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Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 8

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

8. Now that other folly of others is an obvious source

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of

advantage

to

idle

men

;

and

the

first

victory

is

for

the

belly

to

be

able

to

crave

food

beyond

the

human

limit

,

—

a

flagitious

traffic

for

the

claim

to

the

crown

of

gluttony

:

the

wretched

face

is

hired

out

to

bear

wounding

blows

,

that

the

more

wretched

belly

may

be

gorged

.

How

disgusting

,

besides

,

are

those

struggles

!

Man

lying

below

man

is

enfolded

in

abominable

embraces

and

twinings

.

In

such

a

contest

,

whether

a

man

looks

on

or

conquers

,

still

his

modesty

is

conquered

.

Behold

,

one

naked

man

bounds

forth

towards

you

;

another

with

straining

powers

tosses

a

brazen

ball

into

the

air

.

This

is

not

glory

,

but

folly

.

In

fine

,

take

away

the

spectator

,

and

you

will

have

shown

its

emptiness

.

Such

things

as

these

should

be

avoided

by

faithful

Christians

,

as

I

have

frequently

said

already

;

spectacles

so

vain

,

so

mischievous

,

so

sacrilegious

,

from

which

both

our

eyes

and

our

ears

should

be

guarded

.

We

quickly

get

accustomed

to

what

we

hear

and

what

we

see

.

For

since

man’s

mind

is

itself

drawn

towards

vice

,

what

will

it

do

if

it

should

have

inducements

of

a

bodily

nature

as

well

as

a

downward

tendency

in

its

slippery

will

?

What

will

it

do

if

it

should

be

impelled

from

without

?

Therefore

the

mind

must

be

called

away

from

such

things

as

these

.

Notes

15
There is much confusion in the reading of this passage, which in the original runs, according to Baluzius: “Nam cum mens hominis ad vitia ipsa ducatur, quid faciet, si habuerit exempla naturæ corporis lubrica quæ sparta corruit? Quid faciet si fuerit impulsa?”