Ante-Nicene Christian library; translations of the writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325

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mos fuit, is ope to ali and this heavenlyclight rises for ali, a many as have eyes Did any of tho philosopher effect theso things orcisae able to effect them is he wishes For thoughtho spen their lives in the stud of philosophy, the am

What, thens do the enjoin nothing similars es, indeed, many things and the frequently approach tho truth. Butthos precept have no eight, ecauso the ars human, andare Without a greater, that is, stat divine authori . omnethfretore belleves them,aecaum theaearer imagines himself tobe a man, justis hecis, ho enjoin them. Moreover, there isno certaint With them, nothin Whicli proceed Domano ledge. ut since ali things ars done is conjecture, an many dissering and various things are mugiit forWard it is the parto a mos Dolis man toto illinxto oberinei precepta, sinceit is doubted whether the ars true o falso; and thereiore noone obeys them,aecauso no ne isties loci ou for an certain . The Stoic say that it is virtuo hic canislono

materia os virtus thereiore hecis no Wretched even in tortures. Epicurus speata much more strongly The Wis man,

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because a man who is devote to leasure ook upon himself the characteri a manis fortitude, and that to an immoderato doneo for it is impossibi that an oneraliould esteem tortures of the bovis pie ures, sincerit is sumesent for dischargingsto ossic o virtus that ono sustain and endures them. What do ou Stoic' say What do ou Epicurus The wis manis happy even Whenae is tortured. I it is on account of theglor of his endurance, he will no enjonit for perchanc hemill die unde the tortures. Dicis o account of the recolle

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unde tortures; ut Whenae suffers tortum n account of his faith on account of justice, ori account o God that endum

ance of pain ill renderata mos happy. For it is God alone Who an honour virtus, the remata of hicli is immortali alone. An the who domo see this, nor posses religion, with whicli ternat lite is connected assuredindo notano thopo eris Viriue, the re ard of Whichahe ars ignorant; ordoato ard heaven a the themselves imagine that thendo, Whenthe inquire into subjecis hic domo admit os investigation,

CHAP. XXVIII.- in true religion and of nature, hether fortunais a sod eas, and of philosophy. Where re thor is nothin eis in iis on hic our planan condition ea depend ut the nowledg o God hocreatedius, and the religious an pio 'orshipit Him; and sine the philosophers have Wandered rem his, it is plain that the were not Wise Thersought Wisdom, indeed; ut beca octondidiot seacit in a right manner, the sun dom to agreater distance, an fel into suc great errors that thendid

Thua St. Pauh col. iii 2 exhorta uario et our affectiona o thinga ovo, not omining of the earis.

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204 LACTANTIUS BOOK III. Whom the world was made, o Wishing to persuade me that nothing Was complete is divine intelligence, sal that naturemas the motheris ali things, a though the should say that allining mere produced of theiri maccord by whicli,ord theyaltogether confera theirim ignorance Formature, apari s mdivine providenco and po er, is absolutet nothing. ut itine callio nature, What perversenesciscit, torus the ameo naturo ather inanis Godi ut is natur is the plan or necessit' or conditionis birin, it is no by itsol capabio offensation; ut there must necessarilyae a divine mind whichbfit fores hi furnishes tho Vinning of thei existence toail things Orci naturo is heaven and earth, and eve ining Whichris createri naturo is no God but the wor o God. B a simila error they belleus in the existence of fortune, as a goddes mocking the assairs of men milli Various casualties, because theyano no from hat ource thing good an ovilhappen to them They thin stat the are brought togetherio do batile it her no do the assigninnyaeason by Whomand on hat account thy are thus alched; ut the onlyboast that the are ever moment carrying on a contes for life an deat mit fortune. many as have console any personam account of tho death and remova o friends have censured the nam os fortune Wit the most severe accusations;

nor is there an disputationis their o the subjectis virtuo, in Whic fortuno is no harassed M. Tullius, in his Consolation, says that he has alWay fouo against fortune and that shemas alWaysive omered by him henae had vallantly boaton bach in attach of his enemies that ho mas no subdued by her even then, Whenae,a desve from his homo and deprivedo his count but then, henae lost his deares daughter, heshamefuit consesses that he is overcomo is fortune. I ield, he says, and resse myiand. What is more retched tha this man, Who thus sies prostrate ' o acti seolishly, he says; butit is ono ho professes that horis mise. What, then, does theassumptionis the nam imply What stat contemplisi thingswhie is lai elaim to it magnificent ordsi ha that dram so different homostera o Why d yo give precepisol,ladom at ali is no one has o been found whocis is, An does an ono ea ill-Wil in us ecaus Wo den that

