Page:King Alfred's Version of the Consolations of Boethius.djvu/232

 and who was called Cicero by a third name--he was a Roman chieftain, and a sage. He was greatly troubled with this very question, but could not bring it to any issue. The reason why neither he nor any man of that time could bring the question to any issue was because their minds were busied with the desires of the world. But I tell thee that if what men say be true, then it was a vain commandment that God gave in the holy books that man should forswear evil and do good; and also where He said:  "The more a main toileth, the greater the reward he shall receive." I marvel that thou hast forgotten all we said before.'

'What,' I said, 'have I forgotten, that we said before?'

Then said she, 'We said that the divine purpose made all good and nothing evil, neither seeking to do evil nor ever doing it. Yea, we accounted that good which seemed evil to the common folk, namely, that a man is punished and chastised for his sin. Have we not also said in this very book that God purposed to bestow freedom upon men, and did so; and, if they misused their freedom, that He would punish them with death? He purposed that if they were guilty of any sin in this state of freedom they should atone for it in the free state with repentance; and that, if any one among them were so hard of heart as to repent not, he should suffer due punishment. All creatures He had designed to be