Chapter XXI.

The heathen, who have not a full revelation of the truth, for they are not taught of God, hold a thing evil and good as it suits self-will and passion, making that which is good in one place evil in another, and that which is evil in one place in another good. So it strangely happens, that the same man who can scarcely in public lift up his tunic, even when necessity of nature presses him, takes it off in the circus, as if bent on exposing himself before everybody; the father who carefully protects and guards his virgin daughter’s ears from every polluting word, takes her to the theatre himself, exposing her to all its vile words and attitudes; he, again, who in the streets lays hands on or covers with reproaches the brawling pugilist, in the arena gives all encouragement to combats of a much more serious kind; and he who looks with horror on the corpse of one who has died under the common law of nature, in the amphitheatre gazes down with most patient eyes on bodies all mangled and torn and smeared with their own blood; nay, the very man who comes to the show, because he thinks murderers ought to suffer for their crime, drives the unwilling gladiator to the murderous deed with rods and scourges; and one who demands the lion for every manslayer of deeper dye, will have the staff for the savage swordsman, and rewards him with the cap of liberty. Yes and he must have the poor victim back again, that he may get a sight of his face—with zest inspecting near at hand the man whom he wished torn in pieces at safe distance from him: so much the more cruel he if that was not his wish.

CAPUT XXI.

Ethnici , quos penes nulla est veritatis plenitudo, quia nec doctor veritatis Deus, malum ac bonum pro arbitrio ac libidine interpretantur, alibi bonum quod alibi malum, et alibi malum quod alibi bonum. Sic ergo evenit, ut qui in publico vix necessitate vesicae tunicam levet, idem in circo aliter non exsultet , nisi totum pudorem in faciem omnium intentet; et qui filiae virginis ab omni 0653B spurco verbo aures tuetur, ipse eam in theatrum ad illas voces gesticulationesque deducat; et qui in plateis litem manu agentem aut compescit, aut detestatur, idem in stadio gravioribus pugnis suffragium ferat; et qui ad cadaver hominis communi lege defuncti exhorret, idem in amphiteatro derosa et dissipata , et in suo sanguine squalentia corpora patientissimis oculis desuper incumbat. Imo qui propter homicidae poenam probandam ad spectaculum veniat, idem gladiatorem ad homicidium flagellis et virgis compellat invitum; et qui insigniori cuique homicidae leonem poscit, idem gladiatori atroci petat rudem, et pileum praemium conferat: illum vero confectum 0654A etiam oris spectaculo repetat, libentius recognoscens de proximo, quem voluit occidere de longinquo, tanto durior si noluit .