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Ad Nationes

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 16

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVI.—Other Charges Repelled by the Same Method. The Story of the Noble Roman Youth and His Parents.

I am now come to the hour for extinguishing the lamps,

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 15 Book 1 · Chapter 17 ›

and

for

using

the

dogs

,

and

practising

the

deeds

of

darkness

.

And

on

this

point

I

am

afraid

I

must

succumb

to

you

;

for

what

similar

accusation

shall

I

have

to

bring

against

you

?

But

you

should

at

once

commend

the

cleverness

with

which

we

make

our

incest

look

modest

,

in

that

we

have

devised

a

spurious

night

,

to

avoid

polluting

the

real

light

and

darkness

,

and

have

even

thought

it

right

to

dispense

with

earthly

lights

,

and

to

play

tricks

also

with

our

conscience

.

For

whatever

we

do

ourselves

,

we

suspect

in

others

when

we

choose

(

to

be

suspicious

)

.

As

for

your

incestuous

deeds

,

on

the

contrary

,

men

enjoy

them

at

full

liberty

,

in

the

face

of

day

,

or

in

the

natural

night

,

or

before

high

Heaven

;

and

in

proportion

to

their

successful

issue

is

your

own

ignorance

of

the

result

,

since

you

publicly

indulge

in

your

incestuous

intercourse

in

the

full

cognizance

of

broad

day

-

light

.

(

No

ignorance

,

however

,

conceals

our

conduct

from

our

eyes

,

)

for

in

the

very

darkness

we

are

able

to

recognise

our

own

misdeeds

.

The

Persians

,

you

know

very

well

,

according

to

Ctesias

,

live

quite

promiscuously

with

their

mothers

,

in

full

knowledge

of

the

fact

,

and

without

any

horror

;

whilst

of

the

Macedonians

it

is

well

known

that

they

constantly

do

the

same

thing

,

and

with

perfect

approbation

:

for

once

,

when

the

blinded

Œdipus

came

upon

their

stage

,

they

greeted

him

with

laughter

and

derisive

cheers

.

The

actor

,

taking

off

his

mask

in

great

alarm

,

said

,

“

Gentlemen

,

have

I

displeased

you

?

”

“

Certainly

not

,

”

replied

the

Macedonians

,

“

you

have

played

your

part

well

enough

;

but

either

the

author

was

very

silly

,

if

he

invented

(

this

mutilation

as

an

atonement

for

the

incest

)

,

or

else

Œdipus

was

a

great

fool

for

his

pains

if

he

really

so

punished

himself

;

”

and

then

they

shouted

out

one

to

the

other

,

῝

Ηλσυνε

εἰς

τὴν

μητέρα

.

But

how

insignificant

,

(

say

you

,

)

is

the

stain

which

one

or

two

nations

can

make

on

the

whole

world

!

As

for

us

,

we

of

course

have

infected

the

very

sun

,

polluted

the

entire

ocean

!

Quote

,

then

,

one

nation

which

is

free

from

the

passions

which

allure

the

whole

race

of

men

to

incest

!

If

there

is

a

single

nation

which

knows

nothing

of

concubinage

through

the

necessity

of

age

and

sex

—

to

say

nothing

of

lust

and

licentiousness

—

that

nation

will

be

a

stranger

to

incest

.

If

any

nature

can

be

found

so

peculiarly

removed

from

the

human

state

as

to

be

liable

neither

to

ignorance

,

nor

error

,

nor

misfortune

,

that

alone

may

be

adduced

with

any

consistency

as

an

answer

to

the

Christians

.

Reflect

,

therefore

,

on

the

licentiousness

which

floats

about

amongst

men’s

passions

as

if

they

were

the

winds

,

and

consider

whether

there

be

any

communities

which

the

full

and

strong

tides

of

passion

fail

to

waft

to

the

commission

of

this

great

sin

.

In

the

first

place

,

when

you

expose

your

infants

to

the

mercy

of

others

,

or

leave

them

for

adoption

to

better

parents

than

yourselves

,

do

you

forget

what

an

opportunity

for

incest

is

furnished

,

how

wide

a

scope

is

opened

for

its

accidental

commission

?

