Rogo vos, fratres karissimi, et cum grandi humilitate admoneo, ut intentis animis auscultare iubeatis, quae vobis pro salute vestra suggerere volo.
ante omnia autem illud denuntio atque contestor, ut nullas paganorum sacrilegas consuetudines observetis, non caraios, non divinos, non sortilegos, non praecantatores; nec pro ulla causa aut infirmitate eos consulere vel interrogare praesumatis; quia qui facit hoc malum, statim perdit baptismi sacramentum. similiter et auguria, vel sternutationes nolite observare, nec in itinere positi aliquas aviculas cantantes attendatis, sed sive iter, seu quodcunque operis arripitis, signate vos in nomine Christi, et symbolum, et orationem Dominicam cum fide et devotione dicite, et nihil vobis nocere poterit inimicus. nullus Christianus observet qua die domum exeat, vel qua die revertatur, quia omnes dies Deus fecit: nullus ad inchoandum opus diem vel lunam attendat: nullus in Kalendis Ianuarii nefanda et ridiculosa, vetulas, aut cervulos, aut iotticos faciat, neque mensas super noctem componat, neque strenas, aut bibitiones superfluas exerceat. nullus Christianus in puras credat, neque in cantu sedeat, quia opera diabolica sunt: nullus in festivitate sancti Ioannis, vel quibuslibet sanctorum solemnitatibus, solstitia, aut vallationes, vel saltationes, aut caraulas, aut cantica diabolica exerceat: nullus nomina daemonum, aut Neptunum, aut Orcum, aut Dianam, aut Minervam, aut Geniscum, aut caeteras huiusmodi ineptias credere, aut invocare praesumat. nullus diem Iovis absque festivitatibus sanctis, nec in Maio, nec ullo tempore in otio observet, neque dies tiniarum, vel murorum, aut vel unum omnino diem, nisi tantum Dominicum. nullus Christianus ad fana, vel ad petras, vel ad fontes, vel ad arbores, aut ad cellos, vel per trivia luminaria faciat, aut vota reddere praesumat: nullus ad colla vel hominis, vel cuiuslibet animalis ligamina dependere praesumat, etiamsi a clericis fiant, et si dicatur quod res sancta sit, et lectiones divinas contineat, quia non est in eis remedium Christi, sed venenum diaboli. nullus praesumat lustrationes facere nec herbas incantare, neque pecora per cavam arborem, vel per terram foratam transire, quia per haec videtur diabolo ea consecrare. nulla mulier praesumat succinos ad collum dependere, nec in tela vel in tinctura, sive quolibet opere Minervam, vel infaustas caeteras personas nominare, sed in omni opere Christi gratiam adesse optare, et in virtute nominis eius toto corde confidere. nullus, si quando luna obscuratur, vociferare praesumat, quia Deo iubente certis temporibus obscuratur; nec luna nova quisquam timeat aliquid operis arripere, quia Deus ad hoc lunam fecit ut tempora designet, et noctium tenebras temperet, non ut alicuius opus impediat, aut dementem faciat hominem, sicut stulti putant, qui a daemonibus invasos a luna pati arbitrantur. nullus dominos solem aut lunam vocet, neque per eos iuret; quia creatura Dei sunt, et necessitatibus hominum iussu Dei inserviunt: nullus sibi proponat fatum vel fortunam, aut genesim, quod vulgo nascentia dicitur, ut dicat, qualem nascentia attulit, taliter erit; quia Deus omnes homines vult salvos fieri, et ad agnitionem veritatis venire [I Tim. II, 4] , atque omnia in sapientia dispensat, sicut disposuit ante constitutionem mundi. praeterea quoties aliqua infirmitas supervenerit, non quaerantur praecantatores, non divini, non sortilegi, non caragi, nec per fontes aut arbores, vel bivios diabolica phylacteria exerceantur; sed qui aegrotat, in sola Dei misericordia confidat, et Eucharistiam corporis et sanguinis Christi cum fide ac devotione accipiat, oleumque benedictum fideliter ab ecclesia petat, unde corpus suum in nomine Christi ungat, et secundum apostolum oratio fidei salvabit infirmum, et allevabit eum Dominus; et non solum corporis, sed etiam animae sanitatem recipiet, complebiturque in illo quod Dominus in Evangelio promisit, dicens: “omnia enim quaecunque petieritis in oratione credentes, accipietis” [Iacob. 5.15; Matth. 21.22].
(Audoenus Rothomagensis, Vita Sancti Eligii 2.16)
I ask you dearest brothers and admonish you with great humility to command your intent spirit to listen to what I wish to suggest to you for your salvation.
Before all else, I denounce and contest, that you shall observe no sacrilegious pagan customs. For no cause or infirmity should you consult magicians, diviners, sorcerers or incantators, or presume to question them because any man who commits such evil will immediately lose the sacrament of baptism. Do not observe auguries or violent sneezing or pay attention to any little birds singing along the road. If you are distracted on the road or at any other work, make the sign of the cross and say your Sunday prayers with faith and devotion and nothing inimical can hurt you. No Christian should be concerned about which day he leaves home or which day he returns because God has made all days. No influence attaches to the first work of the day or the [phase of the] moon; nothing is ominous or ridiculous about the Calends of January. [Do not] make [figures of?] vetulas, little deer or iotticos or set tables at night or exchange New Years’ gifts or supply superfluous drinks. No Christian believes impurity or sits in incantation, because the work is diabolic. No Christian on the feast of Saint John or the solemnity of any other saint performs solestitia [solstice rites?] or dancing or leaping or diabolical chants. No Christian should presume to invoke the name of a demon, not Neptune or Orcus or Diana or Minerva or Geniscus or believe in these inept beings in any way. No one should observe Jove’s day in idleness without holy festivities not in May or any other time, not days of larvae or mice or any day but Sunday. No Christian should make or render any devotion to the gods of the trivium, where three roads meet, to the fanes or the rocks, or springs or groves or corners. None should presume to hang any phylacteries from the neck of man nor beast, even if they are made by priests and it is said that they contain holy things and divine scripture because there is no remedy of Christ in these things but only the devil’s poison. None should presume to make lustrations or incantations with herbs, or to pass cattle through a hollow tree or ditch because this is to consecrate them to the devil. No woman should presume to hang amber from her neck or call upon Minerva or other ill-starred beings in their weaving or dyeing but in all works give thanks only to Christ and confide in the power of his name with all your hearts. None should presume to shout when the moon is obscured, for by God’s order eclipses happen at certain times. Nor should they fear the new moon or abandon work because of it. For God made the moon for this, to mark time and temper the darkness of night, not impede work nor make men mad as the foolish imagine, who believe lunatics are invaded by demons from the moon. None should call the sun or moon lord or swear by them because they are God’s creatures and they serve the needs of men by God’s order. No one should tell fate or fortune or horoscopes by them as those do who believe that a person must be what he was born to be. For God wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth and dispenses wisdom to all as he disposed it before the constitution of the world. Above all, should any infirmity occur, do not seek incantators or diviners or sorcerers or magicians, do not use diabolic phylacteries through springs and groves or crossroads. But let the invalid confide solely in the mercy of God and take the body and blood of Christ with faith and devotion and ask the church faithfully for blessing and oil, with which he might anoint his body in the name of Christ and, according to the apostle, “the prayer of faith will save the infirm and the Lord will relieve him.” And he will not only receive health for the body but for the soul and what the Lord promised in the Gospel will be fulfilled saying: “For whatever you shall ask, you will receive through believing prayer.” (tr. Jo Ann McNamara)
Crambe Repetita 