Ranulph Higden, Speculum Curatorum - A Mirror for Curates. Book II: The Capital Sins

Ranulph Higden’s Speculum curatorum was composed in England about

1. Book II treats the types and originating circumstances of all sin,

but mostly focuses on the seven capital sins: pride, avarice, lust,

anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. Each is discussed with a thoroughness

appropriate to the text’s function as a manual of instruction for parish

clergy.

None of the sins is treated lightly, as any one of them could prevent

the soul from achieving its eternal goal. The length of each discussion

is also indicative of the sin’s effect on Church life and discipline.

Avarice - together with its worrisome components of usury and simony -

is of special concern and consequently occupies about a quarter of the

total commentary.

Higden’s exploration of the capital sins differs in format and purpose

from earlier books on the same topic. The libri poenitentiales of

the sixth through twelfth centuries usually just matched a sin with its

recommended punishment; the summae confessorum of the thirteenth

and fourteenth centuries were mostly oriented to helping a confessor

understand how contrition, confession, and satisfaction were necessary

components of the sacrament of penance. Higden wants both clerics and

lay people to come face to face with all of the destructive aspects of

sin. At times, as in the chapter on drunkenness, he weaves the

psychological and pastoral dimensions of a certain sin into his

painstaking analysis. The manual’s fifty-one chapters aim to assist both

priest and people to know the blandishments of sin thoroughly and,

because of this knowledge, to avoid them.