He who acts unjustly acts impiously. For since the universal nature has made rational animals for the sake of one another to help one another according to their deserts, but in no way to injure one another, he who transgresses her will, is clearly guilty of impiety towards the highest divinity. And he too who lies is guilty of impiety to the same divinity; for the universal nature is the nature of things that are; and things that are have a relation to all things that come into existence. And further, this universal nature is named truth, and is the prime cause of all things that are true. He then who lies intentionally is guilty of impiety inasmuch as he acts unjustly by deceiving; and he also who lies unintentionally, inasmuch as he is at variance with the universal nature, and inasmuch as he disturbs the order by fighting against the nature of the world; for he fights against it, who is moved of himself to that which is contrary to truth, for he had received powers from nature through the neglect of which he is not able now to distinguish falsehood from truth. And indeed he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain as evil, is guilty of impiety. For of necessity such a man must often find fault with the universal nature, alleging that it assigns things to the bad and the good contrary to their deserts, because frequently the bad are in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure pleasure, but the good have pain for their share and the things which cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also be afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and even this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain from injustice, and this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the things towards which the universal nature is equally affected—for it would not have made both, unless it was equally affected towards both—towards these they who wish to follow nature should be of the same mind with it, and equally affected. With respect to pain, then, and pleasure, or death and life, or honour and dishonour, which the universal nature employs equally, whoever is not equally affected is manifestly acting impiously. And I say that the universal nature employs them equally, instead of saying that they happen alike to those who are produced in continuous series and to those who come after them by virtue of a certain original movement of Providence, according to which it moved from a certain beginning to this ordering of things, having conceived certain principles of the things which were to be, and having determined powers productive of beings and of changes and of suchlike successions.

[21] Quemadmodum exhortaris ut totius gentis ruinam obiectis corporibus excipiant et vita potius quam loco cedant? Dices 'quod malum est gloriosum non est; mors gloriosa est; mors ergo non malum'? O efficacem contionem! Quis post hanc dubitet se infestis ingerere mucronibus et stans mori? At ille Leonidas quam fortiter illos adlocutus est! 'Sic', inquit 'conmilitones, prandete tamquam apud inferos cenaturi.' Non in ore crevit cibus, non haesit in faucibus, non elapsus est manibus: alacres et ad prandium illi promiserunt et ad cenam.

Il faudrait que la véritable religion enseignât la grandeur, la misère, portât à l’estime et au mépris de soi, à l’amour et à la haine.

[4] At ille vir sincerus ac purus, qui reliquit et curiam et forum et omnem administrationem rei publicae ut ad ampliora secederet, diligit eos per quos hoc ei facere tuto licet solusque illis gratuitum testimonium reddit et magnam rem nescientibus debet. Quemadmodum praeceptores suos veneratur ac suspicit quorum beneficio illis inviis exit, sic et hos sub quorum tutela positus exercet artes bonas.

[45] Haec omnia in illum supervacuum studiorum liberalium gregem coice; illi mihi non profuturam scientiam tradunt, hi spem omnis scientiae eripiunt. Satius est supervacua scire quam nihil. Illi non praeferunt lumen per quod acies derigatur ad verum, hi oculos mihi effodiunt. Si Protagorae credo, nihil in rerum natura est nisi dubium; si Nausiphani, hoc unum certum est, nihil esse certi; si Parmenidi, nihil est praeter unum; si Zenoni, ne unum quidem.

[3] Quod in magnis evenit montibus, quorum proceritas minus apparet longe intuentibus: cum accesseris, tunc manifestum fit quam in arduo summa sint. Talis est, mi Lucili, verus et rebus, non artificiis philosophus. In edito stat, admirabilis, celsus, magnitudinis verae; non exsurgit in plantas nec summis ambulat digitis eorum more qui mendacio staturam adiuvant longioresque quam sunt videri volunt; contentus est magnitudine sua.

[8] Quid ad rem pertinent mulae saginatae unius omnes coloris? quid ista vehicula caelata?

