Cap. 7, Vers. 2-7
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/15/d/7/q/bon-eccl-c7-v2-7
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#### Secondly are set forth the teachings of wisdom, through which a remedy is applied against the vanity of folly.

*A good name is better.* Above he set down the manner of learning; here, secondly, he subjoins *the teachings of wisdom,* through which a remedy is applied against the vanity of folly. And since, as is said in Wisdom, the eighth chapter, « wisdom teacheth sobriety, prudence, justice and virtue », or fortitude; therefore this part has four parts. In the first he sets down teachings for having *modesty;* in the second, for having *constancy,* at: *Calumny* etc.; in the third, for having *prudence,* at: *Say not, What thinkest thou is the cause that* etc.; in the fourth, for having *justice,* at: *Be not over just* etc.

#### First are set down five teachings for having modesty.

Now for having *modesty* he gives five teachings. In the first he teaches to prefer *the honourable* to the sweet; in the second, *the future life* to the present; in the third, *affliction* to pleasure; in the fourth, *sadness* to pleasantness; in the fifth, *severity* to softness or flattery.

(Vers. 2.). He sets down, then, the teaching in which he teaches to prefer *the honourable,* as for instance a good name is, *to the sweet,* as for instance ointment is; therefore he says: *A good name is better,* that is, good repute shown forth by the good, of which Ecclesiasticus, the forty-first chapter: « Take care of a good name: for this shall continue with thee more than a thousand treasures precious and great ». *Than precious ointments,* which, namely, are very fragrant, according to what is said in John, the twelfth chapter: « Mary took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment »; and although ointments are fragrant, yet a good name is more so, therefore better; the second epistle to the Corinthians, the second chapter: « We are the good odour of Christ unto God in every place », namely as to good repute.

*And the day of death.* Here is noted the second teaching, in which he prefers *the future life to the present,* and so the entrance into the other life to the entrance into this one. And therefore he says: *And the day of death,* supply: is better *than the day of one's birth,* because *one dies in order to rest;* the Apocalypse, the fourteenth chapter: « Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; from henceforth, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours ». But here *one is born in order to labour;* Job, the fifth chapter: « Man is born to labour, and the bird to fly »; and therefore it is better; whence Ecclesiasticus, the thirtieth chapter: « Death is better than a bitter life, and everlasting rest than continual sickness ».

(Vers. 3.). *It is better to go to the house of mourning* etc. Here is noted the third teaching, in which he prefers *affliction to pleasure,* as for instance mourning to feasting. On account of which he says: *It is better to go to the house of mourning,* where sins are mourned, because Matthew, the fifth chapter: « Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted »; *than to the house of feasting,* where delights are found; Proverbs, the twenty-third chapter: « Be not in the feasts of great drinkers » etc. And the reason for this is: because at feasts a man forgets himself, in the house of mourning he remembers his judgement; and therefore he adds: *For in that,* namely in the house of mourning, *the end of all men is called to mind;* Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-eighth chapter: « Be mindful of my judgement; for so shall thine also be. Today is mine, tomorrow shall be thine ». *And the living thinketh what is to come.* And this is most useful; whence Ecclesiasticus, the seventh chapter: « Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin »; and therefore it is said in Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-eighth chapter: « Remember the last things and forget not », because, as Jerome says, « he easily despises all things who always thinks that he is to die ».

(Vers. 4. 5.). *Anger is better than laughter.* Here is noted the fourth teaching, in which he prefers *sadness to pleasantness;* because the former, namely sadness, corrects, and pleasantness deceives. And therefore he says: *Anger is better than laughter, anger,* namely, by which one is angry at the sins of others; to the Hebrews, the twelfth chapter: « He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth »; and the Apocalypse, the third chapter: « Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise ». This anger is better than the laughter of dissimulation; Ecclesiasticus, the thirtieth chapter: « Play with thy son, and he will make thee sorrowful » etc.; and therefore: *Anger is better.* And the reason is given: *Because by the sadness of the countenance the mind of the offender is corrected;* Proverbs, the twenty-fifth chapter: « The north wind driveth away rain, and a sad countenance a backbiting tongue ». — And he confirms this teaching by the judgement of the wise man; whence he says: *The heart of the wise is where there is sadness;* but on the contrary: *The heart of fools where there is mirth;* the former seek sad things in the present, the latter pleasant things; John, the sixteenth chapter: « You shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice ». And that the former act wisely, the latter foolishly, is clear from the outcome, because it is said to the sad in Luke, the sixth chapter: « Blessed are ye that now

weep, for you shall laugh »; on the contrary, to those who rejoice: « Woe to you that laugh, for you shall weep ».

