250 Ulisse Aldrovandi

the internal affections of the soul are defended. Therefore, we can understand that assertion of Ezekiel regarding this "skin of patience": "I will stretch skin over you, and give you spirit, and you shall live." Finally, man is protected by a much thinner skin than other living creatures; because he easily feels the harm of cold or heat, he clothes himself in garments against the injuries of the air. In a similar way, man is protected by such a thin skin of patience that he can endure little or nothing for his salvation if he is ever stung by the thorns of calamities. Therefore, it is in his interest to clothe himself in the garments of the examples and teachings of the Saints, so that he can resist the cold of calamities and the heat of hardships, declaring as Job did: "I have sewed sackcloth over my skin."

MORAL LESSONS DRAWN FROM MAN

and His Various Attributes

Up to this point, we have discussed the human parts; now we shall proceed to examine man and his attributes, so that this history of ours may be completed with the moral teachings elicited from them. First, the distinction between the human sexes must be considered. Indeed, compared to females, males are warmer, stronger of body, bolder of spirit, more rugged, possess more teeth, and abound with a greater supply of innate heat; consequently, they require a larger quantity of food. By the same token, just men—and especially those dedicated to religious service to God—are considered "males" in comparison to the laity. For this reason, they are warmer in charity, stronger in constancy, bolder in their ready will, and more rugged through constant humility of soul. Furthermore, they possess more "teeth of discretion," and because they utilize the fervor of charity, they occupy themselves daily with the nourishment provided by many meditations.

If man is considered as a groom, he undoubtedly first entices his bride to love with flattering words and gifts, then expresses his vow through messengers and letters, displays himself in games and spectacles, indulges himself excessively in renewing the style of his clothes, and finally, after careful consideration, takes her as his wife. In this context, we may assign the name of "Groom" to Christ and "Bride" to the Church or the soul. Since this Groom has loved this Bride from the dawn of the world and decreed to take her in marriage, he destined all his offices as gifts for her from the beginning. To express his vow, he used the Patriarchs and Prophets as his messengers, exposed himself to the spectacles of the scourges and the cross, clothed himself in the garment of human flesh, and finally addressed her with gentle speech after careful consideration, as we read in the forty-fourth Psalm: "Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house."

If we contemplate the seven ages of man, through which he approaches the final end of life as if by so many steps, we will find that these too can be applied to moral teaching. This is because the seven ages are the seven spiritual virtues through which the Life of Grace progresses toward the desired end of eternal glory. The first age in this category is humility of soul, which emulates infancy; for just as infancy begins human life, so humility is said to be the beginning of the moral life. Indeed, just as the word "infancy" is derived from the inability to speak (*non fando*), so a man filled with humility of soul does not exceed the bounds of politeness when speaking, out of modesty. Moreover, he who professes this first virtue must, as Cato suggests, restrain his tongue; for Ovid used to say:

"The primary virtue is to maintain silence, while it is a grave fault to speak of things that should be kept secret."

The second age is Charity, which strives to reconcile men to God, to friends, and even to enemies with an indissoluble bond of love. The third is Piety, which, like adolescence, is the promoter of the growth of merits. The fourth is youth, namely fortitude,