228 Ulisse Aldrovandi

because of which they feel no sorrow, but are instead refreshed by a certain kindness. The "tongue of men and of angels," as we read in the first book to the Corinthians, seems to be used to represent a perfect understanding and explanation of mysteries. Again, in the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit is said to have appeared in various tongues because the disparate tongues in the Church were meant to be joined together.

In the book of Job, we read of tongues "hidden from the scourge," which Saint Gregory, in his *Moralia*, interprets to mean that the mind is not at all troubled upon hearing insulting words. And when Psalm 51 says, "his tongue meditated on justice all day long," the tongue is taken to mean the heart, just as in Psalm 125, where it is written that the tongue is "filled with exultation." Furthermore, in Isaiah, the tongue is said to "parch with thirst," words which signify the pagans who, amidst the dogmas of philosophers, tasted the truth of Gospel doctrine like living water. In the same book of Isaiah, Saint Jerome explains that the "tongue of the mute" being opened refers to the pagans confessing the one God. There, the "tongue of the stammerers" speaking swiftly is interpreted as the tongue of the pagans who, at the coming of Christ, embraced the Catholic faith and turned to celebrating the praises of Almighty God.

On the other hand, the tongue signifies many evils in the Sacred Scriptures. We read in Job: "for when evil was sweet in his mouth, he hid it under his tongue." One hides evil under the tongue when he does not confess it; thus, the hypocrite does this when he covers the malice lurking in his mind with the veil of smooth speech. Evil would therefore be *on* the tongue, rather than *under* it, if the hypocrite revealed his wickedness by speaking. In the Apocalypse, we find the tongues that the damned bite with their teeth, which designate the evil thoughts of the heart. In Psalm 56, "their tongue is a sharp sword" refers to the tongue of the Jews who, during the Passion of Christ, cried out: "Crucify him, crucify him!" But the "deceitful tongue" in Psalm 119 expresses the tongue of demons, who urge men toward lethal crimes through various temptations; indeed, it also indicates the tongue of heretics and other wicked people who secretly draw men into sin. To "deal guilefully with the tongue," as we read in Psalm 14, is nothing other than to mix the nefarious and the obscene with pious and divine words. When Isaiah writes that the Lord will "desolate the tongue of the Egyptian sea," the tongue signifies the blasphemy and idolatry of the Egyptians. Finally, in Jeremiah, we find these words: "Come, let us strike him with the tongue." Many learned interpreters refer these words to an accusation.

Now we must hasten to the chest. The chest of Christ in the Sacred Scriptures signifies the secret of Divine Wisdom and the communication of spiritual perceptions. However, the chest of Aaron, as read in Exodus, can designate the Apostles, who emulate Christ's chest. In angels, the chest expresses supreme virtue and the power to save. The silver chest of the statue in Daniel represents eloquence and learning without charity. Finally, the pectoral band in Jeremiah manifests Gospel doctrine.

The heart is attributed to God and is understood as that secret of divine wisdom from which He begat the Word—that is, His Son—without beginning. Therefore, He speaks through the Prophet: "My heart has uttered a good word," alluding to the Son, Jesus Christ, begotten of the mystery of deep wisdom, as Eucherius noted. Sometimes, "the heart of God" is understood in the sacred pages as that in which Almighty God explains His heart. Indeed, someone is said to act "according to God’s heart" who obeys the divine mandates and precepts. In angels, the heart is a symbol of life representing the divine form. God "changes another heart," as read in the Book of Kings, when the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted; for the Apostles, who were fearful before, attained the greatest strength against the onslaught of their enemies after the coming of the Divine Spirit, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles.

The heart "melted like wax" in Psalm 21 is explained as the sacred page once folded but now unfolded; or it is the Church, which was hard before Christ's Passion but seemed to melt like wax during the Divine Passion.

A "dilated heart" in Psalm 118 indicates a man filled with wisdom and cha-