1. You should have feared God at least, but since it was your desire to be feared like a man in your re-baptizing of the Mappalians, why is a royal command of no avail in the province, if a provincial command has been of such avail on a private property? If you compare the persons concerned, you are the possessor, he is emperor; if you compare the positions of both, you are on an estate, he is on a throne; if you compare the motives of both, he aims at mending what is rent, you at rending what is one whole. But we are not seeking to make you afraid of a man, for we could make you pay up ten pounds of gold, according to the imperial decrees. Or perhaps you have no money with which to pay the fine imposed on those who re-baptize, after your great expenses in bribing people to accept re-baptism? But, as I said, we are not seeking to make you afraid of a man; let Christ rather make you afraid. I want to know what answer you would make to Him, if He were to say to you: “Crispinus, was it a high price you paid for the fear of the Mappalians, and was my death a small price to pay for the love of all the nations? Was the money that was counted out from your purse of greater value for the re-baptizing of your serfs than the blood which flowed from my side for the baptizing of my nations?” I know that if you were to give ear to Christ, you could hear more such questions and be warned by your very property how impious are the words you and your like speak against Christ. For if you reckon that by human law you have a sure title to what you have bought with your own money, how much surer by divine law is Christ's title to what He has bought with His own blood! And yet He will have an unshakable title to everything, for it is written of Him: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” a But how do you expect with any assurance that you will not lose what you think you have bought in Africa, when you assert that Christ has lost the whole world and has been left for Africa alone?
1. Deum quidem timere debuisti; sed quia in rebaptizandis Mappaliensibus sicut homo timeri voluisti, cur non valeat iussio regalis in provincia, si tantum valuit iussio provincialis in villa? Si personas compares, tu possessor, ille imperator; si loca compares, tu in fundo, ille in regno; si causas compares, ille ut divisio resarciatur, tu ut unitas dividatur. Sed nos te de homine non terremus. Nam possemus agere ut decem libras auri secundum imperatoria iussa persolveres. An forte propterea non habes unde reddas quod dare iussi sunt rebaptizatores, dum multum erogas, ut emas quos rebaptizes? Sed nos, ut dixi, de homine te non terremus; Christus te potius terreat. Cui volo scire quid respondeas, si tibi dicat: “Crispine, carum fuit pretium tuum ad emendum timorem Mappaliensium et vilis mors mea ad emendum amorem omnium gentium? Plus valuit rebaptizandis colonis tuis, quod numeratum est de sacculo tuo, quam baptizandis populis meis quod manavit de latere meo?” Scio te plura audire posse, si Christo aurem praebeas, et ex ipsa tua possessione admoneri quam impia contra Christum loquamini. Si enim humano iure praesumis firme te possidere quod emisti argento tuo, quanto firmius divino iure possidet Christus quod emit sanguine suo! Et ille quidem inconcusse possidebit totum, de quo dictum est: Dominabitur a mari usque ad mare et a flumine usque ad terminos orbis terrae. Sed certe quo modo confidis non te perditurum, quod in Africa videris emisse, qui Christum dicis toto orbe perdito ad solam Africam remansisse?
2. But why multiply words? If it was of their own free will that the Mappalians went over to your communion, let them hear us both, our statements being written down and, after being attested by our signatures, translated into Punic for them; and without any fear of intimidation let them choose what they want. For from what we say it will be made clear whether they are abiding in falsehood from compulsion or are holding fast the truth of their own choice. For if they do not understand what is involved, how had you the boldness to take them over to your side with no understanding of the points at issue? But if they do understand, let them, as I said, hear us both and do as they wish. Further, if there are any congregations who have come over to us and whom you believe to have done so under compulsion from their overlords, let the same course be followed there too: let them hear us both and choose what they please. But if you are unwilling to do this, who can fail to see that your party has no confidence in the truth? Yet you must beware of the wrath of God both here and hereafter. I adjure you by Christ to reply to what I have written.
2. Quid multa? Si voluntate sua Mappalienses in tuam communionem transierunt, ambos nos audiant, ita ut scribantur quae dicimus, et a nobis subscripta eis Punice interpretetur, et remoto timore dominationis eligant quod voluerint. Ex his enim quae dicimus, apparebit utrum coacti in falsitate remaneant, an volentes teneant veritatem. Si enim haec non intellegunt, qua temeritate traduxisti non intellegentes? Si autem intellegunt, ambos, ut dixi, audiant et quod voluerint, faciant. Si quae etiam plebes ad nos transierunt, quas putas a dominis coactas, hoc et ibi fiat; ambos nos audiant et eligant quod placuerit. Si autem non vis hoc fieri, cui non appareat non vos de veritate praesumere? Sed cavenda est ira dei et hic et in futuro saeculo. Adiuro te per Christum, ut ad ista respondeas.