| Balliol | Interpretation |
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- 201r I. [1] Si non licet vobis, Romani imperii antistites, in aperto et edito, in ipso fere vertice civitatis praesiden tibus ad iudicandum palam dispicere et coram examinare, quid sit liquido in causa Christianorum, si ad hanc solam speciem aucto ritas vestra de iustitiae diligentia in publ ico aut timet aut erubescit inquirere, si denique, quod proxime acci dit, domesticis iudiciis nimis operata infestatio sectae huius ob struit defensioni: liceat veritati vel occulta via tacitarum litterarum ad aures vestras pervenire. [2] Nihil de causa sua deprecatur, quia nec de condicione miratur. Scit se peregrinam in terris agere, inter extra neos facile inimicos invenire, ceterum genus, sedem, spem, gratiam, dignitatem in caelis habere. Unum gestit interdum, ne ignorata damne tur. [3] Quid hic deperit legibus in suo regno dominantibus, si audi atur? An hoc magis gloriabitur potestas earum, quo etiam auditam damnabunt veritatem? Ceterum inauditam si damnent, praeter invi diam iniquitatis etiam suspicionem merebuntur alicuius conscientiae, nolen tes audire, quod auditum damnare non possint. [4] Hanc itaque pri mam causam apud vos collocamus iniquitatis odii erga nomen Christianorum. Quam iniquitatem idem titulus et onerat et revincit, qui vi detur excusare, ignorantia scilicet. Quid enim iniquius, quam ut oderint homines quod ignorant, etiam si res meretur odium? Tunc etenim mere tur, cum cognoscitur an mereatur. [5] Vacante autem meriti noti tia, unde odii iustitia defenditur, quae non de eventu, sed de con scientia probanda est? Cum ergo propterea oderunt homines, quia ignorant, quale sit quod oderunt, cur non liceat eiusmodi illud esse, quod non debeant odisse? Ita utrumque ex alterutro redarguimus, et igno rare illos, dum oderunt, et iniuste odisse, dum ignorant. [6] Testimo nium ignorantiae est, quae iniquitatem dum excusat, condemnat, cum omnes, qui retro oderant, quia ignorabant, quale sit quod oderant, simul desinunt ignorare, cessant et odisse. Ex his fiunt Christiani, utique de comperto, et incipiunt odisse quod fuerant et profiteri quod oderant; et sunt tanti, quanti et denotamur: [7] Obsessam vociferan tur civitatem; in agris, in castellis, in insulis Christianos; omnem sexum, aetatem, condicionem, etiam dignitatem transgredi ad hoc nomen
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- 201r Chapter I. [1] Rulers of the Roman Empire, if, seated for the administration of justice on your lofty tribunal, under the gaze of every eye, and occupying there all but the highest position in the state, you may not openly inquire into and sift before the world the real truth in regard to the charges made against the Christians; if in this case alone you are afraid or ashamed to exercise your authority in making public inquiry with the carefulness which becomes justice; if, finally, the extreme severities inflicted on our people in recently private judgments, stand in the way of our being permitted to defend ourselves before you, you cannot surely forbid the Truth to reach your ears by the secret pathway of a noiseless book. [2] She has no appeals to make to you in regard of her condition, for that does not excite her wonder. She knows that she is but a sojourner on the earth, and that among strangers she naturally finds foes; and more than this, that her origin, her dwelling-place, her hope, her recompense, her honours, are above. One thing, meanwhile, she anxiously desires of earthly rulers-not to be condemned unknown. [3] What harm can it do to the laws, supreme in their domain, to give her a hearing? Nay, for that part of it, will not their absolute supremacy be more conspicuous in their condemning her, even after she has made her plea? But if, unheard, sentence is pronounced against her, besides the odium of an unjust deed, you will incur the merited suspicion of doing it with some idea that it is unjust, as not wishing to hear what you may not be able to hear and condemn. [4] We lay this before you as the first ground on which we urge that your hatred to the name of Christian is unjust. And the very reason which seems to excuse this injustice (I mean ignorance) at once aggravates and convicts it. For what is there more unfair than to hate a thing of which you know nothing, even though it deserve to be hated? Hatred is only merited when it is known to be merited. [5] But without that knowledge, whence is its justice to be vindicated? for that is to be proved, not from the mere fact that an aversion exists, but from acquaintance with the subject. When men, then, give way to a dislike simply because they are entirely ignorant of the nature of the thing disliked, why may it not be precisely the very sort of thing they should not dislike? So we maintain that they are both ignorant while they hate us, and hate us unrighteously while they continue in ignorance, the