509、⑶这种淫欲会彻底摧毁人的婚姻之爱。这是因为它与婚姻之爱完全对立，对立到不但撕裂它，而且可以说，还要将它碾成粉末，从而毁灭它的地步。因为婚姻之爱只衷情于一个异性，但这种淫欲不会停留在一个异性身上，而是一个小时或一天后，对她的冷就和之前对她的热一样强烈。由于这种冷淡是一种憎恶，所以这种憎恶会因着被迫同居和共同生活而与日俱增，直到变得恶心；婚姻之爱就这样被耗尽，以致它荡然无存。由此可见，这种淫欲对于婚姻之爱是致命的；由于婚姻之爱构成一个人生命的至内层，所以它对于他的生命也是致命的；而且因着连续中断和关闭心智内层，这种淫欲最终被禁锢在皮肤上，以致它纯粹是一个陷阱。然而，理解力，也就是理性，仍旧保留。
509、（3）这种情欲会使婚姻之爱完全丧失。
这是因为这种爱与婚姻之爱完全相反。因为婚姻之爱是对异性中一个的爱，而这种情欲则不是从一个开始的。另外，冷却的热情就是一种污辱，任何被迫的相处都会使人无法忍受。所以它会使婚姻之爱毫无保留。
可见这种情欲对于婚姻之爱是致命的。因为婚姻之爱构成了人生命的最内在因素，所以这种情欲对人的生命也是致命的。它会使人的头脑关闭起来。情欲会存留在皮肤之下尽管人还会保持他的理解能力和理性。
509. (iii) This lust utterly annihilates a person's conjugial love.
This is because that love is utterly opposed to conjugial love, so opposed that it not only tears it apart, but, so to speak, grinds it up to dust and so annihilates it. For conjugial love is directed towards one of the other sex, but this lust does not dally with one, but after an hour or a day is as much prey to coldness as it was previously to heat for her. Since coldness is loathing, it is piled up by living together and being forced to stay together, until it becomes nauseous; and thus conjugial love is so used up that not a shred of it remains. These considerations enable us to see that this lust is fatal to conjugial love; and since conjugial love makes up the inmost level of a person's life, it is fatal to that kind of life. As the result of successive interruptions and obstructions of the inner levels of the mind, it ends up by becoming confined to the skin, so that it is nothing but a snare. However the ability to understand, rationality, still remains.
509. 3. This lust totally annihilates any conjugial love in it. It totally annihilates any conjugial love in it because this love is utterly opposed to conjugial love - so opposed that it not only tears it apart but also grinds it into powder, so to speak, and thus annihilates it. For conjugial love is love for one of the opposite sex, whereas this lust does not continue with one, but after an hour or a day is as filled with coldness toward her as it was before with heat. Moreover, because the coldness is one of loathing, any compelled cohabitation and faithfulness causes it to mount to the point of nausea; and it thus so consumes conjugial love that nothing of that love is left.
It can be seen from this that this lust is deadly to conjugial love, and because conjugial love forms the inmost element of life in a person, that it is deadly to his life. It can also be seen that in consequence of its progressive thwartings and closings of the interior elements of the mind, this lust at last becomes one of the skin and so merely appetitive - yet with the faculty of understanding or rationality remaining.
509. 3. This lust totally eliminates the love of marriage in people. This is because this lust is totally opposite to married love - so opposite, in fact, that it does not just tear married love up but practically grinds it into dust and thus annihilates it. For married love is directed to one person of the other sex, but this lust does not linger on one woman but in an hour or a day turns as frigid toward her as it was ardent before. Coldness is loathing, so living together and dalliance under compulsion piles up the loathing ad nauseam, so that married love is eaten away to the point where there is none of it left.
These observations will show that this lust is the extermination of married love. Married love forms the innermost thing in a person's life, so this lust is the extermination of his life, and it finally becomes only skin - deep, through gradual blockages and closings of the inner parts of his mind, so it becomes just an enticement, though the faculty of understanding, or rationality, remains.
509. III. THAT THIS LUST UTTERLY ANNIHILATES CONJUGIAL LOVE WITH THEM is because the lust is utterly opposed to conjugial love, and so opposed that it not merely rends it but, as it were, grinds it to powder and thus annihilates it. Conjugial love is love directed to one of the sex, but this lust does not stop with one but an hour or a day later is as intense with cold for her as it had previously been hot. And because the cold is a loathing, by forced cohabitation and living together this loathing piles up even to disgust, and conjugial love is so far consumed that no remnant is left. It can be seen from the above that this lust is deadly to conjugial love; and since conjugial love makes the inmost life with man, that it is deadly to his life; also that, by successive interceptions and closings of the interiors of the mind, it finally becomes cutaneous, and thus merely alluring, the faculty of understanding, that is, rationality, nevertheless remaining.
509. (iii) This lust utterly annihilates marital love in them. For it is completely opposite to marital love and so fully opposite that it not only rends it, but as it were pulverizes it and so annihilates it. For marital love is for one of the sex, whereas this lust does not rest with one, but a day or an hour later is an intensely cold toward her as it was hot before. Cold is loathing; by enforced cohabitation and tarrying together, it is increased to nausea, and thus marital love is consumed until nothing is left of it. One can see from this that this lust is deadly to marital love, and as marital love makes the inmost life in man, that it is deadly to that life; also that this lust by successive obstructions and closings of the mind - s interiors at length becomes cutaneous and a sheer allurement, though rationality, or the faculty of understanding, remains.
509. (3) That this lust altogether annihilates conjugial love with them. This is because that lust is utterly opposed to conjugial love, so opposed in fact that it not merely rends but as it were grinds it to dust and thus annihilates it. For conjugial love is towards one of the sex; but this lust does not stop with one, but after an hour or a day turns as cold towards her as it was hot before, and as cold is aversion, by the cohabitation and brief tarrying together it is increased to loathing, and conjugial love is so completely destroyed that no remnant of it is left.
It may be seen from these considerations that this lust is deadly to conjugial love, and that as conjugial love constitutes the inmost of life with man it is deadly to his life. And that this lust, by successive interceptions and closing of the interiors of the mind, becomes at length cutaneous, and thus merely alluring, the understanding or reasoning faculty nevertheless remaining.
509. III. Quod Libido illa prorsus adnihilet amorem conjugialem apud se, est quia libido illa amori conjugiali prorsus opposita est, ac ita opposita, ut non modo discindat illum, sed quasi commolat illum in pulverem, et sic adnihilet; nam Amor conjugialis est ad unam e sexu, Libido autem illa non moratur apud unam, sed post horam aut diem intenditur frigore sicut aestu prius pro illa; et quia frigus est fastidium, hoc per cohabitationem 1et commorationem coactam coacervatur usque ad nauseam, et sic amor conjugialis consumitur in tantum, ut nihil ejus residuum sit. Ex his videri potest, quod haec libido sit internecina amori conjugiali; et quia amor conjugialis facit intimum vitae apud hominem, quod sit internecina illius vitae; et quod libido illa per successivas interceptiones et occlusiones interiorum mentis tandem fiat cuticularis, et sic mere illecebrosa; remanente tamen facultate intelligendi seu rationalitate.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: cohabitionem