Folio 60r - the peacock, continued.
and taking pleasure in their company. But when you are deprived of your honours or robbed of your possessions, when one of your friends dies, then grief follows. Joy in this world, therefore, is always mingled with sadness.
Once every three years the fleet of Solomon is sent across the sea to Tharsis. Solomon's fleet is the virtue of confession. In this fleet we are transported across the sea of this world, that we might not be drowned in it.
The fleet is sent to Tharsis, therefore, from where it is said to bring back gold, silver, elephants' tusks, apes and peacocks. There is said to be gold and silver in Tharsis, that is, men eminent in their wisdom, skilled in their oratory. When they earnestly desire the joy of this world, they gain knowledge of themselves; and when they come with Solomon's fleet to Jerusalem, there in the peace of the Church they become purer through confession.
From this purest of gold, King Solomon made golden shields. The shields of gold are those who live chastely and defend others from the attacks of the Devil. In addition, from the silver mentioned above, silver trumpets were made, that is, the teachers of the Church.
The fleet also brought apes and peacocks, that is, the mockers and the effete, so that those who had been, in Tharsis, scoffers and pleasure-seekers might live with humility in the peace of conversion.
Solomon's fleet also brought back elephants' tusks, that is, the proud with their disparaging words. For when the proud speak disparagingly of the good works of ordinary people, it is as if they gnawed with their teeth on these people's bones. Note that the tusks of elephants are of ivory. And from ivory the the throne of Solomon was made. For those who had been accustomed to live by preying on others, by submitting themselves to Solomon, thereafter furnished a seat for others to sit on.
Once every three years Solomon's fleet used to go to Tharsis. In moral terms, the first year is meditation; the second, discourse; the third, action. When confession treats of all three stages together, it is as if a voyage is made by Solomon's servants to Tharsis once every three years.
But, as history relates, 'Jehosaphat, king of Judah, built sea-going fleets, that they might sail to Ophir for gold; and they could not, for they were wrecked at Asiongaber' (see 1 Kings, 22:48).
Jehosaphat we take to mean 'judging'; Judah, 'confession'. Jehosaphat is called 'king of Judah'
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The peacock.
Comment
Folio mark 'CCCC', bottom left.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
tum copia, et eorum delectari presentia. Cum autem aliquis pri\ vatur honoribus spoliatur rebus, cum aliquis amicorum moritur, tunc\ dolor sequitur. Hoc gaudium igitur semper doloribus immiscetur. Per tres\ annos semel classis Salomonis per mare mitittur in Tharsis. Clas\ sis Salomonis, est virtus confessionis. Hac classe per huius mundi\ mare vehimur, ne submergamur. In Tharsis ergo mittitur, que\ inde aurum et argentum dentes elephantorum simias et pa\ vos deferre perhibetur. Aurum et argentum in Tharsis esse dicitur,\ id est viri sapientia clari, eloquentia periti. Qui dum presentis seculi\ gaudium implorant et exquirunt seipsos cognoscunt, et dum\ per classem Salomonis de Tharsis ad Jerusalem veniunt, in pace ecclesie\ per confessionem puriores fiunt. De hoc auro purissimo fecit rex\ Salomon scuta aurea. Scuta aurea sunt, qui pure vivunt, et\ alios ab incursu diaboli defendunt. Ex predicto etiam argento\ fiunt tube argentee, id est doctores ecclesie. Attulit etiam simias et pa\ vos, id est derisores et delicatos ut qui in Tharsis derisores et de\ licati fuerant, in pace conversionis humiles existant. Attulit\ etiam classis Salomonis dentes elefantorum detractiones su\ perborum. Dum enim verbis bonis operibus simplicium detrahunt, quasi dentibus eorum ossa rodunt. Nota quod dentes elefantis\ materia fiunt eboris. Et de materia eboris, fit thronus Salomo\ nis. Qui enim rapina vivere consueverant, subiecti vero Sa\ lomoni seipsos postea sedem parant. Per tres annos semel clas\ sis Salomonis, ire consueverat in Tharsis. Primus annus mora\ liter est cogitatio, secundus locucio, tercius operatio. Cum igitur de his tribus\ simul confessio agitur, quasi a servis Salomonis per tres annos\ semel in Tharsis itur. Sed, et Josaphat rex Juda sicut ystoria dicit\ classes in mare fecit, que navigarent in Ophir propter aurum, et ire\ non potuerunt quia confracte sunt in Asion Gaber. Josaphat iu\ dicans Judas confessio interpretatur. Josaphat autem rex Juda dicitur', '', '',Translation
and taking pleasure in their company. But when you are deprived of your honours or robbed of your possessions, when one of your friends dies, then grief follows. Joy in this world, therefore, is always mingled with sadness. Once every three years the fleet of Solomon is sent across the sea to Tharsis. Solomon's fleet is the virtue of confession. In this fleet we are transported across the sea of this world, that we might not be drowned in it. The fleet is sent to Tharsis, therefore, from where it is said to bring back gold, silver, elephants' tusks, apes and peacocks. There is said to be gold and silver in Tharsis, that is, men eminent in their wisdom, skilled in their oratory. When they earnestly desire the joy of this world, they gain knowledge of themselves; and when they come with Solomon's fleet to Jerusalem, there in the peace of the Church they become purer through confession. From this purest of gold, King Solomon made golden shields. The shields of gold are those who live chastely and defend others from the attacks of the Devil. In addition, from the silver mentioned above, silver trumpets were made, that is, the teachers of the Church. The fleet also brought apes and peacocks, that is, the mockers and the effete, so that those who had been, in Tharsis, scoffers and pleasure-seekers might live with humility in the peace of conversion. Solomon's fleet also brought back elephants' tusks, that is, the proud with their disparaging words. For when the proud speak disparagingly of the good works of ordinary people, it is as if they gnawed with their teeth on these people's bones. Note that the tusks of elephants are of ivory. And from ivory the the throne of Solomon was made. For those who had been accustomed to live by preying on others, by submitting themselves to Solomon, thereafter furnished a seat for others to sit on. Once every three years Solomon's fleet used to go to Tharsis. In moral terms, the first year is meditation; the second, discourse; the third, action. When confession treats of all three stages together, it is as if a voyage is made by Solomon's servants to Tharsis once every three years. But, as history relates, 'Jehosaphat, king of Judah, built sea-going fleets, that they might sail to Ophir for gold; and they could not, for they were wrecked at Asiongaber' (see 1 Kings, 22:48). Jehosaphat we take to mean 'judging'; Judah, 'confession'. Jehosaphat is called 'king of Judah'
