be banished from my ears, aye, and from those of the Church itself; and that mode seems to me safer, which I remember to have been often told me of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, who made the reader of the psalm intone with so slight an inflection of voice, that it was more like recitation than chanting. Yet again, when I remember the tears which I poured forth at the chants of Thy church, in the beginnings of my recovery of the Faith, and how even now I am moved, not with the singing, but with the things sung, when they are sung with a clear voice and well suited melody, I realise again the great advantage of this institution. Thus I hesitate between the danger of mere enjoyment, and my experience of their wholesomeness; and I am more drawn, though not now declaring an irrevocable opinion, to approve of the custom of chanting in church, that so by the delight of the ears, the weaker minds may rise to the feeling of devotion. Yet when it befalls me to be more moved with the singing, than with the words which are being sung, I confess that I sin grievously, and then I would prefer not to hear the chanter. See now how I am placed. Weep with me, and weep for me, ye who order aright the good within, whence actions proceed. You who do not so act, these things do not affect. But Thou, O Lord my God, hearken; behold, and see, and "have mercy and heal me" (Ps. vi. 2), Thou, in whose presence I am made an enigma to myself; and "this is my infirmity (Ps. lxxvii. 10).

THE

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Concerning pleasures of the eyes.

HERE remains the pleasure of these eyes of my flesh, concerning which I will make confessions which the ears of Thy temple, ears fraternal and devout, may hear, and so bring to an end the temptations of the "lust of the flesh," which yet assail me, "groaning, and desiring to be clothed upon with my house which is from heaven" (2 Cor. v. 2). The eyes love fair and varied forms, and bright and pleasing colours. Let not these possess my soul; let God rather possess it, who made these things very good indeed, yet is He my good, not they. And these affect me,

waking, the whole day, nor is any rest given me from them, as there is from musical, sometimes, in silence, from all voices. For the light, the very queen of colours, suffusing all that we behold, wherever I am through the day, charms me by its varied play, even when busy upon something else, and not thinking of it. Indeed so greatly doth it ingratiate itself, that if it be suddenly withdrawn, it is regretfully sought for; and if absent long, saddeneth the mind.

O Thou Light, which Tobias saw, when though these eyes were blinded, he used to teach his son the way of life; and went before him on the foot of charity, never straying; or which Isaac saw, his fleshly "eyes being dim" and closed by old age, when it was permitted him to bless his sons without recognising them, but in blessing to recognise them; or which Jacob saw, when he also, blind through great age, with illumined heart, threw light upon the tribes of the people that should be, foreshewn in the persons of his sons; and laid his hands upon his grandsons by Joseph, mystically crossed, not as their father by his outward eye wanted to correct them, but according to his own inward discernment! This is light, one it is, and one are all who see and love it. But that corporeal light of which I was speaking seasoneth the life of this world for her blind lovers, with an enticing and dangerous sweetness. But they who know how to praise Thee for it, "O God who hast created all," * take it up in that hymn of Thine, and are not taken up with it in their sleep. Such would I be. These seductions of the eyes I resist, lest my feet wherewith I walk upon Thy way be entangled; and I lift up mine invisible eyes to Thee, that Thou wouldest" pluck my feet out of the net" (Ps. xxv. 15), Thou dost repeatedly pluck them out, for they are ensnared. Thou ceasest not to pluck them out, though I often am taken in snares scattered on all sides; because "Thou that keepest Israel shalt neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps. cxxi. 4).

What numberless things made by various arts and crafts, in vestures, shoes, vessels, and manufactures of all kinds, pictures too, and divers images, and these far exceeding all necessary and moderate use and all pious meaning, have men added to the enticements of the eyes; outwardly

* See ante, Book ix., cap. xii.

following what themselves make, inwardly forsaking Him by whom themselves were made, and destroying that which themselves have been made! But I, my God and my Beauty, do hence also sing a hymn to Thee, and do sacrifice praise to Him who sanctifieth me; because those beautiful things which are conveyed through men's souls to the hands of artificers, come from that Beauty, Which is above our souls, for which my soul by day and night doth sigh. But those who make and those who pursue these outward beauties draw thence indeed the means of appreciating them, but draw not thence the means of using them. And He is there, though they perceive Him not, that so they might not wander, but "keep their strength for Thee" (Ps. lviii. 10, Vulg.), and not scatter it abroad upon delicious wearinesses. And I, though I speak and see this, entangle my steps with these beauties; but Thou pluckest me out, O Lord, Thou pluckest me out; "because Thy loving-kindness is before my eyes" (Ps. xxvi. 3). For I am taken miserably, and Thou pluckest me out mercifully, though sometimes, when I had fallen lightly upon them, I perceive it not; sometimes with pain, because I had stuck fast in them.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Concerning the temptation of curiosity.

