Cautions in the choice of company.
Conuersation with the proud, rich, and potent is dangerous. 9. Relie vpon Gods helpe, 11. Beware of pusillanimitie, & of presumption. 19. A meane is necessarie, and the companie of equals is most secure.
1He that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled with it: and he that hath fellowship with the proud, shall put on pride.Chi tocca la pece, si sporca di pece, e a chi conversa col superbo, si attaccherà la superbia.HE that toucheth pitch, shal be defiled with it: and he that communicateth with the proud, shal put on pride.Qui tetigerit picem inquinabitur ab ea: / et qui communicaverit superbo induet superbiam. 2He shall take a burden upon him that hath fellowship with one more honourable than himself. And have no fellowship with one that is richer than thyself.Si mette un gran peso addosso chi fa lega con uno da più di lui. E non ti associare con chi è più ricco di te.He shal take a burden vpon him that communicateth with one more honorable then himself. And be not companion with one richer then thyself.Pondus super se tollat qui honestiori se communicat, / et ditiori te ne socius fueris. 3What agreement shall the earthen pot have with the kettle? for if they knock one against the other, it shall be broken.Come staranno insieme un vaso di ferro, e uno di terra, il quale quando venga a urtare coll'altro sarà messo in pezzi?What societie shal the caudron haue with the earthen potte? for when they shal knock one against the other, it shal be broken.Quid communicabit cacabus ad ollam ? / quando enim se colliserint, confringetur. 4The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he will fume: but the poor is wronged and must hold his peace.Il ricco farà ingiustizia, e fremerà; e il povero maltrattato starà zitto.The rich man hath done vniustly, and he wil fume: but the poore man being hurt wil hold his peace.Dives injuste egit, et fremet: / pauper autem læsus tacebit. 5If thou give, he will make use of thee: and if thou have nothing, he will forsake thee.Se tu gli farai de' presenti, ti accoglierà; se non avrai che dare, ti abbandonerà.If thou geue, he wil take thee: and if thou haue not, he wil forsake thee.Si largitus fueris, assumet te: / et si non habueris, derelinquet te. 6If thou have any thing, he will live with thee, and will make thee bare, and he will not be sorry for thee.Se hai qualche cosa, banchetterà teco, e ti smugnerà, e non avrà compassione di te.If thou haue, he wil liue with thee, and wil emptie thee, and he wil not be sorie for thee.Si habes, convivet tecum, et evacuabit te: / et ipse non dolebit super te.
7If he have need of thee he will deceive thee, and smiling upon thee will put thee in hope; he will speak thee fair, and will say: What wantest thou?Se avrà bisogno di te, ti gabberà, e con viso ridente ti darà delle speranze, ti prometterà monti di oro, e dirà: di che hai bisogno.If thou be necessarie for him, he wil supplant thee, and smiling wil put thee in hope, telling thee good thinges, and wil say: What wantest thou?Si necessarius illi fueris, supplantabit te, / et subridens spem dabit, narrans tibi bona, / et dicet: Quid opus est tibi ? 8And he will shame thee by his meats, till he have drawn thee dry twice or thrice, and at last he will laugh at thee: and afterward when he seeth thee, he will forsake thee, and shake his head at thee.E ti confonderà co' suoi desinari fino a tanto, che in due, o tre volte ti rifinirà, e all'ultimo si burlerà di te, e poi vedendoti ti volterà le spalle, e scuoterà il capo contro di te.And he wil confound thee in his meates, til he emptie thee twise, & thrise, and at the last he wil mocke thee: and afterward seeing he wil forsake thee, and wil shake his head at thee.Et confundet te in cibis suis, / donec te exinaniat bis et ter: / et in novissimo deridebit te, / et postea videns derelinquet te, / et caput suum movebit ad te. 9Humble thyself to God, and wait for his hands.Umiliati a Dio, e aspetta la sua mano.Humble thyself to God, and expect his handes.Humiliare Deo, et exspecta manus ejus. 10Beware that thou be not deceived into folly, and be humbled.Bada, che sedotto tu non ti umilj stoltamente.Take heede lest seduced into follie thou be humbled.Attende ne seductus in stultitiam humilieris. 11Be not lowly in thy wisdom, lest being humbled thou be deceived into folly.Guardati dall'esser umile in tua saggezza, affinchè umiliato che sarai, non sii sedotto a far cose da stolto.Be not humble in thy wisdom, lest hmbled thou be seduced into follie.Noli esse humilis in sapientia tua, / ne humiliatus in stultitiam seducaris. 12If thou be invited by one that is mightier, withdraw thyself: for so he will invite thee the more.Se un potente ti chiama a se, tirati indietro; conciossiachè per questo appunto egli ti chiamerà, e richiamerà,Being called of the mightier depart: for by this he wil cal thee the more.Advocatus a potentiore, discede: / ex hoc enim magis te advocabit. 13Be not troublesome to him, lest thou be put back: and keep not far from him, lest thou be forgotten.Non essere importuno per non esser cacciato via, e non tenerti tanto indietro da esser dimenticato.Be not importune, lest thou be reiected: and be not farre from him, lest thou goe into obliuion.Ne improbus sis, ne impingaris: / et ne longe sis ab eo, ne eas in oblivionem.
