Chapter IV.
To prefer vice to virtue is a sign of ignorance; this is exemplified by Esau and Jacob, as well as by two scriptural women: one representing virtue, the other representing pleasure. Ultimately, the arts of the latter are described.
12. Therefore, do not hesitate when reminded by such examples of nature, that malice precedes in time, but youthfulness in weakness. It has the pay of that age, but virtue has the prerogative of glory, by which the unjust often yields to the just. The faithful divine Scripture is a witness to this matter, which teaches that Esau, by the surname of folly, patiently yielded his birthright to his brother Jacob, to the extent that he said: Why should I have the birthright? (Gen. XXV, 32)? But those whom that man put before, this man, endowed with the surname of exercise, sought to deserve. Does it not seem to you that Esau, like a defeated man in a contest, and considering himself inferior due to his own weakness of mind, yielded the crown to the victor, whom he saw was not swayed by any enticements of passions, the very dust of which he himself could not endure? Why, he says to me, do I desire preeminence? For among the lazy, there are no insignia of virtue; among the wise, they are considered first; for the studies of virtue are certain instruments. Therefore, just as a warrior cannot be without weapons, so virtue cannot be without exercise. Hence, the Lord says in the Gospel: \"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force\" (Matthew 11:12). And elsewhere: \"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you\" (Matthew 6:33). They promise rewards to those who are not sleeping or idling, but to those who are vigilant and laboring. And there is a reward prepared for labor, which, although it may not be pleasing to grace, is nevertheless fruitful for a prize.
This is what the law teaches, as we find it written: If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other hated, and both bear him sons, the beloved and the hated, and the firstborn is the son of the hated wife; on the day he divides his inheritance among his sons, he may not grant the firstborn status to the son of the beloved wife, skipping over the son of the hated wife. But he must acknowledge the firstborn son of the hated wife and give him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength and to him belong the rights of the firstborn (Deut. XXI, 15 et seq.). How deep are the secrets of mysteries hidden in the letters! Recognize, o soul, your offspring, and seek the mystery of that dreadful woman. Within yourself you will find it, if you seek. Repeat your thoughts, reread your senses, and you will recognize to whom the firstfruits are due. For indeed, two women dwell in each of us, differing in enmities and discord, like certain jealousy-filled disputes filling the house of our souls. One of these, to us, is sweet and lovable, the charming mediator of grace, which is called pleasure. We consider this one as our companion and domestic friend: the other one we believe is fierce, rough, and wild, whose name is virtue.
Therefore, with a provocative movement of a prostitute, with a disrupted gait through delights, with wandering eyes, and with playful darting of her eyelids, she captures the precious souls of young men (for the eye of a prostitute is a snare of a sinner), and with doubtful perception, she accosts anyone passing by in the corner of her house, with charming words, causing the hearts of young men to flutter, restless at home, wandering in the streets, prodigal with kisses, cheap in modesty, rich in attire, painted cheeks. For indeed, since it cannot possess true beauty of nature, it entices with the appearance of affected beauty through false dyes, not truth. Adorned with a company of vices and surrounded by a chorus of wickedness, the leader of crimes attacks the wall of the human mind with such contrivances of words: 'Peace offering is to me; today I fulfill my vows.' For this reason, I have advanced to meet you, desiring to find your face. I have woven my bed with fine linen and spread carpets from Egypt. I have spread my bed with saffron, and my house with cinnamon. Come, let us enjoy friendship until dawn; come, and let us wrestle with desire (Prov. VII, 14 et seq.). For through the mouth of Solomon we see this form of harlot expressed. For what is more similar to harlotry than secular pleasure, which enters through the window of its house, tempting the eyes with its first enticements; and it quickly penetrates if you, looking out into the street, namely the public ways of those passing by, do not direct the gaze of your mind to the internal mysteries of the law. She certainly is the one who, like a kind of bed woven with stronger ties, has entangled us in the bonds of a community, so that whoever reclines on it is bound; and she covers the surface of her body with the veil of shameful deceit, to seduce the minds of young men in the absence of her husband, that is, by disregarding the law. For the law is absent for those who commit sins, for if it were present, they would not commit them; and therefore it says: For my husband is not at home: he has taken the longest journey, with a bundle of money received in his hand (Ibid., 19, 20). What shall I say this is, except perhaps because the rich think there is nothing that does not yield to their money, and they want the law to be for sale in their favor? Pleasure spreads its own scents, because it does not have the scent of Christ, it displays treasures, promises kingdoms, guarantees continuous loves, offers unknown sexual encounters, disciplines without a tutor, conversations without a monitor, a life without worries, soft sleep, insatiable desire. Seducing him, she said, with many flattering words, and binding him with the snares of her lips, she led him home. But he, following her, is caught in a trap. The royal hall shone with luxurious splendor, its walls adorned with carved designs, and the damp floors floated with wine. The ground burned with perfume, covered with thorns of fish, and slippery with withered flowers. There, there was a commotion of feasting, the clamor of those singing, the violence of those arguing, the harmony of those dining, the noise of those dancing, the laughter of those laughing, the applause of those reveling, everything confused, nothing in the order of nature. Dancing prostitutes, boys with curled hair, the crudeness of revelers, the belching of eaters, the thirst of drunkards, yesterday's gluttony, today's drunkenness, the cups of those who drink, filled with a stronger stench of intoxication than if only the wine were aflame. She herself, standing in the middle, says, 'Drink and get drunk, so that each one falls down and does not rise again.' He is the first with me, he who is the most lost of all. He is mine, who is not his own. He is more pleasing to me, who is more harmful to himself. The golden cup of Babylon, intoxicating all the earth, drank my wine. So let the more foolish one turn to me, and to those in need of wisdom, I command, saying: Use hidden breads sweetly, and drink water secretly sweeter. Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. Our life will pass like the traces of a cloud, and like a mist it will be dispersed (Prov. IX, 17). Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are, and make use of the creatures as in our youth, quickly. Let us fill ourselves with precious wine and ointments, and let not the flower of the time pass by us. Let us crown ourselves with roses before they wither. Let no meadow be untouched by our luxury: let us everywhere leave signs of our joy (Wisdom 2:8 et seq.). All these things are left behind, and one will not carry anything with them except what they have received through the pleasure of the body. Finally, I have embraced this philosophy; and there is no truer one, except for that which asserts that the good is what is pleasant and enjoyable. Therefore, believe in either the philosophy or the wisdom of Solomon.