Monks

"Dicunt quia die quadam cum, advenientibus nuper mercatoribus, multa venalia in forum fuissent conlata, multi ad emendum confluxissent, et ipsum Gregorium inter alios advenisse, ac vidisse inter alia pueros venales positos candidi corporis ac venusti vultus, capillorum quoque forma egregia. Quos cum adspiceret interrogavit, ut aiunt, de qua regione vel terra essent adlati. Dictumque est quia de Britannia insula, cuius incolae talis essent aspectus."

"Rursus ergo interrogavit quod esset vocabulum gentis illius. Responsum est quod Angli vocarentur. At ille: "Bene", inquit, "nam et angelicam habent faciem et tales angelorum in caelis decet esse cohaeredes. Quod habet nomen ipsa provincia, de qua isti sunt adlati?" Responsum est quod Deiri vocarentur idem provinciales. At ille: "Bene", inquit, "Deiri; de ira eruti, et ad misericordiam Christi vocati. Rex provinciae illius quomodo apellatur?" Responsum est quod Aelli diceretur. At ille adludens ad nomen ait: "Alleluia, laudem Dei creatoris illis in partibus oportet cantari.""

"Talis ... mihi uidetur, rex, vita hominum praesens in terris, ad conparationem eius, quod nobis incertum est, temporis, quale cum te residente ad caenam cum ducibus ac ministris tuis tempore brumali, accenso quidem foco in medio, et calido effecto caenaculo, furentibus autem foris per omnia turbinibus hiemalium pluviarum vel nivium, adveniens unus passeium domum citissime pervolaverit; qui cum per unum ostium ingrediens, mox per aliud exierit. Ipso quidem tempore, quo intus est, hiemis tempestate non tangitur, sed tamen parvissimo spatio serenitatis ad momentum excurso, mox de hieme in hiemem regrediens, tuis oculis elabitur. Ita haec vita hominum ad modicum apparet; quid autem sequatur, quidue praecesserit, prorsus ignoramus. Unde si haec nova doctrina certius aliquid attulit, merito esse sequenda videtur."

"Tanta eo tempore pax in Britannia fuisse perhibetur, ut, sicut usque hodie in proverbio dicitur, etiamsi mulier una cum recens nato parvulo vellet totam perambulare insulam a mari ad mare, nullo se laedente valeret."

"Fore there neidfaerae • naenig uuiurthit thoncsnotturra • than him tharf sie to ymbhycggannae • aer his hiniongae huaet his gastae • godaes aeththa yflaes aefter deothdaege • doemid uueorthae."

"For þam nedfere • næni wyrþeþ þances snotera, • þonne him þearf sy to gehicgenne • ær his heonengange hwæt his gaste • godes oþþe yfeles æfter deaþe heonon • demed weorþe."

"Before the dread journey which needs must be taken No man is more mindful than meet is and right To ponder, ere hence he departs, what his spirit Shall, after the death-day, receive as its portion Of good or of evil, by mandate of doom."

"Nū scylun herᵹan • hefaenrīcaes Uard, metudæs maecti • end his mōdᵹidanc, uerc Uuldurfadur, • suē hē uundra ᵹihwaes, ēci dryctin • ōr āstelidæ hē ǣrist scōp • aelda barnum heben til hrōfe, • hāleᵹ scepen. Thā middunᵹeard • moncynnæs Uard, eci Dryctin, • æfter tīadæ firum foldu, • Frēa allmectiᵹ."

"Nu scilun herᵹa • hefenricæs uard metudæs mehti • and his modᵹithanc uerc uuldurfadu • sue he uundra ᵹihuæs eci dryctin • or astelidæ. he ærist scop • ældu barnum hefen to hrofæ • haliᵹ sceppend tha middinᵹard • moncynnæs uard eci dryctin • æfter tiadæ firum foldu • frea allmehtiᵹ"

"Nū þ sculan herian • heofonrices þeard, metudes myhte • his modᵹeþanc, þurc þuldorfæder, • sþa he þundra ᵹehþilc, ece drihten • ord astealde; he ærest ᵹesceop • ylda bearnum heofon to hrofe, • haliᵹ scyppend, middanᵹearde • mancynnes þard; ece drihtin, • æfter tida firum on foldum, • frea ællmyhtiᵹ."

"Now must we hymn the Master of heaven, The might of the Maker, the deeds of the Father, The thought of His heart. He, Lord everlasting, Established of old the source of all wonders: Creator all-holy, He hung the bright heaven, A roof high upreared, o’er the children of men; The King of mankind then created for mortals The world in its beauty, the earth spread beneath them, He, Lord everlasting, omnipotent God."

"Bede, like the Vulgate, normally uses the word "gens", not the word "natio", but in his preface's final paragraph he prefers to use the latter when he reaffirms that he had written the "historia nostrae nationis", the history of our own nation. Here, then, in his preface for King Ceolwulf we see the first verbal appearance of the English "nation"... If the nationalism of intellectuals, the Rousseaus, Herders and Fichtes, precedes the existence of nations, as the modernists argue, and it is their "imagining" which brings a nation into being, then Bede is undoubtedly the first, and probably the most influential, such case. It is just that he wrote his books in the eighth, and not the nineteenth century. In his Northumbrian monastery he did indeed imagine England; he did it through intensely biblical glasses, but no less through linguistic and ecclesiastical ones, and he did it so convincingly that no dissentient imagining of his country has ever since seemed quite credible."

"As a master of technical chronology and as a historical writer he is among the greatest; as a theologian and exegete he had, if not the highest qualities—he is no Augustine or Jerome—at least the qualities most necessary for his plan. He had no known master. He was the first Englishman who understood the past and could view it as a whole... Bede stood for sobriety and order in thought, common sense in politics, and moderation in the religious life."

"The quality which makes his work great is not his scholarship, nor the faculty of narrative which he shared with many contemporaries, but his astonishing power of co-ordinating the fragments of information which came to him through tradition, the relation of friends, or documentary evidence. In an age when little was attempted beyond the registration of fact, he had reached the conception of history. It is in virtue of this conception that the Historia Ecclesiastica still lives after twelve hundred years."

"Wyclif does not give Bede as his direct source for the idea that there had existed a state akin to the primitive Church in the English Church before the Conquest. However, it is clear that Bede's entire Historia Ecclesiastica put forth this point of view. Specifically, in his description of the life of St. Augustine and his followers after their arrival in Kent, Bede said that as they began their apostolate, they imitated "the life of the primitive Church"... It seems that Bede had a concept of a distinct English ecclesiastical tradition. Even the title Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum suggests this. In his epistle to archbishop Egbert, Bede complained about the Church he saw at the end of his own life as having departed from its earlier purity. It seems evident that Wyclif was influenced by Bede in his own development of a similar point of view and the resultant remarkably similar criticisms of his own ecclesiastical contemporaries."

