Art. II ch. I. The sense of taste; the several ways of committing sin by gluttony

68. THE sense of taste is that by which we discern the savour of food and drink. As Aristotle remarks, it abhors what is unsavoury, and craves for what is agreeable to it. Its sole tendency, therefore, is to the pleasure of eating and drinking—a merely brutal gratification, as it is common to us with the lower animals. This sense, as we learn from Aristotle, resides in the tongue; and, in animals that are without tongues, in some organ fitted to receive the same sensations as the tongue. Whence it follows, that though this sense be distinct from the vice of gluttony, which resides in the sensual appetite, yet it is closely connected with it, supplies it with a stimulus; strengthens, nay, is the sole object of, its disordered cravings and evil motions: for, as St. Thomas says, the vice of gluttony consists in an inordinate desire of the pleasure which arises from eating and drinking, a pleasure which is the only object of the craving of the sense of taste. Thus the same animal gratification is the object of these two brutal senses—the one internal, which is gluttony; the other external, that is to say, the sense of taste: and the mortification of the one is therefore equivalent to the subjugation of the other; as, on the other hand, the gratification of the taste by taking savoury food, is a pampering of the inner appetite. So that we may speak of both as of two enemies leagued together, not only against our perfection, but against our eternal salvation, should they be allowed to make their unruly cravings prevail, to the prejudice of reason.

69. St. Gregory the Great says, that we are tempted to gluttony in five ways, and that this vice opposes five hindrances to our perfection. We are tempted when, for the purpose of gratifying our palate, we forestall the regular time of meals, or, without anticipating the time, when we seek delicacies wherewith to gratify this vile sense. It may further happen that, although content with ordinary food, we may seek sauces and seasoning for the gratification of our taste. We may also, without exceeding in the quality of our food, or in its accompaniments, exceed in quantity, so as to partake of common dishes beyond what we really need. Lastly, the food we eat may be coarse in quality, yet we may partake of it with too great eagerness. This last fault is worse than all the others, as it is a clearer sign of our attachment to the gratification which eating affords to the palate.

70. Having thus enumerated the five evil inclinations which tempt us to pamper the sense of taste—termed by St. Thomas the five species into which the vice of gluttony may be divided— St. Gregory proceeds to illustrate from Holy Writ their peculiar deformity. With regard to anticipating the time of meals, he brings forward the example of Jonathan, who, having tasted wild honey before the close of the day on which it was strictly forbidden to any to taste food, incurred the sentence of death pronounced against him by his father's lips. To deter us from daintiness, he instances the gluttony of the children of Israel, who, despising the manna, hankered after the flesh-pots of Egypt, dwelling on the thought that, in the land of their captivity, they had fared more sumptuously; for which cause many of them were struck by God with death. With regard to superfluous seasoning of food, he relates the gluttony of the sons of Heli, the high priest, who sought the meat of the sacrifices before it was cooked, contrary to the ancient usage, in order that they might prepare and season it to their own liking, whence both they and their father were visited by God with the severest punishments. Against excess in quantity, he alleges the saying of Ezechiel, whereby the prophet clearly implies that the ruin of Sodom had its origin in excess of eating and in drunkenness. As a warning against over-eagerness in eating even coarse and common food, he adduces the case of Esau, whose greediness in partaking of a dish of lentils is sufficiently apparent from the fact of his having sold his et abjectius est, quod desiderat; et tamen ipso æstu immersi desiderii deterius peccat. Mor., lib. xiij., cap. 30.

birthright for so mean a price. The misfortunes that this vice brings upon us are, then, sufficiently known.

71. We may here remark, that the deformity of these five species of the vice of gluttony may be reduced to the search after gratification of the palate, and to the pleasure which accompanies eating. If the reader will but reflect on each of these, he will be convinced of the truth of this view. Why is it an imperfection to forestall the hour of meals, but that this argues an impatience to gratify the palate? Why is it blameworthy to seek out costly dishes and savoury sauces, except that this arises from a desire to give pleasure to the taste? Why is it sinful to eat to excess? Surely because it is a sign that we eat not out of necessity, but for pleasure's sake. The same may be said when we eat greedily, or with too much eagerness. That it is sinful is certain, for whoever should assert the contrary, maintaining that to eat and drink to satiety for mere pleasure is no sin, would be thereby upholding a proposition condemned by Innocent XI., and would incur the condemnation pronounced on all who should maintain this error. The condemned proposition may be thus stated, word for word: "Eating and drinking to repletion for the sole gratification of the palate is no sin, provided it be done without prejudice to the health, as the natural appetite may lawfully take pleasure in its acts."

