Chapter 1 #

¹ Whatever I write in this letter, in my humble but well-meaning way, more as a lamentation than for show, let no one think it arises from contempt for others or that I foolishly consider myself better than them; for, alas, the subject of my lament is the widespread destruction of all that is good and the universal growth of evil across the land. Yet I rejoice to see her rise again from this state, for my present purpose is to recount the actions of a lazy and slothful people, rather than the exploits of those who have been brave in battle.

² I have remained silent, I confess, with much mental anguish, deep compunction, and heartfelt sorrow, as I contemplated all these things within myself; and, as God, the searcher of hearts, is my witness, for a space of even ten years or more, my inexperience, as it does now, and my unworthiness prevented me from assuming the role of a critic. Yet I read how the illustrious lawgiver, for a single moment of doubt, was not permitted to enter the promised land; how the sons of the high priest, for offering strange fire upon God’s altar, were struck down by sudden death; how God’s people, for breaking His law, save only two, were slain by wild beasts, fire, and the sword in the deserts of Arabia, even though God had loved them so greatly that He made a path for them through the Red Sea, fed them with bread from heaven and water from the rock, and made their armies invincible by the mere lifting up of a hand. And then, after they crossed the Jordan into the unknown land, when the walls of the city fell flat at the sound of a trumpet, the theft of a cloak and a small amount of gold from the accursed things brought death to many. Furthermore, the violation of their treaty with the Gibeonites, even though that treaty had been obtained by deceit, brought destruction upon many. I took warning from the sins of the people that provoked the rebukes of the prophets and also of Jeremiah, with his fourfold Lamentations written in alphabetical order.

³ I saw also in my own time, as that prophet had lamented, that the city sat desolate and widowed, once full of people; that the queen of nations and the princess of provinces—that is, the Church—had been made a tributary; that the gold had become tarnished, and the finest color, symbolizing the brightness of God’s word, was dimmed; that the sons of Zion—that is, of holy Mother Church—once renowned and adorned with the finest gold, now grovelled in the mire. And what added unbearably to the grief of that illustrious man, and likewise to mine, though I am but a lowly individual, was that he mourned for them even in their blessed and prosperous state: “Her Nazarites were purer than snow, more radiant than milk, their bodies more ruddy than coral, their form like sapphire”.

⁴ These and many other passages in the ancient Scriptures I regarded as a kind of mirror of human life. I turned also to the New Testament, where I read more clearly what had perhaps been obscure to me before, for the darkness fled, and truth shone with a steady light. I read that the Lord said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, and on the other hand, “But the children of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Again, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs”. But conversely, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”. I heard, “Many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven”, but on the contrary, “Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity’”. I read, “Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed”, and on the contrary, “Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Later, the other virgins came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you’”. I heard, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned”. I read in the words of the apostle that the branch of the wild olive was grafted onto the good olive tree, but would be cut off from the communion of the root of its richness if it failed to remain in reverence and instead grew arrogant.

⁵ I knew the mercy of the Lord, but I also feared His judgment. I praised His grace, but I feared the rendering to every man according to his works. Perceiving the sheep of the same fold to be different, I rightly commended Peter for his full confession of Christ, but called Judas most wretched for his love of covetousness. I considered Stephen most glorious for the palm of martyrdom, but Nicholas wretched for his stain of unclean heresy. I read, “They had all things in common”, but also, as it is written, “Why have you conspired to test the Spirit of the Lord?”. I saw, on the other hand, how much security had grown among the men of our time, as though there were nothing to make them afraid.

⁶ These things, therefore, and many more which we have decided to omit for brevity’s sake, I turned over and over in my astonished mind with compunction in my heart. I thought to myself, “If God’s chosen people, set apart from all the nations of the world—the royal seed, the holy nation, to whom He said, ‘Israel is My firstborn’—its priests, prophets, and kings, through so many generations, His servant and apostle, and the members of His early church, were not spared when they strayed from the right path, what will He do to the darkness of this age of ours? For besides all the great and heinous sins it shares with the wickedness of the world, this age bears an innate, indelible, and incurable burden of folly and inconstancy.”

⁷ “What, wretched man,” I say to myself, “has been given to you, as though you were some illustrious and learned teacher, to oppose the force of such a violent torrent and to maintain the charge committed to you against such a long-standing series of entrenched sins, which have spread far and wide, uninterrupted, for so many years? Be silent; to act otherwise is as absurd as telling the foot to see or the hand to speak. Britain has rulers, and she has watchmen. Why do you bend yourself so uselessly to chatter in vain?”

⁸ She has such, I say—not too many, perhaps, but surely not too few. However, because they are bowed down and pressed beneath so heavy a burden, they are not given the time to draw breath. My thoughts, therefore, as though feeling a portion of my debt and obligation, were preoccupied with such objections, and with others even stronger. They wrestled, as I said, for no short time in fearful straits, while I read, “There is a time to speak and a time to keep silence”. At last, the creditor’s side prevailed and claimed the victory.

⁹ He said: “If you are not bold enough to bear the noble mark of golden liberty among the prophetic creatures, who hold the rank of reasoning beings next to the angels, then do not refuse the inspiration of the understanding donkey. That beast, silent until that day, refused to carry forward the tiara’d magician who was going to curse God’s people. In the narrow pass of the vineyard, she crushed his unsteady foot, for which she felt the lash. And though he struck her innocent sides with an ungrateful and furious hand, contrary to justice, she pointed out to him the heavenly messenger, standing in his way with a drawn sword, though he had not seen him”.

¹⁰ Wherefore, in zeal for the house of God and for His holy law, compelled either by the reasonings of my own thoughts or by the pious pleas of my brethren, I now discharge the debt that has been so long demanded of me. My style is humble, indeed, but, as I believe, faithful and friendly to all Christ’s young soldiers, yet severe and unbearable to foolish apostates. The former, if I am not mistaken, will receive it with tears flowing from the love of God; but the latter, with sorrow wrung from the indignation and weakness of a convicted conscience.

¹¹ I will, therefore, if God permits, attempt to speak briefly about the state of Britain: her disobedience and subjugation, her rebellion, her second subjugation and dreadful enslavement—of her religion, persecution, and holy martyrs, and the various heresies that arose—of her tyrants, her two hostile and ravaging nations—of her first devastation, her defense, her second devastation, and her second act of vengeance—of her third devastation, her famine, and the letters to Agitius—of her victory and her sins—of the sudden rumor of enemies—of her notorious pestilence—of her counsels—of her last enemy, far more cruel than the first—of the destruction of her cities and the remnant that survived; and, finally, of the peace which, by the will of God, has been granted to her in these our times.

Chapter 2 #

¹ The island of Britain, situated on the farthest borders of the earth towards the south and west, and poised, as it is said, in the divine balance that sustains the whole world, stretches from the southwest toward the north pole. It is eight hundred miles long and two hundred miles wide, except where the headlands of various promontories extend farther into the sea. It is surrounded by the ocean, which forms winding bays and serves as a strong and, if I may call it so, impassable barrier—save on the southern side, where the narrow sea provides a passage to Belgic Gaul.

² The island is enriched by the mouths of two noble rivers, the Thames and the Severn, which serve as two arms through which foreign luxuries were once imported, along with other rivers of lesser importance. It is famed for its twenty-eight cities and adorned with castles fortified with walls, towers, barred gates, and lofty houses crowned with battlements, equipped with all necessary instruments of defense. Its plains are expansive, its hills are pleasantly situated and suited for superior cultivation, and its mountains provide ideal grazing lands for cattle. These mountains are adorned with flowers of various hues, which, trodden underfoot, give the appearance of a vivid and beautiful painting.

³ The land is arrayed, like a bride chosen by her beloved, with various jewels: sparkling fountains, abundant brooks wandering over white sands, and transparent rivers flowing with gentle murmurs, offering a sweet promise of rest to those who recline along their banks. The land is also nourished by plentiful lakes, which send forth cool torrents of refreshing water.

⁴ This island, stubborn and hard-hearted, has from its earliest habitation repeatedly and ungratefully rebelled—sometimes against God, sometimes against its own citizens, and often against foreign kings and their subjects. For what could be more disgraceful or unjust in human affairs than to refuse reverence to God, affection to one’s countrymen, or, without compromising one’s faith, due honor to those of higher rank? To cast off all regard for both divine and human reason, and, in defiance of heaven and earth, to follow only one’s own base desires—is there anything more shameful? I will, therefore, pass over those ancient errors shared by all the nations of the earth, in which all humanity was trapped before Christ came in the flesh. Neither will I recount the demonic idols of my land, which rivaled in number those of Egypt, and of which we still see remnants decaying within or around abandoned temples, their features rigid and grotesque as was the custom.

⁵ Nor will I call upon the mountains, fountains, hills, or rivers—now serving the needs of men but once an abomination and destruction to them—to which the blind people offered divine worship. I will also refrain from recounting the past days of our cruel tyrants, whose infamy spread to distant lands, so much so that Porphyry, that enemy of the Church in the East, arrogantly claimed in his wild and vain writings that “Britain is a land fertile in tyrants.” I will only strive to recount the sufferings Britain endured during the reign of the Roman emperors, as well as the harm she inflicted on distant nations. However, as far as possible, I will not rely on the writings and records of my own country—if any such existed, they have been destroyed by enemy fire or carried off with my exiled countrymen to foreign lands—but will instead rely on the accounts of foreign writers, which are fragmented and unclear in many places.

⁶ When the rulers of Rome had gained dominion over the world, subdued all neighboring nations and islands to the east, and established their renown with the first peace made with the Parthians, who border India, there was a universal cessation of war throughout the earth. Yet the fierce flame of their ambition could not be quenched or contained by the Western Ocean. Crossing the sea, they imposed submission upon our island without resistance and brought its unwarlike yet unfaithful people into full obedience—not so much by fire, sword, and warlike engines as with other nations, but through threats alone and the stern menace of judgment visible on their faces, while fear pierced the hearts of the people.

⁷ When the Romans later returned to Rome, reportedly due to a lack of pay and without suspecting an imminent rebellion, the treacherous lioness, Boadicea, executed the rulers left among them to more fully expose and challenge the authority of the Romans. When news of this reached the senate, they quickly assembled an army to exact vengeance on the cunning foxes, as they called them. However, there was no bold navy to defend the island at sea, no marshaled army on land, no battle formations, nor any other preparations for resistance. Instead, the Britons used their backs as shields against their conquerors and offered their necks to their swords. Cold terror gripped every limb as they stretched out their hands to be bound, like helpless women. Thus, it has become a widespread proverb that the Britons are neither brave in war nor trustworthy in peace.

⁸ The Romans, having slain many of the rebels and spared others to be sold as slaves to prevent the land from falling into complete desolation, departed from the island—poor as it was in wine and oil—and returned to Italy. They left behind taskmasters to scourge the shoulders of the natives, to place their necks under the yoke, and to reduce their soil to the servitude of a Roman province. These overseers were sent to discipline the cunning race, not with warlike weapons but with rods, and, if needed, to gird the naked sword at their sides. Thus, the island was no longer thought to be Britain but a Roman possession, with all its currency—whether copper, gold, or silver—bearing Caesar’s image.

⁹ Meanwhile, these islands, rigid with cold and frost and situated in a distant part of the world, far from the visible sun, received the rays of true light—that is, the holy teachings of Christ, the true Sun—who reveals His splendor to the whole world. This light shines not only from the temporal firmament but from the heights of heaven, surpassing all that is temporal. This occurred, as we know, during the latter part of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, under whom Christ’s religion was spread without hindrance, with death decreed for those who sought to oppose its followers.

¹⁰ These rays of light were received with lukewarm hearts by the inhabitants, yet they nevertheless took root among some to varying degrees until the nine years of persecution under the tyrant Diocletian. During that time, the churches throughout the entire world were destroyed, all the copies of the Holy Scriptures that could be found were burned in the streets, and the chosen pastors of God’s flock were slaughtered along with their innocent sheep, in an attempt to erase every trace of Christ’s religion in some provinces. What shameful flights took place, what punishments by various forms of death and slaughter, what dreadful apostasies from the faith—and on the other hand, what glorious crowns of martyrdom were won, what raging fury was unleashed by the persecutors, and what steadfast patience was shown by the suffering saints—are all recorded in ecclesiastical history. The whole Church, as though moving in unison, seemed eager to abandon the darkness of this world and hasten toward the blessed dwellings of heaven, as if returning to their true home.

¹¹ God, who desires all people to be saved and calls sinners as well as those who consider themselves righteous, showed His great mercy toward us. During the aforementioned persecution, so that Britain might not be entirely engulfed in the dark shadows of night, He, by His free grace, raised up among us shining lights of holy martyrs. Their burial sites and places of martyrdom, if they had not been disturbed and destroyed by the barbarians due to our many sins, would still ignite a great flame of divine love in the hearts of those who saw them. Among these were St. Alban of Verulam, Aaron and Julius, citizens of Carlisle, and others, both men and women, who in various places stood firm in the struggle for the Christian faith.

¹² The first of these martyrs, St. Alban, out of love and compassion, saved another confessor who was being pursued by persecutors and about to be captured. He hid the man in his house and then exchanged clothes with him, offering himself in the other’s place. In this, he imitated Christ, who laid down His life for His sheep, exposing himself to danger in the confessor’s place. So pleasing to God was this act that, between his confession and martyrdom, St. Alban was honored with the performance of extraordinary miracles in the presence of the blasphemous persecutors who carried the Roman standards. Just as the Israelites of old crossed the Jordan on dry ground while the ark of the covenant rested on the sands, so too the martyr, along with a thousand others, opened a path through the noble river Thames, whose waters stood upright like walls on either side. Witnessing this miracle, the first of his executioners was struck with awe and underwent a transformation, from a wolf to a lamb, desiring martyrdom himself. He boldly embraced the very death he had sought to inflict.

¹³ The other holy martyrs endured various tortures, their limbs racked in unimaginable ways, yet they swiftly erected the trophies of their glorious martyrdom, even within the gates of the city of Jerusalem. Those who survived fled into woods, deserts, and hidden caves, waiting for God—the righteous Judge of all—to bring judgment upon their persecutors and grant them the preservation of their lives.

¹⁴ In less than ten years from the onset of the aforementioned persecution, as the bloody decrees began to falter with the death of their authors, all of Christ’s young disciples, after such a long and wintry night, began to behold the warm light of heaven. They rebuilt the churches that had been demolished, founded and completed churches dedicated to the holy martyrs, and displayed their banners everywhere as symbols of victory. Festivals were celebrated, sacraments were received with pure hearts and lips, and all the children of the Church rejoiced as if cradled in the nurturing arms of a mother.

