Volume 1 - Discourses - Books I - II - College of Stoic Philosophers

BOOK L vi.i-ioCHAPTER VIOf providenceFROM everything that happens in the universe it iseasy for a man to find occasion to praise providence,if he has within himself these two qualities: thefaculty of taking a comprehensive view of what hashappened in each individual instance, and the senseof gratitude. Otherwise, one man will not see theusefulness of what has happened, and another, evenif he does see it, will not he grateful therefor. IfGod had made colours, but had not made the facultyof seeing them, of what good had it been ? Noneat all. But, conversely, if He had made the faculty,but in making objects, had made them incapable offalling under the faculty of vision, in that case alsoof what good had it been ? None at all. Whatthen, if He had even made both of these, but hadnot made light? Even thus it would have been ofno use. Who is it, then, that has fitted this to thatand that to this ? And who is it that has fitted thesword to the scabbard, and the scabbard to the sword ?No one ?Assuredly from the very structure of allmade objects we are accustomed to prove that thework is certainly the product of some artificer, andhas not been constructed at random.Does, then, every such work reveal its artificer,but do visible objects and vision and light not revealhim ? And the male and the female, and the passionof each for intercourse with the other, and the facultywhich makes use of the organs which have been constructedfor this purpose, do these things not revealtheir artificer either ? Well, admit it for these things ;but the marvellous constitution of the intellect41