St. Augustine
1Deum quidem timere debuisti; sed quia in rebaptizandis Mappaliensibus sicut homo timeri voluisti, cur non valeat iussio regalis in provincia, si tantum valuit iussio provincialis in villa? Si personas compares, tu possessor, ille imperator; si loca compares, tu in fundo, ille in regno; si causas compares, ille ut divisio resarciatur, tu ut unitas dividatur. Sed nos te de homine non terremus. Nam possemus agere ut decem libras auri secundum imperatoria iussa persolveres. An forte propterea non habes unde reddas quod dare iussi sunt rebaptizatores, dum multum erogas, ut emas quos rebaptizes? Sed nos, ut dixi, de homine te non terremus; Christus te potius terreat. Cui volo scire quid respondeas, si tibi dicat: “Crispine, carum fuit pretium tuum ad emendum timorem Mappaliensium et vilis mors mea ad emendum amorem omnium gentium? Plus valuit rebaptizandis colonis tuis, quod numeratum est de sacculo tuo, quam baptizandis populis meis quod manavit de latere meo?” Scio te plura audire posse, si Christo aurem praebeas, et ex ipsa tua
Letters of St. Augustine
You should have feared God at least, but since1 it was your desire to be feared like a man in your re-baptizing of the Mappalians, why is a royal command of no avail in the province, if a provincial command has been of such avail on a private property? If you compare the persons concerned, you are the possessor, he is emperor; if you compare the positions of both, you are on an estate, he is on a throne; if you compare the motives of both, he aims at mending what is rent, you at rending what is one whole. But we are not seeking to make you afraid of a man, for we could make you pay up ten pounds of gold, according to the imperial decrees. Or perhaps you have no money with which to pay the fine imposed on those who re-baptize, after your great expenses in bribing people to accept re-baptism? But, as I said, we are not seeking to make you afraid of a man; let Christ rather make you afraid. I want to know what answer you would make to Him, if He were to say to you: “Crispinus, was it a high price you paid for the fear of the Mappalians, and was my death a small price to pay for the love of all the nations? Was the money that was counted out from your purse of greater value for the re-baptizing of your serfs than the blood which flowed from my side for the baptizing of my nations?” I know that if you were to give ear to Christ, you could