Thursday, August 20, 2015

Unworthy curiosity, unworthy vanity, unworthy gain, charity, and prudence

turpis curiositas. . . . turpis vanitas. . . . turpis quaestus. . . . caritas. . . . prudentia.

     St. Bernard of Clairvaux "de quinquepartita sciendi intentione" (on the five-forked motive for knowing), Sermon 36.iii/3 on the Song of songs.  SC 452, pp. 112/113.  The only one on which St. Bernard elaborates (by quoting Persius, Satire 1.27) is the second:  "'For you to know is nothing if another knows not that you know [(Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter)].'"

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