lectures11-13-第13节
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'182' Saint Jean de la Croix; vie et Oeuvres; Paris; 1893; ii。
94; 99; abridged。
And now; as a more concrete example of heads 4 and 5; in fact of
all our heads together; and of the irrational extreme to which a
psychopathic individual may go in the line of bodily austerity; I
will quote the sincere Suso's account of his own self…tortures。
Suso; you will remember; was one of the fourteenth century German
mystics; his autobiography; written in the third person; is a
classic religious document。
〃He was in his youth of a temperament full of fire and life; and
when this began to make itself felt; it was very grievous to him;
and he sought by many devices how he might bring his body into
subjection。 He wore for a long time a hair shirt and an iron
chain; until the blood ran from him; so that he was obliged to
leave them off。 He secretly caused an undergarment to be made
for him; and in the undergarment he had strips of leather fixed;
into which a hundred and fifty brass nails; pointed and filed
sharp; were driven; and the points of the nails were always
turned towards the flesh。 He had this garment made very tight;
and so arranged as to go round him and fasten in front in order
that it might fit the closer to his body; and the pointed nails
might be driven into his flesh; and it was high enough to reach
upwards to his navel。 In this he used to sleep at night。 Now in
summer; when it was hot; and he was very tired and ill from his
journeyings; or when he held the office of lecturer; he would
sometimes; as he lay thus in bonds; and oppressed with toil; and
tormented also by noxious insects; cry aloud and give way to
fretfulness; and twist round and round in agony; as a worm does
when run through with a pointed needle。 It often seemed to him
as if he were lying upon an ant…hill; from the torture caused by
the insects; for if he wished to sleep; or when he had fallen
asleep; they vied with one another。'183' Sometimes he cried to
Almighty God in the fullness of his heart: Alas! Gentle God;
what a dying is this! When a man is killed by murderers or
strong beasts of prey it is soon over; but I lie dying here under
the cruel insects; and yet cannot die。 The nights in winter were
never so long; nor was the summer so hot; as to make him leave
off this exercise。 On the contrary; he devised something farther
two leathern loops into which he put his hands; and fastened
one on each side his throat; and made the fastenings so secure
that even if his cell had been on fire about him; he could not
have helped himself。 This he continued until his hands and arms
had become almost tremulous with the strain; and then he devised
something else: two leather gloves; and he caused a brazier to
fit them all over with sharp…pointed brass tacks; and he used to
put them on at night; in order that if he should try while asleep
to throw off the hair undergarment; or relieve himself from the
gnawings of the vile insects; the tacks might then stick into his
body。 And so it came to pass。 If ever he sought to help himself
with his hands in his sleep; he drove the sharp tacks into his
breast; and tore himself; so that his flesh festered。 When after
many weeks the wounds had healed; he tore himself again and made
fresh wounds。
'183' 〃Insects;〃 i。e。 lice; were an unfailing token of mediaeval
sainthood。 We read of Francis of Assisi's sheepskin that 〃often a
companion of the saint would take it to the fire to clean and
dispediculate it; doing so; as he said; because the seraphic
father himself was no enemy of pedocchi; but on the contrary kept
them on him (le portava adosso) and held it for an honor and a
glory to wear these celestial pearls in his habit。 Quoted by P。
Sabatier: Speculum Perfectionis; etc。; Paris; 1898; p。 231;
note。
〃He continued this tormenting exercise for about sixteen years。
At the end of this time; when his blood was now chilled; and the
fire of his temperament destroyed; there appeared to him in a
vision on Whitsunday; a messenger from heaven; who told him that
God required this of him no longer。 Whereupon he discontinued
it; and threw all these things away into a running stream。〃
Suso then tells how; to emulate the sorrows of his crucified
Lord; he made himself a cross with thirty protruding iron needles
and nails。 This he bore on his bare back between his shoulders
day and night。 〃The first time that he stretched out this cross
upon his back his tender frame was struck with terror at it; and
blunted the sharp nails slightly against a stone。 But soon;
repenting of this womanly cowardice; he pointed them all again
with a file; and placed once more the cross upon him。 It made
his back; where the bones are; bloody and seared。 Whenever he
sat down or stood up; it was as if a hedgehog…skin were on him。
If any one touched him unawares; or pushed against his clothes;
it tore him。〃
Suso next tells of his penitences by means of striking this cross
and forcing the nails deeper into the flesh; and likewise of his
self…scourgingsa dreadful storyand then goes on as follows:
〃At this same period the Servitor procured an old castaway door;
and he used to lie upon it at night without any bedclothes to
make him comfortable; except that he took off his shoes and
wrapped a thick cloak round him。 He thus secured for himself a
most miserable bed; for hard pea…stalks lay in humps under his
head; the cross with the sharp nails stuck into his back; his
arms were locked fast in bonds; the horsehair undergarment was
round his loins; and the cloak too was heavy and the door hard。
Thus he lay in wretchedness; afraid to stir; just like a log; and
he would send up many a sigh to God。
〃In winter he suffered very much from the frost。 If he stretched
out his feet they lay bare on the floor and froze; if he gathered
them up the blood became all on fire in his legs; and this was
great pain。 His feet were full of sores; his legs dropsical; his
knees bloody and seared; his loins covered with scars from the
horsehair; his body wasted; his mouth parched with intense
thirst; and his hands tremulous from weakness。 Amid these
torments he spent his nights and days; and he endured them all
out of the greatness of the love which he bore in his heart to
the Divine and Eternal Wisdom; our Lord Jesus Christ; whose
agonizing sufferings he sought to imitate。 After a time he gave
up this penitential exercise of the door; and instead of it he
took up his abode in a very small cell; and used the bench; which
was so narrow and short that he could not stretch himself upon
it; as his bed。 In this hole; or upon the door; he lay at night
in his usual bonds; for about eight years。 It was also his
custom; during the space of twenty…five years; provided he was
staying in the convent; never to go after compline in winter into
any warm room; or to the convent stove to warm himself; no matter
how cold it might be; unless he was obliged to do so for other
reasons。 Throughout all these years he never took a bath; either
a water or a sweating bath; and this he did in order to mortify
his comfort…seeking body。 He practiced during a long time such
rigid poverty that he would neither receive nor touch a penny;
either with leave or without it。 For a considerable time he
strove to attain such a high degree of purity that he would
neither scratch nor touch any part of his body; save only his
hands and feet。〃'184'
'184' The Life of the Blessed Henry Suso; by Himself; translated
by T。 F。 Knox; London; 1865; pp。 56…80; abridged。
I spare you the recital of poor Suso's self…inflicted tortures
from thirst。 It is pleasant to know that after his fortieth
year; God showed him by a series of visions that he had
sufficiently broken down the natural man; and that he might leave
these exercises off。 His case is distinctly pathological; but he
does not seem to have had the alleviation; which some ascetics
have enjoyed; of an alteration of sensibility capable of actually
turning torment into a perverse kind of pleasure。 Of the founder
of the Sacred Heart order; for example; we read that
〃Her love of pain and suffering was insatiable。 。 。 。 She said
that she could cheerfully live till the day of judgment; provided
she might always have matter for suffe