Probabilité. — L’ardeur des saints à chercher le vrai était inutile, si le probable est sûr. La peur des saints qui avaient toujours suivi le plus sûr (sainte Thérèse ayant toujours suivi son confesseur).

[6] late possidet, sed multum debet; habet domum formosam, sed alienis nummis paratam; familiam nemo cito speciosiorem producet, sed nominibus non respondet; si creditoribus solverit, nihil illi supererit. Idem in reliquis quoque facere debebitis et excutere quantum proprii quisque habeat.'

[9] Ad musicum transeo. Doces me quomodo inter se acutae ac graves consonent, quomodo nervorum disparem reddentium sonum fiat concordia: fac potius quomodo animus secum meus consonet nec consilia mea discrepent. Monstras mihi qui sint modi flebiles: monstra potius quomodo inter adversa non emittam flebilem vocem.

[9] Adfer quem Fabiano possis praeponere. Dic Ciceronem, cuius libri ad philosophiam pertinentes paene totidem sunt quot Fabiani: cedam, sed non statim pusillum est si quid maximo minus est. Dic Asinium Pollionem: cedam, et respondeamus: in re tanta eminere est post duos esse. Nomina adhuc T. Livium; scripsit enim et dialogos, quos non magis philosophiae adnumerare possis quam historiae, et ex professo philosophiam continentis libros: huic quoque dabo locum. Vide tamen quam multos antecedat qui a tribus vincitur et tribus eloquentissimis.

[5] Ipsam autem philosophiam non debebis iactare; multisfuit periculi causa insolenter tractata et contumaciter: tibi vitia detrahat,non aliis exprobret. Non abhorreat a publicis moribus nec hoc agat ut quidquidnon facit damnare videatur. Licet sapere sine pompa, sine invidia. Vale.

There was once a Blind Man who had so fine a sense of touch that, when any animal was put into his hands, he could tell what it was merely by the feel of it. One day the Cub of a Wolf was put into his hands, and he was asked what it was. He felt it for some time, and then said, “Indeed, I am not sure whether it is a Wolf’s Cub or a Fox’s: but this I know—it would never do to trust it in a sheepfold.” Evil tendencies are early shown.

Je vois la religion chrétienne fondée sur une religion précédente, et voici ce que je trouve d’effectif. Je ne parle point ici des miracles de Moïse, de Jésus-Christ et des apôtres, parce qu’ils ne paraissent pas d’abord convaincants, et que je ne veux que mettre ici en évidence tous les fondements de cette religion chrétienne qui sont indubitables, et qui ne peuvent être mis en doute par quelque personne que ce soit. Il est certain que nous voyons en plusieurs endroits du monde un peuple particulier, séparé de tous les autres peuples du monde, qui s’appelle le peuple juif. Je vois donc des foisons de religions en plusieurs endroits du monde et dans tous les temps, mais elles n’ont ni la morale qui peut me plaire, ni les preuves qui peuvent m’arrêter, et qu’ainsi j’aurais refusé également et la religion de Mahomet, et celle de la Chine, et celle des anciens Romains, et celle des Égyptiens, par cette seule raison que l’une n’ayant pas plus [de] marques de vérité que l’autre, ni rien qui déterminât nécessairement, la raison ne peut pencher plutôt vers l’une que vers l’autre. Mais, en considérant ainsi cette inconstante et bizarre variété de mœurs et de créances dans les divers temps, je trouve en un coin du monde un peuple particulier, séparé de tous les autres peuples de la terre, le plus ancien de tous, et dont les histoires précèdent de plusieurs siècles les plus anciennes que nous ayons. Je trouve donc ce peuple grand et nombreux, sorti d’un seul homme, qui adore un seul Dieu, et qui se conduit par une loi qu’ils disent tenir de sa main. Ils soutiennent qu’ils sont les seuls du monde auxquels Dieu a révélé ses mystères, que tous les hommes sont corrompus et dans la disgrâce de Dieu, qu’ils sont tous abandonnés à leurs sens et à leur propre esprit, et que de là viennent les étranges égarements et les changements continuels qui arrivent entre eux, et de religions, et de coutumes, au lieu qu’ils demeurent inébranlables dans leur conduite, mais que Dieu ne laissera pas éternellement les autres peuples dans ces ténèbres, qu’il viendra un libérateur pour tous, qu’ils sont au monde pour l’annoncer aux hommes, qu’ils sont formés exprès pour être les avant-coureurs et les hérauts de ce grand avènement, et pour appeler tous les peuples à s’unir à eux dans l’attente de ce libérateur. La rencontre de ce peuple m’étonne, et me semble digne de l’attention. Je considère cette loi qu’ils se vantent de tenir de Dieu, et je la trouve admirable. C’est la première loi de toutes, et de telle sorte qu’avant même que le mot de loi fût en usage parmi les Grecs, il y avait près de mille ans qu’ils l’avaient reçue et observée sans interruption. Ainsi je trouve étrange que la première loi du monde se rencontre aussi la plus parfaite, en sorte que les plus grands législateurs en ont emprunté les leurs, comme il paraît par la loi des Douze Tables d’Athènes, qui fut ensuite prise par les Romains, et comme il [serait] aisé de le montrer, si Josèphe et d’autres n’avaient assez traité cette matière.

