49. But, you will say, there are good men also in the world,—wise, upright, of faultless and purest morals. We raise no question as to whether there ever were any such, in whom this very integrity which is spoken of was in nothing imperfect. Even if they are very honourable men, and have been worthy of praise, have reached the utmost height of perfection, and their life has never wavered and sunk into sin, yet we would have you tell us how many there are, or have been, that we may judge from their number whether a comparison505    Lit., “opposition;” i.e., “the setting of one party against the other.” has been made which is just and evenly balanced.506    Lit., “weighed with balancing of equality.” One, two, three, four, ten, twenty, a hundred, yet are they at least limited in number, and it may be within the reach of names.507    Lit., “bounded by the comprehensions of names;” i.e., possibly, “the good are certainly few enough to be numbered, perhaps even to be named.” But it is fitting that the human race should be rated and weighed, not by a very few good men, but by all the rest as well. For the part is in the whole, not the whole in a part; and that which is the whole should draw to it its parts, not the whole be brought to its parts. For what if you were to say that a man, robbed of the use of all his limbs, and shrieking in bitter agony,508    So LB., reading ex cruciatibusfor the ms. scruc. was quite well, because in509    Lit., “of.” one little nail he suffered no pain? or that the earth is made of gold, because in one hillock there are a few small grains from which, when dissolved, gold is produced, and wonder excited at it when formed into a lump?510    Lit., “admiration is sought for by the putting together”—congregatione. The whole mass shows the nature of an element, not particles fine as air; nor does the sea become forthwith sweet, if you cast or throw into it a few drops of less bitter water, for that small quantity is swallowed up in its immense mass; and it must be esteemed, not merely of little importance, but even of none, because, being scattered throughout all, it is lost and cut off in the immensity of the vast body of water.

XLIX. Sed et boni, dicetis, sunt in rebus humanis viri, sapientes, justi, inculpatis atque emendatissimis moribus. Nullam referimus quaestionem, an ulli aliquando fuerint tales, in quibus omnino nihil ista ipsa, quae dicitur, desideraret integritas. Sint licet perhonesti, 0889B fuerintque laudabiles, tenuerint apicem perfectionis summum, nec in aliquo lapsu eorum aliquando claudicaverit vita: sed audire deposcimus quot sint, aut fuerint numero, ut ex multitudinis magnitudine metiamur, an oppositio justa sit facta, an aequalitatis compensatione librata. Unus, duo, tres, quatuor, decem, vigenti, centum, certe numero definiti, et nominum 0890A forsitan comprehensionibus terminati. At genus humanum non ex bonis pauculis, sed ex caeteris omnibus aestimari convenit, et ponderari. In toto enim pars est, non totum in parte: et universitas debet attrahere portiones, non portionibus universitas applicari. Quid enim si hominem dicas captum membris omnibus, et ejulantem ex cruciatibus asperis, idcirco esse sanum, quod unius unguiculi nullum perpetiatur dolorem? aut esse auream terram, quod in verrucula collis unius insint exiguae miculae, quibus nascitur colliquefactis aurum, et admiratio congregatione conquiritur? Qualitatem materiae universitas clementi probat, non pulvisculi stabiles: nec mare continuo dulce est, si mitioris aquae guttas alicujus adjeceris atque immiseris numeri, consumitur 0890B enim minuties ista immenso : nec modo non parvi, sed esse nullius existimandum est nominis, quod per omnia diffusum perit, et in magni corporis intercipitur vastitate.