A great silence lingered in the cathedral. Although she could not say such a thing was intentional, it seemed that many things, by being done through the centuries, necessarily picked up wisdom. That was, if building a new cathedral, one would hardly take inspiration from a cathedral which was, in an important way, lacking.
While she could argue about the exact priorities of a cathedral, as a category of church, its ultimate purpose was for the Church’s teachings to be heard. In the middle of a busy city, such a thing required a certain design that both quieted from outside and carried from inside.
No book she had read spoke of such a science; however, it certainly could not be an art. The proof of its existence lay in its very existence, something proven by itself.
Far from an unplanned visit, footsteps soon echoed through the hall. “Ah, Countess Augstadt, it is my pleasure.”
She turned with a polite smile, letting the Rosary beads fall from her fingers. “Bishop of Augsburg, my thanks for making time at such a busy period of the year,” she said.
He chuckled, raising a hand. “How could I not? My child is a pious ruler, both humble and devoted.” Although he spoke softly, whether out of habit or intentionally, his voice seemed as if to fill the room, accompanied by slight echoes that gave depth to his tone.
“Sir is too kind. If I am to be so praised for doing the least I should do, what of the beggar who gives his last coin? Alas, I have a long way to go still, that I would be here until my end if I should aspire to such piety.”
He laughed at that, the echoes overlapping. “My child certainly has a way with words. However, as much as I enjoy such games, my child is correct this is a busy time for me.” The hint of chiding held no enmity, his expression bright and smile so broad it made his eyes squint.
She replied with a wide smile of her own that then faded as her gaze drifted to the side. “Let us sit,” she whispered, loosely gesturing to the front of the hall.
He looked upon her for a moment, then acquiesced, his steady footsteps leading the way to the front row of pews. Her footsteps followed behind, so light as to almost be silent.
“Of course, sir is familiar with the changing of the laws,” she said, pausing there until he made a noise of agreement. “I have been kept busy with overseeing this and other obligations. Now that things are settled, albeit still far from finished, it seemed prudent to hear where sir stands.”
After letting out a sigh, his hands turned over. “Where I stand? It seems that my child has decided I should stand here and here alone,” he said.
So it was her turn to sigh, a hand coming up to touch the Rosary beads, only to quickly return to her lap. “I am sure that sir has a better understanding of these matters than that. Master Schulz, he has a strong grasp on the judges and notaries. If I act brazenly against him, the city will quickly descend into chaos,” she said, her voice quiet, yet not soft.
“Indeed, Master Schulz is a respectable citizen.”
The insinuation was not lost on her and it brought a touch of a smile to her lips. “Sir should not confuse practicality with cowardice,” she said lightly. “Did I not move to end the executions? Given that, I naturally had to give Master Schulz something in return. I would hope none believe my rule to be marked by tyranny.”
“Oh, of course not. My child has been fair and generous,” he said, his tone neutral—and it was that neutrality that gave it a sting of disappointment.
“Sir is not pleased, I understand. However, I hope sir may extend to me a modicum of trust,” she said, her own tone matching his, albeit without the mismatch between tone and words that gave his words their sting.
For a long moment, the cathedral’s silence fell, only to give way to the chiming of the bells. So near to them, it was an almost deafening sound—or perhaps only felt as such because of the preceding silence. After all, she thought, members of the Church did not seem to go deaf unusually young compared to others.
While she contemplated that, the last bell rang out, its note lingering in the hall for longer still, until silence finally fell once more.
“My child should understand that words are easily spoken and actions easily seen, and both are known to the Lord.”
Another silence, heavier, yet shorter as she soon broke it. “Sir is of course familiar with Saint Thomas Aquinas. I may not be as well-read on his works and the works he built upon as sir; however, I thoroughly read certain portions alongside listening to discussions on the topic of lawmaking.”
“I see, and what did my child gleam from these discussions?”
Again, her hand rose to her Rosary, only to fall back to her lap. “It need not be said that his works have much wisdom. Rather, what I found is an obvious conclusion: that he is a philosopher, and he is of the Church.
“By the first, I say that he does, in a way, seek the ideal. That is, one may use his reasoning to determine whether a law is just, but he does not himself list which laws a ruler should rule by.
“As for what I mean by the second, it is that, being of the Church, he is of course writing for Christians. In this way, the first point makes complete sense. Rather than giving a ruler a list of laws, he is presenting how we Christians should determine whether a law is just and so should be followed, or if it is unjust and so invalid.”
He gently nodded along and, with her silence, he adjusted his position, fingers now entwined. “My child has undertaken her studies with sincerity.”
