Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/92

 74 THE CLASSICAL HERITAGE [chap. ethics, self-reliant, unappreciative of the absolute need of God. The ethics of Ambrose may be contrasted with those of Augustine. The great archbishop was a Christian, a father of Christian song and chant, an exponent of Christian feeling. But the reasoning of his De Officiis Ministrorum is pagan. In plan the work follows Cicero's De Officiis. Cicero addressed his work to his son, and began with remarks on the propriety of writing for him a treatise on duties. So Ambrose declares that he will write to inform his sons (the clergy), since grace as well as nature impels to love (I, 24) ; and he justifies himself as a bishop in speaking on the subject. He then says (I, 27) that philosophers thought that officia were derived from the good (honestum) and useful (utile), and he repeats Cicero's statement of the matter (De Off., I, iii, sec. 9 and 10). But, continues Ambrose (I, 28), we regard only the good, and that with respect to the future life, and we deem useful only what helps thereto. They reckon (I, 29) secular advantages among goods (in bonis), we hold them the contrary. Ambrose (I, 30) refers to what Cicero says as to the seemly (decorum, De Off., I, xxvii, sec. 93) ; and then follows him (I, 36) in saying that every officium is either medium or perfectum (De Off., I, iii, sec. 8). Nothing escapes God's notice ; He rewards and pun- ishes ; the account is made up in the life to come ; in the blessedness of that life lies the sanction of right- eousness. Ambrose then speaks of the duties to be observed throughout life (I, 65 ; Cic. De Off., I, xxxiv, sec. 122); and lengthily inculcates modesty