🚀 go-pugleaf

the greatness of man more forcibly than reason convinces them of their
baseness.

405. Contradiction.--Pride counterbalancing all miseries. Man either hides
his miseries, or, if he disclose them, glories in knowing them.

406. Pride counterbalances and takes away all miseries. Here is a strange
monster and a very plain aberration. He is fallen from his place and is
anxiously seeking it. This is what all men do. Let us see who will have
found it.

407. When malice has reason on its side, it becomes proud and parades reason
in all its splendour. When austerity or stern choice has not arrived at the
true good and must needs return to follow nature, it becomes proud by reason
of this return.

408. Evil is easy, and has infinite forms; good is almost unique. But a
certain kind of evil is as difficult to find as what we call good; and often
on this account such particular evil gets passed off as good. An
extraordinary greatness of soul is needed in order to attain to it as well
as to good.

409. The greatness of man.--The greatness of man is so evident that it is
even proved by his wretchedness. For what in animals is nature, we call in
man wretchedness, by which we recognise that, his nature being now like that
of animals, he has fallen from a better nature which once was his.

For who is unhappy at not being a king, except a deposed king? Was Paulus
Aemilius unhappy at being no longer consul? On the contrary, everybody
thought him happy in having been consul, because the office could only be
held for a time. But men thought Perseus so unhappy in being no longer king,
because the condition of kingship implied his being always king, that they
thought it strange that he endured life. Who is unhappy at only having one
mouth? And who is not unhappy at having only one eye? P