Authors/John of Salisbury/Metalogicon/Liber 1/Caput 2

Chapter 2

Latin	English
CAP. II. Descriptio personae suppresso nomine.	CHAPTER 2. A description of Cornificius, without giving his name.
Ipsum vero vulgato designarem ex nomine, et tumorem ventris et mentis; oris impudicitiam, rapacitatem manuum, gestus levitatem, foeditatem morum (quos tota vicinia despuit), obscenitatem libidinis, deformitatem corporis, turpitudinem vitae, maculam famae, publicis aspectibus ingerens denudarem, nisi me Christiani nominis reverentia cohiberet. Memor enim professionis, meae et fraternae, quae in Domino est, communionis indulgendum esse personae credidi, dum tamen non indulgeatur errori. Defero ergo Deo, parcens naturae, quae ab ipso est, et impugnans vitium, quod contra ipsum est; dum [0828A] naturam corrumpit, quam ille generavit. Utique par est sine derogatione personae, sententiam impugnari; nihilque turpius, quam cum sententia displicet, aut opinio, rodere nomen auctoris; longe quidem probabilius est, ut opinioni falsae, quatenus tamen error tolerabilis est, parcatur interdum propter hominem, quam ut propter opinionem homo carpatur. Singula suis sunt examinanda indiciis, et paria meritis sunt praemia conferenda; ita tamen, ut rigorem mansuetudo clementiae vincat.	I would openly identify Cornificius and call him by his own name I would reveal to the public his bloated gluttony, puffed-up pride, obscene mouth, rapacious greed, irresponsible conduct, loathsome habits (which nauseate all about him), foul lust, dissipated appearance, evil life, and ill repute, were it not that I am restrained by reverence for his Christian name. In view of my profession and our brotherly communion in the Lord, I have thought it better to be lenient with the person, without ceding any quarter to his error. I would reverence God, by sparing the nature, which comes from Him, but attacking the vice, which is opposed to Him, since it corrupts the nature of which He is Author. It is but right, in resisting an opinion, to avoid defaming the person who has sponsored it- Nothing is more despicable than to attack the character of the proponent of a doctrine simply because his views are not to our liking. It is far better that a false opinion he temporarily spared out of consideration for the person who holds it, provided his error is at all tolerable, than that the person be calumniated because of his opinion. All cases should be judged on their own merits, and retribution should correspond to deserts, but in such a way that gentle mercy prevails over strict severity.
Hac itaque contemplatione, suppressi vulgati nominis notam: ne non tam erroris videar procurasse medelam, quam infensam deturpasse personam. Ut autem verum fatear, nihil est minus verum, quia quatenus Christiano licitum est, personam et sententiam [0828B] aeque contemno. Ut libet ergo ille stertat in dies medios, quotidianis conviscerationibus ingurgitetur ad crapulam, et in illis immunditiis volutatus incumbat, quae nec porcum deceant Epicuri. Caeterum opinioni reluctor, quae multos perdidit, eo quod populum, qui sibi credat, habet; et, licet antiquo novus Cornificius ineptior sit, ei tamen turba insipientium acquiescit. Illorum tamen maxime, qui, cum inertes sint et ignavi, videri, quam esse sapientes, appetunt.	In view of the aforesaid, and lest I seem to be slandering a personal enemy, rather than seeking the correction of error, I have omitted mention of the name by which Cornificius is regularly known. To tell the truth, nothing is farther from fact [than to presume that I am more interested in discrediting a personal foe than in establishing the truth]. As far as a Christian may licitly do so, I would despise both the person and his opinion. But let him snore away till midday, become drunk in his daily carousals, and squander his time by wallowing in carnal excesses which would shame even an Epicurean pig as much as his heart desires. I will confine myself to attacking his opinion, which has mined many, as not a few believe what he says. Despite the fact that this new Cornificius is less clever than the old one, a host of fools follow fiim. It is a motley crowd, made up mostly of the lazy and dull, who are trying to seem, rather than to become wise.