After the faith was broken by the dint

Of the foe’s breathing renegades,¹³⁹⁴

1394 The “foe,” as before, is Satan; his “breathing instruments” are the men whom he uses (cf. Shakespeare’s “no breather” = no man, in the dialogue between Orlando and Jacques, As you Like it, act iii. sc. 2); and they are called “renegades,” like the Evil One himself, because they have deserted from their allegiance to God in Christ.

With wiles the hidden pest¹³⁹⁵

1395 Heresy.

Self-prompted, scornful of the Deity

5  That underlies the sense, he did his plagues

Concoct:  skilled in guile’s path, he mixed his own

Words impious with the sayings of the saints.

And on the good seed sowed his wretched tares,

Thence willing that foul ruin’s every cause

10  Should grow combined; to wit, that with more speed

His own iniquitous deeds he may assign

To God clandestinely, and may impale

On penalties such as his suasion led;

False with true veiling, turning rough with smooth,

15  And, (masking his spear’s point with rosy wreaths,)

Slaying the unwary unforeseen with death

Supreme.  His supreme wickedness is this:

That men, to such a depth of madness sunk!

Off-broken boughs!¹³⁹⁶

1396 Cf. Bible:Rom.11.17-Rom.11.20">John xv. 2, 4, 5, 6; Rom. xi. 17–20.  The writer simply calls them “abruptos homines;” and he seems to mean excommunicated, like Marcion.

20  The endlessly-dread Deity; Christ’s deeds

Sublime should follow with false praise, and blame

The former acts,¹³⁹⁷

1397 i.e., those recorded in the Old Testament.

Ne’er seen before, nor heard, nor in a heart

Conceived;¹³⁹⁸

1398 I have followed Migne’s suggestion here, and transposed one line of the original.  The reference seems to be to Isa. lxiv. 4; quoted in 1 Cor. ii. 9, where the Greek differs somewhat remarkably from the LXX.

25  The impermissible impiety

Of wishing by “wide dissimilitude

Of sense” to prove that the two Testaments

Sound adverse each to other, and the Lord’s

Oppose the prophets’ words; of drawing down

30  All the Law’s cause to infamy; and eke

Of reprobating holy fathers’ life

Of old, whom into friendship, and to share

His gifts, God chose.  Without beginning, one

Is, for its lesser part, accepted.¹³⁹⁹

1399 Unless some line has dropped out here, the construction, harsh enough in my English, is yet harsher in the Latin.  “Accipitur” has no subject of any kind, and one can only guess from what has gone before, and what follows, that it must mean “one Testament.”

35  Of one are four, of four one,¹⁴⁰⁰

1400 Harsh still.  It must refer to the four Gospels—the “coat without seam”—in their quadrate unity; Marcion receiving but one—St. Luke’s—and that without St. Luke’s name, and also in a mutilated and interpolated form.

One part is pleasing, three they (in a word)

Reprobate:  and they seize, in many ways,

On Paul as their own author; yet was he

Urged by a frenzied impulse of his own

40  To his last words:¹⁴⁰¹

1401 This seems to be the sense.  The allusion is to the fact that Marcion and his sect accepted but ten of St. Paul’s Epistles:  leaving out entirely those to Timothy and Titus, and all the other books, except his one Gospel.

Of the old covenant¹⁴⁰²

1402 It seems to me that the reference here must evidently be to the Epistle to the Hebrews, which treats specially of the old covenant.  If so, we have some indication as to the authorship, if not the date, of the book:  for Tertullian himself, though he frequently cites the Epistle, appears to hesitate (to say the least) as to ascribing it to St. Paul.

Because, deservedly, “made gross in heart.”¹⁴⁰³

1403 Comp. Isa. vi. 9, 10, with Acts xxviii. 17–; 29.

Weight apostolic, grace of beaming word,

Dazzles their mind, nor can they possibly

45  Discern the Spirit’s drift.  Dull as they are,

Seek they congenial animals!

