Then addressing himself to the doctors and theologians: 

“What!” said he, “is it necessary that we, poor and ignorant men, whose every moment is scarcely sufficient for the cares of life, and the labors of which you take the profit,—­is it necessary for us to learn the numberless histories that you have recounted, to read the quantity of books that you have cited, and to study the various languages in which they are composed!  A thousand years of life would not suffice—­”

“It is not necessary,” replied the doctors, “that you should acquire all this science; we have it for you—­”

“But even you,” replied the simple men, “with all your science, you are not agreed; of what advantage, then, is your science?  Besides, how can you answer for us?  If the faith of one man is applicable to many, what need have even you to believe? your fathers may have believed for you; and this would be reasonable, since they have seen for you.

“Farther, what is believing, if believing influences no action?  And what action is influenced by believing, for instance, that the world is or is not eternal?”

“The latter would be offensive to God,” said the doctors.

“How prove you that?” replied the simple men.

“In our books,” answered the doctors.

“We do not understand them,” returned the simple men.

“We understand them for you,” said the doctors.

“That is the difficulty,” replied the simple men.  “By what right do you constitute yourselves mediators between God and us?”

“By his orders,” said the doctors.

“Where is the proof of these orders?” said the simple men.

“In our books,” said the doctors.

“We understand them not,” said the simple men; “and how came this just God to give you this privilege over us?  Why did this common father oblige us to believe on a less degree of evidence than you?  He has spoken to you; be it so; he is infallible, and deceives you not.  But it is you who speak to us!  And who shall assure us that you are not in error yourselves, or that you will not lead us into error?  And if we should be deceived, how will that just God save us contrary to law, or condemn us on a law which we have not known?”

“He has given you the natural law,” said the doctors.

“And what is the natural law?” replied the simple men.  “If that law is sufficient, why has he given any other?  If it is not sufficient, why did he make it imperfect?”

“His judgments are mysteries,” said the doctors, “and his justice is not like that of men.”

“If his justice,” replied the simple men, “is not like ours, by what rule are we to judge of it?  And, moreover, why all these laws, and what is the object proposed by them?”

“To render you more happy,” replied a doctor, “by rendering you better and more virtuous.  It is to teach man to enjoy his benefits, and not injure his fellows, that God has manifested himself by so many oracles and prodigies.”