abstinence, and learn
modesty; has he let out of his mouth obnoxious or insulting
words against his neighbor, or lies or other such forbidden
things? chastise yourself partly with fasting, partly with
silence, and thus learn to be wise. Up to this point is the
teaching of St. Basil, which I have wished to relate, so that
our father of the family may understand that there are other
ways of chastisement besides the lashings, and that one
must principally seek to cure the passion of the soul, which
causes evil, applying medicines contrary to the sinful
humor, to say so, as that holy father corrected the pride of
his novitiate, with the acts of mortification, and lowering,
the gluttony with fasting, and the excessive, and
inconsiderate talk with silence. And so as not to repeat the
same things over and over again, from the same doctrine of
that great Doctor the teachers will also learn the way of
correcting their disciples, which is not always necessary with
the scourge, as has been said.

Chapter 9

OF THE CONTINENCE OF FOOD AND DRINK.

Before | enter into the discussion of sending children to
school, and of the conditions of the teacher, which | already
realize may seem to some to be approaching the time, | will
say a little about some things that pertain to the body, such
as eating and drinking, embracing together with childhood
the other ages; Since the recollections which can generally
be given are of particular use to the young and the young at
heart, and it has been our custom to do so, when no other
particular reason persuades otherwise, | say that | shall treat
in one place all the matters which pertain to each age,
whether more or less, leaving it to the prudence of the
discreet educator to apply the recollections given in various
ways. And not less we will try to descend to the details as far
as we can; l said as far as we can, because, as the same S.
Basil teaches us in the above mentioned rules, we will not
be able to do so. Basil teaches us in the above-mentioned
rules, not only the various ages, but the various complexities
and habits of the bodies, the different studies and exercises
require different nourishment, both in quantity and in
quality; for this reason they cannot all be regulated by the
same rule, but discreteness must do its work, applying the
general recollections to the particular with due measure,
according to the variety of circumstances. | say, therefore,
generally speaking, that the use of eating and drinking is
not to be measured by the end of pleasure, but by the
necessity of the sustenance of this life of ours, which
naturally cannot last without the proper nourishment, which
restores and fills what is continually being consumed and
evacuated from our body, and the providential nature has
given to the animal appetite, and has placed the pleasure of

food in the sense of taste, as an enticement for it to take
food, and nourish itself, and in this way to be nourished, and
nourishes himself, and so he lives, and however the other
animals do not go beyond the terms of necessity, which
nature has prescribed, only man, who by reason and will
regulates his actions as free, often makes the end what is
the means, and seeks in his nourishment the delight of
taste, rather than the necessary sustenance of the body,
whereby many and serious inconveniences arise to the
detriment of the soul and of the body itself, as will be said a
little later. Therefore a general rule is this, that as far as the
nourishment of the body is concernedì, it is necessary to pay
attention not to what gluttony and pleasure persuade us,
but to what nature desires in order to maintain life. Let us
add to the preceding rule a similar one, that as much dry
and humid nourishment should be taken by each person as
is sufficient to ensure that the body is fit and well disposed
to carry out its own operations, and does not impede those
of the soul, but rather that it should be like an agile, well
trained and well concerted instrument, with which the soul
can operate promptly and without impediment.

Chapter 10

OF THE INCONVENIENCES OF TOO MUCH EATING AND
DRINKING.

Now there is no doubt that too much food, and crapulence,
and drunkenness, and indigestion greatly impede the good
disposition of the body, and consequently of the soul in their
workings, because a man who has his stomach distended
and filled with immoderate food, is inept, and heavy in every
way, does not like fatigue, and on the contrary seeks peace,
and he does not do anything more willingly than to give
himself up to sleep, and the long nights are not enough,
since a good part of the day is added to them, and if the
body is heavy, and heavy, the soul cannot be light, but it too
remains as if suffocated in a fog of thick, and thick vapours
that rise from the stomach, and take away the use of speech.
What shall we say then of the many and various infirmities
that are caused by the intemperance of eating and drinking?
Therefore it often happens that a citizen who could, and
should have been useful to his country, and to his house,
sits in an unhappy chair, or lies in a bed, in the most
beautiful season of life, grievous to others, and to himself;
This is why old age is immature, and death is accelerated,
and especially when, as is usually the case, the
intemperance of gluttony is joined by that of carnality, a
miserable companion, because according to the true
sentence of Saint Hieronymus, the saturated belly defumes
lust, as has been said elsewhere, on the occasion of
discussing the remedies against the vice of lust. But here we
speak of the necessity of moderate eating, as a necessary
means to maintain life, and consequently so that each one
may operate virtuously in the state, and vocation to which
God calls him. And on the contrary we are obliged to blame

too much eating, and drinking, because they impede the
civil, and virtuous, and proper actions of man, they shorten
the very life, and finally they lead the soul into a thousand
vices. Perhaps it will seem a paradox to some what | intend
to say now, but we can see from ancient experience, and
from nine, that it is too true, that intemperate men, given to
gluttony, drunkenness, and incontinence, sins which are not
commonly held in high esteem, have a great disposition and
facility, not only to commit more serious crimes, but what is
the greatest of evils in this life, to depart from the union of
the Church, and to apostatize from the faith, as | remember
having touched upon in the beginning of this work,
speaking of the evils, which the neglect of good and
Christian education has given rise to. And this is the first
door, through which the false prophets and false apostles,
who preach pleasant things, and the teachers of errors who
scratch their ears, through this door | say begin to insinuate
themselves into the carnal souls, widening the bridle to the
sense; So it has happened that many, and many, liking this
new, delicate, and comfortable way to go to heaven, which
Christ our Lord did not teach us, who on the contrary called
it difficult and arduous, it has happened that they have
accepted the new Evangelii, and the nine religions, and they
have stumbled on the rocks of heresies, and miserably made
shipwreck of faith. And therefore it should not seem
surprising, if more than once we remind our father of the
family that he accustomed the child to sobriety, as we will
say hereafter.

Chapter 11

OF PATERNAL CARE ABOUT MODERATE FOOD.

Although it is true what has been said above, that the
measure of food, and its quality, must not be the same for
everyone, because those who toil according to their bodies,
such as farmers, artisans and the like, need more food, and
more solid food, while men who exercise their intellect more
and are of a weaker complexion need less food, and easier to
digest, such that what is mediocrity in one use, is excess,
and overabundance in another; However, this proposition
must be taken for granted, that in every state and condition
of men, and in every age, sobriety is a very praiseworthy
and necessary virtue, and therefore it is appropriate that our
fathers of families accustom their children to it from their
earliest childhood. We read in the ancient histories of the
Greeks that the Spartans or the Lacedaemonians by the
institute of Lycurgus, their famous legislator, fed their
children very soberly, and among other good effects, they
had the opinion that by sobriety, their bodies became taller
and more willing, and their limbs more beautiful and better
formed; For since the vital spirits are not occupied with
cooking or digesting much food, nor are they overfed or
stretched out by the excessive quantity of food, they can
easily, through their lightness, ascend to the heights, so that
the body also grows. Likewise, bodies that are rather small
and frail seem to obey better the natural virtue, which is to
give to each member its due form, where on the contrary it
seems that fat and overfed bodies make a certain resistance,
and because of their gravity, they are not as well handled as
the first ones, which become better formed. But as it is,
since we do not know how to dispose of such things subtly,
it is very clear from experience, that bodies which are raised

with moderate nourishment, and which are dry, and not
overflowing with superfluous humors, which too much food
generates, are also more agile, and ready to work, more
persevering in the effort, more tolerant of the heat and the
cold, and of the other bad weather of the air, and less easy
to get sick, especially when with sobriety is joined the
exercise of the body, for which not only the Spartans
mentioned above, but other peoples, and republics have had
the law, and the custom of living very temperately, and such
were the Romans themselves from the beginning, before
Asia conquered them, as some say, with its delusions, and
yet they were warrior men, and warlike, and strong, it isa
wonder that others do not say that soldiers need to eat a lot,
that as for the studious and contemplative men, everyone
will easily concede that sobriety is necessary in them,
following an ancient Greek proverb, whose sentence was
this: That the fat and full belly does not generate subtle
intentions.

Chapter 12

SOMEWHAT MORE IN PARTICULAR OF THE SAME MATTER OF
THE NOURISHMENT,.

Because in infancy, man is almost no different from the
brute, and for now little else can be done, other than to
attend to the body, therefore it will be the care of the
mothers of families, and of the good nurturers, that the child
is well nursed, and nourished in such a way, that it does not
become exhausted, and languid; and in sum is governed in
such a way, that the little body can be a suitable instrument
of the soul, as we remembered from the beginning. It should
also be noted that children, and the other ages which are
still growing, require, according to their proportion, more
food, and more often than the perfect ages, since nature
must have nourishment in them not only to maintain the
body, but to give it augmentation, until it reaches its due
perfection, nevertheless with children, and with young
people who are a little more grown up, no less than with
men, sobriety and temperance have to be exercised, since
children must not be given everything they want, nor as
much as they want. Children are voracious, friends of fruits,
and of sweet things, which given to them excessively, not
only spoil their pleasure, but often cause infirmity. What
kind of food is suitable for each age, to form a body that is
healthy and of average strength, suitable for civil exercises,
which are commonly done by gentlemen, and by citizens in
the government of the City, and in the care of the family, it
is the quickest task of doctors to give particular precepts
and rules. But in general it seems to me to remember that
children must be trained in such a way that they do not
abhor food of any kind that is commonly used among men;
because the necessities of human life force us to travel and

find ourselves in foreign countries, where it is necessary to
live according to the conditions of the place, besides that, if
sometimes a friend invites us to eat with him, it cannot be
that he does not receive discomfort, Seeing that we do not
eat this or that food, and sometimes there are some who, by
tasting something unintentionally, or rather only by
smelling it, and perhaps by seeing it before them, feel
nauseous, | say even of such things, that others, well bred
and civilly raised, are inclined to eat. And it is true that there
are some people who seem to have a certain natural
repugnance to some kind of food, but nevertheless, as in
other things, education corrects many defects, and if it does
not remove them at all, it makes them more tolerable, so too
in this case your diligence will not be useless, because if it
seems to be a matter of little moment, nevertheless beyond
what has been said, it may happen that due to such a
factual impediment of not being able to nourish oneself with
any kind of food, or to vehemently abhor wine, one may not
be allowed to celebrate, or may not be able so comfortably
to make an election, to enter into any particular religion;
one does not speak, however, of those who by the advice of
doctors, and by indisposition are obliged to abstain.

Chapter 13

OF THE UTILITY OF SIMPLE AND COMMON FOODS.

Likewise, continuing to speak in general, | consider it
expedient that our father of the family accustoms his son to
eat no more than one or two kinds of principal foods in the
same meal, and these not artificially seasoned; For this
reason, besides the fact that simple, simple food requires
less apparatus, and less occupation of the servants, it is
healthier, more easily consumed, generates better juice, and
less excrement, and the stomach embraces it much better,
and nature feeds on it. Where the various condiments, the
allurement of the throat, are a seminary of many illnesses,
and what is worse, they are a foment of many sins, for they
are ordinarily full of aromas, and of spices, very harmful to
the young; as was said speaking of the remedies against the
fire of lust. Let our child also be so accustomed, under the
discipline of his father, that when he is self-supporting he
may be content with a simple table, with ordinary food,
which at a reasonable price can be found at all times for
everyone, so that if he becomes a citizen or an artist, does
not go to the taverns to satisfy the unbridled appetite of
gluttony, and the gentleman does not want, at great
expense, rare foods, and from other countries, and out of
season, and in short, such that either for the very thing, or
for the seasoning, costing a great deal of money, are
deservedly called precious. | remember having read that
once Pompey the Great was ill, and the doctors advised him
to eat a certain number of birds, which, being out of season,
could not be found except in the house of Lucullus, a very
rich Roman citizen, but no less dissolute, who diligently fed
them all year round; but Pompey generously refused to eat
them, saying these notable words: Therefore, if Lucullus

were not a voluptuous man, Pompey could not live? | wanted
to report this for our own confusion, since we Christians, to
whom Christ himself says: Beware lest your hearts be
burdened with crapulence and drunkenness, live for the
most part in such a way as if we had made our God the most
vile belly, as St. Paul complains. So much has luxury and
excess grown in this area, that it is greatly praised by others
to keep many ministers busy, and to spend a great deal of
money in eating delicately and out of common use; | do not
want to make any further exaggeration, so that others do
not say, that | want to know better. It does not mean,
however, that in order to honor one's hosts and relatives,
and sometimes receiving for honorable recreation a friend
for dinner, one cannot do something more as a sign of honor
and joy; as also on feast days and on the major solemnities
of the Holy Church, but always within the terms of Christian
modesty; remembering that our feasts are to be celebrated,
not in luxury, and in the crapule, and delitie of the body, but
in spirit, and holiness, and purity of the soul, as the great
father S. Gregorio Nazianzeno admonishes. Gregory
Nazianzen. But returning to the subject, whoever has
noticed my way of speaking, will see that | do not love
sordidness in our family father, and | do not blame civility,
and that decency which is appropriate to the state of each
one. But it seems to me to be well remembered, that in
every time, and in every place Christian modesty and
temperance must shine through; and I for my part believe
that the hospitable, and the judicious, and temperate friend
will be better received, and honoured, seeing the whole
table seasoned with a joyfulness, and sweet hilarity, and of
heart, such as true friendship produces, than seeing it full of
a deluge of food, that it seems quicker to want to suffocate
it, than to nourish it

Chapter 14

THE GOOD MANNERS OF THE CHILD IN THE TABLE.

Therefore, let the table of our father of the family be such
that it is a continuous school of sobriety for the child, and in
the rest let everything be clean and clear, not repugnant
even in poverty, to worldliness. For this reason | praise the
fact that our child, already grown up, eats at table with his
father, not sitting, but standing, and with his head
uncovered, things that become more relaxed as he grows
older; but in this case he must be well grounded in his
father's reverence; there he must be silent, and not speak
unless asked; he must be content with that portion of food,
and drink, which will be given to him by his father; who will
rightly observe his manners, to warn him, and correct him
where he lacks, sweetly however without restlessness of the
table; he eats with modesty not voraciously, he does not
make deformed acts, neither with his body, nor with his face,
nor with his mouth, nor in any other way, whether eating or
drinking. Do not turn your eyes here and there while eating,
or observe too curiously how others are eating, or
numbering the food, declaring with your eyes the hidden
appetite, and noting the greater portions of others, but pay
attention to yourself, and above all you must break it in this
part, that he does not hope to have anything at his own will,
except what pleases his father, who may at times, as if by
himself, on the occasion of something well done by the
child, give him a little something extra, as a reward for his
obedience, or other virtue. Let the child be polite and clean
in eating, accustomed to taking and offering things with
reverence. lt is a good and holy custom for the child to bless
the table at the beginning, and to give thanks at the end,
and to give good pleasure to all, and at least to remain

reverent and attentive while the father blesses the table,
and to reply, Amen, and say the pater noster. Warn him that
in entering the table he should not hurry, nor should he
want to be the first, nor occupy the first place, but wait for
his father's commandment, and begin in time to learn that
precept, which the eternal wisdom clothed in our nature did
not disdain to teach made men. When the Saviour says in
Saint Luke, If you are invited to a wedding, do not put
yourself at table in the first place, lest someone more
honourable than you be invited, so that the inviter may tell
you, give the place to him, and you should be in the last
place, But go, and stay in the last place, so that when the
one who invited you comes, he may say to you, Friend,
ascend higher, and then you will be more honored in the
sight of the other guests, for he who exalts himself will be
humiliated, and he who humiliates himself will be exalted.
This is the Lord's precept, full of good manners, and very
necessary for the Christian, so that the foundation of all
Christian virtues is humility, but it is also a very fruitful
reminder in civil life, where often by the slightest accident of
preceding one another, hatred and serious quarrels arise.
Therefore our child, as | have said, should get used to the
observance of this beautiful doctrine of the Saviour from the
earliest years, so it is good that the child does not always
enter the table from the beginning with the others, but the
father makes him serve or read for a while, and when he
seems to command it, he goes to the table. In short, as | said
at the beginning, the table of the prudent father of a family
will be like a school, and a daily exercise of virtue, and of
many good manners. However, it should be noted, as has
often been said, that the father himself must be like a seal,
who has within him that form of sobriety, and other good
qualities, that he wishes to imprint in the soul of his son,
which is like soft wax, otherwise if the father, while at table,
were to become intoxicated, or burst out in anger into
inconsiderate words, and did other inappropriate things, it

would not be in any way expedient for the child to be
present there. Let the father of the family also remember to
sometimes cheer up the table, and after having given God
first place, introducing some useful and Christian reasoning,
it is lawful to say something pleasant, gently teasing the
same child and training him to know how to bear some
difficulties, and to pass it off with a modest laugh, and not to
look upset, always keeping however the paternal gravity,
and more so with the female children, of whom Savio says
speaking to the father: Et non ostendas hilarem faciem tuam
ad illas, that is, do not show them a happy face. This,
however, is to be understood as moderation, as we shall
perhaps state more fully elsewhere. For the rest, the good
father of a family should not think that the things that we
remember about the manners of the child can be done ina
single day, but it takes time and patience, and it is
necessary to remember that the cherubs are not yet perfect
men, and it is necessary that they have some childlike
qualities in some things, so that, like early fruit, they do not
reach too soon a certain maturity that is not lasting, it is
enough that continuing little by little, and still making some
purchases in the good, and not going back to the past, they
make no small progress at the end of the year, therefore the
good father should take this care for a sweet restraint, and
he should delight in seeing the small plant growing, while he
waters it, and irrigates it with good education, and God
blessed, from whom all good comes, gives it, as the Apostle
says, the perfect increase.

Chapter 15

MODERATE USE OF WINE IN PARTICULAR.

I do not want to forget to remind in particular our father of
the family that he should accustom his son to drink wine
moderately, the temperate use of which rejoices, as the holy
scripture says, the heart, and revives the natural heat and
has other good effects, but on the contrary, taken
intemperately, it harms the body, the intellect, and the soul,
as an incentive to lust, from which the wise man said in his
proverbs, Luxuriosa res vinum, et tumultuosa ebrietas,
quicunque his delectatur non erit sapiens, from which words
we learn, that wine incites to all intemperance, et
dissolutione, et la ebrietà partorisce tumulti, et risse, et
finalmente chi chi troppo si diletta del vino, non farà
acquisto della sapienza, la quale è amicissima della
temperanza, la onde i Greci hanno chiamato la temperanza
con un none, che da intendere, that it preserves, and
maintains wisdom, for which reason it appears to all to be
sober, but more so to scholars, who must judge, and govern
the republic, and likewise to the ecclesiastics, and religious,
who must be masters of continence; one could enclose an
infinite number of places from the Holy Scriptures where
excessive drinking is condemned, and one could refer to an
infinite number of examples of very holy men, who totally
abstained from wine, as all the ancient monks ordinarily did,
but for us, who for the moment are speaking to those who
live in this century, it is enough to remind our father of the
family, that he should see to it that his son does not become
a drunkard, in which ugly defect many fall very easily, and
more often than in the excess of eating; It is necessary to
say, how much one can sin in this part by craftsmen and
small people on feast days, as we have complained

elsewhere; therefore the good father should take care of it at
an early hour, because drunkenness is harmful to the
common people, but it is intolerable for noble men. lt was
the custom of the Lacedaemonians, at public banquets, to
inebriate a slave, so that seeing the gentle men, and
especially the well-born children, the laid, and filthy ways of
the drunkard, and the indecent words and gestures, they
would abhor drunkenness, and beware of too much wine.
Therefore, children must be regulated with good care about
the use of wine, and it would be good if for some years they
did not drink it, but at least they must not be given to drink
powerful wines, nor pure in any way, but very temperate,
which must be understood much more about young people,
the age of which, being itself very hot, needs not to
increase, but to subtract fomentation to the boiling of the
blood of youth.

Chapter 16

OF THE SOBRIETY IN SPETIE OF THE FEMALE CHILDREN.

But above all it is necessary sobriety, and abstinence from
wine in the female children, who must be adorned with
modesty, silence, and chastity, and in whom it greatly
displeases to have in the face a certain fiery redness, which
wine alone produces, and more it makes them venerable to
have such a virginal paleness, and the low eyes, and the
grave gait, and the not very high and rare speech, than to
run here, and there around the house, as if crazy, and to
make other such trifles, that often are caused by the wine.
We read not only in the pagan historians, but also in
Tertullian, also a very ancient Christian writer, that the
ancient Roman women, did not drink wine, and if they were
found in fault, their husbands and relatives chastised them
severely, with how much more reason then shall we demand
from the Christian women at least sobriety and continence?
Certainly, if | did not fear to be held too strict, | would say
that a good and well mannered spinster, should not drink
wine, or certainly very little, before she left for her husband.
However, the prudent father must warn his sons and
daughters not only to observe sobriety in his presence, but
also to close the roads to them, so that by means of servants
and maids, or in any other way, it is not permitted for them
to do anything in secret. It is not lawful for them to do the
opposite, which would be more harmful, drinking with
greater avidity, and without restraint of that shame, which
one has in one's father’'s presence, therefore it is necessary
to be very discreet, and according to the proverb not to pull
the rope too much so that it does not become unstable, and
above all to ensure that good deeds are born from the
depths of the heart, for the fear of God, and for the love of

virtue; and finally the same good habit, begun at an early
age that has not yet tasted, or better said, has not imbibed
the wine, will make it easier, and more enjoyable to operate,
as has been said many times.

Chapter 17

EXAMPLE OF SAINT MONICA AS A YOUNG GIRL FELL INTO
THE INCONTINENCE OF WINE.

I hope that it will not be bothersome and fruitless for me to
refer briefly in this place to the story of the childhood of
Saint Monica, which Saint Augustine, her son, tells at length
in the ninth book of his Divine Confessions, so that one may
understand how much vigilance one should have over sons
and daughters in this same particular matter of wine, which
will serve as an instruction in many other things, seeing how
from small principles one arrives at the habit of wine.
Therefore Saint Augustine says, that Monica her mother was
brought up well in her father's house, especially because of
the diligence of an already decrepit maid, who from the first
years had lived in the same house, and because of her
praiseworthy customs she took care of the master's
daughters, whom she governed, and kept in check, with a
holy severity, so much that out of those hours, that at the
paternal table they were parishly nourished, he did not allow
them during the day, even if they were burning with thirst,
to drink nor even water, which he did so that they would not
take that bad habit, and he said to them, as Saint Augustine
reports: Hora bevete acqua, perché il vino non è in poter
tuo, ma quando sarai andate à marito, et sarai fatta padrone
delle dispense et delle cantine, l'acqua vi puzzarà, ma la
consuetudine del bere sarà prevalerà; con questi modi la
buona et prudente vecchia, brakenava l’avidità delle tendci
ragazze, et così à poco la cosa era ridotto à tale, che già non
avevano più voluto di fare quello, che vedevano non si
convenire. It happened that Monica, as an old maid already
known to be sober, was sent by her father and mother to
draw some wine, and began with great difficulty to drink a

little, not being able to take any more, because the taste
itself abhorred it, which she did not do because of her
appetite for wine, but because of a certain childish madness,
but then adding to that little bit, daily another little bit, it
was verified in her what the holy scripture says, that
whoever despises and does not take into account the small
things, goes to make a great fall, so that the good girl came
to an end, that already without respect she drank greedily
the full glasses of strong wine, or it means pure. God was
pleased to free her from this viciousness, which was
unknown to everyone in the house, and all the more difficult
to cure, in a strange way, so that one day she came into
dispute with that servant, who used to go with her in
company to drink wine, since they were both alone, the
indignant maid reproached him with bitter punishment for
her sin, calling her with the Latin word Meribibula, which
means so much, as a drinker of pure wine; This word, like a
thunderbolt, penetrated his heart so clearly that he looked
at his ugliness, and immediately condemned it within
himself, and had it in abomination, and he divested himself
of it forever, teaching us how we can draw fruit from our
enemies, who, if, as has been said elsewhere, we know to be
wise, do us no less good by reproaching us with our faults,
than they do us harm by flattering us with their praise. This
is what Saint Augustine wrote of his mother, who was then of
admirable holiness, and he wrote it when she was already in
Paradise, to give glory to God, or so that our fathers of
families might learn from the fall of the saints to be prudent
and diligent in the government of their children.

Chapter 18

OF THE TIMES AND HOURS OF EATING.

As far as the time of eating is concernedì, in order to Say
something about this, it has been said that it is better to be
more discreet with children, so that they do not have to wait
until mealtime, but to give them some bread, with some
apples, or dried figs, or raisins, or something similar, more
quickly than meat, or cheese, foods that are not so good to
be seen in their hands, and of greater nourishment than is
needed to keep nature in check until lunchtime, and the
same can be said of the snack, especially in the long days of
summer when, because of the great heat, it is easier to allow
the child to drink a little; but always the breakfast and the
snack should be a reward for something good done, or to be
done, verbs of gratitude for going to school, or for having
recited the lesson well. Likewise, one cannot limit the hours
of eating to those who have to do strenuous work, such as
those who work on the land, and those who work in the
factories; but speaking of the most common men, who live
in a civilized manner, it seems to me that the best way is to
eat twice a day, morning and evening, moderately; so that,
as that eloquent writer so well said, Vires reficiantur, non
obruantur, that is, that the strength of the body be restored,
and not oppressed by food, as most often happens to those
who eat only once a day, if they eat in the moming, they
remain almost useless for the day's activities, having to take
enough nourishment to last them twenty-four hours, and if
they delay until the evening, nature suffers in many ways,
especially in the less cold times and regions; because the
body, because of the long fast, and the external heat, and
outside, relaxes too much, and debilitates, and less readily
fatigues during the day, and when the time comes to take

food, nature eats too greedily, and it is necessary to sleep
for a long time, and it is not easy for a stomach of mediocre
virtue to carry so much weight at one time, besides that
these people stay long at the table, and want company, and
entertainment more than their duty, so that many serious
things are jeopardized, and other not good consequences
often follow. It is true, however, that the various occupations
of men, and many circumstances, which are partly within
ourselves, partly dependent on others, require various rules,
so in this, as in many other things. However, it seems to me
that the way I have said is the best, and so it is done more
commonly, and it is not inconvenient that the City is almost
a large house, in which all eat around the same time, and so
in an orderly way, at the same time, the other things are
done, so that we too will be better able to negotiate with
others, and we will give others the opportunity to be able to
deal with us more appropriately, if we follow the most
common use, not doing as some do, who eat at extravagant
hours sometimes before the day, and sometimes in the
middle of the night, who displease not only their own family,
and those who have to do with them, but who harm their
own health. Therefore, as the child grows older, our father of
the family discreetly reduces it to the custom of taking food
only twice a day, with such moderation, that neither nature
is too burdened to eat, nor is he prevented from working,
always remembering that eating is done only so that the
body is sustained, and can be used expediently for the
tasks, to which we are obliged, as civilized men, and as
Christians.

Chapter 19

OF THE OBLIGATION, AND OF THE CONDITIONS OF
CHRISTIAN FASTING.

It requires, as it seems to me, the matter of the present
reasoning, that we also say something about Christian
fasting, so that our father of a family may remind his son in
due time how he must be ready to obey the commandments
of Holy Church, no less in the observance of this precept
than in others. However, it is not my task to report in this
place which are the determined days, on which everyone
who is not legitimately prevented must fast, and which are
those that are dispensed from fasting, and how one must
fast, and where the custom allows dairy products, and eggs,
and where not; and other similar things, which one can and
must learn from the spiritual fathers, and from the Christian
doctrines, where are briefly collected the most necessary
things, which each one must know and observe. And truly it
is something worthy of tears to see the little care that is
taken by Christians in common to know the things pertinent
to the health of their own soul, and what are the obligations
that must be fulfilled, to those who wish to be Christians in
effect, and not only in name. | dare say, and not without
probable conjecture, that there are those who know so much
about these things that it is of little importance to ignore
them, and yet they do not know that each one is obliged on
Quadragesima not only to abstain from meat, eggs and dairy
products, but also to fast every day, except Sundays; others
seem to fast sufficiently during Lent, and the commanded
vigils, because they abstain from the foods mentioned
above, which are vulgarly called fat, and do not leave,
however, to dine, and perhaps to make colation. Others
know well the obligation of fasting, and they know how it is

appropriate to fast, that is, fasting requires three main
things; which are, Abstinence from certain foods, Eating only
once a day, and this, which is the third condition, must be
done in the middle of the day, or thereabouts, that there is
no danger in delaying, but it is good to anticipate too much
the due time. Now, as | say, they know the laws of fasting, as
everyone is obliged to know them, but not content with a
large midday meal, in the evening, under the pretext of not
eating cooked things, they make a new abundant supper,
where only a little is allowed, as if it were medicine, to
reconcile sleep, and rest the night more quietly. | leave to
say of those who are too indulgent to themselves,
considering themselves weak, or to receive harm from
quadragesimal foods, they do not fast at all, nor do they
abstain from meat; and all these deceive themselves only,
and not God, of whom it is written, Deus non irridetur, God
cannot be deceived nor mocked. Certainly it is not my
intention to be rigorous, nor do I like to take things too far,
nor do l intend to stir the consciences of the weak, because |
know well that many can be justly excused for many
respects, but | only say, that it seems that one sees in many
too much neglect, and a certain blindness in the things that
touch the soul, as if they did not matter much, since we on
the contrary are so attentive, and exquisite in the interests
of property, and of bodily health. Therefore the sure remedy
is that each one confers his state and his particular
circumstances with his spiritual father, who, with discretion
of spirit, will not impose on him a greater burden than he
can bear, and moreover he will have the merit of obedience,
with which obedience it is likewise appropriate to make
voluntary fasts, which are made only for divotions, and not
to regulate himself by his own head; for no one is fit to be
judge of himself and the devil is transfigured into an angel
of light, and no less, or perhaps more, can anyone be sinned
by the excess of fasting, than by lack of it

Chapter 20

OF THE WAY TO ACCUSTOM CHILDREN TO THE OBSERVANCE
OF FASTING.