But ye

Who have not yet, (false deity your guide,

Reprobate in your very mind,¹⁴⁰⁴

1404 The reference seems to be to Rom. i. 28; comp., too, Tit. i. 15, 16.

Inmost caves penetrated, learn there flows

50  A stream perennial from its fount, which feeds

A tree, (twice sixfold are the fruits, its grace!)

And into earth and to the orb’s four winds

Goes out:  into so many parts doth flow

The fount’s one hue and savour.¹⁴⁰⁵

1405 The reference is to Gen. ii. 9–14.

55  From apostolic word descends the Church,

Out of Christ’s womb, with glory of His Sire

All filled, to wash off filth, and vivify

Dead fates.¹⁴⁰⁶

1406 Fata mortua.  This extraordinary expression appears to mean “dead men;” men who, through Adam, are fated, so to speak, to die, and are under the sad fate of being “dead in trespasses and sins.”  See Eph. ii. 1.  As far as quantity is concerned, it might as well be “facta mortua,” “dead works,” such as we read of in Heb. vi. 1; ix. 14.  It is true these works cannot strictly be said to be ever vivified; but a very similar inaccuracy seems to be committed by our author lower down in this same book.

In its diffusion ’mid the Gentiles, this,

60  By faith elect accepted, Paul hands down

(Excellent doctor!) pure, without a crime;

And from it he forbade Galatian saints

To turn aside withal; whom “brethren false,”

(Urging them on to circumcise themselves,

65  And follow “elements,” leaving behind

Their novel “freedom,”) to “a shadow old

Of things to be” were teaching to be slaves.

These were the causes which Paul had to write

To the Galatians:  not that they took out

70  One small part of the Gospel, and held that

For the whole bulk, leaving the greater part

Behind.  And hence ’tis no words of a book,

But Christ Himself, Christ sent into the orb,

Who is the gospel, if ye will discern;

75  Who from the Father came, sole Carrier

Of tidings good; whose glory vast completes

The early testimonies; by His work

Showing how great the orb’s Creator is:

Whose deeds, conjoined at the same time with words,

80  Those faithful ones, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,

Recorded unalloyed (not speaking words

External), sanctioned by God’s Spirit, ’neath

So great a Master’s eye!

This paschal Lamb

Is hung, a victim, on the tree:  Him Paul,

85  Writing decrees to Corinth, with his torch,¹⁴⁰⁷

1407 I have followed Oehler’s “face” for the common “phase;” but what the meaning is I will not venture to decide.  It may probably mean one of two things:  (a) that Paul wrote by torchlight; (b) that the light which Paul holds forth in his life and writings, is a torch to show the Corinthians and others Christ.

Hands down as slain, the future life and God

Promised to the fathers, whom before

He had attracted.

See what virtue, see

What power, the paschal image¹⁴⁰⁸

1408 i.e., the legal passover, “image” or type of “the true Passover,” Christ.  See 1 Cor. v. 6–9.

90  Will able be to see what power there is

In the true Passover.

Lest well-earned love

Should tempt the faithful sire and seer,¹⁴⁰⁹

1409 Abraham.  See Gen. xxii. 1–19.

His pledge and heir¹⁴¹⁰

1410 Isaac, a pledge to Abraham of all God’s other promises.

1411 Forte.  I suppose this means out of the ordinary course of nature; but it is a strange word to use.

Had given him, to offer him to God

95  (A mighty execution!), there is shown

To him a lamb entangled by the head

In thorns; a holy victim—holy blood

For blood—to God.  From whose piacular death,

That to the wasted race¹⁴¹²

1412 Israel, wasted by the severities of their Egyptian captivity.

100  And pledge of safety, signed are with blood

Their posts and thresholds many:¹⁴¹³

1413 “Multa;” but “muta” ="mute” has been suggested, and is not inapt.

