Lactantius — Divine Institutes 5.9
Sometimes, however, they sense that they are evil, and they praise the condition of the old ages, and from their own manners and deserts they conjecture that justice is absent: which, though it stands before their eyes, they not only do not take up or recognize, but even violently hate and persecute and strive to wipe out. Let us suppose for a moment that this which we follow is not justice: how, if that comes which they think true, will they receive it—they who tear and kill those whom they themselves confess to be imitators of the just, because they do good and just works? How much more, when they kill the pious and count the very followers of justice as enemies—indeed more than enemies? This is beyond telling which is done against those who do not know how to do evil, and none are held more harmful than those who are of all the most innocent. Dare then the most wicked men make mention of justice—men who surpass wild beasts in savagery, who lay waste the most peaceful flock of God like ravening wolves?
What shall we say is the chief cause of this so great and so stubborn hatred? Is it that truth begets hatred, as the poet says as if inspired by a divine spirit, or that they blush to be worthless in the presence of the just and good, or rather both? For truth is always hated for this reason: that the one who sins wants to have a free place for sinning, and thinks he can enjoy the pleasure of evil deeds more securely in no other way than if there is no one to whom crimes are not pleasing. Therefore, as witnesses of their crimes and malice, they strive to root them out utterly and remove them, and they think them heavy to themselves, as if their life were being convicted. Why should there be some unseasonably good, who by living well put a reproach on public morals corrupted? Why should not all be equally evil—rapacious, shameless, adulterers, perjurers, greedy, fraudulent? Rather let those be taken away before whom it is shameful to live badly, who strike and scourge the brow of sinners, if not with words—because they are silent—yet by the very unlike manner of life. For whoever disagrees seems to chastise. Nor is it greatly to be wondered if these things are done against humans, when even the people established in hope and not ignorant of God rose against God himself for the same cause, and the same necessity follows the just which violated the author of justice himself.
They therefore vex and by exquisite kinds of punishments torture, and think it too little to kill those they hate unless cruelty also mocks the bodies. But if any, by fear of pain or death or by their own treachery, have deserted the heavenly sacrament and consented to deadly sacrifices, they praise them and load them with honors, that by their example they may entice the rest. But those who have prized faith highly and have not denied that they are worshipers of God—against these they throw the whole strength of their butchery, as if they thirst for blood, and they call them desperate because they spare their own body so little: as if anything could be more desperate than to torture and tear the one you know to be innocent. But what of these can be charged against our people, whose whole religion is to live without crime and without stain? Since then they see themselves and theirs doing the things we have said, and ours doing nothing else than what is fair and good, they could, if they had any sense, from this understand both that those who do good are pious and that they themselves are impious who commit unspeakable things. For it cannot be that those who do not err in all the acts of their life should err in the very sum, that is in religion, which is the head of all things: for impiety taken up in that which is highest would follow through all the rest. Equally it cannot be that those who themselves err in every life should not also be deceived in religion, since piety holding the rule in the highest would keep its course in the rest. So it comes about that on either side, from the condition of the things that are done, what the sum itself is may be known.
Latin
Nonnumquam tamen sentiunt se malos esse et ueterum saeculorum statum laudant et de suis moribus meritisque coniectant abesse iustitiam: quam obuersantem oculis suis non tantum non suscipiunt nec adgnoscunt, uerum etiam uiolenter oderunt et persecuntur et exterminare contendunt. fingamus hanc interim non esse iustitiam quam nos sequimur: quomodo si illa uenerit quam ueram putant, eam recipient? qui laniant et occidunt eos quos et ipsi fatentur imitatores esse iustorum, quia bona operentur et iusta, cum si tantummodo malos occiderent, digni essent ad quos iustitia non ueniret: cui nulla fuit alia causa linquendi terram quam humani cruoris effusio. quanto magis, cum pios interficiant et ipsos iustitiae sectatores pro hostibus ducant, immo uero plus quam pro hostibus? quibus utique, cum animas eorum et opes et liberos ferro et igni adpetant, tamen parcitur uictis et est locus inter arma clementiae, aut si adeo saeuiri placuit, nihil plus in eos fit quam ut occidantur uel in seruitutem abducantur. hoc uero inenarrabile est quod fit aduersus eos qui malefacere nesciunt, et nulli nocentiores habentur quam qui sunt ex omnibus innocentes. audent igitur homines inprobissimi iustitiae facere mentionem, qui feras inmanitate uincunt, qui placidissimum dei gregem uastant lupi ceu raptores atra in nebula, quos inproba uentris exegit caecos rabies . uerum hos non uentris, sed cordis rabies efferauit nec atra in nebula, sed aperta praedatione grassantur nec eos umquam conscientia scelerum reuocat, ne sanctum ac pium nomen iustitiae ore illo uiolent quod cruore innocentium tamquam rictus bestiarum madet.