But returning to our father of the family and to the diligence
that he must use to accustom his son to the observance of
Christian fasting, since | am convinced that disorder in this,
as in many other things, is born in a good part of education,
| say that if well the Holy Mother Church, most benign, does
not oblige under sin not only the young but also the young
to fast before the end of the twenty-first year, nevertheless it
is very expedient that the ears of the child, hear often
around the house this holy name of fasting, and the eyes of
the child, hear often the name of fasting, before the end of
the twenty-first year, nevertheless it is very expedient for
the ears of the child to hear this holy name of fasting often
in the house, and for the eyes of the child to see and
observe his father, mother and servants fasting in a
Christian manner. Let them know the established days of the
vigils and the tempora, and let them have great reverence
for Quadragesima, of which Christ our Lord gave us a
particular example, and in which we pay in a certain way to
God the tithe of all the days of the year. Sometimes the
father and the mother may invite the child gently to keep
them company in the fast, without however depriving him of
his necessary contribution, but the fact that he does not see
the usual apparatus, nor the ordinary food, leads him to a
certain belief in fasting, and then, as he grows older, he gets
closer to the truth. And although it is not too little, according
to the common warmth of men, to observe the precepts of
the Holy Church without adding a new burden, nevertheless
it would be a laudable custom in a Christian house, that in
memory and reverence for the most bitter passion of Jesus

Christ our Saviour, one should fast on the sixth day of the
week, which we say Friday, and that the father should leave
this holy tradition to his son. Is it not a great thing to abstain
a little when the body is already at rest, as it is around the
fourth year of the tenth, and the others that follow, and yet
it is seen that for a thousand accidents young people are left
to dine, even if only on a whim, but how much more must be
done for the sake of virtue, and for the good of one's own
soul? and it is not to be doubted, that if one remains silent
for now about the pleasure of doing virtuous work, the same
habit will make fasting easy, just as it can happen, on the
contrary, that to some, even though young and vigorous,
because they are not accustomed to it, it seems a very
serious thing if the confessor imposes a fast on them. Now
the father of a family knows that the greatest enemy that his
son can have is his own body, which is too delicately
nourished and fattened, so that he then resists the soul, for
which reason it is necessary at times to take away the
weapons from this domestic enemy, as the Holy Scriptures
exhort us, and all the ancient Fathers and Doctors of the
Holy Church, that there is hardly any of them who has not
written sermons and books in praise of fasting, and divinely
among others St. Basil, and the same Holy Church calls
fasting the medicine of the souls, and of the bodies, as well
as for civil affairs and various states of men, it is very
necessary to be able to endure starvation, and fasting, and
not to do as some do, who, having arrived at home, cannot
wait for a very short period of time, not so much for the need
of nourishment, as for impatience, but as it is, it is not
uncommon in the more mature years, if someone from a
young age is accustomed to being able to suffer hardships,
and in particular hunger and thirst.

Chapter 21

OF SLEEPING IN GENERAL.

The rest of sleep is necessary to nature in order to restore
the tired body, and because of the moisture that abounds in
them, children are very devoted to sleep, but just as what is
necessary must not be taken away from them, and
especially in childhood, so it is necessary to be careful that
they do not cross the line, so that they may become sleepy
men, which is a serious defect, and makes their minds
stupid, and makes the bodies heavy and heavy to work, and
takes away a very useful part of the day to do many things,
so that, as a wise man said, getting up early in the morning
is useful for the health of the body, for the study of
Philosophy, and for the care of the family, from which the
Gospel says about the man, father of a family, who left the
house at dawn to lead the workers, and Solomon says Do not
love sleep, and do not sleep too much, if you do not want to
be oppressed by poverty. But generally speaking, it seems
that the time spent in bed should not be less than seven
hours, nor more than eight; and just as too much sleep
makes men negligent, and inept at their studies, and at their
labors, so on the contrary, the other extreme of too little
sleep, causes almost the same inconveniences, and man
remains drowsy, and as if dazed all day long, and nature
does not do perfectly its consummation, and digestion, and
remains languid, and little by little contracts some
indisposition; and often it happens, that almost disdainful of
what has been unduly taken away during the night, it
demands it, and wants it back importunately during the day,
so that some people are seen sleeping, in the places where
they should have been awake. And although we read of
some men of excellent virtue, or we see some, who, as

already living more of a celestial life than a human one, are
content with a very short sleep, not however the common
men must measure themselves with the same measures, but
must take a middle way, so that this instrument of ours can
carry its weights comfortably, not throwing the rider too
softly on the ground, nor less failing through weakness in
the way, and falling, as they say, under the burden. It is true
that the flesh, the friend of comfort, always asks for more
than it needs, therefore it is good to get used to getting up
early in life, since sleep is an image of death, and it can be
said that those who do not sleep, live longer. And among the
other virtues of temperance and sobriety, of which we have
spoken above, there also follows this one, that those who
dine soberly will have less need of sleep, and will be able to
get up earlier, and deal with God first the business of the
soul, as we said when speaking of prayer, and then avoid
many domestic matters, and better prepare themselves for
public affairs, especially men of great business, and who
have loads and governments; just as an ancient poet
judiciously pretends to have been admonished in a dream
by a great king, to whom it seemed to be said that it was not
fitting for those who rule peoples, and execute governments,
to sleep all night long, Some of the greatest and noblest
gentlemen often deceive themselves in this, thinking that
never seeing the rising sun, as Sardanapalus said, is a
matter for their equals, and that only poor artisans need to
get up at an early hour to earn their daily food. But
solicitude is useful, and praiseworthy in every state of
people, and therefore our father of the family should
accustom his son to it discreetly, and as far as possible,
without manifest offence, accustom him so that he may be
master of his own body, and do as little as possible in the
weather, of which, as a wise man says, none is more serious.

Chapter 22

OF SLEEPING BETWEEN THE DAYS.

As for sleeping during the day, some spiritual men have
advised that the hour after dinner be assigned to rest and
sleep, since it is not possible at that time, so close to food, to
return to the usual operations, especially where the mind
must be fatigued, something that is done at that time,
prevents the offence of nature regarding the nourishment
taken, which cannot be without offence to the body, and on
the other hand, since it is the custom of the devil, who for
that reason is called meridian, to assail man at that hour, as
more exposed to his snares, especially of sins of the flesh,
they have judged it less evil that that hour be spent
sleeping. Others are wont to say, that by experience they
find that sleeping half an hour of the day, they can without
difficulty diminish an hour, and more, of night sleep, and
others, speaking medicinally, harm sleep after lunch, as that
which fills the head with vapours. However, | would believe
that when someone has taken his due portion of sleep at
night, it is not necessary to sleep again during the day,
especially in winter, when the days are short and not so
troublesome, and when we have eaten soberly, we are not so
easily assailed by sleep, and there is no lack of a thousand
ways, both for the cherubs and for men, to spend that hour
with honest recreation, without offending God, nor of health,
indeed with not mediocre fruit, so that the cleaning of the
cage of a bird, the watering of a horticultural plant, the
doing of some not very subtle work with one's own hands,
and other such things, suffice to pass that hour without
molestation, all the more so, since it is not only a rest to
cease working, but a moderate fatigue, for the suavity that
accompanies the change, is a rest of the other. But when a

little sleep is judged to be beneficial to our youngster, we
are not speaking here of infancy, nor of early childhood, in
which time, until the body is strengthened, it is appropriate
to use a little more indulgence, in which case | say, let him
not lie down, and let him not be accustomed in any way to
enter the bed undressed, things that cannot be done
without much loss of time, besides that he becomes too soft
in this enemy flesh, to the detriment of the soul, but he rests
on a chair, a little sooner, a little uncomfortable, so that the
sleep is not so long, and not so deep, so that the senses
receive liveliness sooner, than happiness and amazement.
Well it is true that the advice of those spiritual men, of
whom I spoke at the beginning, is more necessary for those
who spend that hour alone, and if they are withdrawn,
because if they are not well prepared they run greater risks,
but the cherubs are not to be left alone at all, and without
custody, especially in the long and troublesome days of
state; But both for them and for the older ones it is
necessary to find some useful exercise and activity, so that,
as the saint says, the devil finds us always busy, as we have
said elsewhere in full, speaking against lust, so that it is
true, for the most part, the saying of that wise man, that he
who has nothing to do, thinks of doing evil.

Chapter 23

OF THE EXCESSIVE WORSHIP OF THE BODY, AND OF THE
NEGLECTED CONTRARY.

I would not descend willingly to such minute things, asl am
about to say now, if | did not think, that in order to forma
virtuous and useful man for his country, as we pretend to be,
it is necessary to avoid too much delicacy of the body, and
the excessive care of many in certain polite habits, which
easily displease women, not men; for there are some,
especially young noblemen, and rich men, who after having
got up in the morning, spend a long time combing their hair,
brushing their teeth, washing their hands with perfumed
soaps, and so much so that their clothes are trimmed, and
every hair is so annoying to them, and so often they return
to the mirror; and at times there are so many long
discussions to be had with the tailor, the shoemaker, the
servants and the waiters, that the best hours of the day are
consumed in vain; and the saying of the Comedian is no less
true of them than of the women: While they polish
themselves, while they adorn themselves, the year passes.
But what is worse, these vanities bring with them evil
consequences, the soul becomes soft, and effeminate, the
body abhors robust, and virile labors, gravity is lost, and the
opinion of a light man is acquired, to whom it is not
convenient to trust in the hands of negotiation, who seeks
brains and firmness. And so these people are reduced to
being good for nothing else, than to walk through the
streets, with the title of gallant, and tight-fitting; leaving
aside to say of how many sins this excessive tightness exits,
which elsewhere we have dealt with sufficiently. Now | do not
dislike in any way politeness, indeed | remember it to our
father of the family, and I desire it in our child, as long as it

is virile, and without affectation, so that it does not seem,
that all our study is placed there; indeed in the children
themselves it must have moderation, so that it does not pass
into too coquettish softness, but retains a certain gravity,
and so that it is a good clean spinster, that does not lose its
modesty, and gravity. Therefore, let our father of the family
accustom his son not to lose much time in the morning in
such things, but satisfied with the natural necessities, so
that during the day they do not molest us, to which use
nature easily accustoms us; in the rest, let him dispense
with what he devotes to the cult of the body with mediocre
diligence, so that there may be more time to cultivate the
soul, which is more important, and to employ himself in
studies, and in the operations of the house, and outside. He
warns his father, however, that his son should not become
neglectful, and that he should go about with his face gross,
and with his clothes untidy, or similar negligence, which is
the other fatal extreme, indeed it will make him abhor
everything disconcerting, and deforming, and of the soul,
and of the body.

Chapter 24

OF DRESSING IN GENERAL.

And very much connected to the above matter is that of
dress, about which we have discussed a little in the past, but
only on occasion, and not in general, as this place requires.
It has been said, speaking of the care taken in forming the
body of children, that they should not dress too tightly, nor
too thinly, but rather comfortably, so that nature can be
more easily expanded, and this is written by Greek
historians, who had the Spartan nurses, who used a certain
artifice of raising small infants without much squeezing, and
wrapping them with bands, and with ties, so that their limbs
came to be more dissolved and better formed, and they of
more beautiful, and gentle build. We have also said above,
in the discourse of the sixth precept, against vain
adornments, both of women and of young men, showing that
they are bait and nourishment for lust, and therefore they
must be avoided. And elsewhere it has been said of
excessive pomp, full of waste, and of other serious
inconveniences. Now we will continue to remember
something else in this same regard. And first of all it seems
to me that the cherubs should not be dressed too richly nor
with too precious materials, since the expense is completely
useless, and made only for ostentation, but another
inconvenience follows, which is more important, that is, that
the children become vain, and proud, and despise others of
the same age who are not so well dressed, however our
father of the family should in this matter remain within the
terms of modesty, according to the decent of his state. As for
the form of dress, it is to be regretted that the long robe,
which so pleased the ancients, has almost completely
disappeared, although the Romans were not philosophers, so

that it can be said that their dress does not suit knights, and
not without reason did he call them masters of the world,
and educated people, because with the robe, armed, they
were able to conquer, and with the robe, in peace, they were
able to govern the world for a long time, but we do not use
neither robe, nor robe, but rather jacket and similar
garments without flaps, short at all, uncovering children and
young people not very honourably those parts, that nature
itself has taught us to cover. If it is true that because of the
continuous habituation of the eyes, there is almost no
deformity, nevertheless whoever considers well, will see that
some nations beyond the Alps, and those who are unfaithful,
advance us in this part of veracity, and honesty of dress. But
who can deny that the dress is not a mediocre moment for
the respect of customs? Certainly a young man will have
more serious and mature thoughts, who sees himself around
a long dress, and will be more careful to make in public
some gestures to which the short and free dress invites him
in a certain way, for which the toga is also judiciously
considered in some republics. But since the use, or the
common abuse has obtained this way, at least one would
not see in the clothes of our youth a thousand other
irregularities, because besides the iMmmoderate pomp and
luxury, and the extravagant fashions of the clothes that are
found all day long, sometimes large, sometimes on the
contrary extremely small, it is a strange thing to see a noble
gentleman, dressed as a jester in a hundred colors, and in
the most vivid and flaming colors that can be found, such as
yellow, green, and similar, so that they can be seen more
easily in the squares, and in public places, and the brigades
are moved to laughter. Now for these and many other things,
it would be necessary for the public authority to provide,
however, that our father of the family dresses his children in
such a way, that it is known that they are of a Christian
father, and that they remember to have renounced the devil
in their baptism, and his pomp; clothes, especially when

they have come out of their early childhood, in colors
tending more towards brown, rather than too light,
honorably however, and of good material, and that the
clothes are well made, so that one does not see in them any
affectation, nor deafness, but a bearing mixed with
seriousness, and of gracefulness, that is born from the
uniform, straightforward and simple dress, but at the same
time graceful, and not entirely cowardly, and we also see
that a gentleman does not appear less nobly dressed, when
he dresses corruptly, than when he dresses in the ridiculous
ways that we have already said. And above all, as has been
recalled elsewhere, let not the father of a family pass over
his state, and let not the craftsman contend with the citizen,
nor the latter with the noble in the most vain pumps and
inventions, but let us all contend to love God, and to work
more virtuously with His grace.

Chapter 25

OF THE HONESTY OF THE FEMININE CLOTHES, AND IN SPITE
OF THE VEIL.

If the things said above regarding the dressing of men, are
also proportionately to be understood of women's clothes,
nevertheless because modesty and honesty are required
mainly in women, and because abuse and license grows
more and more every day, therefore it seems to me that |
must say something in particular. It is a very indecent thing
that the honorable madrone, wear their clothes so low-cut,
and open that they show all their breasts, and their breasts,
not less indecent is to dress in such a way, that it seems that
they want to appear more quickly men than women, but a
very serious inconvenience is to go publicly, even in the
churches, without a veil on the head, or placed in such a
form, that more quickly seems a mockery of the honourable
bearing, than true honesty, as if one went to the tremendous
sacrifice of the mass, and to the divine offitii, as to a vain
spectacle, to dance, and to celebrate, and not to stay with
holy fear, and trembling, with all the senses gathered,
asking God's forgiveness of the committed faults, and giving
thanks to that immense majesty of so much benefit. This
same abuse took place in the women of Corinth in the time
of the primitive Church, and of the glorious Apostle St. Paul,
who were in some ways more excusable than our women are,
like those who, even now born in Christ, had departed from
the errors of the Gentiles, and from the lasciviousness and
licentious customs of Greece. And because some people,
perhaps too knowledgeable, might say to me that | have
taken to making too much noise about a thing that in itself
is of no importance, or at least is indifferent, and that makes
a woman go to Church in braids, not to say with a bonnet

and plumes, as if she were going veiled, | do not know how
to answer them otherwise than that the great Doctor of the
Gentiles, in whom Christ spoke was of another opinion, and
although he was raptured to the third heaven, he did not
scorn to lower himself, writing in this particular matter as
long and as effectively as anyone can see in the eleventh.,,
of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, of which | want to
report some sentences, so that one may understand the
great obligation beyond honesty, that women have to wear
the veil on their heads, as a sign of their commitment to
their husband, according to the ancient sentence of God,
says the Apostle:

I want you to know that the head of man is Christ, and the
head of woman is man; the man who prays with his head
veiled, does insult to his own head. These words can be
understood in two ways, that he is insulting Christ his head,
to whom alone he is subject, and also his own head, that is
his preeminence and authority over the woman. The Apostle
goes on to say that the woman who prays with her head
unclothed does insult to her own head, for it is as if she were
bald or sheared, so that if the woman is not to be veiled, she
should therefore be veiled, but if it is an ugly thing, and
deformed to the woman, she should be sheared or
decapitated, she should therefore veil and cover her head.
And lower, it says so:

Judge for yourselves whether it is fitting for a woman to pray
to God unclothed, or does not nature itself teach you that if
a man wears his hair long, he will be ashamed, but on the
contrary, if a woman wears her hair, he will be honored and
glorified, for nature has given her hair as a veil. Finally the
Holy Apostle concludes his reasoning, closing his mouth to
those too many wise men of whom I have spoken above with
these words: If anyone wishes to be content, and to reapply,
let him know that we do not have such a custom, nor does

the Church of God. From these words we deduce that the
custom of the whole Church was that women should go
veiled, and that no one should dare to contradict this
custom. Now these things are said so that our prudent and
good mother of the family, with her own example, and with
suitable persuasions, may teach her daughters to observe
that custom which the Apostle of Christ testifies to us, and
not that which the unbridled world has introduced. Let not
the daughters of our honorable mother, neither spinsters,
nor married, be the devil’s snare to the wretched youth, and
to their own souls, while on all sides they can see and be
seen. The veil, most of all of fixed cloth, and pulled well
forward, as it must be done, is like a shelter for the eyes, and
makes others go more gathered in themselves not looking
curiously here, and there, for which reason also the
institutors of the families of monks, and friars, have used the
hood. Tertullian, the most ancient and serious writer, writing
at length on the wearing of the veil, calls it the helmet of
virgins, and a shield against the darts of temptation, the
armor of honesty, and a bastion, and a shelter against
verecundity. It is also read in the holy writings, that Rebecca,
coming on a voyage as a bride, seeing Isaac her husband
from afar, immediately covered herself with her mantle; and
that the ancient Romans called the wedding from the Latin
voice nubere, which means to veil, and to cover, and so they
called the novitia nova nupta, because the brides were
veiled. | have extended myself in this matter, because |
think that the little honourable bearing of women,
displeases God greatly and is the cause of serious ruin in the
one sex, and in the other, therefore | remind again the
fathers, and mothers of families, that they should think that
the one who has the duty to judge us is God, and not the
world, and therefore they should bring up their children in a
Christian way, and modestly according to the rules of God,
and not according to the rules of the world.

Chapter 26

OF SENDING THE CHILDREN TO THE SCHOOL TO LEARN
LYRICS.

By chance it may seem to some, that the reason of good
order requires, that after the things said above, we should
deal with the games, and other bodily exercises of children,
which | do not deny could perhaps be true, however
considering that the game is like a rest of the previous
fatigue, | judged it to be convenient, that our child first
tends to fatigue, and then if he is allowed by the discreet
father of the family, he can recreate himself modestly. Hence
childhood, free from any other sollicitude, does not have a
greater effort, than learning to read, and even more so in
learning grammar, having to pass through some thorny and
troublesome ways and rules, found as Saint Augustine says
in his confessions, dealing with this same matter, to increase
fatigue and pain to the children of Adam. The same Saint
Augustine says that he hated the Greek lecterns and learned
them with disgust, which was not the case with the Latin
ones, and he gives a very probable reason, that all the
trouble was born from the difficulty of learning a peregrine
and foreign language, of which he did not understand any
word, and nevertheless with serious threats and
punishments, he was forced to know what he did not know,
which did not happen with the Latin language, which at that
time was common, and popular, indeed the saint says, that
if well when he began to learn to speak Latin, he ignored not
less that language, than the Greek one, nevertheless he
learned it without fear, and without any cruelty, observing
only what the others said, indeed he learned it among the
caresses of the nurses, that joking, and making him tricks,
they cheered him, taking pleasure in seeing him stammer,

while not from the stimuli of others with pain, but from his
own heart he was driven to speak, for the desire to give birth
with words to his concepts, and affections, for which he
concludes that great man a sentence well worthy of being
noted: It appears from here, that greater strength and
efficacy in learning such things comes from free curiosity,
than from fearful necessity. Now it is all the more bitter for
our children to learn, since both languages are already alien
to us, if only slightly less so for Latin than for Greek, and
there is almost no place for children to learn them with
pleasure, since they are already dead in the cities and
provinces where they were spoken in the past centuries,
while still remaining alive, as much as in the books of their
ancient writers.

Chapter 27

HOW TO ENSURE THAT CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL
WILLINGLY.

There have been some who, considering that the lure of
prompt action is delight, have had in mind that children
should learn the Latin language in the same way as their
mother tongue is learned, and as other foreign languages
are learned, that is, by observing and imitating, and with
imitation, preserving with others who speak Latin
continuously, but if those who write Latin thoughtfully and
with study, find in it much effort, and few succeed in
achieving the praise of speaking Latin well, what will
become of those who speak Latin suddenly? Others have
argued that in order to free children from the burdens of
grammar, whose terms they are unable to understand, it
would be expedient for them to learn first, even if
imperfectly, the Latin words and their meanings, by reading
them some good writer, and vulgarizing them, and making
them memorize the same Latin sentences, and then
teaching them the rules of grammar, of the noun, of the
verb, and of the other parts of the oration of the same
author, applying in fact the general rules to the particular
examples, of the things already known in some way by
practice, so that they say, that remembrance, and
recognition, comes to generate in the child a certain delight,
for which more easily he learns the rules, and more firmly he
holds them. But however much these and other similar
inventions may be successful, it is not necessary to discuss
them at greater length in this place, and there is no doubt
that the principles of whatever art one wishes to learn, are
difficult and tiring, and consequently disturbing, which then,
acquiring the habit with the frequency of the acts, is always

diminished, and finally it is completely relieved, or rather it
is converted into pleasure, so that it is necessary that
children either of good or bad will pass beyond these thorns.
The wise and prudent teacher, however, should try as much
as he can to smooth the way and make the difficult path
easy, making sure that he knows the ways that the most
knowledgeable have, patiently lowering himself to the
childish capacity, and not wanting to be too learned with the
children. And on the other hand both the father and the
teacher must use industry, so that the child does not have to
go to school painfully but willingly. It is not possible to learn
immediately and perfectly something that is very far from
the understanding of the child, and because the magistral
authority is terrible for children, it is appropriate that the
teacher uses a certain moderation and encourages the child,
filling him with good hope, that in any case he will learn
well, and in that case he should have the patience to repeat
the same things several times, praising him at times in the
presence of his companions, and of his father, the child
should receive from his father some reward for his good
behaviour, the emulation of his peers is sometimes useful,
as will be said later, and with similar other ways, which
experience teaches better, certain spurs are added to the
tender heart, to go ahead in the course of learning, and he
becomes generous in heart, running for a certain affection of
virtue, and of honour. And where this is not enough, it is also
appropriate at the right time and place to apply the lash, as
we have said elsewhere at length.

Chapter 28

HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE GOOD SCHOOL TEACHERS.

The Greek historians write, speaking of the Lacedaemonians,
who were very studious in raising their children well, not
only with domestic and private education, but principally
with public education; they write, | say, that the teachers of
the children were not mercenary men, and led at a price, but
honorable and chosen persons, who treated this business as
their own interest, teaching the children with great affection
virtue, and good customs, and the institutions of the
republic. And we also read of the Persians, that they
assigned to the care of the children, old men, whose
goodness and gravity could make the children good again.
Now it is to be wished that in our times the same thing
would be observed, and that such an important office, as
giving good to man, would not be exercised for the sake of
gain, and by people who are often vagabonds and unstable,
and who care little what success they have in making
children, indeed they themselves are sometimes such that
they need to be in the school of the fear of God, and of good
morals, for which reason teaching children has become a
vile and contented exercise. It is not the duty of teachers, as
perhaps some believe, only to teach letters, but much more
to teach good morals and Christian piety, qualities which are
absolutely necessary for the attainment of our goal, that is,
eternal beatitude, for which reason teachers are, and should
be, like second fathers, or perhaps even more important,
since it often happens that the father is an idiot and uncouth
man, and perhaps does not have a certain manner and
ability to teach many things, which are very important for a
good Christian education, others because of their poverty,
forced to work all day long, others busy with things of public

government, cannot see and provide for everything, as
would be necessary, others finally leave most of the care to
the teachers, and rest on them, so that if the teacher does
not take care of it, the poor child remains abandoned, and
deprived of help in the greatest need, and in the most
important. Therefore the father of a family should be at least
diligent and careful in this matter, to find a good teacher,
and should not make this choice at random, but should take
information and advice from prudent and God-fearing men,
and should always put in the first place the goodness of the
teacher and in the second place doctrine.

Chapter 29

OF PUBLIC CARE IN LEADING GOOD TEACHERS.

And since in our times there is scarcely a shadow of public
education left, if not that of the schools, those superiors are
greatly to be commended, who, using their authority, and
seeking with diligence, and not forgiving expense, take
great care to have such qualified men and teachers, that as
has been said their children become not only learned, but
also educated and good. It amazes an ancient, noble Greek
writer, even though unfaithful, that many cities do not care
that their fathers raise their children as they like, and do not
think at all how they can become virtuous, and yet on the
other hand command, that no one steals, nor kidnaps that of
others, that he does not beat unjustly, nor commit adultery,
that he is not disobedient to the magistrate, and many other
such things, which if anyone transgresses, they have
ordered penalties and punishments; not so says that wise
writer the laws of the Persians did, indeed they anticipated,
and provided from the beginning, that their Citizens did not
become such, that they loved and chose to do evil, and bad
things. And for this reason, under the custody of some
discreet old men, as mentioned above, and of mature men,
they governed the children, and young people that the
Greeks say Ephebi, and they had some distinct schools,
appointed for this purpose, in one of which the children
learned, as he writes, justice. And I will tell you how they did
this in more detail, speaking with the same teachers, but for
now | would like to say that if in our times the gentlemen
and the citizens of Antiquity are disdainful of teaching
young people themselves, at least they should try to have
teachers who are so qualified as the importance of the
matter requires. And because the Bishops are our fathers

according to the spirit, shepherds of the sheep of Christ, and
principal teachers of piety and religion, I have no doubt that,
as zealous for the honor of God and for the health of souls
committed to their faith and vigilance, they will take care
that there be no lack of good teachers, especially to teach
the poor without cost, as the Council of Trent decrees, whose
teachers, besides the sufficiency of doctrine, must be
principally of upright morals, and above all must be true
Catholics, obedient children of the Apostolic See, and of the
Supreme Pastor, and Vicar of Christ and successor of Saint
Peter Prince of the Apostles, Roman Pontiff, and in sum must
not have any stain, nor any suspicion of heresy. Which I have
wished to say in this place, not because the solicitude of the
holy Bishops, has need of my remembrance, but because we
are in calamitous times, and full of snares, and of hidden
devices to sow false doctrines, and because sometimes the
simple fathers of families, do not know how to discern
sufficiently these very serious dangers, which is why it is
necessary above all that pastoral providence should watch
over them, so that innocent children and young people may
not be devoured by wolves, who come in the guise of lambs
and sheep; and there is no one who does not understand
how much diligence is needed in general studies.

Chapter 30

OF KEEPING MASTERS AT HOME.