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goras pronounces that ali things are verapread With daan s. Empedocles complain that the paths of the senses are narro ,

a thoughrior his reflectionsas had nsed os a chario and Dur horam Democritus sus that the truth lies sun in a Weli sodoo that it has no bottom Dolishly, indeed, asas sus therthings. For the truth is not acit ere, sunk in a mella whichit Was permitte him to descend or even to fiat, but ascit,ere, placed on the hi est op of a tost mountain, o in heaven, Whic is mos true. For,hat reason is there Whyio fhould saythacit is sun belowrather tha that it is aised Host unlessby chanceae preferredri placo the min&also in tho Det, or in the bottomis the hoeis, ratherethan in tho bro Dor in the head. So widely remove were the troin the truth itself, that even the postur of theiriwnaodydidio admonis them, that the truth must be ought for is them in the ighest place. From this despat aros that confessionis Socrates, in hichii said that he hne nothingaut this ne ining alone, that he kne mothing. From this floWed the system os the Academy, is that is toto called a system in hic ignorance is both learniand tauot But notisve those ho laime for themselves knowledge ere ablo consistenti to defend that very thingwhic the thought that theyanem. For since the mere notin agreement With ne another, through thei ignorance of divine things therHero so inconsistent and uncertain, and ostenasserting things contram to one another, that ou are unable todetermine and decide hat thei meming Was. Why thereioreshould yο fgh against hos men ho peris by their Wns ordI Wis inould o labo 'o refuto thoso hom heirown speech refutes audiresses Aristolle sva Cicero, accusing the ancient philosophera, declares that the are either most olisti or most ainglorious, since the thought that hil

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206 LACTANTIUS. Boo III. sophy ma perfected by thei talenis; ut that he sam,aecaus a great addition had been mado in ariem ears that philosophywould e complete in a hori time. What, then, a that time lon hat manner, When, or by Whom, Was philosophy cο-pletet For that whic ho aid that the were mos foollini supposing that philosopli mas made perfecta thei talenis, is trus; ut ho did not even himself spea mit suffcient di cretion, ho thought that it ad ithe been emn by thoanciendi or increased by thos Who ere more recent, or that it

ould shortly boaroughtrio perfectiona thos o later times. For that in neve bo investigated hic is notisought by iis

CHAP. XXIX.-Offortune again, and virtue.

But letis return to tho subject whic me laid aside Fortune, thereiore, by itself, is nothing nor must e so regata it asthough i ha an perception since fortune is the sudde andvnexpecte occurrance of accidents. ut philosophera that the ma notisomelimes fiat to ere, is toto ise in adoolishmatter an in that he is notis Dddess, as is generalbbolieved, ut a god. Sometimes, hoWever, the cali his Dd

nature, somelimes fortune, aecause ho bring abou ' saysthe samo Cicero, many things unexpected by us, o account of mant i intelligenco an our ignoranco o causea. Since, steretore themare ignorant of the cause on account

of whie anythiniis dono the must also bo ignorant of him

ho does them. The fame riter in a Work of great seriou

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Booxii. THE DIUINE INSTITUTES. 207not. et his teac me, ii he can, What that o erris, Whatthatareege, and what the contrar breath. It is disgracesia, thereiore foris manis talent in say that, whic ii ou ere to densit, he ould e nable o prove. Lastinae ho mys that the assent musta mithheldaecaussit is tho partis a laesis man rashlyrio assent to things Whichar unknown in him, he I say, altogether belloved the opinions of the vulgar an uninstructed Who hin that it is fortunowhich gives to me good and vi things. For the representher imago it the hornis pleni and with a rudder, a thoughsho both gavo wealth and ad the ovemment of humanassairs Anda this opinion Virgir assentia Who calis fortuno omnipotent; and the historian who says, But assuredi fortuno bears sWay in Verything. What place then, remain for theother goti Whyris sit no sal to reigesis horaeli, is site has more poWer than othera o Whycis ahe notinione Worshipped, ii