"More and more, as the organic world was observed, the vast multitude of petty animals, winged creatures, and "creeping things" was felt to be a strain upon the sacred narrative. More and more it became difficult to reconcile the dignity of the Almighty with his work in bringing each of these creatures before Adam to be named; or to reconcile the human limitations of Adam with his work in naming "every living creature"; or to reconcile the dimensions of Noah's ark with the space required for preserving all of them, and the food of all sorts necessary for their sustenance. ...Origen had dealt with it by suggesting that the cubit was six times greater than had been supposed. Bede explained Noah's ability to complete so large a vessel by supposing that he worked upon it during a hundred years; and, as to the provision of food taken into it, he declared that there was no need of a supply for more than one day, since God could throw the animals into a deep sleep or otherwise miraculously make one day's supply sufficient; he also lessened the strain on faith still more by diminishing the number of animals taken into the ark—supporting his view upon Augustine's theory of the later development of insects out of carrion."

"[H]e, more than anyone else, inspired the idea of the English as one people, called into existence by the special favour of God... It was Bede who gave "Englishness" a manifesto of unique grace and power... Bede's Ecclesiastical History had some of the role in defining English national identity and English national destiny that the narrative books of the Old Testament had for Israel itself, or Homer for the Greeks, or Virgil (rather than Livy) for the Romans."

"The Bible is different from all other books; other books are written by man, but the Bible not only contains the sayings and commandments of God, but was also written entirely under divine inspiration. So we might say that it is God's book, which he gave to man to lead him to everlasting life."

"We hear from the saints who experienced prayer power that prayer gives wings to humans lifting them up so they can fly."

"All is not golde that outward shewith bright."

"A wikked tonge wol alway deme amis."

"Who lesethe his fredam, in faith! he loseth all."

"A prowde hert in a beggers brest, A fowle visage with gay temples of atyre, Horrible othes with an holy prist, A justice of juges to selle and lete to hyre, A knave to comande and have an empire, To yeve a jugement of that never was wrought, To preche of pees and sette eche man on fyre, It may wele ryme but it accordith nought."

"Woord is but wynd; leff woord and tak the dede."

"For love is mor than gold or gret richesse; Gold faileth ofte; love wol abyde."

"For he owre englishe gilte with his sawes, Rude and boistous firste be olde dawes, That was ful fer from al perfeccioun And but of litel reputacioun Til that he cam, and thorugh his poetrie, Gan oure tonge firste to magnifie And adourne it with his eloquence: To whom honour, laude and reuerence."

"Odyous of olde been comparisonis."

"Harde to likke hony out of a marbil stoon, For ther is nouthir licour nor moisture."

"Trouthe wil out maugre of fals enuye, Rihtwysnesse may nat ben hid certeyn, As for a tyme it may been ovirleyn."

"For a story which is nat pleynli told, But constreynyd undir woordes fewe For lak off trouthe, wher thei be newe or olde, Men bi report kan nat the mater shewe."

"Off oure language he was the lodesterre."

"There is no rose Spryngyng in gardeyns, but ther be sum thorn."

"For princis ofte, of furious hastynesse, Wil cachche a quarrel, causeless in sentence, Ageyn folk absent, thouh ther be non offence."

"He as a kyng is crowned in Fairie, With sceptre and suerd, & with his regalie Shal resorte as lord and souereyne, Out of Fairye & regne in Breteyne, And repaire ageyn the Rounde Table."

"The wheel of Fortune tourneth as a ball; Sodeyn clymbyng axeth a sodeyn fall."

"For hit ys oft seyde by hem that yet lyues He must nedys go that the deuell dryues."

"Also Johnn Lydgate Wryteth after an hyer rate; It is dyffuse to fynde The sentence of his mynde, Yet wryteth he in his kynd, No man that can amend Those maters that he hath pende; Yet some men fynde a faute, And say he wryteth too haute."

"Comparable with Chawcer, yet more occupyed in supersticious and odde matters than was requesite in so good a wytte."

"In images of horror, and in a certain terrible greatness, our author comes far behind Chaucer. Whether they were not suited to the genius or the temper of Lydgate, I do not determine; but it is certain that, though they naturally seemed to present themselves, he has almost generally chose to avoid them: yet is there frequently a stiller kind of majesty both in his thought and expression, which makes one of his principal beauties."

"He is the first of our writers whose style is cloathed with that perspicuity, in which the English phraseology appears at this day to an English reader…Whether his subject be the life of a hermit or a hero, of saint Austin or Guy earl of Warwick, ludicrous or legendary, religious or romantic, a history or an allegory, he writes with facility."

"A voluminous, prosaick, and drivelling Monk."

"Als thai haf wryten and sayd Haf I alle in myn Inglis layd, In symple speche as I couthe, That is lightest in mannes mouthe. I mad noght for no disours, Ne for no seggers, no harpours, Bot for the luf of symple men That strange Inglis can not ken."

"He felle dede doun colde as ony stone."

"No thyng ys to man so dere As wommanys love yn gode manere. A gode womman is mannys blys."

"There ys no solas undyr hevene Of al that a man may nevene That shuld a man so mochë glew As a gode womman that loveth trew."

"And thy traveyle shalt thou sone ende, For to thy long home sone shalt thou wende."

"The range of his sympathies and interests makes Handlyng Synne the best picture of English life before Langland and Chaucer."

"If I ask Him to receive me, Will He say me nay? Not till earth, and not till heaven Pass away."

"In the account of the Tibetan pilgrim Dharmasvamin, who visited eastern India in the years 1234-36, the Vihiira of Uddandapura is mentioned twice as the residence of a Turushka military commander. Of Vikramashila 'there were then no traces left, the Turushka soldiery having razed it to the ground, and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganges' .206In Nalanda, Dharmasvamin observed about eighty small viharas which were damaged by the Turushkas, 'and there was absolutely no-one to look after them, or to make offerings', although two of them were in a serviceable condition."

