LE vray champ et subiect de l’imposture, sont les choses inconnües: d’autant qu’en premier lieu l’estrangeté mesme donne credit, et puis n’estants point subiectes à nos discours ordinaires, elles nous ostent le moyen de les combattre. A cette cause, dit Platon, est-il bien plus aisé de satisfaire, parlant de la nature des Dieux, que de la nature des hommes: par ce que l’ignorance des auditeurs preste vne belle et large carriere, et toute liberté, au maniement d’vne matiere cachee. Il aduient de là, qu’il n’est rien creu si fermement, que ce qu’on sçait le moins, ny gens si asseurez, que ceux qui nous content des fables, comme Alchymistes, Prognostiqueurs, Iudiciaires, Chiromantiens, Medecins, id genus omne.
THE true field and subject of imposture is things unknown. In the first place, strangeness itself lends them credit; and then, since they are not subject to our ordinary reasoning, they deprive us of the means of fighting them. For this reason, says Plato, it is much easier to satisfy people when speaking of the nature of the gods than of the nature of men, because the ignorance of the hearers lends a fine wide field and complete freedom to the handling of a hidden subject. Hence it comes about that nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known, and no people are so sure of themselves as those who tell us tall tales: alchemists, prognosticators, judicial astrologers, palm-readers, physicians, all that tribe.
Ausquels ie ioindrois volontiers, si i’osois, vn tas de gens, interpretes et contrerolleurs ordinaires des dessains de Dieu, faisans estat de trouuer les causes de chasque accident, et de veoir dans les secrets de la volonté diuine, les motifs incomprehensibles de ses œuures. Et quoy que la varieté et discordance continuelle des euenemens, les reiette de coin en coin, et d’Orient en Occident, ils ne laissent de suiure pourtant leur esteuf, et de mesme creon peindre le blanc et le noir.
To these I would gladly add, if I dared, a crowd of people who are the regular interpreters and auditors of God’s designs, who claim to find the causes of every event and to see in the secrets of the divine will the incomprehensible motives of his works. And though the variety and continual discord of events toss them from corner to corner and from East to West, they still keep chasing their ball, and paint white and black with the same crayon.
En vne nation Indienne il y a cette loüable obseruance, quand il leur mes-aduient en quelque rencontre ou bataille, ils en demandent publiquement pardon au Soleil, qui est leur Dieu, comme d’vne action iniuste: rapportant leur heur ou malheur à la raison diuine, et luy submettant leur iugement et discours. Suffit à vn Chrestien croire toutes choses venir de Dieu: les receuoir auec recognoissance de sa diuine et inscrutable sapience: pourtant les prendre en bonne part, en quelque visage qu’elles luy soient enuoyees. Mais ie trouue mauuais ce que ie voy en vsage, de chercher à fermir et appuyer nostre religion par la prosperité de nos entreprises. Nostre creance a assez d’autres fondemens, sans l’authoriser par les euenemens.
In one Indian nation there is this praiseworthy practice: when things go badly for them in some encounter or battle, they publicly ask pardon of the Sun, who is their god, as for an unjust act, attributing their good or bad fortune to divine reason and submitting their judgment and reasoning to it. It is enough for a Christian to believe that all things come from God, to receive them with acknowledgment of his divine and inscrutable wisdom, and therefore to take them in good part, in whatever guise they are sent to him. But I disapprove of what I see commonly done, seeking to strengthen and support our religion by the success of our enterprises. Our faith has enough other foundations without being vouched for by events.
Car le peuple accoustumé à ces argumens plausibles, et proprement de son goust, il est danger, quand les euenemens viennent à leur tour contraires et des-auantageux, qu’il en esbranle sa foi. Comme aux guerres où nous sommes pour la Religion, ceux qui eurent l’auantage au rencontre de la Rochelabeille, faisans grand feste de cet accident, et se seruans de cette fortune, pour certaine approbation de leur party: quand ils viennent apres à excuser leurs defortunes de Mont-contour et de Iarnac, sur ce que ce sont verges et chastiemens paternels, s’ils n’ont vn peuple du tout à leur mercy, ils luy font assez aisément sentir que c’est prendre d’vn sac deux moultures, et de mesme bouche souffler le chaud et le froid.
