Psychomachia

A manuscript discovered in 1931 records a speech by the second-century academic skeptic philosopher Favorinus that employs psychomachia, suggesting the technique predates Prudentius. ==Characters==

The plot consists of the personified virtues of Hope, Sobriety, Chastity, Humility, etc. fighting the personified vices of Pride, Wrath, Paganism, Avarice, etc. The personifications are women because in Latin, words for abstract concepts have feminine grammatical gender; an uninformed reader of the work might take the story literally as a tale of many angry women fighting one another, because Prudentius provides no context or explanation of the allegory. • Faith (Fides) strikes Worship-of-the-Old-Gods Idolatry (Veterum Cultura Deorum) on the head. • Chastity (Pudicitia) is assaulted by Lust (Sodomita Libido), but cuts down her enemy with a sword. • Patience (Patientia) enrages Wrath (Ira), who attacks but cannot defeat or even injure her. Driven mad with frustration, Wrath ultimately kills herself instead. • Humility (Mens Humilis) otherwise known as Lowliness, sees Pride (Superbia) charging her, but her horse stumbles, and Pride is thrown in a pit that Deceit has already dug across the field. • Sobriety (Sobrietas) plants her flag and restores the courage that was taken from the other virtues by the temptation of Indulgence (Luxuria). • Good Works (Operatio) strangles Greed (Avaritia) who has seized the entire human race. • Concordia, having heard such great blasphemy, pins the tongue of Discordia with a spear and stops her breath. In a similar manner, various vices fight corresponding virtues and are always defeated. Biblical figures that exemplify these virtues also appear (e.g. Job as an example of patience). Despite the fact that seven virtues defeat seven vices, they are not the canonical seven deadly sins, nor the three theological and four cardinal virtues. ==Notable manuscripts==

• Berne, Burgerbibliothek Cod. 264, region of Lake Constance c. AD 900. Parchment, 145 foll., 27.3/28.3 x 21.5/22 cm. The ms. is counted among the outstanding examples of Carolingian book art. It contains all seven poems by Prudentius plus an added eighth poem; given to the Strasbourg diocese in the 990s and later was acquired by Jacques Bongars. • Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 23; Prudentius, Psychomachia and other poems, 10th century, English. • London, British Library, Add MS 24199, part 1; Miscellany (Prudentius, Psychomachia), 10th century. • MS Cotton Cleopatra C VIII; Prudentius, Psychomachia, 10th century. • Munich, Staatsbibliothek, CLM. 29031b; Prudentius, Psychomachia, 10th century. == Other uses of 'psychomachia' ==

Theatre historian, Jonas Barish uses the term psychomachia to describe anti-theatrical conflict during the nineteenth century. Kirsty Allison used Psychomachia as the title for her cult novel, set in the 1990s (Wrecking Ball Press, 2020). The first edition also publishes a translation, and a modernised edit was later published in LoveLove magazine. ==Notes==