Art. X ch. I. Wherein the virtue of meekness consists

CHAPTER I. WHEREIN THE VIRTUE OF MEEKNESS CONSISTS, AND HOW IT IS DISTINGUISHED FROM PATIENCE.

444. ACCORDING to St. Thomas, Meekness is a potential part of the fourth cardinal virtue, because in its modes of procedure it has a certain resemblance with temperance, in that it enables the soul possessed of it to refrain from extravagance and excess. It will, perhaps, seem to the reader, that the virtue of which I am going to treat in the present Article is no way different from patience, of which I spoke in the eighth Article; since both patience and meekness have one common aim, which is to enable us to bear up against the mishaps which encompass us about in this wretched life. But this would be a mistake, as the endurance of evil may be attained in two ways: either by moderating the grief which rises within us and fills our hearts with gloom on the occurrence of any misfortune, or by bridling the anger and indignation enkindled within us at an injury received—an emotion which tends to seek revenge. It is the part of patience to banish grief from our souls, by whatever species of evil it may be engendered; but it belongs to meekness to check the anger which is provoked by affronts, and to hinder the vengeance which this dark passion urges us to take. Such is the teaching of St. Thomas. And it is true. For, as we call him patient who grieves not under the burden of his trials, who is not disquieted or troubled, who falls not into melancholy; so, do we call him meek who, under the strokes of insult, keeps down anger, kindles not into indignation, seeks not to avenge his wrongs. St. Ambrose is of the same mind, as he says the meek are they who have wholly overcome the passions of anger, of vengeance, of rage, and all spirit of discord. In a word, the virtue of meekness is a soothing balm against the hot and impetuous emotions of anger: by its gentle unction, it calms or extinguishes them, and, rendering them amenable to reason, reduces them to due peacefulness; as the Angelic Doctor heretofore quoted expressly teaches.

Abrahæ connubium, pro temporum dispositione pro Christo militaverunt; sed Joannes continentiam in opere, Abraham vero in solo habitu habuit. Ut supra, in respons. ad 1.

445. I will now set before the reader's eyes a lively image of both these virtues, which may enable him to see wherein they differ, and to discover the loveliness of both, so as to become enamoured of them. It shall be taken from St. Lidwina, a virgin most distinguished at once for patience and for meekness, according to the different nature of the evils that befell her. We have already witnessed her patience amid the acute pains which she endured so constantly for thirty-eight whole years; let us now study her meekness under insult and outrage. During her long and most trying sickness, four soldiers, urged by a rage which it would seem was inspired by the foul fiend, entered the chamber of the afflicted maiden, and began to insult her with injurious words and shameful reproaches. Not content with this, they struck her, heaping blow upon blow, with the most barbarous cruelty. In the midst of this dire infliction, the poor sick girl was like a tender lamb in the clutches of a wolf, bearing with a calm countenance the insults and blows of these savages; and not only did she not seek to be avenged of such outrages, but she did her best to hinder those who would have invoked the vengeance of the law. Now, let the reader fix his attention on St. Lidwina, and he will discern two distinct models—one of heroic patience, the other of a no less heroic meekness. If he consider her calmness, contentment, and resignation to God's will, amid the sufferings she had to endure for so many weary years, he will seem to himself as if he were gazing at a picture of the patient Job. If he look at her while suffering the reproaches, insults, and scorn, which she bore so imperturbably without the slightest emotion of anger, he will think that he has before him an image of the meek David, so calm amid persecution, insults and outrage. He will be perplexed to decide which of these two virtues he should most admire in the saintly woman; because pain pierces the bodily frame, but insults penetrate to the very heart, and provoke it to anger and revenge, whence it needs greater self-control to keep calm and unmoved under the upheavings of indignation. Now, it is of this meekness, which so charms us in the saints, that we are going to treat in the following Chapters, for it has been proved to be a virtue distinct from patience, of which we have already discoursed.

446. But, not to confound one virtue with another, it must be observed that meekness is akin to clemency, and yet somewhat different from it. It resembles clemency, inasmuch as both aim at keeping anger in check; it differs from it, in so far as clemency properly belongs to those only who bear rule and are set over others, and its function is to moderate anger so as to mitigate the punishment due to malefactors; while meekness befits every class and station, and has for its appropriate task to moderate anger in every one, lest it fall into excess. Such is the view of St. Thomas. In a word, clemency is truly meekness, but proper only to princes, and those who are invested with authority over subjects.

447. I will now call the reader's attention to two famous examples of this latter virtue, given by the two illustrious Emperors Constantine and Theodosius, both of whom rightly received the surname of Great. There were rebellious subjects, whose audacity went so far as to lead them to shamefully insult the statue of the great Constantine, and then out of scorn to throw it to the ground. The pious prince was in nowise moved at this outrage; not so his courtiers, who, unable to suffer that such an affront should remain unpunished, exaggerated its grievousness to the Emperor and urged him to avenge, by an exemplary punishment, the outrage done to his imperial person. On hearing this, Constantine raised his hand twice or thrice to his face, and said, with a smile, "I do not feel any wound,"—as if he would say that the violence and insult done to his statue had made no impression on his heart, wherein clemency kept watch and ward over the emotions of resentment.

448. A prefect appointed by Theodosius the Great was, as St. John Chrysostom relates, murdered by the people of Antioch for some trivial reasons. Many of the accomplices in the crime had taken to flight, numbers were lodged in prison, and the whole city, in fear and trembling, awaited the thunderbolt of imperial vengeance. The Bishop Flavian went to cast himself at the emperor's feet, to implore his clemency for his rebellious flock, and soon obtained a general amnesty. The holy Doctor concludes that, by this deed, the emperor acquired the glory of being a prince no less brave and magnanimous than clement and gracious. But this illustrious monarch deserves still greater praise for the law he published, withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the secondary courts the crime of such as outraged his name by insolent or contumacious words. The law alleges the following reasons for this:—"If such expressions proceed from thoughtlessness, no account is to be made of them; if from insanity, they claim compassion; if from an irritated heart, they should be forgiven." Lastly, the law concludes with an order that all such causes be brought before the emperor in person, to be judged by his own most clement heart. We will now proceed to show how much this clemency, which is in private persons called meekness, befits a man possessed of reason, a Christian man, and still more a spiritual man.