Undoubtedly

,

such

of

you

as

are

more

serious

from

a

principle

of

self

-

restraint

and

careful

reflection

,

abstain

from

lusts

which

could

produce

results

of

such

a

kind

,

in

whatever

place

you

may

happen

to

be

,

at

home

or

abroad

,

so

that

no

indiscriminate

diffusion

of

seed

,

or

licentious

reception

thereof

,

will

produce

children

to

you

unawares

,

such

as

their

very

parents

,

or

else

other

children

,

might

encounter

in

inadvertent

incest

,

for

no

restraint

from

age

is

regarded

in

(

the

importunities

of

)

lust

.

All

acts

of

adultery

,

all

cases

of

fornication

,

all

the

licentiousness

of

public

brothels

,

whether

committed

at

home

or

perpetrated

out

of

doors

,

serve

to

produce

confusions

of

blood

and

complications

of

natural

relationship

,

and

thence

to

conduce

to

incest

;

from

which

consummation

your

players

and

buffoons

draw

the

materials

of

their

exhibitions

.

It

was

from

such

a

source

,

too

,

that

so

flagrant

a

tragedy

recently

burst

upon

the

public

as

that

which

the

prefect

Fuscianus

had

judicially

to

decide

.

A

boy

of

noble

birth

,

who

,

by

the

unintentional

neglect

of

his

attendants

,

had

strolled

too

far

from

home

,

was

decoyed

by

some

passers

-

by

,

and

carried

off

.

The

paltry

Greek

who

had

the

care

of

him

,

or

somebody

else

,

in

true

Greek

fashion

,

had

gone

into

the

house

and

captured

him

.

Having

been

taken

away

into

Asia

,

he

is

brought

,

when

arrived

at

full

age

,

back

to

Rome

,

and

exposed

for

sale

.

His

own

father

buys

him

unawares

,

and

treats

him

as

a

Greek

.

Afterwards

,

as

was

his

wont

,

the

youth

is

sent

by

his

master

into

the

fields

,

chained

as

a

slave

.

Thither

the

tutor

and

the

nurse

had

already

been

banished

for

punishment

.

The

whole

case

is

represented

to

them

;

they

relate

each

other’s

misfortunes

:

they

,

on

the

one

hand

,

how

they

had

lost

their

ward

when

he

was

a

boy

;

he

,

on

the

other

hand

,

that

he

had

been

lost

from

his

boyhood

.

But

they

agreed

in

the

main

,

that

he

was

a

native

of

Rome

of

a

noble

family

;

perhaps

he

further

gave

sure

proofs

of

his

identity

.

Accordingly

,

as

God

willed

it

for

the

purpose

of

fastening

a

stain

upon

that

age

,

a

presentiment

about

the

time

excites

him

,

the

periods

exactly

suit

his

age

,

even

his

eyes

help

to

recall

his

features

,

some

peculiar

marks

on

his

body

are

enumerated

.

His

master

and

mistress

,

who

are

now

no

other

than

his

own

father

and

mother

,

anxiously

urge

a

protracted

inquiry

.

The

slave

-

dealer

is

examined

,

the

unhappy

truth

is

all

discovered

.

When

their

wickedness

becomes

manifest

,

the

parents

find

a

remedy

for

their

despair

by

hanging

themselves

;

to

their

son

,

who

survives

the

miserable

calamity

,

their

property

is

awarded

by

the

prefect

,

not

as

an

inheritance

,

but

as

the

wages

of

infamy

and

incest

.

That

one

case

was

a

sufficient

example

for

public

exposure

of

the

sins

of

this

sort

which

are

secretly

perpetrated

among

you

.

Nothing

happens

among

men

in

solitary

isolation

.

But

,

as

it

seems

to

me

,

it

is

only

in

a

solitary

case

that

such

a

charge

can

be

drawn

out

against

us

,

even

in

the

mysteries

of

our

religion

.

You

ply

us

evermore

with

this

charge

;

yet

there

are

like

delinquencies

to

be

traced

amongst

you

,

even

in

your

ordinary

course

of

life

.

Notes

2
Adulteram noctem.
3
Ceterum.
4
Plane.
5
Trucidatus oculos.
6
Errores.
7
Sive stativo vel ambulatorio titulo.
8
Compagines generis.
9
Comitum.
10
Græculus.
11
“Aliquis” is here understood.
12
Utitur Græco, i.e., cinædo, “for purposes of lust.”
13
Or, “is sent into the country, and put into prison.”
14
Aliquid recordantur.
15
Publicæ eruptionis.
16
Intentatis.
17
Vestris non sacramentis, with a hyphen, “your non-mysteries.”