To which Patrocleas: The slowness of the Supreme
Deity and his procrastination in reference to the punishment of the wicked have long perplexed my thoughts; but
now, puzzled by these arguments which he produces, I
find myself as it were a stranger to the opinion, and newly
beginning again to learn. For a long time I could not with
patience hear that expression of Euripides,
Does he delay and slowly move;
'Tis but the nature of the Gods above.
1
For indeed it becomes not the Supreme Deity to be remiss
in any thing, but more especially in the prosecution of the
wicked, since they themselves are no way negligent or
dilatory in doing mischief, but are always driven on by the
most rapid impetuosities of their passions to acts of injustice. For certainly, according to the saying of Thucydides,
that revenge which follows injury closest at the heels presently puts a stop to the progress of such as make advantage
of successful wickedness.
2 Therefore there is no debt
with so much prejudice put off, as that of justice. For it
weakens the hopes of the person wronged and renders him
comfortless and pensive, but heightens the boldness and
daring insolence of the oppressor; whereas, on the other
side, those punishments and chastisements that immediately
withstand presuming violence not only restrain the committing of future outrages, but more especially bring along
with them a particular comfort and satisfaction to the sufferers. Which makes me no less troubled at the saying
of Bias, which frequently comes into my mind. For thus
he spake once to a notorious reprobate: It is not that I
doubt thou wilt suffer the just reward of thy wickedness,
[p. 142]
but I fear that I myself shall not live to see it. For what
did the punishment of Aristocrates avail the Messenians
who were killed before it came to pass? He, having betrayed them at the battle of Taphrus yet remained undetected for above twenty years together, and all that while
reigned king of the Arcadians, till at length, discovered and
apprehended, he received the merited recompense of his
treachery. But alas! they whom he had betrayed were all
dead at the same time. Or when the Orchomenians had
lost their children, their friends, and familiar acquaintance
through the treachery of Lyciscus, what consolation was it
to them, that many years after a foul distemper seized the
traitor, and fed upon his body till it had consumed his
putrefied flesh?—who, as often as he dipped and bathed
his feet in the river, with horrid oaths and execrations
prayed that his members might rot if he had been guilty
of treachery or any other villany. Nor was it possible
even for the children's children of the Athenians who had
been murdered long before, to behold the bodies of those
sacrilegious caitiffs torn out of their graves and transported
beyond the confines of their native soil. Whence, in my
opinion, Euripides absurdly makes use of these expressions, to divert a man from wickedness:
If thou fear'st heav'n, thou fearest it in vain;
Justice is not so hasty, foolish man,
To pierce thy heart, or with contagious wound
Or thee or weaker mortals to confound;
But with slow pace and silent feet his doom
O'ertakes the sinner, when his time is come.
And I am apt to persuade myself that upon these and no
other considerations it is, that wicked men encourage and
give themselves the liberty to attempt and commit all manner of impieties, seeing that the fruit which injustice yields
is soon ripe, and offers itself early to the gatherer's hand,
whereas punishment comes late, and lagging long behind
the pleasure of enjoyment.
[p. 143]
