Cap. LXV
DE HIS, QUI FALLUNTUR IN ORATORIO

[Ms P, fol. 129r – Paulus Diaconus –
Ps.-Basil: Ms K¹, fol. 128r; Ms E¹, fol. 145r; Ms E², fol. 221r]

Ch. 45
CONCERNING THOSE WHO ERR IN THE ORATORY

Translated by: Anna Wilson

₁Si quis, dum pronuntiat psalmum, responsorium aut antiphonam vel lectionem, fallitur, nisi satisfactione ibi coram omnibus humiliatus fuerit, majori vindictae subjaceat, ₂quippe qui noluit humilitate corrigere, quod negligentia deliquit.

₁If anyone should err when reading aloud the psalm, response or antiphon or lesson, unless he is humble in his penance there before everyone, let him be subjected to a greater punishment, ₂and of course anyone who does not wish to correct through humility where they have been at fault through negligence.

Rectum ordinem tenuit etiam in hoc loco S. Benedictus, quia coeperat de satisfactione gravium vel levium culparum [Regula Benedicti, c. 44], ut diceret statim, qualiter et illi debuissent satisfacere, qui in oratorio falluntur sive majores sive infantes.

St. Benedict also preserved good order in this section, which he had begun on the penance for serious and for mild faults [Regula Benedicti, c. 44] so that he might also say immediately how those who err in the oratory, whether they are older or children, ought to do penance.

Debet enim abbas constituere fratrem, qui versum prendat. Si iste, dum prendit versum, ita fefellerit, ut totum chorum perturbet, debet se humiliare usque ad terram, i. e. genua in terram flectere. Si autem alius, cum viderit illum non bene prendere versum, aut, si forte bene prehenderit, [et] miserit vocem incongruam, ita ut turbetur chorus, vel fefellerit simili modo, sicut alter se debet humiliare. Si autem aliquis non ita fefellerit, ut illum conturbet, iste talis non ita se debet humiliare, sicut ipsi primi, sed tamen corpus suum debet flectere. Lector enim si fefellerit isto modo ad altare, discernendum est.

The abbot ought to choose the brother who should lead the verse. If that brother, when he is leading the verse, has made a mistake in it in such a way that the whole choir is thrown into disorder, he ought to humble himself all the way to ground, i.e. to bend his knees on the ground. If however the abbot sees that another does not lead the verse well, or, if perhaps he speaks it well but he projects in an inaudible voice, and thus disorders the choir, or he has erred in a similar way, he ought to humble himself in the same way as the former. If however one has not made a mistake in such a way as to disrupt the choir, he should not humble himself in the same way as the former examples, but however he ought to bow. If the reader has made a mistake in this way at the altar, it should be noted.

Debet abbas constituere talem fratrem, qui corrigat librum, et debet illi jubere, ut vadant et, legant ante illum. Deinde si correctus fuerit liber et postquam legerit ante magistrum et tunc ipse lector male legerit, tunc debet veniam petere, ita tamen, si postquam unum versum legerit et non se ipse recuperaverit aut non emendaverit; si autem postquam legerit, non unum, sed tres vel quatuor versus, ita ut non possit se recuperare, perlecta lectione, pro hoc vadat in loco constituto et ibi petat [page 470] veniam, ita tamen, si aut abbas aut magister illum reprehenderit aut innuerit, ut melius et recte dicat et illi noluerit dicere; si autem noluerit ad magistrum ire, quem abbas lectiones constituit corrigere sive codicem emendare, et ipse liber fuerit sine vitio, et tunc male legerit, debet veniam petere.

The abbot ought to choose such a brother as may correct a book, and the abbot ought to order to him [the erring brother] that he should go and read before him [the correcting brother, that is, the teacher]. Then if the book has been correct and afterwards he has read before the teacher and then the reader himself reads badly, then he ought to seek pardon; this also goes if afterwards he has read one verse and he has not redeemed himself and has not corrected himself. If however he has read afterwards not one, but three or four verses, so that he has not been able to redeem himself in this way, because the lesson has been read through, let him go on account of this to a designated place and there seek [page 470] forgiveness. This also goes if either the abbot or teacher reprimand him or order that he might speak better and more correctly and the brother does not wish to speak to him [the teacher]. If however he [the erring brother] has refused to go to the teacher whom the abbot has decided should correct the lessons or emend the codex, and the book itself is without fault, and then he has read badly, he ought to seek pardon.

Et hoc sciendum est, quia, si ille liber male habuerit in omnibus, pro quibus diximus, veniam petere tunc liberabitur. Si autem post tertiam aut quartam vicem, hoc est, per consuetudinem male legerit et non emendaverit, corripiatur pro hoc in capitulo.

