Luther's Large Catechism: Praeceptum II
Sections 67-69
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II.ii.67-68
67] Quodsi alterutra pars malitiose periurat, iam iudicii sententia pronuntiata est, quod poenam et supplicium periurii non sit effugitura. Et si fieret, ut[1] ad tempus supplicii irrogatio protraheretur, nihil tamen illi cadet ex sententia, ita ut,[2] quidquid periurio lucri fecerunt, sub manibus sensim evanescet, nec unquam ea re ex animo laeti fruantur. 68] Hoc ipsum ego non obscuris argumentis in bene multis expertus sum, qui posteaquam connubii fidem promissam abiurarunt, nunquam vel horulam iucundam habuerunt, aut saltem dieculam incolumi fuerunt valetudine, atque ita pariter et corpore et animo, bonis etiam amissis, calamitose perierunt.
[1] Introduces a result clause
[2] Introduces a result clause
Vocabulary
Abiūrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to deny on oath; abjure
Ad (prep. + acc.)- to, toward; for
Alteruter, alterutra, alterutrum- one of two; either
Amittō, ere, mīsī, missus- to send away; lose
Animus, ī, m.- mind, spirit; intention
Argūmentum, ī, n.- proof, evidence, argument
Bene (adv.)- well
Bonum, ī, n.- good, blessing; (pl.) goods, property
Cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsus- to fall; happen
Calamitōsē (adv.)- disastrously, wretchedly
Connūbium, ī, n.- marriage, wedlock
Corpus, corporis, n.- body
Diēcula, ae, f.- a little day; a short time
Effugiō, ere, fūgī- to flee away, escape
Etiam (adv.)- also, even
Ēvānescō, ere, ēvānuī- to vanish, pass away
Ex (prep. + abl.)- out of, from
Expertus, a, um- experienced, proven
Faciō, facere, fēcī, factus- to do, make
Fidēs, fideī, f.- faith, trust; pledge
Fīō, fierī, factus sum- to be made; happen; become
Fruor, fruī, fructus sum- to enjoy (+ abl.)
Habeō, habēre, habuī, habitus- to have, hold
Hōrula, ae, f.- a little hour; a short time
Iam (adv.)- now, already
Ille, illa, illud- that; he, she, it
Incolumis, e- unimpaired, uninjured, safe
Ipse, ipsa, ipsum- self, the very
Irrogātiō, irrogātiōnis, f.- an imposing (of a penalty)
Ita (adv.)- so, thus
Iūcundus, a, um- pleasant, agreeable
Iudicium, ī, n.- judgment; court; trial
Laetus, a, um- joyful, glad
Lucrum, ī, n.- profit, gain
Malitiōsē (adv.)- wickedly, knavishly, maliciously
Manus, ūs, f.- hand
Multus, a, um- many, much
Nihil (n. indecl.)- nothing
Nunquam (adv.)- never
Obscūrus, a, um- dark, obscure
Pariter (adv.)- equally, in like manner
Pars, partis, f.- part, portion; side
Pereō, perīre, periī, peritus- to perish, be lost
Periūrium, ī, n.- perjury, false oath
Periūrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to swear falsely, commit perjury
Poena, ae, f.- punishment, penalty
Posteāquam (conj.)- after
Promittō, ere, mīsī, missus- to promise
Prōnuntiō, āre, āvī, ātus- to proclaim, pronounce
Protrahō, ere, traxī, tractus- to drag forward; prolong
Quisquis, quidquid- whoever, whatever
Quodsī (conj.)- but if
Rēs, reī, f.- thing, matter, property
Saltem (adv.)- at least
Sensim (adv.)- gradually, slowly
Sententia, ae, f.- opinion, judgment, sentence
Sī (conj.)- if
Sub (prep. + abl./acc.)- under
Sum, esse, fuī, futūrus- to be
Supplicium, ī, n.- punishment, torture
Tamen (adv.)- nevertheless, however
Tempus, temporis, n.- time
Unquam (adv.)- ever
Valetūdō, valetūdinis, f.- health
Translation
[67] But if either either party knavishly perjures, already the sentence of the judge has been pronounced: that it will not escape the penalty and punishment of perjury. And if it should happen that for a time the imposition of the punishment is prolonged, nevertheless, nothing will fall from this sentence for them, in such a way that whatever gain they have made from perjury, will gradually vanish from their hands, and they will not ever, happy from their soul, enjoy this business. [68] This very thing I have experienced not in obscure arguments but in a good many people who after they had broken the promised pledge of marriage, never even had an agreeable short time, or at least they a short time with unimpaired health, or they perish so calamitously in like manner both in body and mind after all their goods have been lost.
II.ii.69
69] Quapropter etiam atque etiam hortor et moneo, ut[1] mature pueros properemus monitis deterrere et verberibus compescere, ne[2] assuescant mendaciis, potissimum vero, ne[3] ad haec confirmando Dei nomen citent et adducant. Ubi enim ea iurandi licentia pueris impune permittitur, nulla spes amplius superest ullius bonae frugis ab illis exspectandae, quemadmodum hodie videmus, ut ego existimem mundum nunquam fuisse deteriorem et perditis moribus corruptiorem, quam nunc est, quando ne facies quidem ullius reipublicae bene institutae, nullum obedientiae et fidei amplius superest vestigium, verum omnia deploratissimis hominibus, qui nullo modo frenari aut coerceri possunt, et in quibus docendis et obiurgandis et oleum (quod aiunt) periit et opera,[4] omnia sunt refertissima. Quae omnia divinae irae et supplicii argumenta sunt certissima, quo nos obruit propter procacem et temerariam huius praecepti transgressionem.