14Affect not to speak with him as an equal, and believe not his many words: for by much talk he will sift thee, and smiling will examine thee concerning thy secrets.Nol trattenere per parlare con lui come con un eguale, e non ti fidare delle molte parole di lui; perocché col farti parlar molto ti tenterà, e come per giuoco ti interrogherà per cavare da te i tuoi secreti.Stay not to speake felowlike with him: neither credite his manie wordes. For by much talke he wil proue thee, and smiling wil examine thee of thy secretes.Ne retineas ex æquo loqui cum illo, / nec credas multis verbis illius: / ex multa enim loquela tentabit te, / et subridens interrogabit te de absconditis tuis. 15His cruel mind will lay up thy words: and he will not spare to do thee hurt, and to cast thee into prison.L'animo fiero di lui terrà conto di tue parole, e non si guarderà a farti del male, e a metterti in prigione.His cruel mind wil kepe thy wordes: and he wil not spare for malice, and for bandes.Immitis animus illius conservabit verba tua: / et non parcet de malitia, et de vinculis. 16Take heed to thyself, and attend diligently to what thou hearest: for thou walkest in danger of thy ruin.Bada a te, e sta molto attento a quello, che ti senti dire; perché tu cammini sull'orlo del tuo precipizio.Take heede to thyself, and attend diligently to thyn hearing: because thou walkest with thy subuersion.Cave tibi, et attende diligenter auditui tuo, / quoniam cum subversione tua ambulas: 17When thou hearest those things, see as it were in sleep, and thou shalt awake.Ma tali cose ascoltando quasi in sogno, risvegliati.But hearing those thinges see as it were in sleepe, and thou shalt watch.audiens vero illa, / quasi in somnis vide, et vigilabis. 18Love God all thy life, and call upon him for thy salvation.Per tutto il tempo di tua vita ama Dio, e invocalo per tua salvezzaLoue God al thy life, and inuocate him for thy saluation.Omni vita tua dilige Deum, / et invoca illum in salute tua. 19Every beast loveth its like: so also every man him that is nearest to himself.Ogni animale ama il suo simile, e così ogni uomo il suo prossimo.Euerie beast loueth the like to it self: so also euerie man the nerest to himself.Omne animal diligit simile sibi, / sic et omnis homo proximum sibi. 20All flesh shall consort with the like to itself, and every man shall associate himself to his like.Tutte le bestie fan società colle loro simili; così ogni uomo si unirà col suo simile.Al flesh wil match with the like to itself, and euerie man wil associate himself to his like.Omnis caro ad similem sibi conjungetur, / et omnis homo simili sui sociabitur.
21If the wolf shall at any time have fellowship with the lamb, so the sinner with the just.Se il lupo potrà qualche volta aver società coll'agnello, l'avrà anche il peccatore col giusto.If the woolfshal at anie time communicate with the lambe, so the sinner with the iust.Si communicabit lupus agno aliquando, / sic peccator justo. 22What fellowship hath a holy man with a dog, or what part hath the rich with the poor?Qual relazione tra un uomo santo, e un cane? E qual unione tral ricco, ed il povero?What fellowshippe hath an holy man with a dogge, or what part hath the riche with the poore?Quæ communicatio sancto homini ad canem ? / aut quæ pars diviti ad pauperem ? 23The wild ass is the lion’s prey in the desert: so also the poor are devoured by the rich.Preda del lione è l'asino salvatico nel deserto, e pastura de' ricchi sono i poveri.The wilde asse in the deserte is the lyons pray: so the poore are also the pastures of the riche.Venatio leonis onager in eremo: / sic et pascua divitum sunt pauperes. 24And as humility is an abomination to the proud: so also the rich man abhorreth the poor.Come il superbo ha in abbominio l'umiltà, così il ricco ha il povero in avversione.And as humilitie is abomination to the proude: so also the poore man is the execration of the riche.Et sicut abominatio est superbo humilitas, / sic et execratio divitis pauper. 25When a rich man is shaken, he is kept up by his friends: but when a poor man is fallen down, he is thrust away even by his acquaintance.Il ricco, che traballa è sostenuto da suoi amici; ma il povero, caduto che è, vien cacciato via anche da' familiari.The riche man being moued is confirmed by his frendes: but the humble when he is fallen, shal be thrust out euen of his familiars.Dives commotus confirmatur ab amicis suis: / humilis autem cum ceciderit, expelletur et a notis. 26When a rich man hath been deceived, he hath many helpers: he hath spoken proud things, and they have justified him.Il ricco, che ha errato ha molti, che lo sostengono: egli ha parlato con arroganza, e quelli lo giustificano.To the rich deceeued there are many recouerers: he hath spoken proud wordes, and they haue iustified him.Diviti decepto multi recuperatores: / locutus est superbia, et justificaverunt illum. 27The poor man was deceived, and he is rebuked also: he hath spoken wisely, and could have no place.Ma il povero, che fu gabbato, è ancor rampognato: parla sensatamente, e non gli è dato retta.The humble was deceiued, he moreouer is rebuked also: he hath spoken wisely, and place was not geuen vnto him.Humilis deceptus est, insuper et arguitur: / locutus est sensate, et non est datus ei locus.