The flesh (a witness credible) is given

For food.  The Jordan crossed, the land possessed,

Joshua by law kept Passover with joy,

105  And immolates a lamb; and the great kings

And holy prophets that were after him,

Not ignorant of the good promises

Of sure salvation; full of godly fear

The great Law to transgress, (that mass of types

110  In image of the Supreme Virtue once

To come,) did celebrate in order due

The mirrorly-inspected passover.¹⁴¹⁴

1414 I have given what appears to be a possible sense for these almost unintelligible lines.  They run as follows in Oehler:— “Et reliqui magni reges sanctique prophetæ, Non ignorantes certæ promissa salutis, Ingentemque metu pleni transcendere legem, Venturam summæ virtutis imagine molem, Inspectam e speculo celebrarunt ordine pascham.” I rather incline to alter them somehow thus :— “Ingentemque metu plenis transcendere legem, Venturum in summæ virtutis imagine,—solem Inspectum e speculo,—celebrarunt ordine pascham;” connecting these three lines with “non ignorantes,” and rendering:— “Not ignorant of the good promises Of sure salvation; and that One would come, For such as filled are with godly fear The law to overstep, a mighty One, In Highest Virtue’s image,—the Sun seen In mirror:—did in order celebrate The passover.” That is, in brief, they all, in celebrating the type, looked forward to the Antitype to come.

In short, if thou recur with rapid mind

To times primordial, thou wilt find results

115  Too fatal following impious words.  That man

Easily credulous, alas! and stripped

Of life’s own covering, might covered be

With skins, a lamb is hung: the wound slays sins,

Or death by blood effaces or enshrouds

120  Or cherishes the naked with its fleece.

Is sheep’s blood of more worth than human blood,

That, offered up for sins, it should quench wrath?

Or is a lamb (as if he were more dear!)

Of more worth than much people’s?  aid immense!

125  As safeguard of so great salvation, could

A lamb, if offered, have been price enough

For the redeemed?  Nay: but Almighty God,

The heaven’s and earth’s Creator, infinite,¹⁴¹⁵

1415 Immensus.

Living, and perfect, and perennially

130  Dwelling in light, is not appeased by these,

Nor joys in cattle’s blood.  Slain be all flocks;

Be every herd upburned into smoke;

That expiatively ’t may pardon win

Of but one sin:  in vain at so vile price;

135  Will the stained figure of the Lord—foul flesh—

Prepare, if wise, such honours:¹⁴¹⁶

1416 This, again, seems to be the meaning, unless the passage (which is not probable) be corrupt.  The flesh, “foul” now with sin, is called the “stained image of the Lord,” as having been originally in His image, but being now stained by guilt.

And faith to mortals promised of old—

Great Reason’s counterpart¹⁴¹⁷

1417 Faith is called so, as being the reflection of divine reason.

These boons premeditated and prepared

140  Erst by the Father’s passing parent-love;

That Christ should come to earth, and be a man!

Whom when John saw, baptism’s first opener, John,

Comrade of seers, apostle great, and sent

As sure forerunner, witness faithful; John,

145  August in life, and marked with praise sublime,¹⁴¹⁸

1418 i.e., the praise of Christ Himself.  See Matt. xi. 7–15, with the parallel passage, Luke vii. 24–30; comp. also John v. 33–35.

He shows, to such as sought of olden time

God’s very Paschal Lamb, that He is come

At last, the expiation of misdeed,

To undo many’s sins by His own blood,

150  In place of reprobates the Proven One,

In place of vile the dear; in body, man;

And, in life, God: that He, as the slain Lamb,

Might us accept,¹⁴¹⁹

1419 i.e., perhaps “render acceptable.”