themarinisorWard some cause hy, i shecis a goddess, shoenries men, an destres thei destruction, though she is relugio ly orshippe by them; hy hecis more favourabis to the wiched and more unimo able to the good Why sh plora, afflicis, deceives, exterminates Who appotnted her a the e petua harasser of tho race of men; hy, in hori, he has obruine so mischievous a power, that he render at thingsillustrious o obscure accordin to her caprico ather than in accordance it in truth Philosophers, I say, ought atherto havo inquire into hos things, than rashlyrio have accused fortune, horis innocent for although ahe has somo existence, yet noueason canae brought forWard by them Whyraho inouldb as hostile in men as hecis supposed to e. Thereior allthos speeches in hic the res a the injustico os fortune, an in opposition to fortune arrogantly boas of their o n latues, are nothingilseaut the ravings of thoughiles levi . Whereiore let themiolisnurus, to hom God has revealed the truth: ho as e kno that fortune is nothing, s also know that thoro is a iched an crasty spirit Whoris unisiendlyto the good, and the enem os righteo ness, Who acta in opposition to God tho cause of whos enmit meam explaine in

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208 LACTANTIUS. Boo III. those ho are ignorant of God e inder by error, he ovem Wholms wit folirile overapread Wit dactness, that no one maybo abierio attain to theano ledge of the divine name, in hichalone are contaiped both Wisdom an evertastinilife Those, o the oster hand who know God he assails With ilos and crast that ho may ensnare them illi destre and lust, and whenthe are corrupted by the blandishments of sin may impol themto death; or, i he hal have no succeeded by stratagem heattemplario cast them donni force and violence Formn this account he was notist once thrus down is God in punishmentat the original transgression that by his maliceae may exerciso

manes virtve formnles this is in constant agitation, unlescitis strengthene is continua harassing it cannot e perfeci, inasmuch a viriue is davniles an unconquere patience inenduring eviis. From hic it comes to para that there is novirtuo is an adversarnis anting. When thereiore the perceived the force of this perverse poWer opposeda Viriue, and were ignorant of iis name, the invente for themselves thesensetes nam os fortune and ho far his is remove hommisdom, Juvena declares in these verses: μμ divina poweris absent ii there is prudence; ut me mahe yo a goddess, Fortune, an place o in heaven.' It was folly thereiore, and error, andalindness, and a Cicero sus, ignorance of facta and causes, whic introduced the names of Nature and Fortune. But a the are ignorant of thei adversary, s also thendo not

or, a the say, is itfel also isdom, the mustae ignorant in What subjectarit is contained Formo one campossibiyio su nishod with true arma is hocis ignorant of the enem against Whomae must a med nor canae vereome his adversa , who in oting oes not attach his real enemy butis hadoW. Foras illas overthrown Who, havin his attentio fixod nanother objeci, stalliso previousty have foreseen or guataedagainst thealo inime at his vitias.

Satire . 365 Nullum numen abeat.' thera read Nullum numen habos.' ao havo no divine poWer, O Fortune, ii here is prudenoe,

Aead. i. 7.

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havo augiit, a sar a mnhumbi talent permitted that the philosophers held a course Widely deviatinifrom the truth. I perceive hoWever hoW many thingsa have omitted becauseit Was noti provincerio enter into a disputation against phil sophers. ut it Was necessary for me to mari a digression tothis subjeci, thata might sho that so many and great intellecis have expende themselves in vat o falso subjecis, testany one by hance ein inui ut is corrupi superstitions, should wis to betake himself to them a though a utri findsome certain . Therelare tho onbiope, the ni fatet forman is place in his doctrine, hic Wo defend. At thowisdomi man consisis in this alone, the knowledge and worinipo God thici ou tenet, this our opinion Therelam missi allis poWer of my voicea testis' I proclaim I declare Here, here is that whicli est philosophers have fought throughout theirwhole illa; and yet, they have no been ablo in investigate, tograsp, anda attain tori iecause thereither retained a religionwhic mas corrupi, o too it aWay altogetheri et them ther fore ali depari, hora no instruct human lira, but thro itinis confusion Foroliat do the teach or hom do in instruct Who have not et instructed themselves Whom aroth sic ablorio heat whom an the lin guide et us ali, thereiare, ho limo any regard for Wisdom, betis o solves tothis subjeci. O stalliso ait unti Socrates iso a sommining or Anxagoras finia light in tho daaness oriuntili mocritus rama fori truth rom the weli or Empedocles extenti the patiis of his Mur oriuntii Arcesilas and Carneades See, and ieel, and perceive Lo a Volcerim heaven reachin the truth, and displayingi us acliotarioter than the sun itself. Whraro, uniustis o selves, and dela torias u Wistam, hic learned mon, though the wasted their lives in iis pursuit, mero neve abloriodis veri etaim ho wishectoae Wis an hapy hea the voles o God, learn righteousness, underatand the myster of his blath, despiso human assalas, embrace divine inings. a.