haec igitur spondente Deo quis fortis et acer virtutisque capax breve quidque perennibus in se praetulerit? vel quis sapiens potiora putarit gaudia membrorum quam vivae praemia mentis? nonne hominem ac pecudem distantia separat una, quod bona quadrupedum ante oculos sita sunt, ego contra spero quod extra aciem longum servatur in aevum? nam si tota mihi cum corpore vita peribit nec poterit superesse meum post funera quidquam, quis mihi regnator caeli, quis conditor orbis, quis Deus aut quae iam merito metuenda potestas? ibo per inpuros fervente libidine luxus, incestabo toros, sacrum calcabo pudorem, infitiabor habens aliquod sine teste propinqui depositum, tenues avidus spoliabo clientes, longaevam perimam magico cantamine matrem (tardat anus dominum dilata morte secundum) nec formido malum.
When God, then, makes such promises, what man of courage and vigour and capacity for goodness would prefer the shortlived to what is eternal in him? What man of sense would fancy that the pleasures of his body are more important than the prizes his living soul can win? Is not the only difference that marks off man from the beast of the field that the good things of the four-footed creatures lie before their eyes, whereas I hope for something which is beyond my sight and reserved for a distant day? For if my life is to perish wholly with my body and naught of mine can survive my death, what ruler of heaven, what creator of the world, what God or power have I any longer cause to fear? I shall go with burning passion from one unclean indulgence to another, defile marriage-beds and trample on sacred modesty, deny something a kinsman has left in trust with me without a witness, though I have it all the while, greedily rob humble dependents, put an end to a long-lived mother with a spell, for by putting off her death the old dame is delaying the next owners succession; and I have no fear of punishment,
final_alignments\Prudentius_Reply_to_Symmachus_Book2.json