William of Ockham, Dialogus,
part 1, prologue

Text and translation by John Scott.

Copyright (c) 1999, The British Academy

 

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Prologus in Dialogum

Incipit prologus in libros dyalogorum qui versantur inter magistrum et discipulum suum

Prologue

The beginning of the prologue to the books of the dialogues which are engaged in by a master and his student.

Magister In omnibus curiosus existis nec me desinis infestare. Quamvis enim ob multos editos laboriose tractatus scias me non modicum fatigatum, quoddam tamen opus insolitum fieri [fieri omitted] postulas importune. Nam ut de controversia que super fide catholica et multis incidentalibus inter Christianos nunc vertitur nescio quam summam tibi componam [exponam] impudenter exposcis et audacter formam procedendi modumque loquendi michi, ut dicis, intendis imponere. Sane cum tuam fuerim importunitatem frequenter expertus, non eo quod amicus meus es sed propter importunitatem [improbitatem] [note] tuam voluntati tue parere conabor. Quale ergo opus et quomodo edi desideras manifesta.

Master: You are curious about everything and do not cease pestering me. For though you know I am not a little wearied by the many treatises I have painstakingly produced, still you insistently demand that an unusual work be made [demand an unusual work] . For you shamelessly ask that I compose [expound] for you some kind of summa about the controversy over catholic faith and many related matters now taking place among Christians, and you boldly intend, as you say, to impose on me a form of proceeding and a way of speaking. Now since I have frequently experienced your importunity I will try to comply with your wish, not because you are my friend, but because of your importunity [your wickedness] . Make clear therefore what kind of work you want and how you want it to be produced.

Discipulus Vehementer exulto quod meis supplicationibus acquiescis. Teneo enim [ergo] firmissime quod opus futurum occasionem inveniendi veritates quamplurimas toti Christianitati perutiles ministrabit. Quod opto in tres distingui tractatus, quorum primum de hereticis, secundum de dogmatibus Iohannis 22, tertium de gestis circa [contra ] fidem altercantium orthodoxam volo vocari. Totum vero opus Dialogum censeo appellandum. Peto enim ut per interrogationem et responsionem fiat. Volo namque te interrogare et tu michi respondebis. Persona autem mea nomine discipuli, tua vero nomine magistri notetur [vocetur] , in quo personam recitantis assumas. Nec tantum unam sed plures, quando tibi videbitur, ad eandem interrogationem narra sententias. Sed quod tua sapientia sentit michi velis nullatenus indicare. Quamvis enim velim omnino ut, cum diversas et adversas assertiones fueris discussurus, tuam quoque minime pretermittas, que tamen sit tua nullatenus manifestes. Ad quod petendum moveor ex duobus.

Student: I rejoice vehemently at your acceding to my requests. For [Therefore] I strongly maintain that this future work will provide an opportunity for discovering many truths very useful to all of christianity. I want it to be divided into three tractates, the first of which I want to be called, "On heretics", the second, "On the teachings of John XXII", and the third "On the deeds of those disputing about [against] orthodox faith". I consider that the whole work should be called "The Dialogue". For I ask that it proceed by question and answer. For I want to question you and you to reply to me. Let my character be denoted [called] by the name, student, and yours by the name, master, under which name take on the character of the one reciting. Do not set out only one opinion but, when it seems appropriate to you, several opinions about the same question. But would you consent not to indicate to me what you in your wisdom think? For although I certainly do not want you to make no mention of your own opinion too when you come to examine different and conflicting assertions, would you nevertheless not make clear what it is? I am moved to ask this for two [reasons] .

Primum est quia tantam de tua doctrina estimationem obtineo quod, propter sententiam quam te omnino scirem asserere, intellectum proprium cogerer captivare. In his autem que modo gestio indagare, tua nolo auctoritate moveri sed quid in me possint rationes et auctoritates quas adduces [quis adduceret] ac [aut] [note] meditatio propria experiri.

The first of these is that I hold your teaching in such high estimation that I would be compelled, on account of an opinion that I knew for sure that you claim as your own, to make my own understanding captive to it. About those matters that I now want to investigate, however, I do not want to be moved by your authority but to find out what effect the arguments and texts that you adduce [someone has adduced ] and [or] my own reflection can have on me.

Secundum est quia, cum amor et odium, superbia, ira et invidia ac nonulle alie anime passiones in inquisitione veritatis humanum impediant, immo pervertant iudicium, si sententiam [scientiam/ scientiam vel sententiam] tuam et etiam nomen occultare volueris, nec amici opus futurum plusquam debeant amplectentur nec plusquam oporteat despicient [despiciant] [note] inimici. Sed hii et illi, non quis alicuius [aut cuius] [note] sententiae fuerit auctor sed quid dicitur attendentes, rectioribus oculis scribenda respicient et insistent sincerius indagini veritatis. Propter quam etiam rationem in hoc opere quid de domino summo pontifice ac doctrina eius suisque emulis sentias nequaquam aperias. Quod ut magis abscondas, cum de personis loqueris, eorum nomina supprimas officiorum et primis litteris nominum propriorum appella. Unde dominum papam dominum "I", Bavarum dominum "L" ["B"], fratrem Michaelem, [quondam added] generalem Fratrum Minorum, fratrem "M", fratrem Giraldum Othonis, [nunc generalem dictorum fratrum added] [note], fratrem "G", cura vocare.