28The rich man spoke, and all held their peace, and what he said they extol even to the clouds.Il ricco parla, e tutti stan cheti, e innalzano fino alle nuvole le sue parole.The rich man spake, and al helde their peace, and they wil carry his worde euen to the cloudes.Dives locutus est, et omnes tacuerunt, / et verbum illius usque ad nubes perducent. 29The poor man spoke, and they say: Who is this? and if he stumble, they will overthrow him.Parla il povero, e quelli dicono: chi è costui, e se inciampa lo getteranno per terra.The poore man spake and they say: Who is this? and if he stumble, they wil ouerthrowe him.Pauper locutus est, et dicunt: Quis est hic ? / et si offenderit, subvertent illum. 30Riches are good to him that hath no sin in his conscience: and poverty is very wicked in the mouth of the ungodly.Buone son le ricchezze, le quali non hanno peccato sulla coscienza: ma pessima è la povertà a detta dell'empio.Substance is good, to him that hath no sinne in his conscience: and pouertie is most wicked in the mouth of the impious.Bona est substantia cui non est peccatum in conscientia: / et nequissima paupertas in ore impii. 31The heart of a man changeth his countenance, either for good, or for evil.Il cuore dell'uomo cangia il volto di lui o in bene, o in male.The hart of a man altereth his countenance, either into good, or into euil.Cor hominis immutat faciem illius, / sive in bona, sive in mala. 32The token of a good heart, and a good countenance thou shalt hardly find, and with labour.Il buon viso argomento di buon cuore lo troverai difficilmente, e con pena.The token of a good hart, and a good countenance thou shalt hardly finde, and with labour.Vestigium cordis boni et faciem bonam / difficile invenies, et cum labore.
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Calmet
Pride. We are naturally prone to it, and the friendship and manners of the proud will increase it. (Calmet)
If, therefore, the rich be not virtuous, it is dangerous to keep their company, (Worthington) both for this and the next world.
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Calmet
Kettle. Made of iron. It will presently be broken. So the poor must suffer, if they marry, or have society with those who are much above their rank. (Calmet)
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Calmet
Thou? Distrust those who promise much. (Calmet)
Tertullian
Spem pretio non emo. (Tertullian)
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Haydock
Drawn. Literally, "exhaust." (Haydock)
Calmet
He will feast thee, while he wants thy service, or he will come to dine with thee, and thus reduce thee to distress, Proverbs 23:1. (Calmet)
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Haydock
Humbled. By foolishly attempting to rival the sumptuous feasts of the great. Ver. 9., and 11., are not in the Greek. (Haydock)
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Menochius
Wisdom. Depend not on others' bounty. (Menochius)
Calmet
When the cause of God is at stake, be firm, like St. Paul. (Calmet)
Worthington
Pusillanimity in a superior might cause him to neglect his duty. (Worthington)
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Haydock
Concerning, etc., is not expressed in Greek. (Haydock)
Calmet
If a person be so weak as to disclose his secret to a great man, he will never be trusted by him. (Calmet)
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Calmet
Awake. Be cautious even in sleep, if possible; or seem not to hear what passes at court. (Calmet)
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Calmet
Himself. Similarity of manners and of condition is favourable to friendship. (Calmet)
Cicero
The good and bad cannot be friends, their manners are so different. (Cicero)
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Lamb. Christ has taught people of different tempers to embrace the faith, which shows his admirable power, Isaias 11:6.
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Calmet
Away. Psalm 61:4. (Calmet)
Cicero
"It is inhuman to push those who are falling." (Cicero, pro Rabir.)
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Menochius
Helpers. Who prevent his ruin, (Calmet) and turn his words to good sense. (Menochius)
Calmet
Proud. Greek, "what should not be disclosed," aporreta. (Haydock) (Calmet)
St. Gregory
Their "fault increases, being fed by applause." (St. Gregory, Mor. 4:29.)
