Letters89 Letter LXXXIX. To the same (Circa A.D. 1127)
Letter LXXXIX. To the same (Circa A.D. 1127)
He excuses the brevity of his letter on the ground that Lent is a time of silence; and also that on account of his profession and his ignorance he docs not dare to assume the function of teaching.
1. You will, perhaps be angry, or, to speak more gently, will wonder that in place of a longer letter which you had hoped for from me you receive this brief note. But remember what says the wise man, that there is a time for all things under the heaven; both a time to speak and a time to keep silence (Eccles. iii. 1-7). But when shall silence have its time, if our chatter shall occupy even these sacred days of Lent? Correspondence is more absorbing than conversation, inasmuch as it is more laborious; since when in each other's presence we may say with little labour what we will, but when absent we require diligently to dictate in turn the words which we mutually seek, or which are sought from us. But while being absent from you I meditate, dictate or write down what you are in time to read, where, I pray you, is the silence and quiet of my retreat? But life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. xviii. 21). But silence, says Isaiah, is the work of righteousness (Is. xxxii. 17), and Jeremiah teaches us to wait in silence for the salvation of the Lord (Lam. iii. 26). Thus to this pursuit and desire of righteousness, since righteousness is the mother, the nurse, and the guardian of all virtues, I would not seem entirely to deny what you have asked, and I invite and entreat you and all those who, like you, desire to make progress in virtue, if not by the teaching of my words, at least by the example of my silence, to learn from me to be silent, you who press me in your words to teach what I do not know.
3. But what am I doing? It wrill be wonderful if you do not smile, seeing with what a flood of words I condemn those who are too full of words, and \vhile I desire to commend silence to you, I plead against silence by my loquacity. Our dear Guerric, concerning whose penitence and whose manner of life you wished to be assured, as far as I can judge from his actions, is walking worthy of the grace of God, and bringing forth works worthy of penitence. The little book which you ask of me I have not beside me just now. A certain friend of ours, with the same desire to read it as you, has kept it a long time, but not to frustrate altogether the desire of your piety, I send you another which I have just completed on the Glories of the Virgin Mother, which, as I have no other copy of it, I beg that you will return to me as soon as possible, or bring it with you if you will be coming here soon.
1. Indignaris forsitan, vel, ut temperantius dicam, miraris, quod pro longiori epistola, quam a nobis speraveras, tam brevem chartulam receperis. Sed memento juxta virum Sapientem, omnia sub coelo tempus habere: et tempus quidem loquendi, et tempus esse tacendi. Quando autem suum tempus silentium habebit, si hos etiam sacros dies Quadragesimae nostra sibi vindicat confabulatio? Eaque ipsa tanto occupatior, quanto laboriosior; dum non quidem praesentes alterutrum dicere leviter valemus quae volumus, sed absentibus necesse est nobis invicem diligenter dictare, quae vel petimus ab invicem, vel petimur. Dum vero absens cogito, dictito, scriptito, mittoque quod praesens legas; rogo ubi otium, ubi silentii quies? Sed haec, inquies, omnia facere potes in silentio. Mirum si ex sententia hoc respondeas. Quantus enim tumultus est in mente dictantium, ubi multitudo perstrepit dictionum, ubi orationum varietas et diversitas sensuum concurrit; ubi saepe respuitur quod occurrit, et requiritur quod excidit: ubi quid pulchrius secundum litteram, quid consequentius juxta sententiam, quid planius propter intelligentiam, quid utilius ad conscientiam, quid denique, cui, vel post, vel ante ponatur, intentissime attenditur; multaque alia quae a doctis in hujusmodi curiosius observantur? Et tu in hoc mihi dices esse quietem? tu hoc, etiamsi lingua sileat, silentium nominabis?
2. Quanquam non solum temporis, sed nec meae professionis est, huic rei operam dare quam postulas, nec possibilitatis adimplere quod optas. Siquidem vel monachi quod esse videor, vel peccatoris quod sum, officium non est docere, sed lugere. Indoctus quoque (quod et vere me fateor esse) si praesumat docere quod nescit, nihil indoctius agit. Docere itaque nec indocto est in promptu, nec monacho in ausu, nec poenitenti in affectu. Sed et propter hoc elongavi fugiens, et maneo in solitudine, et cum propheta proposui custodire vias meas, ut non delinquam in lingua mea, quoniam juxta eumdem Prophetam: Vir linguosus non dirigetur super terram; et secundum aliam scripturam: Mors et vita in manibus. Silentium autem, dicento Isaia, cultus justitiae est; et, Bonum est, ut docet Jeremias, exspectare salutare Dei cum silentio. Ad hunc ergo justitiae cultum, hanc omnium virtutum matrem, nutricem, custodem, ne penitus videar negare quod petiisti; et te, et quicunque tuis similes proficere cupiunt in virtutibus, invito et provoco, etsi non verbo doctrinae, certe mei silentii exemplo, ut vel silendo doceam te silere, qui loquendo compellis me docere quod nescio.
3. Sed quid ego facio? Mirum si non rides, quod ego qui multiloquium tantopere damnare videor, in tam multa verba tam loquaciter jam progredior; et dum cupio tibi commendare silentium, contra silentium per multiloquium pugno. Guerricum nostrum, de cujus conversatione et poenitentia consolari desideras, quantum ex fructibus ejus perpendimus, noveris Deo digne conversari, dignosque poenitentiae facere fructus. Libellum autem, quem a me exigis, penes me modo non habeo. Quidam enim amicus noster eodem zelo, quo tu flagitas, diu est quod apud se illum detinet. Sed ne tuae pietatis [ al., benignitatis] petitionem abire patiar omnino frustratam, alium nuper a me editum, in Laudibus Virginis matris, tibi transmitto: quem, quia ejus exemplar non teneo, rogo ut quantocius ad me remittas; vel, si maturius adveneris, ipse deferas tecum.