Considering that in public schools, where there are many
children and even if the teacher is a good man, it is
necessary that there are many inconveniences, because not
all will be well educated, and as the saying goes, one
infected sheep corrupts the whole flock, and even if there
are no vicious animals, there will be at least some
discouraged ones, irritable, easy to revenge themselves, and
who will have other similar defects, which easily stick,
besides that in a great number the master cannot easily see
all the disorders, nor less can he apply with the diligence
that is appropriate to the work, and his art in particular,
according to what the variety of the minds, and of the
natures requires; Therefore | would praise that our father of
the family, especially if he is well off, should have a master
in the house, adorned with those good conditions which we
have mentioned, and to have such a master he should not
spare himself the expense of spending a little more, not
doing as we read of an avaricious father, who asking for the
master's salary of a thousand drachmas, which are worth as
much as one hundred shields of ours, said that with such a
great price he would have bought a servant, who would
have been useful to him for that, and for many other
services; To which the brave man smiling sharply replied,
“Indeed you will do well, for with one servant you will have
two, meaning that his son will also become a servant. And so
it is very important to warn not only the teachers, but also
the servants and all those who govern children, because
they are the ministers of education, and when they are good
it is better to take account of them, and to keep them well
satisfied. But going back to the teachers who are in the

house, all the problems mentioned above are avoided, and
the paternal eye watches over them and sees many things,
and can often excite the teacher’s industry and diligence,
and deliberate together with him in agreement on the things
pertaining to the child. And when our father of the family is
not able to spend so comfortably by himself, if nothing is
more useful, than that which is made by good teachers, two
or three gentlemen friends, or relatives can agree together,
and at common expense lead a good man. It is true that
where there are various wills, disputes easily arise, but it is
not impossible to find two or three people who have the
same goal in the education of their children. And in this
case, perhaps it would be more expedient to excite any
dissension, if the teacher were to stay in his own house, paid
in such a way that he did not need to take on many pupils.
But these things are left more to the prudence of the father
of the family, without leaving to say, however, that | think
that a small number of children, such as six or eight, not
very different in age, is not to be an impediment, but rather
a quicker benefit, to teach literature, and good morals, for
the emulation and competition of the youngsters, where
however the intention of the fathers is the same, that the
children are raised in a Christian way with the same form of
discipline.

Chapter 31

OF THE AUTHORITY TO BE GIVEN TO THE TEACHER.

Let the father of the family, however, take care of one thing
that is very important, that is, that after he has chosen a
good teacher in a mature and considered manner, he must
grant him full authority over his children, warning them so
that they know they must obey the teacher as if they were
their own father, never accept the complaints and
grievances of the children against the teacher, and in this
the mother, also warned by her husband, must forget a little
of maternal tenderness, and not be moved to harmful
compassion, when the child comes to him with tearful eyes,
on the contrary, father and mother must scold him more and
less severely according to need, always reprimanding him,
and sometimes comforting him not in the way of one who
pities, but of one who exhorts with authority to do well, as
for example by saying you see, my son, you have deserved
these beatings, and the teacher has done well to correct
you, but from now on be better and more diligent, and guard
yourself from this and that defect, and be willing, that in
doing so you will not be beaten. In short, it must be done in
such a way, that the child is resolved not to have any refuge,
nor any domestic court, so to speak, where he can appeal to
the master's judgments, otherwise for every little thing the
child will fill the air with shrieks, from which then follows
confusion, and much impediment to the work of the master,
and together with the profit of the child, who in this way will
go in peace to obey and make, as they say, of necessity
virtue. However, the teacher must behave in such a way that
he is no less loved, than feared by the child, praising him at
times, when he has deserved it, in the presence of the
father, so that the child may be persuaded to be more

acceptable to the father, and to receive small graces and
remuneration for the good relationship with the teacher. And
on the other hand, when the father notices that the master
exceeds or needs to be corrected in some way, he will be
able to do so at a time and place in the absence of the child,
not altering himself at all, but gently reminding him that the
same end must be of both, that is, the benefit of the
common child, since Christian charity must not be less
effective in the master than natural inclination in the father.

Chapter 32

EXAMPLE OF THEODOSIUS EMPEROR ABOUT THE
AUTHORITY OF THE TEACHER.

It is found written in the life of Saint Arsenio, that
Theodosius, first Emperor of this name, Prince of excellent
qualities, and not less religious than warlike, who reigned at
that time in the East, having two sons, Arcadius, and
Honorius, took great care to have for their care a teacher
such as was appropriate for two children, who had to be
raised for the succession of such an Empire, and above all he
thought of finding one of a kind, who with learning had
combined a distinguished goodness, so that not content
with making inquiries in Constantinople, and in the
Provinces of his Empire, he also wrote to Gratiano, Emperor
also in these parts of the West, who with the advice of the
Roman Pontiff sent him Arsenio, a man for his singular
erudition, but much more for the great sanctity of his life
very worthy of such a charge. When he arrived in the
presence of Theodosius, the Emperor was immediately taken
by the venerable aspect, and by the suavity of his speech,
and by the modesty, and gravity of the customs of Arsenio.
Therefore, very happy, he called his two sons and gave them
to him as disciples, and spoke to them in this way: From now
on you will be Arsenio, their father, more than myself,
because it is a more excellent thing, and more proper to a
father, to give good being, than only being. | entrust them to
your care, and | call God to witness, that you with your grace
make them such as | desire. But be careful what | will impose
on you now, and | command you to study well in their
presence. | do not want you to have any consideration for
their Imperial Majesty, nor because they are my children do
you have any respect for them; therefore | want them to be

as your children and disciples, and to be subject to you, and
obey you as their own father and master, and if they do
otherwise, we shall make a serious offense against them.
Having said this, he wanted the school to be near his rooms,
so that he could go there at his pleasure. But the good
Arsenio, as the one who was most modest, doing in all the
rest the work of a most diligent tutor, only in this part of the
teaching of the magisterial majority he did not observe the
Emperor's commandment; for that reason, showing great
reverence to the two young men, and honouring them
according to the height of their state, and at the same time
keeping himself in the usual humility, he taught them
standing while they sat down. It happened that one day
Theodosius suddenly entered the school and, noticing this,
became very disturbed and took Arsenio to task with serious
words, who responded reverently saying: O Emperor, it is
appropriate to observe the due distinction of things, and to
the youth of these two gentlemen of mine to give the
teaching, and the admonitions, and also to render honour to
the Empire. Then the Prince, more disturbed than before,
said: And who made them Emperors? and not without some
indignation of his own, he took away the imperial insignia
that they wore, as a purple mantle, or something else, and
forced Arsenio to sit in the royal seat, and his sons, Arcadius
and Honorius, who were then Emperors, one of the East, and
the other of the West, he made them stand in a humble act
before their master, saying moreover these memorable
words, If by learning the fear of God and doing his will they
will make themselves worthy of the Empire through virtue,
may God give them a peaceful and well constituted Empire,
for the benefit of the people whom they will have to rule,
otherwise it is better that they live a private life, than to rule
foolishly and dangerously. And from that time on it was
necessary that Arsenio should retain in all respects the place
and authority of Master. | wanted to report this example at
length because of the instruction of some who, much inferior

in size to Theodosius, want the teachers to be the servants
of their children, harming them in many ways, and in this
especially that they become haughty and unbearable with
their subjects, where to know how to command well, it is
necessary first to have learned to obey.

Chapter 33

OF THE SCHOOLS OF THE VENERABLE COMPANY OF THE
JESUIT FATHERS.

The Holy Spirit, of whom it is narrated in the Acts of the
Apostles, who appeared above the first believers in the form
of tongues of fire, gave us to understand by that visible sign,
that in the holy Catholic Church, which is governed and
governed by his providence, and continuous assistance,
tongues of fire are never lacking, that is, men fervent in
charity, and abundant in words, as it is said in the
Ecclesiastical hymn of that feast. Well it is true that in many
people these two qualities are not united, but separate and
disjointed, so that some have a tongue, that is doctrine and
eloquence, but not the fire of charity and great zeal for the
honor of God, and the health of souls, others weak and
simple burn with the fire of divine love, but do not have the
knowledge and eloquence to teach others. But just as the
Holy Church never lacks language or fire, that is to say,
holiness of life and integrity of doctrine, so also there is
never a lack of inflamed tongues, which have both one thing
and the other, although there is a small number of them
because of our sins. Now the Holy Spirit, admirable
craftsman, and rich in salutary inventions, who from time to
time has discovered for the benefit and ornament of the
Holy Church, in these last centuries of ours, the
ecclesiastical discipline being much relaxed, and the study
of the sacred letters in the secular clergy, aroused the spirit
of Ignatius of Loiola, born nobly in Biscay, a man truly,
according to his name, inflamed with the love of God, and
through him and his companions, founded the noble religion
of the Clerics, called the Company of Jesus, called the
Company of Jesus, which like a chosen vine, planted by the

heavenly farmer, has, as it is said in the psalm, filled the
earth, and covered the mountains with its shade, and spread
its palm trees, and its spread not only as far as the sea, but
in the new world, and in the most remote countries from
these ours, having brought in every place two fruits no less
timely than necessary, one the frequent preaching of the
word of God, and the other the frequency of the sacraments
of confession, and of the most holy Eucharist. Now among
the other excellent institutes and professions of this
venerable company, which strives to unite together those
two things of which we were speaking, that is, the fire of
charity and the tongue of learning, there is one which has
given us occasion to make this argument, namely, the
teaching of letters and good morals to children and youth,
which they do not deal with superfitially, and with an
appearance, but with much study and care, for which they
have public schools, where not mercenarily, but only for
love, and honor of God, they teach languages, and the
letters called humanities, and in some major colleges they
also read the Mathematical sciences, and Philosophy and
Theology for the most experienced students, but above all
they make sure that the children learn the Christian
doctrine, and in their early years together with the human
doctrines they drink the milk of the celestial doctrine, which
is more important, that is, of the holy fear of God, so that
they have a great obligation from our fathers of the family,
who where they have the convenience, they can certainly
send their children to the schools of these good fathers, for if
well they have many teachers, nevertheless they also have a
copy of teachers, and of repetents, and they distinguish the
pupils in certain classes, or we want to say teams, and as
separate bodies, according to the age, and the various
progresses in the letters, applying to each class its own, and
particular teacher, for which good order every confusion is
relieved, and many inconveniences are forbidden. In some
places these fathers also take care of some colleges and

seminaries of clerics, where they also admit pupils, called
boarders, who outside their father's houses, live
continuously under the discipline of the same fathers,
learning letters and customs. It was not to be ignored in this
discourse of ours, since in many cases it can be convenient
for the father of a family to send one or more children,
besides the fact that it not infrequently happens that the
father dies, and the children remain young, and the good
mother of the family can, at that time, provide sufficiently
for them to be brought up together, provide sufficiently for
them to be brought up in a Christian manner and to learn
letters according to their state and ability, so that with this
convenience of the boarding school governed, as has been
said, by the Jesuit fathers, many difficulties are explained
and facilitated.

And if this company alone were in charge of teaching the
children in all places, | could pass on some things quietly,
which | think I should remind the teachers of, but since they
cannot provide for everything, | will continue to discuss with
the others what | need to. And the first thing to remember is
this: that the teacher, desirous of doing his office well,
should inform himself diligently and in particular, of all the
ways that the Jesuit Fathers teach the children and instruct
them in good morals, because these good religious, through
constant practice, and through the great experience that
they have in the teaching of children, have a great deal of
experience in the teaching of children, and for the great
experience they have in the government of children, and
because among them there are always very noble minds,
and men of great prudence, they have made such a notomy,
so to speak, of things that it is difficult to add, or remove
anything.

Chapter 34

OF THE MASTER'S OFFICE, ABOUT GOOD AND CHRISTIAN
CUSTOMS.

It will not surprise anyone if, since it is my custom to reason
with the father of the family, | now enter into reasoning with
the master, since, as has been said elsewhere, the master
also takes the place of the father and it is not only his duty
to teach letters, but to form the tender soul of the child to
virtue, by good example, and with useful admonitions, no
less than the father himself; On the contrary, the father and
the teacher must be understood together, and, as is said by
proverb, they must help each other, so that the child may
recognize at home the master's teachings, and in the school
those of the father. And in short, a large part of good and
Christian education rests on the diligence of the teachers. In
this regard we have a notable decree of the last General
Lateran Council, which, so that the teachers may know
better their duty, it has seemed to me to record word for
word in this place, translating it from Latin into our
vernacular in order to observe the usual style; it says thus:
We believe that every age, from adolescence onwards, is
inclined to evil, and to accustom oneself from tender years
onwards to good, is a very important and effective thing,
therefore we state and order that the schoolmasters and
tutors not only teach and instruct their children, and instruct
their children in Grammar, and Rhetoric, and the like, but
they must also teach them the things that pertain to
religion, such as the divine commandments, the articles of
faith, the sacred hymns, and psalms, and the lives of the
saints. And on feast days they may not teach them anything
other than things pertaining to religion, and good customs,
and they are obliged to instruct them in these things, and to

exhort them, and to strive as far as they can to go to church,
not only to hear Mass, but also Vespers and the Divine
Offices, and likewise to encourage them to hear sermons and
sermons, and it should not be lawful for them to read to their
pupils anything contrary to good morals, or which leads to
impiety.

Up to this point these are words of the Decree. And although
the sacred Council of Trent has ordered that on feast days
children in each parish be taught the rudiments of our faith,
as they are called, and obedience to God, and to their father
and mother, it is not, however, that the teachers do not have
much field left, to promote the same undertaking and since
the spiritual, the carnal, and the teacher, all in their degree,
have the title of father, all must strive, and work so that the
child may succeed as one wishes. Therefore the good
teacher should set before his eyes not an earthly and
corruptible reward, but primarily the honor of God, and the
public utility, and he should not consider that he has a low
office in his hands, because not by his nature, but because
of some teachers of bad habits, and completely mercenary,
and greedy only for gain, and for such a false opinion of
many he is disheartened, but how can it be a cowardly thing
to lay the foundations, which then have to support all the
building of the highest sciences, and the mature goodness
of all the rest of life? Let our master, therefore, be blameless
and exemplary in life, and let him be such that the children
may see in him the image of true Christian goodness, and
the citizens may have him deservedly to be esteemed, and
to be reputed as the common father of their children.

Chapter 35

HOW TEACHERS MUST DAILY EXERCISE THEIR CHILDREN IN
CHRISTIAN PIETY.

The divine scripture says that the fear of God is the principle
of wisdom, but the good teacher should have as his main
concern to insert and nourish this blessed plant in the
tender soul of the child. It is not necessary to repeat in this
place the things that have been discussed in detail above,
from which the teacher will be able to take some instruction
in applying the memories that have been given to everyday
practice. But in order to touch on something more specific, |
say that so that the children may be accustomed to begin all
their activities in the name of God, and to commend
themselves to His Divine Majesty in all their needs, the
teachers must have in the middle of the school a venerable
image of the Blessed Mother of God, with her child in her
arms, and the more ornate and decently kept, the greater
the devotion, and when entering, each child must pay
homage to it, and then, before the beginning of the
readings, and the other exercises of the school, all together
genuflected, greet it devoutly by saying the Ave Maria, or
the Salve, not with too loud voices, that make a different
and indivisible noise, because of the children who do not
know how to tune in this way, but with a moderate and
uniform tone, and if it seems better, let one alone say the
prayer with gravity, listening to the others devoutly.
Likewise, in leaving to return home, let there be some sign of
thanksgiving and of dismissal from the Blessed Virgin
Mother, but let these actions not be very long. Often the
teacher encourages the children to be devoted to Our Lady,
the mother of purity, and to entrust themselves to her and
to her most sweet son, so that he may make them good, and

give them intellect, docility and memory, so that they may
learn well. And with these ways they gradually become
accustomed to making prayer; Saint Augustine writes about
himself, that being a little boy and having heard from
devout men, that there was God, who if well he was not seen
with the eyes, nevertheless he was present and heard our
prayers, and could help us in our needs, he used to
commend himself to him with great affection, so that he
would not be beaten in the school. Finally, the teacher can
in many ways train the child in the fear of God, and in the
works of virtue, and if the Persian children, when they went
to school, asked where they were going, answered that they
were going to learn justice, with how much more reason the
Christian child, should answer in the first place, that he goes
to learn the fear of God, and then the Grammar? And that
common use is not to be despised, and so ancient, that
perhaps the beginning is not known, and even if by chance
it might seem a light thing to some, it is not to be believed
that it was introduced without serious reason, that is, that
before the child pronounces the first letter of the alphabet,
he greets the Holy Cross, which as the Apostle says is our
glory, and the principal doctrine, that the Christian has to
learn, and to make profession of it.

Chapter 36

AS THEY MUST LIKEWISE EXERCISE THEM IN EVERY MANNER
OF VIRTUE.

And because, as has been said elsewhere, the things of the
cherubs, although small, represent the great things of men,
and among these children there are proportionately
negotiations, trades, contracts, promises, pacts, differences,
and quarrels, of which the teacher is the judge, he ensures
that they are accustomed to being truthful, not to swear, not
to swear, not to insult, not to strike, not to tower anything
violently, to render to each one his own, to conserve the
things lent them, so that they do not spoil them, nor worsen
them, to render thanks, to observe just promises, not to
slander anyone unjustly, and other such things, which the
master must define, and chastise the offenders, almost with
a Judicial form, trying to make the child, as far as possible,
capable of the just punishment, and likewise of the justness
of the sentence given by the teacher, and to be satisfied
with it, because if men speculate in the works of nature,
they have found it even in animals, and among the smallest,
such as bees and ants, they have found a form of republic
and justice, how much more so with men, who are more
sociable than all the other animals, and have continually to
bargain together, is it appropriate from early childhood to
introduce a good form of republic and to accustom them to
be just? The Greek writers write of the Persians, | mean of
those very ancient ones, that they taught their children
modesty, obedience to the magistrates, and to be continent
about eating and drinking, in the observance of which they
greatly benefited from the good example of their teachers,
and of the other elders, whom they also saw as obedient,
modest, and temperate. They also taught them justice, in

the way we have said above, the teachers sitting as judges,
and judging the complaints, and their accusations, such as
theft, robbery, violence, deception, insults of words, and
other things like that, chastising those who were convinced
to have done unjustly and not less chastising those who had
slanderously accused. And in particular it is narrated that
they judged among the children the sin of ingratitude, and if
they found that someone could have been grateful, and had
not done so, they punished him severely, having the opinion
that the ungrateful are negligent, and inconsiderate of doing
their duty to God, to their parents, to their homeland, and to
their friends, and they esteemed imprudence and
impudence to be the companion of ingratitude, which is
then a guide to all ugly and inhonest things. And if those
who did not know God, as we know Him, were so solicitous to
teach the children justice, by holding schools and daily
exercises of this, what must the Christian teacher do? For
surely it would be too serious an error to teach them to
speak properly according to the laws of Grammar, and not to
teach them to act justly according to the laws of God, as the
glorious St. Augustine cordially regrets in his confessions,
saying: “l am not a Christian, | am a Christian”. Augustine in
his confessions saying among many others these
affectionate words, Vide Domine Deus, vide quomodo
diligere observent filii hominum pacta literarum, et
syllabarum, accepta à prioribus locutoribus, et à te accepta
aeterna pacta perpetuae salutis negligant? /.e. See Lord
God, see how diligently the sons of men observe the pacts of
letters, and of syllables received from the first speakers, and
do not care about the eternal pacts of perpetual health that
they have received from you? It is not necessary to remind
the teacher in particular, that he should accustom his pupils
to good manners, honouring the elders, doing those acts of
reverence that are required of young people in good
standing, and keeping their whole body, and especially their
eyes and mouths composed, observing silence, and

guarding themselves from the slightest word that is not only
inhonest but also indecent, but also indecent, because
these, and other similar things everyone understands, that
are to be done, and above we have reasoned about it
sufficiently with the father of the family, but we also
mention it here, so that the teacher may compensate where
necessary, for the lack, or what | wish more, so that he may
help and promote the paternal diligence.

Chapter 37

OF THE OFFICE OF THE TEACHER ABOUT TEACHING, AND
FIRST OF ALL WHETHER BOOKS OF THE GENTILES ARE TO
BE ADMITTED.

It is no small impediment to the goal of good morals, which
as has been said many times, is the principal one, and must
go ahead of all other respects, that the understanding of
languages, and eloquence, and the knowledge of many
things must be learned from those ancient writers, who
worshipped the false Gods, so that having had no other
light, except that of nature, and this very much
overshadowed, their writings are full of false sentences,
about the human life, and very different from what our most
holy religion teaches us, as those who did not know any
higher end than the glory of this vain and fallacious world, |
leave to say of those who have written lascivious things, and
have made with beautiful and suitable words, so many nets,
that pull the simple minds in the vice. For there is no lack of
judicious men, who totally harm the reading to children of
gentile books, and it is certain that Saint Augustine does not
lightly lament that in his childhood, not having been taught
yet, for what reason he must truly weep, was vainly induced
to weep for the errors of a certain Aeneas, and to deplore the
death of Dido, who, as the poets have pretended, killed
herself for love, and in such a way, he says, he did not weep
for her errors, and for the death of the soul, whose death is
not to love God. The most holy man also grieved over this
impetuous torrent of human custom, by which they read in
his time, and it pleased God that ours too should not read of
the adulteries and a thousand choices of false Gods, almost
inviting the wretched youth to do the same things, as if by
so doing they were imitating heavenly Gods, and no longer

demons, or chosen men, such as those called false Gods by
the foolish people. But on the other hand it cannot be
denied, that the reading of the books of the Gentiles done
with wisdom, can bring much utility, and not only Moisé, and
Daniel, as we read in the sacred letters were very learned in
the sciences, and disciplines of the Egyptians, and of the
Babylonians, but also our holy Doctors, the lights of the holy
Church, saw the poets, and the Gentile orators, they read
the historians, learned their rhetoric, and were versed in
their Philosophies, but they did not read everything
indiscriminately, nor did they approve of everything equally,
but they knew how to distinguish the precious from the vile,
and being Christians, that is, followers, and disciples of the
true, and perfect, and highest wisdom, they did not serve
the doctrines of the Gentiles, nor did they oblige themselves
to follow their own errors; on the contrary, they made the
sharpness of the argument, the vividness of the poetic
flowers, the copy of speech, and every other beautiful and
good thing of the Gentiles serve the Christian religion and
the sacred Theology, because the light of natural reason and
intellect is a gift of God, and every truth that the Poets, the
Philosophers and the other profane writers have written, and
the other profane writers have written, either praising virtue,
or blaming vice, or dealing with the wondrous works of
nature, in short, whatever is true they have known, and said,
all is from God, and all that we can appropriate as something
due to us, that above the light of nature we have the very
clear light of faith, and we are its most just and legitimate
possessors. And as we read in the divine histories, that the
sons of Israel took the gold and silver vessels, and many
precious things, almost on loan from the Egyptians, and
stripped Egypt, according to the commandment of God, of
which gold, silver, and gems, they then made various
ornaments, and instruments of the temple, or true
Tabernacle, for the worship of the true God, so we must
convert into the service of God, and usefulness of our

neighbors, the gold of the doctrines, and the silver of the
eloquence of the Gentiles, and all that, which is beautiful,
and precious like gems, is scattered in their books. The
Christian schoolboy does not have to learn rhetoric to
oppress the poor, not to move the people to sedition, not to
persuade unjust resolutions through counsel; this art is not
to be in our Christianly educated young man the sword of
the furious, but rather the shield for the defence of the good
unjustly oppressed, and an instrument of justice, and of the
public good, and of the honour of God. Our child will not
learn to make verses to sing about impudent and lascivious
loves, nor to break the reputation of someone with curses,
but to praise the virtue and the honorable works of good
citizens, and to excite more easily with the harmony and
suavity of the verse the human hearts to the love of God,
and to the observance of the divine law. Basil says, that the
Holy Spirit found the psalms, that the holy David composed,
and assimilates the numbers, and the singing of the psalms
to the apple, that the wise doctor puts around the rim of the
vase, so that the sick person drinks the bitter medicine.

Chapter 38

OF THE CHOICE, AND ELECTION OF THE BOOKS THAT ARE
TO BE READ TO THE PUPILS.

We conclude therefore, as we began to say above, that the
books of the Gentile writers, should not be completely
excluded from the Christian schools, but that they should be
admitted with election, and with judgement, this was the
sentence of the great Basil no less holy than learned, who on
this same subject, wrote a gracious discourse to some young
scholars, his relatives, whose title is, Of the usefulness to be
derived from the reading of the books of the Gentiles. Where
he says that we must imitate the bees, who do not feed on
every kind of flower, and of those same ones, on which they
feed, they do not take all nourishment, but that purest part,
which is necessary for their work, and the rest they leave; So
we too, as prudent and discreet, must take what is true,
good and profitable from profane writers, throwing away the
rest, as useless dregs, and just as in the picking of the roses
we guard against the thorns, so it is appropriate that from
the writings and sermons of which we speak, we know how
to take what is useful, and reject what is harmful. Therefore
the good teacher must remember that the student whom he
teaches is a Christian, whose end is eternal life, which is
acquired by faith, which as the Apostle says, works for
pleasure, and for charity, observing the divine
commandments, so that everything that is contrary to this
end, and in any way can offend the integrity of religion, or
the goodness of morals, is to be fled as a plague. Therefore,
those poets who have written books of love and
lasciviousness, which corrupt good morals, as St. Basil
reminds us, and as the Lateran Council decrees in the above
mentioned decree, and lately the Holy Council of Trent in the

Roman Index of prohibited books, must be completely
banned. Saint Augustine says very well that in the books
and in the vain things, which his teachers read to him while
he was a child, he had learned many useful words, which,
however, could also be learned in the non vain things, and
that, he says, is the sure way, by which children should walk.
And in another place he complains about an impudent
narration of the Comedian, apt to kindle lust in a young
man, saying that those Latin words, with which that event is
described, would have been known if such a thing had not
been written down, and he concludes that Saint Augustine
does not reprove the words, which are like chosen and
precious vessels, but condemns the wine of error, and of
corruptions, which the Jewish masters give to drink in the
said vessels. Therefore the teacher should not be deceived
by the beauty of the Greek or Latin language, nor by the salt
and wit of epigrams and the like, but he should choose those
writers who have said good things in a good language. See
how the Jesuit fathers have purged some writers from places
dangerous for the youth. Let him not read extravagant books
and books of hard style, but the most approved ones, which
are few, and among others Cicero father of Roman
eloquence, a serious writer, and that very surely in many of
his books can be read, even as far as customs are
concerned, as in the book of friendship, of senility, nor
paradoxes, and others such, because the books called books
of philosophy are not for children, and nevertheless it is the
duty of the wise teacher, when he needs to, to demonstrate
the shortcomings of a man without the light of faith, even
though he is of great intellect and knowledge, who, puffed
up with himself very often allows himself to be lightly blown
about by the wind of this vain and fallen glory of the world;
But the Christian who knows that for himself he is dust and
ashes, does not become puffed up, but gives thanks to God,
from whom is all our suffi ciency, and knowing that the glory
of this world is a vapor, and a smoke that soon vanishes, he

does not regulate his affairs by this vain end, but by the
glory of God, to whom alone is due all honor and glory, the
Christian is not narrow, nor does he have a low heart for
great deeds, but rather he is enkindled by a generous desire
to do good works, and to help others, he disdains vice, and
embraces virtue, out of true love for the same virtue, and to
please God, in whose glory, in a most lofty way, all our glory
and happiness is contained. With these ways the good
teacher must correct, and make up for the defects of the
gentle writers, who, guided only by the weak light of nature,
have stumbled in many things, and often, when they say
something good, they do not arrive at the perfect truth.

Chapter 39

DE LO STUDIO DEL PARLAR ET SCRIVER LATINO.

| fear that | am not overstepping the terms, of the office that
I have taken on, while | am reminding the teacher of various
things, pertinent to the way of teaching, and | doubt that
anyone will not say, that this is a desire to be the teacher, of
the same teachers. However, it seems to me that this
consideration is very much in line with our main aim of
education, so | will not hesitate to add some other things in
the same regard.

