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The Latin reading blog: A warning for women concerning their dress.
Caesarius of Heisterbach (c. 1180 -1240) collected a large body of miracle stories in his Dialogus miraculorum. These stories were set as a dialogue between a monk and a novice and were intended to instruct novices. The following story is about a woman attending church in a far too pompous dress. So pompous that little devils are jumping on the train of her dress. The parish priest celebrating mass with his flock decides to take action…
Next time when I see a woman in pompous dress, I will look with different eyes and see little devils all over her!
Caesarius of Heisterbach, Dialogus miraculorum V.7
Retulit mihi quidam civis honestus, asserens suis temporibus Maguntiae, si bene memini, hoc quod dicturus sum contigisse veraciter. Die quadam Dominica, cum sacerdos in ecclesia, cuius erat plebanus, circumiret, et aqua benedicta populum aspergeret, ad ostium ecclesiae veniens, matro-
nam quandam pompatice venientem, et ad similitudinem pavonis variis ornamentis pictam obviam habuit. In cuius cauda vestimentorum , quam trahebat post se longissimam, multitudinem daemonum residere conspexit. Erant enim parvi ut glires, nigri sicut Aethyopes, ore cachinnantes, manibus plaudantes, et sicut pisces intra sagenam conclusi saltantes. Revera ornatus muliebris sagena diaboli est. Quod ut vidit, daemonum quadrigam foris exspectare fecit; plebem advocavit,
daemones ne fugerent adiuravit. Territa iiia stetit, et ut visiones populus videre mereretur, quia vir bonus ac iustus fuit, orationibus obtinuit. Intelligens mulier ob vestimentorum superbiam sic se a daemonibus derisam, domum rediit, vestimenta mutavit, et tam ipsi quam ceteris feminis
eadem visio occasio facta est humilitatis.
refero – retuli – relatum: to tell
dies Dominica: Sunday (note the gender: dies is normally masculine in Classical Latin.)
aqua benedicta (abl!): holy water
aspergo aspersi aspersum: to sprinkle
matronam… obviam habuit: he encountered a woman
pompatice: in a pompous way
pavo pavonis (f.): peacock
cauda vestimentorum: litt. the tail of her clothing: train.
glis gliris: hazel dormouse (a small kind of mouse)
cachinno: to laugh loudly
sagena: a large fishing-net
ornatus –us (m.): splendid dress
daemonum quadrigam foris exspectare fecit: he ordered (fecit) the `chariot of demons’  to wait outside (That is outside the church. Quite convenient for the demons that that lady stood at the entrance.)
plebem advocavit, daemones ne fugerent adiuravit = plebem advocavit et adiuravit daemones ne fugerent
advoco: to call nearby
adiuro: to swear, adjure (this word is used in exorcising)
et ut visiones populus videre mereretur, quia vir bonus ac iustus fuit, orationibus obtinuit = et orationibus obtinuit, quia vir bonus ac iustus fuit ur populus mereretur visiones videre: and he obtained by prayers…. that the people were worthy (mereretur) to see the appearances (As a priest he could see devils, but other people not.)
derido - derisi - derisum: to make ridiculous
et tam ipsi quam ceteris feminis eadem visio occasio facta est humilitatis: (litt.) and that very same appearance was both for her and the other women was made an occasion for humility.
Of course the novice was deeply impressed by this story!
As a theologian I can clearly see the devils!
Posted by Leo Tepper at 05:50
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caesarius of heisterbach (1)
early christian latin (1)
gregory of tours (6)
johannis de capua (2)
paulinus of nola (1)
pliny the younger (4)
Walter of Ch√Ętillon (1)
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