And it should be understood that if that book fares badly in all the situations which we have described [that is, if the book is incorrect] then the seeking of pardon is waived. If however he reads badly after his third or fourth turn - that is, routinely - and does not improve, let him be censured for this in the chapter house.

Sciendum est autem, quia in Pentecosten aut in aliis diebus, quando genua non flectunt, ille, qui fallit, secundum hoc, quod fallit, genua tantum in terra ponat, si autem ita fallit, sive qui versum prehendit, sive alter, ut chorum perturbent, illi et chorus genua flectant; si vero se et non chorum turbaverint, tantum ipsi flectunt genua. Si in medio versu fefellerit quilibet, non flectat genua, sed humilietur tantum capite.

But it should be understood that at Pentecost or on any days when they do not kneel, he who makes a mistake, according to what his mistake was, should put his knees only on the ground; if however someone - either the one who is leading the verse or another - errs in such a way that the choir become disrupted, they and the choir should bend their knees; but if they have disturbed themselves and not the choir, only those brothers should bend their knees. If someone has made a mistake mid-verse let him not bend his knees, but bow his head.

Quod autem dicit majori vindictae subjaceat, varie intelligitur. Sunt, qui intelligunt, ut in oratorio duabus vicibus vel tribus petere debet¹ veniam. Iterum sunt alii, qui intelligunt, ut in capitulo increpetur; sed iste sensus, ut in capitulo increpetur, sanior est, et per gradus potest duci, quia jam, postquam non vult implere hoc, quod S. Benedictus dicit, tunc per gradus ducendus est sex, ut emendetur, eo quod, si de una disciplina exierit, tunc suscipiet illum altera disciplina.

The part however that says let him be subjected to greater punishment is understood in various ways. There are those who interpret that he ought to seek forgiveness in the oratory two or three times. There are also others who interpret that he should be rebuked in the chapter-house. However the latter interpretation, that he be rebuked in the chapter-house, is sounder, and it can be administered in stages, because after he does not wish to do what S. Benedict says, at this point it should be administered in six stages, so that he may be corrected, because if he emerges from one discipline, then he may receive that stage in another discipline.

Sequitur: ₃Infantes vero pro tali culpa vapulent.

Next: ₃But children should be beaten for this kind of fault.

Notandum est enim, quia, ubi dicit tali, incertum est, utrum, quia fefellerunt, an quia forte noluerunt petere veniam, quia superius duo dixit, i. e. si fallit quis, debet petere veniam; alterum dicit: si non vult veniam petere, majori vindictae subjaceat; sed tamen isto modo intelligendum est, i. e.: si infans fefellerit, debet veniam petere et non flagellari ; si autem per consuetudinem fefellerit, debet veniam petere; tamen debet flagellari, ne fiat negligens.

For it should be noted that when he says this kind, it means either because they have made a mistake, or because perhaps they did not wish to seek forgiveness, since he said two things above: i.e. if someone errs, he ought to seek pardon, and he says next, if he does not wish to seek pardon, let him be subjugated to a greater punishment. But however this should be understood in this way: for example, if a child has made a mistake, he ought to seek pardon and not to be beaten; if however he routinely has made a mistake, he ought to seek pardon; but however he ought to be beaten, lest he become negligent.

Et hoc [page 471] notandum est, quia non debet in oratorio infans flagellari; sed cum flagellandus erit, non in capitulo, sed in schola magistri eorum debent illos flagellare. Infantes enim in hoc loco intelliguntur illi, qui in custodia sunt generali. [cf. Regula Benedicti, c. 70.4]

And it [page 471] should be noted that a child ought not to be beaten in the oratory; but when someone is to be beaten, their teachers ought to beat them not in the chapter house, but in the school. For in this section 'children' should be understood as those who are in common custody. [cf. Regula Benedicti, c. 70.4]

De illo, qui non legit bene in refectorio, ita agendum est: debet enim abbas talem fratrem constituere, qui sedeat juxta lectorem et eum possit emendare atque corrigere, i. e. quando fefellerit, sive ut ipso intelligere possit, quando eum silenter corrigit, quia nullo modo permittit regula inibi cuiquam loqui, sed propter vitium lectoris atque ipsius codicis, qui (quod) legitur, concessum est, ut lectio lectori² emendetur.

In the case of one who does not read well in the refectory, it should be done thus: the abbot ought to choose such a brother as may sit next to the reader and is able to correct and emend him when he has made a mistake, or, if he is able to be understood by that brother, to correct him silently, since in no way does the rule permit anyone to speak then; but because of a mistake in the reader or the book itself which is being read, it is permitted that the reader's reading should be corrected.