8世纪的一部“俗人镜鉴”:《论美德与恶习》中的臣子规训探析

An 8th-century"Mirror for Laymen":A Study on Secular Courtier Exhortation in De Virtutibus et Vitiis

《论美德与恶习》系约克的阿尔昆为地方要员维多伯爵所著的“俗人镜鉴”。针对维多伯爵的戍边将领和审判官的世俗职责,阿尔昆分别以和平、正义为内核导向,为维多伯爵搭建了一种“人臣规范”。《论美德与恶习》中的臣子规训非真正意义上的世俗劝诫,而是一种蕴含于宗教劝谕术语中的规训之言。从写作动因看,这种规训源于基督教有关属世政权的传统关切;从写作内容看,这种规训深受加洛林帝国政教相融的统治政策以及作者本人身份阅历的影响。在以宣誓效忠为主而缺少制度约束的加洛林君臣关系中,书中的臣子规训实则难以得到真正地落实。

De Virtutibus et Vitiis was a"mirror for laymen"written by Alcuin of York for Count Wido,a local dignitary.Addressing the secular responsibilities of Count Wido's border commanders and judges,Alcuin used peace and justice as core guidance to establish a set of standards for vassals for Count Wido.The admonitions for vassals in De Virtutibus et Vitiis were not truly secular advice but rather counsels embedded within religious exhortations.From the perspective of writing motivation,the admonitions stemmed from the traditional concerns of Christianity about earthly rule;in terms of content,they were deeply influenced by the Carolingian Empire's policy of integrating church and state,as well as by the author's own identity and experiences.In the Carolingian lord-vassal relationship,which was primarily based on oaths of loyalty and lacked institutional constraints,the admonitions for vassals in the book were actually difficult to implement effectively.