BOETHIUS 17
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herefore it was not found by chance. But the divinepredestination instructed whom he would that he shouldhide the gold, and afterward whom he would, that he shouldfind it. Then said I : I perceive that this is as thou sayest : but Iwould ask thee whether we have any freedom, or any power,what we may do, and what we may not do? or whether thedivine predestination, or fate, compels us to what they will?Then said he : We have much power. There is no rationalcreature which has not freedom. Whosoever has reason, isable to judge and discern what he ought to desire, and whathe ought to shim. And every man has this freedom, thathe knows what he wills, and what he wills not. And yet allrational creatures have not equal freedcm. Angels haveright judgments and good will; and whatever they desirethey very easily obtain, because they desire nothing wrong.There is no created being which has freedom and reason ex-cept angels and men. Men have always freedom ; the moreas they lead their mind nearer to divine things; and theyhave so much the less freedom, as they lead the will of theirmind nearer to this worldly honor. They have not any free-dom when they, of their own accord, subject themselves tovices. But as soon as they turn away their mind from good,so soon do they become blind with folly. But one AlmightyGod exists in his high city, who sees every man's thought,and discerns his words and his deeds, and renders to everyone according to his works. When Wisdom had made thisspeech, then began he to sing, and thus said : Though Homer the good poet, who with the Greeks wasthe best, he was Virgil's master; Virgil was with the Latinmen the best, though Homer in his poems greatly praisedthe nature of the sun, and her excellences, and her bright-ness; yet she cannot shine upon all creatures, nor thosecreatures which she may shine upon, can she shine upon allequally, nor shine through them all within. But it is notso with the Almighty God, who is the maker of all creatures.He beholds and sees through all his creatures equally. Himwe may call, without falsehood, the true sun. When Wisdom had sung this lay, then was he silent a little while. Then said I : A certain doubt has much troub- 2 i8 KING ALFRED'S led me. Then said he: What is that? Then said I: It isthis, that thou sayest that God gives to every one freedomas well to do good as evil, whichsoever he will: and thousayest also that God knows everything before it comes topass ; and thou sayest also, that nothing comes to pass unlessGod wills and permits it: and thou sayest that it must allproceed as he has ordained. Now I wonder at this, why hepermits that wicked men have the freedom that they maydo either good or evil, whichsoever they will, since he beforeknows that they will do evil. Then said he: I can veryeasily answer thee this inquiry. How would it please thee,if there were some very powerful king, and he had not anyfree man in all his realm, but all were slaves? Then saidI : I should not think it at all right, or moreover suitable, ifmen in a state of slavery should serve him. Then said he:How much more unnatural would it be, if God had not inall his kingdom any free creature under his power? There-fore he created two rational creatures free, angels and men.To these he gave the great gift of freedom, that they mightdo either good or evil, whichsoever they would. He gavea very sure gift, and a very sure law with the gift, to everyman until his end. That is the freedom, that man may dowhat he will ; and that is the law, which renders to everyman according to his works, both in this world, and in thatto come, good or evil, whichsoever he does. And men mayattain through this freedom whatsoever they will, exceptthat they cannot avoid death. But they may by good worksdelay it, so that it may come later : and moreover, they maysometimes defer it till old age, if they do not cease to havegood will to good works, that is, good. Then said I : Wellhast thou set me right in the doubt, and in the troublewherein I before was concerning freedom. But I am stilldisquieted with much more trouble, almost to despair.Then said he : What is this great disquiet? Then said I : Itis concerning the predestination of God. For we sometimeshear say, that everything must so come to pass as God atthe beginning had decreed, and that no man can alter it.Now methinks that he does wrong, when he honors thegood, and also when he punishes the wicked, if it is true thatit was so ordained to them that they could not do otherwise.
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