CHAPTER III.

OF RECONCILING, OR PACIFYING ANGER.

_Reconciliation_ is the appeasing of anger.

Those to whom men are easily reconciled, are: such as have not offended

out of neglect. And such as have done it against their will. And such as

wish done the contrary of what they have done. And such as have done as

much to themselves. And such as confess and repent. And such as are

humbled. And such as do seriously the same things, that they do

seriously. And such as have done them more good heretofore, than now

hurt. And such as sue to them for any thing. And such as are not

insolent, nor mockers, nor slighters of others in their own disposition.

And generally such as are of a contrary disposition to those whom men

are usually angry withal. And such as they fear or reverence. And such

as reverence them. And such as have offended their anger.

_Reconcileable_ are: such as are contrarily affected to those, whom we

have said before to be easily angry. And such as play, laugh, make

merry, prosper, live in plenty; and, in sum, all that have no cause of

grief. And such as have given their anger time.

Men lay down their anger for these causes. Because they have gotten the

victory. Because the offender has suffered more than they meant to

inflict. Because they have been revenged of another. Because they think

they suffer justly. And because they think the revenge will not be felt,

or not known that the revenge was theirs, and for such an injury. And

because the offender is dead.

Whosoever therefore would _assuage_ the anger of his _auditor_, must

make himself appear such as men use to be _reconciled_ unto: and beget

in his _auditor_ such opinions as make him _reconcileable_.

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The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (of 11) · 第 3 / 28 章