There are some masters who train their pupils very much in
poetry, and in the verse and not very much in prose. For me
I do not deny that reading some poets, especially Virgil and
a few others of that century, is useful; it makes poetry and
poetical writing, the intellect more awake and lively; one
learns the number and quantity of syllables, which is very
useful for correct pronunciation and such things; But this
study of verse, if | am not mistaken, should not be the
principal food, but a condiment to the food, because in the
end, applying these things to the use of human life, in our
times, not to say always, little else is extracted from poetry,
other than pleasure; hence he said, that mediocre poets
cannot be suffered, where in the truly useful and necessary
things mediocrity is easily accepted. Poetry has another
problem, that if others immerse themselves in it too much, it
is like a mistletoe that holds back, and turns away many
times from the more serious studies, and too many young
people fall in love with it, and give themselves to writing
love affairs and the most vain things; For this reason it is
necessary to pay particular attention to the style with the
imitation of Cicero, and of the other few, more praised,

indeed a worthy man used to say, that one should not
introduce the putti immediately into the verse, but into the
prose; because, he said, versification is similar to those who
jump, and lie in the air, where the prose is similar to those
who go by step, and walk, which is given to us first by
nature, than jumping. Therefore, let the teacher instruct the
child in the understanding of languages, which are of great
use to the sciences, and exercise him in the reading of
Cicero, making him learn as much as he can in his mind, and
in giving the dictation, or suggestion as we wish to say, to
the putti, in order to explain it in Latin, take it from Cicero
himself; This will have two good effects, the first is that
certain low and vile concepts will be avoided, which for the
most part are usually given by teachers who are not so
shrewd, and on the other hand the putti will become
accustomed to serious sentences, which will then serve
them in civil commerce and in public affairs, of which Cicero
is full; the other utility will be that the Latin of the young
man will be corrected with that of Cicero himself, and
comparing one with the other, the teacher will have the
opportunity to better understand the difference between the
sweetest and most harmonious numbers, the most Latin
words, the most chosen elocutions, and the like. In my
opinion, it is also necessary to take up some study of our
vernacular language, which should be practiced daily as
much as anyone knows, and it is a great shame to see a
gentleman at this time, who does not know how to explain
his concepts in familiar letters, and it is easy to combine the
practice of these two languages, and not without benefit, by
translating places of good authors, of one into the other.

Chapter 40

HOW SOME IN THE STUDY OF WRITING LATIN OFFENDS THE
CHRISTIAN PROFESSION.

But returning to the Latin language, | say that | like not a
little, that our young man is making good progress in it, but |
would not like in any way, that he would be among those
who seem to have made an idol of his Lord Tullius, and so
much they make themselves his faithful observers, that ina
certain way they forget to be Christians. And for sure it is a
strange thing to see some people, who avoid saying
Christian voices and terms, as if they were rocks, just
because Cicero did not use them, and they use improper
words and sometimes ridiculous circumlocutions, rather than
speaking as Augustine, Hieronymus and the other saints, our
teachers, spoke, and as the Holy Church speaks all day long.
On this matter one could say a lot, and it would show, if l am
not mistaken, very clearly, that men, on the other hand
serious, have written with very inept manners, and have
said some not inconsiderable legerdemain, in order to obey
too much this surviving purity of Latin speech; and it would
also show how Saint Ambrose, and other very holy men have
condemned this custom, but | do not want to be longer.
Therefore, our judicious and Christian master should go by
virtue, and not obey these laws, which under the pretext of
fleeing barbarism, open the way to Gentileism. | praise the
Latin language, provided that the words are used for what
they are intended for, that is, to express things, and not, on
the contrary, that things have to obey the words. | praise the
study of eloquence, provided that this ancilla, together with
all the human faculties and sciences, serves, and is subject,
as is right, to the Queen, that is to divine wisdom, and to the
Christian religion.

Chapter 41

OF JOINING WITH THE READING OF THE GENTILES ANY
CHRISTIAN BOOK.

In order that our youngster, in his studies, may always
remember that he is a Christian, and that everything else
must be in keeping with this most eminent profession, the
teacher must, with the reading of the gentle books, add
some useful and praised Christian books, and in particular
the Roman Catechism, elegantly written, and in those parts,
which are more difficult, he will be able to take the gist of it,
and adapt it to the capacity of his students, but in particular
the exposition of the Dominical prayer, seems to me very
appropriate, and is full of excellent Christian teachings. And
since, as we have seen above, the Lateran Council decreed
that the lives of the saints should be read, | believe that, for
this purpose, the few that St. Hieronymus has left us, such
as those of St. Paul the First Hermit, and of Hilarion, as well
as the life of St. Martin, written by Sulpitio Severo, and also
the Ecclesiastical History, both of which, in my opinion, will
not harm the good language, but will undoubtedly benefit
good morals. In the same study of the lives of the saints,
although more briefly, our Prothonotary Pietro Gallesino has
worked with much praise, as can be seen in his copious
Martyrology, recently published, which is written in very
Latin. But in the matter of Rhetoric, an excellent book is the
Ecclesiastical Rhetoric of Monsignor Agostino Valerio, Bishop
of Verona, in which, besides being written purely and
elucidatingly, there is all the good of the Rhetoric of
Aristotle, of Cicero, and of the others, placed in a beautiful
order, and with clear brevity, but moreover the precepts of
the art are explained with Christian examples, and with very
useful sentences of the Fathers, for which | exhort our young

scholar, to make himself very familiar, and especially the
Clerics, for whom the Cardinal of Saint Prassede Archbishop
of Milan, had it written, procuring that great servant of God
with all possible ways, to raise many good workers in the
vineyard of the Lord. And because the teachers are used to
observe some of Cicero's serious sentences, in praise of
virtue, and reproach of vice, and to make the students learn
them by heart, which is a praiseworthy custom, it occurs to
me that St. Basil in his rules, reminds the teacher of his
novitiates, that instead of fables they should narrate to them
the stories of the wonderful things done by God, described
in the divine letters, and kindle them to virtue, with
sentences taken from Solomon's proverbs. And if the saint
was speaking for those who should be monks, it is
nevertheless a useful reminder for all kinds of children, since
from this seed, and from these plants, monks and religious
are also to be born, it is not necessary to give an example to
show how much the sayings of Sage are useful, and with not
mediocre sharpness sententious, since the whole book of
Proverbs, and that other one also called Ecclesiasticus, are
full of very useful moral sentences. However, if by chance
the teacher is not versed in the understanding of holy writ,
he should seek to understand them very well first, and to
penetrate to the depths of their meaning, with the help of
some good expositor, so that he may better enable his
pupils, although there are many that are very clear. And
then, incidentally, by quoting the above-mentioned place of
Saint Basil, he has mentioned fables, of which the putti are
very vague, and there are some that can be usefully told to
children, that is, those that the Greeks call Apologists, which
the others, truly useless fables, must be excluded. | need to
remember that Gabriel Faerno of good memory, made a
booklet in Latin verses, very well said, and they are for the
most part of that manner of verses, not very dissimilar to
prose, and | had this book printed the first time, and it
seems to me that our master will be able to use it at times

with his children, who will learn useful teachings and good
Latin with pleasure.

Chapter 42

OF THE EXERCISE OF MEMORY AND PRONUNTIA.

Someone used to say, that we know as much as we
remember, and certainly having a ready memory, and
remembering when necessary, both of things and of words,
is a very desirable quality, and of no small use in many
occasions. It is true that nature has a great part in it, and we
see from experience that, according to the variety of
complexions, some learn quickly, but do not retain, others,
on the contrary, later in learning, retain it better and longer;
the clear and suave voice, the distinct pronuntia, the
movement of the body, and the concerted and dignified
action is also a gift of nature; and nevertheless all these
conditions, together with the others, and with diligence, are
improved, if they are good naturally, and they are corrected
to a great extent, if they are defective, but especially the
memory, not only is preserved, and increases with practice,
but is also acquired. Therefore, even if in the child one sees
a harsh voice, an impediment of the tongue, and similar
other imperfections, the teacher must not immediately
consider the matter as hopeless, but with charity, patience,
and length of time, and more with comfort, and to
encourage the poor child, that with violence of beating, he
must prove to overcome nature, which is not impossible at a
tender age, when the defect has not taken root high, and is
not completely accustomed. It is said that Demosthenes,
prince of Greek orators, had such a manner of stammering,
which we see in many, that he could not utter the first letter
of his profession, that is, of Rhetoric; but with long practice
and fatigue, he did so much, that he then uttered it very
well, so that he rightly said, that obstinate fatigue conquers
all things. Now, in order to help and acquire the qualities we

mentioned above, that is, memory, pronunciation, and skill, |
believe that a good way of practicing will be for the child to
learn in his head some of Cicero's orations, some of which
are not very long, or part of some oration, and he recites it
with gravity, and with that composition, that one would
make speaking in a senate, or to the people, which, as we
said above, is also useful for the language, and the ears
become accustomed to the sound, and to the Cicero
number, and to that admirable position, and placement of
the words. And because the verses are learned more easily,
it will be possible to do the same exercise in some part of
Virgil, and it is better to say a smaller number of verses
compositely, as one who speaks in order to make himself
understood, than to recite a large number of verses,
devouring the words, and halving them in haste, as is
usually done, which, although good for exercising the
memory, is certainly very harmful for the pronunciation, and
for the attitude. It is also useful for this exercise to give
children a certain confidence in speaking in the presence of
many people, and not to be overly afraid of that silence,
when only one person has to speak, all the others are silent,
and keep their eyes fixed on the speaker, which to some
untrained people can cause no small fear; From hand to
hand our pupil will be able to compose his own reasoning,
and, walking further from the confines of the school, will
come out into the open of the auditorium and public places.

Chapter 43

OF EMULATION AMONG THE CHILDREN.

And because the emulation among young people, who
practice the same studies, is an incentive, which awakens
negligence, and makes others work with ardor, and with all
the virtue, and not remissly, therefore the teacher will make
one or the other of his children practice, putting themina
certain way in comparison, and so that those who do less
well, with the imitation of the best can make profit, For this
reason it can also be useful to offer them some rewards, as
St. Basil recalls, speaking in this same regard about the
exercise of memory, but the teacher should warn them that
modest emulation should not turn into envy and hatred
among them, exhorting them to be diligent, so that they will
not be inferior to those who often trust in the vivacity of
their intellect and are less fatigued; It is also useful at times
to select a putto who is better educated and well dressed,
and to give hima certain understanding of a few putti, so
that a noble desire may be kindled in him to do well in his
own little regiment, and in other similar ways it is useful to
nourish a virtuous and generous emulation in the children,
as the judicious master will see fit to do.

Chapter 44

OF THE SLICING, AND OF THE ORDER.

Lastly, | do not want to forget to say that in the voice and in
the gestures of the body, not only hardness and deformity
must be avoided, but also every gesticulation and
affectation, and a certain way of speaking that is too
pronounced, that lacks that decorum and virile gravity
required of a good speaker. And not only in the voice, and in
the gestures, as we have said, but much more in the
concepts, and in the forms of speaking, all lightness and
affectation must be avoided, and a grave simplicity
followed, not inculturated and without ornamentation, but
without smoothness. If a certain redundancy and abundance
of colors and rhetorical vagueness is not a bad sign for
ingenious youngsters, it is however to be hoped that the
teacher’'s judgement will gradually overcome certain
superfluities, so that as they grow older, they will also be
able to write and speak, In this regard, a great orator said
well, quoting another of the same profession, who, being
already old, retained the same way of speaking, which he
had held as a young man, Remanebat idem, sed non
decebat idem, that is, he remained the same, but the same
did not suit him.

And since we have spoken of memory, we must not forget to
say that order is one of those things that greatly aids
memory, and | have seen a person who naturally has no
great memory, and yet by means of order, distinguishing the
subject he had to deal with from its principal parts, and then
dividing each part into its parts, and making like a tree, from
whose trunk certain major branches and then others minor,
he was able to make his memory in this way, and dividing

each one into its parts, and making like a tree, from whose
trunk some major branches were separated, and then others
minor, he came in this way to make a local memory,
whereby he happily made, and still makes, long and serious
arguments. Order is a straight collocation of the parts, each
one in its proper place, so that there is beauty and comfort
in everything, and some philosopher has said that in this
great machine of the universe, the most beautiful and best
thing is order; Therefore | wish that our young man, not only
for the help of his memory, but for a thousand other good
respects, be a friend of order, accustoming himself as a child
to keep his books, his writings, his dressing room in good
order, which good habit of doing everything in an orderly
fashion cannot be said to be of any benefit to the family, in
the expediency of the negotiations, in the good dispensation
of time, and finally in all the activities, just as confusion, in
speaking, and in writing, and in the private, and public
government brings very serious inconveniences, so that
deservedly in our vulgar language, everything badly done,
and harmful, we call disorder.

Chapter 45

IF ALL CHILDREN MUST LEARN LETTERS.

I am convinced that our father of the family will not have
taken it amiss that | have not reasoned with him for a long
time, but only with the master, since this was done by me
only for the benefit of his children. Now it could be that he
wished to know, if all the children have to learn grammar,
and to make progress in the letters, as it seems that up to
now we have assumed, and if the female children must also
learn letters in the same way. To which interrogation of our
father of the family | reply, that the City is like a body
composed of various Members, which have various
operations, and pious, and less noble offences, but all
necessary for the sustenance of the body, and if the whole
body were only one more noble member, as for example if it
were all eyes, already as the Apostle says, it would no longer
be a body; Then, applying the simile to our purpose, there is
no doubt that the civil community, in order to preserve
itself, needs many kinds of men, and that they do different
exercises, such as farmers, artisans, merchants and many
others, so that not all of them can, nor should be literate, if
there is need of these, it seems to me, however, that it would
be a useful and praiseworthy thing, that children of any
condition, even of a very humble one, should learn at least
these three things, that is to say reading, writing, and
numbering, because if they learn these things with not
much effort, at least mediocrely, they are then useful
throughout life for many uses, so also because in that first
age, because of the weakness of the body, one can hardly do
anything else, and one comes to give a useful occupation to
childhood, and other good effects are made about
education, by going to school, as can be gathered from the

things said above, Indeed, | believe it would be expedient,
that those children who have to attend to commerce, and to
certain major arts be introduced to grammar, and have some
understanding of the Latin language, because it is a
condition, which can often be useful in commerce, with
foreign nations, and in many other ways. As for the sons of
the noble and rich, there is no doubt that it is very good that
they make good progress in human letters, and know how to
speak and write Latin, and understand orators and historians
and the like, and | also mean those who are not able to
advance in faculties and sciences, nor to become doctors,
because letters are a great ornament of a gentleman, and in
the magistrates of the homeland, and in the councils and
congregations that are made for pious places and other
public things, where lawyers are often heard, and in the
election of Ambassadors to send out, and in many other
occasions, that it would take a long time to say, the greater
advantage will always be had by a gentleman of
understanding, than by another who is an equal idiot.
Besides this, by means of the letters, one learns many things
useful to human prudence, and it is not enough to say that
there is a great number of books translated into the
vernacular; for one who knows only how to read, does not
arrive at a perfect understanding of the concepts of the
author, and often they will succeed in being a little less
obscure than if they were Latin. But as it is, cognition is an
excellent thing, and how can a noble and rich young man
best spend his time until his fifth or eighteenth year? I leave
it to say, that letters are a sweet companion in all places,
and at all times, and are a salutary diversion from many
ways of not very honourable entertainment, and especially
in old age letters are a great comfort, when every other way
of lawful enjoyment is not as pleasant as it used to be, and
sometimes infirmities occur, which keep one at home for a
long time, and do not prevent one from studying, which
makes that indisposition much less troublesome and boring.

Add to this, that when our young man will have become a
father of a family, he will be able, by means of this quality,
to help his children all the more; and finally with the reading
of pious and holy books, the love of God is kindled and
maintained, and one finds no small consolation in the
afflictions of this miserable life, if one does not deny that
there are also many good and devout books written in our
vulgar language, which can be read by those who are less
knowledgeable. And this must be said about the male
children.

Chapter 46

WHETHER FEMALE CHILDREN SHOULD BE MADE TO LEARN
LETTERS.

As for the females, it seems to me that generally speaking,
they have to proceed in a completely different way; and as
for those of humble and poor condition, there is no need for
them to know how to read; those who are of average
condition, certainly do not disdain knowing how to read; but
as for the nobles, who must then be mothers of families of
larger houses, | would praise in any case, that as was said
above, they learn to read and write, and to number
mediocrely. But that together with their children and under
the discipline of the same teachers, they should learn
languages, and know how to pray and write, | for my part do
not approve of it, nor can | see what use it may be, either for
the public good, or for the particular good of the same
spinsters, indeed | fear that since the female sex is vain by
nature, it does not become all the more arrogant, and that
the women want to make a teacher, contrary to the precepts
of the Apostle Paul, Moreover, it can happen that, since the
father and mother have a certain ambition, because of the
rarity of the thing, they cherish the fact that it is known, and
they make them speak with literate men, so that occasions
arise to take an interest in someone, more than is
appropriate, especially by means of vague compositions,
and where there is a certain conformity of minds, and of
studies, the souls are softened, and the hidden flames are
nourished in the breast, which then often make miserable
fires; However the good father of a family should be content
that his daughter knows how to say the Offence of the
Blessed Virgin, and read the Lives of the Saints, and some
spiritual books, and in the rest she should attend to

spinning, and sewing, and to the other women's exercises, of
which we see that the holy scripture praises the virile and
strong woman, in whose diligence, and solicitude, and good
government of domestic affairs, her husband's heart rests,
and of her the holy scripture says at the end. de' proverbii,
Quaesivit lanam, et linum, et operata est consilio manuum
suarum, in which words the Sage praises the diligent woman
who promptly does the exercises appropriate to her Sex, as
in the works of wool, and linen, and in these matters with
the artifice of her own hands she toils; and many other
similar things the Sage says in that place, describing an
excellent mother of the family. Therefore, concluding this
part, if we do not deny that every rule can suffer some
excesses, we say however that the best advice is commonly
speaking, that women should be content with the proper
officies of the female sex, and leave to men those of the
male sex.

Chapter 47

OF THE NECESSITY AND UTILITY OF RECREATION.

It is an ancient proverb, and very true, that the bow that is
always outstretched slows down, and becomes less able to
shoot. It is not possible to tire oneself continually, but one
needs rest and recreation, which, taken opportunely and
with the due measure, not only does not harm, but brings
much benefit, because as the very name of recreation makes
us understand, the forces of the body and the soul are
renewed and in a certain way are reborn again, so that we
return more lively and vigorous to our usual activities; But
the philosopher said that rest and play, which resembles rest
and rest, are necessary things in life; and another
Philosopher said, that playing for the purpose of studying
was also very well done, so that not only for secular men,
but also for religious, it is not only licit, but sometimes
necessary to have some honorable recreation, and it is a
lack of justice to be scandalized by it, as some laymen do;
which can be easily proved by examples of saints of the
highest perfection, who sometimes rested a little while
Joking with birds, and in other such ways; and it is not long
since | heard a suitable similitude in this matter said to a
great religious, who had retired for a few days from very
serious affairs to the villa; that it is not a waste of time when
the curtain is drawn, so that it may cut better; but what
more? We have the example of the master of masters Christ
our Redeemer, of whom St. Mark the Evangelist writes, that
when the Apostles had returned from preaching in the
surrounding places, and from doing other things, according
to what the Saviour had commanded them, and narrating to
the most blessed master what they had done, he with those
hearts of love, more tender than those of a mother towards

her little son, said to them these sweet words: Come, let us
retire apart to a solitary place, and rest a while. Showing us
on the one hand the necessity, and on the other hand the
moderation, with which one must use this medicine of
recreation, because recreation is not an end, nor must it be
chosen for itself, but for the reason of working, so that those
who immerse themselves so much in games and
entertainment, that it seems they think of nothing else, are
useless, and foolish, and worse than cherubs.

Chapter 48

OF THE RECREATIONS AND GAMES OF THE CHERUBS.

If, therefore, as we have said, recreation is necessary for
mature men, how much more so must we allow it for putti,
who by nature are greatly inclined to it, and do not yet have
so much wisdom and perfect maturity, which would make
them stable, and because of the tenderness of the body,
instrument of the soul, they cannot persevere for so long in
the same work, and like those who have lively and subtle
spirits, are very fond of movement, and do not seem to be
able to remain still. And undoubtedly the movement and
agitation of the body benefits them admirably; because the
natural heat is awakened, and dilating throughout, gives
growth and perfection to the limbs, which with jumping,
running, and with various movements are strengthened, and
acquire greater agility, and robustness, so that the games of
the cherubs, and of the youngsters, should not be done
sitting or idly, but with exercises of the body, as has been
said of jumping, and of running, and it can be said of the
ball game, which is much praised by physicians, if well it
seems to me that too much continuous movement is done
there, and soon the sweat is broken, so that what they call
the trick, seems to me better, and other similar ones, which
are a combination of movement, and of quiet, having to take
care, that for too much exercise, the forces do not dissolve,
or in other ways incur any danger to health. For this reason
it is right that the fathers of families, and the teachers,
should give their children and pupils the opportunity to
recreate themselves, but this should not be at their own
discretion and satiety, but limited according to the
discretions of the superior, at his proper time and also in
appropriate places, for | would be very pleased if the

children were accustomed to having a certain verecundity in
public places, and frequented, because while playing, the
clothes are taken off, sometimes voices are given, and some
shouts, and other things are done, that the nature of the
game implies, that if well they do not go out of the terms of
modesty, and honesty, however in the public streets they
are somewhat disreputable, and one acquires a certain habit
to not care that others see us say, or do openly what we are.
Where it seems to me that already rather large putti should
be accustomed to have a certain respect, in places where
everyone converses, as one who considers that his words
and actions are seen and noticed by many, and therefore it
is not possible to do anything but serious, and composedly,
which is required more in those who are born more nobly.
And for this reason, where in our own houses there is the
convenience of some remote room, or of gardens and similar
open places, | judge that our children of the family will be
able to recreate there very comfortably, and will have less
occasion to mix with other children, who perhaps might not
be brought up with the same discipline, to which, as has
been recalled for other purposes, we must always have no
mediocre regard. And because it is beneficial to the whole
group, especially in respect of the head, to be accustomed
to the sun and free air, it is expedient to lead the children
sometimes to the vineyards, and to the meadows, and on
some hills, where the prospect alone, and the vagueness of
the view admirably recreates, and where the solitude, and
remoteness of the place, gives greater facility to the
youngsters to play their honorable games, without prejudice
to modesty.

Chapter 49

SOMEBODY'S ASSISTANCE WHILE THE CHERUBS PLAY.

The game is a way of combat, and of contentment, where
each one, if he is not of very slow intelligence, aspires to
victory, which by nature is a sweet and desirable thing, and
therefore the affections, and passions of the soul are moved
in various Ways, so that conforming acts follow, which in
children are like certain dispositions, both for virtue, and for
its contrary, For some are fraudulent in their games, others
are angry and heated in their disputes and contradictions,
they say insulting and rude words to their companions, and
sometimes they strike and hate each other, and they make
jokes among themselves, like contrary sects, others swear
and perjure themselves, others say inappropriate words, or
laugh and shout strangely, and they do other things very
licentious and dissolute, that it is not necessary to descend
to greater particulars, especially that every hour one sees
these experiences in the squares, and in the districts, where
the putti play at the mixture, and do, and say everything
that pleases them, and that the sense and the passion
suggests, without restraint, nor any respect, so that in
exchange for recreating themselves, in order to be able to
work more diligently, it follows that they learn a thousand
bad manners, and become insolent and licentious, and then
from the mouths of children who are, as is said by proverb,
shorn of milk, are heard words of blasphemy and inhonesty,
which are too serious for well-bearded men. So it happens
that the medicine of recreation becomes venom, while there
is no one who takes any care of poor childhood, that it
seems almost, that we are a people without law, without
order, and any discipline, and that we live at random, and
not less than we can freely go around the streets of the City,

so that in what pertains to the customs, it is lawful for
everyone to walk where he likes. We read in the Greek
histories, that it was the custom of the Lacedaemonians,
that the old men attended the games of the cherubs,
observing with diligence from the debates, and their
complaints, what was the nature of each, and making
judgments, what success they were then to do. And passing
from pueritia to adolescence, the old ones had more the eye
on them, and more ordinarily they found themselves in the
places where they made their armies, now in the shape of
fights, since the form of that Republic was very inclined to
war, and now in other ways of games, and recreations. And
the historians write that the old men used to do what has
been said, not only for a certain amount of time, but with
such diligence, and affection, as if they had been fathers,
masters, and governors of all those youngsters, so that, as
the same writers say, there was never any time, nor place
where there was not some present of authority, who could
admonish, take back, and punish the youngsters if they had
committed any foul deed. And beyond all this there was a
principal man, who had the title of governor, and the
particular responsibility for their care. Now who would say,
that when the children take their recreation, there should be
present some father of the family, for whose reverence, and
in the gestures, and in the words they would be deported
with all modesty, and to whose judgment in the complaints,
and disputes they would all remain, and the same proportion
should be observed with those of greater age, as at certain
times they make like companies, and make some public
recreations, so that also in the game, and in the exercises a
certain honesty, and discipline would shine through;
whoever would want to introduce such a custom as an
ordinary thing in our times, would be considered an inventor
of strange things, not to say ridiculous, and it would be
impossible to put them into practice. Therefore, so that no
one will say that | have taken too great a charge, and

certainly not from my own shoulders, to want to remake the
world, | beg at least those few fathers of families, who wish
to govern their children with somewhat greater care than
the common use, and likewise the good teachers, that if the
things said above have any probability of being right, they
do not leave their youngsters without custody, while they
play their games, so that through little caution recreation
does not destroy what is being built up with study, and
effort in the rest of good education.

Chapter 50

OF REPRESENTATIONS.

It is a useful and delightful way of recreation, especially for
the young scholars, that which many religious use to do,
that is, that some human action is imitated and represented
by the same children, as if they were those same persons,
who at other times really were, or it is presumed that they
were operators of that action, and without doubt this is a
way of comedy, but adapted to more serious, and more
fruitful subjects, such as the lives of saints, and other similar
ones, which can give example, and instruction of true virtue;
so that the ridiculous impurities, even if under cover, must
be completely banished, and only some pleasant and
honorable salts can take place. And | would believe that it is
well done, that the action that is taken to be represented is
totally of men, and there is no part of a woman, if not
perhaps of some old matron, of exemplary sanctity, and one
must have a very good eye from the one who orders such
representations, that there are no amatory narrations, nor
anything else, that could effeminate the souls of the young
people, who in the rest, in my opinion, do not have much
need to obey the laws of the Comedy, neither as regards the
number of the actors, nor other such observances, because
this is nothing but a game, whose aim is to recreate the
youth, with some fruit of the soul; However, whether it is
said in the vernacular or in Latin, it must be composed
judiciously and with such elegance, that even in this part
one can profit from it, just as it is useful to exercise memory,
alertness and aptitude, and children acquire facility and
readiness to be able to reason in the presence of others, and
they come to dress a certain virile person, and other similar
good effects follow. However, it is necessary to take care that

the recreations are not distracting from the main studies,
and that they do not waste too much time. And then, when
the representation is made, it is necessary to avoid any
tumult, as it almost necessarily happens, where there are
many people, that there are always such, who do not
observe the due honesty, and modesty, and therefore it is
better that these things are done withdrawn, among the
same condisciples, in the presence of the teachers, and of
good fathers of families, and of some few serious persons,
and costumed, but totally removed the women.

Chapter 51

OF THE HONORABLE MUMBLE.

Among the honorable recreations that well-created and
civilized men are wont to have among themselves, ceasing
for a while from serious business and occupation, there is
one, which consists in a certain pleasantness of reasoning,
sweetly mouthing words, and knowing how to give and
receive with wisdom and dexterity, without uttering
inhonest words, and not attacking the friend with whom
they are mouthing; which is not so easily done by everyone,
indeed as the Moral Philosophers have well considered,
many often leave the middle way, in which this virtue of
pleasantness, or urbanity, as we like to say, consists,
because some abound more than is appropriate in ridiculous
and false mottos, and do not care about offending others,
and even do not forgive themselves, provided that they
provoke laughter, which excess is harmful, and sooner
deserves the name of buffoonery; but on the contrary there
are some others who are so rustic and harsh, that when they
find themselves in honest company, not only do they not
say any witty or kind words, but if they do, they have no
taste for them, and sooner or later they are attracted by
them, which excess, contrary to the first, can be called
rusticity, and such unpleasant men are unfit for the
conversation of friends, which they have for pleasure. Now
as we see that there are the harmful extremes of too much
and too little, so we understand that there is a virtuous way,
when one jokes and jokes with moderation and dexterity,
such as is appropriate for a modest and discreet man, so
that his facetiousness, and pleasantness are of a different
kind, than those of the jesters, and of the vile, and plebeian
men, and one sees in them a certain kindness, and wit

without insulting anyone, and without offending his own
gravity, and decorum. Therefore it is expedient that this way
of modestly mocking is sometimes one of the recreations of
our children, especially in the presence of the teacher, who
sometimes corrects the too sharpness of some, and
sometimes the too severity and coarseness of others, who
have no salt. The Lacedaemonians had the custom of eating
together, and they made their children come there, as if to a
school of temperance, and there among other things they
learned with the example of their elders this virtue, of
mocking each other pleasantly, without however harshly
punching each other, and without frowning, so that it was a
very proper thing of that nation, because of this habit made
by childhood, that very easily they knew how to endure a
facetious puncture, and a burlesque shot. This is necessary
to do with some little children, to break them, and make
them more tractable, as it was reminded elsewhere to the
father of the family, speaking of the pleasures that are said
at the table, because if it is true, that one should not joke in
such a way that pierces, and causes pain, it is also true, that
one should not be so sensitive, that for every slight puncture
one has to come to blows, and break friendship, so that in
human life, and conversation, not all of us, should be able to
live in the same way, and human conversation, not all speak
always with that weight, and with that measure, that would
be convenient, although to tell the truth they do not have to
impose in human commerce, such strict laws that one has
always to weigh every word, so it is great prudence to know
how to disissimulate and bear with sweetness and even take
pleasure, when such things happen, and to this, as we have
said, getting used as a child helps a lot. It also happens that
mottos made in time and prudently are like medicines for
some not very serious defects. And among some religious
people, they use, although rarely, this way of recreation for
the benefit of the young people, so that one of them, who is
more able to play the game, takes pleasure in reasoning,

and with some invention, which at first seems far away, he
goes skilfully outlining, and pinching this or that one on
some defect, and he does it with such pleasantness, that
laughing the others, he laughs the same one, who feels
pricked, and has reason to amend himself, and his
companions to be more cautious. In short, a man of a sweet
and pleasant nature is the seasoning of companies, and they
have the effect of attracting to themselves the souls of
others, so that if he is a sweet and good man, who seeks the
honor of God, as should be sought by all, it will be possible
for him, by divine grace, to lead many to the path of virtue,
as | could enclose an example of religious men, and of great
spirit, which should not seem surprising, since man is a tame
animal, and therefore very apt to be led where others will, by
love and pleasantness.

