597 chapter 6: the victim of the mystical temple senses performs its dutiful action. You will therefore contain your eyes within the Vincentian sphere,69 within, as I say, the stature of your body; you will not stretch out your hands to what is not permitted. In food and drink you will not seek out excess or what is tasty. You will avoid improper conversations, which corrupt good morals, and will not listen to flattery, murmuring, whispers, defamatory talk, unfair accusations, vain complaints, mocking, blame, and suchlike monstrosities. For is there anyone among Christians who would allow shameful and obscene things, not only hear of them? I shall say nothing about smell. I hope that you will not seek out balsams, roses, and the Cyprian powders, pigments and other perfumes; rather see to it that you are an aroma of Christ. We shall expose other matters of this kind more precisely and with greater detail below. Afflicting the body to extremes is by no means to be neglected; truly it should be so much more harshly treated, the more insolently it kicks back, so that this Ass may altogether be subject to reason. If therefore it seems that common fasts are not sufficient to subdue necessarily the flesh, apply personal ones; add also to these flagellations, sleeping on the bare ground, night vigils, manual labor; and weary this unruly beast so long, until it becomes quiet and is most ready to obey at once the bidding of the spirit. Many advise, quite suitably at times, that here a consideration must be had of one’s health; although I do not disagree with them, yet I shall always proclaim that you should not thus indulge the body as to lose your soul; but each should at once yield to God as a sacrifice. In addition you must not think that I am taking no account of that which is best, and which alone forms a man wise and holy, namely, the moderation as we say, of our emotions: I allow you to grow angry, but without sin; to rejoice, but in the Lord; to grieve, 69 It appears that here “Vincentian” is derived from the verb “to conquer” (vincere), and that as a result the expression “Vincentian sphere” denotes a circumference within which temptation can be overcome.
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