¹⁵ This sacred unity between Christ, the head, and the members of His Church endured until the treachery of Arianism—a serpent-like menace—spread its venom from beyond the sea, bringing deadly discord among brothers living in the same household. As though a path had been made across the sea, heretical wild beasts of every kind spewed forth their poison, inflicting grievous wounds upon a nation ever eager to hear something new but steadfast in nothing for long.

¹⁶ At length, new tyrannical rulers arose in great numbers. The island, still known by its Roman name but having rejected Roman institutions and laws, sent forth Maximus, a bitter offshoot of its own making, into Gaul. He went with a great number of followers and claimed the symbols of royalty, which he wielded without propriety or lawful authority, ruling instead with tyranny and amidst the disorder of rebellious soldiers. By deceit and treachery rather than by courage, he subjugated nearby towns and provinces, turning them against the Roman state. He extended his dominion, one arm reaching into Spain and the other into Italy, and established his corrupt seat of power at Treves. He drove his rebellion so fiercely against the legitimate emperors that he expelled one from Rome and brought about the martyrdom of the other. Emboldened by these successes, he soon after lost his own cursed head outside the walls of Aquileia, having previously brought the death of nearly all the crowned heads of the world.

¹⁷ After this, Britain was left bereft of all her soldiers and armed forces, abandoned by her oppressive governors and the finest of her youth, who had departed with Maximus and never returned. Entirely unskilled in the art of war, she languished in distress for many years under the savage oppression of two foreign nations—the Scots from the northwest and the Picts from the north.

¹⁸ The Britons, unable to endure the relentless assaults, hostilities, and dreadful oppression of the Scots and Picts, sent ambassadors to Rome with letters imploring assistance. In sorrowful terms, they begged for an armed force to protect them and promised loyal submission to Rome’s authority, provided their enemies were expelled. A legion was promptly dispatched, forgiving the Britons’ earlier rebellion, and fully equipped with arms. Upon crossing the sea and landing, the legion immediately engaged in battle with their cruel foes, killing great numbers and driving the remainder beyond the borders. The humiliated Britons were thus delivered from the bloody servitude that had awaited them. Acting on the advice of their Roman defenders, they constructed a wall across the island, stretching from one sea to the other, intended to serve as both a deterrent to their enemies and a safeguard for their allies. However, the wall, being built of turf rather than stone, proved useless to the foolish people, who lacked leadership to guide them.

¹⁹ No sooner had the Roman legion returned home in joy and triumph than the former enemies, like ravenous wolves descending upon an unguarded fold, came rushing with insatiable greed. Propelled by both the strength of their oarsmen and the force of the wind, they breached the boundaries and unleashed slaughter on every side. Like reapers cutting down ripe grain, they mowed down, trampled underfoot, and overran the entire land.

²⁰ Once again, they sent ambassadors in supplication, their garments torn and their heads covered in ashes, pleading for aid from the Romans. Like frightened chicks seeking refuge beneath the wings of their parents, they begged that their devastated country might not be utterly destroyed, and that the Roman name, now little more than an echo in the ears of the people, might not become a byword of disgrace among distant nations. Moved by compassion as far as human nature allows at the accounts of such horrors, the Romans dispatched their forces with the swiftness of eagles in flight. Bands of cavalry advanced by land, and mariners by sea, their dreadful swords cutting into the shoulders of their enemies. They felled them like leaves falling in their appointed season.

²¹ As a mountain torrent, swelled by countless streams, bursts its banks with roaring fury, its foaming crests and surging waves rising to the heavens, dazzling the eyes with their swirling force and sweeping away every barrier, so too did these noble defenders drive the enemy bands back beyond the sea. If any escaped their wrath, it was only beyond those same seas where, year after year, they had carried the spoils of their plunder, unchecked and unchallenged.

²² The Romans, therefore, departed from the country, declaring that they could no longer endure the toil of such arduous expeditions, nor allow the Roman standards and their large, valiant army to be exhausted by continual warfare on land and sea against these unwarlike and marauding vagabonds. They urged the islanders to accustom themselves to the use of weapons and to defend their country with courage, protecting their homes, wives, children, and, above all, their liberty and lives. They admonished them not to allow themselves to be subdued by a nation no stronger than their own, provided they did not succumb to idleness and sloth. Instead, they were to arm their hands with shields, swords, and spears, ready for battle.

²³ As a final act, the Romans, considering it beneficial to the people they were about to leave, constructed a new wall with the assistance of the wretched natives. Unlike the previous turf barrier, this wall was built in proper form with public and private contributions. It stretched in a straight line from sea to sea and was situated near certain cities that, through fear of their enemies, had been established along that line. The Romans offered spirited counsel to the fearful inhabitants and left them models for the forging of arms. Furthermore, on the southern coast, where their ships lay anchored, and where there was concern about barbarian landings, they erected watchtowers at regular intervals, providing a clear view of the sea. Then, having made these preparations, they departed the island, never to return.

²⁴ No sooner had the Romans departed than the Picts and Scots, like worms emerging from their holes in the midday heat, swiftly returned in their canoes, having crossed beyond the Cichican valley (Irish sea?). Though differing in customs, they were united by the same insatiable thirst for blood, more eager to hide their villainous faces behind unkempt hair than to cover with proper clothing those parts of their bodies that required it. Learning of the Romans’ departure and their vow never to return, they grew bolder than ever, seizing all the land to the far north up to the wall.

²⁵ To counter them, a garrison was stationed on the heights, but it was a feeble and ineffectual force—unfit for battle and too timid even to flee. This useless and terror-stricken company spent their days and nights in futile slumber at their posts. Meanwhile, the enemies’ hooked weapons were put to dreadful use, dragging our hapless countrymen from the wall and hurling them to the ground. Yet this untimely death, grievous as it was, spared them from witnessing the suffering of their brothers and children.

²⁶ Why linger on the details? The people abandoned their cities, forsook the protection of the wall, and scattered in desperate flight, more frantic than before. The enemy, with even greater savagery, pursued them relentlessly, slaughtering them like sheep. The survivors’ homes became like lairs of wild beasts, as they turned their weapons upon one another. Driven by hunger, they stained their hands with the blood of their own kin for a meager morsel of sustenance. Thus, external calamities were worsened by internal strife, until the entire land was left devoid of provisions, except for what could be gathered through hunting.

²⁷ Once more, the wretched remnants of the Britons sent a plea to Aetius, a powerful Roman citizen, addressing him in these words: “To Aetius, now consul for the third time: the groans of the Britons.” Further in their message, they lamented: “The barbarians drive us to the sea; the sea throws us back on the barbarians: thus two modes of death await us, we are either slain or drowned.” The Romans, however, were unable to come to their aid. Meanwhile, the defeated people, wandering through the forests, began to suffer from a severe famine, which forced many to surrender themselves to their cruel oppressors simply to gain food. Others, however, concealed themselves in the mountains, caves, and woods, launching periodic attacks from their hiding places to continue the fight.

²⁸ It was during this time that, for the first time, they achieved victory over their enemies, who had lived among them for so many years. Their trust was not in human strength but in God, in accordance with the saying of Philo: “We must have divine assistance when that of man fails.” For a while, the boldness of the enemy was checked, but the wickedness of the Britons themselves remained unrestrained. Though the enemy departed, the people did not abandon their sins.

²⁹ For it has always been the way of our nation, as it remains even now, to be feeble in resisting foreign enemies but bold and unyielding in stirring up civil wars and bearing the consequences of their own sins. They are weak, as I say, in upholding the banners of peace and truth, but bold in wickedness and deceit. Thus, the audacious invaders withdrew to their winter quarters, resolved to return soon to plunder once more. It was at this time that the Picts, for the first time, settled at the farthest reaches of the island, where they remained thereafter, periodically plundering and ravaging the land.

³⁰ During these brief intervals of truce, the wounds of the afflicted people began to heal, but soon another affliction, even more venomous, arose. No sooner were the ravages of the enemy restrained than the island was overwhelmed with an extraordinary abundance of all things, greater than had ever been known before. With this abundance grew every kind of luxury and licentiousness, taking such deep root that one could truly say, “Such fornication is heard of among you as is not even named among the Gentiles”. Yet this vice was not alone, for every other sin to which human nature is prone also arose, particularly a hatred of truth and its defenders. This hatred, still present today, continues to destroy all that is good on the island. Instead, there was a love of falsehood and its fabricators, the elevation of crime over virtue, respect shown to wickedness rather than goodness, the preference for darkness over the light of the sun, and the acceptance of Satan as if he were an angel of light.

³¹ Kings were anointed, not according to God’s ordinance, but those who proved to be more cruel than others; and shortly after, they were put to death by the same people who had elected them, with no regard for their merits, only because others, even more cruel, were chosen to replace them. If any one of these kings happened to be of a gentler nature than the rest, or in any way more attentive to truth, he was seen as a destroyer of the nation. Everyone turned against him, and they made no distinction between what was pleasing or displeasing to God, unless what displeased Him aligned with their own desires. Thus, the words of the prophet addressed to the people of old could be fittingly applied to our countrymen: “Children without a law, you have abandoned God and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger. Why will you continue to rebel, adding iniquity? Every head is sick, and every heart is faint. From the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, there is no soundness in it”. And so, they acted against their own salvation, as though no remedy could be brought to the world by the true Physician of all. Not only did the laity behave in this way, but even the Lord’s own flock and their shepherds, who should have been examples to the people, wasted their time in drunkenness, as though they had been immersed in wine. The swelling of pride, the clamor of strife, the clutching claws of envy, and the distorted perception of right and wrong so thoroughly dominated them that contempt seemed to be poured out upon princes. Through their vanities, they were led astray and ceased to walk in the right way, and this condition continues even now.

³² Meanwhile, God, desiring to purify His people, who were burdened with such a deep stain of suffering, and to bring them to repentance upon hearing of their misfortunes, allowed a vague rumor to swiftly reach the ears of all. It was said that their long-standing enemies were rapidly advancing to destroy the entire land and take possession of it from one end to the other, as they had done in the past. Yet, this knowledge brought no benefit to them. Like frenzied beasts, they cast aside the restraint of reason and abandoned the safe and narrow path, rushing headlong down the broad road of vice that leads to destruction. As Solomon says, “A stubborn servant is not corrected by words; though he understands, he will not respond”, and, “The fool is scourged and does not feel it”. A moral pestilence afflicted the foolish people, cutting down so many without the sword that the survivors could not bury the dead. Even this did not serve as a warning to them, fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The Lord has called His people to weeping, to mourning, to baldness, and to wearing sackcloth; but instead, there is joy and gladness, killing cattle, slaughtering sheep, eating meat, drinking wine: ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’”. The time was drawing near when all their sins, like those of the Amorites before them, would reach their fullness. A council was convened to determine the best course of action to repel the frequent and devastating raids and plundering by these nations.

³³ Then all the councillors, along with the proud tyrant Gurthrigern (Vortigern), the British king, were so blinded that, as a supposed safeguard for their country, they sealed its ruin by inviting among them, like wolves into a sheepfold, the fierce and impious Saxons—a race hateful to both God and men—to repel the invasions of the northern nations. Nothing was ever more destructive to our land, nothing more calamitous. What profound darkness must have clouded their minds—a darkness desperate and cruel! The very people whom they feared more than death when absent were invited to dwell, so to speak, under the same roof. Foolish indeed are the princes of Tanis, as it is said, giving counsel to an unwise Pharaoh! A multitude of whelps emerged from the lair of this barbarous lioness, arriving in three cyuls (as they call them), meaning three warships, their sails driven by the wind and with omens and prophecies in their favor. For a certain soothsayer among them foretold that they would occupy the land to which they sailed for three hundred years, and for half that time—one hundred and fifty years—they would plunder and despoil it.

³⁴ They first landed on the eastern side of the island at the invitation of the ill-fated king, fixing their sharp talons there, ostensibly to defend the island but, alas, more truthfully to attack it. Their homeland, seeing her first brood’s success, sent a larger contingent of her wolfish offspring, who sailed across and joined their comrades, born of deceit. From that moment, the seed of iniquity and the root of strife planted their poison among us, as we deserved, and grew into leaves and branches.

³⁵ The barbarians, introduced as soldiers to defend the island and face supposed dangers on behalf of their hosts, were granted provisions. For a time, these were generously supplied, silencing their dog-like appetites. Yet they complained that their monthly rations were insufficient, and they eagerly seized every opportunity to provoke discord, declaring that unless greater generosity was shown, they would break the treaty and plunder the entire island. Before long, they made good on their threats with action.

³⁶ The fire of vengeance, justly kindled by former sins, spread from sea to sea, fed by the hands of our enemies in the east, and did not cease until, destroying the surrounding towns and lands, it reached the western side of the island, dipping its red and savage tongue into the ocean. In these assaults, which were not unlike the Assyrian invasion of Judea, the words of the prophet were fulfilled in our case with lamentation: “They have burned with fire your sanctuary; they have defiled the dwelling place of your name to the ground”. And again: “O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple”.

³⁷ All the columns were levelled to the ground by the repeated blows of battering rams, the farmers scattered along with their bishops, priests, and people, while swords flashed and flames crackled on every side. Lamentable to witness, the streets were strewn with the ruins of lofty towers fallen to the ground, stones from high walls, shattered holy altars, and fragments of human bodies, covered with dark clots of congealed blood, as if they had been crushed in a press. The dead had no hope of burial except beneath the rubble of houses or in the ravenous stomachs of wild beasts and birds—may it be said with reverence for their blessed souls, if indeed many were found who, at that time, were carried by holy angels into the heights of heaven. So completely had the once-thriving vineyard turned bitter that, as the prophet said, scarcely a grape or an ear of corn could be seen where the farmer had turned his back.

³⁸ Some of the wretched survivors, captured in the mountains, were slaughtered in great numbers; others, driven by famine, surrendered themselves as slaves to their enemies, risking immediate death, which was in truth the greatest mercy they could hope for. Others crossed the seas, lamenting loudly instead of offering words of encouragement: “You have made us like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations”. Still others, placing their lives—constantly in peril—in the care of the mountains, cliffs, dense forests, and rocky shores, remained in their homeland, though with trembling hearts.

³⁹ In the meantime, when an opportunity arose as these cruel plunderers returned home, the poor remnants of our nation (to whom our despairing countrymen gathered from various places like bees to a hive, fearing an impending storm) were strengthened by God. Calling upon Him with all their hearts, as the poet says, “With their countless vows they burden heaven,” so that they might not be utterly destroyed, they took up arms under the leadership of Ambrosius Aurelianus. He was a humble man and, of all the Roman lineage, the only one left alive during the chaos of that troubled time. His parents, who had been of noble merit and honored with the purple, had been slain in the same strife. Now, his descendants in our day, though shamefully degenerated from the virtues of their ancestors, rallied to provoke their cruel conquerors to battle. By the Lord’s goodness, they achieved victory.

