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On the Pallium

Tertullian

Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

I. On the Pallium.

[Translated by the Rev. S. Thelwall.]

Chapter I.—Time Changes Nations’ Dresses—and Fortunes.

Men of Carthage, ever princes of Africa, ennobled by

Chapter 2 ›

ancient

memories

,

blest

with

modern

felicities

,

I

rejoice

that

times

are

so

prosperous

with

you

that

you

have

leisure

to

spend

and

pleasure

to

find

in

criticising

dress

.

These

are

the

“

piping

times

of

peace

”

and

plenty

.

Blessings

rain

from

the

empire

and

from

the

sky

.

Still

,

you

too

of

old

time

wore

your

garments

—

your

tunics

—

of

another

shape

;

and

indeed

they

were

in

repute

for

the

skill

of

the

weft

,

and

the

harmony

of

the

hue

,

and

the

due

proportion

of

the

size

,

in

that

they

were

neither

prodigally

long

across

the

shins

,

nor

immodestly

scanty

between

the

knees

,

nor

niggardly

to

the

arms

,

nor

tight

to

the

hands

,

but

,

without

being

shadowed

by

even

a

girdle

arranged

to

divide

the

folds

,

they

stood

on

men’s

backs

with

quadrate

symmetry

.

The

garment

of

the

mantle

extrinsically

—

itself

too

quadrangular

—

thrown

back

on

either

shoulder

,

and

meeting

closely

round

the

neck

in

the

gripe

of

the

buckle

,

used

to

repose

on

the

shoulders

.

Its

counterpart

is

now

the

priestly

dress

,

sacred

to

Æsculapius

,

whom

you

now

call

your

own

.

So

,

too

,

in

your

immediate

vicinity

,

the

sister

State

used

to

clothe

(

her

citizens

)

;

and

wherever

else

in

Africa

Tyre

(

has

settled

)

.

But

when

the

urn

of

worldly

lots

varied

,

and

God

favoured

the

Romans

,

the

sister

State

,

indeed

,

of

her

own

choice

hastened

to

effect

a

change

;

in

order

that

when

Scipio

put

in

at

her

ports

she

might

already

beforehand

have

greeted

him

in

the

way

of

dress

,

precocious

in

her

Romanizing

.

To

you

,

however

,

after

the

benefit

in

which

your

injury

resulted

,

as

exempting

you

from

the

infinity

of

age

,

not

(

deposing

you

)

from

your

height

of

eminence

,

—

after

Gracchus

and

his

foul

omens

,

after

Lepidus

and

his

rough

jests

,

after

Pompeius

and

his

triple

altars

,

and

Cæsar

and

his

long

delays

,

when

Statilius

Taurus

reared

your

ramparts

,

and

Sentius

Saturninus

pronounced

the

solemn

form

of

your

inauguration

,

—

while

concord

lends

her

aid

,

the

gown

is

offered

.

Well

!

what

a

circuit

has

it

taken

!

from

Pelasgians

to

Lydians

;

from

Lydians

to

Romans

:

in

order

that

from

the

shoulders

of

the

sublimer

people

it

should

descend

to

embrace

Carthaginians

!

Henceforth

,

finding

your

tunic

too

long

,

you

suspend

it

on

a

dividing

cincture

;

and

the

redundancy

of

your

now

smooth

toga

you

support

by

gathering

it

together

fold

upon

fold

;

and

,

with

whatever

other

garment

social

condition

or

dignity

or

season

clothes

you

,

the

mantle

,

at

any

rate

,

which

used

to

be

worn

by

all

ranks

and

conditions

among

you

,

you

not

only

are

unmindful

of

,

but

even

deride

.

For

my

own

part

,

I

wonder

not

(

thereat

)

,

in

the

face

of

a

more

ancient

evidence

(

of

your

forgetfulness

)

.

For

the

ram

withal

—

not

that

which

Laberius

(

calls

)

“Back-twisted-horned, wool-skinned, stones-dragging,”

but a beam-like engine it is, which does military service in battering walls—never before poised by any, the redoubted Carthage,

“Keenest in pursuits of war,”

is said to have been the first of all to have equipped for the oscillatory work of pendulous impetus; modelling the power of her engine after the choleric fury of the head-avenging beast. When, however, their country’s fortunes are at the last gasp, and the ram, now turned Roman, is doing his deeds of daring against the ramparts which erst were his own, forthwith the Carthaginians stood dumbfounded as at a “novel” and “strange” ingenuity: “so much doth Time’s long age avail to change!” Thus, in short, it is that the mantle, too, is not recognised.

Notes

2
[See Elucidation I.]
3
Utica (Oehler).
4
i.e., in Adrumetum (Oehler).
5
Sæcularium.
6
i.e., Etruscans, who were supposed to be of Lydian origin.
7
i.e., your gown.
8
A Roman knight and mime-writer.
9
Virg., Æn., i. 14.
10
Or, “attack.”
11
Caput vindicantis. But some read capite: “which avenges itself with its head.”
12
See Virg., Æn., iii. 415 (Oehler).