44. But, you say, they came of their own accord, not sent475    So the ms., reading non missione—“not by the sending;” but, unaccountably enough, all edd. except Hildebrand and Oehler read, jussione—“not by the command.” by their lord. And476    So the ms.. where was the Almighty Creator, where the authority of His royal and exalted place,477    Lit., “royal sublimity.” to prevent their departure, and not suffer them to fall into dangerous pleasures? For if He knew that by change of place they would become base—and, as the arranger of all things,478    Lit., “causes.” He must have known—or that anything would reach them from without which would make them forget their greatness and moral dignity,—a thousand times would I beg of Him to pardon my words,—the cause of all is no other than Himself, since He allowed them to have freedom to wander479    The ms. and both Roman edd. read abscondere—“to hide,” for which the other edd. read, as above, abscedere, from the margin of Ursinus. who He foresaw would not abide by their state of innocence; and thus it is brought about that it does not matter whether they came of their own accord, or obeyed His command, since in not preventing what should have been prevented, by His inaction He made the guilt His own, and permitted it before it was done by neglecting to withhold them from action.

XLIV. Sed sua, inquitis, voluntate, non regis jussione venerunt. At ubi pater omnipotens fuit, ubi regiae sublimitatis auctoritas, ut eas prohiberet abscedere, 0884A nec in praecipites labi permitteret voluptates? Si enim degeneres futuras locorum immutationibus sciebat (scire autem debuerat causarum ut omnium constitutor), aut extrinsecus aliquid accessurum his esse, quod eas faceret oblivisci suae dignitatis et decoris: millies, ut ignoscat, oraverim: universorum non alius quam ipse est causa: siquidem perpessus est evagandi eas habere jus liberum, quas retenturas non esse integritatis suae habitum praevidebat , atque ita perficitur, ut nihil intersit omnino voluntarie venerint, an illius obtemperaverint jussioni: cum non prohibendo quod oportuerat prohiberi, cessatione crimen fecerit proprium, et retentionis dissimulatione permiserit prius.