Chapter 52

ABOUT MUSIC.

It seems to me that in the same number of honourable
recreations we can include music, of which the ancient
philosophers held music in the highest esteem, believing
that music was very important for customs, and according to
the variety of it, the souls were variously altered and
became more disposedì, and inclined to virtue, or to vice,
and memorable examples are also recounted by Greek and
Latin historians, and Latin historians recount memorable
examples of the efficacy of music, and if in our times it does
not seem that we see such notable effects, nevertheless we
cannot deny that the lascivious and soft songs, and on the
contrary the serious songs, and full of honesty, especially
when the words, and the harmony are united, imprint in our
souls a certain quality conforming to that sound. Therefore,
not without great reason the Holy Church uses in the sacred
temples the chant, as that which moves to devotion, soothes
the soul, and relieves it more easily to the contemplation of
the celestial things, as the authority of very serious, and
very holy Doctors, and the experience itself shows us.
Therefore, it seems to me that it is only right that our child
learns a little bit of music, just enough for a little bit of
honourable pleasure, and not to become a musician, | say
speaking generally that it is not denied that some people
must go ahead in this art, so that they can become excellent
musicians. However, the wise father of the family must be
warned, as he is always reminded, that this recreation must
be understood without prejudice to good morals, and
therefore the condition of the teacher must be taken into
consideration, and that on this occasion no unsafe persons
be brought into the house, but that music be played among

the family members of the house, not as something of great
importance, but for a game, and brief entertainment, such
compositions should not be sung, nor rhymes, that could
inflame the soul with carnal fire, but more quickly psalms,
and some divine songs, which by the work of the fathers of
the Congregation of the Oratory of Rome, were printed not
long ago, that there are affectionate, and moral things, that
nourish the spirit, and the love of God, and can be sung by a
few, and with mediocre intelligence, and such songs are
much better, and more usefully learned by children, and
household servants, and also by female children, to recreate
themselves while they do their work, than the vain rhymes
of novels, and other amorous compositions, which in the
rest, as for the female children | am not of the opinion that
they must learn other music, than that which the same
nature teaches them, because the feminine honesty does
not imply that they come in concert with men, and the
voices and songs can more easily dissolve in them the
vigour of the soul, and for the same reasons I do not praise
learning to play, since it is not without danger to learn that
which is done by men. And finally, their daughters are not to
be denied the honourable recreations appropriate to their
sex, but more rarely, and without the intervention of men,
under the good care of their mother, and with all that
caution that is required of feminine chastity and virginity.

Chapter 53

OF THE DANGERS OF ADOLESCENCE.

It is not a small undertaking to raise such a man, who lives
for the glory of God, for the common benefit of other men,
and the health of himself, it is not possible to gather such
valuable fruits without much effort, therefore it is necessary,
that the industry of our father of the family does not slow
down, but trusting mainly in divine grace, proceeds
vigorously going forward to meet the dangers that from
hand to hand, and from age to age succeed. Saint Augustine
weeps bitterly for the sins of his adolescence, which is the
age that follows pueritia, beginning after the fourteenth
year, and continuing until the twenty-first, or thereabouts,
and he regrets that his parents did not take care to support
him, so that he did not fall into the abyss of lust, ensuring
only that he learned to speak well, and succeeded in the
study of eloquence. Not so our father of the family, but
besides having foreseen from afar the storms of this age,
and having applied many remedies, and aids, as in his
places we have remembered, he will not abandon the helm
of his son's care in the same danger, indeed he will watch
over him more than ever. This is a very dangerous age, not
unlike the fading and binding of the fruit of the trees, of
which the poets and sages of the world have said that
adolescents are eager, greedy, and daring to try the things
they desire, if their greed is fast, and often contrary to each
other, and they change from one hour to the next, arising in
them new desires and soon satiating themselves from the
first. So they resemble the thirst caused by the ardor of
fever, they are devoted to the pleasures of the hunt, and to
the horses, they do not take care of money, they think little
of useful and necessary things, they do not willingly listen to

those who admonish them, and resume, they are easy to be
deceived, and like soft wax they are bent to sin, they stay
willingly in the company of others of the same age, and
easily contract friendships for the occasion of pleasures, and
loneliness, being friends of laughter, and of games, and
many other things are said, and they can say about the
nature of the young adolescents, but the most serious
enemy of them, as the Philosophers have known, is the
incontinence of the flesh, by which they are more infested,
and they usually make less resistance, and this is the rock
where most of the miserable youngsters, are shipwrecked, as
we see all day long by experience, and more in those who
remain without government, either by death or also by little
care of the father, or of other relatives. And certainly if a
good education has not preceded this age, and if the fear of
God and the love of virtue have not taken root in the soul of
the young man, it is difficult, if not impossible, for him to be
victorious, in the greatest and most intense boiling of blood,
over this domestic adversary, with whom, as some saint
says, there is a continual struggle and rare victory. And it is
well to apply to this matter the saying of St. Paul, that what
others have sown, the same will sow, and whoever has sown
in the flesh, from the flesh will sow corruption, | mean that if
the child has not been accustomed to bear the yoke of
discipline, when the sense was less strong, nothing else can
be expected in the following age, when the same sense is
more robust, and is stimulated by more powerful objectives,
if not license and dissolutione, so if well the sins of
adolescence are greater, and more evident, they have
however a higher beginning, that is from the same poorly
educated pueritia, as elsewhere has been said abundantily.
But our father of the family, who, beginning as we say, while
his son was still in swaddling clothes, and then continuing
for a long succession of years as we have seen up to now,
will have with all solicitude attended to this noble culture,
has to be of better will, and hope in God, that most of the

difficulties are already overcome; However, do not let him
sleep, so that the enemy in the midst of his good grain,
according to the Gospel parable, does not sow tzania, but is
vigilant, as has already been said, continuing the style of
the used diligence, and adding new ones, according to the
greater need, which I will discuss a little more distinctly.

Chapter 54

OF THE CONTINUATION OF THE CHRISTIAN ARMIES, AND OF
THE REVERENCE TOWARDS THE FATHER.

Therefore, let the first reminder be that the virtuous and
Christian exercises, in which our young man was brought up
from his earliest years, should not be interrupted, but rather
should increase, it being right that now that he has greater
Judgment, and knows God more clearly, and his innumerable
benefits in the person of himself, the more you love Him and
the more you are a diligent observer of His holy
commandments, so that the holy institutes of frequenting
the sacraments remain firm and steady, which keep us
united with God, which confer on us the grace and virtue of
resisting temptation, and give the soul a spiritual reflection,
so that it is less greedy of going begging for false delights
through the dissipated cisterns of these senses. At this time
the advice and comfort of the wise confessor are more useful
and necessary than ever, to whom the young man humbly
recounts his struggles and fights and receives a thousand
salutary warnings, not unlike a new soldier to an
experienced veteran, and this same obedience, and the
same obedience made to the spiritual father not only by way
of confession, where it is undoubtedly most effective, but
also outside the sacrament by way of conferring, and asking
for help, and advice, and recommending oneself to his
prayers, is most grateful to God, and the young man will
always leave the talks of his spiritual father comforted, and
refreshed in spirit. This good confessor, having already
known the young man for a long time, will steer this boat
through the waves of various temptations like a pilot ship, as
he will see fit, and according to his advice he will encourage
the young man to frequent the Most Holy Eucharist, the

strongest weapon against all the devil’s blows, and
especially against the flesh. We say the same about the
preservation of the other good Christian institutes, that is,
the frequency of the divine offices, of hearing the word of
God often, of the most useful study of prayer, of reading, of
the good and devout books, which are like oil in the vessel
of our heart, and they keep alight the devotion, and the fire
of the love of God, and of other things of which the soul has
no less need to maintain itself in the spiritual life and vigor,
than the body has need of the material food to maintain
itself in the temporal life. He also warns the father of the
family to maintain with his son the usual paternal authority
and reverence, so that the same son does not realize in a
certain way, in this part, that he has come out of a child, if
the father does not however have to treat him in everything
as ifhe were a child, which requires great prudence,
because it is better to walk a certain way, not roughing up
the young man, so that he does not harm love, nor less
treating him too indulgently so that he does not harm fear,
but keeping a serious and moderate tone, not leaving the
bridle of government, but slowing it down a little in place
and time, so that the son may always keep alive the
disposition to obey his father, and the appreciation of his
commands, and finally, in every way, the filial fear may be
maintained in him, so that it may always be like a brake on
him not to do anything, which may offend, or give disgust to
his father, on the contrary, he may be pleased to give him
contentment and satisfaction.

Chapter 55

HOW SPETIALMENTE IN ADOLESCENCE ARE DANGEROUS
EVIL PRACTICES.

Although in more than one place above, for various
purposes, we have discussed the practices, and
conversations, nevertheless, because of the great
importance of the matter, and because in this age,
especially of adolescence, there is great danger, | could not
fail to expressly remind in this place our father of the family,
that he should keep an open eye on it. And because, as has
been said, this age is disposed to make friends, and loves
company, it is to be well warned, that some dissolute young
man, either for the sake of companionship in his licenses, or
for the hope of secretly obtaining through the youngster, the
family father's wealth, or for other less honourable ends,
does not insinuate himself, and intrude into the goodwill,
and domesticity of our simple and credulous son; Because
these people subtly observe the natures, and the appetites
of the youngsters, whether they be for games, or horses, or
other such things, and propose to them that bait which can
attract them more, and in particular the carnal pleasures,
which are the net, which more easily takes them, and more
strongly holds them. With these and other artifices,
therefore, having ensnared the wretched young man, the
unfaithful companions and false friends then lead him
wherever they wish in every principle of sin, making no
resistance whatsoever. Saint Augustine writes at length in
the books of his most humble confessions, written, as we can
believe, by that great saint through the particular
providence of the Holy Spirit, to the greater crown of his
humility, and for the instruction and caution of many, he
writes, | Say, and mourns for various grave troubles of his

soul, which he received in the age of which we are speaking,
from the commertio of bad and vicious companions of his,
and among other things he says, that he had come to such
blindness, that he was ashamed to do things not ashamed of
his other contemporaries, whom he heard boasting about
the dishonesty they had committed and the more guilty
they were, the more they gloried in it, so that he did not
seem to be less than them, he wanted to sin, not only for the
sake of sin, but for the sake of being praised for it, and for
the sake of vice, which alone is vituperable, he sought
praise, and when he really had no way to match their
dissolution, he pretended to have committed what he had
not committed, considering himself all the more vile and
cowardly the more innocent and chaste he was. He also
narrates that guided by the same companions, he led
himself at night time to a garden, to steal some fruits, not for
anything else, but for a youthful license to do evil,
abounding in fruits, and better than those were not, and the
blessed saint goes with long and subtle inquisition
investigating, what reason induced him to commit that theft,
and after so many years being already old, exclaims in
amazement; Wretched me, what thing was it that I loved in
you, or my theft, or my nocturnal misdeed, in the sixth and
tenth year of my life? And finally he concludes that he had
no other pleasure in it, than the consorting of his
companions and accomplices in the same sin, affirming
several times that humble confessor, and replying before
God himself, that he alone would not have committed that
theft. Here we see how pernicious evil companies are, and
how lightly the scab of sin is attacked, and how true is the
saying of Scripture, which in this regard was added above:
Qui tetigerit picem inquinabitur ab ea. And he adds: Et qui
communicaverit superbo, induet superbiam. In other words,
just as pitch sticks easily and soils those who touch it, so sin
sticks to the soul through communication, and through the
trade of sinful men. Therefore the father of a family must

take great care and vigilance to ensure that no suspicious or
dangerous company is kept close to his son. And how
important this point is in a good education, Sage gives us
very clearly to understand in his Proverbs, a book collected
for the most part for the instruction of the young, where
speaking with them, as a father with his son, the first
precept, and reminder that he gives in the first. is this of
companions, saying: My son, if sinful men, and men of bad
life flatter you, do not consent to be in their number. And to
show that there is no choice in which the wretched young
man does not finally fall, if he once allows himself to be led
astray by evil counselors; Because, as has been said many
times, from small things one arrives at the greatest and most
serious things, it introduces the fact that wretched men,
thieves and street murderers, try to persuade the wretched
young man, that he should accompany them in the
aforementioned robberies and misdeeds, proposing to him
with various reasons the easy and great gain, and that they
will snare him in common, as good companions. The Sage, in
their person, explains the reasons for this gracefully and at
length; and then adds his salutary counsel in these words:
My son, do not walk with them, forbid them, and turn your
feet away from their paths; for their feet run to harm, and
are quick to shed blood: How true this is, and how many
young people are turned away by the seduction of the sad,
and how from impurity and hidden thefts they come to
crimes and homicides; and how finally, fleeing public
punishment, the wretched young give themselves to the
streets, to robberies and to assassinations, cruel, and more
fierce than beasts in the blood of the innocent, how true |
say this is, each one in the book of daily experience reads all
too openly.

Chapter 56

OF THE USEFULNESS OF GOOD PRACTICES, AND
FRIENDSHIPS.

The same holy writing, which, as we said above, affirms that
practicing with the iniquitous, and sad is an occasion to fall
into the same iniquity, and malice; the same writing | say in
more than one place asserts that on the contrary, conversing
with the innocent, and holy man is a very effective means to
dispose others to the purchase of innocence, and holiness.
Hence Solomon said: Qui cum sapientibus graditur, sapiens
erit. He who walks with the wise will also be wise; giving us
to understand that we become such as those with whom we
converse familiarly. And it is said, as in a proverò, if you
want to know who someone is, see with whom he converses.
And because no one is sufficient for himself, but each one
has need of friends, and servants, and of advice, and of the
help of one's neighbors, and family, it is right that every
effort should be made to have them good, and God-fearing.
Happy and adventurous is the house where good people
converse and minister, of whom David said: Ambulans in via
immaculata, hic mihi ministrabat, that is, | wanted servants
and ministers whose life and conversation was blameless
and without stain. So we read that God, out of respect for
Joseph, even though he was a slave in a foreign country,
blessed and multiplied the abilities of his unfaithful master.
Happy is the City where there are many truly good men, and
fearful of God, the world knows them little, and esteems
them little in the time of prosperity, but God allows, through
his Just judgement, that very serious calamities come, and
at that time God's servants are known. The preservation of
them is so useful in a City, that it would be expedient to go
searching for them in very remote countries, spending every

price, and every great treasure to bring them there; and for
confirmation of this no other example is needed than that of
Sodom, and Gomorrah, and of the other unhappy Cities,
where if only ten righteous men had been found, they would
not have been submerged by the terrible flood of fire. Happy
at last, and blessed are the friendships that are made with
good men, which have virtue as their foundation, and not
viciousness, and are bound together by the bond of charity,
and by a sincere love, and not by interest, or by a brief and
fleeting pleasure; The faithful friend is a strong protection,
whoever finds him, has found a treasure; it is not something
that can be compared to the faithful friend, and there is no
weight of gold or silver, which is worthy of being matched to
the integrity of his faith. The faithful friend is like a salutary
medicine, both for the temporal life and for the eternal one,
and whoever fears God will find him again. Up to here are
the words of Sage, which show us how many goods, both
temporal and spiritual, a true and good friend brings us,
with help, comfort and salubrious advice, and they also
teach us that something so rare and precious is a gift of God,
who grants this singular benefit to his friends, and to those
who have his holy fear, and therefore men are very prone to
deceive themselves in this particular matter, persuading
themselves that they have many friends, and above all the
rich, and they do not realize that they are simulated friends,
flatterers, who love the meals, and the other benefits they
have at present, or hope to have, and they are friends of the
happy time, and they are not firm in the time of tribulation,
as Savio himself paints them with their own colors in the
above mentioned place.

Chapter 57

OF THE CONVERSATION OF THE SON OF THE FAMILY WITH
HIS PATERNAL FRIENDS.

Now, if our good father has any of these true and sincere
friends, as he undoubtedly should have through his
goodness and diligence, he will endeavour to leave them to
his son as a legacy. He will then see to it that the son knows
and loves his paternal friend, and sometimes enjoys his
conversation, recreating himself with him and expanding his
freedom to a greater extent than is appropriate for his own
father, from which many comforts will be derived, for when
the father of the family agrees well with his faithful friend
about the education of his son, it will not infrequently
happen that advice, correction, and other such things will be
better done by the friend than by the father himself;
Therefore it will also happen that the young man will care
less about the practices of his companions, for if it is true
that the like delights in the like, and consequently the
young of the young, nevertheless there are men not only of
middle age, but also old, who have a certain suavity, which
admirably attracts the young; The old know many things
through their long life, they have read much, seen much,
heard much, and they have gravity, and a copy of saying,
and they recount past things with a certain authority that
conciliates attention, and because by nature one desires to
know, and the young man, because of his young age, knows
few things, it is necessary that he has the pleasure of
listening to those who recount them appropriately, that at
the end conversing with his companions, and
contemporaries, a young man brings back little else but a
superficial pleasure, which reconciles that similitude of age,
where from the conversation of a judicious old man, whom

one describes, he will always return with gain, having
learned now some notable history, now something pertinent
to the government of the City, now some beautiful memory
about the common life, now about the care of the family,
and other such things, and if the old man will be literate, so
much greater will be the delight, discussing now the studies
of eloquence, and of languages, now various moral subjects,
and now some difficult passage of some serious writer, from
the taste of these things the young man, most of all well
educated and of beautiful intellect, will have great
satisfaction to find himself with similar old men, and I have
known such a one who, being a young man at study, was
much more willing to stay with a literate and eloquent man,
even though very old and almost decrepit, than he did with
other young men of the same age, which is no wonder,
because the pleasures of the intellect, as they are nobler,
are also greater, more attractive, and sweeter to those who
do not have the palate of the soul infected with vices, which
forbid the tasting of their flavour. But above all it is
presupposed that this good paternal friend, being himself
just, upright, and fearful of God, must exhort the young man
to every good purpose and confirm him in the love of virtue,
and of Christian piety, just as the father himself must
implore him.

Chapter 58

OF CONVERSATION WITH YOUNG EQUALS.

Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that what has been said
above is true, that likeness is delightful, and youth is
inclined to make friends, which, begun in their greenest
years, and continuing for a long time, become closer with
the knot of various offences and of mutual and
exchangeable love, and friendships of this kind are even
more stable and firm, so that our young man is not forbidden
to have conversations with his peers, but not with many, nor
with all of them indiscriminately, because if well in the wide
and common practice that one has with the Citizens, one
must be affable with each one, however a certain restricted
communication which is that of true friendship, in every
time, must be with few, just as the true friends are also few,
but in youth more so, which age is less apt to discern the
conditions of men, and the true friend from the false one.
Therefore some of those same young men who in childhood
have been companions of our son of the family, and we will
already have some experience of them, who are of good
morals, and walk in the same ways of the fear of God, and
also live withdrawnly, and not with any kind of company,
these same young men will also continue in this, and in the
following ages, as long as they do not change style, and
form of life, to be able to converse with our young man, and
if any other will come again, from whose friendship it is
evident that our son may receive benefit, it is not to be
forbidden to him to make nine friendships as well, but the
father of the family should know everything, and should first
reach the bottom of the ford, as they say, and he should
have many good ways of allowing his son to converse with
this or that one, and nevertheless his father's eye should

never lose sight of his son as he walks along the slippery
path of adolescence, and he should not leave him as far
away as possible from his own side, or that of any other
trusted person. Go further observing how the young man
preserves the spirit, and the taste for spiritual things, how
he keeps the usual modesty, and reverence towards his
father, if in dressing, and in such things he shows vanity,
and curiosity more than usual, and wants to take particular
account of everything the young man does, showing almost
that he does it more to praise him, than for a certain
rigorous, and, so to speak, judicious interrogation, nor
should the discreet father enter into too much distrust, nor
should he slightly overshadow, nor send the young man
away at all hours, indeed he should show that he has a good
opinion of him where he is clearly not disobedient, but the
wise father should proceed in such a way that the son
notices and is certain that the eyes of his father’'s diligence
are watching over him.

Chapter 59

OF THE CONDITION OF THE FRIENDS, AND OFFITII OF THE
FRIENDSHIP.

On the occasion of dealing with good and bad company, and
conversations of young people, a consideration very
necessary to our main subject, as has been shown in part,
we have taken the thread of the discourse, to reason about
friendship, as a joint thing, because the companies and even
those that are accidentally made, as in travels, and the like,
are experiences of friendship, and the beginning of firm and
lasting friendships. Now, the subject of friendship issuch a
wide field that to speak about it in full would require a long
volume, which is not appropriate for me to do, since | did not
have the purpose of conveying in this book the whole
subject of customs, virtues and virtues, and virtues, of which
in every language there is an abundance, but only to show
some principal ways, and to give certain reminders to the
father of a family of Christian profession, so that according
to the same profession he can bring up his children in a
Christian way, and of the conversations, and friendships, so
much has been reasoned, and reasoned, as they can help, or
impede this intention, and purpose. Therefore, deferring to
the Greek and Latin philosophers, who have dealt with this
question of friendship in a very perfect way, | will only say
that in the election of the most close and restricted friends, |
say restricted friends, because according to a civil union we
must all be friends, and all the more so as Christians. Of
such friends, therefore, and of those friendships which are
made among a few, the principal foundation must be
honesty, and virtue, and Christian love and charity, because
the other friendships, which are based only on usefulness
and pleasure, do not deserve this honourable name at all,

but rather are a likeness of true friendship, and in those
friendships there are often many complaints and sins and
they do not last long, but the true friend, loves his friend
mainly for his friend’s sake, and in order to the true, and
perfect good, that is to God, so that a good friend is truly
excellent, who is not only solicitous of our temporal
comforts, but much more of the eternal ones. In the rest,
therefore, friendship is an equality, so that where there are
more reasons for equality, the more easily friendships are
made and the more happily they are preserved; so that
where there is much disparity of state, and diversity of
customs, and professions, and other such inequalities,
friendships are not made, or are dissolved in a short time.
But those friendships are very good, where the customs are
similar, the studies conform, and the ends the same, and
where finally there is one and the same will and dislike.
What, then, should be the offences of a true friend towards
his friend, how much constancy in loving him, no less in
adversity than in prosperity, how much readiness in
procuring his every good, how pleasures and sorrows are
common, how much communication of one's own things
should be, how joyful it is to be together often, how familiar,
How much familiarity and security is needed between dear
friends in conferring the things pertinent to their state, how
much faith and sincerity is required in advice, of these | Say,
and of a thousand other beneficial and good effects, which
are born of true virtue and perfect love, | need not speak at
length, because Christian charity will teach our virtuous son
enough. And if the Saviour has commanded us that we love
every neighbor as ourselves, what shall we say of our friend,
of whom the Philosophers have also said that a friend is
another me, besides that the good father of a family, not
only with his memories, but with his own example, will show
his son in fact how true and Christian friendships are made,
and with what offences they are preserved, and how much

fruit they bear, and how much good they bring us in every
age.

Chapter 60

OF FLEEING THE LIFE OF IDLENESS AND STRIFE.

Now returning to where we left off, our subject was to speak
of the dangers of youth, under which name | understand
what the Latins call adolescence. And so that the
construction of good Christian education, brought about by
divine grace far ahead, does not ruin these youthful ages,
but rather grows from strength to strength, until it reaches
perfection, we recalled the continuation of good Christian
exercises, the maintenance and perseverance of both
authority and paternal vigilance, the avoidance of the most
harmful commerce, and the contagion of evil companions,
and on the other hand the way has been shown, to have
good conversations and friendships, so that our youngster
does not remain deprived of that pleasure, which by nature
is desired by man and which used prudently can bring not
mediocre utility. Now, however, continuing to remove the
impediments, which run through the course of virtue, | say
that one of the greatest enemies of youth is idleness, of
which we spoke a little elsewhere, discussing the remedies
against the vice of lust, and another time speaking of family
care, but in this place of necessity we return to detesting
idleness, more in general, as the bait and foment of all vices,
and of all evils. The Holy Scripture says that idleness is the
master of sin, and that the idle man is full of desires, that is,
of appetites and unholy greed; and so experience shows us
daily that this way of men on strike, are like the bilge of the
City, and no comfort comes from them, like those who do not
want to do anything, so that the poorest, rather than
working, go to beg, even though they are valid, and they go
wandering through various countries, whom it is the public
office to punish according to the authority of the civil laws,

others dissipate their small patrimony in the games, and up
in the taverns, and in a thousand impudicities, and not
having how to supply enough of their own, they undermine
not only the honor, but the having of others. This is precisely
the seminary of the quarrelsome, restless, seditious men,
enemies of every good order and public discipline, and
finally in the ranks of the idle and shocked is gathered all
the dregs of those who have no other business but to corrupt
youth, and to be ministers and instigators of a thousand
ways of vices, and sins, to the license of which it is
necessary that the power of the magistrates put some
restraint, since it is seen that this weed abounds too much
everywhere; and may it please God that the natural fathers
and the political fathers may think it their duty to remedy it
at an early hour, since when the vine is deep, neither iron
nor fire is sufficient to eradicate it. And as far as those who
were born nobly and are rich are concernedì, if one should
not readily believe that they do things so unworthy of their
nobility as those others of whom we have spoken, it is
nevertheless a disgraceful thing to see a gentleman
endowed by God and nature with many goods, living idly
and thinking of nothing but dressing richly, eating delicately
and spending all his days in feasting, and in pleasures of the
sense, as if man was born only to eat, like a brute, and not to
work virtuously, and to help others, as the natural light, and
much more the supernatural light of faith teaches us, and for
sure it is very difficult, not to say impossible, that living a life
entirely sensual, and voluptuous, one can reach that glory,
and that crown of which it is written: He shall not be
crowned except he who has fought lawfully. But leaving this
aside for the moment, | turn to our father of the family, and |
remind him, whether he be of low, mediocre or high status,
that he in no way allows his children to live an idle life. In
the whole of nature there is nothing idle, the Heavens, the
Sun, the elements, and all creatures are in continuous
motion, all the members of our body do their work, and

those parts which are more active are less visible. The divine
scripture says that man is born to toil as a bird is born to
flight, so that he does not deserve the name of man who
does not want to toil, and it is not right that he should enjoy
the toil of others, which he does not want to relieve in any
way, for which St. Paul said, whoever does not toil should
not eat. Therefore the good father should decide now that
his son’s age admonishes him to apply him to some
honourable state of life, with which he can honourably
support himself, and living in his own rank, as a good man
and as a good Christian, help his country, to which we are all
indebted as to a common mother, and at the same time
faithfully negotiating his talents, be admitted by the
supreme master to the participation of the eternal joys.

Chapter 61

OF THE CUSTODY OF THE FEMALE CHILDREN AND HOW
THEY MUST FLEE THE IDLENESS.

