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The Chaplet, or De Corona

Tertullian

Chapter 7

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Let these dealers in crowns then recognize in the meantime the

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

authority

of

Nature

,

on

the

ground

of

a

common

sense

as

human

beings

,

and

the

certifications

of

their

peculiar

religion

,

as

,

according

to

the

last

chapter

,

worshippers

of

the

God

of

nature

;

and

,

as

it

were

,

thus

over

and

above

what

is

required

,

let

them

consider

those

other

reasons

too

which

forbid

us

wearing

crowns

,

especially

on

the

head

,

and

indeed

crowns

of

every

sort

.

For

we

are

obliged

to

turn

from

the

rule

of

Nature

,

which

we

share

with

mankind

in

general

,

that

we

may

maintain

the

whole

peculiarity

of

our

Christian

discipline

,

in

relation

also

to

other

kinds

of

crowns

which

seem

to

have

been

provided

for

different

uses

,

as

being

composed

of

different

substances

,

lest

,

because

they

do

not

consist

of

flowers

,

the

use

of

which

nature

has

indicated

(

as

it

does

in

the

case

of

this

military

laurel

one

itself

)

,

they

may

be

thought

not

to

come

under

the

prohibition

of

our

sect

,

since

they

have

escaped

any

objections

of

nature

.

I

see

,

then

,

that

we

must

go

into

the

matter

both

with

more

research

,

and

more

fully

,

from

its

beginnings

on

through

its

successive

stages

of

growth

to

its

more

erratic

developments

.

For

this

we

need

to

turn

to

heathen

literature

,

for

things

belonging

to

the

heathen

must

be

proved

from

their

own

documents

.

The

little

of

this

I

have

acquired

,

will

,

I

believe

,

be

enough

.

If

there

really

was

a

Pandora

,

whom

Hesiod

mentions

as

the

first

of

women

,

hers

was

the

first

head

the

graces

crowned

,

for

she

received

gifts

from

all

the

gods

whence

she

got

her

name

Pandora

.

But

Moses

,

a

prophet

,

not

a

poet

-

shepherd

,

shows

us

the

first

woman

Eve

having

her

loins

more

naturally

girt

about

with

leaves

than

her

temples

with

flowers

.

Pandora

,

then

,

is

a

myth

.

And

so

we

have

to

blush

for

the

origin

of

the

crown

,

even

on

the

ground

of

the

falsehood

connected

with

it

;

and

,

as

will

soon

appear

,

on

the

ground

no

less

of

its

realities

.

For

it

is

an

undoubted

fact

that

certain

persons

either

originated

the

thing

,

or

shed

lustre

on

it

.

Pherecydes

relates

that

Saturn

was

the

first

who

wore

a

crown

;

Diodorus

,

that

Jupiter

,

after

conquering

the

Titans

,

was

honoured

with

this

gift

by

the

rest

of

the

gods

.

To

Priapus

also

the

same

author

assigns

fillets

;

and

to

Ariadne

a

garland

of

gold

and

of

Indian

gems

,

the

gift

of

Vulcan

,

afterwards

of

Bacchus

,

and

subsequently

turned

into

a

constellation

.

Callimachus

has

put

a

vine

crown

upon

Juno

.

So

too

at

Argos

,

her

statue

,

vine

-

wreathed

,

with

a

lion’s

skin

placed

beneath

her

feet

,

exhibits

the

stepmother

exulting

over

the

spoils

of

her

two

step

-

sons

.

Hercules

displays

upon

his

head

sometimes

poplar

,

sometimes

wild

-

olive

,

sometimes

parsley

.

You

have

the

tragedy

of

Cerberus

;

you

have

Pindar

;

and

besides

Callimachus

,

who

mentions

that

Apollo

,

too

when

he

had

killed

the

Delphic

serpent

,

as

a

suppliant

,

put

on

a

laurel

garland

;

for

among

the

ancients

suppliants

were

wont

to

be

crowned

.

Harpocration

argues

that

Bacchus

the

same

as

Osiris

among

the

Egyptians

,

was

designedly

crowned

with

ivy

,

because

it

is

the

nature

of

ivy

to

protect

the

brain

against

drowsiness

.

But

that

in

another

way

also

Bacchus

was

the

originator

of

the

laurel

crown

(

the

crown

)

in

which

he

celebrated

his

triumph

over

the

Indians

,

even

the

rabble

acknowledge

,

when

they

call

the

days

dedicated

to

him

the

“

great

crown

.

”

If

you

open

,

again

,

the

writings

of

the

Egyptian

Leo

,

you

learn

that

Isis

was

the

first

who

discovered

and

wore

ears

of

corn

upon

her

head

—

a

thing

more

suited

to

the

belly

.

Those

who

want

additional

information

will

find

an

ample

exposition

of

the

subject

in

Claudius

Saturninus

,

a

writer

of

distinguished

talent

who

treats

this

question

also

,

for

he

has

a

book

on

crowns

,

so

explaining

their

beginnings

as

well

as

causes

,

and

kinds

,

and

rites

,

that

you

find

all

that

is

charming

in

the

flower

,

all

that

is

beautiful

in

the

leafy

branch

,

and

every

sod

or

vine

-

shoot

has

been

dedicated

to

some

head

or

other

;

making

it

abundantly

clear

how

foreign

to

us

we

should

judge

the

custom

of

the

crowned

head

,

introduced

as

it

was

by

,

and

thereafter

constantly

managed

for

the

honour

of

,

those

whom

the

world

has

believed

to

be

gods

.

If

the

devil

,

a

liar

from

the

beginning

,

is

even

in

this

matter

working

for

his

false

system

of

godhead

(

idolatry

)

,

he

had

himself

also

without

doubt

provided

for

his

god

-

lie

being

carried

out

.

What

sort

of

thing

,

then

,

must

that

be

counted

among

the

people

of

the

true

God

,

which

was

brought

in

by

the

nations

in

honour

of

the

devil’s

candidates

,

and

was

set

apart

from

the

beginning

to

no

other

than

these

;

and

which

even

then

received

its

consecration

to

idolatry

by

idols

and

in

idols

yet

alive

?

Not

as

if

an

idol

were

anything

,

but

since

the

things

which

others

offer

up

to

idols

belong

to

demons

.

But

if

the

things

which

others

offer

to

them

belong

to

demons

how

much

more

what

idols

offered

to

themselves

,

when

they

were

in

life

!

The

demons

themselves

,

doubtless

,

had

made

provision

for

themselves

by

means

of

those

whom

they

had

possessed

,

while

in

a

state

of

desire

and

craving

,

before

provision

had

been

actually

made

.