one thing being the result of the other either way of it. [6] The proof of their ignorance, at once condemning and excusing their injustice, is this, that those who once hated Christianity because they knew nothing about it, no sooner come to know it than they all lay down at once their enmity. From being its haters they become its disciples. By simply getting acquainted with it, they begin now to hate what they had formerly been, and to profess what they had formerly hated; and their numbers are as great as are laid to our charge. [7] The outcry is that the State is filled with Christians-that they are in the fields, in the citadels, in the islands: they make lamentation, as for some calamity, that both sexes, every age and condition, even high rank, are passing over to the 201v quasi detrimento maerent. [8] Nec tamen hoc ipso ad aestimationem alicuius latentis boni promovent animos. Non licet rectius suspicari, non libet prop[r]ius experiri. Hic tantum curiositas huma na torpescit: Amant ignorare, cum alii gaudeant cognovisse. Quanto magis hos Anacharsis denotasset imprudentes de pruden tibus iudicantes quam immusicos de musicis! [9] Malunt nescire, quia iam oderunt. Adeo quod nesciant, praeiudicant id esse, quod, si sciant, odisse non poterant ---- quando, si nullum odii debitum deprehendatur, optimum utique sit desinere iniuste odisse, si vero de merito constet, non modo nihil odii detrahatur, sed amplius adquiratur ad per severantiam, etiam iustitiae ipsius auctoritate. [10] "Sed non ideo", inquit, "bo num, quia multos convertit; quanti enim ad malum performantur! Quanti transfugae in perversum!" Quis negat? Tamen quod vere malum est, ne ipsi quidem, quos rapit, defendere pro bono audent. Omne malum aut timore aut pudore natura perfudit. [11] Denique malefici gestiunt latere, devi tant apparere; trepidant deprehensi, negant accusati, ne torti quidem facile aut semper confitentur, certe damnati maerent: Dinu merant in semet ipsos mentis malae impetus, [ignaviam] vel fato vel astris imputant; nolunt enim suum esse, quod malum agnoscunt. [12] Christianus vero quid simile? Neminem pudet, neminem paenitet, nisi plane retro non fuisse; si denotatur, gloriatur; si accusatur, non defen dit; interrogatus vel ultro confitetur; damnatus gratias agit. [13] Quid hoc mali est, quod naturalia mali non habet, timorem, pudo rem, tergiversationem, paenitentiam deplorationem? Quod hoc malum est, cuius reus gaudet, cuius accusatio votum est et poena felicitas? Non po tes dementiam dicere, qui revinceris ignorare. II. [1] Si certum est denique nos nocentissimos esse, cur a vobis ipsis aliter tractamur quam pares nostri, id est ceteri nocentes, cum eiusdem noxae eadem tractatio deberet intervenire? [2] Quodcumque dicimur, cum alii dicuntur, et proprio ore et mercen naria advocatione utuntur ad innocentiae suae commendationem; respondendi, altercandi facultas patet, quando nec liceat in defensos et inauditos omnino damnari. [3] Sed Christianis solis nihil per mittitur loqui quod causam purget, quod veritatem defendat, quod iudi cem non faciat iniustum; sed illud solum expectatur, quod odio pub lico necessarium est: Confessio nominis, non examinatio criminis ---- [4] quando, si de aliquo nocente cognoscatis, non statim confesso eo nomen homi cidae vel sacrilegi vel incesti vel publici hostis, ut de nostris 201v profession of the Christian faith; [8] and yet for all, their minds are not awakened to the thought of some good they have failed to notice in it. They must not allow any truer suspicions to cross their minds; they have no desire to make closer trial. Here alone the curiosity of human nature slumbers. [9] They like to be ignorant, though to others the knowledge has been bliss. Anacharsis reproved the rude venturing to criticise the cultured; how much more this judging of those who know, by men who are entirely ignorant, might he have denounced! Because they already dislike, they want to know no more. Thus they prejudge that of which they are ignorant to be such, that, if they came to know it, it could no longer be the object of their aversion; since, if inquiry finds nothing worthy of dislike, it is certainly proper to cease from an unjust dislike, while if its bad character comes plainly out, instead of the detestation entertained for it being thus diminished, a stronger reason for perseverance in that detestation is obtained, even under the authority of justice itself. [10] But, says one, a thing is not good merely because multitudes go over to it; for how many have the bent of their nature towards whatever is bad! how many go astray into ways of error! It is undoubted. Yet a thing that is thoroughly evil, not even those whom it carries away venture to defend as good. Nature throws a veil either of fear or shame over all evil. [11] For instance, you find that criminals are eager to conceal themselves, avoid appearing in public, are in trepidation when they