Quæ

Hæ itaque, quæ filios suos ex prava consuetudine aliis ad nutriendum tradunt, nisi purgationis tempus transierit, viris suis non debent admisceri; quippe qui et sine partus causa, cum in suetis menstruis detinentur, viris suis misceri prohibentur, ita ut morte Lex sacra feriat si quis vir ad menstruatam mulierem accedat. tamen mulier, dum consuetudinem menstruam patitur, prohiberi ecclesiam intrare non debet, quia ei naturæ superfluitas in culpam non valet reputari; et per hoc, quod invita patitur, justum non est ut ingressu ecclesiæ privetur. Novimus namque quod mulier, quæ fluxum patiebatur sanguinis, post tergum Domini humiliter veniens vestimenti ejus fimbriam tetigit, atque ab ea statim sua infirmitas recessit. Si ergo in fluxu sanguinis posita laudabiliter potuit Domini vestimentum tangere, cur, quæ menstruam sanguinis patitur, ei non liceat Domini ecclesiam intrare? Sed dicis, Illam infirmitas compulit; has vero, de quibus loquimur, consuetudo constringit. Perpende autem, frater carissime, quia omne, quod in hac mortali carne patimur ex infirmitate naturæ, est digno Dei judicio post culpam ordinatum; esurire namque, sitire, æstuare, algere, lassescere, ex infirmitate naturæ est; et quid est aliud contra famem alimenta, contra sitim potum, contra æstum auras, contra frigus vestem, contra lassitudinem requiem, quærere, nisi medicamentum quoddam contra ægritudines explorare ? Feminæ itaque et menstruus sui sanguinis fluxus ægritudo est. Si igitur bene præsumsit, quæ vestimentum Domini in languore posita tetigit, quod uni personæ infirmanti conceditur, cur non concedatur cunctis mulieribus, quæ naturæ suæ vitio infirmantur?

"Sanctæ autem communionis mysterium in eisdem will not suckle the children which they bear. Those A.D. 597. women, therefore, who, from bad custom, give their children to others to bring up, must not approach their husbands till the time of purification is past. For even when there has been no child-birth, women are forbidden to do so, whilst they have their monthly courses, insomuch that the Law condemns to death any man that shall approach unto a woman during her uncleanness. Yet the woman, nevertheless, must not be forbidden to come into the church whilst she has her monthly courses; because the superfluity of nature cannot be imputed to her as a crime; and it is not just that she should be refused admittance into the church, for that which she suffers against her will. For we know, that the woman who had the issue of blood, humbly approaching behind our Lord's back, touched the hem of his garment, and her distemper immediately departed from her. If, therefore, she that had an issue of blood might commendably touch the garment of our Lord, why may not she, who has the monthly courses, lawfully enter into the church of God? But you may say, Her distemper compelled her, whereas these we speak of are bound by custom. Consider then, most dear brother, that all we suffer in this mortal flesh, through the infirmity of our nature, is ordained by the just judgment of God after the fall; for to hunger, to thirst, to be hot, to be cold, to be weary, is from the infirmity of our nature; and what else is it to seek food against hunger, drink against thirst, air against heat, clothes against cold, rest against weariness, than to procure a remedy against distempers? Thus to a woman her monthly courses are a distemper. If, therefore, it was a commendable boldness in her, who in her disease touched our Lord's garment, why may not that which is allowed to one infirm person, be granted to all women, who, through the fault of their nature, are distempered?

