# Matins Nocturn 2 for "5th Sunday of September" (Tempora/095-0.txt) — see
# month-week-081.yml's header for the id scheme. Own Responsory4 (not a
# cross-reference).
id: month-week-095
readings:
  - nocturn: 2
    isGospel: false
    source: "St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, De Officiis, Book 3, ch. 15-16"
    text:
      la: >-
        Quid Esther regína, nonne ut pópulum suum perículo erúeret (quod erat decórum atque honéstum)
        morti se óbtulit, nec immítis regis trepidávit furórem? Ipse quoque rex Persárum, ferox atque
        túmido corde, tamen decórum judicávit índici insidiárum, quæ sibi parátæ forent, grátiam
        repræsentáre, populúmque líberum a servitúte erípere, erúere neci, nec párcere neci ejus, qui
        tam indecóra suasísset. Dénique quem secúndum a se, ac præcípuum inter omnes amícos habéret,
        cruci trádidit, quod dehonestátum se ejus frauduléntis consíliis animadvertísset.


        Ea enim amicítia probábilis, quæ honestátem tuétur, præferénda sane ópibus, honóribus,
        potestátibus; honestáti vero præférri non solet, sed honestátem sequi. Qualis fuit Jónathæ, qui
        pro pietáte nec offénsam patris, nec salútis perículum refugiébat. Qualis fuit Achímelech, qui
        pro hospitális grátiæ offíciis necem pótius sibi, quam proditiónem fugiéntis amíci, subeúndam
        arbitrabátur. Nihil ígitur præferéndum honestáti; quæ tamen ne amicítiæ stúdio prætereátur,
        étiam hoc Scriptúra ádmonet.


        Sunt enim plerǽque philosophórum quæstiónes: Utrum amíci causa quisquam contra pátriam
        sentíre necne débeat, ut amíco obédiat: utrum opórteat ut fidem déserat, dum indúlget atque
        inténdit amíci commoditátibus. Et Scriptúra quidem ait: Clava, et gládius, et sagítta ferráta,
        sic homo est testimónium dans falsum advérsus amícum suum. Sed consídera quid ástruat. Non
        testimónium reprehéndit dictum in amícum, sed falsum testimónium. Quid enim si Dei causa, quid
        si pátriæ, cogátur áliquis dícere testimónium? Numquid præponderáre debet amicítia religióni,
        præponderáre caritáti vítium?
      en: >-
        What did Queen Esther? Did she not, to save her people from danger (a beautiful and noble
        object) put herself in jeopardy of death, and face the anger of the cruel King? The King of the
        Persians, cruel and violent as he was, nevertheless thought it seemly to show grace unto him
        that told him of the plot that was made against him, to free the people from bondage, and to
        deliver them from death, but not to spare him that had persuaded such iniquity. In the end he
        sent to the gallows him whom he had held second only to himself, and chiefest among all his
        friends, because he found himself dishonoured through his false counsels.


        That true friendship, which careth for honour, careth less for riches, or dignities, or power
        than for itself, but for honour before itself. Such was the friendship of Jonathan, which
        caused him to risk the anger of his father, and danger to himself. Such was the friendship of
        Achimelech, who chose to earn death for himself by giving relief to David, rather than to
        betray the outlaw. But before honour nothing is to be put, and friendship must not be allowed
        to outrun it, even as we are warned by the Scriptures.


        The Philosophers have started diverse questions: whether friendship can, or cannot, justify
        disloyalty to a man's own country; whether friendship can, or cannot, justify serving a friend
        at the cost of breach of faith. Scripture indeed saith, "A man that beareth false witness
        against his neighbour, is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow." (Prov. 25:18.) But mark that
        what is here condemned is not witness by itself, but false witness. How if a man be compelled
        to give such witness, for the sake of God or for the sake of his country? Ought friendship to
        outweigh religion? Is not to say this, as much as to say that a sinful weakness is to outweigh
        a duty?
    responsory:
      la: "R. Meménto mei, Dómine Deus, in bonum: * Et ne déleas miseratiónes meas, quas feci in domo Dei mei et in cæremóniis ejus.\nV. Recordáre mei, Dómine, Deus meus.\nR. Et ne déleas miseratiónes meas, quas feci in domo Dei mei et in cæremóniis ejus."
      en: "R. Remember me for good, O Lord God, * And put not away my works of mercy, which I have wrought in the house of my God, and in the times of His solemn rites.\nV. Remember me, O Lord my God.\nR. And put not away my works of mercy, which I have wrought in the house of my God, and in the times of His solemn rites."
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }
