Chapter 1: On the pursuit for wisdom and its excellence.
“Benjamin the youth, in ecstasy of mind.”1 Let youths hearken to a word about a youth; let them awake to the voice of the Prophet: “Benjamin the youth, in ecstasy of mind.” Many are those who have learned who this Benjamin is, some by knowledge and others by experience. Let those who learned by instruction listen patiently; let those who learned by experience listen gladly, for—of this I am certain—whoever was able to learn about him once in the school of experience cannot be sated by discourse about him, howsoever long. But who can speak about him worthily? For he is “beautiful above all the sons” of Jacob,2 and such as befitted Rachel to beget. Indeed, Lia, although she begot more sons, nonetheless had none more comely. It is well known that, as you have read,3 Jacob had two wives: one was called Lia, and the other Rachel. Lia was more fruitful; Rachel more beautiful. Lia was fruitful, but blear-eyed; Rachel nigh barren, but singularly fair.
But let us now see who these two wives of Jacob are, in order to understand more easily who their children are. Rachael is the teaching of truth, Lia the discipline of virtue; Rachel the pursuit of wisdom, Lia the desire for justice. We know that Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and yet “they seemed but a few days, because of the greatness of his love.”4 Why dost thou marvel? The greatness of his love matched the greatness of her beauty. Verily, were I to attempt to say anything in praise of wisdom, whatever I say would fall short, for what is loved more ardently and possessed more sweetly than wisdom? Her comeliness surpasses all beauty; her taste exceeds all sweetness. “For,” as someone wrote, “she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of the stars; being compared with the light, she is found before it. For after this cometh night, but no evil can overcome wisdom. She reacheth therefore from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly. Her I have loved,” he adds, “and have sought her out from my youth, and have desired to take her for my spouse, and I became a lover of her beauty.”5 Why marvel, then, if Jacob burned with love for such a bride; if he could not quench the fiery flames of such love? O how he loved her, O how he burned with love for her, who said, “I loved wisdom above health and all beauty.”6 As we have said, nothing is loved more ardently and possessed more sweetly than this wisdom. This is why all wish to be wise, yet few can be wholly wise.
Chapter 2: On the desire for justice and its characteristics.
Shall we say the same about justice? Do we all similarly wish to be just, but do not perhaps manage to be just? Nay, rather, everyone could be just, if he perfectly willed to be just. For to love justice perfectly is already to be just. You can have great love for wisdom, but lack it. But verily and certainly, the more you love justice, the more just you shall be.
But now let us see what the habits of true justice are, and we shall discover why so disdain to wed Lia. For it must be asked why nearly everyone who pants for Rachel’s embraces so abhors to marry Lia. Perfect justice enjoins us to love our enemies, to leave our parents and possessions, to suffer wrongs patiently, and to decline all manner of proffered honors. But for those who love this world, what could be more foolish and burdensome? For this reason Lia is thought to be blear-eyed, and is called burdensome. For “Lia” means burdensome.7 For it seems to them a great burden and a serious error to rejoice in tribulation8 and flee the prosperity of the world like the plague. So they call Lia blear-eyed, not blind, because she uses the world’s bounty for her need, not her pleasure, and so they think that she errs in her judgment.
And so if Lia is understood to be the desire for justice, and Rachel the pursuit of wisdom, it is clear why Lia is almost universally despised, while Rachel alone is loved.
Caput I: De studio sapientiae et eius commendatione.
Beniamin adolescentulus in mentis excessu. Audiant adolescentuli sermonem de adolescente, euigilent ad uocem Prophetae: Beniamin adolescentulus in mentis excessu. Quis sit Beniamin iste, multi nouerunt, alii per scientiam, alii per experientiam. Qui per doctrinam nouerunt audiant patienter; qui per experientiam didicerunt, audiant libenter. Qui enim eum experientiae magisterio semel nosse potuit, fidenter loquor, sermo de eo, quamuis prolixus, illum satiare non poterit. Sed quis de eo digne loqui sufficiat? Est enim speciosus forma prae omnibus filiis Iacob, et qualem Rachel generare decuit. Nam Lia quidem, quamuis plures, pulchriores tamen liberos habere non potuit. Duas namque, ut legitis, uxores Iacob habuisse cognoscitur; una Lia, altera Rachel dicebatur. Lia fecundior, Rachel formosior. Lia fecunda, sed lippa; Rachel fere sterilis, sed formae singularis.
Sed nunc quae sint istae duae uxores Iacob uideamus, ut qui sint earum filii facilius intelligamus. Rachel doctrina ueritatis, Lia disciplina uirtutis; Rachel studium sapientiae, Lia desiderium iustitiae. Sed scimus septem annis Iacob pro Rachel seruisse, et tamen uidebantur ei dies pauci, prae amoris magnitudine. Quid miraris? Secundum magnitudinem pulchritudinis erat magnitudo dilectionis. Certe si in laudem sapientiae aliquid tentare uoluero, minus erit quantumcumque dixero. Quid enim sapientia ardentius diligitur, dulcius possidetur? Eius decor omnem superat pulchritudinem, eius dulcor omnem excedit suauitatem. Est enim, ut ait quidam, speciosior sole, et super omnem stellarum dispositionem; luci comparata, inuenitur prior. Illi enim succedit nox, sapientiam autem non uincit malitia. Adtingit ergo a fine usque ad finem fortiter, et disponit omnia suauiter. Hanc amaui, inquit, et exquisiui a iuuentute mea, et quaesiui sponsam michi eam assumere, et amator factus sum formae illius. Quid ergo mirum, si Iacob in huiusmodi sponsae amore flagrabat, si talis ignis, si tantae dilectionis flammas temperare non poterat? O quantum amabat, o qualiter in eius amore flagrabat, qui dixit: Super salutem et omnem pulchritudinem dilexi sapientiam. Nichil enim hac, ut diximus, sapientia, ardentius diligitur, nil dulcius possidetur. Hinc est enim quod sapientes omnes esse uolunt, pauci tamen admodum sapientes esse possunt.
Caput II: De desiderio iustitiae et eius proprietate.
Numquid de iustitia similiter dicimus? Numquid aeque iusti omnes esse uolumus, sed iusti forte esse non possumus? Immo omnes utique iusti esse potuissent, si esse iusti perfecte uoluissent. Iustitiam enim perfecte diligere, est iam iustum esse. Sapientiam et multum amare potes, et ipsa carere potes. Omnino, et absque dubio, quanto amplius iustitiam dilexeris, tanto iustior eris.
Sed uideamus nunc quae sint instituta uerae iustitiae, et inueniemus cur homines tantum detestantur connubia Liae. Quaerendum namque est, cur fere omnes coniugia Liae tantopere abhorreant, qui in amplexus Rachel tantum suspirant. Perfecta iustitia iubet inimicos diligere, parentes, propria quaeque relinquere, illata mala patienter ferre, oblatam gloriam ubique declinare. Sed ab huius mundi amatoribus quid stultius, quid laboriosius esse reputatur? Hinc est quod ab eis Lia et lippa creditur, et laboriosa uocatur. Lia namque laboriosa interpretatur. Magnus namque labor, sed non minor error uidetur eis esse, in tribulatione gaudere, prospera mundi quasi pestem fugere. Sed quia copiam mundi ad necessitatem non respuit, et ad uoluptatem non admittit, Liam lippam, non caecam uocant, quam in rerum iudicio errare putant.
Si igitur per Liam desiderium iustitiae, per Rachel uero studium sapientiae intelligitur, patet ratio quare uel Lia ab omnibus fere contemnitur, uel Rachel tantum diligitur.
Canticum Salomonis 