"Oh!" quoth I. "How great things dost thou promise! And I doubt not but
thou canst perform them, wherefore stay me not now that thou hast
stirred up my desires." "First then," quoth she, "that good men are
always powerful, and evil men of no strength, thou mayest easily know,
the one is proved by the other. For since that good and evil are
contraries, if it be convinced that goodness is potent, the weakness of
evil will be also manifest; and contrariwise if we discern the frailty
of evil, we must needs acknowledge the firmness of goodness. But that
our opinions may be more certainly embraced, I will take both ways,
confirming my propositions, sometime from one part, sometime from
another.
There be two things by which all human actions are effected, will and
power, of which if either be wanting, there can nothing be performed.
For if there want will, no man taketh anything in hand against his will,
and if there be not power, the will is in vain. So that, if thou seest
any willing to obtain that which he doth not obtain, thou canst not
doubt but that he wanted power to obtain what he would." "It is
manifest," quoth I, "and can by no means be denied." "And wilt thou
doubt that he could, whom thou seest bring to pass what he desired?"
"No." "But every man is mighty in that which he can do, and weak in that
which he cannot do." "I confess it," quoth I. "Dost thou remember then,"
quoth she, "that it was inferred by our former discourses that all the
intentions of man's will doth hasten to happiness, though their courses
be divers?" "I remember," quoth I, "that that also was proved." "Dost
thou also call to mind that blessedness is goodness itself, and
consequently when blessedness is sought after, goodness must of course
be desired?" "I call it not to mind, for I have it already fixed in my
memory." "Wherefore all men both good and bad without difference of
intentions endeavour to obtain goodness." "It followeth," quoth I. "But
it is certain that men are made good by the obtaining of goodness." "It
is so." "Wherefore good men obtain what they desire." "So it seemeth."
"And if evil men did obtain the goodness they desire, they could not be
evil." "It is true." "Wherefore since they both desire goodness, but the
one obtaineth it and the other not, there is no doubt but that good men
are powerful, and the evil weak." "Whosoever doubteth of this," quoth I,
"he neither considereth the nature of things, nor the consequence of thy
reasons." "Again," quoth she, "if there be two to whom the same thing is
proposed according to nature, and the one of them bringeth it perfectly
to pass with his natural function, but the other cannot exercise that
natural function but after another manner than is agreeable to nature,
and doth not perform that which he had proposed, but imitateth the other
who performeth it: which of these two wilt thou judge to be more
powerful?" "Though I conjecture," quoth I, "at thy meaning, yet I desire
to hear it more plainly." "Wilt thou deny," quoth she, "that the motion
of walking is agreeable to the nature of men?" "No," quoth I. "And
makest thou any doubt that the function of it doth naturally belong to
the feet?" "There is no doubt of this neither," quoth I. "Wherefore if
one that can go upon his feet doth walk, and another who hath not this
natural function of his feet endeavoureth to walk by creeping upon his
hands, which of these two is deservedly to be esteemed the stronger?"
"Infer the rest," quoth I, "for no man doubteth but that he which can
use that natural function is stronger than he which cannot." "But,"
quoth she, "the good seek to obtain the chiefest good, which is equally
proposed to bad and good, by the natural function of virtues, but the
evil endeavour to obtain the same by divers concupiscences, which are
not the natural function of obtaining goodness. Thinkest thou
otherwise?" "No," quoth I, "for it is manifest what followeth. For by
the force of that which I have already granted, it is necessary that
good men are powerful and evil men weak."
"Thou runnest before rightly," quoth she, "and it is (as physicians are
wont to hope) a token of an erected and resisting nature. Wherefore,
since I see thee most apt and willing to comprehend, I will therefore
heap up many reasons together. For consider the great weakness of
vicious men, who cannot come so far as their natural intention leadeth
and almost compelleth them. And what if they were destitute of this so
great and almost invincible help of the direction of nature? Ponder
likewise the immense impotency of wicked men. For they are no light or
trifling rewards[145] which they desire, and cannot obtain: but they
fail in the very sum and top of things: neither can the poor wretches
compass that which they only labour for nights and days: in which thing
the forces of the good eminently appear. For as thou wouldst judge him
to be most able to walk who going on foot could come as far as there
were any place to go in: so must thou of force judge him most powerful
who obtaineth the end of all that can be desired, beyond which there is
nothing. Hence that which is opposite also followeth, that the same men
are wicked and destitute of all forces. For why do they follow vices,
forsaking virtues? By ignorance of that which is good? But what is more
devoid of strength than blind ignorance? Or do they know what they
should embrace, but passion driveth them headlong the contrary way? So
also intemperance makes them frail, since they cannot strive against
vice. Or do they wittingly and willingly forsake goodness, and decline
to vices? But in this sort they leave not only to be powerful, but even
to be at all. For they which leave the common end of all things which
are, leave also being. Which may perhaps seem strange to some, that we
should say that evil men are not at all, who are the greatest part of
men: but yet it is so. For I deny not that evil men are evil, but withal
I say that purely and simply they are not.
For as thou mayest call a carcase a dead man, but not simply a man, so I
confess that the vicious are evil, but I cannot grant that they are
absolutely. For that is which retaineth order, and keepeth nature, but
that which faileth from this leaveth also to be that which is in his own
nature. But thou wilt say that evil men can do many things, neither will
I deny it, but this their power proceedeth not from forces but from
weakness. For they can do evil, which they could not do if they could
have remained in the performance of that which is good. Which
possibility declareth more evidently that they can do nothing. For if,
as we concluded a little before, evil is nothing, since they can only do
evil, it is manifest that the wicked can do nothing." "It is most
manifest." "And that thou mayest understand what the force of this power
is; we determined a little before that there is nothing more powerful
than the Sovereign Goodness." "It is true," quoth I. "But He cannot do
evil." "No." "Is there any then," quoth she, "that think that men can do
all things?" "No man, except he be mad, thinketh so." "But yet men can
do evil." "I would to God they could not," quoth I. "Since therefore he
that can only do good, can do all things, and they who can do evil,
cannot do all things, it is manifest that they which can do evil are
less potent. Moreover, we have proved that all power is to be accounted
among those things which are to be wished for, and that all such things
have reference to goodness, as to the very height of their nature. But
the possibility of committing wickedness cannot have reference to
goodness. Wherefore it is not to be wished for. Yet all power is to be
wished for; and consequently it is manifest, possibility of evil is no
power. By all which the power of the good and the undoubted infirmity of
evil appeareth. And it is manifest that the sentence of Plato is true:
that only wise men can do that which they desire, and that the wicked
men practise indeed what they list, but cannot perform what they would.
For they do what they list, thinking to obtain the good which they
desire by those things which cause them delight; but they obtain it not,
because shameful action cannot arrive to happiness.[146]
[144] The whole of this and of the following chapter is a paraphrase of
Plato's _Gorgias_.
[145] Cf. Virgil, _Aen._ xii. 764.
[146] Cf. Plato, _Gorgias_, 468, 469; _Alcibiades I._ 134 c.