Before | enter into a somewhat more detailed discussion of
the election of various states, of praiseworthy life, and
Christianity, it seems to me appropriate to say something
about the care of female children, and how they too must
flee idleness, no less than males. And although it is true that
the warnings which are given for sons are to be understood
proportionately also for daughters, as has been recalled
more than once, nevertheless | move not without reason, as
it seems to me, to give some warnings in detail. And first of
all, as far as the custody of their chastity is concerned, |
move for two principal reasons, one because the candor of
modesty in women is of too great importance, and for many
human respects, brings with it graver and more damaging
consequences, than in men themselves, and every
suspicion, every change in their reputation, is of the
greatest prejudice; the second reason is that, having spoken
above about the danger of evil practices, others could not
be persuaded that they should not take care of, nor have
any solicitude for, their female children, who do not
ordinarily talk outside the home, before they are married,
nor even now, except rarely. In the second place, with regard
to avoiding idleness and to occupying oneself well, it
seemed to me to recall this separately; for the exercises and
the various occupations and ways of living, of which we shall
speak below, are for the most part proper to men, and not
accommodated to the female sex. | say, therefore, that the
father and the mother of the family must always remember
the saying of the wise man, which | have mentioned
elsewhere, which goes like this Do you have daughters?

Watch over their bodies, and speaking specifically with the
father, he added, and do not show them a cheerful face, and
the reason for this saying of the wise man can be twofold,
firstly so that through the indulgence of the father, the
daughter does not become too bold, and bold, and makes
sure to do some things, which through the fear of the father
she would not have dared to do; secondly, so that her
father's caresses do not accustom her to a certain familiarity
with men, through which she gradually loses that veracity,
which is like a shelter for feminine honesty; Therefore the
intention of the wise man is not to persuade the father to be
a certain rigidity, and to be continually grim towards his
daughter, but to retain his gravity, and not to reveal a
certain tenderness of love, which is particularly dangerous
for his daughters for the reasons we have mentioned. The
prudent mother of the family should also warn that unknown
women should not speak to her daughter under the pretext
of yarn, work or other such things, but that the mother
herself should expel them, because Satan's wiles are many,
and in such important matters, it is legitimate to be
somewhat suspicious, even of family members and
neighbors, not to make a rash judgement, nor to condemn
anyone, but to observe that caution, which the superiors
appreciate, knowing how much the simplicity, and fragility
of that sex is, and how many have been deceived by the
cunning deceivers, under the honourable and holy name of
marriage, which in our times after the decrees of the sacred
Tridentine Council has no place, and is not true marriage,
but abominable corruption, when it is done secretly and
without the due solemnities, as has been said in its proper
place. In addition, the wise mother should observe whether
the daughter perseveres, or if she is less assiduous in the
spiritual exercises, if she is inclined to adorn herself more
than the usual modesty does not allow, and she should
rightly close her steps to the dangers which may occur; It is
not lawful for the constituted spinster to go to all the

windows, nor to look out when she pleases, nor to see
everything that is done in the streets, that to put the simple
virgins openly in the sight of the youth full of the fire of lust,
and to render the greeting, as perhaps it is used in some
places, is an abuse so serious, that it does not seem worthy
to me to have to speak of it, although some under the same
hope of marriage, are excusing these little honourable loves.
It is neither prudent nor praiseworthy custom to take
spinsters to parties, nor to shows, nor to courses, where the
licentious youths go wandering. And because the
confessions, and the divine offiices are not to be left at the
proper time, | remind you to go to those Churches where
greater discipline, and reverence are observed, and under
good custody of the maternal eyes, leaving home as little as
possible, and returning as soon as possible. Not without
reason, for our warning, the Holy Spirit has willed that in the
divine writings is recorded the story of Dina, daughter of
Jacob, who being in the City a stranger, with her father and
her brothers, the text says, that she went out of the house to
see the women of that country and having met her by
chance the son of the Prince of that Land, he was taken by
love for her, and kidnapped her, and by force violated her,
from which then followed serious inconveniences; giving
instruction to all the women, but especially to the virgins for
husband, such as Dina was, not to go wandering, and not to
want to see many things curiously, because the devil has
stretched his nets, where others do not think.

But above all the good mother of a family should keep her
daughters well occupied, and far from idleness, master, as
has been said so many times, of many sins. And not because
they were born of a noble and rich father, do they disdain
the bow and arrow, and the spindle, and the other exercises
appropriate to that sex, just as the most noble Roman
women were not disdained, and in the sacred letters, the
noble and virtuous women are praised for this, as we

touched on above. And the one that in excellence and virtue
advanced the angels, not that the women, Mary mother of
God, treated on earth the women's artifices, to say nothing
of Anne mother of Samuel, and many others. Therefore, let
the noble spinsters work, let them rejoice in dressing their
fathers and brothers with their own hands, let them learn to
know how to take care of their belongings, let them take
care of the holy education of their little brothers and sisters,
and let them not be allowed to occupy themselves with vain
things, nor to be idle, because idleness is the enemy of the
soul and of the body. The Lacedaemonians had the custom
of making the virgins do vigorous exercises of the body,
thinking that in this way, when they were married, their
parts were stronger, and they gave birth with less pain; and
although we must not approve of the fact that the females
do something too violent and virile, indecent to their
modesty, we cannot deny that it is true that the too languid
and idle life is harmful to the vigor of the body and to the
procreation of children. | conclude that the father, and
mother of the family, should keep their daughters in good
custody, and that they should be feared more quickly than
otherwise, because the female sex is naturally lecherous,
and that age is little considered; and in the rest it is to be
hoped that the previous good education and the fear of God,
and the holy example of the mother, will preserve our
daughter in such a family, that living holy in the paternal
house, she can then be worthy and happy mother of many
good sons and daughters, that for the glory of God will have
to be educated by her, with the same form of chaste, and
Christian education.

Chapter 62

OF THE NECESSITY OF FARMERS, AND ARTISANS.

It has been said above, that the City is like a body,
composed of various more and less noble limbs, and each
one does its work peacefully without schism or dissension of
any kind, so that the body is kept alive, and does its work,
well and happily. Not otherwise for the preservation of the
City, not only magistrates, and ministers of public
government are necessary, but also farmers, and shepherds
of herds, and flocks, and fishermen and the like, who prepare
for themselves and for all the other Citizens, part of the
fruits of the earth, part of the animals, various kinds of food,
and nourishment, without which one cannot live; besides
that the care of the animals is also necessary for other
reasons, that is for clothing and for many aids to human life;
likewise necessary are the craftsmen of many ways of art,
others of which make the instruments of the other arts,
others make clothes, others build houses, others prepare the
food given by farmers and shepherds for the use of man,
others finally make other officies that would be very long to
say and not necessary to our purpose, so much so that the
arts that are called mechanics are necessary to be able to
live naturally and civilly, and to defend ourselves from the
insults, and of the Sky, and of the beasts and of the men too,
that are violent, and have a bestial aspect. Hor if this is so, it
is also true, that it is necessary that the fathers of families
give the City men suited to these exercises, even though
they are considered low, and vile, because in their rank,
they have to contribute to the conservation and
maintenance of the City, no less than those that are
considered noble, and are commonly exercised by people of
higher status.

Chapter 63

THAT THE POOR SHOULD NOT BE ATTRACTED TO THEIR
CONDITIONE.

Therefore the poor must be content with their own condition,
and not be envious of the rich, for as Saint Gregory
Nazianzen, the Most Grave Doctor, and other Fathers say,
whoever wishes to consider, the condition of the poor is
better in the things of this life than that of the rich, for the
most excellent things of nature, such as sunlight, air, air,
life, health, strength, and other things are enjoyed no less,
indeed much more, by the poor than by the rich; but what is
more important, the celestial gifts of God's grace, after
which there is no acceptance of persons, are common to all,
nor otherwise is the rich baptized, than the poor, nor less is
the poor adopted by God as his son, and heir of Paradise,
than the rich, indeed the saints say, that poverty is a most
convenient instrument for acquiring virtue, and
consequently eternal beatitude. Therefore let the poor
console themselves, and think that God with great wisdom
has willed in his reasonable creatures, this great variety that
we see of rich and poor, of literate and idiot, of stronger,
according to the body, and less acute in the intellect, and
others on the contrary, so that these, and other diversities
might be like so many bonds of love, that strictly bind us
together, even speaking naturally, while we see that no one
is sufficient for himself, but each one needs the help of the
others. It is true that the poor have many labors, but let it
not be thought that those of the rich and noble are less, to
whom it appertains to preserve public peace, to maintain
justice, to defend the poor who are not oppressed by the
more powerful, to help them with money, and to give them
occasion and matter to be able to exercise their crafts and to

use the strength of the body to earn a living, undoubtedly
very great benefits of the rich towards the poor, for which
the poor must be grateful, and remember, giving love, and
observance, and fidelity to the rich, and good care, and
diligence in the cultivation of the fields, and in the custody
of their things. Just as the rich must protect the poor and
have them as their children, all the more so because of the
debt of Christian charity, since we are all one in Christ, and
it is right that it should appear to the effects that we are
members together, and as the foot carries the head, so the
head holds the foot, and lowers itself to give it a remedy
when it is sick. In this regard, some young men of the City
deserve much reproach, who with pranks and jokes, mock
the poor and simple men of the countryside, who give us so
readily their sweat, and continuous efforts.

Chapter 64

OF THE PATERNAL CARE ABOUT MAKING THE CHILDREN
LEARN THE MECANIC ARTS.

When the poorly born child reaches the age of being able to
work as hard as he can, he will not have to stay in idleness,
but in conformity with the ancient sentence, he will be
willing to eat his bread, in the sweat of his face, however
according to the condition of his poor father, and according
to the strength of his body and his greater inclination, he
will have to be employed in some art, either of those, which
outside in the cultivation of the fields, and other things of
the villa are worked, or even of the mechanical arts, which
are ordinarily practiced in the City, which need more study
to learn them, it will be the obligation of the father not to
delay too long in sending his son there, and to elect a good
teacher, and by good | mean not only an expert in that art,
but of good morals, and of good reputation, in whose
workshop the son of the family will not learn to blaspheme
and will not fall into other serious sins, but preserves the
whole of his father's Christian education, so that when it is
convenient, | would believe it to be expedient that the
young man return in the evening from the work, to his own
house, escaping by this way many dangers, and having
more often the occasion to hear the memories of his father.
To whom he admonishes his son to often fear God, and to do
his will, and to take care not to offend him, knowing
certainly that in every state, and in whatever exercise one
wishes, even the most vile, as long as it does not contradict
the Christian law, and that it is rightly exercised, one can
please God; but exhort him principally to two things, one
that he never interrupts the good Christian exercises, that is
to say, to make some prayer in the morning, dedicating to

God that day, and all his labors, and asking for help from the
Father of all graces, for all his needs, both spiritual and
corporal, and that in the day often with a sigh, with an
elevation of mind he remember God; to have in particular
devotion the Blessed Mother of God, and any Saint, as his
special advocate, and above all to dispense the day of the
feast in a Christian manner, reducing himself often to his
spiritual father, and restricting himself to some good
company, according to his advice; and in sum not
neglecting, nor going back to that form of living, which it is
presumed that he will have observed in his childhood, as has
been discussed at length above. The second thing of which
the father must often warn his son is that he should practice
his art faithfully and without guile, and not be envious of
those who earn money by evil means; for they provoke
God's indignation, who, although he conceals it for some
time by waiting for us to do penance, will not leave our sins
without punishment, not only in the next life, of which there
is no doubt; but often in the present life, losing the wretched
craftsman in one point, what he had hardly acquired in
many years; where an artisan known as a man of good in his
art is loved by all good people, and many more make use of
his work, and God blesses him in every way, as | remember
having said above in another regard, and if the artisan is not
a tavern-keeper, nor a gambler, nor in any other idle way
dissipate his small honourable earnings, he will undoubtedly
have enough to support himself. But what is more important,
once this brief pilgrimage is over, at the end of the day he
will have a part in the kingdom of God. And so the saint
Tobias said well, comforting his son: My son, our state is
poor, and we live poorly; but be of good cheer, and know
that if we fear God, we will have many goods.

Chapter 65

MERCHANDISE.

The commerce has its principles in the same nature, so that
of the things that are necessary to the sustenance of the life
of the men, not all the Cities are by nature provided enough,
but of some things they have in their own country a greater
copy of the need, and of others they lack, Wherefore from
the beginning there arose the exchange of one thing for
another, and relieving men of the need for each other,
although afterwards for greater convenience money was
found, as a common and more certain measure of the value
of each thing; For this reason merchants are necessary in
the Republic, who bring out the goods of which the country
abounds, and procure from other places those which are
lacking. Then there is another way of trading that is less
natural, and more artificial, which consists in trading the
same money, and multiplying it with exchanges, and various
ways, of which we do not care to speak in detail. But just as
the craftsman has been reminded to live in such a way that
he does not prejudice the law of God, nor the goal of his
health, which must go ahead in all respects, so also, and
much more so, the merchant is reminded, | say much more
so because the occasions for prevaricating are greater, and
it does not seem that one wishes to put an end, nor any term
at all, to the acquisition of money, from which
presupposition of endless enrichment, it is necessary that
infinite inconveniences follow. Therefore, let the merchant
be a useful instrument of his Republic, let him be content
with his honourable earnings, let him not turn into a public
calamity, what must be a public uplift, while he makes
monopolies, while he procures famines, and sells at
immoderate prices, and ill-conditioned goods, and does

other such things, not as a benefactor, but as a plunderer of
his Citizens, sucking the blood of the poor in various ways,
the worst of which is usury, as has been said elsewhere. Woe
to the rich merchants who are illicitly enriched, woe to the
dry money changers, barren of every humor of charity, who
for corruptible gold, have exchanged their souls with the
devil, contrary to what the Savior says: What exchange will
a man make for his soul? Woe to the inventors of artificial,
bland contracts, by which the ill-covered usury is concealed,
most uncovered to the eyes of God. In conclusion, having
perhaps exclaimed too much, | conclude that it is lawful for
the father of the family to apply his son to the trade, but he
must be careful to instruct him in such a way that he
understands and is persuaded that the first trade of the
Christian is to trade in Heaven and in the gold of charity, of
which God himself says: I admonish you that you buy from
me the fiery gold, so that you may be truly rich.

Chapter 66

OF THE PROFESSION OF SCIENCES, ET FACULTÀ.

The purpose of the present reasoning, which we have begun
in the preceding chapters, and which is still being woven, is
to occupy our son of the family, who has already become of
an age suitable for this, in some honourable and
praiseworthy exercise, proportionate to his condition, to the
disposition of the body, and to that of the intellect as well,
and this consideration is made for two principal reasons, one
to avoid at the greatest danger, the idleness most harmful to
youth, the other so that our same son may have throughout
his life an exercise and profession, with which he may be
able to do his work, and profession, with which he can
support himself, and his little family, and live honorably
among his citizens, not as strike-breakers, and useless, but
as industrious, and profitable for his part to the community,
and this comes to be the third respect no less principal, so
that to the fathers of the family it is appointed to provide the
City with workers, and ministers to supply various needs, so
that the body of this citizenship is preserved whole, not
truncated, nor lacking in any necessary part. Now having
spoken so far about farmers, artisans and merchants, it
seems to me to be time to speak a little more about the
profession of letters, which is not the same thing as we did
above when we spoke of schoolmasters, nor to say the same
thing twice; However, leaving aside the fact that above we
dealt only with private schools, where one learns grammar,
rhetoric and the knowledge of languages, we now come to
the sciences and faculties that are learned in public schools,
but other than this we say, that some give work to the
letters, only for the sake of knowledge, and for the
ornamentation of themselves, and for private vanity, and

other similar ends, and however they are ordinarily content
to make mediocre progress in them; others aspire to
perfection, and to become masters, and to make an open
profession for the common benefit of all those who need it,
therefore with public authority, and with solemn rites they
are given the rank and title of exercising any profession, and
are called Doctors. And because in this part | also need to
give some remembrance to our father of the family, so let no
one be surprised if | linger a little in this consideration.

Chapter 67

HOW SOME POOR NAIVE YOUNGSTERS SHOULD BE HELPED.

If we said above that poor fathers should apply their children
to the manual arts, contenting themselves with the
knowledge of the first letters, or with a single tincture of
grammar, because fathers do not have the means to spend
money to bring them up in the sciences, and because it is
assumed that these same children are more gifted in body
than in mind, and therefore more suited to bodily toil than to
that of the mind, nevertheless what was said above is not to
be understood so indiscriminately, but with some limitation,
so that we see from experience that it is not infrequent for
them to be in a very narrow place, than to those of the mind,
nevertheless what has been said above is not to be
understood so indiscriminately, but with some limitation, so
that it is seen by experience not infrequently, from a very
low place, to rise, like a flower from arid ground, some
pilgrim'’s wits, endowed by nature with extraordinary graces,
so that it is understood that if it were cultivated with
discipline, it would be able to achieve admirable success.
For this reason, the father of a family must be considered,
having first observed for a long time the nature and the
conduct of the child. And just as in the same mechanical
arts, it may be that the putto has a natural inclination
towards some nobler art, so that he should not be
inconsiderately led to the first artifice that comes to hand,
so too, where one sees in the child excellence of intellect,
and notable capacity for letters, one should not abandon
him as far as possible, nor bury his joy in the mud. And it will
not be difficult for an idiot father to understand what is
being said, namely that a lively intellect sends out certain
sparks, which give understanding, where nature calls it

most. They love books, they always want to study, they are
always attentive when some learned person speaks, they
imitate with gratitude the preachers, and teachers, and they
want to write, and compose, and on the contrary they do not
love the vile artifices, and with other such signs are
manifested to a good connoisseur, and what the father will
not see for himself, the master of the school will see, and
some understanding and charitable friend, with the advice
of whom he will deliberate on the way to employ his son
more in this, than in that profession, since we are speaking
here only of an excellent intellect. The father should not be
frightened by his poverty, but should hope in God, and also
help himself as much as he can. The ancient Seminaries of
Clerics have been restored to our times, where, out of charity
alone, Clerics are raised from the sons of the poor, and
trained in letters, though not in every way of letters; it is
enough, however, that it can easily happen that the boy has
the desire to be a Cleric, and from these principles, which he
can achieve in the Seminary, he proceeds, either by other
opportunities, or by his own industry to greater effects.
There are also, in some cities of study, colleges established
by men truly worthy of praise for this purpose, so that poor
young men may have the opportunity to study for a certain
number of years without any expense. Sometimes a young
man who has already been well introduced to the
humanities may be placed with a wealthy man as a teacher
of his children, where, knowing his goodness as well as his
genius, it may happen that the father of the family sends
him to study with them. And with these and other similar
ways, raised by a noble spirit, a very useful Citizen will be
raised for his country, who, being completely abandoned,
perhaps the beauty of his intellect will lead him to do harm,
or else he will be placed in a low position, bringing to the
public a small and unimportant service.

Chapter 68

OF PUBLIC STUDIES, AND THEIR DANGERS.

The use of public studies in some noble, and principal cities,
where at the expense of the Prince, or of the Republic, men
of excellent learning are led in every faculty, to teach the
youth who come from all parts, is very ancient, and the
Supreme Pontiffs and Emperors have always very readily
favored this noble institution, amply privileging the cities,
where these studies are, which otherwise some call
Universities, and also the professors and the same scholars,
and the Emperors have always very readily favoured this
most noble institution, amply privileging the Cities, where
these studies are, which otherwise some call Universities,
and also the professors and the students themselves, as can
be seen in many decrees and laws. And certainly nothing is
more praiseworthy, nor more worthy of the royal
magnificence, that will raise many virtuous men, and
educated in every profession, and it could be affirmed not
without reason, that the studies, and universal Academies,
are a way of public education of the youth, If, however, all
that care and diligence were used, which would be
appropriate, regarding the customs of the young, but | do
not know for what misfortune of this calamitous century of
OUrs, little thought is given to this part, at least in Italy,
where, on the other hand, there are many honorable studies,
On the contrary it almost seems that the study is a place of
freedom, and it is no longer appropriate to retain that
modesty which was observed in private schools, and in
paternal homes, so that the pupils mostly live, and dress like
soldiers, with great license, and many study very little, and
they give themselves to practicing for their Doctors, and for
other competitions, and there arise very often brawls, and

quarrels among them, and in the same schools little regard
is had to the authority of the teacher, and not infrequently a
few disciples disturb the whole auditorium with shouts, and
with clamors. And although many people laugh at this
youthful license, and even approve of it, and consider it
necessary, as if it were a purgation, so to speak, and an
outlet for the heat and the impetus of that age, there is no
doubt about it, and daily experience proves it, that through
the door of freedom one passes to many sins, and who can
doubt that finding many young people gathered together,
with their blood running cold, with their opportunities ready,
far from their fathers, and from their guardians, invited by
the company of others, and by license, and impunity, they
will commit every kind of vice, and of dissoluteness? so that
many return from their studies to their homeland more
learned, and more awakened, and more astute, but not good
enough, swollen with ambition, and estimation of
themselves without fear of God, and especially muddy in the
flesh. The glorious saint Augustine writes in his Confessions,
which have already given us many times useful teachings
for our subject, that his father, wishing that his son should
make great progress in eloquence, a profession in those days
greatly esteemed, sent him far from his homeland, and with
greater expense than his condition did not involve, to
Carthage, the principal city of Africa, where studies
flourished, and the good saint complains, that his father did
not care, nor did he take the solicitude that his son grow for
the service of God, nor how chaste he was to be, provided
that he was learned and eloquent. Arrived therefore in
Carthage, free from every custody, he himself was looking
for how he could be entangled by the impudent loves, which
very soon he succeeded, remaining immersed in the infernal
abyss of lust. In addition, he was overwhelmed by the
spectacles that were performed in the theatres, full, as he
says, of images and likenesses of his miseries, and of
fomentation of his fire; He also tells how he observed the

quarrelsome and cavilous frauds of the forum, and how he
was already mentioned in the schools of Rhetoric, in which,
already swollen with the wind of pride, he wished to be
excellent for the damaging end of human vanity and
haughtiness, from which swelling he then followed, that
when he began to read the holy writings, he despised them,
as something low and unworthy of being compared to the
greatness of Tullian speech, as he did, who did not even
have the eyes of the spirit, now seemed to him, but what
was more serious, and pernicious, being at study in this
disposition, he fell into some men whom he describes very
well, superbly frenetic, carnal, and talkative, in the mouth of
whom were the laces of the devil, and a mistletoe made and
composed of sweet, and holy, and pious words in
appearance, always having Christ in their mouth, and truth,
deceiving the simple ones with these ways. These were the
bad heretical Manichaeans, from the laces of which the good
Augustine remained for a long time taken, until it pleased
God to make him, like another Paul, of persecutor, very
strong defender of his Church. Such then are the fruits, that
under the pretext of erudition the miserable youth, often
gathers, from the peregrinatione of the great Cities and
famous studies, while like chickens coolly escaped from
under the hand of the tamer, the poor youths go wandering
freely, where the sensual appetite, and the torrent of the
bad habit of their companions carries them.

Chapter 69

OF THE CURA PUBLICA ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE OF GENERAL
STUDIES.

| fear that perhaps | may seem more daring than is
appropriate for me, if | remind those who have power and
public authority to think of some suitable remedy for
curbing too much schooling in certain studies. Certainly the
ancient emperors thought of this, for this is not new, since
youth is always the same if it is not regulated by good
discipline. Saint Augustine in the fifth book of his
confessions very copiously recounts the impudence and
unbridled audacity of the students in the study of Carthage,
where he had already become a teacher and was reading
publicly, and he writes that they did insulting things with
great impudence worthy of being punished by the severity
of the laws, if not that evil custom was the advocate and
defender of license; for which Augustine decided to leave
there and come to Rome, where he understood that the
young people studied more quietly, being held in check with
better, and more orderly discipline, which perhaps, as can
be conjectured, was the result of a notable law of Valentinian
Emperor and his Consorts, written to Olibrio, the most noble
Senator and Prefect of the City, which is also preserved and
recorded by Theodosius Emperor in his Code, where, among
other things, the Emperors say that those who wish to learn
should not be in the company of infamous people, whose
company they affirm is close to the same sins. Moreover they
admonish the students not to go to the shows, and to the
banquets, and finally they give power to the magistrate,
that the discolous, and licentious, and who do not live
according to the dignity, and gravity of the liberal arts, are
publicly beaten, and expelled with infamy from the City.

From these orders one can understand what modesty and
goodness of life those Princes sought in young students.
Therefore, not without reason in our times, the sacred
Council of Trent wants the Universities and the general
studies to be visited with great diligence, and everything
that needs to be corrected, and reformed, to be amended
and reordered by those to whom it belongs for the
improvement of religion and ecclesiastical discipline. It is
sufficient for us to have reasoned about this matter, almost
by way of accident and digression.

Chapter 70

OF THE PATERNAL PROVIDENCE ABOUT SENDING THE
CHILDREN TO STUDY.

Returning to reasoning with the father of the family, as is our
duty, | say that the prudent father must consider, on the one
hand, the usefulness of public studies, where there are
teachers of excellent learning, and where the frequency of
disputation, the ease of conferring, the competition, and the
emulation of so many noble minds, makes the arduous path
of the sciences easier, and where finally the stimulus of
honour, in order to return to the homeland with the degree
of the Doctorate, awakens the awakening of a sense of
honour, and emulation of so many noble minds, makes
easier the laborious way of the sciences, and where finally
the stimulus of honour, to return to the homeland with the
degree of the Doctorate, often awakens the student from
sleep, who has some judgment, and consideration of
himself; On the other hand, he must also consider the
dangers which, according to the common habit of living, his
son may run, who with a fragile timber, that is, with his own
youth, enters into a stormy sea, full of many rocks, and after
this, balancing everything well, let the good father proceed
with such temperament, and maturity in this deliberation,
that the comforts of going to study are not lost, and the
inconveniences are avoided as far as possible. First of all it is
very important, as in all other things, to have a good
previous education, and to be accustomed to the fear of God
up to this time, because a heart that has drunk this salutary
antidote almost like milk, and for many years has been
nourished by it, and many years has been nourished by it, is
not so easily poisoned by sin, nor does it sin so impudentily,
nor does it sink so deeply into the abyss of sinfulness,

remaining always a sharp remembrance of conscience,
which calls it back to the virtuous life of before. Given this
foundation, therefore, the father of a family must not rush
into the second place, nor make this decision
inconsiderately, but must have thought about it some time
before, taking advice from prudent, loving and God-fearing
men, and informing himself of the qualities of his studies,
according to the present state, so that he may be able to
choose a quieter study, and less exposed to the dangers that
we have mentioned, and where in his own country there is
general study, the young man should not be sent elsewhere
lightly, at least in the first years, because the eye, and the
paternal respect is not of little importance; But when it is
appropriate to send him out, special consideration must be
given to the place where the pupil is to live, and where he is
to live together, because the present and continuous
circumstances are a great snare, and it takes more than
ordinary virtue to be able to resist the daily battles;
Therefore, if the Doctor and teacher were truly Christian in
life, our young man would be well off with him, both for the
safety of his morals and for the profit of his studies; but
when this is not possible, every diligence must be taken to
have a good man as a guest, and where at least there is no
danger of ruin. And in such cases it is right to make use of
friends, some of whom are mature in years and authority,
and, if they are able, the young man is to be recommended
to the Bishop himself, and every care is to be taken to
ensure that a loving eye watches over him and observes his
conduct. It is not to be ignored in this regard, that there is
an honorable company, or congregation, called
Perseverance, which, as | have seen from a report, was
founded not many years ago in the noble study of Bologna,
for the purpose of helping young students, and some noble
and learned persons strive for the sole zeal of the honor of
God, with charity, and skill, so that the young students
avoid evil practices, have honest conversation, spend their

time virtuously, and with profit of their studies, and finally
join, with the knowledge of the sciences, the fear of God,
and the Christian piety, for which effects, they have ordered
some useful constitutions, and it is understood that by the
divine gratitude the work proceeds happily under the
guardianship of the Most Blessed Mother of God, and under
the protection of Mons. Illustriss. Cardinal Paleotto
Archbishop of that City, Lord greatly disposed to favour, and
to promote similar enterprises. Therefore, if by chance our
father of the family sends his son to that study, do not let
him take advantage of this good opportunity, ensuring that
he enters into that company, which it is to be hoped that he
will also enter into other studies. But returning to the
memories that were begun to be given to the father of the
family, it would also be useful to send from home a faithful
and tried teacher, a companion of the same studies, and a
guardian who is not excessively annoying, but discreet.
Sometimes it would be good if two gentlemen, friends or
relatives, would send their children to study together, raised
first under the same discipline and good Christian
education, who, living together with a good servant at their
side, would seem to them almost as if they were in their
father's house, and would more easily retrace the ancient
institutes, and would have less need to converse closely
with other young people. And since our pupil will have had
his spiritual father in his own country, every effort must be
made to keep him in the same way while he is studying,
which will not be difficult through his first father and the
superiors of that same religion or of another religion, that he
must have his own and ordinary confessor to whom the
young man must often represent himself, and with the same
spiritual father, and with other trusted friends, the father of
the family will see to it that he has commerce in letters, and
a good intelligence, so that he will often be warned of the
things of his son. Everything, however, should be done with
wisdom, and not with open suspicion.