The second is that, since love, hate, pride, anger, envy and some other passions of the mind impede, nay pervert human judgement in its search for truth, your friends may not embrace this future work more than they should nor your enemies disdain it more than is reasonable, if you choose to hide your own opinion [knowledge]and even your name. But attending not to who was the author of an opinion but to what is said, the former and the latter will look at what was written with more unbiased eyes and will pursue their investigation of the truth more honestly. For the same reason too would you not reveal in this work what you think about the lord, the highest pontiff, and his teaching and his rivals? So that you hide this the better, when you speak about people would you suppress the names of their offices and refer to them by the first letter of their own name. Take care, therefore, to call the lord pope Lord "J", the lord of the Bavarians [Lord] "L" ["B"], brother Michael, [formerly added] general of the friars minor, Brother "M", and Guiral Ot, [now general of the said brothers], Brother "G".

A te autem specialiter hoc opus efflagito non solum quia te reputo pre aliis eruditum sed etiam quia te video circa contingentia [omitted] controversiam prefatam singulariter occupatum. Omnes enim libellos et opera adversariorum contra dominum summum pontificem niteris congregare, in quibus sine intermissione studes, ita ut aliquando occasionem habeam suspicandi quod aliqua dubitatio in corde tuo de summo pontifice eiusque doctrina nascatur. Quia tamen a me, quem scis eiusdem domini summi pontificis sincerissimum zelatorem et quod adversarios complicesque eorum valde detestor, de predictis nichil abscondis, michi prebes materiam opinandi quod ad reprobandum tempore opportuno omnia opera colligis emulorum. Verumtamen propter motiva prescripta ante huius operis consummationem michi mentem tuam minime pandas; nec propter hoc putes te culpam aliquam incursurum, quia, ut melius nosti, nonnumquam licet veritatem ex causa tacere [ omitted].

I earnestly request this work from you specifically not only because I regard you as learned beyond others but also because I see that you are particularly occupied with events touching on this controversy. For you strive to bring together all the books and works against our lord the highest pontiff by his opponents and you so busy yourself with them without pausing that I sometimes have occasion to suspect that some doubt arises in your own heart about the highest pontiff and his teaching. Yet because you hide nothing of this from me, whom you know to be a most sincere and zealous supporter of the same lord, the highest pontiff, and a keen abominator of his rivals and their collaborators, you give me reason to think that you are collecting them in order to disprove at an opportune time all the works of his rivals. Nevertheless, for the above reasons do not reveal your mind to me before the conclusion of this work, and do not think that you will incur any blame for this, because, as you well know, it is sometimes permitted, for a reason, to be silent about the truth. [See Significant Variants, para. 1.]

Tractatum igitur primum de hereticis acceleres inchoare. Quem [Materiam] in septem divide libros, quorum primus investiget ad quos, theologos videlicet vel canonistas, pertinet principaliter diffinire que assertiones catholice, que heretice, qui etiam heretici et qui catholici debeant reputari. Secundus inquirat que assertiones heretice, que catholice sunt censende. Tertius principaliter consideret quis errans est inter hereticos computandus, quartus quomodo de pertinacia et pravitate heretica debeat quis convinci, quintus qui possunt pravitate heretica maculari. Sextus agat de punitione hereticorum, et maxime pape si efficiatur hereticus. Septimus tractet de credentibus, fautoribus, defensoribus et receptatoribus hereticorum.

Would you hasten, therefore, to begin the first tractate about heretics? Divide it [ the material] into seven books. Let the first investigate to whom, that is theologians or canonists, it chiefly belongs to define which assertions should be regarded as catholic and which as heretical, and also who should be regarded as heretics and who as catholics. Let the second ask which assertions should be considered heretical and which catholic. Let the third chiefly consider who of those who err should be counted among heretics, the fourth how anyone ought to be convicted of pertinacity and heretical wickedness, and the fifth who can be stained with heretical wickedness. Let the sixth deal with the punishment of heretics, and especially of the pope if he becomes a heretic. Let the seventh treat the believers, favourers, defenders and harbourers of heretics.

Magister Affectas, ut video, quatinus ex serie dicendorum nemo possit colligere quam partem dissentientium circa catholicam fidem reputem iustiorem. Quod tue satisfaciens voluntati una cum aliis que efflagitas servare curabo. Porro [primo] cum [tamen/ tamen cum]opus futurum per interrogationem et responsionem fieri roges, responsionem autem interrogatio antecedit, tuum erit incipere. Quod ergo tibi placet interroga.

Master: You desire, I see, that from the course of things that should be said no one should be able to gather which party of those disagreeing about the catholic faith I regard as the more just. I will take care to observe this and to satisfy this wish of yours and others that you earnestly request. Moreover, since [First, however, since] you ask that this future work be done by question and answer, and the question precedes its answer, it will be up to you to begin. So ask what question you please.

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