Himself Thus hath it pleased the Lord to spoil

155  Proud death:  thus wretched man will able be

To hope salvation.  This slain paschal Lamb

Paul preaches:  nor does a phantasmal shape

Of the sublime Lord (one consimilar

To Isaac’s silly sheep¹⁴²⁰

1420 See above, 91–99.

160  Wherefore He is called Lamb:  but ’tis because,

As wool, He these renewed bodies clothes,

Giving to many covering, yet Himself

Never deficient.  Thus does the Lord shroud

In His Sire’s virtue, those whom, disarrayed

165  Of their own light, He by His death redeemed,

Virtue which ever is in Him.  So, then,

The Shepherd who hath lost the sheep Himself

Re-seeks it.  He, prepared to tread the strength

Of the vine, and its thorns, or to o’ercome

170  The wolf’s rage, and regain the cattle lost,

And brave to snatch them out, the Lion He

In sheepskin-guise, unasked presents Himself

To the contemned¹⁴²¹

1421 i.e., teeth which He contemned, for His people’s sake:  not that they are to us contemptible.

The robber’s bloody jaws.

Thus everywhere

175  Christ seeks force-captured Adam; treads the path

Himself where death wrought ruin; permeates

All the old heroes’ monuments;¹⁴²²

1422 i.e., perhaps permeating, by the influence of His death, the tombs of all the old saints.

Each one; the One of whom all types were full;

Begins e’en from the womb to expel the death

180  Conceived simultaneously with seed

Of flesh within the bosom; purging all

Life’s stages with a silent wisdom; debts

Assuming;¹⁴²³

1423 i.e., undertaking our debts in our stead.

Their Maker back the many whom the one¹⁴²⁴

1424 Adam.  See Rom. v., passim.

185  Had scattered.  And, because one direful man

Down-sunk in pit iniquitous did fall,

By dragon-subdued virgin’s¹⁴²⁵

1425 It is an idea of the genuine Tertullian, apparently, that Eve was a “virgin” all the time she was with Adam in Paradise.  A similar idea appears in the “Genesis” above.

Because he pleased her wittingly;¹⁴²⁶

1426 Consilio.  Comp. 1 Tim. ii. 14, “Adam was not deceived.”

He left his heavenly covering¹⁴²⁷

1427 Called “life’s own covering” (i.e., apparently his innocence) in 117, above.

190  Because the “tree” their nakedness did prove;

Because dark death coerced them:  in like wise

Out of the self-same mass¹⁴²⁸

1428 Or, “ore.”

Renewed now,—the flower of flesh, and host

Of peace,—a flesh from espoused virgin born,

195  Not of man’s seed; conjoined to its own

Artificer; without the debt of death.

These mandates of the Father through bright stars

An angel carries down, that angel-fame

The tidings may accredit; telling how

200  “A virgin’s debts a virgin, flesh’s flesh,

Should pay.”  Thus introduced, the Giant-Babe,

The Elder-Boy, the Stripling-Man, pursues

Death’s trail.  Thereafter, when completed was

The ripe age of man’s strength, when man is wont

205  To see the lives that were his fellows drop

By slow degrees away, and to be changed

In mien to wrinkles foul and limbs inert,

While blood forsakes his veins, his course he stayed,

And suffered not his fleshly garb to age.

210  Upon what day or in what place did fall

Most famous Adam, or outstretched his hand

Rashly to touch the tree, on that same day,

Returning as the years revolve, within

The stadium of the “tree” the brave Athlete,

215  ’Countering, outstretched His hands, and, penalty

For praise pursuing,¹⁴²⁹

1429 Comp. Heb. xii. 2, “Who, for the joy that was set before Him”—“ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὑτῷ χαρᾶς.

Because He left death of His own accord

Behind, disrobing Him of fleshly slough,

And of death’s dues; and to the “tree” affixed

220  The serpent’s spoil—“the world’s¹⁴³⁰

1430 Mundi.  See John xiv. 30.

Grand trophy of the renegades:  for sign

Whereof had Moses hung the snake, that all,

Who had by many serpents stricken been,

Might gaze upon the dragon’s self, and see

225  Him vanquisht and transfixt.

When, afterwards,

He reached the infernal region’s secret waves,

And, as a victor, by the light which aye

Attended Him, revealed His captive thrall,

And by His virtue thoroughly fulfilled

230  The Father’s bidding, He Himself re-took

The body which, spontaneous, He had left:

This was the cause of death:  this same was made

Salvation’s path:  a messenger of guile

The former was; the latter messenger

235  Of peace:  a spouse her man¹⁴³¹

1431 Virum.

Did bear a lion:¹⁴³²

1432 “The Lion of the tribe of Juda.”  Rev. v. 5.

