’Tis not the Thing that is Done, but the Intention in the Doing of it,
that makes the Action Good, or Evil. There’s a Great Difference betwixt
what we do upon Force, and what upon Inclination; and the Good Will is
nevertheless Obliging, though by some Unlucky Accident it should be
Diverted to my Ruine. Where there is neither Privity, nor Consent, there
can be no Malice, and consequently no Crime, or Disobligation. For All
other Misadventures Amount to no more in Truth, then That which we call
Ill Luck, in the Accidents of Life, wherefore the _Timber_ was in the
Right to Forgive the _Oxen_ here, and so shall We be too, if after the
Doctrine, and Example of This Fable, we forgive one Another.