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The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) · 19 of 63 · tr. L. Williams

First Dialoguef

One thing is certain, that he who loves wisely in youth will in age not go astray. But derision is for those of mature age, into whose hands Love puts the alphabet. Cic. Tell me now why Fate is called blind and bad. Tans. Again, blind and bad is not said of Destiny itself, because it is of the same order and number and measure as the universe; but as to the subjects it is said to be blind, for they are blind to fate, she being so uncertain. So also is Fate said to be evil, because every living mortal who laments and complains, blames her. As the Apulian poet says: How is it, or what means it, Mæcenas, That none on earth contented with that fate appear, Which Reason or Heaven has assigned to them? In the same way he calls the object the highest beauty, as it is that alone which has power of attracting him to itself; and thus he holds it more worthy, more noble, and feels it predominant and superior as he becomes subject and captive to it. "My death itself," he says of Jealousy, because as Love has no more close companion than she, so also he feels he has no greater enemy; as nothing is more hurtful to iron than rust, which is produced by it. Cic. Now, since you have begun so, continue to show bit by bit that which remains. Tans. So will I. He says next of Love: he shows me Paradise, in order to prove that Love himself is not blind, and does not himself render any lovers blind, except through the ignoble characteristics of the subject; even as the birds of night become blind in the sunshine. As for himself, Love brightens, clears, and opens the intellect, permeating all and producing miraculous effects. Cic. Much of this, it seems to me, the Nolano demonstrates in another sonnet: 7. Love, through whom high truth I do discern, Thou openest the black diamond doors; Through the eyes enters my deity, and through seeing Is born, lives, is nourished, and has eternal reign; Shows forth what heaven holds, earth and hell: Makes present true images of the absent; Gains strength: and drawing with straight aim, Wounds, lays bare and frets the inmost heart. Attend now, thou base hind unto the truth, Bend down the ear to my unerring word; Open, open, if thou canst the eyes, foolish perverted one! Thou understanding little, call'st him child, Because thou swiftly changest, fugitive he seems, Thyself not seeing, call'st him blind. Love shows Paradise in order that the highest things may be heard, understood, and accomplished; or it makes the things loved, grand—at least in appearance. He says, Fate takes love away; because, often in spite of the lover, it does not concede, and that which he sees and desires is distant and adverse to him. Every good he sets before me, he says of the object, because that which is indicated by the finger of Love seems to him the only thing, the principal, and the whole.
Themes
◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The text urges the reader to open their eyes to see the deity, implying it is hidden from the foolish perverted one.

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◆Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

Destiny is described as being of the same order and measure as the universe, implying an ordered cosmic governance.

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◆Ladder Of Lovesoteriology

Diotima's staged ascent from love of beautiful bodies → beautiful souls → beautiful pursuits → beautiful knowledge → Beauty itself; the canonical scala amoris that grounds Plotinus's On the Beautiful and Bruno's Eroici Furori — distinct from generic spiritual_ascent in that eros is the specific motive force.

Love is depicted as showing Paradise and enabling the understanding of highest things, implying an ascent through eros.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The lover becomes subject and captive to the object, with the deity entering through the eyes to reign eternally.

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◆Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The text employs paradoxes such as Fate being blind yet not blind, and Love making lovers blind only through ignoble characteristics.

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◆Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

The text criticizes those who call Love blind because they do not see themselves, linking perception of Love to self-awareness.

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◆Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The object indicated by Love is perceived as the only thing, the principal, and the whole, suggesting a unifying vision.

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◇Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

[auto] The process involves seeing, discerning, and drawing with straight aim rather than passive stillness.

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◇Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] Abstract concepts like Fate and Love are given human attributes such as blindness, hands, and jealousy.

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◇Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

[auto] Love is described as brightening, clearing, and acting like sunshine that reveals truth.

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◇Evil As Privationtheology

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

[auto] Fate is defined as not inherently evil but only perceived as such due to human ignorance and complaint.

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◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

[auto] The text emphasizes discerning high truth through seeing and Love opening the intellect rather than faith alone.

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◇Heroic Furorpraxis

Bruno's eroici furori — a passionate, ennobling spiritual ardor that drives the soul toward divine wisdom; distinguished from base or animal passions by its orientation to infinite truth.

[auto] The passage is from the work defining this concept and describes Love's power to elevate the intellect toward divine truth.

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◇Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] Love permeates the intellect and enters through the eyes to nourish the deity within.

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◇Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

[auto] Love is personified as an active agent with hands, eyes, and companions who acts upon the lover.

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◇Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

[auto] A distinction is drawn between those who love wisely and the base hind who calls Love blind.

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◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

[auto] Love is said to show Paradise and enable the highest things to be heard and understood.

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Related passages · 3 parallels
◆platonism|Plato: Phaedrus|Section 1l
“And I bethink me of an ancient purgation of mythological error which was devised, not by Homer, for he never had the wit to discover why he was blind, but by Stesichorus, who was a philosopher and knew the reason why; and therefore, when he…”
Both passages discuss the nature of love and its effects on the individual, exploring themes of blindness, wisdom, and the transformative power of love. They share a mystical perspective on love as a divine force that can enlighten or mislead, depending on the individual's perception and actions.
◆platonism|Plato: Symposium|Section 1r
“In the first place he is a poet (and here, like Eryximachus, I magnify my art), and he is also the source of poesy in others, which he could not be if he were not himself a poet. And at the touch of him every one becomes a poet, even thoug…”
Both passages explore the nature of love and its transformative power, emphasizing its role in revealing truth and beauty. They also discuss the attributes of love, such as its ability to inspire and elevate individuals, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆platonism|Plato: Timaeus|Section 1Ž
“For a man who is in great joy or in great pain, in his unseasonable eagerness to attain the one and to avoid the other, is not able to see or to hear anything rightly; but he is mad, and is at the time utterly incapable of any participation…”
Both passages explore the nature of love and its effects on the human condition, discussing themes of wisdom, blindness, and the influence of external forces on human behavior. They also touch on the idea of balance and proportion in the context of the soul and body.