1433 Viro.  This use of “man” may be justified, to say nothing of other arguments, from Jer. xliv. 19, where “our men” seem plainly ="our husbands.”  See marg.

A virgin¹⁴³⁴

1434 Virgo:  a play on the word in connection with the “viro” and what follows.

1435 Vir.

Proved victor:  for a type whereof, while sleep

His¹⁴³⁶

1436 i.e., Adam’s.  The constructions, as will be seen, are oddly confused throughout, and I rather suspect some transposition of lines.

240  A woman,¹⁴³⁷

1437 Mulier.

1438 Mariti.

Awaking, called “flesh from his flesh, and bones

From his own bones;” with a presaging mind

Speaking.  Faith wondrous!  Paul deservedly,

(Most certain author!) teaches Christ to be

245  “The Second Adam from the heavens.”¹⁴³⁹

1439 See 1 Cor. xv. 22 sqq., especially 45, 47.

Using her own examples, doth refulge;

Nor covets out of alien source to show

Her paces keen:¹⁴⁴⁰

1440 Acres gressus.

Needy of virtue of his own!  Great Paul

250  These mysteries—taught to him—did teach; to wit,

Discerning that in Christ thy glory is,

O Church! from His side, hanging on high “tree,”

His lifeless body’s “blood and humour” flowed.

The blood the woman¹⁴⁴¹

1441 Femina.

255  The new gifts of the font:¹⁴⁴²

1442 Lavacri.

True mother of a living people; flesh

New from Christ’s flesh, and from His bones a bone.

A spot there is called Golgotha,—of old

The fathers’ earlier tongue thus called its name,—

260  “The skull-pan of a head:”  here is earth’s midst;

Here victory’s sign; here, have our elders taught,

There was a great head¹⁴⁴³

1443 “Os;” lit., “face” or “mouth.”

We have been taught, was buried; here the Christ

Suffers; with sacred blood the earth¹⁴⁴⁴

1444 Terra.

265  That the old Adam’s dust may able be,

Commingled with Christ’s blood, to be upraised

By dripping water’s virtue.  The “one ewe”

That is, which, during Sabbath-hours, alive

The Shepherd did resolve that He would draw

270  Out of th’ infernal pit.  This was the cause

Why, on the Sabbaths, He was wont to cure

The prematurely dead limbs of all flesh;

Or perfected for sight the eyes of him

Blind from his birth—eyes which He had not erst

275  Given; or, in presence of the multitude,

Called, during Sabbath-hours, one wholly dead

To life, e’en from the sepulchre.¹⁴⁴⁵

1445 This would seem to refer to Lazarus; but it seems to be an assumption that his raising took place on a Sabbath.

The new man’s Maker, the Repairer good

Of th’ old, supplying what did lack, or else

280  Restoring what was lost.  About to do—

When dawns “the holy day”—these works, for such

As hope in Him, in plenitude, (to keep

His plighted word,) He taught men thus His power

To do them.

What?  If flesh dies, and no hope

285  Is given of salvation, say, what grounds

Christ had to feign Himself a man, and head

Men, or have care for flesh?  If He recalls¹⁴⁴⁶

1446 i.e., to life.

Some few, why shall He not withal recall

All?  Can corruption’s power liquefy

290  The body and undo it, and shall not

The virtue of the Lord be powerful

The undone to recall?

They, who believe

Their bodies are not loosed from death, do not

Believe the Lord, who wills to raise His own

295  Works sunken; or else say they that the Good

Wills not, and that the Potent hath not power,—

Ignorant from how great a crime they suck

Their milk, in daring to set things infirm

Above the Strong.¹⁴⁴⁷

1447 I have ventured to alter the “Morti,” of the edd. into “Forti;” and “causas” (as we have seen) seems, in this late Latin, nearly ="res.”

