De arte praedicatoria

To the princes of the earth it is said: Love justice, you who judge the earth.¹ And elsewhere: And now, kings, understand, be instructed, you who judge the earth.² O princes of the world, whom the Lord has set over the heads of men, do not be lifted up by pride, do not be blinded by avarice, do not rage with cruelty. Consider that above you is a greater power, which will judge you in judgment. If a prince is surrounded by the pomp of his household, if he is set upon a royal throne, he will nevertheless not be able to resist the divine will; for who can resist his power? let every prince, then, humble himself under the mighty hand of God. Because Nebuchadnezzar did not acknowledge the divine power above himself, he took on the form of a beast; because Manasses, king of Israel, did not acknowledge the divine power above himself, divine power subjected him to the utmost captivity. O prince, if you wish to judge rightly the land of the world, judge rightly the land of your own body. For there is a threefold land; the land we tread, the land we bear, the land we seek. The land we tread is the material earth, which is to be trodden underfoot. The land we bear is the land of our body, which is to be cultivated. The land we seek is eternal life, which is to be inhabited. Just as the king guards the material land lest the enemy invade it, so he ought to guard the land of his own body, lest the devil steal away the goods of the land, that is, the endowments of body and soul.

And just as in the material land there is a diversity of inhabitants, among whom some are commanders, like princes; some are workers, like soldiers; others are obedient, like common folk; so in the land of his own body, the king ought to order the diversity of the three motions. The motions of reason, which command; the motions of sensuality, which act; the motions of the flesh, which obey. And just as it is fitting for a prince to labor for the peace of the material land, that is, to observe the tranquility of peace, so it is said to the princes of this earth: Be instructed, that is, be trained out of the coarseness of carnality, you who judge the earth, that is, who condemn earthliness in your own bodies. What then will your mind dictate to you, O prince of the earth, when the poor man will judge you on the day of judgment, if you have ruled the world badly, if you have judged the poor unjustly.

O king! Do not consider your principality an honor, but rather consider that earthly honor is not a matter of nature, but of fortune. For that honors are not lasting, slippery falls prove the truth of this, and mutability demonstrates its vanity. Many kings are led to the tomb with funeral honor, and their bodies are led to the sepulcher with a certain superficial felicity, but their wretched souls, surrounded by a horrible crowd of demons, are miserably tormented in hell. Where then is worldly honor? Where is popular applause? Where is the crowd of household servants? Where are worldly riches? Where is nobility of birth? Where is fruitfulness of offspring? Where is the beauty of a wife? These things will not benefit wretched souls after death; rather, they will turn into an increase of sorrow.