appear, what it is to take two sorts of grist out of the same sack, and with the same mouth to blow hot and cold.  It were better to possess the vulgar with the solid and real foundations of truth.  ’Twas a fine naval battle that was gained under the command of Don John of Austria a few months since—­[That of Lepanto, October 7, 1571.]—­against the Turks; but it has also pleased God at other times to let us see as great victories at our own expense.  In fine, ’tis a hard matter to reduce divine things to our balance, without waste and losing a great deal of the weight.  And who would take upon him to give a reason that Arius and his Pope Leo, the principal heads of the Arian heresy, should die, at several times, of so like and strange deaths (for being withdrawn from the disputation by a griping in the bowels, they both of them suddenly gave up the ghost upon the stool), and would aggravate this divine vengeance by the circumstances of the place, might as well add the death of Heliogabalus, who was also slain in a house of office.  And, indeed, Irenaeus was involved in the same fortune.  God, being pleased to show us, that the good have something else to hope for and the wicked something else to fear, than the fortunes or misfortunes of this world, manages and applies these according to His own occult will and pleasure, and deprives us of the means foolishly to make thereof our own profit.  And those people abuse themselves who will pretend to dive into these mysteries by the strength of human reason.  They never give one hit that they do not receive two for it; of which St. Augustine makes out a great proof upon his adversaries.  ’Tis a conflict that is more decided by strength of memory than by the force of reason.  We are to content ourselves with the light it pleases the sun to communicate to us, by virtue of his rays; and who will lift up his eyes to take in a greater, let him not think it strange, if for the reward of his presumption, he there lose his sight.

               “Quis hominum potest scire consilium Dei? 
               Aut quis poterit cogitare quid velit Dominus?”

     ["Who of men can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the
     will of the Lord is.”—­Book of Wisdom, ix. 13.]

CHAPTER XXXII

THAT WE ARE TO AVOID PLEASURES, EVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF LIFE

I had long ago observed most of the opinions of the ancients to concur in this, that it is high time to die when there is more ill than good in living, and that to preserve life to our own torment and inconvenience is contrary to the very rules of nature, as these old laws instruct us.

     ["Either tranquil life, or happy death.  It is well to die when life
     is wearisome.  It is better to die than to live miserable.” 
     —­Stobaeus, Serm. xx.]