Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

On the Pallium

Tertullian

Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—Further Distinctions, and Crowning Glory, of the Pallium.

“‘With speech,’ says (my antagonist), ‘

you

have

tried

to

persuade

me

,

—

a

most

sage

medicament

.

’

But

,

albeit

utterance

be

mute

—

impeded

by

infancy

or

else

checked

by

bashfulness

,

for

life

is

content

with

an

even

tongueless

philosophy

—

my

very

cut

is

eloquent

.

A

philosopher

,

in

fact

,

is

heard

so

long

as

he

is

seen

.

My

very

sight

puts

vices

to

the

blush

.

Who

suffers

not

,

when

he

sees

his

own

rival

?

Who

can

bear

to

gaze

ocularly

at

him

at

whom

mentally

he

cannot

?

Grand

is

the

benefit

conferred

by

the

Mantle

,

at

the

thought

whereof

moral

improbity

absolutely

blushes

.

Let

philosophy

now

see

to

the

question

of

her

own

profitableness

;

for

she

is

not

the

only

associate

whom

I

boast

.

Other

scientific

arts

of

public

utility

I

boast

.

From

my

store

are

clothed

the

first

teacher

of

the

forms

of

letters

,

the

first

explainer

of

their

sounds

,

the

first

trainer

in

the

rudiments

of

arithmetic

,

the

grammarian

,

the

rhetorician

,

the

sophist

,

the

medical

man

,

the

poet

,

the

musical

timebeater

,

the

astrologer

,

and

the

birdgazer

.

All

that

is

liberal

in

studies

is

covered

by

my

four

angles

.

‘

True

;

but

all

these

rank

lower

than

Roman

knights

’

Well

;

but

your

gladiatorial

trainers

,

and

all

their

ignominious

following

,

are

conducted

into

the

arena

in

togas

.

This

,

no

doubt

,

will

be

the

indignity

implied

in

‘

From

gown

to

Mantle

!

’

”

Well

,

so

speaks

the

Mantle

.

But

I

confer

on

it

likewise

a

fellowship

with

a

divine

sect

and

discipline

.

Joy

,

Mantle

,

and

exult

!

A

better

philosophy

has

now

deigned

to

honour

thee

,

ever

since

thou

hast

begun

to

be

a

Christian’s

vesture

!