Page:Early Christianity outside the Roman empire.djvu/66

56 imagine that the De Fato owes its preservation to what is but a side-interest, viz. the graphic descriptions contained in it of the varied customs of the nations of the earth with regard to marriage and other social observances. In fact, the title of the work in our is 'The Book of the Laws of the Countries .'

The main object of the dialogue is to expound the doctrine of the three influences which are at work upon man. These are his Nature, his Fate, and his Free-will. By Nature men are born, they grow to maturity and age, and they die: so far all men are alike. By their Fate distinctions are introduced between them,—the distinctions of wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness, health and sickness. These are not wholly in our power and come, at least partly, by Fate; for the doctrine that misfortunes are all sent as punishments for sin is expressly rejected. But in addition to their Nature and their Fate men are moved by their