Chapter 71

HOW THE FATHER SHOULD WANT TO BE AWARE OF HIS
SON'S PROGRESS IN HIS STUDIES.

It is also expedient for what concerns the progress of
studies, to want from the son one, and more times a year, a
particular report, which if the father is not intelligent, he can
confer with an expert person, making him come rightly to
the knowledge of the same son, so that he is more aware,
and is prepared to have to send from time to time to his
father some worthy witness of his efforts. The schoolboy's
dress should also not vary from that modesty which he was
accustomed to maintain in his own country, and just as the
serious dress is a restraint on youthful frivolity, so on the
contrary the feathers, and the sword at the side, and other
similar things are not only a foment of vanity, but an
occasion for mixing in the school brigades, and making
other disorders. In short, when the father sends his son to
study, he should send him to you well instructed in his
memories, and through letters and other appropriate means,
he should restore in him from time to time the memory of his
father's exhortations. And above all | command him not to
enter into the sects and affairs which are often done in
studies, not for the purpose of studying, but to overwhelm
one nation with another, with too great a loss of time, and
with the harmful consequence of a thousand other
inconveniences, but on the contrary to look after himself,
and to converse closely with a few, and scholars, and good
ones, because bad company is dangerous everywhere, as
has been said, but more so in the study where there is more
freedom, and our wise student should not be concerned
about being called a dumb ox because of his seclusion, as
has been said elsewhere of St. Thomas Aquinas, nor should

he take account of the mockery and mockery of the
students, but he should reconsider every day why he has
gone to the study, which is nothing but a marketplace of
science, where to return empty is a great shame, and not
less harm. Therefore, since study is a place where passers-by
stay and a hotel for a short time, there is little need for
mockery of one's fellow students, since the true judgment
will be made not long afterwards at home and in other
places, where the worthy student, already a Doctor, will
publicly and with great praise explain the noble goods of the
knowledge he has acquired.

Chapter 72

EXAMPLE OF TWO NOBLE SCHOLARS OF CAPPADOCIA,
GREGORIO ET BASILIO SANTI.

As a seal to this discourse of ours, in which I wished to give
useful warnings to our father of the family, considering that
the importance of the matter requires not little from him, as
a seal | say, and concluded, | have thought of transcribing a
part of that eloquent oration, which Saint Gregory
Nazianzen wrote in praise of Saint Basil already dead, his
most cordial friend, and companion of study in the City of
Athens, called mother, and teacher of the arts, and
disciplines. Certainly every student, who goes to study,
should read that oration and consider carefully all that is
narrated, of the studies of this very rare couple of two
friends, and students, who were then those two great
Bishops and lights of the East of holiness, and of doctrine.
But for the sake of brevity, leaving many things, | shall be
content to report only a part of it as | have said. It says thus:

We were led by the same hope of doctrine, that is to say, of
something that would move envy. And yet envy was
banished from us, burning only for emulation; our
contention was not which of us should take back the honour
of the first place, but which of us should give it to his
companion, because we both considered the glory of the
other as our own. lt seemed that a single soul was in both of
us, and carried two bodies. We had only one thought, that of
acquiring virtue, and of adapting the reasons and the
manner of our life to our future hopes, even before death,
when we departed from the earth. And so, proposing this
before our eyes, we directed our lives and our actions, partly
following the guidance of the divine law, partly encouraging

one another to the study of virtue, and if it is not arrogance
to say so, we were among ourselves mutually exchangeable
as a rule, and a norm of knowing and distinguishing the
right from the wrong, because our conversation was not with
the most licentious and dissolute of our companions, but
with the best and most constituted, nor did we talk with the
most contented, and restless, but with the most tranquil,
and peaceful, and finally with those, the custom of which
brought us great fruits, and benefit, having for certain thing
that much more easily one takes the vice, that one does not
share the virtue, as easily as one falls in the sickness, that
one does not give health. As for the disciplines, our taste
was not of the most delightful, but of the most excellent, so
that even now youth takes the form, and quality, either of
virtue, or of vice. Two ways were known to us, one the
principal and most worthy, that which led to the holy house
of God and to the sacred Doctors; the other was secondary,
and not of the same honor and esteem, that which led to the
professors of secular doctrines, all the others that led to the
feasts, to the shows, to the frequent places, and to the
public banquets, we had left to those who wanted them,
because nothing in my opinion is very much to be
appreciated, which does not help to live well and
honourably, and does not make better those who study it.
Up to this point, these are the words of the great Theologian,
describing the image of an excellent Christian scholar, at a
time when he was an excellent teacher.

Chapter 73

OF THE DOCTORS OF REASON AND MEDICINE.

It would be desirable if there were as much love and charity
among the Christians as would become true disciples of
Christ, that there were never any quarrels or dissensions
among them, since we are all brothers in the Lord, as St. Paul
showed us when, writing to the Corinthians, and regretting
their quarrels and disputes, he said not without a sense of
sorrow; Fratre cum fratrem iuditio contendit, that is brother
with brother, which is to say how one Christian with another
disputes and quarrels in judgment, but since we are in this
valley of tears, good and evil mixed together, so that it is
necessary that according to the saying of the Gospel, many
scandals come, it is also necessary that the Judges prohibit
them, and give back his right to each one. And therefore it is
to be prayed to God that at least those who have the rank
and title of teachers of reason, and of Judges to define what
is just, are such that they really do with effect what is
appropriate for such an office, and for such an honorable
profession. But more absolutely, considering the natural
fragility of our body, physicians are necessary, the work of
whom, given to us by God for the preservation of our health,
is undoubtedly to be greatly esteemed, because if the good
disposition of the body fails, as if it were a tool for the
blacksmith, the soul cannot perform many useful operations,
either for the individual man, or for the common good. And
generally speaking it does not seem that in this life there is
anything sweet or joyful without health. And therefore it is
also to be desired of the Medici that they exercise their
profession and art with charity for the glory of God and the
benefit of their neighbors. And these are two of the principal
professions that are learned in the studies, which of the

sacred Theology Queen of all the others it is not necessary
to discuss at this time.

Chapter 74

HOW THESE NOBLE PROFESSIONS ARE TO BE EXERCISED
CHRISTIANLY

Returned therefore to the homeland, and to the paternal
presence the desired son, who has not uselessly consumed
his time as many do, but has studied dutifully, bringing back
not only the privileges of a Doctor, but also the merit and
the knowledge, remembering that science is a talent given
him by God to negotiate as a faithful servant, according to
the intentions of his master, that is to the glory of his divine
Majesty and the benefit of his neighbors. Therefore our new
Jurisconsult should not be a flapjack, who immediately
ignites dissensions by offering himself as an instrument of
perverse men to provoke quarrels, and to oppress the poor,
but on the contrary he should think that the verse of the
psalm is said for him, Tibi derelictus est pauper, orphano tu
eris adiutor, that is, the poor are commended to you, and
you will be adiutor of the orphan; let him not have for his
principal end gain, nor to enrich himself by any means, but
the love of his Citizens, and the good opinion of all, that he
is a just and righteous man, and incorruptible, let him not
abandon the just causes of poor widows and children, if they
have no money to pay him, but let him give them alms of his
doctrine and patronage, and they will pray for him and will
be heard, and riches will come with the blessing of God, and
with the approval of men, and his children will enjoy them in
the third and fourth generation. In sum, in advising, judging,
and governing, let your eyes always be on God, andon that
tremendous tribunal, where, as the Apostle says, we must all
necessarily present ourselves. May God see that our Doctor,
brought up by his mother's breasts, in the fear of God with
such care, is then one of those, of whom God complains to

Isaiah the prophet, speaking to Jerusalem, and saying, Your
magistrates are unfaithful, companions of thieves. They all
love the present, and go after profit, they do not justify their
pupil, and they do not listen to the cause of the widow; let
not our good Doctor and Judge be of the number of these, let
not the eyes of the intellect be dazzled by the splendour of
gold, let him not be an acceptor of people, but let him be a
defender of justice, and a preserver of peace, and concord,
both private and public. These things are remembered by
the same Doctors who are themselves capable of
understanding them, and nevertheless the wise father of a
family who at all times has to maintain authority with his
son must gently admonish him to good intentions,
moderating a certain youthful ardor, which is like a new
wine, which is boiling and has not yet reached maturity.
Saint Paul says that knowledge puffs up and charity edifies.
Most of the young people come back from their studies with
a great opinion of themselves, they seem to know
everything, they despise others, they are fresh from
disputes, and from arguing, when they arrive at home, they
want to be named, they undertake difficult and nine
enterprises, and they often disturb the common peace, and
they acquire names of the too bold, and of the cavalier, and
they damage themselves not a little for the rest of their life,
and of their activities; However, the good father must
admonish his son to be humble and affable, to esteem
others, to think that he still has much to learn, since
practice, experience and prudence are acquired after many
years, and the best way to know much is to think oneself to
know little. The same things are also said proportionately to
the professors of medicine, that they should not have as
their principal aim corruptible gain, which soon leaves us
and is soon left by us, that they should medicate with
charity, not less the poor than the rich, that they should not
slaughter men, that they should study with diligence,
because it is a grave sin to make public profession of an art

which others do not know, and to exercise it with such
prejudice either to possessions or to the lives of one's
neighbors. Therefore, let physicians, judges and others like
them be careful to bring themselves in such a way that, with
the same knowledge, they may help the needs of their
country, remain modestly and moderately acquired in civil
life, and what is more important, directing everything to the
glory of God, they may bring back from Him the eternal
reward of Paradise.

Chapter 75

OF MILITARY DISCIPLINE AND CHIVALRY.

Those who have purposely dealt with the nature of the City
and its necessary parts, have sufficiently demonstrated that
not only are those arts needed in it, without which men
cannot live, or not well, and comfortably live, like farmers,
mechanics, and the like, and that it is not only necessary
that there be governors, and magistrates, and judges, and
consultors, who render justice and maintain private peace
among Citizens, but that it is no less necessary that there be
magistrates, and judges, and consultors, who render justice,
and maintain private peace among Citizens, and that it is
also necessary that there be magistrates, and magistrates,
and judges, and consultants, who render reason and
maintain justice, and preserve private peace among
Citizens, but that no less it is also necessary that there be
military magistrates, and soldiers, and defenders, who
defend the liberty, and the peace of the homeland, against
the violence of those who unjustly wanted to disturb it;
Wherefore it appears that the study of military things is
good and praiseworthy, if militia and war are not electable
things in themselves, because to war for the same war, that
is only to win, and to oppress the less powerful, is a thing of
beasts without humanity; but legitimate war is for the sake
of peace, to propel the insults, and violence, and for the
defense of peace, justice, and the honor of God. We see in
the Divine Letters that the military profession was not
condemned, not only in the time of the Old Testament, but
also under the Gospel, where John the Baptist, and
forerunner of the Saviour, coming to him in various ways
and conditions of people, preached penance to them, and
gave salutary advice, according to the state of each one,

and among the others, seeing some soldiers come to him, he
did not reproach them, nor did he take back the profession
they were making, rather, being asked by them what they
should do, he answered, as St. Luke relates, in this way Do
not do violence or insult to anyone, and be content with
your salaries. For this reason the father of a family is not
forbidden to educate his son with this intention, so that he
may be a Knight and a soldier, if he sees that the young man
is called by the disposition of his body and by a certain
natural inclination, observing from a distance, as has been
recalled many times, his manners, in childhood and in
childhood. But a good father must strive to bring up his son
in such a way that he will truly be a defender, and not a
disturber of his country, and that he will serve God with the
military art, and not that by living with every license as
many people do, he will condemn his soul, which is not a
defect of the military but of our bad will, as | will now say in
more detail.

Chapter 76

THAT KNIGHTS ARE GREATLY ESTEEMED TO BE GOD-
FEARING.

It is, ifl am not mistaken, something worthy of consideration
for those who read the Holy Gospel, and the ecclesiastical
histories, and especially those that are called Martyrologies,
where the deaths, or better said the triumphs of the very
strong martyrs of Jesus Christ are briefly recorded, how great
a number of soldiers and knights are found there. And as far
as the Gospel is concerned, do we believe that it was done
by chance, and no sooner by special disposition of the Holy
Spirit, than three Centurions, or Captains as we may call
them, are honorably mentioned by the Evangelists? The first
of whom, considering himself unworthy to receive the author
of life in his house, deserved that the Savior should say of
him that great witness, “Truly, | tell you, I have not found so
much faith in Israel. Whose words have been so admired by
the holy Church, and so desires that each one of her faithful
should imitate that great humility, and faith of the
Centurion, who taught us to say them, always that by taking
the most holy Eucharist we receive the King of glory in this
our low hospitality. The second Centurion, standing at the
foot of the Cross, while the immaculate lamb was hatching in
the fire of his most ardent charity, and of his most bitter
passion, confessed him, being kind, as a true son of God,
when the scribes, and Pharisees, and Supreme Pontiffs, and
Priests, denied him, mocked him, and reputed him to be an
unjust and chosen man. Of the third, who was the good
Cornelius, is discussed at length in the Apostolic Acts written
by Luke the Evangelist, whose prayers and alms were so
acceptable to God, that he sent him an Angel, who visibly
appeared to him, notified him that God had heard him, and

admonished him to send for St. Peter, who moved by a
particular and mysterious vision went there, and preached
the Gospel to Cornelius, and to his servants present there,
the Holy Spirit fell on them, doing the same wonderful
effects, which he did from the beginning on the Holy
Apostles, and the first believers, so that the good Peter,
without further residence baptized Cornelius, and his others,
so that a Captain, and soldiers, were the first of the people,
who came to baptism, after the Ascension of Christ our Lord.
But passing to the Ecclesiastical histories, it is impossible to
believe how many saints and martyrs have come out of the
military profession, | do not say only one, two or three, but
the entire legions, as it was in the time of Mark Antony, that
most noble legion, which was later called “fulminatrice”
(lightning), because in a great need, it implored with its
prayers from God such rain, that it admirably recreated the
thirst of the Roman army, and against the enemy it made
the effect of boiling water, and of lightning. As was also that
of the Thebeian soldiers, at the time of the Emperor
Maximian very clear not only for its sanctity, as the first, but
also for the effusion of blood, shed for the confession of the
name of Christ, inflamed especially by the comfort of the
strong martyr Mauritius. Therefore let no one think that
religion, devotion, prayers and the Christian spirit, is a thing
for monks, and clerics only, and not for Knights, for all these
were soldiers, and soldiers of pagan Emperors, persecutors
of Christians, and nevertheless with unfaithful people, they
were faithful, and under the military girdle of the earthly
Emperor they fought mainly for the heavenly Emperor. And
because it is the custom of the Holy Spirit to use human
instruments according to a certain disposition, which is
found in them, and by his grace to give perfection to nature,
hence it is seen, if one considers well, that precisely those
soldiers and knights who are generous of heart, robust of
body, and eager for glory, and of honor, and for this reason
despisers of death, of these | say it is proper to love God with

greater love, applying the Holy Spirit that fervor of blood,
and that military fortitude, and turning him to love God,
strongly and fervently, and to do for his love great and
heroic works, such as martyrdom. And if the soldiers are, as
we have said, defenders of the freedom of the country, of
the laws, and of the religion, who is there who does not
understand for himself, that the soldiers are principally
expected not to do violence or injustice, but rather to be the
first observers of the human and divine laws?

Chapter 77

OF PUBLIC MILITARY DISCIPLINE, AND OF PRIVATE PATERNAL
CARE.

How much care, and diligence the ancient Romans, and
many other nations used in military discipline, one can still
read in the Latin and Greek histories, and one knows from
many constitutions of the Emperors, that today are still seen
in the volumes, and Codes of reason, it cannot be said
enough how much study the new soldiers, called with Latin
voice Tironi, exercised themselves with, how they were
accustomed to every kind of toil, how they were sober in
eating, how obedient to their Captains, and how severely the
licence of the soldiers was punished, which discipline is a
little less than lost in our times, lacking in this as in many
other things the providence, and public education, being for
the most part our soldiers people collectivized, and
tumultuously mended in the needs, so that the armies for
ordinary are a gathering of licentious men, led by the greed
of prey, difficult to be governed by their Captains, who for
this reason are almost forced to dissimulate with them, and
to tolerate many things in such a way, that it often happens
that their own friends and defenders are more serious than
the enemies themselves. But leaving this part to those who
touch it, and continuing our usual style, | remind our father
of the family once and more, that every building of whatever
profession, to which he decides to apply his son, must have
the fear of God as its foundation, and so he must be a good
soldier, that he must be principally a good Christian, and to
join these two things together, which, as we have shown
above, are in excellent harmony, he must be a soldier, and a
Christian Knight. Therefore all that has been said above
about the good and Christian education, is presupposed in

this case also of the study of Latin letters, and of humanities,
which are, as in its place has been said, a great ornament of
a gentle man, and an honourable and praiseworthy
diversion in every age, from the inhonest entertainments,
and in particular they bring utility to the soldiers, for the
knowledge of the histories, and for many other good effects,
and in particular the knowledge of the mathematical
sciences is considered very necessary in those, who want to
make profession of war, and pretend to go ahead in the most
honorable degrees, and it is a study very proportionate to
the young people. But returning to the goodness of life, it is
certain that all of us in holy baptism have made a solemn
profession of being soldiers of Christ, to whose militia we
have been ascribed, and of whose sign we have been
marked in the sacrament of confirmation, as it has been said
elsewhere, because every Christian is obliged to fight
legitimately against the vices and sins, and to put on the
same fight against the sins, and sins, and to lay down his
own life, when it is necessary for the honor of God, and of his
holy faith, but the soldiers and Knights, for particular reason
of their state have the obligation to be defenders of the holy
Church, and of her faithful, against the enemies of the
Christian name, and against those who under a false name
of faith, are opponents of the true faith, such as the heretics,
and schismatics, besides this the Knights must be protectors
of justice, rebuking the unjust, and relieving the good and in
particular giving help to the widows, to the pupils, and to
the orphans,, and finally the Knight has never to offend
anyone unjustly with his sword, which obligations the Holy
Church our mother declares to us, in her sacred, and
mysterious ceremonies, when she blesses through the
Episcopal hands the Emperors, the Kings, and the new
Knights, giving them the blessed sword in their hands.
Therefore nothing is more monstrous, and horrible, than to
see Christian soldiers and knights violate the Churches,
profane the living temples of God, which are the sacred

virgins, and commit a thousand ways of injustice, robbery,
and barbaric cruelty, and lust, of which many old histories
are full so as not to enter now to speak of our times, and all
the more so are the Knights Regular bound to these
obligations, who have vows, and professions, according to
the various institutes of their religions. Therefore, our father
of the family must educate his son so that he may be a true
Knight, that is just and religious, of whom nothing is more
beautiful, and the more beautiful, the more rare; he must
also admonish him to serve his prince with the utmost faith,
so that however much gold there is in the world, he may
never stain the candour of his loyalty. It is also necessary to
be very careful in practice, since militia is also a way of
studying, and there are many who gird themselves with
swords, and are unworthy of the honoured name of Knight,
people who are idle, quarrelsome, restless, full of vices,
unbearable in time of peace, timid in war. Where the truly
strong, and valiant one, as we wish our family son to be, is
sweet, meek, affable, not content, not a boaster, he doesn't
always seem to breathe blood and death, as some vain
Transoni do, but as it has been said he is very modest, and in
battle ardent, and brave. And true fortitude does not consist
in a certain mad bravery, and in a reckless boldness, but it
requires judgement, and prudence and it must be used for
the right end, and with the right manners, as those who
write about the moral virtues, have fully treated it, so that
many are deceived, and it seems to them to be strong, when
they are sooner bold, and reckless, not discerning the true
valor from the false, nor the vice from virtue. Above all let
our Knight be the enemy of blasphemy, and let him make an
open profession of it for the glory of God, and let him try as
much as he can to eradicate this accursed abuse, which
disfigures in many the nobility of Chivalry. Of this matter,
worthy of every amplification and copy of words, to detest it,
I will say no more having reasoned above in its proper place.

Chapter 78

MILITARY EXERCISES, AND HUNTING.

There is little that | can remember about military exercises,
since I have no knowledge of them; it is sufficient to say that
our father of the family must take care that the young man
has a robust body, able to withstand hard work, not soft and
effeminate, In soldiers, in particular, excessive delicacies
must be avoided; rather, it is necessary that they accustom
themselves to heat, cold, wind, sun, and other
incommodities, fleeing idleness, crapulence, and other
things that enervate their strength. The knowledge of how to
ride a horse is part of this profession, something that, as a
Greek writer said, only the princes and the nobles do,
because the horse does not know how to ride, nor does he
know how to tinker with various types of weapons, how to
jump, and similar things, and beyond the private armies, it is
not surprising that there were private armies in the cities,
like schools, where at certain times, and in separate places,
some recreations of military youth were held in the presence
of experienced men, and of authorities, so that everything
passed with good order, and without danger, and without
much expense. Since it is reasonable that the recreations be
recreations, and the games games, and not be done as is
customary in the public spectacles of jousts, and
tournaments, spending uselessly in things of joke, what
should be reserved to spend in things of duty, and often
some people remain wounded, crippled, and dead, as if the
games, and the exercises were bloody battles, something
abhorred by the same barbarians, and with much reason
condemned by the sacred Canons.

Hunting is also counted among the armies suitable for
soldiers, as an image of war, where the bodies get used to
fatigue, and to the inconveniences, and variety of the air,
the sites of the places are recognized, and other
usefulnesses follow, which confer to the military study.
Therefore it is not to be denied to our son of the family, who
will have chosen that kind of life. | would like, however, that
there be moderation in many things, first of all that the
expense does not exceed the due measure, as some people
do for a vain ostentation, being able to recreate the soul,
and exercise the body with little apparatus. Secondly, one
should not allow oneself to be so carried away by the love of
hunting, that one occupies most of one's time there with the
prejudice of more noble, more fruitful, and more necessary
operations. Lastly, | remember that this recreation must be
done in such a way that one does not run the risk of falling
ill, either from too much cold or heat or from other accidents,
to which those who run unrestrainedly in their pleasures
expose themselves, since it is neither reasonable nor
praiseworthy that for a vain pleasure one should throw away
the life of a gentleman, which must be spent judiciously,
usefully and virtuously for the service of God and of the
country.

Chapter 79

AS SOLDIERS AND KNIGHTS IN TIME OF PEACE MUST WELL
TAKE CARE.

But it is very necessary that our soldier, knows how to spend
his time praiseworthily and in a Christian way, when he is far
from the armies, in the peace of the peace, being it too
much disdainful, to see a Knight all the day long with cards
and dice in his hand, or staying at dances and banquets or
riding morning and evening carefree through the streets
wandering with offense of God and bad example of his
Citizens. Therefore let our Knight be like a Christian enemy
of idleness and sin, a good father of a family, then, as it is
probable, he will have to take a wife, he should take care to
educate his children well and in a Christian way, he should
review the domestic government, he should take pleasure in
agriculture and rustic things, in the City he should exercise
some load or magistrate according to his rank, to take care
of some pious place, and to promote with charity the works
of piety, not to be disdainful, indeed he considers himself
honored to serve the sick in the hospitals, and to receive the
pilgrims, remembering that these are precisely Knightly
undertakings, as anciently did the Knights of the temple,
and of the hospital of San Gio. in Jerusalem so celebrated in
the histories. In short, they are not of the number of those
who seem to be Knights, useless in war and restless in
peace, simply because they bear the sword, dress well and
live in all delights. And as for the soldiers of lesser condition,
there is no doubt that after the events of the war, they must
return to the usual artifices, and occupy themselves
usefully, not aggravating themselves with their idleness, but
rather relieving with their fatigue the needs of their country.
But above all our good Knight, with a clear face, should

show himself to be a servant of God, in the attendance of
the holy sacraments and in all the Christian armies,
overcoming worldly fear, and desiring more to resemble
Cornelius, Mauritius, and the other Knights who joined
religion and goodness with valour, than to these mockers
the mockery and derision of whom are worthy of being
despised, and mocked, and for this reason it is still very
useful to have begun at an early hour, and made a firm
resolution in his heart to want to please God more than men.

Chapter 80

OF THE EXCELLENCE OF THE CLERICAL AND RELIGIOUS
STATE.

After the earthly and carnal militia it is appropriate to Say
something about the spiritual militia, of which those who
choose the Clerical state are soldiers, who with a particular
obligation and with a tighter knot than others commonly do,
dedicate themselves and consecrate themselves to God and
want to be of the Lord’'s share and heredity and also want
God to be their share and heredity in eternal life, to which, if
well all of us of whatever state, and condition, aspire by
divine grace, since we are all children of the celestial father,
nevertheless the Clerics choosing a state of greater
perfection, and walking along a steeper, but more expedient
path, have reason to do so, and a special title for the special
offering and dedication, as has been said, of themselves to
divine worship, and to the ministry of the holy altar in the
temple of the Lord, just as in ancient times the Levitical tribe
among the Hebrews was segregated, and separated from the
multitude, and deputed in particular to the service of God,
and of the sanctuary, and therefore the Clerics have a habit
distinct from the laity, and they carry the sign of the crown
in the middle of the head, by which one understands,
besides the other significations, the excellence of the royal
priesthood, to which the whole order of the Clerics more and
less according to various degrees belongs, and they are
recognized among the others of the people as intimate
relatives, and servants of the one to whom to serve, is to
reign. Therefore the Clerics have a high and noble status
and are worthy of great honor, because they represent the
person and authority of the High King and Priest Jesus
Christ, who has given them power over his true and real

body and blood, that is over the tremendous sacrifice of the
altar, which they offer for themselves and for all the people,
and likewise he has given them power over his body called
mystical and spiritual, that is, over his faithful, of whom they
are Rectors and Governors according to the spirit, directing
them and promoting them with doctrine, with the
sacraments, and with the authority of the ecclesiastical
keys, in the way of health and in the acquisition of paradise.
But the greater and more excellent is the clerical state, the
greater virtue and greater perfection is required in those
who make profession of it, and therefore if in the election of
other states, the father of a family must be considered,
certainly in this he must be considered most highly and not
twist as he says to such religion, who was born earlier to
bear the sword, and not to move only for human ends, and
for the temporal interest of perpetuating the benefices in
the houses, or of creating new ones, common thirst of our
calamitous times, in which many unloving fathers of their
children try, even by illegitimate ways, to make them have
good benefices, not caring about making the same children
good. And then the laity are scandalized, and they murmur
about the life of the clergy, and about the inadeguate
dispensation of the ecclesiastical revenues, not considering
how much of the blame falls on them, who do not raise their
children well and turn them to that profession to which they
themselves were not inclined, without ever telling them
about the great obligations they have, without making them
instruct in those exercises that are proper to that vocation
and finally without doing everything possible so that they
may have doctrine and habits worthy of ministers, and
customs worthy of the ministers of Christ, as if to be a good
cleric, and priest a long robe was enough, which sometimes
is not even worn, and a contemptible title of Abbot, and of
Canon, living in the rest with greater license than the
seculars impinguishing the miserable body of those
revenues, which are vows and oblations of the faithful, price

of sins, and patrimony of the poor, with eternal
condemnation of the body, and of the soul.

Chapter 81

OF THE CARE ABOUT THE ELECTION OF THE CLERICAL AND
RELIGIOUS STATE.

Therefore the father, who cares for his own soul, and for the
soul of his son, should set before his eyes the honour of God
and the good of his son, should observe with diligence from
the earliest age the manners and inclinations of the child,
the habits of the body, and many such circumstances,
because as has been said elsewhere, the nature and
simplicity of the child reveals itself to those who pay
attention to it, so that from the beginning some rays of love
of God, of taste and delight in spiritual things, a modesty, a
gentleness, and other such things emerge, which are like
silent voices, which warn the father what success is to be
had by his son, if good nature does not lack good and
proportionate education. But because all fathers do not hear
these voices when the time comes, it happens that when the
son is grown and large, each one already realizing what he
is, and how little the state in which he finds himself paints
him, it is said by all, when there is no remedy, that this one
should be a priest, and this one should be a layman, and a
soldier. And this is a miserable abuse, and one of the gravest
disorders in the Christian people, and it would please God
that it should happen more rarely than it does, because from
this evil election of the state, of which and according to
which some must live, and not live, there follows such a long
chain of inconvenience, that few words are sufficient to
recount it. But not for this reason is it forbidden that the
father and mother cannot offer their children to God, and
make a proposal that they be clerics or monks; on the
contrary, this thought is holy, praiseworthy and grateful to
the Lord, provided that, as has been said, it is done with true

intention, and aiming at pleasing God, making particular
prayers and taking advice from religious and prudent men,
and maturing the deliberation with time, so that the child
may be somewhat grown up, and may as much as testify of
his own will. In order to better ascertain what is most
expedient, | believe that it would be useful for children
destined to serve God to enter some seminary or college or
congregation of religious men, among whom there is
discipline and fervor of spirit. On this occasion | will say
something further, that even if the child, by the desire of his
relatives, and by his own election must remain in the world,
nevertheless it is an excellent thing to have been brought
up with good servants of God, for which | can only praise
those fathers, who even for education alone, and up to a
certain time, place their female children in monasteries of
nuns, where, however, there is spirit, and fear of God, and
peace, and true observance.

