Pars 3, Cap. 9
Breviloquium · Pars III: De corruptela peccati
Capitulum IX. De origine et distinctione capitalium peccatorum.
Consequenter descendendum est ad ortum peccatorum in speciali; inter quae quaedam sunt capitalia, quaedam poenalia, quaedam finalia sive irremissibilia, quasi prima, media et postrema1.
Circa ortum capitalium peccatorum hoc in summa tenendum est, quod peccatorum actualium unum est initium, duplex radix, triplex fomentum, septiforme caput sive capitale peccatum.
Unum est initium, scilicet superbia, iuxta quod scriptum est2: Initium omnis peccati est superbia; duplex radix, scilicet timor male humilians et amor male accendens; triplex fomentum, secundum tria, quae sunt in mundo, scilicet concupiscentia carnis, concupiscentia oculorum et superbia vitae; septiforme autem caput, scilicet superbia, invidia, ira, accidia, avaritia, gula et luxuria. Inter quae quinque praecedentia sunt peccata spiritualia, duo vero ultima carnalia.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia, cum peccatum mortale sit actualis recessus a primo principio; recedere3 autem a primo principio non potest esse nisi per contemptum ipsius vel in se ipso, vel in suo praecepto; contemptus autem primi principii est superbia: necesse est igitur, quod omnis mortalis culpa seu offensa initium sumat a superbia.
Quia vero nullus contemnit principium summum, vel eius praeceptum per se, nisi per hoc, quod aliquid aliud ab ipso vel vult acquirere, vel timet perdere: hinc est, quod necesse est, omne peccatum actuale originem trahere a duplici radice, scilicet timore et amore; quae radices sunt malorum, licet non aeque primae.
Nam omnis timor ortum habet ab amore; nullus enim timet aliquid perdere, nisi quia amat illud habere4; et ideo timor habet foveri per ea, per quae fovetur et amor. Amor autem inordinatus est respectu commutabilis boni; et quoniam illud est triplex: interius, scilicet excellentia; exterius, pecunia; inferius, carnis lascivia: hinc est, quod necesse est, tria esse radicalia fomenta actualium peccatorum, quae superius praetacta sunt, ad quae dum anima inordinate fertur, omnia peccata actualia oriuntur.
Et quia hoc fit secundum septiformem modum, ideo septem sunt capitalia peccata; ex quibus generatur universitas vitiorum. Voluntas enim nostra aut deordinatur, quia appetit quod non est appetendum, aut quia refugit quod non est refugiendum. Si quia appetit quod non est appetendum, utpote bonum ut nunc seu commutabile seu apparens bonum; aut est interius, et sic est privata excellentia, quam amat superbia; aut est exterius, et sic est sufficientia, quam amat avaritia; aut inferius5, et sic aut delectabile, quia est ad conservationem individui, et sic est alimentum, quod est delectabile secundum gustum et appetitur a gula; aut quia est ad conservationem speciei, et sic est coitus, qui est delectabilis secundum tactum et appetitur a luxuria. — Si autem voluntas deordinatur, quia refugit quod non est refugiendum; hoc potest esse tripliciter, secundum triplicem modum refugiendi. Aut enim refugit secundum perversum instinctum rationalis, et sic est invidia; aut secundum instinctum irascibilis, et sic est ira; aut secundum instinctum concupiscibilis, et sic est accidia. Unde quia quatuor sunt principalia appetibilia et tres vires, secundum quarum instinctum est fuga6; ideo tantum septem sunt peccata capitalia.
Rursus, quia sensus rei appetibilis est cum delectactione, sensus autem rei fugiendae est cum dolore; hinc est, quod quatuor habent coniunctam laetitiam, tria vero alia habent adiunctam tristitiam et poenam; omnia tamen dicuntur capitalia, quia deordinationes sunt principales et multarum aliarum deordinationum principia suo modo influentia. Unde licet quaedam ex his principaliter fugam respiciant, habent tamen et ipsa delectabilia sua. Nam invidia vult privatum bonum possidere sine socio, et ita integraliter; ira sine contrario, et ita imperturbabiliter; accidia sine labore aliquo, et ita infatigabiliter. Et quia hoc non de facili obtinent7, ideo magnum exercitum secum trahunt vitiorum ad huiusmodi quae appetunt consequenda, vel ad ea quae respuunt declinanda, respectu quorum dicuntur peccata capitalia, quasi capita, ex quibus alia manant quam plurima.
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Chapter IX. On the origin and distinction of the capital sins.
Next we must come down to the origin of sins in particular; among which some are capital, some penal, some final or irremissible, as it were first, middle and last1.
Concerning the origin of the capital sins this is to be held in summary: that of actual sins there is one beginning, a twofold root, a threefold fuel, and a sevenfold head or capital sin.
There is one beginning, namely pride, according to what is written2: The beginning of every sin is pride; a twofold root, namely fear that humbles badly and love that inflames badly; a threefold fuel, according to the three things that are in the world, namely the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life; and a sevenfold head, namely pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony and lust. Among which the five preceding are spiritual sins, but the two last carnal.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since mortal sin is an actual withdrawal from the first principle; and to withdraw3 from the first principle cannot be except through contempt of it, either in itself or in its precept; and contempt of the first principle is pride: it is necessary, therefore, that every mortal fault or offence take its beginning from pride.