Deux visages semblables, dont aucun ne fait rire en particulier, font rire ensemble par leur ressemblance.

子曰：「賢哉回也！一簞食，一瓢飮，在陋巷，人不堪其憂，回也不改其樂。賢哉回也！」

[11] Gravissimum iudicabis malum aliquem ex his quos amabisamittere, cum interim hoc tam ineptum erit quam flere quod arboribus amoeniset domum tuam ornantibus decidant folia. Quidquid te delectat aeque vide+ut videres+: dum virent, utere. Alium alio die casus excutiet, sed quemadmodumfrondium iactura facilis est quia renascuntur, sic istorum quos amas quosqueoblectamenta vitae putas esse damnum, quia reparantur etiam si non renascuntur.

L’Écriture a pourvu de passages pour consoler toutes les conditions, et pour intimider toutes les conditions. La nature semble avoir fait la même chose par ses deux infinis, naturels et moraux : car nous aurons toujours du dessus et du dessous, de plus habiles et de moins habiles, de plus élevés et de plus misérables, pour abaisser notre orgueil, et relever notre abjection.

If the gods have determined about me and about the things which must happen to me, they have determined well, for it is not easy even to imagine a deity without forethought; and as to doing me harm, why should they have any desire towards that? For what advantage would result to them from this or to the whole, which is the special object of their providence? But if they have not determined about me individually, they have certainly determined about the whole at least, and the things which happen by way of sequence in this general arrangement I ought to accept with pleasure and to be content with them. But if they determine about nothing—which it is wicked to believe, or if we do believe it, let us neither sacrifice nor pray nor swear by them nor do anything else which we do as if the gods were present and lived with us—but if however the gods determine about none of the things which concern us, I am able to determine about myself, and I can inquire about that which is useful; and that is useful to every man which is conformable to his own constitution and nature. But my nature is rational and social; and my city and country, so far as I am Antoninus, is Rome, but so far as I am a man, it is the world. The things then which are useful to these cities are alone useful to me. Whatever happens to every man, this is for the interest of the universal: this might be sufficient. But further thou wilt observe this also as a general truth, if thou dost observe, that whatever is profitable to any man is profitable also to other men. But let the word profitable be taken here in the common sense as said of things of the middle kind, neither good nor bad.

[29] Per haec potest non paenitenda agi vita, at inperfecto viro huic malitiae vis quaedam inest, quia animum habet mobilem ad prava, illa ~aitarens malitia et ea agitata~ abest [de bono]. Non est adhuc bonus, sed in bonum fingitur; cuicumque autem deest aliquid ad bonum, malus est.