Folio 40r - the cock, continued.
they transform their loud tones into a sweet and gentle voice, drawing attention not so much to the terrors of punishment as to the enticements of reward. They also crow quietly then like cocks because, with the approach of the dawning of divine enlightenment, they preach with a degree of refinement about the mysteries, so that their followers may hear a more detailed account of heavenly things and draw near, as a result, to the light of the truth.
The lengthy crowing of the cock rouses those who are asleep; when shorter, it pleases them when awake, as those who have reformed their character take pleasure in learning in detail about the delights of divine rule, having earlier feared the calamity of divine judgement.
This is well put by Moses, when God orders him to sound the trumpets in short blasts, in order to send the army forward. For it is written: 'Make thee two trumpets of silver' (Numbers, 10:2); and a little later: 'When ye blow an alarm, then the camps ... shall go forward' (Numbers, 10:5). The army is led by two trumpets, as God's people are summoned by two rules of love to be ready to fight for the faith. The trumpets are ordered to be of silver, for this reason, that the words of preachers should be clearly visible from the brightness of their light so that they should not confuse the mind of their listeners with any obscurity. The trumpets are made of beaten silver, because those who preach of the life to come must grow under the blows of the misfortunes of the present.
The text: 'When ye blow an alarm, then the camps ... shall go forward' (Numbers, 10:5), is also apt, because it is a fact that the words of a sermon, when delivered very precisely and with attention to detail, stir the hearts of the listeners with greater fire in the struggle against temptation.
There is something else about the cock to which we should give skilful consideration: before it prepares to utter its crow, it first beats its wings, and by striking itself makes itself more alert.
We can see this clearly if we look closely at the lives of holy preachers. Before they instruct us with a sermon, they exercise themselves in holy conduct, unwilling to urge others on by voice while they themselves are sluggish in action. First, they give themselves a shake by performing lofty deeds, then they impart to others the desire to act well. First they beat themselves with the wings of thought, in the sense that they detect whatever is uselessly sluggish within themselves
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The cock. He crows and beats his wings.
Comment
One text correction 't' in margin.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
adesse cognoscunt, clamoris sui magnitudinem in levitatem\ dulcedinis vertunt, et non tam illa que sunt de penis terribilia quam\ ea que sunt blanda de premiis proferunt. Qui etiam tunc minutis\ vocibus cantant, quia propinquante mane [PL, divine lucis] subtilitate quadam queque\ de misteriis predicant, ut sequaces sui eo minutiora queque de cele\stibus audiant, quo luci veritatis appropinquant. Et quos dormien\tes longus galli cantus excitaverat, vigilantes succisior delec\tat, quatinus correcto cuilibet cognoscere de regno subtiliter\ dulcia libeat, qui prius de iudicio adversa formidabat. Quod bene\ per Moysen exprimitur cum ad producendum exercitum tube clan\gere concisius iubentur. Scriptum namque est: Fac tibi duas tubas ar\genteas ductiles. Et paulo post: Cum concisus clangor increpue\rit, movebuntur [PL, castra]. Per duas enim tubas exercitus ducitur, quia per duo\ precepta caritatis ad procinctum fidei populus vocatur. Que iccirco ar\gentee fieri precipiuntur, ut predicatorum verba lucis nitore pareant,\ et auditorum mentem nulla sui obscuritate confundant. Ic\circo autem ductiles, quia necesse est ut hii qui venturam vitam predicant,\ tribulationum presentium tunsionibus [PL, contusionibus] crescant. Bene autem dicitur:\ Cum concisus clangor increpuerit movebuntur castra, quia ni\mirum predicationis sermo cum subtilius ac minutius agitur, auditorum\ corda contra temptationum certamina ardentius excitantur.\ Est adhuc aliud in gallo sollerter intuendum, quia cum edere\ cantum parat prius alas excutit, et semetipsum feriens vigilian\tiorem reddit. Quod patenter cernimus si sanctorum predicatorum vitam\ vigilanter videmus. Ipsi quippe cum verba predicationis monent, prius\ se in sanctis actionibus exercent, ne in semetipsis torpentes opere, alios\ excitent voce. Sed ante se per sublimia facta excuciunt, et tunc ad\ bene agendum alios sollicitos reddunt. Prius cogitationum\ alis semetipsos feriunt, quia quicquid in se inutiliter torpet, sollicitaTranslation
they transform their loud tones into a sweet and gentle voice, drawing attention not so much to the terrors of punishment as to the enticements of reward. They also crow quietly then like cocks because, with the approach of the dawning of divine enlightenment, they preach with a degree of refinement about the mysteries, so that their followers may hear a more detailed account of heavenly things and draw near, as a result, to the light of the truth. The lengthy crowing of the cock rouses those who are asleep; when shorter, it pleases them when awake, as those who have reformed their character take pleasure in learning in detail about the delights of divine rule, having earlier feared the calamity of divine judgement. This is well put by Moses, when God orders him to sound the trumpets in short blasts, in order to send the army forward. For it is written: 'Make thee two trumpets of silver' (Numbers, 10:2); and a little later: 'When ye blow an alarm, then the camps ... shall go forward' (Numbers, 10:5). The army is led by two trumpets, as God's people are summoned by two rules of love to be ready to fight for the faith. The trumpets are ordered to be of silver, for this reason, that the words of preachers should be clearly visible from the brightness of their light so that they should not confuse the mind of their listeners with any obscurity. The trumpets are made of beaten silver, because those who preach of the life to come must grow under the blows of the misfortunes of the present. The text: 'When ye blow an alarm, then the camps ... shall go forward' (Numbers, 10:5), is also apt, because it is a fact that the words of a sermon, when delivered very precisely and with attention to detail, stir the hearts of the listeners with greater fire in the struggle against temptation. There is something else about the cock to which we should give skilful consideration: before it prepares to utter its crow, it first beats its wings, and by striking itself makes itself more alert. We can see this clearly if we look closely at the lives of holy preachers. Before they instruct us with a sermon, they exercise themselves in holy conduct, unwilling to urge others on by voice while they themselves are sluggish in action. First, they give themselves a shake by performing lofty deeds, then they impart to others the desire to act well. First they beat themselves with the wings of thought, in the sense that they detect whatever is uselessly sluggish within themselves