But because no one despises the supreme principle, or its precept, of itself, except through this, that he either wills to acquire, or fears to lose, something else besides it: hence it is that it is necessary that every actual sin draw its origin from a twofold root, namely from fear and love; which roots are the roots of evils, although not equally first.
For all fear takes its rise from love; for no one fears to lose anything except because he loves to have it4; and therefore fear has to be fostered by those things by which love too is fostered. But inordinate love is with respect to the changeable good; and since that is threefold — inward, namely excellence; outward, money; lower, the flesh's wantonness — hence it is that there must needs be three radical fuels of actual sins, which were touched on above, and when the soul is borne toward them inordinately, all actual sins arise.
And because this comes about in a sevenfold manner, therefore there are seven capital sins, from which the whole array of vices is generated. For our will is put out of order either because it desires what is not to be desired, or because it shuns what is not to be shunned. If because it desires what is not to be desired — as, for instance, a good as-of-now, or a changeable or apparent good — this is either inward, and so it is private excellence, which pride loves; or it is outward, and so it is sufficiency, which avarice loves; or it is lower5, and so either it is delightful because it is for the preservation of the individual, and so it is food, which is delightful according to taste and is desired by gluttony; or because it is for the preservation of the species, and so it is intercourse, which is delightful according to touch and is desired by lust. — But if the will is put out of order because it shuns what is not to be shunned, this can be in three ways, according to the threefold manner of shunning. For it shuns either according to the perverse instinct of the rational power, and so it is envy; or according to the instinct of the irascible, and so it is anger; or according to the instinct of the concupiscible, and so it is sloth. Hence, because there are four principal objects of desire and three powers, according to whose instinct flight is6, therefore there are only seven capital sins.
Again, because the sensing of a desirable thing is with delight, but the sensing of a thing to be fled is with pain, hence it is that four have joy joined to them, but the three others have sadness and penalty attached; yet all are called capital, because they are principal disorderings and, in their own way, the influencing principles of many other disorderings. Hence, although some of these principally regard flight, they too have nevertheless their own delightful objects. For envy wills to possess a private good without a sharer, and so entirely; anger, without an adversary, and so undisturbedly; sloth, without any labor, and so untiringly. And because they do not easily obtain this7, therefore they draw with them a great army of vices for the attaining of the things of this sort which they desire, or for the avoiding of those which they reject; with respect to which they are called capital sins, as it were heads, from which very many others flow.
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- 1De his tribus agitur hic et 2 seqq. capp.These three are treated here and in the 2 following chapters.
- 2Eccli. 10, 15. — Seq. locus est I. Ioan. 2, 16. — De timore male humiliante et amore etc. vide tom. II. pag. 146, nota 7; de capitalibus peccatis II. Sent. d. 42. dub. 3. et 4.Ecclus. 10:15. — The following passage is I John 2:16. — On fear that humbles badly and on love, etc., see tom. II, p. 146, note 7; on the capital sins, II Sent., d. 42, dub. 3 and 4.
- 3Ita A C K M P S W, alii codd. et edd. recessus. Mox pro potest et subinde pro est superbia nonnulli codd., ut I L, possit et sit superbia (Vat., 1, 3 et aliqui codd. cum sit superbia). Inferius pro principium summum L M O primum principium, A I Q S et 2 primum principium [A Q 2 addunt vel] summum, aliae edd. primum et summum principium.Thus A C K M P S W; the other codices and the editions have recessus. Shortly after, for potest, and then for est superbia, some codices, such as I L, have possit and sit superbia (the Vatican edition, editions 1 and 3, and some codices, cum sit superbia). Below, for principium summum, L M O have primum principium; A I Q S and edition 2, primum principium [A Q and 2 add vel] summum; the other editions, primum et summum principium.
- 4August., XIV. de Civ. Dei, c. 7. n. 2: Amor ergo... fugiens quod ei adversatur, timor est. Libr. de Beata Vita, n. 11. ipse ait: Ergo quod amat quisque, si amittere potest, potestne non timere? Non potest. Cfr. tom. III. pag. 766, nota 5.Augustine, On the City of God XIV, c. 7, n. 2: "Love, therefore… fleeing what is opposed to it, is fear." In the book On the Happy Life, n. 11, he himself says: "Therefore, what each one loves, if he can lose it, can he not fear? He cannot." Cf. tom. III, p. 766, note 5.
- 5H addit quod est carnis lascivia (cfr. paulo superius).H adds quod est carnis lascivia ["which is the flesh's wantonness"] (cf. a little above).
- 6L M O V est omnis fuga. Superius plures codd. omittunt perversum. Inferius ex S et 2 ante appetibilis supplevimus rei.L M O V have est omnis fuga. Above, several codices omit perversum. Below, from S and edition 2 we have supplied rei before appetibilis.
- 7Ita S (scil. privatum bonum possidere), alii codd. et edd. haec non de facili obtinentur. Mox pro exercitum Vat. cum pluribus codd. perperam exercitium. Subinde pro exsequenda substituimus cum H T consequenda, 2 assequenda.Thus S (namely, privatum bonum possidere); the other codices and the editions have haec non de facili obtinentur. Shortly after, for exercitum, the Vatican edition together with several codices wrongly has exercitium. Then, for exsequenda, we have substituted, with H T, consequenda; edition 2 has assequenda. ---