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An Address to Demetrianus

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 3

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

3. You have said that all these things are caused by

‹ Section 2 Section 4 ›

us

,

and

that

to

us

ought

to

be

attributed

the

misfortunes

wherewith

the

world

is

now

shaken

and

distressed

,

because

your

gods

are

not

worshipped

by

us

.

And

in

this

behalf

,

since

you

are

ignorant

of

divine

knowledge

,

and

a

stranger

to

the

truth

,

you

must

in

the

first

place

know

this

,

that

the

world

has

now

grown

old

,

and

does

not

abide

in

that

strength

in

which

it

formerly

stood

;

nor

has

it

that

vigour

and

force

which

it

formerly

possessed

.

This

,

even

were

we

silent

,

and

if

we

alleged

no

proofs

from

the

sacred

Scriptures

and

from

the

divine

declarations

,

the

world

itself

is

now

announcing

,

and

,

bearing

witness

to

its

decline

by

the

testimony

of

its

failing

estate

.

In

the

winter

there

is

not

such

an

abundance

of

showers

for

nourishing

the

seeds

;

in

the

summer

the

sun

has

not

so

much

heat

for

cherishing

the

harvest

;

nor

in

the

spring

season

are

the

corn

-

fields

so

joyous

;

nor

are

the

autumnal

seasons

so

fruitful

in

their

leafy

products

.

The

layers

of

marble

are

dug

out

in

less

quantity

from

the

disembowelled

and

wearied

mountains

;

the

diminished

quantities

of

gold

and

silver

suggest

the

early

exhaustion

of

the

metals

,

and

the

impoverished

veins

are

straitened

and

decreased

day

by

day

;

the

husbandman

is

failing

in

the

fields

,

the

sailor

at

sea

,

the

soldier

in

the

camp

,

innocence

in

the

market

,

justice

in

the

tribunal

,

concord

in

friendships

,

skilfulness

in

the

arts

,

discipline

in

morals

.

Think

you

that

the

substantial

character

of

a

thing

that

is

growing

old

remains

so

robust

as

that

wherewith

it

might

previously

flourish

in

its

youth

while

still

new

and

vigorous

?

Whatever

is

tending

downwards

to

decay

,

with

its

end

nearly

approaching

,

must

of

necessity

be

weakened

.

Thus

,

the

sun

at

his

setting

darts

his

rays

with

a

less

bright

and

fiery

splendour

;

thus

,

in

her

declining

course

,

the

moon

wanes

with

exhausted

horns

;

and

the

tree

,

which

before

had

been

green

and

fertile

,

as

its

branches

dry

up

,

becomes

by

and

by

misshapen

in

a

barren

old

age

;

and

the

fountain

which

once

gushed

forth

liberally

from

its

overflowing

veins

,

as

old

age

causes

it

to

fail

,

scarcely

trickles

with

a

sparing

moisture

.

This

is

the

sentence

passed

on

the

world

,

this

is

God’s

law

;

that

everything

that

has

had

a

beginning

should

perish

,

and

things

that

have

grown

should

become

old

,

and

that

strong

things

should

become

weak

,

and

great

things

become

small

,

and

that

,

when

they

have

become

weakened

and

diminished

,

they

should

come

to

an

end

.

Notes

7
[Elucidation VI. See Commodian, vol. iv. 219.]