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Horace
Clouds. People suppose that the rich must possess genius. (Horace, 2:Sat. iii.)
Calmet
"Every one honours the rich." (Theog.) (Calmet)
Worthington
Exception of persons hinders many good counsels, and promotes evil. (Worthington)
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Ungodly. The abuse of riches is alone blameable. All things are clean for the clean, while the wicked perverts every advantage.
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Calmet
Evil. Sorrow will manifest itself. (Calmet)
Cicero
Imago animi vultus. (Cicero, Decorat. iii.)
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Calmet
Find. Few are perfectly sincere. (Calmet)
Haydock
Greek, "a cheerful countenance is the vestige of a heart in good things, (Haydock; prosperity, Menochius) and the discovery of parables is the effect of laborious enquiries." (Haydock)
Calmet
Study makes the countenance serious. (Calmet)
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Concordance Deut. 7.
He that conuerseth with a greater man then himself (except it be with vertuous) is forced often to suffer much and to yeld to manie inconueniences.
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Pusill animitie in a superior maketh him omite his dutie, & committe errors, fearing to do that perteyneth to his office, & which his auctoritie requireth.
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Acception of persous hindereth manie good counsels: & promoteth manie euil thinges.
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 71.3
… Elijah also when he was carried up in a chariot of fire to heaven left his mantle of sheepskin on earth. Elisha used for sacrifice the oxen and the yokes which hitherto he had employed in his work. We read in Ecclesiasticus: “he that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith.”
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 49
… A great work and toil it is then to keep our wayward heart from all sin, and, with the numberless allurements of pleasure to ensnare it on all sides, not to let the vigour of the mind give way to any attack. Who “toucheth pitch, and is not defiled thereby
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 108.21
… and, when I asked him what he had accomplished, replied, “Only this that old as I am I have been almost persuaded to drink no more wine.” I relate this story not because I approve of persons rashly taking upon themselves burthens beyond their strength (for does not the scripture say: “Burden not thyself above thy power”?
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Work on the Proceedings of Pelagius 7
… “Deliver me not, O Lord, to the sinner, according to my desire.” With regard, indeed, to the evil lusts which assail them, their prayer has ever assumed some such shape as this: “Take away from me the concupiscence of the belly; and let not the desire of lust take hold of me.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 5
… For we have a sort of family feeling even by nature towards one another, which even beasts have got towards each other. “For every beast,” it says, “loveth his like, and every man his neighbor.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 2
… Not one. Thou seest then that, on the contrary, sin is more properly matter of violence and constraint. For God hath implanted in our nature a charm, which binds us to love one another. “Every beast (it saith) loveth his like, and every man loveth his neighbor.” (
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 34
… or who shall stand in His holy place? He that is innocent in his hands, and pure in his heart;’ and again in another passage, ‘Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good and upright in heart.’ So also in Solomon: ‘Riches are good unto him that hath no sin on his conscience;’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 36
… He that is innocent in his hands, and clean in his heart.” He shall ascend, innocent in his hands, and stand, clean in his heart,—the one state in present operation, the other in its consummation. And of them should rather be understood that which is written: “Riches are good unto him that hath no sin on his conscience.”
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And, that is thus, or in a similar manner. For among the Hebrews 'and' is a note of comparison, which because it connects similar things, hence it has the same force as 'thus,' as one may see throughout the Proverbs. Whence the Greeks for 'shall put on pride,' have, ὁμοιωθήσεται αὐτῷ, that is, shall be made like, or shall become like to him, namely the proud man shall become like the proud man, and thus St. Athanasius reads it in his treatise On Virginity. The Syriac version: he who draws near to pitch, it itself adheres to his hand; and he who has fellowship with the wicked, puts on his ways, as if to say: Just as pitch touched by the hand of one touching it adheres, and applies and glues a part of itself to it: so also iniquity, which is especially the pride of the proud man, adheres to one touching it and conversing with it, and applies and glues a part of itself to him, and through it, as through pitch, stains and defiles him, both in reputation