And if at some time it should happen, that outside the
opinion of the father of the family, he should call God the
young man, or the virgin at his service, do not be perturbed,
and do not fill everything with complaints, as some do, but
have it as good news. We are God's, and our children are
God's, and he can take them away from us with a little
febricciuola, when it pleases him; therefore let the father,
and the mother recognize the singular grace that makes
them, not an earthly King, and Prince, but the supreme King
of glory, choosing their sons, and their daughters for his
intimate servants, and for his beloved wives. And therefore
they take care, as much as they cherish grace and fear the
indignation of the great King of Kings, not to impede in any
way the holy purpose of their sons who wish to be religious,
even if it is a male child, and only son, offer him promptly to
God in sacrifice, in the odour of suavity, as good Abraham
did with his beloved Isaac. And as in the most tender sex,
did Anne the mother of Samuel, who with such joy and

exultation of spirit, offered her firstborn son to the Temple of
God and to divine worship. From this she was blessed by the
high priest Heli, and received from God a great reward of
fruitfulness for her prayerful offering. In the time of the
evangelical law, there are infinite memorable examples of
this kind, as anyone reading the lives of the saints can
observe. It is not forbidden, however, nor is it said that the
discreet father cannot proceed with maturity and counsel,
proving the youthful spirit if it is of God, and especially with
the touchstone, that is, with the judgment of good spiritual
fathers. But when the vocation is certain and manifest, bless
him with every blessing, and let him be the first to clothe his
son with his own hands in the holy habit of religion, for he
could not make a more acceptable sacrifice.

Chapter 82

HOW GRIEVOUS A SIN IT IS TO COMPEL CHILDREN TO
ENTER INTO RELIGION, OR TO WITHDRAW THEM AGAINST
THEIRWILL.

Although the religious state, as we have said, is most
acceptable to God, nevertheless, every father and mother
must beware of ever, out of any human respect, doing force
or violence to their son or daughter, or daring to force them
by threats, by beatings, or by other such means, to enter
religion against their will. And to speak particularly of the
female children, where this grave sin is most often
committed, the poor spinster should not dedicate herself to
God in religion, or in the monastery against her will in
perpetual virginity, because she was born deformed or
crippled, not because the father is burdened, and there are
other children to marry, not for the sake that the brothers
may be richer, nor for other similar reasons of flesh and
blood, where on the other hand, as was said a little while
ago of the males, if the Holy Spirit breathes in her heart,
even if she is beautiful, if she is unique, if she is desired as a
wife by whomever she wishes, let no one be so bold as to
take her away from her heavenly spouse.

And because these cases of which we are now speaking are
very important and very common, everyone knows that the
Sacred Council of Trent, with a most serious and formidable
decree, has detested and excommunicated all those who
force any virgin or other woman to enter religion, or on the
contrary prevent her against her will.

But returning to our father of the family, do not think himself
unfortunate to see himself burdened with children, and poor,

nor does it occur to him to have recourse to such means,
which are to the offence of God, to feed them; remember
that God has given him many children, and God himself is
sufficient to provide them abundantly, in a thousand ways,
where human prudence with its discourses would never
penetrate; commend yourself to God, dilate your heart with
good confidence, and do on your part what you can, and
what you must, and above all, attend to bring up your
children well and in a Christian manner, and to make them
rich in virtue, and the more you have, the more you rejoice,
for there is nothing more precious than a good child, and
even to the gentle philosophers, they have placed among
the human happiness, and of this life, having many, and
good children.

Chapter 83

HOW, IN PARTICULAR, THE CHILDREN WHO ARE TO BE
CLERICS AND RELIGIOUS ARE TO BE RAISED.

Concluding, therefore, we say that the good father must not
prevent, nor force his son to choose the highest state of
religion, and perpetual chastity, which state, Christ our Lord
did not want from the beginning, to put under obligation,
but said whoever can take, take, so that whoever wants,
remains then rightly forever obliged with the bond of his free
will, and of his own vow. God does not like sacrifices and
offerings that do not come from the heart, but rather from
effort, and it is much better to be a good layman in secular
life, than a sad religious, or cleric, and generally speaking,
whoever wishes to build this high tower, must first,
according to the warning of the Gospel, sitting down, that is,
with mature deliberation, make a good count, if he has
sufficient money to lead it to perfection by divine grace, so
that it is not necessary to rush into something of such
importance, hastily, but in such a way as to put one's hand
to the plow, that others do not turn back, but persevere until
the end so that one is saved. Now, since it may be that God
may give particular grace to our father of the family to call
one of his sons to this sublime vocation, it should be
remembered that this son, whose father’s pious desire is to
devote himself to God in religion, moved by the probable
conjecture of the inclination of the child, and with upright
and holy intention, and with prudent deliberation, that son, |
say, should be brought up with greater care, and should be
more exercised in those things pertinent to a religious man,
such as, for example, being more assiduous in the frequency
of the sacraments, in reading the lives of the saints, who are
like exemplars of perfect religious, in the study of spiritual

and devout books. He should pay more attention to the
knowledge of literature, and especially, when the time
comes, to the sacred Canons and the sacred Theology. It will
also be necessary for him to be accustomed to serving in the
churches at masses and divine offices, delighting in
conversing in the castles of his Lord, as if he were a new
soldier. Let him frequent the works of piety more often, have
less conversation with the laity, and more assiduously with
priests, and other religious men, flee all the vanities of the
century, and in sum learn at an early age, and take delight,
as they Say, in his art.

It will also be useful, especially when certain signs appear in
the child that are more evident than usual, to dress him in
the clerical habit from an early age, and then to promote
him to the first tonsure, so that by degrees, not so much
with speed as with sure and steady steps, he may ascend to
the holy mountain, and to the Tabernacle of the Lord.
Therefore, let the good father see to it, by means of men of
doctrine and spirit, that his son, as he grows in years and
intellect, knows and understands very well the obligations of
those who choose the clerical and religious life, who are said
to be excellent in every Christian virtue, like those who are
called the salt of the earth and the light of the world, but if
salt, says Christ, is insipid, how can it be made tasty? it is
good for nothing, except to be thrown into the street, where
it is trodden underfoot like vile mud.

Chapter 84

OF THE COURTS OF PRINCES.

It cannot be denied, what experience shows, that many,
enjoying too much of the comforts and comforts of home,
give themselves to a quiet life, not to say idle, living off their
ordinary income, never leaving their homeland, and not
caring much about acquiring honor, nor fame among men.
And if he did this out of a high spirit, despising earthly
things, and in order to escape as much as possible the ties
and entanglements of the world, and in order to better
attend to the very important business of his own health, it
would not be worthy of reproach. But most of the time one
sees this happen, because of such a languidness of heart,
and for not wanting to endure fatigue, nor any discomfort, so
that these people, not even in their own country, give
themselves to any honorable undertaking, but under cover
of loving quietness, and seclusion they uselessly consume
the best years of their lives.

Therefore, it does not seem to me that those fathers of
families, especially noble ones, who choose to send their
children away from home to the Court of a secular or
ecclesiastical Prince are absolutely to blame. To see various
countries, cities, and customs, to converse with men of
valour, and nobly bred, to negotiate grave affairs, and to
pass through various incidents of human life, partly by
experiencing them in oneself, and partly by seeing them in
others, are things for which he who is not of obtuse intellect,
and incapable at all, acquires much cognition, and
experience which is the mother of prudence, and from here
it happens that the oldest, are also subject to being more

prudent, for having in the long span of life seen and
experienced many things.

The Courts are by nature like so many seminaries, to make
men valiant in war, and in peace, in the city and outside, in
the affairs, and negotiations of state, in councils, in public
government, in economy and domestic regulation, and in
many other things so praiseworthy, and good, there the
example of others, the stimulus of honour, the need itself,
and necessity make men industrious, and solicitous, and
such that at home they would have been ungrateful, and of
no value, succeed in the Courts men of distinction, and of
great honour, and ornament to the country, and to their
families. Add that the Courts, especially the ecclesiastical
ones, those who consider them in their own nature, are like
the image of monasteries and religions, one lives under the
obedience of a lord and head, under the same roof, and
often at the same table each one has his office and has the
field to exercise his talent, they are like schools of kindness,
of affability, and of all good manners, they are the refuge of
the virtuous poor, there the judgments are refined, there the
rewards for virtue and hard work are prepared, and from
there men come out from time to time already tried, in order
to send them to various parts for public benefit, like streams
coming out of a fountain. For these and other reasons, which
could easily be given in this connection, | do not dare to
dissuade our father from sending any of his sons out of the
house, either to a distant court, or to his own country if there
is a prince and court there, being also honourable that the
Prince is served by his citizens, indeed as has been said the
Court should be like a school, and a public education, where
the Prince raises every kind of man necessary for the City
and State, and for his Kingdom, because no one is born a
teacher, but discipline, and practice are necessary, and the
wise Prince must not think of providing for the places, and
the offices at the point of the same need, which is done with

disadvantage, and danger, but he must always have seals of
every manner prepared for people to serve, not otherwise
than the craftsman does with his instruments, and therefore
it is opportune to raise many, of many conditions, which if it
is true on the part of the Prince, as it certainly seems to be
the case, it will also be true that fathers of families are
expected to give the Prince their own children as material
from which he can make instruments suitable for his private,
and public service. But even though the above things are
probably said, on the other hand those who wish to consider
things not speculatively but according to practice, and
according to what is most commonly seen, have no doubt
that the life of the courts is full of many dangers, and of
many occasions for sin, and a stormy sea, where at all hours
one is about to be shipwrecked, everything being full of the
snares of envy, and of simulations, and the grace of the
Princes being sustained by a weak thread, which is broken
by every small incident, of which I do not wish to speak at
length, lest anyone should say, that I have offended more by
being biting, than by being prudent.

Chapter 85

OF PATERNAL PROVIDENCE ABOUT PUTTING CHILDREN IN
COURT.

But returning to our father of the family, | say that when he
decides to place his son in the Court, he must first of all
persuade himself that it is not a question of a small
deliberation, and therefore he must not avail himself of
every shadow of apparent usefulness, and of interest, and
where he has the possibility of being able to elect more from
one Court than from another, let him first examine well all
the circumstances, which are represented, ask for the advice
of the most knowledgeable, see the successes of the other
courtiers, seek information on the nature of the Prince, and
on the conditions of that particular Court, where he has his
sights set on, and also examine the qualities of the same
son, for not all of them are fit to serve, nor to know how to
adapt themselves to that way of life, which requires much
patience and a versatile and shrewd intellect, and who with
dexterity knows how to bear many imperfections, and of the
Lord and of his courtly companions, gently concealing some
things, so that the impatient, the overly sensitive, and the
excessively choleric, can hardly last, and on the other hand
some who are not very sharp, but rather late in judgment
andof a certain simple goodness, often do not bear any fruit
at Court, other than being the entertainment and the fable
of the courtiers. | do not think it is expedient, commonly
speaking, to send children to Court while they are still
young, but it is safer to let them mature a little, so that they
may be better founded in the fear of God, so that they may
perfect their studies, and so that they may be less exposed
to the many dangers of a more tender age, | do not deny,
however, that this rule may have some limitations, since

perhaps there are some princes who teach these young
plants, I mean noble children, taking great care of them, and
governing them, and trying to lead them to maturity in
every way of virtue, Thus we read in the Holy Scriptures that
King Nebuchadnezzar commanded that a choice be made of
several children of the royal seed, and of the nobility of
Israel, who would be without blemish, of beautiful
appearance, and well trained and educatedì, so that they
might be worthy to be in the King's palace, ordering that
they be taught the language and the Chaldean disciplines,
making them nobly raised, and providing them with the
necessary things so that after three years, they could stay
before the King, among whom was the great Daniel, and the
three much celebrated children of the fiery furnace. And
certainly nothing is more worthy of a great prince than to
raise men and to be the father of many noble minds, to the
glory of God and public benefit. Let the father dispose his
sons in that way of studies, either chivalrous or clerical,
which are in conformity with the Courts where he wants to
send them, so that if, for example, in the Court of a King, the
young man will acquire, as is probable, greater perfection, in
the things that are appropriate to a noble Knight, than in his
father's House, nevertheless the fact of showing the seed of
valour, and of having some excellent qualities and
conditions, will make him amiable, and will pave the way for
him to more easily acquire the grace of the Prince. And as
far as Ecclesiastics are concerned, it is useful for those who
wish to pursue the profession of letters, the understanding
of the Sacred Canons, and of Theology, and for others who
wish to be secretaries, it is a great help to have, as they say,
a good hand in writing, and it is much more useful to know
how to explain concepts in Latin, and in the vernacular, and
to have knowledge of history, especially of those closest to
our times, and of the governments of the republics in order
to be able to enter into important negotiations and affairs,

under the guidance and discipline of a practical and
experienced man.

Chapter 86

AS BY THE GRACE OF EARTHLY PRINCES, ONE MUST NEVER
OFFEND GOD.

And because the sum of all things consists in pleasing God
above all, and saving his own soul, he must warn the father
not to be the author of his son's damnation and of his own
damnation, so that he does not send him to a place where
candour and integrity of faith may be in danger, and in the
rest he should send him armed with the fear of God, and
with holy instruction, reminding him that he should seek to
gain the grace of his Prince by being faithful, and the
integrity of the faith can be endangered, and in the rest he
sends him armed with the fear of God, and of holy teachings,
reminding him that he tries to acquire the grace of his Prince
by being faithful, loving, and diligent in his service, having
his hands clean of all corruption, and finally with vigilance,
with hard work, and with virtue, and never to be envious of
those, who by crooked ways and with offence to God come
to be favoured by the Princes, and therefore to declare at an
early hour that he is a Christian, and so willing to serve his
earthly master, that he does not want in any way to disserve
his heavenly master, to whom he first obliged his faith in
holy baptism, otherwise if the temporal master orders
something contrary to the eternal, then it is necessary to
remember the saying of the Saviour: No one can serve two
masters; now it is necessary to recall the saying of the holy
Apostles when they were commanded by the Jewish
magistrates not to preach the name of Christ, to whom they
replied: God must be obeyed more than men; Now it is time
to imitate the ancient martyrs, who served the pagan kings
with great fidelity, while the honor of God and their own
health were not offended, but when others urged them to

rebel against God and to contravene his law, they no longer
recognized them as lords or benefactors, but despised
favors, stripped themselves of their dignity, trampled on
riches, and if it was necessary, generously shed their blood
and their lives for the glory of God.

Chapter 87

OF THE ELECTION OF THE MATRIMONIAL STATE.

We have reserved in the last place the reasoning of the
matrimonial state, as that which is principal in this matter,
where it is treated of raising children in a Christian way, so
that the same children who then become fathers and
mothers of the family raise their children with the same
discipline, and education, and so it goes by divine grace
from generation to generation. Now the greater part of what
could be desired in this place has already been said in the
beginning of the book, since the nature of the thing
demands it, since one could not speak of raising children
except with fathers, and legitimate fathers by means of holy
and legitimate marriage. However, so that we do not pass
over it completely in silence, it remains for us to remember
something about the time of the marriage of sons and
daughters with some brief considerations in this regard. And
to begin with the female children, a matter which is usually
considered more serious by the fathers, | am reminded of
that saying of the wise man in the Ecclesiatic: Trade filiam,
et grande opus feceris, et viro sensato da illam. That is,
marry your daughter, and you will have done a great work
and given her to a sensible and prudent man, from which
words we can learn a great deal, before that, when the due
time has come to marry the daughter, it is convenient that
the good father satisfies this obligation of nature, and does
not withhold, or for avarice, or for too much tenderness, the
child, or for too much tenderness the daughter to grow old in
the paternal house, always understanding that of those who
do not aspire to a higher vocation to consecrate themselves
to the heavenly spouse and to observe perpetual virginity,
of which the Apostle speaks in that place enclosed

elsewhere, he who unites in marriage his virgin daughter
does well, and he who does not unite her does better.
Secondly, the wise man shows us that it is not a small, but
rather a serious and important matter to marry a daughter,
because it frees the father from the continual solicitude of
preserving the chastity of his daughter, and also because it
is not easy to find a good son-in-law. In the third place,
therefore, the wise man teaches us what conditions the
father of a family must look for in the one whom he designs
to have as a son-in-law, which he briefly encloses in one
word when he says, “from a sensible man, that is, a prudent
man, and a man of judgement and good life and morals,
whom many do not care to remember, and go after nobility,
and riches, and those goods, which are not only of the body,
but also outside of us, and which are not only of the mind,
but also of the body. or are outside of us, having little regard
for the true and essential goods of the soul.

Chapter 88

OF THE TIME TO JOIN IN MARRIAGE THE SONS, AND THE
DAUGHTERS.

But in order to discuss more particularly the age at which it
is appropriate to marry sons and daughters, the
philosophers of the world have dealt with this subject, and
their considerations are not entirely to be despised in this
part. First of all, therefore, they consider the marriage of too
young spouses, as being inimical to the good procreation of
children insofar as the form and strength of the body is
concerned, which is also detrimental to the soul, of which
the body is an instrument, since it is seen that the parts of
young animals are imperfect and small, and mostly give
birth to females, Therefore, it is not to be doubted that the
same thing also happens to men, and experience shows that
the children of too tender fathers and mothers are weak like
unripe fruit, and are produced almost by force, just as ill-
disposed fathers and mothers give birth to sickly children,
because childbirth takes its quality from the parents. It
should be added that spinsters feel more pain in giving
birth, and sometimes they die, and some naturally speaking
have also taken this into consideration, that is, that it is
useful for continence to marry their daughters a little later,
affirming that those who marry too early are less temperate,
but there is no doubt that the bodies of young husbands
suffer, and their vigor and growth are prevented. There is
also another difficulty which is not light, that the children of
an immature father, and of too tender an age, grow up
almost the same, and have more readily the image of
brothers, and of peers than of sons, which takes away much
of the respect and the paternal reverence, and of paternal
reverence, and they observe less the filial veracity and

subjection, from which many inconveniences then originate,
and about the education and about the government and the
family regiment, the son being so suitable, and capable of
governing as the same father; but on the contrary, the
children who are born of fathers who are too old, and for too
long an interval they stray from the paternal age, often
remain pupils, and do not have from their fathers those aids,
which were necessary to be well brought up, nor can they at
the same time render to their fathers, the honour, and the
gratitude, which with every offence of gratitude they are
bound to render. Likewise it seems to be considered that
there should not be a great disproportion and disparity of
age between man and woman, as, for example, if the woman
advances too far in age of the man, she will be old by the
time the man is in the vigor and consistency of his age,
which can only be an occasion to alienate the souls and
diminish love; Therefore the same philosophers, descending
more to the detail, have said some of them that the age
suitable to accompany in marriage as to the woman is the
eighth year, and as to the man the thirty-seventh year,
placing an interval of about twenty years between the man
and the woman, others have placed the age of marrying the
woman in the twentieth year and of the man in the thirtieth,
placing only ten years of difference between both. Now
these things cannot be defined in detail, but it is good to
have some regard for these respects, which are founded on
probable reasons, insofar as they do not impede greater
good, so that in his confessions Saint Augustine complains
that, since he had already fallen into the abyss of lust in his
adolescence, his parents had not taken care and provided
for him with the remedy of marriage, and St. John
Chrysostom is of the same opinion that children must marry
very early, to escape the grave danger of incontinence,
therefore it is appropriate that the shrewd father should
consider many things, and if either because of the
complexity of the child or because of another accident he

sees an expedient, prevent the wiles of Satan, and give a
wife to his son, as the Apostle Paul, condescending to
human frailty, allows him to say: Quod si non se continent,
nubant, that is, if they cannot contain themselves, let them
be joined in matrimony, where he does not speak of sacred
virgins, nor of those who have a vow and obligation of
continence, but of those who are totally free, and can also
choose one state or the other. But | would like to hope that
our children of the family, brought up in a Christian way,
fleeing idleness, and occupying themselves usefully and
observing the memories given above, will wait with chastity
for the due time of marriage, so that with reason they too
may be called fathers of the family, and will not run like
brute animals, but like reasonable men and much more like
Christians to the venerable sacrament of holy matrimony.

Chapter 89

OF SOME PATERNAL OFFITII ABOUT THE MATRIMONIAL
STATE OF THE CHILDREN.

As far as conjugal offences are concerned, and the love and
charity that must exist between two spouses, and many
other things pertaining to domestic peace and quiet, this
has already been said elsewhere to suffice, and the good
father of a family must give special reminders of this to his
sons and daughters, in addition to what he has taught them
by his own example, and above all he must admonish them,
that they know how to bear the imperfections of their dear
company with patience and Christian charity, for we all have
our beam, and there is nothing more necessary for us to live
together peacefully, than to have continually in mind that
precept of St. Paul, Alter alterius onera portate, et sic
adimplebitis legem Christi, that is, bear the burdens, which
means as much as you bear each other's faults, and so you
will fulfill the law of the Lord, which is enclosed all in one
commandment which is to love one another in charity.

For the rest, let the father of a family remember that the wife
of his son is a much more important business than buying a
house, or a farm, or anything of this kind, in which, however,
buyers are usually very diligent, so much the more so in a
deliberation in which so much of human happiness consists,
if any happiness is to be found in this valley of tears, that is,
of a good wife, who has to be of such help and uplift to her
husband, both in family, earthly and spiritual matters, to live
both in a Christian way, passing the marital yoke in holy
works, until they reach eternal glory by divine grace. In a
good wife also consists a large part of the good education of
the children and the succession of posterity, and the

maintenance of the families, and a thousand other goods
that would take a long time to say. Therefore, as has been
recalled elsewhere, the wise father should not keep his eye
principally on possessions, and on such things which, for a
brief pleasure, give rise to infinite sorrow, but he should look
to goodness, virtue, the equality of the state of both, the
conformity of morals, and to such respect, which like strong
and tenacious bonds, especially with the efficacy of the
sacrament, bind the souls with perpetual love; for if it is
right that the son should obey his father, and remain
content with what the father determines about his wife and
consort, since he must be very certain that with the greatest
love and providence he procures his good, it will
nevertheless be praiseworthy that the father should
communicate with his son in the right way, all the more so
since he is discreet, and judicious, so that with his greater
satisfaction, and approval, that negotiation which is so
important to him may be concluded, which likewise is
understood by the mother of the family, who is just, and
reasonable that for the conservation of the common peace,
and for all respect, she should be a participant in so
important a deliberation.

Chapter 90

HOW FAR THE PATERNAL CARE OF EDUCATION EXTENDS.

Perhaps some may ask how long it is appropriate for the
father to take care of his children and when this solicitude
should end, to which question, answering it, | say that we
have taken this name of education widely, not only because
it shows us that discipline extends to childhood and not
much further, in which meaning it seems that the Latins use
it, but under this heading we have understood every care,
and diligence, which extends to childhood and childhood
and not much further, in which meaning it seems that the
Latins use it, but under this voice we have understood every
care and paternal diligence, which in any way is ordered to
the health and good of the child. Therefore, since the most
remote and distant term of education only reaches the
twenty-fifth year, at which time, according to the provisions
of the Civil Laws, the authority of those who are called
“curators” is determined, there is no prefixed term in which
the father is not allowed, or rather is not obliged to use the
power that God, nature and human laws have given him for
the benefit of his son. Well it is true that, being useful in all
things, that proverb of the ancient Greeks, Beware of too
much, it is fitting that the prudent father should remit some
of that vigour, and moderate his authority a little, not by
diminishing it in effect, but by making his son share in it,
recognising in him the maturity of his years, and intellect,
and that prudence which through the study of literature, or
by some other means, he will have acquired. So | believe
that it would be expedient for the father not only to
communicate many things with his son and to hear his
opinion, but also in the government not to hold the reins
completely in his hands, but to leave many things to his son,

reserving for himself the most important things, and at the
right time and place, taking from his son a report of what is
happening, so that the old father would relieve himself of
many labours, give his son the opportunity to practise
governing, and keep him more comforted, having that part
of honour that is appropriate, with which many disgusts and
complaints can be avoided. But whether it would be useful
for his son, already a man and married, to set up home on
his own, and to become head of the family, since this is a
matter which seems to exceed our treatise, and which
cannot be regulated in a certain way, since the decision
depends on many particular circumstances, | shall not linger
any longer, since it is time to put an end to it, so much so
that | say, that in every place and in every state, our good
son must be educated in a Christian manner, preserve the
due obedience and reverence towards his dear father, as we
read in the sacred scriptures that the good Isaac did towards
Abraham his father, and towards Isaac Jacob, and towards
him his sons and especially towards the beloved Josep,
although he not only had sons but was already old, and with
such a rank and preeminence in the empire of Egypt that he
held the second place after Pharaoh.

Chapter 91

CONCLUSION OF THE WORK ET RENDIMENTO DI GRATIE À
DIO. AND ULTIMATE.

We have arrived by divine grace, honorable fathers of
families, I have come to the end of this perhaps too long-
winded work of mine, or discourse, that it may be, and it
goes likewise to the desired end of your virtuous, and
Christian education of your children, we have reasoned as
you must remember, from the beginning, of the things which
preceded education, and then of the education itself, but in
the first place, it was said of the excellence, and sanctity, of
the matrimonial state, and of good, and truly Christian
marriages, from which legitimate children are acquired; It
was also said of the dispositions closest to education, that is,
of the good form and habit of the body, and it was shown
that it is necessary to begin at an early hour to bring up
children well, as the basis and foundation of all this
construction subsequently, because our end is God, and the
eternal glory, which consists in seeing and enjoying the
same God, to which end we come by the observance of the
divine precepts, and this has to be the rule and norm of all
our actions, therefore it was taken to show briefly almost a
sum of Christian doctrine, treating however the subjects
more practically, than speculatively and continually
extracting Christian recollections proportionate, and suited
to our purpose. Lately, proceeding from age to age, and
discussing the various states of a praiseworthy and Christian
life, we have tried to make our son of such a family, that we
can already promise ourselves of him, and hope that with
the help of the Lord he will be a useful Citizen of his earthly
homeland, and finally he will be admitted to the consortium
of Citizens of the heavenly homeland, to which we are

already written, and we are seeking him through this
pilgrimage, full of hardships and dangers, until we reach
eternal tranquility and rest. Therefore it is right that, both
from you and from me, many thanks should be given to the
Father of lights, from whom every gift and every good
descends, and for this reason, both for me and for you | shall
say this way: | bless you, and thank you my Lord God, that
you have brought me this far, so that at least in some part, |
may have been able to obey the desire of that beloved
servant of yours, to whom it pleased you to inspire me, to
command me to take on this burden far greater than my
strength, | know that because of my ignorance, and because
of the lesser diligence of what the matter requires, the
learned and judicious men will find much more than to take
up in this book, after whom | cannot, nor must | excuse
myself, their humanity will excuse me a great deal from
human errors. But if by chance, if you most blessed God
should inadvertently, or ignorantly, want me to have written
anything, which does not conform entirely to the doctrine
and determination, and with the sense, and consent of your
holy Church, of this | ask your humble pardon, protesting to
the feet of your mercy, that this has happened outside my
intention, as you my God, scrutinizer of hearts, and more
intimate, and more present to me, than | myself am, you
know and see; | am by your grace a Christian, | am though
most unworthy, a priest, | was born, and reared by the
breasts of my mother, until this time, which is the end of the
41st year of my age, in your Roman Catholic, and Apostolic
Church to which today presides your Vicar and successor of
your blessed Apostle Peter, Gregory the Third, Supreme
Pontiff and our Lord and in this Church outside of which
there is no health, | intend by your divine grace to live and
die. But on behalf of my good fathers of the family and your
servants, | thank you, my Lord God, that you have given and
granted them children, but what is more important, good
children, inspiring in the hearts of the fathers to take care to

bring up their children well and in a Christian way as they
are obliged to do, and to the children to obey the
exhortations and the good paternal discipline; may it please
you, Lord, from time to time, to impress deeply on the hearts
of all fathers who are to be, the great obligation they have to
return to you the children you give them, so that after caring
for their own souls, they may have no greater concern than
for the souls of their children, raising them well, andina
Christian manner for you, our Lord and Father, in whom all
other private and public goods are enclosed, neither outside
of you, nor without you, can there be any good, for you are
all good, the triune God and one, to whom be honor, glory,
and thanksgiving for ever and ever. Amen.

*