Chap. VII.—Of the Way of Error and of Truth: that It is Single, Narrow, and Steep, and Has God for Its Guide.

For all those who, by the confessed folly of others, are thought wise, being clothed with the appearance of virtue, grasp at shadows and outlines, but at nothing true. Which happens on this account, because that deceitful road which inclines to the west has many paths, on account of the variety of pursuits and systems which are dissimilar and varied in the life of men. For as that way of wisdom contains something which resembles folly, as we showed in the preceding book, so this way, which belongs altogether to folly, contains something which resembles wisdom, and they who perceive the folly of men in general seize upon this; and as it has its vices manifest, so it has something which appears to resemble virtue: as it has its wickedness open, so it has a likeness and appearance of justice. For how could the forerunner1110    Præcursor: the exact meaning of the word is a “scout.”   of that way, whose strength and power are altogether in deceit, lead men altogether into fraud, unless he showed them some things which resembled the truth?1111    Verisimilia: the word generally means “probabilities.”   For, that His immortal secret might be hidden, God placed in his way things which men might despise as evil and disgraceful, that, turning away from wisdom and truth, which they were searching for without any guide, they might fall upon that very thing which they desired to avoid and flee from. Therefore he points out that way of destruction and death which has many windings, either because there are many kinds of life, or because there are many gods who are worshipped.  

The deceitful1112    Prævaricator; properly an advocate who, by collusion, favours the cause of his opponent.   and treacherous guide of this way, that there may appear to be some distinction between truth and falsehood, good and evil, leads the luxurious in one direction, and those who are called temperate1113    Frugi.   in another; the ignorant in one direction, the learned in another; the sluggish in one direction, the active in another; the foolish in one direction, the philosophers in another, and even these not in one path. For those who do not shun pleasures or riches, he withdraws a little from this public and frequented road; but those who either wish to follow virtue, or profess a contempt for things, he drags over certain rugged precipices. But nevertheless all those paths which display an appearance of honours are not different roads, but turnings off1114    Diverticula.   and bypaths, which appear indeed to be separated from that common one, and to branch off to the right, but yet return to the same, and all lead at the very end to one issue. For that guide unites them all, where it was necessary that the good should be separated from the bad, the strong from the inactive, the wise from the foolish; namely, in the worship of the gods, in which he slays them all with one sword, because they were all foolish without any distinction, and plunges them into death. But this way—which is that of truth, and wisdom, and virtue, and justice, of all which there is but one fountain, one source of strength, one abode—is both simple,1115    Simplex, as opposed to the various paths of the other.   because with like minds, and with the utmost agreement, we follow and worship one God; and it is narrow, because virtue is given to the smaller number; and steep, because goodness, which is very high and lofty, cannot be attained to without the greatest difficulty and labour.  

CAPUT VII. De via erroris ac veritatis; quod ea simplex sit, angusta et ardua, atque Deum habeat ducem.

Nam illi omnes, qui per aliorum confessam stultitiam 0658A sapientes existimantur, specie virtutis inducti umbras et imagines apprehendunt, nihil verum. Quod ea fit ratione, quoniam via illa mendax, quae fert ad occasum, multos tramites habet, propter studiorum et disciplinarum varietatem, quae sunt in vita hominum dissimiles atque diversae. Nam sicut via illa sapientiae habet aliquid simile stultitiae, quod libro praecedente monstravimus: ita haec, cum sit tota stultitiae, habet aliquid simile sapientiae, quod arripiant ii, qui stultitiam publicam intelligunt; et ut habet vitia manifesta: sic habet aliquid, quod simile esse videatur virtuti; ut habet apertum scelus: sic imaginem quamdam speciemque justitiae. Quomodo enim praecursor ejus viae, cujus vis et potestas omnis in fallendo est, universos in fraudem posset inducere, 0658B nisi verisimilia hominibus ostentaret? Deus enim, ut immortale illud arcanum ejus in operto esset, posuit in via sua, quae homines pro malis et turpibus aspernarentur, ut aversi a sapientia et veritate, quam sine ullo duce requirebant, in id ipsum inciderent, quod vitare ac fugere cupiebant. Itaque illam perditionis ac mortis viam multiplicem ostendit, vel quod multa sunt genera vitae, vel quod dii multi qui coluntur.

Hujus dux praevaricator ac subdolus, ut videatur 0659A esse discrimen aliquod falsi et veri, mali ac boni, alia ducit luxuriosos, alia eos qui frugi appellantur; alia imperitos, alia doctos; alia inertes, alia strenuos; 0659A alia stultos, alia philosophos; et eos quidem non uno tramite. Illos enim, qui aut voluptates, aut divitias non refugiunt, ab hac publica et celebri via modice segregat: eos autem, qui aut virtutem sequi volunt, aut contemptum rerum profitentur, per fragosa quaedam praecipitia trahit. Sed tamen illa omnia itinera, quae speciem bonorum operum ostentant, non sunt aliae viae, sed diverticula et semitae; quae videntur quidem ab illa communi dextroversum separari, ad eamdem tamen, et ad unum omnes exitum sub ipso fine referuntur. Ibi enim dux, ille conjungit omnes, ubi opus fuerat, bonos a malis, fortes 0659B ab inertibus, sapientes a stultis separari; in deorum scilicet cultu, in quo ille universos, quia sine ullo discrimine stulti fuerunt, uno mucrone jugulat, et praecipitat in mortem. Haec autem via, quae est veritatis, et sapientiae, et virtutis, et justitiae, quorum omnium fons unus est, una vis, una sedes; et simplex est, quod paribus animis, summaque concordia unum sequamur, et colamus Deum; et angusta, quoniam paucioribus virtus data est; et ardua, quoniam ad bonum, quod summum atque sublime est, nisi cum summa difficulate ac labore non potest perveniri.