⁴⁰ After this, the battles alternated between victories for our countrymen and for the enemy, so that the Lord, as was His custom, might test His Israelites in this land to see whether they loved Him or not. This continued until the siege of Bath-hill, which marked the final, or nearly the final, slaughter of our cruel foes. This occurred, as I am certain, forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and it was also the time of my birth. Yet, to this day, the cities of our land are not inhabited as they once were; instead, they remain forsaken, overthrown, and desolate. Though our foreign wars have ceased, civil discord still persists.

⁴¹ The memory of the terrible desolation of the island, as well as its unexpected recovery, lingered in the minds of those who witnessed both the calamities and the miracles. During that time, kings, magistrates, private citizens, priests, and clergy alike lived in an orderly manner according to their respective callings. But when these individuals departed from this life, and a new generation arose, ignorant of the past troubles and accustomed only to present prosperity, the laws of truth and justice were so undermined and overturned that scarcely a trace of them remained among the aforementioned groups, save for a very few. These few, when compared to the great multitude daily rushing headlong into damnation, are so few that our venerable mother, the Church, can scarcely see them—her only true children—resting in her embrace.

⁴² Their virtuous lives serve as an example to all and are beloved by God. Indeed, their holy prayers, like steadfast pillars and vital supports, sustain our weakness, preventing it from collapsing entirely. Let no one think I intend to reproach these few, for it is with anguish that I have freely, and not so much reproved as lamented, the wickedness of those who have become slaves not only to their appetites but also to the devil, rather than to Christ, our blessed God, who lives and reigns world without end.

⁴³ For why should their countrymen hide what the surrounding foreign nations not only know but also continually hurl at them as reproach?

Chapter 3 #

¹ Britain has kings, but they are tyrants; she has judges, but they are unrighteous, often engaged in plunder and rapine, yet always preying on the innocent. Whenever they take action to avenge or protect, it is invariably in favor of robbers and criminals. Though they have an abundance of wives, they are addicted to fornication and adultery. They are quick to swear oaths but just as quick to perjure themselves; they make vows only to break them almost immediately. They wage wars, but these wars are unjust and waged against their own countrymen.

² They rigorously pursue thieves throughout the land, yet those who share their tables are robbers whom they not only protect but reward. They give alms generously, yet these acts of charity are overshadowed by a great heap of crimes they have committed. They sit in the seat of justice, yet rarely seek the path of true judgment. They despise the innocent and the humble but seize every opportunity to elevate the bloodthirsty, the proud, the murderers, the conspirators, and the adulterers—enemies of God who ought to be utterly destroyed and their names blotted out forever.

³ They have many prisoners in their jails, shackled in chains, but this is done out of treachery, not in just punishment for crimes. When they stand before the altar, swearing by the name of God, they leave and think no more of the sacred altar than if it were a mere pile of filthy stones. Constantine, the tyrannical offspring of the unclean lioness of Damnonia, is not unaware of this horrid abomination.

⁴ In that same year, after taking a dreadful oath—whereby he bound himself first before God with a solemn protestation, and then called upon all the saints and the Mother of God to witness that he would not contrive any deceit against his countrymen—Constantine nevertheless, disguised in the habit of a holy abbot and standing amidst the sacred altars, committed a heinous crime. With sword and javelin, as though with ravenous teeth, he wounded and tore apart two royal youths and their two attendants, even as they stood within the bosom of their temporal mother and the Church, their spiritual mother. These youths, though unarmed, boldly lifted their hands towards God and His altar, their arms—symbols of their faith and patience—destined to hang as venerable ensigns at the gates of Christ’s city. The cloaks, stained with their coagulated blood, touched the very place of the heavenly sacrifice.

⁵ Before this cruel deed, Constantine had no act of merit to his name. For years, he defiled himself with the abomination of many adulteries, having unlawfully put away his wife in direct disobedience to Christ, the Teacher of the world, who said, “What God has joined together, let no man separate” and again, “Husbands, love your wives”. He had planted in the soil of his heart a barren ground for any good seed; a bitter shoot of disbelief and folly, taken from the vine of Sodom. This wicked grafting, watered by his vulgar and domestic impieties as though by poisonous rains, grew audaciously, offending God and producing the fruit of horrendous murder and sacrilege. Not yet freed from the snares of his former sins, Constantine added new wickedness to the weight of his past iniquities.

⁶ Come now, I rebuke you to your face, for I know you are still alive in this world. Why do you stand astonished, O butcher of your own soul? Why do you willfully ignite against yourself the eternal fires of hell? Why do you, instead of striking your enemies, desperately wound yourself with your own sword and javelin? Are the bitter cups of your sins still not enough to satisfy your appetite? Look back, I implore you, and come to Christ, for you labor and are weighed down to the earth by this enormous burden, and He Himself has said that He will give you rest.

⁷ Come to Him, who desires not the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and live. Unloose, as the prophet says, the bonds from your neck, O daughter of Zion. Return, I beg you, even from the farthest regions of sin, to the Most Holy Father, who rejoices to receive back His son when he despises the swine’s filthy food, fears the death of cruel famine, and comes back to Him. For such a son, He has joyfully prepared the fatted calf, brought out the first robe and the royal ring, and welcomed him with open arms.

⁸ Taste, then, the sweetness of heavenly hope, and you will see how good the Lord is. But if you scorn these mercies, be assured that you will soon be cast into the inevitable and dark floods of endless fire, to be tossed and tormented for all eternity.

⁹ What do you do also, you “lion’s cub” (as the prophet says), Aurelius Conanus? Are you not, like those before you (if not far worse), headed for utter destruction, consumed by the filth of horrible murders, fornications, and adulteries, as if overwhelmed by a flood of the sea? Have you not, by hating the peace of your country like a deadly serpent and unjustly thirsting for civil wars and frequent plunder, shut the gates of heavenly peace and rest against your own soul? Now left alone, like a withering tree in the middle of a field, remember, I beseech you, the vain and idle imaginations of your parents and siblings, along with the untimely deaths that came upon them in the prime of their youth. And do you think, for your so-called religious merits, that you will be spared from all your family to live a hundred years, or to attain the age of Methuselah? No, certainly not, but unless (as the psalmist says) you are swiftly converted to the Lord, that King will soon wield His sword against you, who has said through His prophet, “I will kill, and I will make alive; I will wound, and I will heal; and there is no one who can deliver out of my hand”. Therefore, be shaken out of your filthy dust, and with all your heart turn back to Him who created you, so that “when His wrath quickly burns out, you may be blessed by putting your hope in Him”. But if you do otherwise, eternal punishments will be stored up for you, where you will be forever tormented and never consumed in the cruel jaws of hell.

¹⁰ You also, who are like the spotted leopard, diverse in your ways and in your wickedness, whose hair is now turning gray, who sit on a throne full of deceit and are stained with murder and adulteries from bottom to top, you wicked son of a good king, like Manasseh sprung from Hezekiah—Vortipore, you foolish tyrant of the Demetians—why are you so unyielding? Do the violent depths of sin (which you swallow up like pleasant wine, or rather, which swallow you up) not yet suffice for you, especially as the end of your life draws near each day? Why do you burden your wretched soul so grievously with the sin of lust, fouler than any other, by putting away your wife, and after her honorable death, engaging in the base practices of your shameless daughter? Do not, I beg you, waste what remains of your life offending God, for there is still an acceptable time and a day of salvation shining on the faces of the penitent, when you may ensure that your flight is not in winter or on the Sabbath day. “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”, for the eyes of the Lord will be upon you when you act righteously, and His ears will be open to your prayers. He will not destroy your memory from the land of the living; you will cry, and He will hear you, delivering you from your tribulations. For Christ never despises a heart that is contrite and humbled in fear of Him. Otherwise, the worm of your torment will not die, and the fire of your burning will never be quenched.

¹¹ And you too, Cuneglasse, why have you fallen again into the filth of your former wickedness, even from the earliest days of your youth? You bear, you rider and ruler of many, and guide of the chariot that is the receptacle of the bear, you despiser of God and scorner of His order, you tawny butcher, as your name signifies in the Latin tongue. Why do you wage such great war, both against men and against God Himself—against men, your own countrymen, with deadly weapons, and against God with your countless sins? Why, in addition to your innumerable transgressions, have you cast out your wife, and in the lust—or rather, the madness—of your mind, acted contrary to the Apostle’s prohibition that no adulterers can inherit the kingdom of heaven, by taking as your consort her detestable sister, who had vowed to God eternal chastity, as though she were a gift of the heavenly nymphs? Why do you provoke the lamentations and sighs of saints, whom you afflict in body through your injustices, which, like a fierce lioness, will one day break your bones? Cease, I beg you (as the prophet says), from wrath, and abandon your deadly rage, which you direct against heaven and earth, against God and His flock, and which will ultimately be your own torment. Instead, with a changed heart, seek the prayers of those who possess the authority to bind and loose in this world—binding the guilty and loosing the penitent. Do not, as the Apostle says, be proud in your own wisdom, nor place your hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who gives abundantly. By amending your ways, lay up for yourself a good foundation for the future, and seek to enter into that true and eternal state of existence, which is not fleeting but everlasting. Otherwise, you will know and see, even in this life, how evil and bitter it is to forsake the Lord your God and to have no fear of Him before your eyes. And in the life to come, you will be consumed by the foul flames of eternal fire, from which you will by no means ever escape or die. For the souls of the wicked are as eternal in unending fire as the souls of the righteous are in perpetual joy and gladness.

¹² And likewise, O dragon of the island, who has deprived many tyrants of their kingdoms as well as their lives, and though last mentioned in my writing, yet first in wickedness, exceeding many in power and even more in malice, more generous than others in giving but more unrestrained in sinning, strong in arms but stronger in bringing destruction upon your own soul—Maglocune, why are you, as if intoxicated with the wine of Sodom’s vine, foolishly wallowing in the black pool of your offences? Why do you willfully heap upon your kingly shoulders such a mountainous burden of sins? Why do you present yourself to the King of kings, who has made you, both in kingdom and in bodily stature, higher than almost all the other rulers of Britain, not better than the rest in virtues, but instead far worse for your sins? Listen, then, for a moment, and patiently hear the enumeration of your deeds. I will not touch on any private or lesser offences (if indeed any of them can be called lesser) but only on the open ones, well known to all.

¹³ Did you not, in the very beginning of your youth, cruelly oppress with sword, spear, and fire your uncle the king, along with his valiant bands of soldiers, whose faces in battle were as fearless as those of young lions? Did you not disregard the words of the prophet, who says, “Bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days”? And even if the subsequent sins you have committed had not followed, what punishment could you justly expect for this crime alone from the righteous Judge, who has declared through His prophet, “Woe to you who plunder; will you not be plundered? Woe to you who kill; will you not be killed? When you cease plundering, you will be plundered, and when you finish destroying, you will be destroyed”.

¹⁴ But when the vision of your violent rule had succeeded according to your desires, and you were urged by a longing to return to the right path, night and day the guilt of your crimes tormented you. You meditated on the Lord’s rituals and the discipline of the monks, then declared to the world and vowed before God to become a monk, professing no intention of turning back, as you claimed, after breaking free from the snares that trap such great beasts as yourself—whether those snares were the love of power, gold, silver, or, stronger still, the fantasies of your own heart. Did you not, like a dove cleaving the yielding air with its wings and escaping the furious hawk through swift turns, safely find your way back to the cells where the saints dwell, as to a sure refuge?

¹⁵ Oh, how great a joy this should have been to our mother church, if the enemy of all mankind had not lamentably snatched you, as though from her very bosom! Oh, what a great flame of heavenly hope would have been kindled in the hearts of desperate sinners had you remained in your blessed state! Oh, what immense rewards in the kingdom of Christ would have been stored up for your soul on the day of judgment, if that cunning wolf had not seized you, who had become a lamb (and not entirely against your will), and made you, once again, a wolf like himself! Oh, how great a joy your perseverance in salvation would have been to God, the Father of all saints, had not the devil, the father of all the condemned, carried you away as if by monstrous wings and claws, unjustly and unreasonably, into the wretched company of his children!

¹⁶ In short, your conversion to righteousness brought as much joy to heaven and earth as your detestable return to sin, like a dog returning to its vomit, now brings grief and lamentation. By turning away, the members which should have been employed as instruments of righteousness for the Lord are now used as instruments of wickedness for sin and the devil. Now you no longer hear the praises of God sweetly sung by the harmonious voices of Christ’s soldiers, nor the melodies of ecclesiastical instruments, but instead you listen to your own worthless praises proclaimed in the frenzied manner of Bacchus’s riotous followers, with lies and malice spewing from the mouths of your wicked companions to the utter ruin of your neighbors. The vessel that had been prepared for the service of God is now turned into a vessel of filth, and what was once deemed worthy of heavenly honor is now cast, as it deserves, into the bottomless pit of hell.

¹⁷ Yet neither is your lustful mind, overcome by the excess of your follies, restrained in its course of committing so many sins. Instead, like a young colt desiring every pleasant pasture, it runs headlong with unbridled fury through the fields of crime, continually multiplying its transgressions. The marriage of your first wife (although, after your broken vow of religious life, she was not lawfully yours, but only by the time she was with you) was now cast aside by you. Another woman, the wife of a man still living—none other than your own brother’s son—became the object of your affections.

¹⁸ Because of this, your stiff neck, already laden with sins, is now further burdened by two monstrous murders: one, the murder of your aforementioned nephew; the other, the murder of her who was once your wedded wife. Thus, you have sunk lower and lower, from bad to worse, into the depths of sacrilege. Afterward, you publicly married the widow whose deceit and persuasion led you into this grievous load of offences. You took her as your lawful wife, as your flattering companions falsely proclaimed, but as we say, most wickedly, to be yours in marriage.

¹⁹ What holy man, upon hearing this account, would not be moved to tears and lamentations? What priest, whose heart is open to God, would not cry out in anguish with the words of the prophet: “Who will give water to my head, and to my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I may weep day and night for the slain of my people?”. For little, alas, have you heeded with your ears the prophet’s rebuke: “Woe to you, wicked men, who have forsaken the law of the Most High God! If you are born, it will be for a curse, and if you die, it will be for a curse. All things that are from the earth will return to the earth, and so the wicked will pass from a curse to perdition”.

²⁰ Unless you return to the Lord, listening to this admonition: “My child, you have sinned; do so no more, but pray for forgiveness for your past sins”, and again, “Do not delay in turning to the Lord, nor postpone it day after day; for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come upon you, and in the time of vengeance you will be destroyed”. For, as the Scripture declares, “When a king listens to unjust words, all his officials become wicked”. But a just king, according to the prophet, “makes his nation strong”.

²¹ But warnings are not lacking for you, since you have had as your instructor the most eloquent teacher in almost all of Britain. Take notice, therefore, lest what Solomon observes should befall you: “As one who awakens a man from a deep sleep, so is he who declares wisdom to a fool; in the end, he will say, ‘What is this you have spoken?’”. “Wash your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved”.

