Honora medicum propter necessitatem: etenim illum creavit Altissimus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nonne a ligno indulcata est aqua amara?

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

Was not bitter water made sweet with wood?

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

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.

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.

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

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,

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.

Pax enim Dei super faciem terræ.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Est enim tempus quando in manus illorum incurras:

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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;

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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

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 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!

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.

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

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,

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sine his omnibus non ædificatur civitas,

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

Without these a city is not built.

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

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

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

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

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.

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:

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

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.

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.