Honora medicum propter necessitatem: etenim illum creavit Altissimus.

Honour the physician for the need thou hast of him: for the most High hath created him.

Deny not a physician his due for thy need’s sake; his task is of divine appointment,

A Deo est enim omnis medela, et a rege accipiet donationem.

For all healing is from God, and he shall receive gifts of the king.

since from God all healing comes, and kings themselves must needs bring gifts to him.

Disciplina medici exaltabit caput illius, et in conspectu magnatorum collaudabitur.

The skill of the physician shall lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he shall be praised.

High rank his skill gives him; of great men he is the honoured guest.

Altissimus creavit de terra medicamenta, et vir prudens non abhorrebit illa.

The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.

Medicines the most High has made for us out of earth’s bounty, and shall prudence shrink from the use of them?

Nonne a ligno indulcata est aqua amara?

Was not bitter water made sweet with wood?

Were not the waters of Mara made wholesome by the touch of wood?

Ad agnitionem hominum virtus illorum: et dedit hominibus scientiam Altissimus, honorari in mirabilibus suis.

The virtue of these things is come to the knowledge of men, and the most High hath given knowledge to men, that he may be honoured in his wonders.

Well for us men, that the secret virtue of such remedies has been revealed; skill the most High would impart to us, and for his marvels win renown.

In his curans mitigabit dolorem: et unguentarius faciet pigmenta suavitatis, et unctiones conficiet sanitatis: et non consummabuntur opera ejus.

By these he shall cure and shall allay their pains, and of these the apothecary shall make sweet confections, and shall make up ointments of health, and of his works there shall be no end.

Thus it is that the physician cures our pain, and the apothecary makes, not only perfumes to charm the sense, but unguents remedial; so inexhaustible is God’s creation,

Pax enim Dei super faciem terræ.

For the peace of God is over all the face of the earth.

such health comes of his gift, all the world over.

Fili, in tua infirmitate ne despicias teipsum: sed ora Dominum, et ipse curabit te.

My son, in thy sickness neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord, and he shall heal thee.

Son, when thou fallest sick, do not neglect thy own needs; pray to the Lord, and thou shalt win recovery.

Averte a delicto, et dirige manus, et ab omni delicto munda cor tuum.

Turn away from sin and order thy hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all offence.

Leave off thy sinning, thy life amend, purge thee of all thy guilt.

Da suavitatem et memoriam similaginis, et impingua oblationem, et da locum medico:

Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physician.

With frankincense and rich oil make bloodless offering of meal; and so leave the physician to do his work.

etenim illum Dominus creavit, et non discedat a te, quia opera ejus sunt necessaria.

For the Lord created him: and let him not depart from thee, for his works are necessary.

His task is of divine appointment, and thou hast need of him; let him be ever at thy side.

Est enim tempus quando in manus illorum incurras:

For there is a time when thou must fall into their hands:

Needs must, at times, to physicians thou shouldst have recourse;

ipsi vero Dominum deprecabuntur, ut dirigat requiem eorum, et sanitatem, propter conversationem illorum.

And they shall beseech the Lord, that he would prosper what they give for ease and remedy, for their conversation.

and doubt not they will make intercession with the Lord, that they may find a way to bring thee ease and remedy, by their often visiting thee.

Qui delinquit in conspectu ejus qui fecit eum, incidet in manus medici.

He that sinneth in the sight of his Maker, shall fall into the hands of the physician.

Offend thou thy maker by wrong-doing, much recourse thou shalt have to physicians.

Fili, in mortuum produc lacrimas, et quasi dira passus incipe plorare: et secundum judicium contege corpus illius, et non despicias sepulturam illius.

My son, shed tears over the dead, and begin to lament as if thou hadst suffered some great harm, and according to judgment cover his body, and neglect not his burial.

When a man dies, let thy tears flow, and set up a great lamenting, as for thy grievous loss; shroud him according to his quality, and grudge him no pomp of funeral;

Propter delaturam autem amare fer luctum illius uno die, et consolare propter tristitiam:

And for fear of being ill spoken of weep bitterly for a day, and then comfort thyself in thy sadness.

then, to be rid of gossip, bemoan him bitterly for a day’s space, ere thou wilt be comforted in thy sorrow;

et fac luctum secundum meritum ejus uno die, vel duobus, propter detractionem:

And make mourning for him according to his merit for a day, or two, for fear of detraction.

one day or two, as his worth claims, bemoan him; no need to win thyself an ill name.

a tristitia enim festinat mors, et cooperit virtutem, et tristitia cordis flectit cervicem.

For of sadness cometh death, and it overwhelmeth the strength, and the sorrow of the heart boweth down the neck.

But grief will but hasten thy own death, will be the grave of thy own strength; where heart goes sad, back goes bowed.

In abductione permanet tristitia, et substantia inopis secundum cor ejus.

In withdrawing aside sorrow remaineth: and the substance of the poor is according to his heart.

So long as thou withdrawest thyself, sad thy heart will be; and what patrimony but heart’s mirth is left to the poor?

Ne dederis in tristitia cor tuum, sed repelle eam a te, et memento novissimorum.

Give not up thy heart to sadness, but drive it from thee: and remember the latter end.

Why then, do not give thyself over to regrets; put them away from thee, and bethink thee rather of thy own end.

Noli oblivisci, neque enim est conversio: et huic nihil proderis, et teipsum pessimabis.

Forget it not: for there is no returning, and thou shalt do him no good, and shalt hurt thyself.

