Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 21: The Works Of Lactantius, Volume 1

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sor it is a translation to immortali . But ii not so, deathmust necessarily bo an erit, since it transiere men, as I havesaid, is evertasting punishment. What, thon, shail Wo say, but that they ars in error Whoeither destre death as a good, or fies hom liso as an ovilluntem they are most uniust, Who do not weigh tho is er eviis against the greater number of bl sings. For When they passali their lives in a varisty of the choicest gratifications, ii any buterness has chanced to succeed to thess, they destre in die; and they so regard it as in appear never in have fared meli, is at any time they happen to tars ili. Thereiam they condemnino Wholo os lis' and consider ii as nothing elso than filled With ovila. Ηenco Mosa that ollah sentiment, that this stato hich ws imagine to bo lito is death, and that that which me fear as death is siti; and so that tho fidit good is not to boborn, that the second is an early death. And that this sentiment may be os greater Weight, it is attributed to Silenus./Cicero in his Consolation says: Not to bo born is is sis thebest ining, and not to fati upon theso roclis of lila. But thonexi thing is, ii you have been born, to die M soon as possibie,

and in fles fram the violence of fortuno as hom a conflagration '

any resemblance to a consagration

Tho saying os Plato is not dissimilar, that ho gave thanis tonature, firat that he was born a human being rather than adumb animal; in tho neri place, that lis Was a man ratherthan a Woman; that he was a Greeh rather than a barbarian;

λ Silenus .aa tho constant companion os Dionysus. He Waa regardeo Man invisod prophet, Who kneW ali the past and the more distant futuro, and M a sage Who deviaed ali ine guis es fortune. a Tho Greeta included ali nations, except themselves, under ine general

me os barbarians.

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188 LACTANTIUS

lastin that ho Was an Athenian, and that he was bom in thetims of Socrates. It is impossibis to say What great blindnessand errore are produced by ignorance of the truth. I Would

altogether contend that nothing in the assairs of men Was ever

Plato, and not that very Ming Which had Men producia. Buthe evidently belloved 'thagoras, Who, in order that ho mi tprevent men from feeding on animais, said that Quis passedfrom the bodies of men to tho dies of other animati; .hichis both nolisti and impossibie. It is Molisti, becauso it Wasunnecessary to introduce fouis that havo long existed into neπbodies, When the fame Artificer Who at one timo had mado thosiret, Was alWays able to mine fresh ones; it is impossibie, b causo the foui endued milli right reason can no more changethe natum os ita condition, than firo can rusti doWnWatas, o like a rive' mur ita flamo obliquely. The wiso man ther

foro imagined, that it m hi come to pass that tho foui Whichwas then in Plato might M shut up in some oster animal, and might bo endued with the sensibili of a man, so as to unde stand and grievo that it Was burthened with an incongruousbody. How much moro rationalty Would he have acted, is hohad said that ho gavo thanks because ho was bom With a good capacit' and capabis os receiving instruction, and that he was possessed of thoso reso ces Which enablod him to receivo aliberal education l For hat benefit Was it that ho was bomat Athens ' Have not many men os distinguished talent andisarning lived in other cities, who mero bellor individually thanali tho Athenians' ΗΟW many thousands must Wo bellove that there Were, Who, though bom at Athens, and in tho times of Socrates, wers neverthelem uniearned and foolisti For itis not the walis or the place in Which any one Was born stat can invest a man with wisdom. ΟΤ What avail was it in congratulato himself that he was bom in tho times of Socrates ΤWas Socrates able to supply talent to learneret It did not cur to Plato that Alcibiades also, and Critias, Were constanthearers of the samo Socrates, tho ono of Whom Was tho most active enemy of his counto, the other tho most cruei os all

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THE DIVINE INSTITUTES 189

CHAP. XX.-Soeratas had more senuisti a in philosophy thanother man, although iri many iainga ha anted Dolia40. Let us noW see What there mas so great in Socrates himself, that a Wise man deservedly gave inanis that he was bom in his times. I do not deny that he was a litile more sagacious stantho othera who thought that the nature of things could bo com

heaven to pass sentencs on the opinions os individuala; wher foro no one can doubi that inoso who sein after theso thingsam Molish, sensetes' and insane.

1 fear that ho so acted in this Mono. For many of his actions

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190 LACTANTIUS.

the foui Wastes aWay. Much less can me suppose that so greata fabric could eithor limo been constructed Without an Artificeq

ins Athenian bustoon, hecause he taught many thinga in a jesting manneri . di be distinguiahed from Zeno es citium, the Stolo, and also fram

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crates, Who, having entireb rejected natural philosophy, betook himself to inquiries about virtus and du . And thus 1 donot docti stat ho instructed his hearere in the precepta ofjustico. Thereiore, under the reaching of Socrates, it did notescapo the notico os Plato, stat tho force of justico consista in equalit' since ali ars bom in an equat condition. Theroforo ho mys they must ha- nothing private or their own; butthat thv may bo equat, as the method of justice requires, theymust possem Hl things in common. This is capable of boingendured, as long as it appears to be spolien os money. Buthow impossibis and hoW unjust this is, I could shοπ by many things. Let us, hoWever, admit ita possibili . For grant statali are Wise, and despiso money. To What, then, did that communi lead him in ages also, hs says, ought to bo incommon; so that many men may fioch together like dogs to thosame Woman, and he Who shali bo superior in strengin may su

c d in obtaining her; or it thv are patient as philosophera, theymay a ait inela turas, as in a brothel. Oh tho monderivi equali os Plato i mors, then, is tho virtus ot chasti whoro conjugal fideliu d ii you talis aWay these, ali justice

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192 LACTANTIUS

have been admonished, it not is reason, yet certainb is ex- ample, both of tho dumb animais, whicli fight most vehementlyon this account, and of men, Who have alWays carried on most severo mare mith ono another on account of this matter.

