4p73sc.md (1592B)
1 These and similar observations, which we have made on man's true freedom, may be 2 referred to strength, that is, to courage and nobility of character (III. lix. 3 note). I do not think it worth while to prove separately all the properties of 4 strength; much less need I show, that he that is strong hates no man, is angry 5 with no man, envies no man, is indignant with no man, despises no man, and least 6 of all things is proud. These propositions, and all that relate to the true way 7 of life and religion, are easily proved from IV. xxxvii. and IV. xlvi.; namely, 8 that hatred should be overcome with love, and that every man should desire for 9 others the good which he seeks for himself. We may also repeat what we drew 10 attention to in the note to IV. l., and in other places; namely, that the strong 11 man has ever first in his thoughts, that all things follow from the necessity of 12 the divine nature; so that whatsoever he deems to be hurtful and evil, and 13 whatsoever, accordingly, seems to him impious, horrible, unjust, and base, 14 assumes that appearance owing to his own disordered, fragmentary, and confused 15 view of the universe. Wherefore he strives before all things to conceive things 16 as they really are, and to remove the hindrances to true knowledge, such as are 17 hatred, anger, envy, derision, pride, and similar emotions, which I have 18 mentioned above. Thus he endeavours, as we said before, as far as in him lies, 19 to do good, and to go on his way rejoicing. How far human virtue is capable of 20 attaining to such a condition, and what its powers may be, I will prove in the 21 following Part. 22 23