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TITLE I.

SLOTH.

original: "Acedia." In medieval theology, acedia is more than just laziness; it is a spiritual apathy or "weariness of the heart" regarding divine things.

Sloth is compared to Adonibesech, of whom it is said in Judges 1 that he cut off the hands and feet of seventy kings. St. Bonaventure, The Diet of Salvation, Title 1, Chapter 7. Adonibesech was a biblical king whose name means "Lord of Bezek." His act of mutilation is used here to symbolize how sloth renders a person incapable of spiritual "walking" or "working."

The Donkey. Note that the devil, in those whom he does not find strong in the Catholic faith, carves and shapes the figure of the donkey of sloth. Ibid. original: "Id. ibid." referring to the same author and work., Title 10, Chapter 5.

The Hungry Dog. The idle person is compared to a hungry dog. Ibid., Title 1, Chapter 7.

The Uncultivated Field. The idle person is like a poorly cultivated field, in which the thorns of evil temptations spring up. St. Vincent Ferrer, Sermon 6 on Sloth.

The Water of the Flood. Just as the water of the flood submerged the world, so sloth suffocates the idle man. St. Bonaventure, ibid.

The Demon. The Demon of Sloth original: "Desidiæ Dæmon", who is also called the "noonday devil," is the most serious of all demons. Evagrius to Anatolius, On the Eight Vicious Thoughts. This work is among the printed works of St. John Damascene, Paris, 1577.

The Quartan Fever. Because of the fourfold degree of sin—namely of the heart, the mouth, the work, and the habit. St. Bonaventure, ibid., in the Prologue. A quartan fever was one that returned every four days; here it symbolizes the recurring and habitual nature of sloth.

The Hectic Fever. Sloth is compared to a hectic fever, or to consumption, or to exhaustion, or to paralysis. Ibid., Title 1, Chapter 7.

The fifteen daughters of sloth are: lukewarmness, softness, sleepiness, idleness, procrastination, slowness, negligence, lack of perseverance, slackness, dissoluteness, laziness, lack of devotion, sadness, weariness of life, and despair. Ibid.

The Polluted Stone. The lazy man is equated to a polluted stone. St. Antiochus, On Sloth, Homily 36.

The Lethargic Man. The idle person is compared to a man in a lethargy. St. Bonaventure, ibid.

The Moon. The seven planets signify the seven

vices—the Moon signifies Sloth, because of its changeability and because of the coldness of laziness. St. Thomas Aquinas, Sermon 2 for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost.

The Mother of Despair. But what, finally, is the root and mother of despair? I say it is laziness; indeed, one might not ineptly name it not only the root, but in turn both its parent and its nurse. Just as in a corpse decay gives birth to little worms, and the decay is increased by them in return; so it is almost the same in this case. For laziness gives birth to despair, and from despair, laziness is in turn nourished. And so, while they maintain between themselves this cursed cycle of giving and receiving, they are strengthened into a power that is by no means moderate. Therefore, by cutting off the one, you will with easy effort destroy the other which follows. For he who grows sluggish will never fail to fall headlong into despair. St. John Chrysostom, Letter 5 to Theodore after his fall.

A Most Serious Disease. Cassian, found in St. John Damascene, Parallels, Book 1, Chapter 23.

The Cloud. Just as clouds are thickened by much watery moisture, so is the monk who is driven by the spirit of Sloth. St. Antiochus, On Sloth, Homily 26.

Paralysis. This is a type of torpor in which the lazy man lies in the softness of the flesh. St. Jerome, cited in St. Thomas, The Golden Chain on Mark, Chapter 2.

The Willow. The slothful monk is found to be no different from the shrubs of the desert. St. Antiochus, cited above. Sloth is compared to willows, which are fruitless trees—thus the slothful provide shade and refreshment for the devil. St. Vincent Ferrer, On the Properties and Comparisons of Vices, Chapter 2.

The Negligent Student. The slothful person is compared to a negligent student. St. Bonaventure, cited above.

The Nettle rightly represents Sloth. Ibid.

TITLE II.

THE ADVENT OF CHRIST THE LORD.

The third year of Esther 1: King Ahasuerus in the third year of his reign made a great feast. That king signifies Christ, who made a feast not in the first or second year—that is, the time before the Law or under the Law—but in the third, that is, in the time of Grace. St. Thomas, Opusculum on the Sacrament of the Altar, Chapter 29.