and in conscience: for infamy disgraces reputation, sin—and that a capital and grave sin—fouls the conscience. An example is in Lucifer, who rubbed his pride upon all his angels; and in Adam, who poured the same into all his posterity: hence such great ruin of angels, as well as of men. Furthermore, the vice, especially pride, is aptly compared to pitch: first, because both have a black and dark color; second, because both are viscous and glue and rub themselves upon others; third, because both have a heavy and foul smell; fourth, pitch when burning is smoky, so also is pride. Finally, the proud await the fire of hell, burning with pitch and sulphur. Whence Isaiah, chapter thirty-four, verse six: "Her streams, he says, shall be turned into pitch, and her dust into sulphur; and her land shall become burning pitch." See Apocalypse twenty-one, verse eight. The reason why pride above other vices rubs itself upon one having fellowship with the proud man is both the proneness of corrupted nature to it, and the inborn love of excellence in man; and because the proud man swells and is puffed up with the spirit of elation, and exhales it through his mouth and gesture, and with his whole body: thus he effectively inspires the same in others, just as one laboring under plague, because he breathes out a burning spirit; hence he immediately infects those near him, and breathes his plague upon others. Add that the proud man appears to be generous and magnanimous, and thus calls himself, and is called by his own; whence his arrogance is loved as if it were a virtue, not a vice: but in gluttony, lust, anger, etc., the vice manifestly reveals itself, which cannot put on the appearance of virtue for itself: hence as soon as it appears, all abhor and flee from it. Antistrophes to Sirach are the maxims of Philosophers: of Plutarch, in the book On the Education of Children: "If you dwell next to a lame man, you will learn to limp." Aristotle asks in the Problems, why when one person has bleary eyes, the eyes of those nearby begin to become bleary; and he answers: "Because the eye is the most mobile part of our body, it can become most like all other things to the object presented to it." In a similar way in man the eye of loftiness and pride is most mobile, so that if the example of someone moves it, it is immediately moved of its own accord to pride. Just as therefore diseases which are born from a corrupted spirit, such as plague, immediately breathe their contagion upon those near them: so likewise the matter stands in the company and conversation of the proud. "Therefore the scab of morals rubs from one companion to another;" and: "Whoever lives constantly with a stammerer learns to stammer." Plutarch, in the treatise On the Difference Between a Friend and a Flatterer: So great, he says, is the force of habit, that even unwittingly we imitate the vices of those with whom we live; just as the familiars of Plato imitated the breadth of his shoulders; the friends of Aristotle reproduced his stammer; the familiars of Alexander the Great imitated the bending of his neck, and the harshness of his voice in speaking. Plato gives the reason, in book two of the Laws: "When someone, he says, struggles with the wicked ways of depraved men, he does not hate, but rather rejoices approving, although as if in jest he reproves, dreaming of his own malice: then assuredly it is necessary that he become like them, rejoicing in both things." Most excellently Seneca, in book three of On Anger: "Morals, he says, are taken from those with whom one associates. And just as certain bodily defects pass into those in contact with them, so the mind transmits its evils to those near it: the drunkard drew his companions into a love of wine; the company of the unchaste softened a strong and hard man: avarice transmitted its poison to those near it. The same reasoning applies conversely to virtues, so that everything it has with it softens." Morally, learn here how much the associations of the wicked are to be avoided, because they make those like themselves, namely wicked. Thus whoever dwells in a monastery or congregation with imperfect and unruly persons incurs many imperfections. Wherefore, if he is wise, he should flee detractors, lovers of license, the idle, and the lukewarm as plagues. "The imitation of the wicked is easy, and those virtues which you cannot attain, you quickly imitate their vices," says St. Jerome in epistle 7. And St. Cyprian, in the book On Spectacles: "Our eyes and ears must be guarded; for we quickly become accustomed to that which we hear in crime. Indeed, examples of vices assail the soul, impel it, change it, transform it." Furthermore, St. Bernard, sermon 82 in the Canticles, adapts this saying to the soul, which from itself is heavenly, but through appetite for earthly things has become earthly and carnal: "Why not," he says, "she who has been made immortal, desire things similar to herself, immortal and eternal, so that what she is may appear, and what she has become may live? He who touches pitch (says the Wise Man) is defiled by it: by enjoying mortal things he clothes himself with mortality and the garment of immortality, declining by the likeness of death, he has discolored, not removed it."