72. But I must not be misunderstood as saying that it is sinful to feel pleasure in eating, for it is impossible for man, when partaking of food, not to experience in the organs of taste a gratification depending upon the quality of what is taken. I mean only to say, that it is wrong and greatly prejudicial to perfection, to eat with a view of procuring this gratification for ourselves, as do the brutes, which eat merely for pleasure, without determining for themselves any lawful or reasonable purpose. St. Gregory proves this by a most convincing argument. At times we may partake of dainties, he says, without any fault, while at other times we do not eat even the plainest food without sin of gluttony. The reason is, that in the former case, though the flavour 'be more attractive, we do not seek our gratification, while we do seek it in the latter, though the attraction of the food be less. Thus did Esau part with his birthright for a coarse and unpalatable mess, but Elias received no hurt from eating flesh meat in the wilderness; for the Prophet partook of food with great detachment, while Esau devoured his unsavoury portion with an eager desire of gratifying his taste. The holy Doctor pursues this argument by adding, that the devil—being well aware that, for most, not the food itself, but their attachment to the pleasure of eating, is the occasion of their damnation—tempted neither the first man, Adam, nor the Second Man, who is the Redeemer, by setting before them a steaming joint, but entrapped the former by an apple, and sought to ensnare the latter with plain dry bread. We may hence infer that the vice of gluttony may be reduced to the unruly inclination which prompts us to gratify the sense of taste, and to seek the pleasure we experience in partaking of food and drink. Indulgence in the pleasure proper to this sense is so formidable a hindrance to perfection, that unless we overcome it we can never make any progress worthy of the name. Hence we must needs withhold from it all such gratification, or at least grant it sparingly, and, when necessity requires it, with that uprightness of intention which may prevent any harm being done to the spirit; as will be more fully developed in the course of this Article.

73. How much God is displeased at every unreasonable indulgence granted to this brutish sense may be briefly shown by the serious prejudice which often results to the soul. For the present it will suffice to prove this by certain occurrences which St. Gregory relates. For as we have begun this Chapter by alleging his authority, we will end in the same way. A nun was walking in the garden of her convent, and seeing a fine lettuce, was tempted to gluttony, and plucking it up, began to eat it greedily. But it proved fatal to her, for while she was devouring it a devil entered into her, immediately threw her to the ground, and began to torment her in a thousand ways. Her companions, alarmed by her struggles, screams, cries for help, and contortions, sent at once for the holy Abbot Equitius, in order that he might restrain, by his authority, the rage of the infernal spirit, who was so cruelly torturing their unhappy Sister. The holy man came at once, and no sooner had he set foot in the garden than the fiend began to cry by the mouth of the possessed nun, "What have I done? what have I done? I was resting on a lettuce; she came and swallowed me up greedily, and I have taken possession of her." The Servant of God commanded the devil to depart forthwith; and by the authority of his adjuration, and the merit of his holy life, the demon was expelled so effectually that he never returned to molest her. Thus, for a mouthful of lettuce, eaten in satisfaction of gluttony, a person consecrated to God fell under the power of the devil! The reader should reflect on the severity of this chastisement, and learn how hateful to God is the irregular gratification of the palate, especially in spiritual and devout persons who make profession of perfection.

74. But the same holy Doctor relates a far more fearful chastisement which befell a monk, who, on account of this vice, remained, not for a time only, but for ever, the prey of the infernal dragon. This hapless man lived in a monastery of Lycaonia, and was held in great esteem and veneration by all his brethren for his excellent behaviour, and the exactness wherewith he performed, at least to outward appearance, all his duties. But the poor wretch was a slave to gluttony, so that, while the others fasted, he took secret opportunities of eating. At length he was overtaken by serious illness, which soon brought him to extremity. As the hour of his departure drew nigh, the monks flocked round his bed, thinking to behold and to hear, at the death of so holy a man, something for their edification and comfort. What they did hear was this: "Brethren, when you fasted I feasted in secret, for which cause am I given over to the infernal dragon, who is already coiling himself round my feet and knees, and even now is putting his head into my mouth to drag out my soul." With these words he expired in the devil's clutches. Devout persons and religious may hence take a lesson; they who have surmounted the obstacles which the world, flesh and blood, and the devil, put in the way of their salvation and perfection, but have failed as yet to overcome their sensuality and greediness, in that they seek for dainties, desire them eagerly, take great pains to procure them, complain when they have to forego them, and devour them without the least restraint,—they may learn, I say, from this how displeasing their sin is in God's sight, since even in this life He gives such tokens of His displeasure.