1. Cyprian to the congregation who stand fast in the Gospel, sends greeting. As it greatly saddens me, and deeply afflicts my soul, when no opportunit

 2. Believers, and men who claim for themselves the authority of the Christian name, are not ashamed—are not, I repeat, ashamed to find a defence in th

 3. These are therefore an argument to stimulate virtue, not a permission or a liberty to look upon heathen error, that by this consideration the mind

 4. What has Scripture interdicted?  Certainly it has forbidden gazing upon what it forbids to be done. It condemned, I say, all those kinds of exhibit

 5. What is the need of prosecuting the subject further, or of describing the unnatural kinds of sacrifices in the public shows, among which sometimes

 6. But now to pass from this to the shameless corruption of the stage. I am ashamed to tell what things are said I am even ashamed to denounce the th

 7. It is not sufficient for lust to make use of its present means of mischief, unless by the exhibition it makes its own that in which a former age ha

 8. Now that other folly of others is an obvious source of advantage to idle men and the first victory is for the belly to be able to crave food beyon

 9. The Christian has nobler exhibitions, if he wishes for them. He has true and profitable pleasures, if he will recollect himself. And to say nothing

 10. Let the faithful Christian, I say, devote himself to the sacred Scriptures, and there he shall find worthy exhibitions for his faith. He will see

8. Now that other folly of others is an obvious source of advantage to idle men; and the first victory is for the belly to be able to crave food beyond the human limit,—a flagitious traffic for the claim to the crown of gluttony: the wretched face is hired out to bear wounding blows, that the more wretched belly may be gorged. How disgusting, besides, are those struggles! Man lying below man is enfolded in abominable embraces and twinings. In such a contest, whether a man looks on or conquers, still his modesty is conquered. Behold, one naked man bounds forth towards you; another with straining powers tosses a brazen ball into the air. This is not glory, but folly. In fine, take away the spectator, and you will have shown its emptiness.  Such things as these should be avoided by faithful Christians, as I have frequently said already; spectacles so vain, so mischievous, so sacrilegious, from which both our eyes and our ears should be guarded. We quickly get accustomed to what we hear and what we see. For since man’s mind is itself drawn towards vice, what will it do if it should have inducements of a bodily nature as well as a downward tendency in its slippery will? What will it do if it should be impelled from without?13    There is much confusion in the reading of this passage, which in the original runs, according to Baluzius: “Nam cum mens hominis ad vitia ipsa ducatur, quid faciet, si habuerit exempla naturæ corporis lubrica quæ sparta corruit? Quid faciet si fuerit impulsa?” Therefore the mind must be called away from such things as these.

VIII. Nam illa altera reliquorum dementia est manifesta otiosis hominibus negotiatio; et prima victoria est ut ultra modum humanum venter esurire potuisse super titulo coronatae edacitatis flagitiosae nundinae; ictibus vulnerum infelix facies locatur, ut infelicior venter saginetur. Quam foeda praeterea ista luctamina, vir infra virum jacens amplexibus inhonestis et nexibus implicatur! In tali certamine viderit vel vincat, pudor tamen victus est. Ecce tibi alter nudus salit, alter orbem aereum contentis in aerem viribus jactat. Haec gloria non est, sed dementia. Denique remove spectatorem, reddideris vanitatem. Fugienda sunt ista a Christianis fidelibus, ut jam frequenter 0785D diximus, tam vana, tam perniciosa, tam sacrilega spectacula, a quibus et oculi nostri et aures essent custodiendae. Cito in hoc assuescimus quod audimus, quod videmus. Nam, cum mens hominis ad vitia ipsa ducatur, quid faciet, si habuerit exempla naturae corporis lubrica quae sponte corruit? quid faciet, 0786A si fuerit impulsa? Avocandus est igitur animus ab istis.