²² Do not despise, I beg you, the boundless mercy of God, who calls the wicked away from their sins through his prophet, saying: “At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it”. To the sinner, He vehemently exhorts repentance: “But if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it”.

²³ And again, He says, “Oh, that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children forever!”. And further, in the Song of Moses: “They are a nation void of sense; there is no understanding in them. If only they were wise and would understand this, and discern what their end will be! How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight?”.

²⁴ And again, our Lord in the Gospel says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls”. But if you turn a deaf ear to these admonitions, disregard the prophets, despise Christ, and take no account of us—humble though we are—so long as we, with sincere piety and purity of mind, remember the words of the prophet, “They are dumb dogs, unable to bark”, we will not fail in our duty.

²⁵ Although I may lack the fortitude in the spirit and virtue of the Lord to declare openly “to the house of Jacob their sins, and to the house of Israel their offenses”, I will still recall the wisdom of Solomon: “He who says to the wicked, ‘You are righteous,’ will be accursed among the people and odious to nations; but those who rebuke them will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them”.

²⁶ Again, Solomon warns, “Do not show partiality to a neighbor in their downfall, nor withhold your speech in a time of salvation”. Furthermore, we must not neglect this command: “Deliver those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter”. For, as the same prophet teaches, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death”.

²⁷ And as the Apostle Peter has said, “If the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”. If, as I have said, you scorn us who obey these sacred texts, then without doubt the dark flood of hell will eternally drown you in that deadly whirlpool, and those terrifying streams of fire will ever torment you without consuming you.

²⁸ Then, too late, the confession of your pains and sorrow for your sins will be of no use—too late and utterly unprofitable to one who, in this present and acceptable time, and in this day of salvation, delays repentance and defers conversion to a righteous way of life.

²⁹ And here, indeed, if not earlier, this sorrowful account of the miseries of our time should have come to an end, so that I would not need to continue speaking of the actions of men. But to avoid being accused of timidity or weariness, and so as not to neglect the warning of Isaiah: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter; who see but do not perceive, who hear but do not understand, whose hearts are overshadowed by a thick and black cloud of sin”, I will briefly outline the judgments pronounced against those aforementioned five lascivious horses—those reckless followers of Pharaoh—by whose willful actions his army was driven to destruction in the Red Sea. These judgments also apply to others, as revealed by the sacred scriptures, with whose holy testimonies this little work is fortified, like a roof shielding it from the envious rain that would otherwise pour down upon it.

³⁰ Let, therefore, the holy prophets of God—who are the mouthpiece of God and instruments of the Holy Spirit, forbidding evil and promoting goodness—answer for us, as they did in former times, against the stubborn and proud rulers of our age. In this way, these rulers cannot claim that we threaten them with fabricated terrors or accusations born from rash zeal. For no wise person doubts how much graver the sins of our time are compared to those of the early days when the apostle declared, “Anyone who violates the law and is convicted by the testimony of two or three witnesses is to be put to death. How much worse punishment do you think is deserved by the one who has trampled the Son of God underfoot?”.

³¹ And first, we see Samuel, appointed by God to establish a lawful kingdom, consecrated to God before his birth, and recognized by miraculous signs as a true prophet to all the people, from Dan to Beersheba. Through Samuel, the Holy Spirit speaks to all the rulers of the world, condemning Saul, the first king of the Hebrews, not for adultery or murder as might be common in our times, but for failing to fully carry out a command from the Lord. Samuel’s rebuke is recorded as follows: “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He gave you. If you had, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom will not endure”.

³² The sin Saul committed was not one of great scandal by human standards, but merely a partial failure to obey God’s command. As one writer says, “The issue is not the magnitude of the sin, but the transgression of the commandment.” When Saul tried to justify his actions, saying, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and followed the path He sent me on,” Samuel responded with a sharp rebuke: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king”.

³³ And later Samuel proclaimed, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, one better than you. The Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind”. It is worth noting here that disobedience to God is equated with the sin of idolatry. Therefore, let not the wicked among us—who may not openly sacrifice to the gods of the Gentiles—deceive themselves into thinking they are not idolaters. For they trample underfoot the precious pearls of Christ, treating them as swine would.

³⁴ But though this single example might be sufficient to correct the wicked, let us proceed to others, so that by the testimony of many witnesses, all the sins of Britain may be exposed. Consider what happened to David for numbering his people, when the prophet spoke to him, saying: “Thus says the Lord: ‘I offer you three choices; choose one of them for Me to carry out against you. will there be seven years of famine in your land, or will you flee for three months before your enemies while they pursue you, or will there be three days of plague in your land?’”.

³⁵ Placed in great distress by this decision, and choosing to fall into the hands of God, who is merciful, rather than into the hands of men, David endured the loss of seventy thousand of his people. And unless, with the love of an apostle, he had offered himself to die for his people to halt the plague, saying, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have acted unjustly. But these sheep—what have they done? Let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s family”, he would have paid for the pride of his heart with his own life.

³⁶ What does the scripture then say about his son Solomon? “Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow the Lord as his father David had done”. And the Lord said to him, “Because you have behaved this way and have not kept My covenant and decrees which I commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants”.

³⁷ Hear also what befell the two sacrilegious kings of Israel, Jeroboam and Baasha, who were much like the rulers of our own time. To them, the judgment of the Lord was delivered by the prophet in these words: “I raised you up as a prince over Israel, but you have provoked Me with your worthless idols. Behold, I will destroy Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Those of your line who die in the city, the dogs will eat, and those who die in the field, the birds of the air will feed upon”.

³⁸ Consider also what was pronounced upon the wicked king of Israel, Ahab—a fitting companion to the former kings—who, through collusion and the deceit of his wife, caused the innocent Naboth to be murdered for his vineyard. The prophet Elijah, the very mouthpiece of the Lord, spoke these words to him: “Have you not killed and also taken possession? And now, thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood”. This judgment was fulfilled exactly as it was foretold, as is well known and confirmed.

³⁹ But so that the lying spirit—which, as it did with Ahab, speaks vain things through the mouths of false prophets—does not deceive you, hear the warning of the prophet Micaiah: “Behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these your prophets, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you”.

⁴⁰ For even now, it is certain that there are teachers influenced by a contrary spirit, who preach and affirm what is pleasing, no matter how corrupt, rather than what is true. Their words are softer than oil, yet they are like sharp darts, proclaiming “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace for those who persist in their sins. As the prophet also says elsewhere, “There is no rejoicing for the wicked, says the Lord”.

⁴¹ Azariah, the son of Oded, spoke to Asa as he returned from defeating the army of one million Ethiopians, saying, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. And if Jehoshaphat, for merely assisting a wicked king, was rebuked by the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, with these words: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is upon you”, what then will become of those ensnared by their own sins? We are commanded to hate their sins—though not their souls—if we wish to serve in the Lord’s army, according to the Psalmist: “You who love the Lord, hate evil”.

⁴² What, moreover, was said to Jehoram, the son of the same Jehoshaphat, that most heinous murderer who, being himself illegitimate, killed his noble brothers to secure the throne? The prophet Elijah, the chariot and charioteer of Israel, delivered this judgment: “Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David. Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of Asa, king of Judah, but have instead followed the ways of the kings of Israel and committed adultery after the manner of the house of Ahab, and moreover have killed your brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat—men far better than yourself—behold, the Lord will strike you and your children with a great plague”. And a little later, it is said, “You will suffer a severe illness, a disease of your bowels, until your entrails come out, day by day, because of the disease”.

⁴³ Hear also what the prophet Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, declared to Joash, king of Judah, when he abandoned the Lord, just as you now do. The prophet spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you”.

⁴⁴ What will I say of Isaiah, the foremost of the prophets, who begins his prophecy—or rather his vision—with these words: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand”. A little further on, with warnings proportionate to such folly, he declares: “The daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a cucumber field, as a besieged city”.

⁴⁵ Specifically addressing and accusing the rulers, he says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah”. Here it is evident that unjust rulers are called the princes of Sodom. For the Lord, rejecting sacrifices and offerings from such persons, and seeing that we eagerly accept gifts that are displeasing to Him, which we do not use for the relief of the poor but to our own destruction, speaks thus: “Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me”.

⁴⁶ And again, He declares: “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen”. He explains why: “Your hands are full of blood”. Yet He shows how He may be reconciled, saying: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”.

⁴⁷ Taking on the role of a reconciler, He continues: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword”.

⁴⁸ Receive now the true and public witness, declaring without falsehood or flattery the reward for your deeds, whether good or evil—not like the deceitful and flattering words of parasites, who whisper poison into your ears. Isaiah declares this against unjust and greedy judges: “Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them. Therefore, the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: ‘Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries and take vengeance on My enemies’”. And again: “The destruction of transgressors and of sinners will be together, and those who forsake the Lord will be consumed”.

⁴⁹ Later he declares, “The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled, and human pride will be brought low”. And, “Woe to the wicked—it will go badly with him, for the reward of his hands will be given to him”.

⁵⁰ Further on, Isaiah condemns indulgence and negligence, saying: “Woe to those who rise early in the morning to pursue intoxicating drink, who continue until night, till wine inflames them! The harp and the strings, the tambourine and flute, and wine are in their feasts; but they do not regard the work of the Lord, nor consider the operation of His hands. Therefore My people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself and opened its mouth beyond measure; their glory and their multitude, their pomp, and he who is jubilant will descend into it”.

⁵¹ And again: “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe and take away justice from the righteous man! Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend like dust; because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still”.

⁵² Isaiah speaks vividly of the coming day of judgment and the terror that will grip sinners, saying: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands will be feeble, and every heart will melt. They will be terrified; pains and anguish will take hold of them. They will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces aflame. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land desolate and destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless”.

⁵³ And again: “Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. And it will be the same for the people as for the priest; the servant as for his master; the maid as for her mistress; the buyer as for the seller; the lender as for the borrower; the creditor as for the debtor. The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted people of the earth fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty”.

⁵⁴ And afterwards, “They will all lament who now rejoice in their hearts; the delight of the tambourines has ceased, the sound of joy will be silent, the sweetness of the harp will be stilled. They will not drink wine with songs; bitter will be the drink for those who consume it. The city of emptiness is devastated; every house is shut up, with no one entering. There will be cries in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has faded, the gladness of the land is gone. Desolation is all that remains in the city; the gates are battered into ruins, for these things will come to pass in the midst of the land and among the people”. And a little further, “They have strayed from the truth, wandering from the right path; they have gone astray with the company of sinners. Fear, a pit, and a snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it will come to pass that whoever flees at the sound of fear will fall into the pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven above will be opened, and the foundations of the earth will shake. The earth will be utterly broken, split apart with trembling, and will stagger like a drunken man. It will sway like a hut pitched for one night; its transgressions will weigh heavily upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again. On that day, the Lord will punish the armies of heaven above and the kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and, after many days, they will be punished. The moon will be disgraced, and the sun will be ashamed, for the Lord of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and He will be glorified in the presence of His elders”.

⁵⁵ And after a while, he gives a reason for why He threatens in this way, saying: “Behold, the hand of the Lord is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor is His ear dull, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wickedness. No one calls for justice; no one pleads truthfully. They trust in emptiness and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity”. And a little later, “Their works are worthless, and the act of iniquity is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; ruin and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their paths crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace. This is why justice is far from you, and righteousness does not reach you”. And a few lines further: “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away, for truth has stumbled in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth has become lost, and whoever turns from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased Him, for there was no justice”.

⁵⁶ And thus far, it may suffice, among many, to have recited a few passages from the prophet Isaiah. But now, listen attentively to him who was known before he was formed in the womb, sanctified before he came forth from the womb, and appointed as a prophet to the nations—I mean Jeremiah—and hear what he has declared concerning foolish people and cruel kings, as he begins his prophecy in a mild and gentle manner.

⁵⁷ “And the word of God was spoken to me, saying, ‘Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all you families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your ancestors find in me, that they went far from me, pursued vanity, and became vain? They did not say, Where is He who brought us up from the land of Egypt?’”. And a little later: “From long ago you broke my yoke, tore off my bonds, and said, ‘I will not serve.’ I planted you as a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? Even if you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, says the Lord”. And further: “Why do you contend with me in judgment? You have all forsaken me, says the Lord. In vain have I corrected your children; they have not accepted discipline. Hear the word of the Lord: Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of darkness? Why then does my people say, ‘We are free; we will come to you no more’? Does a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her sash? Yet my people have forgotten me for countless days”. And later: “For my people are foolish; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they do not know how to do good”.

⁵⁸ The prophet then speaks in his own person, saying, “O Lord, do not your eyes look for faithfulness? You have struck them, but they have not grieved; you have crushed them, but they have refused to accept correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return”. And also the Lord says: “Declare this to the house of Jacob and make it known in Judah, saying, ‘Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. Do you not fear me?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble in my presence? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual decree that it cannot pass. Though its waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot cross it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, “Let us fear the Lord our God”’”. And again: “For among my people are wicked men. They lie in wait like those who set traps; they set a snare to catch people. Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore, they have grown powerful and rich; they have grown fat and sleek. They excel in evil deeds; they do not plead the case of the orphan, so that they might prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. will I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord. ‘will I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?’”.

⁵⁹ But God forbid that such a thing should happen to you as what follows: “You will speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; you will call to them, but they will not answer you. And you will say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the voice of the Lord their God or accepted discipline. Truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips’”. And after a few words: “Does one who falls not rise again? Does one who turns away not return? Why then has this people in Jerusalem turned away with perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit and refuse to return. I have paid attention and listened, but no one speaks what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse charging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times, the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time of their migration; but my people do not know the judgment of the Lord”.

⁶⁰ And the prophet, struck with fear at such astonishing blindness and unspeakable drunkenness of the sacrilegious, and lamenting for those who did not lament for themselves (just as we now see with these unfortunate tyrants), begs the Lord that he may be granted an abundance of tears, speaking thus: “I am broken over the brokenness of the daughter of my people; I am utterly dismayed, horror has seized me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is the wound of the daughter of my people not healed? Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh, that I had a traveler’s lodging place in the wilderness, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood, and not truth, has grown strong in the land. They proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord”. And again: “Thus says the Lord: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and gone after the Baals, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food and give them poisonous water to drink”. And a little further (speaking in the person of God): “Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble”.