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More honourable, that is, richer: for riches are called honour, because they make a man honourable in food and clothing: this is a metalepsis and catachresis. The Greek texts add "and stronger," and thus Jansenius thinks it should be read. Many seek the courts and the favour of the great and the rich, so that they may be honoured by their familiarity, and may seek dignities, benefits, offices and gains. But Sirach here wisely dissuades from this very thing, as if bringing a burden, that is, a manifold grievance, which he explains in the following by its kinds. For friendship and association, in order to be easy and pleasant, ought to be among equals. Whence that saying of the Poet: "If you wish to marry, marry an equal." Seneca excellently in the Proverbs: "If," he says, "you have come into the patronage of a happy and powerful man, either truth or friendship must be lost." Martial, among those things "which make life more blessed," numbers "friends who are equals." For where there are unequals, the superior wishes to rule the inferior, and commands him many things which the inferior does not dare to refuse for fear and shame; wherefore he is rather a servant than a friend. To this pertains that saying of Seneca in the Troades: "A heavy burden," he says, "great nobility presses upon him." Thus Euclio in Plautus, when Megadorus the rich man asks for his daughter of slender fortune in marriage, answers that he does not wish his daughter to act like an ox or an ass in his house. Sisyphus, desiring the friendship of Jupiter and the gods, is feigned by the Poets to be condemned by the angry gods to roll a stone perpetually. By which they symbolically signify that those who wish to be friends of the powerful take upon themselves grave burdens of expenses, reproaches, servitudes, etc. Hence that saying: "Far from Jupiter, far from the thunderbolt." And that of Horace: "Sweet to the inexperienced is the cultivation of a powerful friend: the experienced man will fear it." Morally Rabanus: "These things," he says, "according to the moral sense instruct us, so that we always follow humble things, and entirely flee from proud things," and therefore we should renounce the associations of the rich and powerful, nor should we admire their riches or pomp. Lacides of Cyrene, summoned by King Attalus, answered that "images are to be viewed from a distance," hinting that close familiarity with princes diminishes admiration of virtue. Add also that it not rarely creates danger. Confessors of the great, princes and the rich experience this, who, besides the troubles of obeying them, not rarely expose their own consciences equally with those of their penitents to danger of eternal salvation, while either from fear of displeasing them, or from zeal to please them, they do not dare to admonish them, but dissimulate what should not be dissimulated, and relax what should not be relaxed. How much happier are the confessors of the poor, who admonish them freely, and easily promote them to all holiness! These are masters, those are servants.
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As if to say: If a bronze pot is struck against an earthen pot or vessel, certainly the pot will break it: so likewise if a rich man associates with and strikes against a poor man, certainly he will knock him down; for if they quarrel, the poor man will be oppressed by the rich man. The bronze pot therefore represents the powerful and rich man, the earthen vessel the common man and the poor man, or the less rich. Aesop used nearly three hundred years before Sirach the same fable of the pot and vessel; for he tells a story of two pots, one bronze, the other earthen, which when carried away by the force of a river, and the earthen one feared ruin for itself, the bronze one said to it: "Do not fear; for I will take care that you are not struck or knocked against." To which the earthen one replied: "Whether the river strikes me with you, or you with me, either way will happen to my peril without your involvement, either way with my danger: therefore it is determined by me to be separated from you." Aesop himself experienced this very thing in reality with Solon. For Solon, because he had spoken rather freely to Croesus king of the Lydians, that no one should be deemed blessed before death, was neglected and rejected by an angry Croesus before his death. Aesop, who was then in honor with Croesus at Sardis, grieved over Solon's fate, and warned him: "With kings, O Solon," he said, "one must either not deal at all, or deal as pleasantly as possible." To which Solon replied: "Not at all," he said, "rather, either not at all, or as well as possible." Thus matters stand among men, otherwise with God. To our most benign God therefore, as rich and as powerful, be eternal glory and thanksgiving, who wills us little men to be familiar to him, nor is the pot broken, but rather the bronze vessel: for in our cross it is not our fragility, but Christ, the Father's riches and strength, that was broken, 1 Cor. 1, 23.
13:4
This is the first way in which the pot is afflicted and broken by the pot, that is, the poor man by the rich and powerful man, namely that the rich man injures the poor man with wrong, and moreover rages against him: but the poor man, though wronged, will not dare to complain, but will be silent, lest he stir up greater anger and harm from the rich man against himself. The Greeks more forcefully have "will pray" instead of "will be silent," will beseech, as if to say: The poor man, although wronged by the rich man, will nevertheless be a suppliant to him, so that he may soften his indignation and preserve his goodwill. He alludes to Prov. xviii, 23: "The poor man will speak with supplications, and the rich man will speak harshly." So also the Syriac: "for the rich man sins, and it is overlooked; and the poor man sins, and it is noticed," according to that saying of Juvenal: "He grants pardon to crows, but censure vexes doves." The rich man therefore among the poor is like a lion among animals: for just as a lion preys upon any creature, and no one dares to oppose him, but all the beasts themselves submit to him and allow it: so also the rich man preys upon the poor, and no one is able or dares to contradict him. Wherefore Diogenes asserted that riches are nothing other than a covering for malice: for the rich, since they are in no way better than others, think that everything is permitted to them.