(Vers. 6. 7.). *It is better to be rebuked by a wise man.* Here is noted the fifth teaching, by which *severity is preferred to softness,* as for instance harsh rebuke to flattery. On account of which he says: *It is better to be rebuked by a wise man than to be deceived by the flattery of fools;* Proverbs, the twenty-seventh chapter: « Better is open rebuke than hidden love », because rebuke directs, but flattery deceives; Proverbs, the sixteenth chapter: « An unjust man allureth his friend and leadeth him into a way that is not good »; and Isaias, the third chapter: « O my people, they that call thee blessed, the same deceive thee » etc. — And he gives the reason through a likeness: because the flattery of a fool lasts little and sounds much, like thorns kindled under a pot; therefore he says: *For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,* it sounds loudly, *so is the laughter of a fool.* According to the letter, the fool laughs loudly; Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-first chapter: « A fool lifteth up his voice in laughter, but a wise man will scarce laugh silently ». Or: the laughter is loud when the flattery is clamorous; Proverbs, the twenty-seventh chapter: « He that blesseth his neighbour with a loud voice, rising in the night, shall be like to him that curseth ». *But this also is vanity,* namely such flattery; in the Psalm: « Vain are the sons of men, the sons of men are liars ».

### Questions.

I. It is asked concerning what is said: *The day of death is better than the day of birth.*

**On the contrary:** 1. Death is a privation, life is a habit; but a habit always has more of entity and goodness than a privation: therefore life is better than death: therefore the day of birth is better.

2. Likewise, there is a rule that « of that whose corruption is good, the generation is bad »; but death is the corruption of life: therefore of the one whose death is good, the life is bad. But the life of no one but a sinner is bad: therefore of no one but a sinner is death better than life; but this is false, because the sinner by dying tends to hell.

**I respond:** It must be said that one thing is preferred to another sometimes *by reason of itself,* sometimes *by reason of what follows upon it.* That is to be preferred to another *by reason of itself* which of itself bespeaks more of good, as a man is better than a horse. In the other way, *by reason of what follows,* and thus death is preferred to life, and that dissolution, namely death, upon which follows rest *and to be with Christ*. And it is of this death that he speaks here, because in life man is in danger, in labour and sorrow; after death the just man is in joy, security and tranquillity.

1. And the response to the first is clear, because death is not preferred *by reason of itself.*

2. What he objects secondly can be solved likewise. For death is called bad in two ways: either because it takes away a great good, namely a good life, as of the true and useful good; or because it leads to a bad end. In the first way the death of the just is bad, that is, damaging, but in the second way very good; and as to this it is preferred.

II. Likewise it is asked concerning what he says: *Anger is better than laughter.*

**On the contrary:** 1. Matthew, the fifth chapter: *Whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgement;* but one who laughs along is not liable to any penalty: therefore it is worse to be angry than to laugh.

2. Likewise, *to laugh* can be without fault; but *to be angry,* since it bespeaks a disturbance of reason, is scarcely without venial fault, and never without penalty: therefore it is much worse than laughter.

**I respond:** It must be said that there is *being angry at vice* and *being angry at nature;* the first is of virtue and good, the second of vice and bad. Likewise there is *smiling upon the good* and *laughing along with sin;* the first, good; the second, bad. And he speaks of anger and laughter according as evil is regarded.

But then he could likewise give another rule with respect to the good: laughter is better than anger. — And it must be said that in the present there are more evil things than good: therefore one ought to be sad more than to rejoice, therefore he prefers anger to laughter.

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