Saeculum (Treatise)

First appearance and context

During kitchen preparations in the Refectory before an upcoming Apert, Fraa Orolo urges a fid to review "the Sæculum" of Saunt Cartas. He observes that what the fid read were likely selections translated into Middle Orth and influenced by later tendencies, and recommends reading the original in Old Orth for a clearer understanding of Cartas’s intent. References arise amid discussion of possible Sacks and the role of worldly authority.

Role and function

As described by Orolo, the work is treated as a founding document of the mathic world. It emphasizes that the mathic community is not an accommodation to the world outside the walls but a counterbalance to it, rejecting the idea that the Sæcular Power can or should “reform” the maths—even while acknowledging that worldly powers can impose changes on them.

Relationships and references

• Author: Saunt Cartas (the text is referred to as “the Sæculum of Saunt Cartas”).
• Language and transmission: commonly encountered in selections translated into Middle Orth; Orolo recommends consulting the Old Orth original for passages that translations may soften or omit. See Orth for language background.
• Cited by: Fraa Orolo, in a discussion addressing concerns about Sacks and interactions with worldly authority.

Current status

Within the concent, copies and translations circulate, and avout study the work during their education. Guidance from teachers suggests consulting the Old Orth original when possible to avoid distortions introduced by excerpted translations.