Sit vitiorum meorum evacuatio
Concupiscentae et libidinis exterminatio,
Caritatis et patientiae,
Humilitatis et obedientiae,
Omniumque virtutum augmentatio.
—St. Thomas Aquinas, Breviary
To my badness I would give the boot,
With concupiscent lust at the root,
Learn patience and love,
Humble all the above . . .
I'm a quite unassuming old beaut.
—translated by P. Tornarius
Msgr. Ronald Knox identified this prayer as “a possible prelimerick” in 1925.
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