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On Jealousy and Envy

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 17

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

17. To these rewards that you also may come who had

‹ Section 16 Section 18 ›

been

possessed

with

jealousy

and

rancour

,

cast

away

all

that

malice

wherewith

you

were

before

held

fast

,

and

be

reformed

to

the

way

of

eternal

life

in

the

footsteps

of

salvation

.

Tear

out

from

your

breast

thorns

and

thistles

,

that

the

Lord’s

seed

may

enrich

you

with

a

fertile

produce

,

that

the

divine

and

spiritual

cornfield

may

abound

to

the

plentifulness

of

a

fruitful

harvest

.

Cast

out

the

poison

of

gall

,

cast

out

the

virus

of

discords

.

Let

the

mind

which

the

malice

of

the

serpent

had

infected

be

purged

;

let

all

bitterness

which

had

settled

within

be

softened

by

the

sweetness

of

Christ

.

If

you

take

both

meat

and

drink

from

the

sacrament

of

the

cross

,

let

the

wood

which

at

Mara

availed

in

a

figure

for

sweetening

the

taste

,

avail

to

you

in

reality

for

soothing

your

softened

breast

;

and

you

shall

not

strive

for

a

medicine

for

your

increasing

health

.

Be

cured

by

that

whereby

you

had

been

wounded

.

Love

those

whom

you

previously

had

hated

;

favour

those

whom

you

envied

with

unjust

disparagements

.

Imitate

good

men

,

if

you

are

able

to

follow

them

;

but

if

you

are

not

able

to

follow

them

,

at

least

rejoice

with

them

,

and

congratulate

those

who

are

better

than

you

.

Make

yourself

a

sharer

with

them

in

united

love

;

make

yourself

their

associate

in

the

alliance

of

charity

and

the

bond

of

brotherhood

.

Your

debts

shall

be

remitted

to

you

when

you

yourself

shall

have

forgiven

.

Your

sacrifices

shall

be

received

when

you

shall

come

in

peace

to

God

.

Your

thoughts

and

deeds

shall

be

directed

from

above

,

when

you

consider

those

things

which

are

divine

and

righteous

,

as

it

is

written

:

“

Let

the

heart

of

a

man

consider

righteous

things

,

that

his

steps

may

be

directed

by

the

Lord

.

”

Notes

46
The Oxford translator gives “blackness;” the original is “livor.”
47
Or “myrrh,” variously given in originals as “myrrham” or “merrham.”
48
[“Unde vulneratus fueras, inde curare.” Lear, act ii. sc. 4.]
49
“A fellow-heir,” according to Baluzius and Routh.
50
Prov. xv. 1, LXX.