Moral essays. With an English translation by J.W. Basore

ON MERCY, II. II. 2-iv. 1which a man would have the earth convulsed withflame when once he is dead, and others of this type.And somehow or other gifted men when dealing ^ntha cruel and hateful theme have moulded violent andpassionate thoughts into more felicitous phrase ; neverbefore have I heard from good and gentle lips anutterance that was full of spirit. What then is theconclusion ? Though it oe seldom, against your ^^^ll,and after great reluctance, yet there are times whenyou must wTite the sort of thing that made you hateall WTiting, but you must do it, as you now do, aftergreat reluctance, after much procrastination.And in order that we may not perchance bedeceived at times by the plausible name of mercyand led into an opposite quality," let us see whatmercy is, what is its nature, and what its hmitations.Mercy means restraining the mind from vengeancewhen it has the power to take it, or the leniency ofa superior towards an inferior in fixing punishment.In the fear that one definition may not be comprehensiveenough, and, so to speak, the case* belost, it is safer to offer several ; and so mercy mayalso be termed the inclination of the mind towardsleniency in exacting punishment. The follo^ving(definition -will encounter objections, however closelyiit approaches the truth ; if we shall say that merc}^lis the moderation which remits something from thepunishment that is deserved and due, it will beobjected that no \-irtue gives to any man less thanTiis due. Everybody, however, understands thatthe fact of the case is that mercy consists instopping short of what might have been deservedlyimposed.The ill-informed think that its opposite is strict-435