From the book
Centrum Naturae Concentratum
Attributed to Ali Puli · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →- English renderings
- plain civic life, splendour, pride, excess, Plain civic life.
Meaning
The father tells the son to enjoy the treasure within an unostentatious civic life, avoiding splendour, pride and excess. Schlecht in this phrase means plain or simple, not bad. The instruction connects secrecy with outward social conduct: the beneficiary should not announce exceptional possession through conspicuous consumption. It also accompanies, rather than displaces, the requirement to help the poor discreetly. The passage does not tell the son to withdraw from every ordinary civic obligation.
Places to read
- The Last Testament of a Father to His Beloved Son · Passage 4German“in der Stille und einen schlechten bürgerlichen Leben” Plainness is a recommended manner of living.