13:5
This is the second way in which the pot, that is, the rich man afflicts the pot, that is, the poor man, namely that he drains and empties his resources and purse. For the rich, as they are proud, so are they avaricious. Wherefore St. Ambrose and Bede, indeed the Holy Spirit, compare avaricious rich men to a leech or bloodsucker, because just as that one sucks the blood of a man, so these suck the resources of the poor. Hence that saying of Horace: "The leech will not let go of the skin unless full of blood." 6. "If you have, he will live with you, and will empty you, and he himself will not grieve over you" — over you emptied, impoverished and exhausted. The Syriac: "If you have, he will make pleasant conversation with you, and will empty you, and he himself will not have compassion, until he does his will with you." This is the third way in which the rich man afflicts the poor man, by devouring his labors, emptying him, and that without his own labor; for he leaves the labor to the poor man, but usurps the fruit of it for himself, idle and luxurious. Wherefore Solon said that wealth is the mother of satiety, satiety of ferocity and violence. Riches are accompanied by luxury, luxury issues forth into tyranny. 7-8. "If you are necessary to him, he will supplant you, and smiling will give you hope, telling you good things, and will say: What do you lack? And he will confound you in his feasts, until he empties you twice or thrice; and at last he will mock you." This is the fourth way in which the rich man breaks the poor man, as if to say: If the rich man has need of your services, he will demand them; but he will deceive you, because smiling he will give you hope by telling of good things which he can and wishes to bestow upon you. He will receive you sumptuously, so that you in turn may receive him sumptuously, and thus he may empty and mock you.
13:9
9. "Humble thyself to God, and wait for his hands." Do not, O poor man, while thou art in need, humble thyself too much to the rich man making vain promises, and beseech him; but be humble and suppliant to God, who truly provides what he has promised, and abandons no one who calls upon him. Humility properly is the virtue owed to the divine majesty, says St. Bernard. Whence St. Peter, epistle I, cap. V, 6: "Humble yourselves," he says, "under the mighty hand of God." God, now incarnate, taught humility in the highest degree by example more than by word, saying: "Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls," Matt. XI, 29. Furthermore, St. Anselm, lib. De Similit., cap. C and seq., enumerates seven degrees of humility: the first is not to hide one's fault, but to acknowledge it; the second is to grieve over it; the third is to confess it; the fourth is that what we confess we be persuaded to be true; the fifth is that he consent to be judged by others as such; the sixth is that, when some injury is done to him, he receive it so patiently, as if some great advantage were being done to him; the seventh is not only then not to murmur, but also to love God's vengeance, and to give him thanks. 10-11. "Take heed thou be not seduced into folly by humbling thyself. Be not humble in thy wisdom, lest thou be humbled into folly and seduced." As there is excessive justice, of which it is said Eccles. XVII: "Be not overmuch just," so also there is perverse and excessive humility. Sirach does not deny that a poor man can humble himself to a rich man, and seek help from him; but he commands that he not humble himself to him in such a way that he place all his hopes in him, neglecting and setting aside God: that he not so trust entirely in man that, hanging upon him, he forgets his God; but rather, trusting in God, let him esteem the help of men as of little worth, according to that: "It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes," Ps. cxvii, 9.
13:12
The sense is: If a powerful man invite thee to his table or to friendship, do not hasten to come, but withdraw modestly; for by this very modesty he will be drawn to invite thee more often and more frequently. 13. "Be not impudent, lest thou be thrust out; and be not far from him, lest thou be forgotten." Prudently keep the middle course: do not thrust thyself upon him too much, lest thou be thrust out and despised; nor withdraw thyself too far, lest he forget thee. As Alexander the Great, being asked "how one should approach a prince?" answered: "as one approaches fire, so that thou neither approach it too closely, lest thou be burned; nor withdraw too far, lest thou grow cold and not be warmed."
13:14
14. "Do not presume to speak with him as an equal, nor believe in the multitude of his words: for by much speaking he will tempt thee, and smiling will question thee about thy secrets." The powerful man, under the guise of friendly conversation, will draw out thy secrets and use them against thee. 15. "His cruel mind will keep thy words, and will not spare from malice and from bonds." What thou hast entrusted to him in faith, he will use as weapons against thee when it shall be opportune. 16. "Take heed to thyself, and attend carefully to thy hearing: for thou walkest with the subversion of thyself."
13:17
That is: When thou hearest the flattering words of the powerful man, consider them as in a dream — with distance and discretion — and thou shalt awake, nor be deceived. When thou hearest the questions of the prince, do not sleep, and answer carelessly, lest thou be caught and ensnared by thy words rashly uttered; but be like one who in a dream sees some grave evil or danger threatening him, and therefore immediately shakes off sleep and awakens.
13:18
Having set forth warnings against trust in the powerful, he directs the reader to the true source of help: God. With all thy life love God, and invoke him in thy salvation. For God alone is truly a faithful friend who never abandons those who trust in him, unlike the powerful of this world who use the poor and cast them off. That thou mayest not incur danger to thy goods or thy life, take care to love God throughout all thy life, and to invoke him; for he himself protects and directs those who love and invoke him, so that they may walk safe and unharmed through all dangers.