“Pray do not praise me for so little, especially when I know sir would only think worse of me for knowing this and yet acting as I did,” she said.
A single chuckle slipped out before he held himself to an ironic smile. “My child seems to know me well,” he said.
“Am I wrong?” she asked, her tone neither light nor sharp.
After a second, he separated his hands with one turning over.
She took that as his answer and settled into a thin smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “If I may ask sir this, how should a ruler use St Thomas’s works to produce a set of just laws?”
What followed was a long minute of silence as he, as if reciting word by word, sat with his eyes closed, mouth slightly moving. “A brief answer, I would begin with the commandments and similar revelations. From there, the natural laws may complete the core of the laws, with a set of human laws for those things otherwise not yet covered. Merchants and inheritance.”
Although she listened closely, her smile turned wry by the end, hands clasped together. “Indeed, I thought the same.”
At her silence, he then asked, “However?”
“Matthew, chapter five.”
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His brow furrowed, he asked, “The Sermon on the Mount?”
“As I understand St Thomas’s work, he saw the purpose of law to guide the people towards virtue. However, Christ says that, if a man should be unable to control his lust, it is better for him to blind himself lest he be damned.”
After a moment of thought, he gave a slight shake of his head. “I neither see the connection between the two nor the contradiction implied.”
“To that I ask, how exactly would St Thomas have a law against lust? Rather, one supposes that there would need to be a law that women dress modestly, yet Christ is rather clear that it should be the men who, if not literally blinded, must cover their eyes. A similar difficulty arises when considering the last of the commandments: how exactly does one make a law that guides the people away from coveting and desiring?”
Silence, then his chuckling grew from a breath to a laugh, until it finally settled with a deep breath. “My child has not taken this matter lightly at all.”
“Please, the praise is more than I deserve, what I have shared simply the wisdom of my betters,” she said, bowing her head.
He spared her a glance, then settled into his seat with a more relaxed posture. “Did your betters see fit to resolve this apparent contradiction?”
“Of course, otherwise I would not have continued with changing the laws,” she said, her voice lighter, but without humour, rather like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.
Another breath of a chuckle slipped out of him. “Pray tell this old man how they did so,” he said.
“Well,” she said, adjusting her own position, “it is quite simple and, in fact, I touched upon it already. St Thomas and Christ are both preaching to Christians who may live under many kinds of rulers, Christian or otherwise. That is, whether or not there is a law against murder, of course we would not commit murder.”
A second, then his head lowered with his gaze down, only to breathe in and raise his eyes to the heavens. “I see.”
“That is not to say St Thomas’s works have no value to a ruler,” she said, raising her own gaze to the stained glass windows. “He believed that the law should be purposed for the common good. I believe so too, thus every law should regard an injury to the common good, with an appropriate repayment to the common good. This is something which relates to what I am sure Mr Schmitt remarked upon after our meeting about a year ago.”
After a moment, he said, “The illusion of the pursuit of justice.”
She smiled at that. “Indeed, although I have come to prefer calling it the common belief of the pursuit of justice.”
“If I am to be frank,” he said, his voice a touch firmer, “such a goal is not a compromise I approve of. Of course we are all mortal and so stumble. However, it is our purpose to pick ourselves up and continue onwards. Failure is not in the inability to fulfil our goals, but in the unwillingness to pursue goals worth fulfilling, for who among us could say they have not sinned and yet we all still aspire to salvation?”
With gentle nods, she listened closely to his words and fell into a thoughtful silence at his conclusion. “Sir’s wisdom brings me pain, which I am thankful for. Truthfully, I have no answer, nor do I have an excuse.
“All I shall say is that I am again caught between my obligations as a ruler and my faith. The common good…. In these changes, I have moved towards juries so the people are the ones who decide what this common good is. The laws have been refined to clear cases against the common good, that judges have less power to punish the common man over trivial matters.”
He fell into a small smile. “My child, it has not been easy. However, the Lord knows your sincerity,” he said.
She gave a single laugh, tinged with distress, then lowered her head and covered her face, taking a few shaky breaths. “My thanks, but such kindness is not deserved.”
“I rather think my child would find it difficult to present someone Christ thinks is undeserving of kindness.”
Another shudder ran through her, then she weakly, yet happily, replied, “Of course. Sir is most wise.”
Silence followed as her breaths quickly settled, her hands lingering on her face a little longer still. Once she returned to her position—hands folded on her lap, gaze raised to the stained glass above—she spoke.