⁶¹ What, then, will our miserable governors do? Even those few who found the narrow way and abandoned the broad path were forbidden by God to offer prayers for those who persisted in their evils and so grievously provoked His wrath. On the other hand, when such people turned back to God with all their hearts—He, who does not will that any soul should perish but calls back the lost so that they might not be utterly destroyed—those same prophets were unable to call down divine vengeance. Jonah, though he earnestly desired the destruction of the Ninevites, could not obtain it. But let us set aside our own words and instead listen to what the prophetic trumpet declares, saying: “If you say in your heart, ‘Why have these evils come upon me?’ It is for the greatness of your iniquity. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to do evil”. And later: “Thus says the Lord to this people: They have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the Lord does not accept them. He will now remember their iniquity and punish their sins. And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them’”.

⁶² And again: “The Lord said to me, ‘Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!’”. And after a few words: “Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will grieve for you? Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? You have rejected me, declares the Lord; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you—I am weary of relenting”. And later: “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am devising disaster against you. Return, every one of you, from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds. But they say, ‘That is hopeless! We will follow our own plans, and every one of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’ Therefore thus says the Lord: Ask among the nations, who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing. Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams? But my people have forgotten me”.

⁶³ And somewhat after, offering them a choice, the Lord speaks: “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then there will enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house will become a desolation”. And again (speaking of a wicked king): “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off and give you into the hand of those who seek your life”.

⁶⁴ Moreover, Holy Abraham cries out, saying, “Woe to those who build a city with blood and prepare a town with iniquity, saying, ‘Are not these things from our almighty Lord?’ Many people have perished in fire, and many nations have been diminished.” Thus, lamenting, he begins his prophecy: “How long, O Lord, will I call, and You will not hear? will I cry out to You? Why have You given me labors and griefs, to behold misery and impiety?” On the other hand, “Judgment was set, and the judge has taken note of this; the law is torn to pieces, and judgment is not brought to its conclusion because the wicked, through power, trample the just underfoot. In this way, perverse judgment has gone forth.”

⁶⁵ And also note what blessed Hosea the prophet says of princes: “For they have transgressed My covenant and acted against My law, and they exclaim, ‘We have known You,’ though You are against Israel. They have persecuted good as if it were evil. They have reigned for themselves and not by Me; they have held a principality, yet they have not acknowledged Me.”

⁶⁶ And likewise hear the holy prophet Amos, who speaks in this way, threatening: “For three heinous offences of the sons of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away their punishment, because they have cast away the law of the Lord and have not kept His commandments, but their lies have caused them to err. I will send fire upon Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord: For three grievous sins of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away their punishment, because they have sold the just for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals. They trample on the dust of the earth on the heads of the poor, and they turn aside the way of the meek.” After a few words, it is said: “Seek the Lord, and you will live, lest the house of Joseph blaze like fire, and the flame devour it, with none to quench it. The house of Israel has hated him who reproves in the gate and has abhorred the one who speaks uprightly.”

⁶⁷ When Amos was forbidden to prophesy in Israel, he replied without flattery: “I was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees. The Lord took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’ Now, therefore, hear the word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Jacob.’ Therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife will become a harlot in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be measured and divided with a line, and you will die in a polluted land. As for Israel, it will surely go into captivity away from its land.’”

⁶⁸ Afterwards, it is said: “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and bring the poor of the land to ruin, saying, ‘When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may open the wheat market?’ The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: ‘Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. will not the earth tremble on account of this, and all who dwell in it mourn? will it not rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt? I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will bring sackcloth upon all loins and baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.’” And again: “All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, those who say, ‘Disaster will not overtake us or come near us.’”

⁶⁹ And likewise listen to what holy Micah the prophet has spoken, saying, “Hear, you tribes. What will adorn the city? Will it not be fire? And the house of the wicked, hoarding up unjust treasures, and unrighteousness gained by injury? will the wrongful dealer be justified in the balance, and deceitful weights in the scales, by which they have heaped up their riches in ungodliness?”

⁷⁰ And also hear the threats that the renowned prophet Zephaniah thunders forth, saying, “The great day of the Lord is near; it is at hand and approaches very swiftly. The voice of the day of the Lord is appointed to be bitter and mighty. That day is a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and necessity, a day of clouds and mist, a day of the trumpet and outcry, a day of devastation and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom upon the fortified cities and the high corners. I will bring men into tribulation, and they will walk as if they were blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. I will pour out their blood like dust and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath. In the fire of His jealousy, the whole earth will be consumed, for He will bring about a complete end and desolation for all the inhabitants of the earth. Gather yourselves together and unite, O nation without discipline, before you are made like the fading flower, before the Lord’s fierce wrath comes upon you.”

⁷¹ And also give ear to what the prophet Haggai says: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Once more I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will overthrow the thrones of kings and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the Gentiles, and I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them.’”

⁷² Now also behold what Zechariah, the son of Iddo, that chosen prophet, said, beginning his prophecy in this manner: “Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the Lord.”

⁷³ And afterwards, “The angel asked me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.’ This is the curse that goes out over the whole land; for every thief will be banished, and everyone who swears falsely will be cut off. I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain in his house and consume it, both its timber and its stones.”

⁷⁴ Holy Malachi the prophet also says, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and all evildoers will be as stubble. The day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, leaving them neither root nor branch.”

⁷⁵ And listen to what holy Job says about the beginning and the end of the ungodly: “For what purpose do the wicked live, grow old dishonestly, and see their offspring prosper according to their own desires? Their children stand before them, their houses flourish, and they experience no fear, nor is the scourge of the Lord upon them. Their cow does not miscarry, their livestock give birth without failure, and they have an enduring lineage. Their children rejoice, taking up the psaltery and harp, finishing their days in happiness, and peacefully descending into the grave”. Does God, therefore, not see the works of the wicked? Certainly not, for “the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished, destruction will fall upon them, and pains like those of childbirth will seize them in wrath. They will be as chaff before the wind, and as dust carried away by the whirlwind. Let all prosperity fail their children; let their eyes witness their own ruin, and let them not be redeemed by the Lord”. A little later, he says of these same men: “They have ravenously seized the flock with its shepherd, driven away the beast of the orphans, and taken the ox of the widow. They have turned aside from the path of necessity by deceit. They have harvested fields not their own before their time; the poor have labored in the vineyards of the mighty without wages or food. They have left many to sleep naked without garments, depriving them of the covering they needed for life”. After fully understanding their deeds, he delivered them over to darkness. “Let their portion be cursed from the earth; let their plantings yield nothing but witherings. Let them be repaid according to their deeds. Let every wicked man be broken like unsound wood. For, rising in His wrath, He has overthrown the powerless. Truly, they will have no trust in their lives. When disease overtakes them, let them not hope for health but fall into decline. Their pride has caused the downfall of many, and they have decayed and rotted like mallows in the scorching heat, or like ears of corn that fall off from the stubble”. Later, he adds: “If his children are many, they will be destined for slaughter. If he heaps up silver like dust and gathers gold like dirt, the righteous will inherit it all”.

⁷⁶ Also hear what blessed Esdras, that encyclopaedia of divine law, proclaims in warning: “Thus says the Lord God: My right hand will not spare sinners, nor will the sword be withdrawn from those who shed innocent blood on the earth. Fire will go forth from my wrath and consume the foundations of the earth, along with sinners, as if they were burning straw. Woe to those who sin and disregard my commandments, says the Lord; I will not tolerate them. Depart from me, you rebellious children, and do not defile my sanctuary. God knows those who sin against Him, and He will hand them over to death and destruction. For many evils have already swept across the entire earth. A fiery sword is sent against you, and who can turn it back? Can anyone drive away a hungry lion in the forest, or extinguish a fire when the straw is ablaze? The Lord God will send calamities, and who can stop them? Fire will go forth from His wrath, and who can quench it? It will blaze and flash, and who will not fear it? It will thunder, and who will not tremble? God will send forth His threats, and who will not be terrified? The earth trembles before His face, and the foundations of the sea shake to their depths”.

⁷⁷ And consider also what Ezekiel, the renowned prophet and remarkable seer of the four evangelical creatures, says about wicked offenders. Foretelling with compassion the punishment looming over Israel, our Lord declares: “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, for the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. Behold, I am against them; my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity”. Later, He continues: “The land is filled with people, and the city is full of violence. I will turn away their strength, and their sacred places will be defiled. When they cry out and seek peace, it will not be granted to them”.

⁷⁸ Further on, Ezekiel recounts: “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, if a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, I will stretch out my hand against it. I will break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, cutting off from it both man and beast. Even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, they would save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Lord God. If I send wild beasts through the land, and they ravage it, so that it becomes desolate and no one may pass through because of the beasts, even if these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would not deliver their sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be laid waste’”.

⁷⁹ And again, “The son will not bear the guilt of the father, nor will the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the transgressions he has committed will be remembered against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord God. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, doing the same detestable things the wicked man does, none of the righteous acts he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and the sins he has committed, he will die”.

⁸⁰ And shortly after, it is written: “Then all nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and I hid my face from them”.

⁸¹ This which I have spoken may suffice concerning the threats of the holy prophets. However, I have thought it necessary to include in this little work of mine not only these warnings but also a few words borrowed from the wisdom of Solomon, to provide kings with exhortation or instruction. This is so they may not accuse me of merely laying heavy and insupportable burdens of words upon the shoulders of men without, at least with my speech of consolation, attempting to lighten the same. Let us, therefore, listen to what the prophet has spoken to guide us: “Love righteousness, you who judge the earth”. This single testimony (if it were observed with a full and perfect heart) would abundantly suffice to reform the governors of our country. For if they had loved righteousness, they would also love God, who is, in a way, the source and origin of all righteousness. “Serve the Lord with a good heart, and seek him in simplicity of heart”. Alas! Who will live (as one before us has said) when such things are done by our countrymen, if indeed they might anywhere be achieved? “For he is found by those who do not put him to the test and manifests himself to those who trust him”.

⁸² For these men, with no reverence, tempt God, whose commandments they stubbornly and spitefully reject, nor do they remain faithful to Him. Whether His oracles are pleasing or somewhat severe, they turn their backs to Him and not their faces. “For perverse thoughts separate people from God”, and this is plainly evident in the tyrants of our time. But why should one as insignificant as I interpose in such a clear matter? Let Him who alone is true (as we have said) speak for us—I mean the Holy Spirit, of whom it is written: “The Holy Spirit will flee deceit and will withdraw from senseless thoughts”. And again: “The Spirit of the Lord has filled the world”.

⁸³ Later, showing plainly the fate of the wicked and the righteous, He declares: “The hope of the ungodly is like chaff carried by the wind, like smoke scattered by the breeze, like fine froth driven by a storm, or like the memory of a guest who stays but a single day. But the righteous live forever; their reward is with the Lord, and the Most High takes care of them. Therefore they will receive the glorious crown and the beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord, because with His right hand He will cover them and with His arm He will shield them”.

⁸⁴ For the righteous and the ungodly are vastly different in nature, as the Lord Himself has said: “Those who honor me, I will honor, and those who despise me will be lightly esteemed”.

⁸⁵ But let us move on to the rest: “Hear, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the ends of the earth. Listen, you who rule over multitudes and boast in the throngs of nations. Because authority was given to you by the Lord and sovereignty by the Most High, He will examine your works and probe your intentions. Since, though you were ministers of His kingdom, you have not judged rightly, nor kept the law, nor walked according to the will of God. Terribly and swiftly He will come upon you, because a severe judgment awaits those in high places. Mercy is granted to the lowly, but the mighty will be mightily tested. For the Lord of all will not show partiality, nor will He fear the greatness of anyone, for He Himself made both the small and the great and takes care of all alike. But a more severe punishment is ready for the powerful. Therefore, to you, O kings, are my words directed, so that you may learn wisdom and not fall away. For those who keep what is just will be justified, and those who learn what is holy will be sanctified”.

⁸⁶ So far, we have spoken not only through the oracles of the prophets but also through their words addressed to the kings of our land, desiring that they understand what the prophet has declared: “Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent; if you draw near to it, it will seize you. Its teeth are like the teeth of a lion, destroying the souls of men”. And again: “How great is the mercy of the Lord and His forgiveness to those who turn to Him”.

⁸⁷ Though we may not possess such apostolic zeal as to say, “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers”, yet we can, from the depths of our hearts, proclaim the prophetic lament: “Alas, that the soul should perish!”. And again: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven”. Likewise, we echo the apostolic plea: “We long for each of you to be in the tender mercies of Christ”.

⁸⁸ And how willingly, like one tossed on the waves of the sea and now safely arrived at a desired haven, would I bring this discourse to an end—shame forbidding me to proceed further—were it not that I see such great masses of evil deeds committed against God by bishops, other priests, or clerics, including some of our own order. I am compelled, as a witness, to first cast stones at them myself (according to the law) with the hard blows of words, unless I be reproved for showing partiality. Then, if the people still adhere to their decrees, they must follow with their full efforts—not to bring about their physical death, but the death of their vices, so they may attain eternal life with God.

⁸⁹ Yet, as I said before, I beg pardon of those whose lives I not only commend but also value above all earthly treasures, and of whom I earnestly hope, before my death, to become a partaker. By standing with the double shields of the saints on either side, strengthened invincibly to withstand all who rise against me, and with my head armed as with a helmet by the help of the Lord, I am confidently protected by the manifold support of the prophets. Thus fortified, I will boldly proceed, even though the stones of worldly rioters may fly at me with all their fury.

⁹⁰ Britain has priests, but they are unwise; many who minister, but many of them are shameless; clerics, but some among them are deceitful plunderers. There are pastors, so they are called, but in truth, they are wolves ready for the slaughter of souls, for they do not care for the welfare of the people but instead seek to satiate the gluttony of their own bellies. They occupy the houses of the church, but their aim is filthy gain; they instruct the laity, yet they set the most corrupt examples of vice and immoral behavior. They seldom offer sacrifices and rarely stand at the altar with pure hearts; they fail to correct the common people for their sins because they themselves commit the same offenses. They despise the commandments of Christ, devoting their whole hearts to fulfilling their own lustful desires. Some even presume to set their unclean feet upon the seat of the Apostle Peter, but for their greed, they descend instead into the pestilent chair of the traitor Judas. Detracting often and rarely speaking truthfully; hating the truth as if it were an open enemy, and favoring falsehoods as if they were their dearest brothers; regarding the just, the poor, and the helpless with stern and disdainful countenances, as though they were detestable serpents, yet honoring sinful rich men without a shred of shame, as though they were heavenly angels.

⁹¹ With their lips, they preach that alms should be given to the needy, but they themselves do not give even a halfpenny. They conceal the people’s grievous sins while magnifying injuries done to themselves, as though such offenses were committed against our Savior Christ. They cast out from their homes a religious mother, perhaps, or sisters, yet indecently and familiarly entertain strange women, ostensibly under the guise of some secret duty but, to speak plainly—though foolishly to them, yet truthfully to all others—debase themselves with such vile company. After all this, they seek ecclesiastical dignities with ambition rather than striving for the kingdom of heaven.