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injustice being t en hom tho rich, it mill malis no differenc Whether somo aro rich and othera poor, since they Will be equalin spirit, and nothing but reverenco toriatas God can producestis result. Ho thought, therelare, that he had found justice, hereas he had altogether removed it, beca ε it ought not tobo a communi of peristiabis things, but os minia. For it justico is tho mother of ali viriues, when they am severally

can be called nothing elso stan luxurious and prodigal. Andilhewiso women Who ars in the possession os many men, mustos necessi ba not adulteresses, because they have no taedmarriage, but prostitutes and hariora. Therasore lis reducedhuman liis, 1 do not say to tho lihenem ot dumb animais, butoi tho horda and brutes. For almost ali ino birds contractmarriages, and are united in patra, and defend their nesta, asthough thela martiag beds, With harmonious mind, and cheristi their oWn young, becauso thv are Well known to them ; and ityou put othera in their Way, they repet them. But this missman, contrary to the custom of men, and contrary to natum, choas more seolisti objecta os imitation ; and since he saW thattho dutias of malos and females Were not separated in the cassos other animais, he thought that Women also ought to engage in Wartare, and tahe a share in the public counsela, and under-λ Justice compriare mittin horaeu ali the virium. And thus Aristotio cassa her the mother of the otiar virium, Momae ahe cheriisea M it vere in her boaom au ine reat.

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tine magistractes, and assumo commands. Αnd theresors hoassigned to them homes and arms: it folio a that ho fhould have assigned in men W-l and tho loom, and the carrying os insanis. Nor did he see tho impossibility of What ho said, Domtho faci that no nation has existed in tho Worid so Molisti or sovain as in live in this manner. CHAP. XXIII.- of the errore of eertain philosophera, and of

Since, there re, the leading men among the philosophera

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deprives us os an assection, Which involvos almost tho wholocourso of human lila. For sinco the naturo os man is moret bis than that of tho oster animais, Whicli divine providen has armed With natural means os protection, eister is endum tho severi of tho seMons or is Ward oss attachs iram thoirbodies, because nono of theso things has been given to man, ho has received in tho place of ait theso things tho affection

mutuatly proieci each othori For is a man wero rendored savago by tho sight of another man, Which Wo ses happen in the case of thom animais Which aro os a solita y naturo, there Wouid be no society among men, no caro or system in thebuilding os cities; and thus lise Would not even be sala, sincessis me nefa of men mould both be exposed to tho attacis of the oster animali, and they Would rage among themselves attex

milhin tho concavo sursaco of tho moon thero mas anothereariti, and that there another race of men sive in a similarmanner to that in Which Wo livo on this sarth. Thersiore these lunatics havo another moon, to hold forin to them a light

may be a moon to another earth belo this. Seneca sus that there Was one among the Stoica who used is deliberato Whother

λ Animata es a solitary nature, M opposed to thom es gregari a habita.

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ri 96 LACTANTIUS.

ho fhould assim to tho sun also ita own inhabitanis; ho acted laesishly in doubting. For What injury Would lis havs inflictedis lis had assignod them But Ι bellove tho heat deterredhim, so as not to imperil so great a multitudo; lest, is thushould perish through excessive heat, so great a calami should bo said to have happened is his sauit.

CRAP. XXIV.- of the antipodes, the heaven, and the stars. m. is it missi those .ho imagine that thera aro antipodes opposite is our Aouteps Do they say anything to the purpose 'or is there any one so sensetem as in bellove that there ammen Whosa footaleps aro higher than their heads ' or that thothings Whicli mitti us ars in a recumbent position, With themhang in an inverted direction that the crops and trem gro doWnWarda that the rains, and snow, and hail fati up arda tollio earin And does any one Wonder that hanging gaesens yare mentioned among the MVen Wondera of the worid, When philosophera malis hanging fields, and seas, and cities, and mountains' Tho origin of this error must also be set forthis us. For they are alWays deceived in the fame manner. For When they havo assumed anything falso in the commence-ment of thela investigations, ted by tho resemblanco of thotruth, they necessarily sali into thom things which ars iis consequences. Thus they fali into many ridiculous things; be- causo thoso thinga Which ara in agreement missi falso things, must themsolves be falso. But sinco they plaeed confidonee in tho first, they do not consider the character of those thingswhich follow, but defend them in every way; Whereas theyought to j go hom thoso Which sollo hether tho fidit aretrae or false. What course of argument, theresore, ted them to the idea ostiis antipodest They sa. tho courses of tho stare travellingtoWarti the mest; they sam that the sun and the moon alWaysset toWarda the fame quarter, and rise iram the fame. But since they did not perceivo What contrivanco regulated theircourses, nor hoW they returned iram the west to the east, but

supposed that tho heaven itaeis Hoped down arti in every direction, Which appearance it must present on account os ita immense breadth, they thought that tho worid is round like

He alludes to the haning gardana es Semiramis at Babylon.

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