huius tanti et tam pertinacis odii quam potissimum causam esse dicamus? utrumne ueritas odium parit, ut ait poeta quasi diuino spiritu instinctus, an erubescunt coram iustis et bonis esse nequam, an potius utrumque? nam et ueritas ideo semper inuisa est, quod is qui peccat uult habere liberum peccandi locum nec aliter se putat malefactorum uoluptate securius perfrui posse, quam si nemo sit cui delicta non placeant. ergo tamquam scelerum et malitiae suae testes extirpare funditus nituntur et tollere grauesque sibi putant, tamquam uita eorum coarguatur. cur enim sint aliqui intempestiue boni, qui corruptis moribus publicis conuicium bene uiuendo faciant? cur non omnes sint aeque mali rapaces inpudici adulteri periuri cupidi fraudulenti? quin potius auferantur quibus coram male uiuere pudet, qui peccantium frontem etsi non uerbis, quia tacent, tamen ipso uitae genere dissimili feriunt et uerberant. castigare enim uidetur quicumque dissentit. nec est magnopere mirandum, si aduersus homines ista hunt, cum aduersus ipsum deum propter eandem causam insurrexerit etiam populus in spe constitutus nec dei nescius, sequiturque iustos eadem necessitas quae ipsum iustitiae uiolauit auctorem.
uexant ergo et exquisitis poenarum generibus excruciant parumque habent interficere quos oderunt, nisi etiam crudelitas corporibus inludat. si qui autem doloris uel mortis metu uel suapte perfidia caeleste sacramentum deseruerint et ad funesta sacrificia consenserint, eos laudant et honoribus mact.ant, ut eorum exemplo ceteros inliciant. qui autem magni aestimauerint fidem cultoresque se dei non abnegauerint, in eos uero totis carnificinae suae uiribus, ueluti sanguinem sitiant, incumbunt et desperatos uocant, quia corpori suo minime parcunt: quasi quicquam desperatius esse possit quam torquere ac dilaniare eum quem scias esse innocentem. adeo nec pudor ullus aput eos superest a quibus abest omnis humanitas et retorquent in homines iustos conuicia sibi congruentia. inpios enim uocant, ipsi scilicet pii et ab humano sanguine abhorrentes, cum si et actus suos considerent et illorum quos tamquam inpios damnant, iam intellegant quam mendaces sint et iis omnibus quae aduersus bonos aut dicunt aut faciunt digniores. non enim de nostro, sed ex illorum numero semper existunt qui uias obsideant armati, maria praedentur, uel si palam grassari non licuit, uenena clam temperent, qui uxores necent, ut dotes earum lucrentur, aut maritos, ut adulteris nubant, qui natos ex se pueros aut strangulent aut, si nimium pii fuerint, exponant, qui libidines incestas nec a filia nec sorore nec: matre nec sacerdote contineant, qui aduersus ciues suos patriamque coniurent, qui nec culleum metuant, qui denique sacrilegia committant et deorum quos colunt templa despolient, et, ut quae levia sunt atque usitata dicamus, qui hereditates captent, testamenta supponant, iustos heredes uel auferant uel excludant, qui corpora sua libidinibus prostituant, qui demque inmemores quid nati sint, cum feminis patientia certent, qui sanctissimam quoque corporis sui partem contra fas omne polluant ac profanent, qui uirilia sua ferro metant et, quod est sceleratius, ut sint religionis antistites, qui ne uitae quidem suae parcant, sed extinguendas publice animas suas uendant, qui si iudices sedeant, aut inmeritos perdant mercede corrupti aut noxios inpune dimittant, qui caelum quoque ipsum ueneficiis adpetant, tamquam illorum malitiam terra non capiat: haec, inquam, et his plura scelera utique ab iis fiunt qui deos colunt. quis inter haec tot et tanta iustitiae locus est? et ego de multis pauca collegi, non ut arguerem, sed ut ostenderem. qui uolet scire omnia, Senecae libros in manum sumat, qui morum uitiorumque publicorum et descriptor uerissimus et insectator acerrimus fuit. sed et Lucilius tenebrosam istam uitam circumscripte breuiterque depinxit his uersibus: nunc uero a mani ad noctem, festo atque profesto, totus item pariterque die populusque patresque iactare indu foro se omnes, decedere nusquam, uni se atque eidem studio omnes dedere et arti, uerba dare ut caute possint, pugnare dolose; blanditia certare, bonum simulare uirum se; insidias facere, ut si hostes sint omnibus omnes . nostro autem populo quid horum potest obici, cuius omnis religio est sine scelere ac sine macula uiuere? cum igitur uideant se ac suos ea quae diximus gerere, nostros autem nihil aliut operari nisi aecum et bonum, poterant, si quid saperent, ex hoc intellegere et illos qui bonum faciunt pios esse et se inpios qui nefanda committunt. neque enim fieri potest ut : qui in omnibus uitae suae actibus non errant, in ipsa summa errent, hoc est in religione, quae rerum omnium caput est: inpietas enim suscepta in eo quod est summum per cetera uniuersa sequeretur. aeque fieri non potest ut ipsi qui errant in omni uita, non et in religione fallantur, quoniam pietas in summo regulam tenens tenorem suum seruaret in ceteris. ita fit ut in utraque parte de condicione rerum quae geruntur qualis sit summa ipsa noscatur.