⁹² They defend their acquired positions with tyrannical force and make no effort, through lawful or upright means, to adorn and dignify their offices. Negligent and sluggish in listening to the teachings of the holy saints (if they ever heard even once what they ought to hear often), but eager and attentive to the plays and foolish tales of worldly men, as if these were the very paths to life, when in truth they are the roads to death; loud and boisterous, like bulls, because of their excess of fatness, and miserably inclined to all unlawful deeds; holding their heads high with arrogance, yet with their inner senses weighed down by tormenting and gnawing consciences, sinking to the depths or rather to the abyss; rejoicing at the gain of a single penny, and mourning over the loss of the same amount; sluggish and silent regarding the apostolic decrees (whether through ignorance or because of the burden of their sins), and silencing the mouths of the learned, yet highly skilled in the deceptive maneuvers of worldly affairs; and many of this kind, living in wickedness, forcing their way into the positions of the Church.

⁹³ Yes, rather purchasing the position at a high price than being legitimately called to it, and furthermore as unworthy wretches, wallowing, like swine, in their old and wretched mire of intolerable wickedness even after they have attained the seat of the priesthood or episcopal dignity (though they have neither been properly installed nor faithfully resident in the same); for merely usurping the name of priesthood, they have not received the orders or apostolic authority. But how can those who are not yet fully instructed in the faith, nor have done penance for their sins, be thought in any way fit or suitable to ascend to any ecclesiastical rank (let alone the highest), which none but holy and perfect men, followers of the apostles, and, in the words of the teacher of the Gentiles, persons “above reproach”, may lawfully undertake without committing the grievous sin of sacrilege?

⁹⁴ For what could be more wicked and sinful than, following the example of Simon Magus (even if they had not already been defiled by other faults), for anyone to purchase the office of a bishop or priest with earthly wealth—an office that ought to be obtained only through holiness and a righteous life? Yet they err even more willfully and recklessly in this, that they purchase their deceitful and unprofitable ecclesiastical positions not from the apostles or their successors, but from tyrannical rulers and from their father, the devil. Indeed, they raise this position as a sort of roof and covering over all their sins, as though protected under its shadow, so that no one might easily bring their old or new wickedness to account. Upon this foundation, they build their desires for greed and gluttony, thinking that, as rulers of many, they may more freely plunder as they please. For if any such offer of purchasing ecclesiastical promotion were made by these shameless sinners—not, I say, to St. Peter, but to any holy priest or godly king—they would undoubtedly receive the same response that Simon Magus received from the mouth of the apostle Peter: “May your money perish with you”.

⁹⁵ But, alas! perhaps those who appoint and promote these ambitious aspirants—yes, those who instead trample them underfoot and give them a curse instead of a blessing—make them not penitents (which would be far more reasonable) but sacrilegious and desperate offenders. In a sense, they place Judas, the traitor to his Master, in the chair of Peter, and Nicholas, the author of that vile heresy, in the seat of St. Stephen the martyr. Perhaps this is because they themselves obtained their own priesthood by the same means and therefore do not greatly object to, but rather approve of, the course taken by their spiritual children—a course they themselves once followed. Moreover, if they encounter resistance in obtaining their dioceses at home, and meet some who firmly reject this buying and selling of church offices, they do not abandon their quest. Instead, it seems they take pleasure, rather than feel shame, in carefully sending their agents ahead and crossing the seas to journey through vast regions, so that, in the end—even at the cost of selling all they possess—they might attain such pomp, such incomparable glory, or, to speak more truthfully, such a filthy and base deception and illusion.

⁹⁶ And afterwards, with great display and ostentation—or rather madness—returning to their own native land, they grow from arrogance to haughtiness, and, having once been content to level their gaze with the tops of the mountains, now lift their drowsy eyes to the skies, even to the highest clouds. Just as Novatus, that vile swine and persecutor of our Lord’s precious treasure, once did in Rome, so these intrude themselves once more into their own country as if they were creatures of a new creation, or rather as instruments of the devil. In this state and manner, they are prepared to stretch out their hands—not hands worthy of the holy altars, but rather of the avenging flames of hell—upon Christ’s most holy sacrifices.

⁹⁷ What, then, do you expect, O unhappy people, from such gluttonous beasts (as the apostle calls them)? Will your morals be improved by those who not only neglect to pursue goodness but, as the prophet reproaches, labor instead to commit wickedness? Will you gain enlightenment from such eyes as are fixed only with greed upon those things that lead headlong into vices—namely, to the gates of hell? Truly not. For unless, according to the words of our Saviour, you flee from these ravenous wolves, like those of Arabia, or avoid them as Lot fled swiftly from the fiery rain of Sodom to the mountains, then, being blind and led by the blind, you will both together fall into the pit of hell.

⁹⁸ But someone, perhaps, will object and say that not all bishops or priests (according to our earlier statements) are so wickedly inclined, for they are not stained with the infamy of schism, pride, or an unclean life. This we do not deny, nor would we dispute it. However, even though we acknowledge them to be chaste and virtuous, we will answer briefly.

⁹⁹ What did it profit the high priest Eli that he himself did not violate the commandments of the Lord by taking meat with forks out of the pots before the fat was offered to God, when he was punished with the same death as his sons? Tell me, of those whose conduct we have already sufficiently described, who has been martyred like Abel, out of malicious jealousy for offering a more acceptable sacrifice, one that ascended to the heavens with divine fire?. None, for they fear even the reproach of an ordinary word. Which of them “has hated the counsel of the wicked and not sat with the ungodly,” so that it could be said of him, as it was of Enoch, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him,” because he did not partake in the vanity of the world, which had forsaken the Lord and turned to idolatry? Which of them, like Noah during the flood, has ensured that no adversary of God enters the ark of salvation, which is the present Church, making it clear that only the innocent or those who have shown extraordinary repentance should remain in the house of the Lord?

¹⁰⁰ Who is there among them who, offering sacrifice like Melchizedek, has blessed only the conquerors—those who, with a company of three hundred (a figure of the Trinity), delivered the righteous man and defeated the deadly armies of the five kings along with their vanquishing forces—while not coveting the goods of others? Who among them, like Abraham, has freely offered his own son on the altar at God’s command, that he might fulfill the precept of Christ: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out”; and of the prophet: “Cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed”? Who among them, like Joseph, has rooted out of his heart all memory of an injury offered to him? Who among them, like Moses, speaking with the Lord on the mountain and undeterred by the sounding trumpets, has symbolically presented the two tablets of the law to an unbelieving people, and shown his shining, horned face, which they could not endure to look upon but trembled at the sight? Which of them, praying for the sins of the people, has cried out from the depths of his heart, as Moses did: “O Lord, this people has committed a grievous sin; but if you will forgive their sin, forgive it. Otherwise, blot me out of the book you have written”?

¹⁰¹ Which among them, burning with the remarkable zeal of God, has bravely risen to punish fornication, swiftly applying the remedy of penance to cleanse the impurity of lust, so that the fire of God’s wrath might not consume the people, just as Phineas the priest did, ensuring that justice was forever credited to him? Who among them has followed the example of Joshua, the son of Nun, in moral understanding, either by utterly eradicating the seven nations from the land of promise—even to the point of slaughtering the very last of them—or by establishing spiritual Israel in their stead? Who among them has shown to the people of God their ultimate boundaries beyond the Jordan so that each tribe might understand its inheritance, in the same manner as Phineas and Joshua wisely divided the land?

¹⁰² Who is he who, like another Jephthah, has sacrificed his own daughter as a votive and propitiatory offering to overthrow the countless thousands of Gentiles who were enemies of God’s chosen people? This daughter symbolizes his own will, as he imitates the apostle who said, “Not seeking my own benefit, but that of many, so that they may be saved”. This daughter, meeting the conquerors with drums and dances, represents the lustful desires of the flesh. Who among them, to disrupt, scatter, and overthrow the camps of the proud Gentiles, has taken up the example of Gideon, who with three hundred men (representing the mystery of the Blessed Trinity) carried noble trumpets in their hands—these trumpets signifying the prophetic and apostolic teachings, as the Lord said to the prophet, “Lift up your voice like a trumpet”, and as the psalmist wrote of the apostles, “Their sound has gone out into all the earth”? Who, bearing shining flagons in the night lit with fiery light, which symbolize the bodies of saints burning with the flame of the Holy Spirit and filled with good works, as the apostle writes, “We have this treasure in jars of clay”, has cut down the idolatrous grove, representing dark and impure desires, and marched forward with the faith of Gideon? This faith was demonstrated in the sign of the fleece, dry for the Jews and yet soaked with heavenly dew for the Gentiles, symbolizing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁰³ Who among them, desiring to die to this world and live for Christ, has, like another Samson, destroyed countless indulgent banqueters of the Gentiles while they praised their gods—meaning, while the senses of men glorified earthly riches, as the apostle declares: “And covetousness, which is idolatry”? Who has, with the strength of both arms, shaken the two pillars that represent the sinful pleasures of soul and body, on which the house of all worldly wickedness is built and supported? Who among them, like Samuel, has through prayers and the burnt offering of a suckling lamb driven away the terror of the Philistines, brought forth sudden thunderclaps and heavy rain, established a king without flattery, deposed him when he displeased God, and anointed another who was better in his stead? And who, when giving his final farewell to the people, will stand like Samuel, saying: “Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to blind my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right”? To whom it was answered by the people, “You have not wrongfully charged us, nor oppressed us, nor taken anything from the hand of anyone”.

¹⁰⁴ Who among them, like the renowned prophet Elijah, has consumed with heavenly fire the hundred proud men while preserving the fifty who humbled themselves, and afterward boldly announced without flattery or pretense the impending death of the unjust king who sought counsel not from God’s prophets but from the idol of Ekron? Who has completely destroyed all the prophets of Baal—representing the worldly senses, as we have already noted, ever inclined to envy and greed—with the sword of lightning, which is the word of God? And who, like Elijah, moved by the zeal of God, withheld rain from the land of the wicked, leaving them imprisoned in famine and poverty for three years and six months, and, while himself near death from thirst in the wilderness, lamented, saying: “They have killed your prophets, Lord, torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?

¹⁰⁵ Which of them, like Elisha, has punished his dearly beloved disciple—not with an everlasting leprosy, but at least by abandoning him if burdened too greatly with worldly greed for the very gifts that his master, though earnestly entreated, had refused to accept? Who among them, like Elisha, has revealed to a despairing servant, trembling at the sight of the enemy army besieging their city, the spiritual visions of a mountain filled with a heavenly host—warlike chariots and horsemen shining with fiery countenances—through the fervency of prayers to God, so that the servant might believe that their protector was mightier to save than their foe to harm? Who among them, like the same Elisha, through the touch of his body—dead to the world but alive to God—has raised up another, who was dead to God but alive to his vices, so that this person, once revived, might humbly thank Christ for delivering him from the hellish torments of mortal sin? Who has had his lips purified with fiery coals brought by the cherubim’s tongs from the altar, so that his sins may be wiped away by the humility of confession, as it is written of Isaiah? Who, through his effectual prayers and with the aid of the godly king Hezekiah, has witnessed a hundred eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army struck down by a single angel, without any visible wounds? Who among them, like the blessed Jeremiah, for fulfilling God’s commandments, declaring His warnings from heaven, and preaching the truth to those unwilling to hear, has suffered loathsome prisons and momentary deaths? And finally, who among them, as the teacher of the Gentiles said, has endured like the holy prophets—wandering in mountains, dens, and caves of the earth, being stoned, sawn in two, and assailed with all kinds of death for the name of our Lord?

¹⁰⁶ But why do we linger on examples from the Old Testament, as though none existed in the New? Let those who believe they can, without any effort, under the mere pretense of bearing the name of priesthood, enter the narrow and strait path of Christian religion, listen while I recount and gather a few of the most remarkable examples from the vast and flourishing field of the saintly soldiers of the New Testament. Which of you, who seem to sleep rather than rightfully sit in the chair of the priesthood, has, like the holy apostles, been cast out of the council of the wicked, and after enduring the stripes of many rods, given heartfelt thanks to the blessed Trinity for being counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of Christ’s true divinity? Who among you, for bearing undoubted testimony to God, has, like James the Just, the first bishop of the New Testament, suffered martyrdom by having his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club? Who among you, like James the brother of John, has been beheaded by an unjust prince? Who, like Stephen, the first deacon and martyr of the gospel, accused only of seeing God, whom the wicked could not behold, has been stoned to death by sacrilegious hands? Which of you, like the noble keeper of the keys to the heavenly kingdom, has been crucified with your feet upward, out of reverence for Christ, whom you sought to honor no less in death than in life, and so breathed your last? Who among you, for confessing the true word of Christ, has endured, like the chosen vessel and teacher of the Gentiles, imprisonment and shipwreck, terrible scourges, the constant perils of seas, thieves, Gentiles, Jews, and false apostles, the labors of hunger, fasting, sleeplessness, and the unceasing care for all the churches? Who, after enduring distress for the scandalized, weakness for the infirm, and tireless journeys across almost the entire world to preach the gospel of Christ, has at last surrendered his head to the descending sword?

¹⁰⁷ Which of you, like the holy martyr Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, after performing miraculous works in Christ, has been torn apart by the jaws of lions as he was in Rome, bearing testimony to Him? When you hear his words as he was led to his martyrdom—if ever your faces have blushed with shame—you will consider yourselves not only unworthy of being priests in comparison to him, but not even the least among Christians. For in the epistle he wrote to the church in Rome, he declares:

¹⁰⁸ “From Syria even unto Rome, I fight with beasts by land and sea, being bound and chained to ten leopards—I mean the soldiers assigned to guard me—who, though treated kindly, become more cruel. Yet I am better instructed by their wickedness, though I am not thereby justified. Oh, when will the beasts come, the workers of my salvation, which are prepared for me? When will they be released upon me? When will it be lawful for my body to meet them? I eagerly desire them to rage fiercely against me. Truly, I will incite them to devour me. Moreover, I will humbly pray that they do not fear to touch my body, as has happened with some others. If they hesitate, I will offer myself to them and force them upon me. Forgive me, I implore you; I know what is best for me. Only now do I begin to be a true disciple of Christ. Let all envy, whether of human affection or spiritual wickedness, cease, so that I may strive to attain Christ Jesus. Let fires, crosses, wild beasts, the breaking of bones, the tearing of limbs, the torment of the whole body, and all the tortures devised by the devil, fall upon me alone, so that I may merit to reach Christ Jesus.”