13:19
From the general principle that like converses with like, Sirach draws a practical conclusion, that friendship and familiarity ought to exist among equals. Aristotle teaches that friendship consists in equality and similarity, for friends wish the same things and reject the same things. Hence every animal naturally seeks its own kind: doves with doves, ravens with ravens, wolves with wolves. So also among men: soldiers with soldiers, the learned with the learned, merchants with merchants. Because similarity is the mother of love, and equality the nurse of friendship. Aristotle gives the reason a priori in book I of the Ethics: "Since," he says, "what is according to nature is pleasant, and all kinds are joined together according to nature; therefore for the most part things that are similar and joined by kind are pleasant, as man to man, horse to horse." Tropologically, just as a creature delights in its like, so also does the Creator. Do you wish to please God? Strive daily more and more to assimilate yourself to Him, in His divine attributes: wisdom, goodness, justice, purity, integrity, holiness. Do you wish to please Christ? Imitate His humility, patience, the cross, charity. For He Himself says: "Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart," Matthew XI, 29. And the Apostle, Ephesians V, 1: "Be ye therefore imitators of God, as most dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us." Morally, similarity and equality of actions in communities conciliates the love and benevolence of others, but singularity begets hatred. Wherefore whoever in a monastery or congregation wishes to be loved and to live peacefully with edification, let him follow the common table, common clothing, common occupations, common exercises. For those who wish to be singular and to appear so, and separate themselves from others, are hateful to all.
13:21
21. "If the wolf shall ever communicate with the lamb, so shall the sinner with the just." So great is the discord and hatred between the wolf and the sheep, that it persists even after death: "For dead sheep fear a dead wolf," says Oppian. In proof, strings made from the intestines of a wolf and a sheep on a lyre never harmonize, but always discord. Indeed, if a drum be struck made from wolf skin, a drum made from sheep skin, even if struck, will not sound. Hence the impious Zizka, leader of the heretics in Bohemia, ordered after his death that a drum be made from his skin, so that when it was struck the Catholics would flee from battle terrified. By this very deed he imitated the wolf, and declared himself a wolf of the Lord's flock, that is, a heretic, according to the word of Christ: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly are ravening wolves," Matthew VII, 15. Similarly you may compare the poor man to a timid deer, and the rich man proud to a wolf or lion, according to that saying of Martial: "The boar is feared by his tooth, horns defend the deer: what are we but defenseless prey?" From what has been said, gather how great and magnificent and powerful is the grace of God and of our Christ, which joins and unites in charity things so contrary to each other, according to Isaiah chapter xi, verse 6: "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid." Which St. Francis accomplished literally at Gubbio, taming a notably harmful wolf, so that it walked harmlessly through the city daily. 22. "What communion hath a holy man with a dog? or what part hath the rich with the poor?" 23. "The hunting of lions, the wild ass in the desert: so also are the pastures of the rich the poor." 24. "And as humility is an abomination to the proud: so also the poor man is an execration to the rich."
13:25
25. "The rich man moved is confirmed by his friends: but the humble man, when he hath fallen, shall be cast off even by his acquaintances." 26. "The rich man deceived hath many helpers: he spoke proud things, and they justified him." 27. "The humble man deceived is blamed: he spoke wisely, and no place was given him." Here Sirach paints a sharp antithesis between the manner in which the world treats the rich and the manner in which it treats the poor. When the rich man speaks, even foolishly, all applaud; when the poor man speaks wisely, no one listens. 28-29. "The rich man spoke, and all held their peace, and his word they praise unto the clouds. The poor man spoke, and they say: Who is this? and if he stumble, they will overthrow him."
13:30
Riches in themselves are not evil but good, provided they are accompanied by a clean conscience, free from sin. But poverty is called "most wicked in the mouth of the impious," because an impious man, being poor, curses God and execrates his lot, attributing his poverty not to his own sins or to the inscrutable providence of God, but to divine injustice.
13:31
31. The heart, that is the internal disposition and conscience of man, changes his external countenance. A good conscience produces a serene and cheerful face; an evil conscience produces a troubled, angry, or sad face. Whence Cicero most excellently, in book III of On Oratory: "Every motion of the soul," he says, "has its own kind of expression, sound, and gesture from nature. The face is the image of the soul, the eyes are its witnesses." And in On Seeking the Consulship: "The face and brow," he says, "are the gateway of the soul, which signifies the hidden and concealed will." 32. "The trace of a good heart, and a good face you will find with difficulty, and with labor." Understand a good face that is constantly and perpetually good, that is serene and cheerful; for this is difficult to find. An example is in St. Anthony, who, as St. Athanasius writes, was perpetually of a cheerful countenance, so much so that from that alone he himself among so many thousands of monks was recognized by those who did not know him, nor had seen him.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.