“My apologies. Sir already said he has little time to spare, yet I have made him indulge me. If we may, let us return to my earlier inquiry, which is where sir shall stand on the matters presented to him,” she said, her voice level, albeit with a touch of strain at times.
Although he didn’t huff, there was a certain displeasure to his breath out. “My child should understand that this bishop cannot even entertain the thought of being subject to Mr Schulz and his guild in any fashion.”
“Indeed, and I understand that, I do. However, I cannot overtly take power from Master Schulz and give it to the Church. So the purpose of my suggestion is to give the Church a way to use his power instead. I would allow sir to set the laws for the religious court to enforce, while the court would then borrow the power to compel the presence of the accused and witnesses, as well as the power to enforce its judgements.
“Of course, regardless of what sir decides on this, it would not impact the Church’s court at all. This proposed court would be entirely separate.”
His mouth set thin, he shifted in his seat and came to rest with his hands pressed together. “My child surely has good intentions. However, such intentions are not suitable justification for every act. It is the nature of a good ruler to compromise, so I would not fault you for proposing compromises, but I am not a ruler. It is my good nature to hold strong to my convictions, formed with care through a long lifetime of learning and experiences.”
While her expression showed nothing, her voice came out quieter as she said, “I am me, and sir is sir. Indeed, I shall be more mindful that others need not compromise, or rather should not compromise.”
“Many things, such as truth and justice, are not easy to find, yet the effort put into them is worthwhile. I hope my child can come to see this,” he said.
“It is not that I disagree with sir. However, in using effort in one place, we necessarily cannot use it in another, so I would use our effort to maintain peace. That must always be my priority as ruler.”
His gentle smile slowly faded, his eyes lowering as he let out a silent sigh.
At the same time, she looked away, continuing to say, “I hope that sir is still amenable to the other matters.”
“I confess, I do not see how my child can say she values peace above all and then say she intends to let criminals walk free. It is not that I disagree, but I hope my child may shed some light on this,” he said.
Her hand came up to gesture, only for her to still it and then slowly bring it back to her lap. “That is, if we think on this matter as my betters did, what good does it do us to lock up a man for weeks or months or even years? He must be fed and clothed and the prison kept in good order, which is charity better spent on the less fortunate. If he has a family, then they are now lacking a wage-earner too, and even his employer is short a worker.
“Of course, if the jury believes that he is not safe, then he must be expelled, which is still a kinder fate than death. Otherwise, it seems more sensible that he should repay his debt. How does locking him up help with that?”
His hands opened and he said, “Indeed, it does not.”
“So I would ask the Church to help as they know best where a spare hand is needed and how to counsel a sinner. Or if he should be expelled, perhaps the Church knows a monastery where he might find redemption.”
A chuckle fell from his mouth. “My child does not need to go over what she has already written. It is a well-considered proposal, one I am prepared to accept once the details are more firmly established. I simply wonder how my child came to this conclusion while others would, in the pursuit of peace, instead push for harsher punishments.”
With her gaze still turned away from him, a broad, yet distant, smile coloured her lips. “When young, there was a boy who sometimes misbehaved, whether that was causing some little trouble, not paying attention in his tutoring, or falling short of expectations. However, he was the first son of an important man, so none dared hit him. Instead, they had a servant’s child be his companion and, whenever he ought to be punished, it was this servant’s child who was spanked in his place….”
Her hand came up and touched her Rosary, this time lingering there as she continued. “I have always wondered why it is that, if punishment is good, we would spare the most good among us from its goodness. On the other hand, why should we withhold mercy and forgiveness to those who would need it most?”
“Well, that is a curious way to put it.”
He said it neither as praise nor as an admonishment. However, that he did not disagree—her smile stayed and her hand dropped back to her lap.
“On the last matter, I presume Mr Schmitt has kept sir abreast of the situation. The printers are about ready, awaiting the shipment of paper, and so will soon need someone from the Church to oversee them.”
“The production of learning materials,” he said, soft as if thinking aloud, but not so soft that she did not hear.
“Or rather, teaching materials. I consulted with several tutors of renown to produce these drafts that would describe how to present the material to be learned. Once these are made, work would begin on books that students may use to go over previously taught material. I hope that, by this point, the printers would be capable of producing Latin bibles, which should then be their main commission going forwards.”
He nodded along, followed by a moment of silence before he replied. “My child has certainly planned this all quite thoroughly.”
“Such is my duty. I am capable, so I must do so, else why has the Lord given me these talents and responsibilities?” she said, turning her gaze forward and up high to the stained glass.
With a breathless laugh, he pushed himself to his feet. “Indeed.”