"His visit to India falls in the reign of Iltutmlsh (1211-1236 A.D.) of the “Slave” dynasty. Chag lo-tsa-ba witnessed the constant Muslim incursions which followed the conquest of Bihar and Bengal by Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Muhammad between 1193 and 1204-5. Bands of Turushka (Gar-log or Qarluq) soldiers roamed about the country side. Chag lo-tsa-ba describes the defensive measures taken by the inhabitants of Pattala (Pa-ta of our text) in Tirhut. He found Vajrasana in Magadha deserted. Chag lo-tsa-ba describes his meeting with the Raja Buddhasena, whom he calls the ruling Raja of Magadha who had his residence at Vajrasana. Buddhasena is known to Taranatha who adds that the local Sena kings to whom Buddhasena belonged, professed allegiance to their Muslim overlord.. 1 At Vajrasana, Chag lo-tsa-ba found Sravakas in control of the temples. The great Vihara of VikramaSila, one of the seats of Tantric learning, was still existing in the time of Chag dGra-bcom, the uncle of the author (1153-1216 A.D.) and of the Kashmir Pantjita Sakyafrlbha dra (1145-1225 A.D.), who had come to Magadha in about 1174 A.D. and who had been invited to Tibet by Khro-phulo’tsa-ba in 1203 A.D. 1 When our author Chag-Jo-tsa-ba Chos-rje-dpal visited Magadha, there were no traces of it left, the Turushka soldiers having razed it to the ground and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganga. The sack of VikramaSila must have taken place about 1 199 or 1200 A.D. at the time of the conquest by Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Muhammad. The Vihara of Odantapuri, which was also destroyed at the time of the conquest, is mentioned only twice as the residence of a Turushka military commander. From the account of Chag lo-tsa-ba it appears that the great Vihara of Nalanda, though largely deserted and damaged, was still standing in 1235-6, and that scholastic activities continued, notwithstanding the constant perils of the time. At Nalanda Chag-lo-tsa-ba studied with the venerable Pandit a Rahulasribha- dra and witnessed the arrival of Turushka soldeirs. This Rahu- laSribhadra is mentioned by Taranatha in his rGya-gar-chos - byuh, or “ History of Buddhism in India”*, who says that “In the reign of Buddhasena there lived in Nalanda a great Pantjita Rahula- Srlbhadra, who had some seventy students.”"

"Vikramasila was still existing in the time of the Elder Dharmasvamin 1 2 and the Kashmir Pandita*, but when the Dharmasvamin visited the country there were no traces of it left, the Turushka soldiery having razed it to the ground, and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganga."

"At the time of the Dharmasvamih’s visit to Vajrasana, the place was deserted and only four monks were found staying (in the Vihara). One (of them) said, “It is not good ! All have fled from fear of the Turushka soldiery”. They blocked up the door in front of the Mahabodhi image- with bricks and plastered it. Near it they placed another image as a substitute. They also plastered the outside door (of the temple). On its surface they drew the image of Mahesvara in order to protect it from non-Buddhists. The monks said, “We five do not dare to remain here and shall have to flee.” As the day’s stage was long and the heat great, said the Dharmasvamin, they felt tired, and as it became dark, they remained there and fell asleep. Had the Turushkas come, they would not have known it. At daybreak they fled towards the North following the rut of a cart, and for seventeen days the Dharmasvamin did not see the face of the image (i. e. the Mahabodhi image). At that time also a woman appeared, who brought the welcome news that the Turushka soldiery had gone far away."

"Two [Muslim] soldiers were in the ferry boat, which was taking Dharmasvamin across the Ganga…They demanded gold from him. Being a simple person or a simpleton, Dharmasvamin threatened to report them to the king, forgetting that Hindu and Buddhist kings were at this time unable to protect themselves, much less their subjects. This threat made the Muslim soldiers wild and they snatched away the begging bowl of Dharmasvamin. Two Buddhist lay passengers tried to assuage the Muslim soldiers by offering them precious things, but the soldiers replied, “We do not want your wealth; we want this Tibetan.” The matter was eventually compromised by Dharmasvamin offering a Pana [typically a gold coin]…Had the fellow passengers not intervened, Dharmasvamin would have been carried away as a slave, and Indian history would have lost this important source-book."

"Abba Macarius said to Abba Zachariah: “Tell me, what is the task of the monk?” “You are asking me, father?” he said, and Abba Macarius said: “I have full confidence in you, Zachariah my son, for there is somebody inciting me to ask you.” Abba Zachariah said to him: “In my opinion, to constrain oneself in all things: that is being the monk.”"

"Abba Isaiah said: “Nothing benefits a beginner as much as an insult. A beginner who is insulted like that and tolerates it is like a tree that is watered each day.”"

"The same Abba Isaiah called one of the brothers and washed his feet, then he threw a handful of lentils in a pot and served them when it came to the boil. The brother said to him: “It is not yet cooked, abba,” and he said to him: “Is it not enough for you that it saw the bright [flame] totally? That is great consolation.”"

"If you do your manual labor, do not be negligent, but apply yourself with the fear of God, in order not to sin by ignorance."

"Someone also asked [Isaiah]: “What is it to live in peace within the cell?”"

"If you ask an old man about a “thought,” freely disclose the “thought” to him if you know that he is worthy of confidence and that he will keep confidential what you have said to him."

"If your brother has prepared a dish that is not good, don't say to him: “You cooked it wrong!” For that is death for your soul. Rather, examine yourself. If it had been you who had heard that from someone else, how you would have been troubled by it!"

"If you do something wrong in some matter, do not be steered by shame, but be converted and say, “Forgive me,” and your fault will pass away."

"Love humility, and it will protect you from your sins."

"Think each day: “I have only today to live in the world,” and you will not sin against God."

"Love to pray without ceasing, so that your heart will be enlightened."

"A brother visited Abba Elijah who was living in hesychia at the coenobion of the cave of Abba Zabba and he said to him: “Abba, tell me a saying.” The elder said to the brother: “In the days of our fathers these three virtues were cherished: indifference to possessions, meekness, and continence. Now cupidity, gluttony, and arrogance hold monks in prey. Hold fast to which you will.”"

"Abba Theodore of Phermē possessed three fine books. Visiting Abba Macarius, he said to him: “I have three fine books and I benefit from them; the brothers borrow them and benefit too. Tell me what I ought to have done. Am I to keep them for my benefit and the brothers’ or sell them and give [the proceeds] to the poor?” In answer the elder said: “Deeds are good, but indifference to possessions is greater than all.” On hearing this he went and sold them, donating the proceeds to the poor."

"They used to say of Abba Theodore of Phermē that he exceeded many in these three points: indifference to possessions, spiritual discipline, and avoiding people."

"They used to say of Abba Cheremon at Scete that his cave was forty miles from the church, and twelve miles from the marsh and water. Thus he took his handiwork to his cave carrying two water jars side by side, and stayed there in hesychia."

