2 M 5, 9,

10

2 M 9, 28

and in that same place where banquet, he found Aman was
he had committed the im- fallen
upon the bed on
piety against Onias, the which Esther lay, and he
sacrilegious wretch should be said: He will force the
put to death, the Lord queen also in my presence,
repaying him his deserved in my own house. The word
punishment.
was not yet gone out of the
He (the wicked Jason) king's mouth, and immedi-
that had driven many out of ately they covered his face.
their country, perished in a-And Harbona, one of the
strange land, going to Lace- eunuchs that stood waiting
demon, as if for kindred on the king, said: Behold
sake, he should have refuge the gibbet, which he had
there. But he that had prepared for Mardochai,
cast out many unburied, was who spoke for the king,
himself cast forth unla- standeth in Aman's house,
mented and unburied, neither being fifty cubits high. And
having foreign burial, nor the king said to him: Hang
being partaker of the sepul- him upon it.-So Aman was
chre of his fathers.
hanged on the gibbet which
The murderer and blas- he had prepared for Mardo-
phemer (Antiochus) being chai; and the king's wrath
grievously struck, as him- ceased.
self had treated others, died

31

Thou wicked servant, I Mt 18, 32a miserable death, in a forgave thee all the debt strange country, among the because thou besoughtest me. mountains. -Should not thou then have Es 7, 5-10 King Assuerus answered, had compassion also on thy and said: Who is this, and fellow-servant, even as I had of what power, that he compassion on thee ?- And should do these things?- his lord, being angry, And Esther said: It is this delivered him to the torAman that is our adversary turers until he should pay and most wicked enemy. all the debt.

Aman, hearing this, was The Lord scourged Pharao Ge 12, 17
forthwith astonished, not and his house with most
being able to bear the coun- grievous stripes for Sarai,
tenance of the king and Abram's wife.

33

queen.-But the king being If they profane My jus- Ps 88, 32-
angry rose up, and went tices: and keep not My com-
from the place of the ban-mandments: -I will visit
quet into the garden set their iniquities with a rod:
with trees. Aman also rose up and their sins with stripes.
to entreat Esther the queen The wicked that denied to W 16, 16
for his life, for he understood know Thee, were scourged by
that evil was prepared for the strength of Thy arm.
him by the king. And when

He woundeth and cureth, Jb 5, 18
the king came back out of He striketh and His hands
the garden set with trees, and shall heal.
entered into the place of the

Anger kills the foolish.

J65,2

TEMPERANCE AND THE VIRTUES CONNECTED WITH IT, AND THE CONTRARY VICES.

JUST as the office of Fortitude is to reduce fear to the control of Reason, by preventing unreasonable fear, on the one hand, and unreasonable insensibility to fear, on the other, so the office of Temperance is to reduce pleasure to the control of Reason, by excluding immoderate pleasure, on the one hand, and immoderate iosensibility to pleasure, on the other. And just as Fortitude is primarily concerned with the regulation of the most terrible fear of all, the fear excited by danger to life, so Temperance is primarily concerned with the regulation of those pleasures which are the most vehement of all; and these pleasures, as S. Thomas shows, are the pleasures consequent upon those operations by which the individual man is preserved, or the human species propagated. And, as these pleasures are primarily pleasures of touch, it follows that the primary office of Temperance is to subjugate the pleasures of touch to the sway of Right Reason. The secondary office of Fortitude is to regulate the pleasures of the other senses, in so far as these pleasures, e.g., the pleasures of taste, conduce to the more delectable use of those necessary things which pertain to touch. The various species of Temperance are Abstinence, Sobriety, Chastity, and Modesty (Pudicitia). The potential parts of Temperance, or the virtues reducible to Temperance, inasmuch as, in a less arduous sphere, they imitate Temperance, are Continence, Clemency, Meekness, and Modesty. Modesty is subdivided into four species-Humility, Studiosity † (which regulates the love of Study), Modesty in bearing, and Modesty in dress.

*Sum. Theol., sec. sec. q. 141. a. 4.

t Ibid q. 166. a. 2.

1.—NATURE CONTENT WITH A LITTLE; TEMPERANCE

COMMENDED.

39

Eci 29, 27 The chief thing for man's Wine drunken with excess Eci 31,38, life is water and bread and raiseth quarrels, and wrath, clothing, and a house to and many ruins. - Wine cover shame. drunken with excess is bit

Ecl 39, 31

Da 1, 8

The principal things neces- terness of the soul.
sary for the life of men are Be not desirous of his Pv 23, 3
water, fire and iron, salt, meats, in which is the bread
milk, and bread of flour, and of deceit.

honey, and the cluster of Be not greedy in any Eci 37, 32
the grape, and oil, and feasting, and pour not out
clothing.
thyself upon any meat.

Daniel purposed in his
heart that he would not be under a roof of boards, than
defiled with the king's table, sumptuous cheer abroad in
nor with the wine which he another man's house.
drank and he requested the
master of the eunuchs that
he might not be defiled.
Eci 31, 22, How sufficient is a little

Better is the poor man's fare Eci 29, 28

23

Ecl 10, 17

Dn 1, 1617

Ph 3, 18,

19

It is better to be invited to Pv 15, 17 herbs with love, than to a fatted calf with hatred.

I thought in my heart, to Ecl 2, 3 wine for a man well taught, withdraw my flesh from and in sleeping thou shalt wine, that I might avoid not be uneasy with it, and folly, till I might see what thou shalt feel no pain.- was profitable for the children Watching, and choler, and of men; and what they gripes, are with an intemper- ought to do under the sun all the days of their life.

ate man.

2.-REWARDS AND OTHER FRUITS OF TEMPERANCE.