[1] Introduces an indirect command
[2] Introduces a purpose clause
[3] Introduces a purpose clause
[4] The oil and labor are lost (as they say)- a proverb attributed to Cicero and Plautus
Vocabulary
Ā, ab (prep. + abl.)- from, by
Ad (prep. + acc.)- to, toward; for
Addūcō, ere, duxī, ductus- to lead to, bring; induce
Āiō (defective)- to say, assert
Amplius (adv.)- more, further
Argūmentum, ī, n.- proof, evidence, argument
Assuescō, ere, suēvī, suētus- to accustom, become used to
Bene (adv.)- well
Bonus, a, um- good
Certus, a, um- certain, sure
Citō, āre, āvī, ātus- to summon, cite; stir up
Coerceō, ēre, uī, itus- to enclose, restrain, coerce
Compescō, ere, cuī- to restrain, check, curb
Confirmō, āre, āvī, ātus- to strengthen, confirm
Corruptus, a, um- corrupt, spoiled
Dēplōrātus, a, um- lamented, desperate, hopeless
Dēterior, dēterius- worse
Dēterreō, ēre, uī, itus- to frighten off, deter
Deus, ī, m.- God
Dīvīnus, a, um- divine
Doceō, docēre, docuī, doctus- to teach
Enim (conj.)- for, indeed
Etiam (adv.)- also, even
Existimō, āre, āvī, ātus- to judge, think, suppose
Exspectō, āre, āvī, ātus- to look for, expect, await
Faciēs, faciēī, f.- face, appearance
Fidēs, fideī, f.- faith, trust; pledge
Frēnō, āre, āvī, ātus- to bridle, restrain, check
Frūx, frūgis, f.- fruit, produce; (fig.) value, success
Hodiē (adv.)- today
Homō, hominis, m.- man, human being
Hortor, ārī, ātus sum- to encourage, urge, exhort
Impūne (adv.)- with impunity, without punishment
Instituō, ere, uī, ūtus- to set up, establish, train
Īra, ae, f.- anger, wrath
Iūrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to swear
Licentia, ae, f.- freedom, liberty; license, lawlessness
Mātūrē (adv.)- early, speedily, soon
Mendācium, ī, n.- lie, falsehood
Modō (adv.)- only, merely
Moneō, monēre, monuī, monitus- to warn, advise
Monitum, ī, n.- warning, admonition
Mōs, mōris, m.- custom, habit; (pl.) character, morals
Mundus, ī, m.- world
Nōmen, nōminis, n.- name
Nullus, a, um- none, no
Nunc (adv.)- now
Nunquam (adv.)- never
Obedientia, ae, f.- obedience
Obiūrgō, āre, āvī, ātus- to scold, chide, reprove
Obruō, ere, uī, utus- to overwhelm, bury, crush
Oleum, ī, n.- oil
Omnis, e- all, every
Opera, ae, f.- work, effort, service
Perditus, a, um- lost, ruined, desperate
Pereō, perīre, periī, peritus- to perish, be lost
Permittō, ere, mīsī, missus- to let through; allow, permit
Possum, posse, potuī- to be able, can
Potissimum (adv.)- chiefly, especially
Praeceptum, ī, n.- precept, command
Procāx, procācis- bold, shameless, impudent
Properō, āre, āvī, ātus- to hasten, hurry
Propter (prep. + acc.)- on account of
Puer, puerī, m.- boy, child
Quandō (adv./conj.)- when
Quapropter (adv.)- wherefore, why
Quemadmodum (adv.)- in what manner, just as
Quidem (adv.)- indeed, certainly
Refertissimus, a, um- very full, stuffed, crowded
Reipublica, ae, f.- republic, state, commonwealth
Spēs, speī, f.- hope
Sum, esse, fuī, futūrus- to be
Supersum, superesse, superfui, superfuturus- to be left over, remain
Supplicium, ī, n.- punishment, torture
Temerārius, a, um- rash, accidental, thoughtless
Transgressiō, transgressionis, f.- transgression
Ubi (adv./conj.)- where, when
Ullus, a, um- any
Verber, verberis, n.- whip, lash; blow
Vestīgium, ī, n.- footstep, trace, vestige
Videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus- to see
Translation
[69] Wherefore, still and still I exhort and want that we early are quick to deter children with warnings and curb them with blows so that they are not accustomed to lies, but especially, so that they are not stirred up and induced to these things by strengthening the name of God. Indeed when this license of swearing is permitted without punishment to children, no greater hope remains of expecting any good fruit from them just as today we see that I should think that the world never had been worse and corrupt with debased morals than it is now when not even the appearance of any state has been established well, no greater trace of obedience or faith remains, but everything is very crowded with hopeless men who can in no way be restrained or coerced and in teaching and reproving them both the oil and work are wasted (as they say), everything is replete. All these evidences of divine wrath and punishment are most certain by which he buries us on account of the insolent and rash transgression of this commandment.