"A brother asked Abba Serapion: “Tell me a saying.” The elder said: “What can I say to you? That you took the goods of widows and orphans and set them in this embrasure?”—for he saw that it was full of books."

"Abba Serapion said: “Just as the soldiers of the emperor standing before him cannot turn their attention to left or to right, so too if a person stand before God and rivet his attention on his presence, in fear of him all the time, no action of the enemy can terrorize him.”"

"As soon as this earth's great elder, the blessed Antony, who prayed for the whole world, departed, everything has been torn apart and is in anguish, and the Wrath devastates Egypt. While he was truly on earth, he extended his hands and prayed and spoke with God all day long. He did not let the Wrath descend on us. Lifting up his thoughts, he kept it from coming down. But now that those hands are closed, no one else can be found who might halt the violence."

"He also said: “Woe to that man whose reputation is greater than his performance.”"

"Abba Moses asked Abba Silvanus: “Can a person make a fresh start each day?” and Abba Silvanus said: “If he is a real worker, a person can make a fresh start each day and each hour.”"

"Abba Pior he used to eat walking around. When somebody enquired: “Why do you eat like that?” he said: “I do not want to treat food as work, but as incidental.” To somebody else who had asked about it he replied: “It is so that my soul may not experience any physical pleasure even when I am eating.”"

"Abba Orsisius said: “Unbaked brick set in a foundation near to a river does not last one day, but it lasts like stone if it is baked. Likewise a person with a carnal mentality and not purged by the fire of the word of God, like Joseph, falls apart when he proceeds to govern. For there are many temptations for such people in the midst of folk. A person aware of his own limitations does well to flee from the burden of authority; but they who are firm in the faith are immoveable. If one wants to speak of the most holy Joseph himself, he will say that he was not earthly. Many times he was tempted, and in what a country, where there was not a trace of godliness at that time! But the God of his fathers was with him and drew him out of all affliction; and now he is with his fathers in the Kingdom of Heaven. As for ourselves, knowing our own limitations, let us fight the good fight; for in that way we will only just be able to escape the judgment of God.”"

"Abba Longinus said: “Once you become distressed [ill], say: ‘Be distressed then and die; but if you ask me for something to eat other than at mealtime, I will not even provide you with the daily ration.’”"

"Some monks called Euchites once visited Abba Lucius at Enaton and the elder asked them: “What is your handiwork?” “We do not have anything to do with handiwork, they said, “but we ‘pray without ceasing’ [1 Thess 5:17] as the Apostle said.” “Do you not eat?” said the elder. “Yes,” they said, and the elder said: “Who prays for you when you are eating?” Again he said to them: “Do you not sleep?” “Yes,” they said, and the elder said: “Who prays for you when you are asleep?” and at this they did not find him an answer. And he said to them: “Forgive me but, look: you do not do as you say. I will show you that I pray without ceasing while toiling at my handiwork. I soak a few rushes for myself then, sitting down with God, I braid them into a rope, saying: ‘Have mercy upon me O God according to your great goodness: according to the multitude of your mercies blot out mine offences’” [Ps 50:1], and he said to them: “Is that not prayer?” “Yes,” they said, and the elder said: “When I remain working and praying all day long, I make sixteen coins more or less. I put two of them at the door and eat with the rest. He who takes the two coins prays for me while I am eating and when I am sleeping and, by the grace of God, to ‘pray without ceasing is fulfilled for me.’”"

"Abba Carion said: “I have performed many physical tasks, more than my son Zachariah, but I have not achieved his stature in his humility and silence.”"

"Abba Carion said: “A man who stays with a youth comes to grief if he be not strong. If he be strong he does not come to grief; however, he does not progress.”"

"A brother asked Abba Cronios: “In what way does one arrive at humble-mindedness?” The elder said: “Through fear of God.” The brother said to him: “And through what action does one arrive at fear of God?” The elder said: “In my opinion, let him withdraw himself from every affair and dedicate himself to physical toil, to the best of his ability bearing in mind his departure from the body and the judgment of God.”"

"Abba Poemen said to Abba Joseph: “Tell me how I may become a monk.” Said the elder to him: “If you want to find repose both here and there, say in every situation: ‘I, who am I?’ and do not pass judgment on anybody.”"

"Abba Joseph said to Abba Lot: “You cannot become a monk unless you become altogether like a flaming fire.”"

"Abba Lot visited Abba Joseph and said to him: “Abba, to the best of my ability I do my little synaxis, my little fasting; praying, meditating, and maintaining hesychia; and I purge my logismoi to the best of my ability. What else then can I do?” The elder stood up and stretched out his hands to heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said to him: “If you are willing, become altogether like fire.”"

"A brother asked Abba Joseph: “I want to come out of the coenobion and live alone.” The elder said to him: “Stay wherever you see your soul experiencing repose and not being damaged.” The brother said to him: “I experience repose both in the coenobion and living alone; what do you want me to do?” The elder said to him: “If you experience repose both in the coenobion and living alone, put your two logismoi as though in a balance and do that which is the more likely to be to your benefit and [to which] your logismos prompts you.”"

"Once they came to make Abba Isaac a priest. When he heard, he fled into Egypt, went into a field, and hid amidst the crop. The fathers went after him and, when they got to that same field, sat down to rest a little there, for it was night. They set the ass free to pasture, but the ass went and stood by the elder. When they sought the ass at dawn, they found Abba Isaac too. They were amazed and wanted to bind him but he would not let them. “I am not running away any more,” he said, “for it is the will of God and no matter where I run away to, I will come to it.”"

"They used to say of Abba Isaac that he used to eat ashes from the thurible used at the Eucharist with his bread."

"Abba Isidore of Pelusium used to say: “A life without a word is more advantageous than a word without life; for the first, even in silence, is advantageous, while the second is a trouble-maker when it cries out, whereas if life and word run together they constitute the portrait of all philosophy.”"

"They used to say of Abba John Colobos that, having withdrawn from the world to be with an elder from Thebes at Scete, he was living in the desert. His abba took some dry wood, planted it and said to him: “Irrigate it every day with a bottle of water until it bears fruit.” Water was a long way from them, so one had to go in the evening and return at dawn. After three years [the dry wood] became alive and bore fruit. The elder took its fruit and brought it to the church, saying to the brothers: “Take and eat some fruit of obedience.”"

"They also used to say of him that he once braided cord for two baskets and stitched it together as one basket but didn’t realize it until he approached the wall, for his logismos was occupied in contemplation."

