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Against Vigilantius

11.

Once, when a sudden earthquake in this province in the middle of the night awoke us all out of our sleep, you, the most prudent and the wisest of men, began to pray without putting your clothes on, and recalled to our minds the story of Adam and Eve in Paradise; they, indeed, when their eyes were opened were ashamed, for they saw that they were naked, and covered their shame with the leaves of trees; but you, who were stripped alike of your shirt and of your faith, in the sudden terror which overwhelmed you, and with the fumes of your last night’s booze still hanging about you, showed your wisdom by exposing your nakedness in only too evident a manner to the eyes of the brethren. Such P. 422 are the adversaries of the Church; these are the leaders who fight against the blood of the martyrs; here is a specimen of the orators who thunder against the Apostles, or, rather, such are the mad dogs which bark at the disciples of Christ.

Edition Hide
Contra Vigilantium liber unus

11.

De Vigilantio historia.—Unde et in hac provincia cum subitus terrae motus, noctis medio omnes de somno excitasset; tu prudentissimus, et sapientissimus mortalium nudus orabas, et referebas nobis Adam et Evam de paradiso: et illi quidem apertis oculis erubuerunt, nudos se esse cernentes, et verenda texerunt arborum foliis: tu et tunica et fide nudus, subitoque timore perterritus, et aliquid habens nocturnae crapulae, sanctorum oculis obscenam partem corporis ingerebas, ut tuam indicares prudentiam. Tales habet adversarios Ecclesia: hi duces contra martyrum sanguinem dimicant: hujuscemodi oratores contra apostolos pertonant, immo tam rabidi canes contra Christi latrant discipulos.