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Remember how cursed our old enemy is: which offereth us the kingdoms of this
world that he might bereave us the kingdom of heaven: how false the fleshly
pleasures: which therefore embrace us that they might strangle us: how deceitful these
worldly honours: which therefore lift us up: that they might throw us down: how
deadly these riches: which the more they feed us, the more they poison us: how short,
how uncertain, how shadow-like false imaginary it is that all these things together
may bring us: & though they flow to us as we would wish them. Remember again
how great things be promised and prepared for them: which despising these present
things desire and long for that country whose king is the Godhead, whose law is
charity, whose measure is eternity. Occupy thy mind with these meditations and such
other that may waken thee when thou sleepest, kindle thee when thou waxest cold,
confirm thee when thou waverest, & exhibit the wings of the love of God while thou
labourest to heavenward, that when thou comest home to us (which with great desire
we look for) we may see not only him that we covet but also such a manner one as we
covet. Fare well and love God whom of old thou hast begun to fear. At Ferrara the .ii.
day of July the year of our redemption. M.CCCC.lxxxxii.
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THE INTERPRETATION OF GIOVANNI PICO UPON
THIS PSALM CONSERVA ME DOMINE.
[38] Conserva me Domine quoniam speravi in Te. Dixi Domino: Deus meus es
Tu, quoniam bonorum meorum non eges. Sanctis qui funt in terra mirificavit
voluntates suas. Multiplicate sunt infirmitates eorum postea acceleraverunt. Non
congregabo conventicula eorum de sanguinibus: nec memor ero nominum eorum per
labia mea. Dominus pars hereditatis mee & calicis mei: Tu es qui restitues
hereditatem meam mihi. Funes occiderunt mihi in preclaris: etenim hereditas mea
preclara est mihi. Benedicam Dominum qui tribuit mihi intellectum: et usque ad
noctem increpuerunt me renes mei. Providebam Deum in conspectu meo semper,
quoniam a dextris est mihi ne commovear. Propter hoc letatum est cor meum et
exultavit lingua mea insuper et caro mea requiescet in spe. Quia non derelinques
animam meam in inferno: nec dabis sanctum tuum videre corruptionem. Notas mihi
fecisti vias vite: adimplebis me letitia cum vultu tuo. Delectationes in dextera tua
usque in finem
.
Conserva me Domine
. Keep me good Lord. If any perfect man look upon his
own estate there is one peril therein, it is to wit, lest he wax proud of his virtue, and
therefore David speaking in the person of a righteous man of his estate beginneth with
these words. Conserva me Domine. That is to say, keep me good Lord: which word
keep me: if it be well considered: taketh away all occasion of pride. For he that is able
of himself any thing to get is able of himself that same thing to keep. He that asketh
then of God to be kept in the state of virtue signifieth in that asking that from the
beginning he got not that virtue by himself. He then which remembreth it he attained
his virtue: not by his own power but by the power of God: may not be proud thereof
but rather humbled before God after those words of th apostle. Quid habes quod non
accepisti
. What hast thou that thou hast not received. And if thou hast received it: why
art thou proud thereof as though thou haddest not received it. Two words then be there
which we should ever have in our mouth: the one. Miserere mei Deus. Have mercy on
me Lord: when we remember our vice: that other. Conserva me Deus. Keep me good
Lord: when we remember our virtue.
Quoniam speravi in Te
. For I have trusted in Thee. This one thing is it that
maketh us obtain of God our petition, it is to wit, when we have a full hope & trust
that we shall speed. If we observe these two things in our requests, it is to wit, that we
require nothing but that which is good for us and it we require it ardently with a sure
hope that God shall hear us, our prayers shall never be void. Wherefore when we miss
the effect of our petition, either that is for that we ask such thing as is noyous unto us,
for (as Christ saith) we wot never what we ask, and Jesus said whatsoever thee shall
ask in my name it shall be given you (this name Jesus signifieth a Saviour, and
therefore there is nothing asked in the name of Jesus but that is wholesome and
helping to the salvation of the asker) or else God heareth not our prayer because that
though the thing it we require be good yet we ask it not well, for we ask it with little
hope. And he that asketh doubtingly asketh coldly & therefore Saint James biddeth us
ask in faith nothing doubting.
Dixi Domino
: Deus meus es Tu. I have said to our Lord: my God art Thou.
After that he hath warded & fenced himself against pride he describeth in these words
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his estate. All the estate of a righteous man standeth in these words.
Dixi Domino:
Deus meus es Tu
. I have said to our Lord: my God art Thou. Which words though
they seem common to all folk, yet are there very few that may say them truly. That
thing a man taketh for his God that he taketh for his chief good. And that thing taketh
he for his chief good which only had, though all other things lack, he thinketh himself
happy, & which only lacking, though he have all other things, he thinketh himself
unhappy. The niggard then saith to his money: deus meus es tu, my God art thou. For
though honour fail & health and strength and friends, so he have money he thinketh
himself well. And if he have all those things that we have spoken of, if money fail he
thinketh himself unhappy. The glutton saith unto his fleshly lust, the ambitious man
saith to his vainglory: my God art thou. See then how few may truly say these words,
I have said to our Lord: my God art Thou. For only he may truly say it which is
content with God alone: so that if there were offered him all the kingdoms of the
world and all the good that is in earth and all the good that is in heaven, he would not
once offend God to have them all. In these words then, I have said to our Lord: my
God art Thou, standeth all the state of a right wise man.
Quoniam bonorum meorum non eges
. For thou hast no need of my good. In
these words he showeth the cause why he saith only to our Lord: Deus meus es tu, my
God art Thou. The cause is for that only our Lord hath no need of our good. There is
no creature but that it needeth other creatures, and though they be of less perfection
than itself, as philosophers and divines proven: for if these more imperfect creatures
were not, the other that are more perfect could not be. For if any part of the whole
university of creatures were destroyed & fallen to nought all the whole were
subverted. For certainly one part of that university perishing all parties perish, and all
creatures be parts of that university, of which university God is no part, but he is the
beginning nothing there upon depending. For nothing truly won he by the creation of
this world, nor nothing should he lose if the world were annihilate and turned to
nought again. Than only God is he which hath no need of our good. Well ought we
certainly to be ashamed to take such thing for God as hath need of us, & such is every
creature. Moreover we should not accept for God, it is to say for the chief goodness,
but only that thing which is the most sovereign goodness of all things, and that is not
the goodness of any creature, only therefore to our Lord ought we to say: my God art
Thou.
Sanctis qui sunt in terra ejus mirificavit voluntates suas.
To his saints that are
in the land of him he hath made marvellous his wills. After God should we specially
love them which are nearest joined unto God, as be the holy angels & blessed saints
that are in their country of heaven: therefore after that he had said to our Lord: my
God art thou: he addeth therunto that our Lord hath made marvellous his wills, that is
to say he hath made marvellous his loves and his desires toward his saints that are in
the land of him, that is to wit, in the country of heaven which is called the land of God
and the land of living people. And verily if we inwardly consider how great is the
felicity of that country & how much is the misery of this world, how great is the
goodness and charity of those blessed citizens: we shall continually desire to be hence
that we were there. These things & such other when we remember, we should ever
more take heed that our meditations be not unfruitful, but that of every meditation we
should always purchase one virtue or other, as for ensample by this meditation of the
goodness of that heavenly country we should win this virtue that we should not only
strongly suffer death and patiently when our time cometh or if it were put unto us for
the faith of Christ: but also we should willingly and gladly long therefore, desiring to