"They also used to say of him that [the wages of] all the labor he expended on the harvest, he would take and bring to Scete saying: “My widows and orphans are at Scete.”"

"Abba Theodore of Enaton said: “If God were to lay to our account our lack of attention in prayers and our distractions in psalm-singing, we could not be saved.”"

"We promote all the vocations."

"Sanatana means Eternal. In its purest form, this religion is Sanatana, because it is based on Truth. Truth is immortal and is never annihilated. It remains the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore our true Sanatana Dharma, in its purest form, cam never be exterminated. It, however, does not follow that we should relax into inaction, in the belief that our religion is the best or that it can never be destroyed. No, no. This idle thinking is the result of our indolent minds. It is, therefore, absolutely essential for the followers of Sanatana Dharma to keep it safe from the evil and aggressive designs of the non-Hindus, who are generally ever ready to malign us."

"About the same time I discovered the teachings of Swami Rama Tirtha, who lived at the turn of the century and was another great Vedantin. I felt a special inner kinship to Swami Rama, who was a poetic, inspirational and independent figure."

"Igitur infra supradictum millesimum tercio iam fere imminente anno, contigit in uniuerso pene terrarum orbe, precipue tamen in Italia et in Galliis, innouari ecclesiarum basilicas, licet plereque decenter locate minime indiguissent, emulabatur tamen queque gens christicolarum aduersus alteram decentiore frui. Erat enim instar ac si mundus ipse excutiendo semet, reiecta uetustate, passim candidam ecclesiarum uestem indueret."

"Let us be even more vigilant, in the knowledge that God has granted us, through our father Pachomius, the great grace to renounce the world and consider as nothing all the worries of the world and the cares of worldly affairs. What opportunity has been left to us to have anything as our own, “from a thread to a shoe strap” (Gen. 14:23), since we have masters who “with fear and trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3) are so solicitous on our behalf both for food and clothing and during ill health, if it should occur, that we need not worry about anything and thereby lose the soul's benefits for the sake of the flesh? We are free; we have cast from our necks the yoke of enslavement to the world. And let us think of the traditions of our father as a ladder which leads to the kingdom of heaven."

"Therefore, brothers, let us be equal, from the least to the greatest, whether rich or poor, perfect in harmony and humility. Let no one look after his own pleasure when he sees a brother living in poverty and hardship; let this saying of the prophet be told of you, “Did one God not create [all of] you? Have you not all one father? Why has each of you abandoned his brother, thus profaning the covenant of your fathers? Judah has been forsaken, and abomination has been committed in Israel" (Mal. 2:10–11). Our Lord and Savior gave his apostles this precept, “I gave you a new commandment: Love one another, as I have loved you. By this you shall truly be known as my disciples” (John 13:34–35). We should, therefore, love one another and show that we are truly the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ and sons of Pachomius and disciples of the Koinonia."

"Therefore, let us be imitators of the saints and not forget the formation that our Father gave us while he was still alive. Let us not extinguish the burning lamp he placed above our heads. Walking [in] this world by the light of this lamp, let us remember that it is through his zeal that God has received us into his household. He gave a hospice to wayfarers, he showed a harbor of peace to those on a storm-tossed sea. [He provided] bread in hunger, shade in heat, clothing in nakedness. He instructed the ignorant by spiritual precepts. He encircled with chastity those enslaved by vices and joined to himself those from afar."

"My son, obey God and keep his commandments, and be wise and remain in your dwelling, which is your delight, and your cell will remain with you in your heart as you seek its blessing, and the labor of your cell will go with you to God. For you will know God in your cell. Keep him with you and the Devil will depart from you, which will allow you to tame him. Do not forsake God. Do not forsake your cell. For the incense of God is a wise man in his cell. The altar of God is a wise man in his cell. The glory of God will appear to him there. A poor man who remains in his cell is a king and lord. Honor him, for God is dwelling in him."

"Truly the lion leaves the desert and erases his pawprints with his tail. If he prevails over the person who has come out to [hunt] him, he goes up in complete confidence. Now then, you who are poor, you shall look boldly upon your enemies like the roaring lions.”"

"Be like the master sailors piloting their ships as you watch the wind to see what direction it is taking you, whether it is a good wind or bad that is coming."

"Do not be like the thorny acacias that grow on the mountain, which is God (Coptic: pnoute). Instead, be like a reed growing in the water, which is the abyss (Coptic: pnoun)."

"Nous voulons bien aller jusqu'aux portes de l'enfer; mais nous entendons neus arrêter là."

"(to General Étienne Radet during the pope's arrest on the orders of Napolean Bonaparte) Assuredly, my son, those orders will not bring divine orders upon you."

"The Pope [Pius VII] is a good man, but ignorant and fanatical."

"Et nos in vitium prona caterva sumus. [We are but cattle prone to vice.]"

"'When God created man, he breathed into him something divine, as it were a hot and bright spark added to reason, which lit up the mind and showed him the difference between right and wrong. This is called the conscience, which is the law of his nature. This is compared to the well which Jacob dug, as the Fathers say, and which the Philistines filled up. That is, to this law of conscience adhered the patriarchs and all the holy men of old before the written law, and they were pleasing to God. But when this law was buried and trodden underfoot by men through the onset of sin, we needed a written law, we needed the holy prophets, we needed the instruction of our Master, Jesus Christ, to reveal it and raise it up and bring to life through the observance of the Commandments that buried spark. '"

"'Suppose we were to take a compass and insert the point and draw the outline of a circle. The centre point is the same distance from any point. on the circumference. Now concentrate your minds on what is to be said! Let us suppose that this circle is the world and that God himself is the centre; the straight lines drawn from the circumference to the centre are the lives of men. To the degree that the saints enter into the things of the spirit, they desire to come near to God; and in proportion to their progress in the things of the spirit, they do in fact come close to God and to their neighbor. The closer they are to God, the closer they become to one another; and the closer they are to one another, the closer they become to God. Now consider in the same context the question of separation; for when they stand away from God and turn to external things, it is clear that the more they recede and become distant from God, the more they become distant from one another. See! This is the very nature of love. The more we are turned away from and do not love God, the greater the distance that separates us from our neighbor.'"