To this is added another form of temptation more manifoldly dangerous. For besides that lust of the flesh which consists in the delight of all senses and pleasures, wherein its slaves, who go far from Thee, waste and perish, there is in the soul, by means of the same senses of the body, a certain vain and curious desire, cloaked under the title of knowledge and science, not of delighting in the flesh, but of acquiring experience through the flesh. And because this is situated in the appetite for knowing, and the eyes are chief among the senses as sources of knowledge, it is called in the Divine language, "The lust of the eyes' (1 S. John ii. 16). For, to see, belongeth properly to the eyes alone. Yet we make use of this word also of the other senses, when we employ them in seeking knowledge. For we do not say, hark how it flashes, or smell how it

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glows, or taste how it shines, or feel how it gleams; for all these are said to be seen. And yet we say not only, see how it shines, which the eyes alone can perceive; but also, see how it sounds, see how it smells, see how it tastes, see how hard it is. And so the general experience of the senses, as was said, is called "The lust of the eyes," because the office of seeing, wherein the eyes hold the first place, the other senses by a sort of comparison adopt for themselves, when they are seeking a knowledge of anything.

But by this may more evidently be discerned, wherein pleasure and wherein curiosity is the object of the senses; for pleasure seeketh objects beautiful, melodious, fragrant, savoury, soft; but curiosity, the opposites also of all these, for the sake of making trial of them, not with the object of undergoing annoyance, but from the lust of experiment and knowing. For what pleasure is there in seeing in a mangled corpse what makes one shudder? And yet if it be lying near, they flock thither, to be made sad, and to turn pale. They even fear that they may see it in their dreams; as if any one forced them to see it when they were awake, or any report of its beauty induced them. Thus also in the other senses, which it were long to go through. From this disease of curiosity are certain marvels exhibited in shows. Hence men go on to search out the hidden powers of nature (which is beyond us), which to know profits not, and wherein men desire nothing but to know. Hence is it also, if any perverted knowledge, for the same end, is sought by means of arts magical. Hence also, in religion itself, is God tempted, when signs and wonders are demanded of Him, not desired for any purpose of salvation, but only for the attainment of knowledge.

In this so vast forest, full of snares and perils, behold many of them I have cut away, and driven from my heart, as Thou hast granted me to do, O God of my salvation. And yet when dare I say, since so many things of this kind clamour on every side about our daily life-when dare I say, that nothing of this sort engages my attention, or causes in me an empty interest? True, the theatres do not now carry me away, nor care I to know the transits of the stars, nor did my soul ever seek oracles from ghosts; all sacrilegious rites I detest. From Thee, O Lord my God, to whom I owe humble and single-hearted service, by what

devices and suggestions doth the enemy tamper with me, so that I may seek some sign! But I beseech Thee by our King, and by our pure and holy country, Jerusalem, that as any consenting thereto is far from me, so may it ever be further and further. But when I pray Thee for the salvation of any, my end and intention is far different. Thou givest and wilt give me the will to follow Thee, who doest what Thou wilt.

Notwithstanding, in how many most petty and contemptible things is our curiosity daily tempted, and how often we give way, who can recount? How often do we at first appear to bear with people, telling idle tales, so as not to "offend the weak," and then little by little render an eager attention? I am not now a spectator of a dog coursing a hare, when it is done in the circus; but yet in a field, if I happen to be passing by, that sport will possibly divert my mind from some great subject of thought, and direct it to itself, not forcing me to stray from the road, with the body of my beast, but in the inclination of my mind. And unless Thou, having shown me my infirmity, didst speedily admonish me either through the sight itself, by some contemplation to rise towards Thee, or altogether to despise and pass it by, I grow dull and stupid over it. What, when sitting at home, a lizard catching flies, or a spider entangling them as they rush into her nets, ofttimes takes my attention? Is it true that the thing is not the same, because the creatures are but small? I go on from them to praise Thee the wonderful Creator and Orderer of all things, but this is not what I begin to take notice of. It is one thing to rise quickly, another not to fall. And of such things is my life full; and my one hope is Thy exceeding great mercy. For when our heart becomes the receptacle of such things, and entertains the throngs of this abundant vanity, this causes often interruptions and distractions in our prayers, and whilst in Thy presence we direct the voice of our heart to Thine ears, this so great concern is broken off, by the rushing in of trifling thoughts, I know not whence.