Chapter VIII
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
these things which exist, so that I might know the disposition of the world and the powers of the elements; the beginning, end, and mid-point of times; the alterations, changes, and divisions of seasons; the course of the year and the dispositions of the stars; the natures of living creatures and the angers of beasts; the force of winds and thoughts of persons, and the differences of bushes and the powers of roots" (Wisd. 7:17-20). Finally, hear what he brings forth at the end, so that you may understand more fully how great an abundance of such gifts abounded for him in the work of his gilding. He says: "And whatever things are hidden and unforeseen,
I have learned" (Wisd. 7:21). Thus the gilding of our ark consists of contemplating the rational principle of divine works, judgments and sacraments, and no less the rational principle of human actions and instructions. Finally, let us be prepared, according to the witness of Peter, to give at every request an account concerning that faith and hope which are in us (I Pet. 3:15). And we who know how to commend by an exposition the rational principle of divine sacraments and also divine judgments have already gilded the highest or extreme point of our ark.
Chapter VIII That the material of this contemplation is abundant He who has already advanced to the second species of this contemplation finds in such a prolixity of material a sufficient abundance where he may spread out the sails of his speculation and practice the navigation of this disputation. For who does not see how widely a sea of such consideration may extend, and how this great and broad sea may spread itself out abundantly in many ways?
In admiration at such immensity the Prophet exclaims:
"Your judgments are a great abyss"
(Ps.
35:7). The hidden judgments of God certainly are a large and great abyss: large in number; great in depth; wholly infinite and wholly inscrutable. Here are those marvelous manifestations of the people who see marvelous things in the depth. For how many marvelous things do you think they see in this depth—those who go down to the sea in ships in
THE MYSTICAL ARK
order to carry out a working in deep waters? Many there are indeed, who come together to the great, broad sea, some for crossing the sea, others for fishing. Certainly, those who desire to pass from people to people or from a kingdom to another people come in order to cross. But those among them who are fishers of men surely come in order to fish by spreading out their net for a catch. Thus, sending the net of the ship now to the left, now to the right according to the command of the Lord, they often catch an abundant multitude of fish, namely catching the wandering senses and the slippery affections of men and drawing them out onto dry land. But they do not always cast out the same net, just as they do not always send it for the same catch. Now they spread out the net of argumentation, now that of exhortation; sometimes in order to show something true, sometimes in order to condemn falsehood; sometimes in order to elicit something hidden, sometimes in order to convince of justice, sometimes in order to advise against some injustice.
Surely those who know how to carry out such an undertaking work in deep waters; these, I say, are those who see marvelous things in the depth. Truly wisdom concerning a hidden thing is drawn out by these persons. Hear what that great contemplator of wisdom says:
"How glorious are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom" (Ps.
103:24). "You have made," he says, "all things in wisdom." Without doubt, he who thus exclaimed saw marvelous things.
Surely he saw marvelous things in the depth and drew wisdom from a hidden thing, who grasped that all things were made in wisdom and without doubt knew well that wisdom reaches powerfully from one end to the other and sets all things in order pleasantly (cf. Wisd.
8:1). Behold, how this gold of wisdom appeared in all the divine works, how the gold of wisdom shone, how the brilliance of divine wisdom obscured everything else in his eye.
Assuredly, he had known this well; he was easily able to gild his ark— in fact, it is well known that he who was constrained by the greatness of his wonder to exclaim "You have made all things in wisdom" had already covered his ark with gold on all sides. Let us also try as much as we are able and exert ourselves greatly in gilding our ark so that all the divine works made in wisdom may also appear to us—so that insofar as it is possible we may understand, and what it is impossible to understand we may at least believe
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
without hesitation that everything has been made in wisdom, not only those things which He made, but also whatever He permits to be made, never permitting anything to happen without a rational cause nor to be acting without divine justice, however hidden.
Chapter IX How the philosophers exercise themselves in the matter of this contemplation
But I do not think that it ought to be passed over in silence how the wise persons of this world have striven to gild their arks, so that we will be ashamed not to labor in the gilding of our ark. The philosophers of the gentiles endeavored when examining the hidden causes of things to draw wisdom from a hidden thing; and they drew out gold from the depth, penetrating as far as the hidden bosom of nature by the acuteness of their natural capacity. They began to investigate, discover and make known publicly the hidden causes of things, and to prove all doubtful things by means of nondoubtful conclusions. And so by much profound investigation and worthy wonder they discovered from whence comes the earthquake by which the deep seas swell up in power. And discovering many other things in this way and committing them to writing they took care to transmit them to posterity. And so, in great part they were able to gild their ark—but only externally. For them it was a small concern, and no possibility, that they might gild it internally.
Since their riches were quickly used up, they did not have a sufficient abundance of gold with which they might be able to gild it internally, for in fact their riches were used up in gilding it externally in full. For it was not given to the same faculty to discover the physical principles of things and determine the hidden causes of justice in those things which happen.
It is quite one thing to investigate and to show the hidden causes of things according to physical principles, while quite another not to be ignorant of the rational principle of divine judgments. The investigation of nature pertains to the external gilding of our ark; the conclusions of divine justice, to the internal gilding. In any case, those who thought things happened by chance more than by divine command lacked this gilding