"'Let us examine brothers, how it is that at one time a man hears disparaging remark and passes it by without being disturbed, as if he had hardly heard it, and at another time he hears it and is immediately disturbed. What is the reason for such a difference? Is there only one reason for this difference or are there many? I see many proximate causes for this state of affairs, but there is one thing, one might say, which is the basic generating cause of them all. First, it happens when a man is at prayer or spiritually at rest and being, as one might say, in a good disposition he bears with his brother and is not disturbed. Again it may happen that he has a special affection for the someone who attacks him and for this he will suffer without difficulty anything that person does to him. Then there is the person who disdains the one who wants to cause him pain and despises what he does, and does not treat him as a man or attribute any meaning to what. is said or done by him."

"'A man who gives way to his passions and suffers for it is like a man who is shot at by an enemy, catches the arrow in his hands, and then plunges it into his own heart. A man who is resisting his passions is like a man who is shot at by an enemy, and although the arrow hits him, it does not seriously wound him because he is wearing a breastplate. But the man who is uprooting his passions is like a man who is shot at by an enemy, but who strikes the arrow and shatters it or turns it back into his enemy’s heart. As the psalmist says, ‘Their own sword shall enter their own heart and their bow shall be broken to pieces.’'"

"'Therefore, everyone who wants to be saved must not only stop doing evil, also work at what is good, as it says in the psalm, ‘Turn away from evil and do good.’ Mark what is says. Not only ‘turn from evil’, but also ‘do good’! For example: If a man was used to being unjust, he wants not only to stop being unjust but to act with justice continually. If a man was used to always to be angry, he wants not only to stop being angry but to cultivate mildness. If he was bold and insolent, he must not only give it up, but he must act with humility. This is to turn away from evil and to do good. Each of the vices has its contrary virtue. Pride has humility, avarice has almsgiving; licentiousness, self-discipline; neglect, perseverance; anger has meekness; hatred, love. In short, I repeat, every vice has its contrary virtue.'"

"'If a man has a friend and he is absolutely certain that his friend loves him, and if that friend does something to cause him suffering and be troublesome to him, he will be convinced that his friend acts out of love and he will never believe that his friend does it to harm him. How much more ought we to be convinced about God who created us, who created us out of nothingness to existence and life, and who became a man for our sakes and died for us, and who does everything out of love for us?'"

"'Hold fast to indifference in knowledge and believe that everything that concerns us, even the most trivial thing, happens through God’s providence, and you will bear anything that comes upon you without being troubled. '"

"'Do not desire to know the evils of your neighbor and do not entertain suspicions about him, but if suspicious thoughts burst out of your own wickedness, take care to mould them into noble thoughts, and in all things give thanks in accord with God’s goodness and holy love.'"

"'As was said about Abbot Anthony, brethren, namely, that when he was visiting the whatever good he saw in each he set about to acquire for himself. From one he picked up self-control, from another humility,from another hard work, from another serenity. And so he was found to have in himself the good found in each of the others. This then is what we ought to do and why we ought to come together, and when we return to our cell let us examine ourselves and learn where we have been helped and: what good we have received. '"

"'I heard about a certain brother who, if he saw that his [brethren's] cell was uncared for and disorderly when he went to consult any of the brethren, used to say to himself, ‘Happy indeed is this brother! How free from care about many things, or rather, about all earthly things, and he so fixes his whole mind on high so that he has no leisure to put his cell in order.’ And again, if he came on another and saw his cell in good order, clean, beautiful, he used to say to himself, ‘The soul of this brother must be as clean and well-kept as his cell, for the good state of his soul must be represented by the good state of his cell.” He never said about anyone, ‘This man is uncouth or that one is vainglorious’, but on account of his own habitual good disposition he took edification from each of them.'"

"'In all things that come upon me I never desire to run around in quest of human wisdom, but I always act with the small power I have on whatever it is, and at the same time leave the whole thing to God.'"

"'He who does not hold to his own will always has what he will; for externally he does not get his own way but whatever happens, no matter what it is, gives him quiet satisfaction and he discovers for himself that he has what as they he will. For he does not want things to happen as he wishes; he wants things to have happened as they happened.'"

"Emlekezzünk régiekről, A` Szitlyiából kijöttekről Magyaroknak eleikről, ´Es azoknak vitézségekről."

"Imagine, Ananda, a cesspool, of a man’s depth, brimful of dung and a man fallen in, head and all—though a man appear, ready to help, to do the friendly, to set him in safety, to lift him out; yet were he to go all round that cesspool, he would not see even the prick-end of a horse-hair of that man unsmeared with dung by which to grasp and lift him out. And it is even so with Devadatta, Ananda, when I saw not a bright spot in him—not even the prick-end of a horse-hair in size—then I declared: ‘Gone wayward, hell-bound for a kalpa, unpardonable is Devadatta.’"

"Swami Rama was another major guide and teacher in my life. Most importantly he connected me with the world of nature through his towering Himalayan spirit and his indomitable will."

"Hic breve vivitur, hic breve plangitur, hic breve fletur: Non breve vivere, non breve plangere retribuetur."

"Urbs Syon aurea, patria lactea, cive decora Omne cor obruis, omnibus obstruis et cor et ora Nescio, nescio, quae jubilatio, lux tibi quali Quam sociala gaudia, gloria quam specialis."

"Among all the nations, there are some that possess a written law, while others simply observe certain fixed customs, for, among those devoid of law, their ancestral usage is accepted in its stead. To this class belong the Seres, who live at the end of the world, and apply as law the customs of their ancestors, which forbid them to commit adultery or incest, to steal, to bear false witness, to kill, or do any wrong whatsoever. The law of the Bactrians, called Brahmans or Islanders, which is derived from the forefatherly prescription, prohibits them for reasons of piety from eating meat, drinking wine, committing adultery, or doing any sort of wrong, solely in consequence of religious scruple. But among the Indians, who dwell beside them, are found murderers, criminals and doers of violence beyond all nature. In the most remote portion of their country, they practice cannibalism and kill travelers and, what is worse still, they devour them like dogs. The Chaldeans and the Babylonians have a different code, which allows them to marry their mothers, to commit carnal sin with their nieces, and to commit murder. They regard every shameless deed as a virtue when they commit it, even when they are far from their own country. The Gelaeans maintain other customs: among them, the women plough, build houses, and perform men's work. But they indulge in vice to the extent of their desire, for they are by no means restrained by their husbands, nor do the latter at all concern themselves about the matter. There are among them bold women who are capable of capturing wild beasts by virtue of their strength. The women have control over their husbands, and rule them. In Britain, many men sleep with one woman, and likewise many women have intercourse with one man. The people carry on without jealousy or restraint the vicious customs of their ancestors. The Amazons have no husbands, but like brute beasts they are filled with desire once each year in the springtime, and come together with the neighboring men. This season seems to them, as it were, a time of celebration and great festival. When they give birth to children and a male is born, they kill it, but if the child is of the female sex, then they nurse it and bring it up carefully."

