A MAN must go old to the court and young to a cloister that would go from thence to heaven

Insights

The Perils of Worldly Ambition

The proverb argues that the secular world of power and politics is so corrupting that one must possess a lifetime of wisdom and experience ('go old') to navigate its temptations without losing one's soul.

The Virtue of Early Devotion

It suggests that a truly virtuous religious life requires an early commitment ('go young'), preserving innocence before it can be tainted by worldly experience. A late entry into religious life is implied to be less sincere.

Two Paths to Salvation

The proverb contrasts two opposing life paths to salvation: one requiring the endurance and navigation of worldly evils over a long life, and the other requiring a preemptive retreat from the world to preserve one's purity.

Court vs. Cloister Duality

The proverb reflects the deep-seated medieval and early modern tension between the secular world (court) and the spiritual world (cloister). It suggests that the path of worldly power is so fraught with moral corruption that only a lifetime of accumulated wisdom and resilience can see a person through to salvation.

Psychology of Life Stages

Psychologically, the proverb aligns youth with purity and idealism, best suited for a life of untainted devotion. Conversely, it associates old age with the wisdom and fortitude necessary to navigate the moral compromises and temptations inherent in public life and politics.

Critique of Institutions

This saying serves as a cynical commentary on the difficulty of achieving salvation. It implies that the court is a near-certain path to damnation for the young and impressionable, while a religious life is only truly virtuous if embraced before one has fully lived, questioning the sincerity of late-life conversions.

Rhetorical Devices

Antithesis

The proverb is built on the stark juxtaposition of 'court' vs. 'cloister' and 'old' vs. 'young', creating a memorable and thought-provoking contrast between the secular and spiritual paths.

Parallelism

The parallel structure of 'go old to the court' and 'young to a cloister' reinforces the direct comparison and balanced opposition of the two ideas.

Paradox

It presents a paradoxical set of requirements for achieving the same goal (heaven), forcing the listener to contemplate the different moral challenges posed by a life of action versus a life of contemplation.