lectures11-13- 第13部分

＇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