"For us Christians, rituals are not enough; we need adherence of the heart and intellect. It is not enough to repeat formulas whose meaning is unknown: those who pray must understand what they are saying, and in this sense the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council was fundamental for a more thoughtful faith, one that is not merely devotion."

"Hans Urs von Balthasar was a multifaceted and unique personality, probably a man greater than the times in which he lived: musician, Germanist, man of letters, philosopher, theologian, publisher, translator, spiritual master, lecturer, he was the author of a vast theological output in which he engaged in dialogue with the cultural heritage of the West."

"The experience of faith is an experience of beauty, of an encounter that is as real as it is indescribable, of a presence that is more intimate to us than our own innermost being. And it is an experience that also involves the body and the senses. In the East, the saint is the man with the luminous face, whose body exudes perfume, whose physicality is now an event of beauty and communion. Of course, it would be wrong to confuse the psychological and emotional with the spiritual, but the spiritual traverses the psychic and involves the senses of the body."

"My childhood prayer is one I would never say today: God knows how many candles I lit before an exam or a test at school. It was a spontaneous, sincere way of praying, but today I practise other forms of prayer."

"When political forces generously offer legal protection or financial support to churches, they are actually working for their own benefit. (I, 1)"

"Our society is increasingly pluralistic in terms of religion, morals and customs: Christianity must live and find its place in it without hostility or creating enemies. (I, 2)"

"The Gospel, in fact, inspires the historical action of Christians, but it is in history itself that it becomes understandable. The ethos is not given once and for all, it is not handed down from above or contained in books, but is constantly elaborated in history, in the journey made alongside and together with other people. (I, 5)"

"Not technical solutions, not political recipes, but the voice of pastors will be all the more authoritative the more it is capable of being the voice of the Gospel and not of technical responses to the implementation of Gospel demands. (II, 4)"

"One never encounters Islam or a religion, but rather men and women who belong to particular religious traditions and for whom this belonging is one aspect of a multifaceted and not monolithic identity. (II, 5)"

"In order that universalism does not degenerate into totalitarianism, it must be conceived as a universal need for the other and expressed as a vocation to exile, to diaspora, to dispersion among peoples and cultures: the Christian faith cannot coincide with a culture or an ethnicity or a system of thought. It is transcultural and must therefore be accompanied by a work of deculturation so as not to risk passing off as gospel what is cultural form. (III, 2)"

"Jesus, our bliss, teaches us a path to happiness, opening up before us every day the ways to happiness that every human being longs for."

"The saint is the new man, the one who lives according to the model left by Jesus Christ; he is the man of the beatitudes; he is the man who has stripped himself of his selfishness and lives for God and others; he is the transfigured man. He is the truly and fully human man."

"The beatitudes firmly root those who hear them in the present, while at the same time opening them to a future of hope. They are addressed to people who are in difficult human conditions, experiencing trials and contradictions: it is in this state that they discover that they are the recipients of God's action, which is already today an occasion for happiness."

"In ipsa item catholica ecclesia magnopere curandum est, ut id teneamus quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est."

"At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West while the West considered us to be the East. Some of us misunderstood our place in this clash of currents, so they cried that we belong to neither side, and others that we belong exclusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Irinej, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West, and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us and here on earth — no-one."

"Rex Angliæ procedit armatus, vexillum draconis terribile præfertur expansum, clangor tubæ post regem movet exercitum. Refulsit sol in clipeos aureos et resplenduerunt montes ab eis; ibant caute et ordinate, et sine ludo res agebatur. Griffones, e diverso, clausis januis civitatis, armati stabant ad propugnacula murorum et turrium nihil adhuc metuentes, et ejaculabantur incessanter in hostes. Rex, qui nihil melius novit quam expugnare civitates et evertere castra, permisit primo pharetras eorum evacuari, et sic demum per suos sagittarios, qui præibant exercitum, primum fecit insultum. Sagittarum imbre cœlum tegitur, protensos per propugnacula clipeos mille tela transfodiunt, nihil contra pilorum impetum poterat salvare rebelles. Relinquuntur muri sine custodia, quia nullus potuit foris prospicere quin in ictu oculi sagittam haberet in oculo."

"And surely what joy, what delight can ever be found that far surpasses the announcement made to that blessed Virgin and Mother of joy? Rejoice, O mother of supernatural joy! Rejoice, O nurturer of sublime joy! Rejoice, capital seat of the joy of salvation! Rejoice, co-operator of immortal joy! Rejoice, O mystical dwelling place of ineffable joy! Rejoice, O most blessed source of inexhaustible joy! Rejoice, O treasure of eternal joy who bears God! Rejoice, O most luxuriant tree of life-giving joy!"

"The Holy Spirit descends upon you, who are the Immaculate, to make you purer and give you the virtue of fertility."

"(To the ever Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus) You have made the nature of men beautiful; you have surpassed the hosts of angels; you have overshadowed the dazzling splendour of the archangels; you have shown the seats of thrones to be inferior to you; you have lowered the height of dominions; you have surpassed the commands of the principalities; you have weakened the power of the powers; you have gone forth as a virtue more powerful than the virtues themselves; you, with earthly eyes, have surpassed the keenest sight of the cherubim; you, with divinely moved wings, have flown beyond the flights of the soul of the seraphim."

"Georges Gharib (editor), Testi mariani del primo millennio. Volume 2: Padri e altri autori bizantini, Città Nuova, Roma, 1989. ISBN 88-311-9216-7 (in Italian)."

"The Saviour arose into heaven through His own power as Lord and Creator...Mary arose into heaven lifted up by grace, not through her own power. This is why one is called Ascension and the other Assumption."

"(About the Assumption of Mary) She who was conceived without spot and borne without pain, who became mother without loss of virginity, who placed God in the world, who died without suffering, was also preserved from corruption; and we believe she lives in heaven with her body. It is piously believed."

"Of all the things to seek, the first is wisdom, in which lies the form of perfect goodness."

"Wisdom enlightens human beings so that they may recognise themselves."

"Tell me, I beg you, what – among all things – has become the one thing for you, the thing you want to embrace in a unique way and enjoy forever."

"Omnia disce. Videbis postea nihil esse superfluum. Coartata scientia iucunda non est."

"Delicatus ille est adhuc cui patria dulcis est; fortis autem iam, cui omne solum patria est; perfectus vero, cui mundus totus exsilium est."