She must not, therefore, be forbidden to receive the

diebus percipere non debet prohiberi. Si autem ex veneratione magna percipere non præsumit, laudanda est; sed si perceperit, non judicanda. Bonarum quippe mentium est, et ibi aliquo modo culpas suas agnoscere, ubi culpa non est; quia sæpe sine culpa agitur quod venit ex culpa; unde etiam cum esurimus sine culpa comedimus, quibus ex culpa primi hominis factum est ut esuriamus. Menstrua enim consuetudo mulieribus non aliqua culpa est, videlicet, quæ naturaliter accidit. Sed tamen quod natura ipsa ita vitiata est, ut etiam sine voluntatis studio videatur esse polluta, ex culpa venit vitium, in quo se ipsa, qualis per judicium facta sit, humana natura cognoscat; et homo, qui culpam sponte perpetravit, reatum culpæ portet invitus. Atque ideo feminæ cum semetipsis considerent, et si in menstrua consuetudine ad sacramentum Dominici corporis et sanguinis accedere non præsumant, de sua recta consideratione laudandæ sunt; dum vero percipiendo ex religiosæ vitæ consuetudine, ejusdem mysterii amore rapiuntur, reprimendæ, sicut prædiximus, non sunt. Sicut enim in Testamento Veteri exteriora opera observantur, ita in Testamento Novo, non tam quod exterius agitur, quam id quod interius cogitatur, sollicita intentione attenditur, ut subtili sententia puniatur. Nam cum multa Lex velut immunda manducare prohibeat, in Evangelio tamen Dominus dicit, [Matth. xv. 11,] Non quod intrat in os coinquinat hominem, sed quæ exeunt de ore, illa sunt quæ coinquinant hominem; atque paulo post subjecit exponens, [Matth. xv. 19,] Ex corde exeunt cogitationes male. Ubi ubertim indicatum est, quod illud ab omnipotente Deo pollutum esse in opere ostenditur, quod ex pollutæ cogitationis radice generatur. Unde mystery of the holy communion during those days. But A.D. 597. if any one out of profound respect does not presume to do it, she is to be commended; yet if she receives it, she is not to be judged. For it is the part of noble minds in some manner to acknowledge their faults, even where there is no offence; because very often that is done without a fault, which, nevertheless, proceeded from a fault. Therefore, when we are hungry, it is no crime to eat; yet our being hungry proceeds from the sin of the first man. The monthly courses are no crime in women, because they naturally happen; however, because our nature itself is so depraved, that it appears to be so without the concurrence of the will, the fault proceeds from sin, and thereby human nature may herself know what she is become by judgment. And let man, who wilfully committed the offence, bear the guilt of that offence. And, therefore, let women consider with themselves, and if they do not presume, during their monthly courses, to approach the sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord, they are to be commended for their praiseworthy consideration; but when they are carried away with love of the same mystery to receive it out of the usual custom of religious life, they are not to be restrained, as we said before. For as in the Old Testament the outward works are observed, so in the New Testament, that which is outwardly done, is not so diligently regarded as that which is inwardly thought, in order to punish it by a discerning judgment. For whereas the Law forbids the eating of many things as unclean, yet our Lord says in the Gospel, "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." And presently after he added, expounding the same, "Out of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts." Where it is insufficiently shown, that that is declared by Almighty God to be polluted in fact, which proceeds from the root of a polluted thought. Whence also Paul the

Paulus quoque apostolus dicit, [Tit. i. 15,] Omnia munda mundis, coinquinatis autem et infidelibus nihil est mundum; atque mox ejusdem causam coinquinationis annuncians subjungit, Coinquinata sunt enim et mens eorum et conscientia. Si ergo ei cibus immundus non est, cui mens immunda non fuerit, cur, quod munda mente mulier ex natura patitur ei in immunditiam reputetur?

Vir autem cum propria conjuge dormiens, nisi lotus aqua, intrare ecclesiam non debet; sed neque lotus intrare statim debet. Lex autem veteri populo præcepit, ut mixtus vir mulieri et lavari aqua debeat, et ante solis occasum ecclesiam non intrare; quod tamen intelligi spiritualiter potest. Quia mulieri vir miscetur, quando illicitæ concupiscentiæ animus in cogitatione per delectationem conjungitur; quia, nisi prius ignis concupiscentiæ a mente deferveat, dignum se congregationi fratrum æstimare non debet, qui se gravari per nequitiam pravæ voluntatis videt. Quamvis de hac re diversæ hominum nationes diversa sentiant, atque alia custodire videantur, Romanorum tamen semper ab antiquioribus usus fuit, post admixtionem propriæ conjugis, et lavacri purificationem quærere, et ab ingressu ecclesiæ paululum reverenter abstinere. Nec hæc dicentes culpam deputamus esse conjugium, sed quia ipsa licita admixtio conjugis sine voluptate carnis fieri non potest, a sacri loci ingressu abstinendum est, quia voluptas ipsa esse sine culpa nullatenus potest. Non enim de adulterio, vel fornicatione, sed de legitimo conjugio natus fuerat, qui dicebat, [Ps. i. 6,] Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum, et in peccatis concepit me mater mea. Qui enim in iniquitatibus conceptum se noverat, a delicto se natum gemebat; quia portat arbor in ramo humorem vitii, quem traxit ex radice. In quibus tamen verbis non admixtionem conjugum iniquitatem nominat, sed