Do not fancy that the dead can return; by torturing thyself thou canst nothing avail him.

Memor esto judicii mei: sic enim erit et tuum: mihi heri, et tibi hodie.

Remember my judgment: for thine also shall be so: yesterday for me, and to day for thee.

Remember, he tells thee, this doom of mine; such shall thine be; mine yesterday, thine to-day.

In requie mortui requiescere fac memoriam ejus, et consolare illum in exitu spiritus sui.

When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest, and comfort him in the departing of his spirit.

Let his memory rest, as he rests, in death; enough for thee that thou shouldst comfort him in the hour when his spirit leaves him.

Sapientia scribæ in tempore vacuitatis, et qui minoratur actu sapientiam percipiet, qua sapientia replebitur.

The wisdom of a scribe cometh by his time of leisure: and he that is less in action, shall receive wisdom.

The wisdom of a learned man is the fruit of leisure; he must starve himself of doing if he is to come by it.

Qui tenet aratrum, et qui gloriatur in jaculo, stimulo boves agitat, et conversatur in operibus eorum, et enarratio ejus in filiis taurorum.

With what wisdom shall he be furnished that holdeth the plough, and that glorieth in the goad, that driveth the oxen therewith, and is occupied in their labours, and his whole talk is about the offspring of bulls?

How shall he drink full draughts of wisdom that must guide the plough, that walks proud as any spearman while he goads on his team, all his life taken up with their labours, all his talk of oxen?

Cor suum dabit ad versandos sulcos, et vigilia ejus in sagina vaccarum.

He shall give his mind to turn up furrows, and his care is to give the kine fodder.

His mind all set on a straight furrow, the feeding of his cows an anxiety to deny him sleep?

Sic omnis faber et architectus, qui noctem tamquam diem transigit: qui sculpit signacula sculptilia, et assiduitas ejus variat picturam: cor suum dabit in similitudinem picturæ, et vigilia sua perficiet opus.

So every craftsman and workmaster that laboureth night and day, he who maketh graven seals, and by his continual diligence varieth the figure: he shall give his mind to the resemblance of the picture, and by his watching shall finish the work.

So it is with every workman and master-workman, that must turn night into day. Here is one that cuts graven seals; how he busies himself with devising some new pattern! How the model he works from claims his attention, while he sits late over his craft!

Sic faber ferrarius sedens juxta incudem, et considerans opus ferri: vapor ignis uret carnes ejus, et in calore fornacis concertatur.

So doth the smith sitting by the anvil and considering the iron work. The vapour of the fire wasteth his flesh, and he fighteth with the heat of the furnace.

Here is blacksmith sitting by his anvil, intent upon his iron-work, cheeks shrivelled with the smoke, as he battles with the heat of the furnace,

Vox mallei innovat aurem ejus, et contra similitudinem vasis oculus ejus.

The noise of the hammer is always in his ears, and his eye is upon the pattern of the vessel he maketh.

ears ringing again with the hammer’s clattering, eyes fixed on the design he imitates.

Cor suum dabit in consummationem operum, et vigilia sua ornabit in perfectionem.

He setteth his mind to finish his work, and his watching to polish them to perfection.

All his heart is in the finishing of his task, all his waking thoughts go to the perfect achieving of it.

Sic figulus sedens ad opus suum, convertens pedibus suis rotam, qui in sollicitudine positus est semper propter opus suum, et in numero est omnis operatio ejus.

So doth the potter sitting at his work, turning the wheel about with his feet, who is always carefully set to his work, and maketh all his work by number:

Here is potter at work, treadles flying, anxious continually over the play of his hands, over the rhythm of his craftsmanship;

In brachio suo formabit lutum, et ante pedes suos curvabit virtutem suam.

He fashioneth the clay with his arm, and boweth down his strength before his feet:

arms straining at the stiff clay, feet matching its strength with theirs.

Cor suum dabit ut consummet linitionem, et vigilia sua mundabit fornacem.

He shall give his mind to finish the glazing, and his watching to make clean the furnace.

To finish off the glaze is his nearest concern, and long he must wake to keep his furnace clean.

Omnes hi in manibus suis speraverunt, et unusquisque in arte sua sapiens est.

All these trust to their hands, and every one is wise in his own art.

All these look to their own hands for a living, skilful each in his own craft;

Sine his omnibus non ædificatur civitas,

Without these a city is not built.

and without them, there is no building up a commonwealth.

et non inhabitabunt, nec inambulabunt, et in ecclesiam non transilient.

And they shall not dwell, nor walk about therein, and they shall not go up into the assembly.

For them no travels abroad, no journeyings from home; they will not pass beyond their bounds to swell the assembly,

Super sellam judicis non sedebunt, et testamentum judicii non intelligent, neque palam facient disciplinam et judicium, et in parabolis non invenientur:

Upon the judges’ seat they shall not sit, and the ordinance of judgment they shall not understand, neither shall they declare discipline and judgment, and they shall not be found where parables are spoken:

or to sit in the judgement-seat. Not theirs to understand the law’s awards, not theirs to impart learning or to give judgement; they will not be known for uttering wise sayings.

sed creaturam ævi confirmabunt: et deprecatio illorum in operatione artis, accomodantes animam suam, et conquirentes in lege Altissimi.

But they shall strengthen the state of the world, and their prayer shall be in the work of their craft, applying their soul, and searching in the law of the most High.

Theirs it is to support this unchanging world of God’s creation; they ply their craft and ask for nothing better; … lending themselves freely and making their study in the law of the most High.