First, therefore, wilt thou let me touch and try the state of thy mind
by asking thee a few questions, that I may understand how thou art to be
cured?" To which I answered: "Ask me what questions thou wilt, and I
will answer thee." And then she said: "Thinkest thou that this world is
governed by haphazard and chance? Or rather dost thou believe that it is
ruled by reason?" "I can," quoth I, "in no manner imagine that such
certain motions are caused by rash chance. And I know that God the
Creator doth govern His work, nor shall the day ever come to draw me
from the truth of that judgment."
"It is so," saith she, "for so thou saidst in thy verse a little before,
and bewailedst that only men were void of God's care; for as for the
rest, thou didst not doubt but that they were governed by reason. And
surely I cannot choose but exceedingly admire how thou canst be ill
affected, holding so wholesome an opinion. But let us search further; I
guess thou wantest something, but I know not what.
Tell me, since thou doubtest not that the world is governed by God,
canst thou tell me also by what means it is governed?" "I do scarcely,"
quoth I, "understand what thou askest, and much less am I able to make
thee a sufficient answer." "Was I," quoth she, "deceived in thinking
that thou wantedst something by which, as by the breach of a fortress,
the sickness of perturbations hath entered into thy mind? But tell me,
dost thou remember what is the end of things? Or to what the whole
intention of nature tendeth?" "I have heard it," quoth I, "but grief
hath dulled my memory." "But knowest thou from whence all things had
their beginning?" "I know," quoth I, and answered, that from God. "And
how can it be that, knowing the beginning, thou canst be ignorant of the
end? But this is the condition and force of perturbations, that they may
alter a man, but wholly destroy, and as it were root him out of himself,
they cannot.
But I would have thee answer me to this also; dost thou remember that
thou art a man?" "Why should I not remember it?" quoth I. "Well then,
canst thou explicate what man is?" "Dost thou ask me if I know that I am
a reasonable and mortal living creature? I know and confess myself to be
so." To which she replied: "Dost thou not know thyself to be anything
else?" "Not anything."
"Now I know," quoth she, "another, and that perhaps the greatest, cause
of thy sickness: thou hast forgotten what thou art. Wherefore I have
fully found out both the manner of thy disease and the means of thy
recovery; for the confusion which thou art in, by the forgetfulness of
thyself, is the cause why thou art so much grieved at thy exile and the
loss of thy goods. And because thou art ignorant what is the end of
things, thou thinkest that lewd and wicked men be powerful and happy;
likewise, because thou hast forgotten by what means the world is
governed, thou imaginest that these alternations of fortune do fall out
without any guide, sufficient causes not only of sickness, but also of
death itself. But thanks be to the author of thy health, that Nature
hath not altogether forsaken thee. We have the greatest nourisher of thy
health, the true opinion of the government of the world, in that thou
believest that it is not subject to the events of chance, but to divine
reason. Wherefore fear nothing; out of this little sparkle will be
enkindled thy vital heat. But because it is not yet time to use more
solid remedies, and it is manifest that the nature of minds is such that
as often as they cast away true opinions they are possessed with false,
out of which the darkness of perturbations arising doth make them that
they cannot discern things aright, I will endeavour to dissolve this
cloud with gentle and moderate fomentations; that having removed the
obscurity of deceitful affections, thou mayest behold the splendour of
true light.