"Love seems to be the satisfaction of a person's heart towards something, because of something: it presents itself as desire in the search, and happiness in the satisfaction of possession; it appears as a race, as far as desire is concerned, and as rest, as far as the joy of possession is concerned."

"You have given me perfection of sensitivity, quickness of intelligence, strength of memory; you have given me the ability to express myself fluently, to present my thoughts pleasantly, to teach convincingly, to carry out my intentions, to behave pleasantly, to progress in my studies, to achieve my projects; you have given me comfort in adversity, caution in happy circumstances."

"O my soul, what do you think that sweet and gentle thing is, which devout souls usually feel and taste when they remember their beloved, and which usually enamours them so sweetly that they seem to be alienated and out of themselves? They feel joyful and glad in their consciences and forget all their pain: their soul rejoices, their intellect becomes clear, their heart is illuminated, their will becomes joyful."

"This sensible world […] is almost like a book written by the finger of God, that is, created by divine virtue, and individual creatures are like figures, not invented by human arbitrariness, but established by divine will to manifest the invisible wisdom of God. [...] It is therefore good to contemplate assiduously and admire divine works."

"When asked about the best conditions for learning, a scholar replied: “A humble spirit, commitment to research, a quiet life, silent inquiry, poverty, a foreign land; these circumstances make it easier to overcome the difficulties encountered during one's studies”. :*From Didascalicon."

"For honour of the Lord God and Our Lady dear And many holy men by Augia's house revered, This book with loving care, attentive to command, Was made by Reginbert the scribe; in earnest hope That long it should endure, long serve his brethren's need. He prays you all, lest vain his labour die, In Heaven's most gracious Name to offer it to none Outside our walls; save should the seeker pledge his word Our property in sound condition to return. Good friend, ponder this well: a writer's task is hard; Take, open, read, harm not; finish, refold, !"

"Ruris enim quaecunque datur possessio, seu sit Putris harenoso qua torpet glarea tractu, Seu pingui molita graves uligine fetus, Collibus erectis alte sita, sive iacenti Planitie facilis, clivo seu vallibus horrens; Non negat ingenuos holerum progignere fructus, Si modo non tua cura gravi compressa veterno Multi plices holitoris opes contemnere stultis Ausibus assuescit, callosasque aere duro Detrectat fuscare manus et stercora plenis Vitat in arenti disponere pulvere qualis. Haec non sola mihi patefecit opinio famae Vulgaris, quaesita libris nec lectio priscis; Sed labor et studium, quibus otia longa dierum Postposui, expertum rebus docuere probatis."

"Vel qualis manibus quondam suspensa supinis Lucet agens circum lomenti bulla salivam, Ante recens maceretur aquis quam spuma refusis, Dum lentescit adhuc digitis luctantibus et se Alternis vicibus studioque fricantibus uno, Inter utramque manum parvo fit parvus hiatu Exitus, huc stricto lenis meat ore Noti vis, Distenditque cavum vitrea sub imagine pondus Et centrum medio confingit labile fundo, Undique conveniat camuri quo inflexio tecti."

"Non patitur cunctas angustia carminis huius Pulei virtutes celeri comprendere versu. Hoc apud Indorum tanti constare peritos Fertur, apud Gallos quanti valet Indica nigri Congeries piperis. Quis iam dubitare sinetur Hac herba plures leniri posse labores, Quam pretiis inhianter emit ditissima tantis Gens hebenoque auroque fluens et mira volenti Quaeque ferens mundo?"

"Quae rara sub isto Axe videre soles, aliis in partibus horum Copia tanta iacet, quantam vilissima tecum Efficiunt; rursus quaedam quae spreta videntur Forte tibi, magno mercantur ditia regna, Altera ut alterius potiatur foenore tellus, Orbis et in toto per partes una domus sit."

"Haec quia non Tyrio Germania tingitur ostro, Lata nec ardenti se Gallia murice iactat, Lutea purpurei reparat crementa quotannis Ubertim floris, tantum qui protinus omnes Herbarum vicisse comas virtute et odore Dicitur, ut merito florum flos esse feratur. * * * Huic famosa suus opponunt lilia flores, Longius horum etiam spirans odor imbuit auras, Sed si quis nivei candentia germina fructus Triverit, aspersi mirabitur ilicet omnem Nectaris ille fidem celeri periisse meatu. Hoc quia virginitas fama subnixa beata Flore nitet, quam si null us labor exagitarit Sordis et inliciti non fregerit ardor amoris, Flagrat odore suo. Porro si gloria pessum Integritatis eat, foetor mutabit odorem."

"O mater virgo, fecundo germine mater, Virga fide intacta, sponsi de nomine sponsa, Sponsa, columba, domus, regina, fidelis amica, Bello carpe rosas, laeta arripe lilia pace. Flos Tibi sceptrigero venit generamine Iesse, Unicus antiquae reparator stirpis et auctor, Lilia qui verbis vitaque dicavit amoena, Morte rosas tinguens, pacemque et proelia membris Liquit in orbe suis, virtutem amplexus utramque, Praemiaque ambobus servans aeterna triumphis."

"Richard S. Lambert, trans. Hortulus, or, The Little Garden (Wembley, Middx: The Stanton Press, 1924)"

"Raef Payne, trans. Hortulus (Pittsburgh, PA: Hunt Botanical Library, 1966)"

"James Mitchell, trans. On the Cultivation of Gardens (San Francisco, CA: Ithuriel's Spear, 2009)"

"Aut lego vel scribo, doceo scrutorve sophiam, obsecro celsithronum nocte dieque meum, vescor, poto libens, rithmizans invoco Musas, dormisco stertens oro Deum vigilans. Conscia mens scelerum deflet peccamina vitae: parcite vos misero, Christe Maria, viro."

"Squalidus hinc Within superas procedit ad auras. turtur ut exuvias mediis nudata pruinis primo vere redit,—vel, cum reditura iuventus implumes aquilas post multum sustinet aevum: illis deciduo spoliantur tegmine membra, perspicuamque aciem dudum tegit invida nubes, arma ruunt pedibus, frustantur guttura rostro, defessumque animum ref ovet spes nulla rapinae: sic Anglo, reducem dum cernit ab aequore lucem, calvities exesa apicem deterserat omnem, et cutis emissos excocta reliquerat ungues, palpebraque accrescens densas invexerat umbras, et nova lux oculos, tanta sub nocte gravatos, dum redit, offendit, nec cernere litus amoenum sufficiunt, ipsosque ruunt qui ex urbe propinquos vox vel sola manus, non visus munera produnt."