For when the people have grown used to these plausible arguments, so much to their taste, there is a danger that their faith will be shaken when events in their turn prove contrary and unfavorable. So it is in the wars we are now fighting over religion. Those who had the advantage in the encounter at La Roche-l’Abeille made a great fuss about it and used that piece of fortune as a sure sign of approval for their party. When they later come to excuse their misfortunes at Moncontour and Jarnac as fatherly rods and chastisements, unless they have a people wholly at their mercy, they easily enough make them feel that this is getting two grindings out of one sack, and blowing hot and cold with the same mouth.
Il vaudroit mieux l’entretenir des vrays fondemens de la verité. C’est une belle bataille nauale qui s’est gaignee ces mois passez contre les Turcs, sous la conduite de dom Ioan d’Austria: mais il a bien pleu à Dieu en faire autres fois voir d’autres telles à nos despens. Somme, il est mal-aisé de ramener les choses diuines à nostre balance, qu’elles n’y souffrent du deschet.
It would be better to instruct them in the true foundations of the truth. It was a fine naval battle that was won these past months against the Turks under the command of Don John of Austria; but at other times it has pleased God to let us see others like it at our expense. In short, it is hard to bring divine things into our scales without their losing some weight.
Et qui voudroit rendre raison de ce que Arrius et Leon son Pape, chefs principaux de cette heresie, moururent en diuers temps, de morts si pareilles et si estranges (car retirez de la dispute par douleur de ventre à la garderobe, tous deux y rendirent subitement l’ame) et exaggerer cette vengeance diuine par la circonstance du lieu, y pourroit bien encore adiouster la mort de Heliogabalus, qui fut aussi tué en vn retraict. Mais quoy? Irenee se trouue engagé en mesme fortune.
And anyone who wanted to explain why Arius and Leo, his Pope, the principal leaders of this heresy, died at different times such similar and strange deaths (for both, having left the debate with a stomach-ache to go to the privy, suddenly gave up the ghost there), and to magnify this divine vengeance by the circumstance of the place, might well add the death of Heliogabalus, who was also killed in a latrine. But what of it? Irenaeus turns out to have met the same fate.
Dieu nous voulant apprendre, que les bons ont autre chose à esperer: et les mauuais autre chose à craindre, que les fortunes ou infortunes de ce monde: il les manie et applique selon sa disposition occulte: et nous oste le moyen d’en faire sottement nostre profit. Et se moquent ceux qui s’en veulent preualoir selon l’humaine raison. Ils n’en donnent iamais vne touche, qu’ils n’en reçoiuent deux. Sainct Augustin en fait vne belle preuue sur ses aduersaires. C’est vn conflict, qui se decide par les armes de la memoire, plus que par celles de la raison.
God, wishing to teach us that the good have something other to hope for, and the wicked something other to fear, than the fortunes and misfortunes of this world, handles and dispenses them according to his hidden disposition, and deprives us of the means of foolishly turning them to our profit. Those who try to take advantage of them by human reason are only making fools of themselves. They never land one blow without taking two. Saint Augustine gives a fine proof of this against his adversaries. It is a conflict decided by the weapons of memory more than by those of reason.
Il se faut contenter de la lumiere qu’il plaist au Soleil nous communiquer par ses rayons, et qui esleuera ses yeux pour en prendre vne plus grande dans son corps mesme, qu’il ne trouue pas estrange, si pour la peine de son outrecuidance il y perd la veuë. Quis hominum potest scire consilium Dei? aut quis poterit cogitare, quid velit Dominus?
We must be content with the light that it pleases the sun to share with us through its rays; and whoever raises his eyes to take in more of it from its very body, let him not think it strange if, as the penalty for his presumption, he loses his sight. Who among men can know the counsel of God? Or who can conceive what the Lord wills?