The treaty De Miseria Condicionis Humane (in French: Of the misery of the human condition ) was written by Lothaire de Segni (become pope under the name of Innocent thereafter III) during the last decade of XIIè century, at the time where he was cardinal-deacon of Saint-Serge-and-Bacchus.

Presentation

The De Miseria is not strictly speaking a theological or dogmatic treaty like the other writings of Lothaire de Segni dating from the same time (the De Missarum Mysteriis and the De Quadripartita Specie Nuptiarum ), but rather a psychological test on the human condition, in the form of considerations introspective - and disillusioned. The text was a great success during the Middle Ages.

The treaty is enamelled very many biblical quotations (of the Old Testament: Book of the Psalms, Livre of Job, Ecclésiaste, but also of the New Testament), which are used either as starting point of the reflections of Lothaire, or of arguments coming to support its remarks on the misery of the human existence. During three books which compose the De Miseria , Lothaire develops recurring topics and a lexicon: pain and vanity of the life, variety of the psychic torments and the physical sufferings, multiplicity of the defects and sins of the men, eternity of the sorrow of rejected, etc the table of the human condition by Lothaire de Segni abounds in corpses in putrefaction, voracious worms, unsoundable darkness, torments in all kinds and devouring flames.

List chapters

PRIMA Leave : MISERIA HOMINIS, VILITATE MATERIE, VICIO CONCEPCIONIS, QUALI CIBO CONCEPTUS NUTRIATUR IN UTERO, OF INBECILLITATE INFANTIS, DOLORE PARTUS AND EIULATU NASCENTIS, OF NUDITATE, QUEM FRUCTUM HOMO PRODUCIT, OF INCOMMODIS SENECTUTIS, LABORE MORTALIUM, STUDIO SAPIENTUM, VARIIS HOMINUM STUDIIS, DIVERSIS ANXIETATIBUS, MISERIA PAUPERIS AND DIVITIS, MISERIA SERVORUM AND DOMINORUM, MISERIA CONTINENTIS AND CONIUGATI, MISERIA BONORUM AND MALORUM, HOSTIBUS HOMINIS, CARCERE ANIMATES, BREVI LETICIA, INOPINATO DOLORE, VICINITATE MORTIS, TERRORE SOMPNIORUM, OF COMPASSIONE, QUOD INNUMERE SUNT SPECIES EGRITUDINUM, OF SUBITIS INFORTUNIIS, DIVERSIS GENERIBUS TORMENTORUM, QUODAM HORRENDO FACINORE, PENA INNOCENTIS.

Secunda Leave : CUPIDITATE, INIQUIS MUNERIBUS, ACCEPCIONE PERSONARUM, VENDICIONE IUSTICIE, INSACIABILI DESIDERIO CUPIDORUM, QUARE CUPIDUS SACIARI NOT POTEST, FALSO NOMINATES DIVICIARUM, EXEMPLA COUNTERED CUPIDITATEM, OF INIQUA POSSESSIONE DIVICIARUM, LICITIS OPIBUS, INCERTITUDINE DIVICIARUM, SOLLICITUDINE CUPIDORUM, OF AVARICIA, QUOD AVARICIA DICATUR YDOLORUM SERVITUS, OF QUIBUSDAM PROPRIETATIBUS AVARI, GULA, EXEMPLA COUNTERED GULAM, OF EBRIETATE, EXEMPLA COUNTERED EBRIETATEM, OF LUXURIA, GENERALITATE LUXURIE, DIVERSIS SPECIEBUS LUXURIE, COITU COUNTERED NATURAM, OF PENA HUIUS SCELERIS, AMBICIOSO, NIMIA CONCUPISCENCIA, EXEMPLUM OF AMBICIOSO, QUAM BREVIS AND MISERA VITA MAGNATUM, DIVERSIS PROPRIETATIBUS SUPERBORUM, SUPERBIA AND CASU LUCIFERI, ARROGANCIA HOMINUM, ABOMINACIONE SUPERBIE, COUNTERED ARROGANCIAM SUPERBORUM, COUNTERED FRAUDEM AMBICIOSORUM, OF PROPRIETATIBUS ARROGANCIUM, SUPERFLUO CULTU, COUNTERED SUPERFLUUM ORNATUM, QUOD PLUS DEFERTUR VESTIBUS QUAM VIRTUTIBUS, OF FUCACIONE COLORUM, QUOD NEMO OF SE GLORIETUR.

Tercia Leave : PUTREDINE CADAVERUM, TRISTI MEMORIA DAMPNATORUM, INUTILI PENITENCIA REPROBORUM, INEFFABILI ANGUSTIA DAMPNATORUM, OF IGNEOUS GEHENNALI, TENEBRIS INFERNALIBUS, CONFUSIONE PENARUM, INDEFICIENCIA TORMENTORUM, QUOD REPROBI NUNQUAM LIBERABUNTUR HAVE PENA, TESTIMONIA OF SUPPLICIIS ETERNALIBUS, DIE IUDICII, PRECEDING TRIBULACIONE, QUOMODO VENIET IUDICATURUS, OF POTENCIA, SAPIENCIA, AND IUSTICIA IUDICIS, OF DIVINO IUDICIO, QUOD NICHIL PRODERIT DAMPNANDIS.

Quotations

" The man is designed blood by the burning putrefaction of the desire, as so the disastrous ones towards were held near its body. Living, it generates lice and lombrics; died, it generates worms and flies. Living, it produces excrements and vomit; died, it produces rot and stink. Living, it fattens one man; died, it fattens the many ones towards. For what are thus used the richnesses? Feasts? Pleasures? They will not free us from death, they will not preserve us worm, they will not soustraieront us with the stink. That which sometimes sat, glorious, on the throne, sometimes to lie, scorned, in the tomb. That which sometimes radiated, avoided, at the court, sometimes is degraded, naked, in the tomb. That which sometimes repaissait delicious mets with table, sometimes is eaten by the worms in the sepulchre (Book III, chapter 1).

External bond

• Full text in Latin

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