300  And if this¹⁴⁴⁸

1448 i.e., the grain.

It yields not tree-graced fruits.¹⁴⁴⁹

1449 This may seem an unusual expression, as it is more common to regard the fruit as gracing the tree, than the tree the fruit.  But, in point of fact, the tree, with its graceful form and foliage, may be said to give a grace to the fruit; and so our author puts it here:  “decoratos arbore fructus.”

The liquid waters:  ’neath the whistling cold

They will become, and ever will be stones,

Unless a mighty power, by leading on

305  Soft-breathing warmth, undo them.  The great bunch

Lurks in the tendril’s slender body:  if

Thou seek it, it is not; when God doth will,

’Tis seen to be.  On trees their leaves, on thorns

The rose, the seeds on plains, are dead and fail,

310  And rise again, new living.  For man’s use

These things doth God before his eyes recall

And form anew—man’s, for whose sake at first¹⁴⁵⁰

1450 I read “primum” here for “primus.”

The wealthy One made all things bounteously.

All naked fall; with its own body each

315  He clothes.  Why man alone, on whom He showered

Such honours, should He not recall in all

His first perfection¹⁴⁵¹

1451 “Tantum” ="tantum quantum primo fuerat,” i.e., with a body as well as a spirit.

He set o’er all?

Flesh, then, and blood are said

To be not worthy of God’s realm, as if

320  Paul spake of flesh materially.  He

Indeed taught mighty truths; but hearts inane

Think he used carnal speech:  for pristine deeds

He meant beneath the name of “flesh and blood;”

Remembering, heavenly home—slave that he is,

325  His heavenly Master’s words; who gave the name

Of His own honour to men born from Him

Through water, and from His own Spirit poured

A pledge;¹⁴⁵²

1452 Pignus:  “the promise of the Father” (Acts i. 4); “the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Cor. i. 22; v. 5.).  See, too, Eph. i. 13, 14; Rom. viii. 23.

Redeemed, His name of honour they withal

330  Might, when renewed, receive.  Because, then, He

Refused, on the old score, the heavenly realm

To peoples not yet from His fount re-born,

Still with their ancient sordid raiment clad—

These are “the dues of death”—saying that that

335  Which human is must needs be born again,—

“What hath been born of flesh is flesh; and what

From Spirit, life;”¹⁴⁵³

1453 The reference is to John iii. 6, but it is not quite correctly given.

Changing with glory its old root’s new seeds,¹⁴⁵⁴

1454 See note on 245, above.

Is no more called “from flesh:”  Paul follows this;

340  Thus did he speak of “flesh.”  In fine, he said¹⁴⁵⁵

1455 See 2 Cor. v. 1. sqq.

This frail garb with a robe must be o’erclad,

This mortal form be wholly covered;

Not that another body must be given,

But that the former one, dismantled,¹⁴⁵⁶

1456 I read “inermum”—a very rare form—here for “inermem.”  But there seems a confusion in the text, which here, as elsewhere, is probably corrupt.

345  Be with God’s kingdom wholly on all sides

Surrounded:  “In the moment of a glance,”

He says, “it shall be changed:”  as, on the blade,

Dispreads the red corn’s¹⁴⁵⁷

1457 “Ceræ,” which seems senseless here, I have changed to “cereris.”

The sun’s glare its own hue; so the same flesh,

350  From “the effulgent glory”¹⁴⁵⁸

1458 There seems to be a reference to 2 Pet. i. 17.

Shall ever joy, and joying,¹⁴⁵⁹

1459 Here again I have altered the punctuation by a very simple change.

Exclaiming that “the body’s cruel foe

Is vanquisht quite; death, by the victory

Of the brave Christ, is swallowed;”¹⁴⁶⁰

1460 See 1 Cor. xv. 54; Isa. xxv. 8 (where the LXX. have a strange reading).

355  Bearing to God, unto the highest stars.

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