are caught, deny their guilt, when they are accused; even when they are put to the rack, they do not easily or always confess; when there is no doubt about their condemnation, they grieve for what they have done. In their self-communings they admit their being impelled by sinful dispositions, but they lay the blame either on fate or on the stars. They are unwilling to acknowledge that the thing is theirs, because they own that it is wicked. [12] But what is there like this in the Christian's case? The only shame or regret he feels, is at not having been a Christian earlier. If he is pointed out, he glories in it; if he is accused, he offers no defence; interrogated, he makes voluntary confession; condemned he renders thanks. What sort of evil thing is this, which wants all the ordinary peculiarities of evil-fear, shame, subterfuge, penitence, lamenting? [13] What! is that a crime in which the criminal rejoices? to be accused of which is his ardent wish, to be punished for which is his felicity? You cannot call it madness, you who stand convicted of knowing nothing of the matter. Chapter II. [1] If, again, it is certain that we are the most wicked of men, why do you treat us so differently from our fellows, that is, from other criminals, it being only fair that the same crime should get the same treatment? [2] When the charges made against us are made against others, they are permitted to make use both of their own lips and of hired pleaders to show their innocence. They have full opportunity of answer and debate; in fact, it is against the law to condemn anybody undefended and unheard. [3] Christians alone are forbidden to say anything in exculpation of themselves, in defence of the truth, to help the judge to a righteous decision; all that is cared about is having what the public hatred demands-the confession of the name, not examination of the charge: [4] while in your ordinary judicial investigations, on a man's confession of the crime of murder, or sacrilege, or incest, or treason, to take the points of which we are accused, 202r elogiis loquar, contenti sitis ad pronuntiandum, nisi et consequentia exigatis, qualitatem facti, numerum, locum, tempus, conscios, socios. [5] De nobis nihil tale, cum aeque extorqueri oporteret quod cum falso iactatur, quot quisque iam infanticidia degustasset, quot incesta contenebrasset, qui coqui, qui canes affuissent. O quanta illius praesidis gloria, si eruisset aliquem, qui centum iam infantes comedisset! [6] Atquin invenimus inquisitionem quoque in nos prohibitam. Plinius enim Secundus, cum provinciam regeret, damnatis quibusdam Christianis, quibusdam gradu pulsis, ipsa tamen multitudine perturbatus, quid de cetero ageret, consuluit tunc Traianum imperatorem, adlegans praeter obstinationem non sacrificandi nihil aliud se de sacramentis eorum comperisse quam coetus antelucanos ad canendum Christo ut deo et ad confoederandam disciplinam, homicidium adulterium fraudem perfidiam et cetera scelera prohibentes. [7] Tunc Traianus rescripsit hoc genus inquirendos quidem non esse, oblatos vero puniri oportere. [8] O sententiam necessitate confusam! Negat inquirendos ut innocentes et mandat puniendos ut nocentes. Parcit et saevit, dissimulat et animadvertit. Quid temet ipsam, censura, circumvenis? Si damnas, cur non et inquiris? Si non inquiris, cur non et absolvis? Latronibus vestigandis per universas provincias militaris statio sortitur, in reos maiestatis et publicos hostes omnis homo miles est: Ad socios, ad conscios usque inquisitio extenditur. [9] Solum Christianum inquiri non licet, offerri licet, quasi aliud esset actura inquisitio quam oblationem. Damnatis itaque oblatum, quem nemo voluit requisitum; qui, puto, iam non ideo meruit poenam, quia nocens est, sed quia non requirendus inventus est. [10] Itaque nec in illo ex forma malorum iudicandorum agitis erga nos, quod ceteris negantibus tormenta adhibetis ad confitendum, solis Christianis ad negandum, cum, si malum esset, nos quidem negaremus, vos vero confiteri tormentis compelleretis. f163v Neque enim ideo non putaretis requirenda quaestionibus scelera, quia certi essetis admitti ea ex nominis confessione, qui hodie de confesso homicida, scientes homicidium quid sit, nihilominus ordinem extorquetis admissi. [11] Quo perversius, cum praesumatis de sceleribus nostris ex nominis confessione, cogitis tormentis de confessione decedere, ut negantes nomen pariter utique negemus et scelera, de quibus ex confessione nominis praesumpseratis. [12] Sed, opinor, non vultis nos perire, quos pessimos creditis. Sic enim soletis dicere homicidae: "Nega", laniari 202r you are not content to proceed at once to sentence,-you do not take that step till you thoroughly examine the circumstances of the confession-what is the real character of the deed, how often, where, in what way, when he has done it, who were privy to it, and who actually took part with him in it. 202v 202v |