¹⁰⁹ Why do you behold these truths with the sleepy eyes of your souls? Why do you listen to them with the deaf ears of your senses? Shake off, I implore you, the dark and oppressive mist of slothfulness from your hearts, so that you may perceive the radiant light of truth and humility. A Christian—not an ordinary one, but a perfect disciple—a priest, not of low rank but among the highest—and a martyr, not ordinary but among the chiefest, declares: “Now I begin to be the disciple of Christ.” And yet you, like Lucifer, who was cast down from heaven, are puffed up with empty words rather than true power. In your actions, you mimic the arrogance of him who expressed, “I will ascend into heaven, and I will be like the Most High”. And again, “I have dug wells and drunk waters, and with the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt”.

¹¹⁰ You would have done better to imitate Him who is the perfect example of goodness and humility and to heed His words: “I am a worm and not a man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people”. Oh, what an unspeakable marvel! He called Himself “the reproach of men” while cleansing the reproaches of the entire world. And again, in the gospel, He said, “I can do nothing of Myself”, though He was co-eternal with the Father, co-equal with the Holy Ghost, and consubstantial with both. By His almighty power—not with the aid of another—He created heaven and earth and adorned them with all their inestimable wonders. Yet you have arrogantly lifted your voices in pride, despite the prophet’s admonition: “Why does dust and ashes exalt itself?”.

¹¹¹ But let us return to our subject. Which of you, I ask, like Polycarp, the renowned bishop of the church of Smyrna and a faithful witness of Christ, has kindly welcomed at his table those who dragged him violently to be burned? And when, for the love he bore to Christ, he was led to the stake, said: “He who has given me the grace to endure the torment of the fire will also grant me, without the need for nails, to bear the flames with patience.” And now, leaving aside the vast armies of saints, I will mention just one more, for the sake of example—Basil, the bishop of Caesarea. When an unrighteous prince threatened him, declaring that unless he joined the rest in defiling himself with the filthy heresy of the Arians by the next day, he would be put to death, Basil replied, as is reported: “Tomorrow I will be the same as I am today, and as for you, I wish no change in your decision.” And again: “Would that I had a worthy reward to give to the one who would release Basil from the chains of this mortal life.”

¹¹² Which of you strives to defy the threats of tyrants by unshakably adhering to the rule of apostolic teaching, which has been faithfully kept by holy priests in all times and ages? When men sought to lead them into wickedness, they suppressed such suggestions, saying firmly: “We must obey God rather than men”.

¹¹³ Wherefore, as is our custom, let us seek refuge in the mercy of our Lord and in the words of His holy prophets, so that they may, on our behalf, now aim the darts of their divine oracles at imperfect pastors (as they once did at tyrants). Through this, such pastors may be convicted, repent, and be reformed. Let us consider what warnings and threats our Lord, through His prophets, declares against slothful and dishonest priests—those who fail to instruct the people rightly by both example and word.

¹¹⁴ Even Eli, the priest of Shiloh, was condemned because he did not pursue, with zeal worthy of God, the punishment of his sons when they showed contempt for the Lord. Instead, swayed by fatherly affection, he admonished them too mildly. The prophet pronounced this judgment upon him: “Thus says the Lord: I plainly revealed Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, serving Pharaoh. I chose your father’s house out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as priests before Me”. And a little later: “Why do you look upon My incense and My sacrifice with a dishonest eye? Why have you honored your sons above Me, blessing them from the first in all sacrifices offered in My presence? Therefore, thus says the Lord: Whoever honors Me, I will honor, and whoever despises Me will be despised. Behold, the days are coming when I will destroy your name and the seed of your father’s house. And as a sign to you, this will come to pass: both your sons, Hophni and Phineas, will die by the sword on the same day”. If this judgment falls upon those who correct their subordinates with words alone and not with fitting punishment, what will be the fate of those who, by their offenses, encourage and lead others into wickedness?

¹¹⁵ It is clear what happened to the true prophet sent from Judah to prophesy in Bethel, who was forbidden to eat or drink in that place. After the sign he foretold was fulfilled, and after he had restored the withered hand of the wicked king, he was deceived by another man, called a prophet. Being persuaded to take even a little bread and water, his host spoke to him in these words: “Thus says the Lord God: Because you have been disobedient to the word of the Lord and have not kept the command which the Lord your God gave you, and you have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in this place, concerning which I commanded you not to eat or drink, your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.” And as the scripture says, after he had eaten bread and drunk water, he prepared his donkey and departed. Then a lion met him on the road and killed him.

¹¹⁶ Hear also the holy prophet Isaiah, how he speaks of priests in this manner: “Woe to the ungodly, may evil befall him; for the reward of his hands will come upon him. Your oppressors have plundered my people, and women rule over them. O my people, those who call you blessed deceive you and destroy the path of your feet. The Lord stands to judge, and He stands to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of His people and their princes. You have consumed my vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” says the Lord of hosts. And also: “Woe to those who decree unrighteous laws, and to the scribes who write oppression, to turn aside the poor from justice and to rob the rights of the afflicted of my people, that widows may be their prey, and they may plunder the orphans. What will you do in the day of visitation and in the desolation that comes from afar?”. And further: “But these also have erred through wine and have gone astray through strong drink; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are confused by wine, they stagger because of strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth, so that no place is clean”.

¹¹⁷ “Hear, therefore, the word of the Lord, you deceivers who rule over my people in Jerusalem. For you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have formed an agreement. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not reach us, for we have made falsehood our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under deception.’” And later: “Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overflow the hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with hell will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled down by it. As often as it passes through, it will sweep you away”. And again: “The Lord has said: ‘Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a wonder and a marvel. The wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be hidden. Woe to those who go deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, whose works are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” Your perversity is like the potter’s clay!’”. And later: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What is this house you will build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so they all came to be,’ declares the Lord. ‘But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. He who sacrifices an ox is like one who kills a man; he who slaughters a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who worships an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations’”.

¹¹⁸ Hear also what Jeremiah, that virgin prophet, speaks to the unwise pastors in this manner: “Thus says the Lord: ‘What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and followed after vanity, and have become vain?’”. And again: “‘When you entered, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, “Where is the Lord?” and those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. Therefore, I will yet contend with you,’ says the Lord, ‘and with your children’s children I will contend’”. And shortly after: “‘Astonishing and horrible things have happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?’”.

¹¹⁹ “To whom will I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they take no delight in it. Therefore, I will stretch out my hand against the inhabitants of the land,’ declares the Lord. ‘For from the least of them to the greatest, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not even know how to blush. Therefore, they will fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they will be overthrown,’ says the Lord”.

¹²⁰ And again: “All these princes of the declining sort, walking deceitfully, are as brass and iron; all of them are corrupted. The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire; the refiner melts in vain, for the wicked are not removed. Call them rejected silver, for the Lord has rejected them”.

¹²¹ And after a few words: “I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord. “Go now to my place in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and though I spoke to you persistently, rising early and speaking, you did not listen, and though I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house that bears my name, in which you trust, and to the place I gave to you and your ancestors, just as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight”.

¹²² And again: “My children have departed from me; they are no longer here. There is no one left to pitch my tent or set up my pavilion. For the shepherds have acted foolishly and have not sought the Lord; therefore, they have not understood, and their flock has been scattered”. And a little later: “What is my beloved doing in my house, committing many sins? Can consecrated flesh remove your wickedness from you, so that you may rejoice? The Lord once called your name: ‘A green olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit.’ But at the noise of a great tumult, he has kindled a fire upon it, and its branches are consumed”. And again: “Come, gather together, all you beasts of the field; come to devour. Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled my portion underfoot; they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness”.

¹²³ And further, he says: “Thus says the Lord to this people: ‘They have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. Therefore, the Lord does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquities and punish their sins.’ Prophets say to them, ‘You will not see the sword, nor will you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, nor commanded them, nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, idolatry, and the deceit of their own hearts.’ Therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘By sword and famine those prophets will be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword, and there will be no one to bury them’”.

¹²⁴ And moreover: “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: ‘You have scattered my flock and driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds,’ declares the Lord”.

¹²⁵ “For both prophet and priest are defiled; in my house, I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord. “Therefore, their way will be to them like slippery paths in the dark; they will be driven and fall in them, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,” declares the Lord. “In the prophets of Samaria I have seen an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. But in the prophets of Jerusalem, I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one turns from his wickedness. All of them have become to me like Sodom, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah”.

¹²⁶ “Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ‘Behold, I will feed them with bitter food and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise me, “The Lord has said, You will have peace,” and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, “No disaster will come upon you”. Our Lord has spoken, ‘Peace will be upon you,’ and to all who walk in the stubbornness of their own hearts, they have said, ‘No evil will come upon you.’ For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord to see and hear his word? Who has paid attention to his word and listened? Behold, the storm of the Lord’s wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his heart. In the latter days, you will understand it clearly”.

¹²⁷ And little do you consider or act upon what the holy prophet Joel has spoken in admonishment of slothful priests and lamentation for the people’s suffering due to their sins, saying: “Awake, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth. The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord. The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes. Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple—all the trees of the field are dried up, and gladness dries up from the children of man”.

¹²⁸ All these things are to be spiritually understood by you, so that your souls do not wither away from a pestilential famine caused by the lack of the word of God. And again: “Weep, you priests, ministers of the altar. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion; declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the vestibule and the altar, saying, ‘Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?’”. And yet, you do not heed these words but continue in ways that more greatly provoke the indignation of God’s fury.

¹²⁹ With diligence, pay attention to what the holy prophet Hosea has spoken regarding the conduct of priests. “Hear these words, O priests, and let the house of Israel, together with the king’s house, take note of them; fix them in your ears, for judgment is your responsibility. You have become a snare at Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor”.

¹³⁰ To you also, this kind of estrangement from our Lord may apply, as spoken by the prophet Amos: “I have hated and rejected your festival days, and I will not take delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I look upon the peace offerings of your fattened animals. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps”. For the famine of the Gospel’s sustenance rages violently within the very depths of your souls, even in the midst of your abundance of food, just as the same prophet foretold: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They will wander from sea to sea and from north to east; they will run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but they will not find it”.

¹³¹ Let holy Micah pierce your ears, who, like a heavenly trumpet, loudly proclaims against the deceitful princes of the people, saying: “Hear, you rulers of the house of Jacob, and chiefs of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? You who hate good and love evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from their bones, who eat the flesh of my people, strip off their skin, break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron. Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time because they have made their deeds evil. Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray: “When they have something to eat, they cry, ‘Peace,’ but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths. Therefore it will be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, and the day will be black over them; the seers will be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they will all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God. But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Hear, then, these words, you leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and twist all that is straight, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. “Its rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster will come upon us.’ Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height”.

¹³² And after some further words: “Woe is me, for I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned; there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. Woe is me, for a soul has perished through earthly actions. The reverence of sinners arises even from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; there is none who will correct. They all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts his neighbor with a net. Their hands are skilled in doing evil; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together”.

¹³³ Listen also to how the renowned prophet Zephaniah spoke in times past concerning your revelers (for he spoke of Jerusalem, which is to be spiritually understood as the Church or the soul), saying: “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God”. He also reveals the cause: “Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail”.

¹³⁴ But hear also the words of the blessed prophet Zechariah, admonishing you in the name of God: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another. Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts”. And again: “For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle”. A few verses later: “The sound of wailing shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of roaring lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed! Thus says the Lord my God: ‘Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter. Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, “Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,” and their own shepherds have no pity on them. For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land,’ declares the Lord”.

¹³⁵ Hear moreover what the holy prophet Malachi declares to you: “O priests who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts”.

¹³⁶ And again: “You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering. will I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations”. “And now this command is for you, O priests. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you will be taken away with it”.

¹³⁷ But that you may, in the meantime, With greater zeal prepare your tools and devices of harm to be transformed into instruments of good, listen (if even a small willingness to hear remains in your hearts) to what is said of a holy priest: “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts”.

¹³⁸ And now again, he changes his tone and does not cease to rebuke and reprove the unrighteous, saying: “You have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction. Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?”. And again: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver”. And somewhat later: “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape’”.

¹³⁹ But hear also what the prophet Ezekiel has spoken: “Woe upon woe will come, and messenger upon messenger will arrive, and the vision will be sought from the prophet, but the law will perish from the priests, and counsel from the elders”. And again: “Thus says the Lord: Because your words are false and your divinations deceitful, therefore behold, I am against you, says the Lord. I will stretch out my hand against the prophets who see falsehoods and those who utter empty lies. They will not be included in the assembly of my people, nor will they be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace. They have built a wall and plastered it with whitewash, and it will collapse”. And shortly after, it says: “Woe to those who sew cushions for every elbow and make veils for the heads of people of every age, to ensnare souls. You subvert the souls of my people and possess their souls. You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, putting to death those who should not die and sparing the lives of those who should not live, by your lies to my people, who listen to falsehoods”.

¹⁴⁰ And afterwards: “Say, son of man, you are like land that is not watered with rain, nor has rain fallen upon you in the day of wrath. Your princes within you are like roaring lions, tearing their prey, devouring souls with their power, taking bribes, and multiplying widows in your midst. Your priests have despised my law and profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, nor have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean. They have turned their eyes away from my sabbaths, and I have been profaned in their midst”.

¹⁴¹ And again: “I sought among them for someone who would live uprightly and stand before me on behalf of the land, so that I might not utterly destroy it, but I found no one. Therefore, I poured out upon it the full measure of my wrath; in the fire of my anger, I consumed them. I repaid their ways upon their own heads, says the Lord”. And a little later: “The word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of my people and say to them: If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land appoint one of their number as a watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood is upon him. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. However, if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes any of them, that person is taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood. And you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf. If I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, that wicked person will die in their iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways and they do not turn, they will die in their iniquity, and you will have saved your own life”.

¹⁴² And so let these few among the multitude of prophetic testimonies suffice, by which the pride or negligence of our stubborn priests may be rebuked, so that they may not think we act out of our own invention, but rather, by the authority of the laws and the saints, we denounce such warnings against them. Now let us also consider what the trumpet of the gospel, proclaiming to the whole world, likewise speaks to disordered priests. For, as we have often said, this discourse is not concerned with those who lawfully hold the apostolic office and who rightly and skillfully know how to provide spiritual nourishment to their fellow servants at the proper time—if indeed there still remains any great number of such in our land. Instead, we speak only of ignorant and unskilled shepherds, who abandon their flock, pursue vain things, and do not possess the words of a learned pastor.

¹⁴³ And therefore it is a clear sign that one is neither a lawful pastor nor even an ordinary Christian if they reject and deny these sayings, which are not so much ours (for we are of little worth ourselves) as they are the decrees of the Old and New Testament. As one of ours rightly says: “We eagerly desire that the enemies of the Church should, without any form of compromise, also be our adversaries, and that the friends and defenders of the Church should not only be counted as our allies but also as our fathers and governors.” Let each person examine their own conscience truthfully, and they will easily determine whether, by true reason, they rightly hold their priestly office or not. Let us consider, I say, what the Saviour and Creator of the world has spoken: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men”.

