He who has a sacred and divine conception of things, will be in
reality a king[21]. For being persuaded by this, he will be the cause
of all good but of no evil. And, moreover, that he will be just,
being fitted for society, is evident to every one. For communion or
association consists in equality, and in the distribution of it.
And justice indeed precedes, but communion participates. For it is
impossible for a man to be unjust, and yet distribute equality;
or that he should distribute equality, and yet not be adapted to
association. But how is it possible that he who is sufficient to
himself should not be continent? For sumptuousness is the mother of
incontinence, and incontinence of wanton insolence, from which so
many human evils are derived. But self-sufficiency is not vanquished
by sumptuousness, nor by any thing which proceeds from it; but being
itself a certain principle, it leads all things, but is not led by
any thing. And to govern, indeed, is the province of God, and also of
a king (on which account, likewise, he is denominated sufficient to
himself); but it pertains to both, not to be governed by any one. It
is, however, evident, that these things cannot be effected without
prudence. And it is manifest that God is the intellectual prudence of
the world. For the world is connectedly contained by gracefulness,
and a fit order of things, which cannot take place without intellect.
Nor is it possible for a king without prudence to possess these
virtues; I mean justice, continence, communion, and such other
virtues as are the sisters of these.