4P Li gç(' TRANSACTIONS

VOL. 47, ?T. 5, 19571 ORESME'S VERSION AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION 833
T. Adonques seront it faiz bons aussi comme a bon
droit ou a bonne cause; et se it ne obtiennent ceste
chose, it souffreront deffaute.
G. Cc peut estre entendu des enfans qui avroient deffaute
de sens et de bonnes incurs se it ne estoient chastiés
en ,joennece. Car si comme it appert par le premier
chapitre du secunt d'E!/iiques, tres grande difference a de
soy acoustumer a une chose en joennece on autre. Et
de cc depent toute la vie, Et pour cc (lit Ic Sage: Fuji
tibi sunt; erudi illos et curva illos a preniicia illoruni. Len
doit enseigner ses filz et chastier des ]cur enfance et mesniement
car it sunt ignorans. Et pour cc dit le Sage:
Stulticia colligata est in corde pueri et virga discipline
fugabit earn. L'en les fait sages par discipline. Et oveques
cc, it sunt enchns a mal scion FEscripturc qui dit : Sensus
enim et cogitacio cordis huniani prona sunt ad nialum ab
adolescencia sua. Item, Ic texte pent estre 1 exposé: des
parens qui avront deffaute en leur viellece, se au commencement
it entreduissent leur enfans teicment qu'il devi-
/ (342b) ennent malvés ; cal' miex vault mourir sans enfans
que lessier les maivés, scion cc que (lit le Sage: Utile est
mon sine tiliis quam relinquere filios impios. Et donques
les parens doivent enduire 1 les enfans a bien par bonne
discipline. Apres it met comme it doivent cc faire par
example.
T. Car se les parens ne clonnent a icur enfans example
de bonne vie, ii pourront avoir, cc est a dire,
prendre pure et excusable cause vers leur parens.
G. It sc cxcuseront de cc qu'il ne sunt bons; car les
enfans prennent garde a icur parens et ensuient volentiers
leur fais: Patrem sequitur sua proles. Et Uen dit coinniunelment:
Tele est la mere, tele est la fi]le. Item, it se
excuseront de aidier as parens qui ont esté negligens de
les nourrir a droit, combien que, par aventure, ces causes
ne les excusent pas du tout scion verité, mes selon apparance.
T. Et doivent lez parens avoir paourque finablement
leur filz ne les aient en despit et que it ne soient cause
de ]cur destruction ou mort parce qu'iI ne vivent pas
bien.
G. Cc peut cstre exposé des filz qui seront cause (le la
mort des parens; car it ne leur vouldront secourir en leur
villece pource qu'il seront nialvés. item, cc peut estre
exposé des parens, car Ia malice de leur vie et de ]cur doctrine
est souvent cause de Ia mort des enfans. Et de cc
recite ici Barthelem y de Bruges que un que Yen nienoit
pendre requist que ii baisast sa mere et lui esrasa Ic nes
as dens, 2 en disant que die estoit cause de sa mort. Et
I'Escripture (lit que les filz se complaignent du pere felon
Dc pa- // (342c) tre impio qucruntur 1 !ilii. Apres it
conclut.
T. Et pour cc, it appartient an niari qu'il ne lesse ou
trespasse rien qui face a Ia doctrine (IC sa femme, afin
que jouxte ]cur possibilité it puissent procreer et engendrer
enfans aussi comme de tres bons parens.
G. Car si comrne it appert par Ic sixte chapitrc du
premier de I'olitiqucs, comniunelment de boils parens viennent
bons enfans, Ft donques Ic niari doit avoir solicitude
et cure que sa fenlnie soit bonne. El cc prove Aristote
apres par la tierce raison.
T. Then they will grow up virtuous as they rightly
should. And if the parents do not obtain this result,
they will be the losers.
G. This can he understood to refer to those children who
might lack intelligence or good habits if the y were not
thoroughly disciplined in their youth. For, as stated in
Ethics II, 1, there is a great difference in growing accustomed
to one thing or to another ill one's youth. And
the entire life is affected by this, thus Solomon says
"Have you sons, correct them and guide them from their
childhood" [Ecclicus 7: 25]. One should instruct and discipline
his children from infancy, especially because they
are ignorant. And Solomon says: 'Foolishness is bound
in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive
it far from him" [Pros'. 22: 15]. Discipline makes them
well behaved. Children are, moreover, inclined to evil,
as the Scripture says-: For the imagination of man's heart
is evil from his youth" [Gen. 8: 21]. The text may be
explained as referring to parents, who will be needy in
their old age if, at the beginning, they educate their children
in such manner that they become / ( 342b) wicked.
For it is better to die childless than to leave wicked children
behind, as Solomon states: "It is better to die childless
than to leave an impious posterity" [Ecclicus 16: 41.
Therefore, parents should train their children by good
discipline. Next he shows how parents must accomplish
this by their example.
T. If the parents (10 not offer their children the example
of a good life, these latter ma y in their turn find
good and sound cause to mistreat their parents.
G. They will discover an excuse to explain why they
are not good. For children observe their parents and
readily follow their example: "The offspring follows its
father" [Latin proverb]. And there is a common saying:
Like mother, like daughter. They will refuse to help the
parentswho have neglected to care for them properly even
though this is perhaps no satisfactory excuse in actual
truth, but only in appearance.
T. And parents must fear lest in the end their children
despise them and cause their destruction or death
because of their evil manner of living.
G. This can be interpreted to refer to the children, who
will cause their parents' death since the children, because
of their evil ways, will not be willing to help their parents
in their old age. Or it may refer to the parents, since
their evil ways are often the cause of their children's death.
And at this point in his commentary, Barthélemy of Bruges
tells the story of a man who was being taken to be hanged.
He begged to be allowed to kiss his mother and he bit off
her nose with his teeth, saying that she was the cause of
his death. And Scripture says that the children complain
about a wicked father: "A godless father do the // (342c)
children curse" [Ecclicus 41: 10]. Now he concludes.
T. Therefore it is the husband's business to leave
nothing undone to assure his wife's training, so that, to
the extent of their powers, they may together raise up
their children as good parents should.
G. As appears in Politics I, 2 [1255b 2], good parents
generally produce good children. Therefore, the husband
must exercise great care that his wife is a good wife. And
Aristotle proves this by his third argument.
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