¹⁴⁴ This single testimony might well suffice to confound all who are shameless, but so that it may be even more clearly demonstrated, through the words of Christ, how these false priests entangle and burden themselves with unbearable chains of sin, other sayings must also be added. For it continues: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, so that it gives light to all in the house”.

¹⁴⁵ What priest of this present age, so overcome by the blindness of ignorance, shines as the light of a brilliant lamp through the knowledge of learning and good works, giving illumination to all in the house who sit in the darkness of night? Who among them is regarded as a secure, public, and visible refuge for all the children of the Church, standing as a strong city on the top of a high mountain, offering protection to their countrymen? Furthermore, which one of them fulfills, even for a single day, the command that follows: “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”? Instead, a thick cloud of their darkness and the black night of their sins hangs over this island in such a way that they lead almost everyone away from the righteous path, causing them to stray through impassable and burdensome ways of wickedness. By their works, their heavenly Father is not glorified but instead intolerably blasphemed.

¹⁴⁶ The testimonies of Holy Scripture, whether already quoted or to be included later in this letter, I would gladly wish to interpret in a historical or moral sense, as far as my own humble ability allows.

¹⁴⁷ But for fear that this small work might become unbearably tedious to those who despise, loathe, and disdain not so much our words as the words of God, I have already presented these sentences plainly and intend to continue affirming them without unnecessary elaboration. To proceed, a few words later it is written: “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven”. And again: “Judge not, that you be not judged; for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged”.

¹⁴⁸ Which one of you, I ask, will take note of these words that follow: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a beam in your own eye?”. Or this: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you”, which has often happened to you.

¹⁴⁹ And he says, warning the people not to be led astray by deceitful teachers such as yourselves: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit”. And a little later: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven”.

¹⁵⁰ And what will become of you, who, as the prophet has said, honor God with your lips but do not draw near to Him with your hearts? How do you fulfill the command that follows: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves”? For you act entirely contrary to this, proceeding instead as wolves against a flock of sheep. Or how do you fulfill the next instruction: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”? Instead, you are wise only in biting others with your venomous mouths, and not in defending your Head—who is Christ—with the sacrifice of your whole being. Indeed, by your evil deeds, you trample Him underfoot. Nor do you possess the simplicity of doves, but rather you resemble the black crow, which, departing from the ark—that is, the Church of God—and finding the carrion of earthly pleasures, never returned with a pure heart.

¹⁵¹ But let us consider the rest: “Fear not those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. Reflect deeply: which of these commands have you truly observed? Is there one among you who is not wounded in the depths of his heart by the testimony that follows, where our Savior speaks of wicked leaders to His apostles, saying: “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit”? Surely, the people whom you have governed—or, more accurately, deceived—have ample reason to heed these words.

¹⁵² Mark also the words of our Lord as He speaks to His apostles and to the people—words which, as I hear, you yourselves are not ashamed to recite often in public: “The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. So do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice”. This teaching, though true, is dangerous and unprofitable for priests when it is overshadowed by sinful actions. “Woe to you, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in”.

¹⁵³ You will face dreadful torment, not only for the grievous sins you commit, which will heap up judgment against you in the world to come, but also for those who perish daily through your bad example. For their blood will be required at your hands on the day of judgment.

¹⁵⁴ Give careful attention to the misery depicted in the parable, which is set before your eyes, concerning the servant who says in his heart, “My master is delayed,” and as a result “begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

¹⁵⁵ This division will separate him from the company of holy priests and place him among hypocrites—those who, under the guise of the priesthood, conceal great iniquity. There, they will experience weeping and gnashing of teeth, not for the daily ruin they have caused to the children of our holy mother Church, nor for their failure to desire the kingdom of heaven, but for the torment and despair they will endure, such as they have never known in this life.

¹⁵⁶ Let us examine what Paul, the true disciple of Christ and teacher of the Gentiles, who is a model for every Church doctor, says about a matter of such importance. He writes in his first epistle: “For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools”. Although this was addressed to the Gentiles, consider it carefully, as it can justly be applied to the priests and people of our time. A few verses later, he says: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God gave them up to dishonorable passions”. And further: “Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder (understood as the spiritual destruction of souls), strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them”.

¹⁵⁷ And now, who among such as these has truly been free of all these vices? And if anyone were, perhaps they might yet be implicated in the meaning of the following sentence, where it is written: “Not only those who do such things, but also those who approve of those who practice them”. For indeed, none of them are truly free from such wickedness. Further, it is said: “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will repay each one according to his works”. And again: “For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified”. What a severe judgment, then, must await those who not only fail to do what they are commanded and persist in what is forbidden, but even flee from hearing the word of God, as though it were a serpent, though it barely reaches their ears.

¹⁵⁸ Let us move on to what follows: “What will we say then? Will we continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”. And a little later: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”. I ask, who among you possesses such a commitment in the deepest recesses of the heart? For not only do you fail to labor for the attainment of holiness, but you even exert yourselves in many ways for the pursuit of wickedness and in offending Christ. And who among you has taken what follows to heart: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires”.

¹⁵⁹ And again, in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, he says: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him”. And again: “If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God”. A few verses later, he says: “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump”. How will the old leaven, which is sin, be cleansed when you continually, with all your efforts, add to it day by day? And again: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one”. Yet a thief does not condemn his fellow thief for stealing or other overt acts of robbery; instead, he prefers, defends, and loves him as a companion in his crime.

¹⁶⁰ Also, in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, he says: “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word”—that is, by evil example and flattery. Further on, he speaks of wicked teachers, saying: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds”.

¹⁶¹ Also hear what he says to the Ephesians, and consider whether your consciences are not convicted as guilty by what follows. He warns: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity”. And who among you has willingly fulfilled what comes next? “Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit”.

¹⁶² Or consider what he says to the Thessalonians: “For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us”. If you truly retained this attitude of the apostle, then you might rightly be assured of lawfully possessing his chair. But how have you observed what follows? “For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you”.

¹⁶³ And who among you has carefully observed what follows? “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience”. You see, therefore, the offenses for which the wrath of God is chiefly provoked.

¹⁶⁴ In this regard, Hear also what the same holy apostle, speaking with prophetic insight, foretells about you (British priests) and those like you, writing plainly to Timothy: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people”. As the prophet says: “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked”.

¹⁶⁵ A little later, he speaks of what we see increasing in our own time: “Always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men”.

¹⁶⁶ He also clearly declares how priests ought to conduct themselves in their office, writing to Titus: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us”. Furthermore, he says to Timothy: “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules”. This is his encouragement to the virtuous.

¹⁶⁷ His epistles also contain warnings for the wicked—those who, in the judgment of all discerning persons, appear to resemble you. “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain”.

¹⁶⁸ But why, in using these testimonies scattered here and there, should we continue to be tossed about in the frail vessel of our simple understanding, on the waves of various interpretations? It has now become necessary to turn to those lessons gathered from Holy Scripture, so that they may not only be repeated but also serve to confirm and support the benedictions with which the hands of priests and others in lower sacred orders are first consecrated. By this, they are continually reminded never to deviate from their priestly dignity or stray from the commandments faithfully contained in Scripture.

¹⁶⁹ Thus, it may be clear to all that eternal torment awaits those who fail to heed these commands, for they are not true priests or servants of God unless they strive with all their might to follow and fulfill these divine instructions and precepts.

¹⁷⁰ Wherefore let us hear what the prince of the apostles, Saint Peter, has declared about this weighty matter, saying: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His mercy has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are guarded through faith by the power of God”. Why, then, do you recklessly disregard such an inheritance, which is not like an earthly one, fleeting, but is instead immortal and eternal? And a little later, he says: “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that is brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”. Examine now the depths of your hearts, whether you are sober and perfectly preserve the grace of priesthood, which will be duly judged and revealed at the coming of our Lord. And again, he says: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’”. Which one of you, I ask, has with his whole heart so pursued holiness that he has earnestly strived, as far as he is able, to fulfill it? But let us now consider what is contained in the second lesson of the same apostle: “Beloved, purify your souls by obedience to the truth through the Spirit, in sincere love for one another, loving each other from a pure heart constantly, as those who are born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God”.

¹⁷¹ These are truly the commandments of the apostle, read on the day of your ordination so that you might inviolably observe them. Yet they are neither fulfilled by you with discretion and judgment nor duly considered or understood. And further: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, as newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good”. Reflect on whether these words, which have echoed in your deaf ears, have not often been trampled underfoot by you. And again: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”. Yet, through your wicked examples, not only are God’s virtues not declared or made more glorious, but they are despised by those who lack perfect faith. You have perhaps also heard what is read in the lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, where it is written: “Peter, standing up in the midst of the disciples, said: ‘Brothers, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of David, foretold concerning Judas’”.

¹⁷² And a little later: “This man therefore purchased a field with the reward of iniquity”. You have heard this with a careless, or rather dull, heart, as if the reading did not pertain to you at all. Which one of you, I ask, does not seek the field of the reward of iniquity? For Judas robbed and stole from the purse, and you plunder and squander the sacred gifts and treasures of the Church, along with the souls of her children. He went to the Jews to bargain over God, and you go to tyrants, and to their father, the devil, in order to scorn Christ. He sold the Savior of the world for thirty pieces of silver, and you do so even for a single half-penny.

¹⁷³ What need is there for many words? The example of Matthias is clearly set before you for your shame, for he was chosen to take Judas’s place not by his own will but by the election of the holy apostles, or rather by the judgment of Christ. Yet, blinded as you are, you fail to see how far you have strayed from his merits, as you willingly and recklessly embrace the ways and disposition of Judas the traitor. It is evident, therefore, that anyone who knowingly and sincerely calls you priests is not himself a true and worthy Christian. And now I will plainly say what I think: this rebuke could have been delivered in a gentler manner, but what use is it to touch lightly with the hand or dress with gentle ointment a wound that, through festering and foul corruption, has become so grievous that it requires the searing iron or even fire if there is any hope of healing it at all? Meanwhile, the afflicted do not seek a remedy, and the physician strays far from applying the proper cure.

¹⁷⁴ O you enemies of God, and not priests! O you traders in wickedness, and not bishops! O you betrayers, and not successors of the holy apostles! O you adversaries, and not servants of Christ! Surely, at the very least, you have heard the sound of the words from the second lesson taken from the apostle Saint Paul, though you have in no way observed their admonitions or virtues. Like lifeless statues that neither see nor hear, you stood that day at the altar while, both then and ever since, his words have thundered in your ears, saying: “Brethren, this is a trustworthy saying and deserving of full acceptance”. He called it trustworthy and worthy, but you have scorned it as untrustworthy and worthless. “If anyone desires the office of a bishop, he desires a noble task”.

¹⁷⁵ You eagerly covet a bishopric out of avarice, not for spiritual benefit or the good work that befits the office. “It is necessary, therefore, for such a one to be free from all cause of reproach”. At this, we have more reason to shed tears than to speak, for it is as though the apostle were saying he ought to be the most blameless among all. “The husband of one wife”—this is so disregarded among us that it is as if these words had never been spoken. “Sober, wise”—which of you has even once sought to cultivate these virtues within yourselves? “Given to hospitality”—if this has been found among you, it has been done more to win the favor of the people than to fulfill the commandment, and so it is of no value. For our Lord and Savior has said: “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward”. Moreover, “A man adorned, not given to wine; not violent, but gentle; not quarrelsome, not a lover of money”. O lamentable transformation! O dreadful contempt of the heavenly commandments! Do you not continually use the force of your words and actions to overthrow—or rather to utterly destroy—those whom you should, if need required, defend and uphold, even to the point of enduring hardship and laying down your very lives?

¹⁷⁶ But let us see what follows: “He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way”. The chastity of the parents is therefore incomplete if their children are not also endowed with the same virtue. But how can this be, when neither the father nor the son, corrupted by the father’s evil example, is found to be chaste? “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”. These words should be confirmed and proven through visible actions. “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain; they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first, then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless”.

¹⁷⁷ And now, trembling truly to linger any longer on these matters, I can, in conclusion, affirm one thing with certainty: all these virtues have been turned into their opposites. Clerics—this I confess with a heavy heart—are shameless and deceitful in their speech, given to drunkenness, greedy for filthy lucre, and possess not faith, but rather unfaithfulness, in an impure conscience. They minister not based on the proof of their good works, but on the foreknowledge of their evil deeds. And despite being tainted with countless offenses, they are still admitted to the holy office.

¹⁷⁸ You have likewise heard on the same day—when you should, with far more justice and reason, have been led to prison or punishment rather than elevated to the priesthood—how, when our Lord asked His disciples whom they believed Him to be, Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. In response to this confession, our Lord said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven”. Peter, instructed by God the Father, rightly confessed Christ, but you, taught by the devil, your father, wickedly deny our Savior through your corrupt deeds. To the true priest, it is said, “You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church. But you resemble “the foolish man who built his house on the sand”. Indeed, it must be noted that God does not join in the work of the unwise when they build their house upon the deceitful and unstable foundation of sand, as it is written: “They made kings, but not through me”.

¹⁷⁹ Similarly, what follows is spoken in the same manner: “And the gates of hell will not prevail against it”, where infernal sins are to be understood. But concerning your frail and doomed state, note what is declared: “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was the fall of it”. To Peter and his successors, our Lord says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven”. But to you, He declares, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”, so that, being cast aside with the goats on His left hand, you may join them in the eternal fire. To every good priest, it is also promised, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. But how can you loose anything to be loosed in heaven, when you yourselves, because of your sins, are cut off from heaven and ensnared in the bonds of your own grievous offenses? As Solomon says, “The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin”. And with what justification will you bind anything on earth to be likewise bound in heaven, except perhaps only your own selves, who, entangled in your iniquities, are so held captive on earth that you cannot ascend to heaven? Without conversion to the Lord in this life, you will surely fall into the wretched prison of hell.

¹⁸⁰ Neither should any priest flatter himself on the supposed purity of his own body, for the souls under his care will be demanded of him on the Day of Judgment, as though he were their murderer, if any have perished through his ignorance, laziness, or servile flattery. The stroke of death is no less fearful when dealt by a good man than when delivered by a wicked one; otherwise, the apostle would never have said what he left as a fatherly legacy to his successors: “I am innocent of the blood of all, for I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God”.

¹⁸¹ Being greatly intoxicated by the habit and practice of sins, and utterly overwhelmed by the waves of multiplying offences, seek now with all the strength of your minds (after this your shipwreck) that single plank of repentance which remains, by which you may escape and swim to the land of the living. Thus, the wrath of our Lord may be turned away from you, for He says, “I take no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his ways and live”. May the same Almighty God, the source of all consolation and mercy, preserve His few faithful pastors from every evil, and, with the common enemy defeated, make them free citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the assembly of all the saints. Grant this, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to whom be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.