Blessed is the land, whose wisdom: but to Daniel the
king is noble, and whose understanding also of all vi-
princes eat in due season for sions and dreams.

refreshments, and not for He that is temperate shall Eci 37, 34
riotousness.
prolong life.

Malasar gave them pulse.- Sound and wholesome Eci 31, 24
And to these children [Anan- sleep is with a moderate
ias, Misael, and Azarias] God man; he shall sleep till morn-
gave knowledge, and under-jing, and his soul shall be
standing in every book, and delighted with him.

3.-INTEMPERANCE HARMFUL TO THE SOUL.

Many walk, of whom I are enemies of the Cross of have told you often (and now Christ;-Whose end is detell you weeping), that they struction, whose god is their

Ecl 5, 5

Dt 31, 20

Pv 27, 7

Lu 6, 25

Lu 21, 24

Jb 20, 5, 14

Eci 37, 32-34

21

34

16

belly, and whose glory is in Esau sold his first birth- Ge 25, 33-
their shame : who mind right.-And so taking bread
earthly things.
and the pottage of lentils, he
Give not thy mouth to eat and drank, and went his
cause thy flesh to sin.
way; making little account of
When they have eaten, having sold his first birth-
and are full and fat, they right.
will turn away after strange Follow holiness, looking He 12, 15-
gods, and will serve them; diligently lest any man be
and will despise Me, and wanting to the grace of God.
make void My Covenant. -Lest there be any fornica-
A soul that is full shall tor, or profane person as
tread upon the honeycomb. Esau: who for one mess sold
Wo to you that are filled his first birth-right.
for you shall hunger.
I beseech you to mark Ro 16, 17
Take heed to yourselves, them who cause dissensions
lest perhaps your hearts be and offences contrary to the
overcharged with surfeiting doctrine which you have
and drunkenness and the learned, and to avoid them.
cares of this life; and that -For they that are such
day come upon you suddenly. serve not Christ Our Lord,
The praise of the wicked but their own belly and
is short: His bread in his by pleasing speeches, and
belly shall be turned into the good words, seduce the
gall of asps within him. hearts of the innocent.
4.-INTEMPERANCE INJURIOUS TO THE BODY, AND

CAUSE OF EVIL FORTUNE.

:

Be not greedy in any feast- their mouth and the wrath ing, and pour not out thyself of God came upon them.upon any meat :- For in And He slew the fat ones many meats there will be amongst them, and brought sickness, and greediness will down the chosen men of then turn to choler.-By Israel.

18

surfeiting many have per- Watching, and choler, and Eci 31, 23
ished; but he that is tem- gripes are with an intemper-
ate man.

perate shall prolong life.

:

he

Dt 21, 20, This our son is rebellious He that loveth good Pv 21, 17 and stubborn, he slighteth cheer, shall be in want hearing our admonitions, he that loveth wine, and fat giveth himself to revelling, things, shall not be rich.

21

and to debauchery and ban- Be not in the feasts of Pv 23, 20, quetings. The people of the great drinkers, nor in their city shall stone him: and he revellings, who contribute shall die, that you may take flesh to eat :-Because they away the evil out of the that give themselves to midst of you, and all Israel drinking, and that club tohearing it may be afraid. gether, shall be consumed; Ps77,30,31 As yet their meat was in and drowsiness shall be

Eci 19, 1

lo 13, 13 14

clothed with rags.

little and little.

A workman that is a He that is delighted in Pv 12, 11 drunkard shall not be rich passing his time over wine, and he that contemneth leaveth a reproach in his small things shall fall by strongholds.

5.—WARNINGS AGAINST DRUNKENNESS AND

GLUTTONY.

Let us walk honestly, as in Neither fornicators, nor 1C6, 9, 10 the day, not in rioting and adulterers,-Nor drunkards drunkenness. But put ye shall possess the Kingdom of on the Lord Jesus Christ, God.

cences.

32

35

and make not provision for Look not upon the wine Pv 23,31, the flesh in its concupis- when it is yellow, when the colour thereof shineth in the Is 5, 11,12 Wo to you that rise up glass: it goeth in pleasantly. early in the morning to fol--But in the end, it will bite low drunkenness, and to like a snake, and will spread drink to the evening, to be abroad poison like a basiinflamed with wine.- The lisk. harp, and the lyre, and the Thy eyes shall behold Pv 23,33timbrel, and the pipe, and strange women, and thy wine are in your feasts and heart shall utter perverse the work of the Lord you things.-And thou shalt be regard not, nor do you con- as one sleeping in the midst sider the works of His of the sea, and as a pilot Hands. fast asleep, when the stern is Be not drunk with wine, lost.-And thou shalt say: wherein is luxury. They have beaten me, but I Meat for the belly, and the was not sensible of pain: belly for the meats: but God they drew me, and I felt not: shall destroy both it and when shall I awake and find them but the body is not wine again?

Ep 5, 18

1 C6, 13

:

:

for fornication, but for the Wo to the crown of pride, Is 28, 1 Lord, and the Lord for the to the drunkards of Ephraim, body. and to the fading flower, the Pr 31, 4,5 Give not to kings, O Sam- glory of his joy, who were on uel, give not wine to kings: the head of the fat valley, because there is no secret staggering with wine.

Eci 26, 11

where drunkenness reigneth: Eat not with an envious Pv 23,6-
-And lest they drink, and man, and desire not his
forget judgments, and per-meats,-Because, like a sooth-
vert the cause of the children sayer and diviner, he think-
of the poor.
eth that which he knoweth
A drunken woman is a not. - Eat and drink, will
great wrath and her re- he say to thee: and his mind
proach and shame shall not is not with thee.-The meat
which thou hadst eaten, thou

be hid.