another
according to their deserts, but in no way to injure one another, he who
transgresses her will is clearly guilty of impiety towards the highest
divinity. And he too who lies is guilty of impiety to the same divinity;
for the universal nature is the nature of things that are; and things
that are have a relation to all things that come into existence.[A] And
further, this universal nature is named truth, and is the prime cause of
all things that are true. He then who lies intentionally is guilty of
impiety, inasmuch as he acts unjustly by deceiving; and he also who lies
unintentionally, inasmuch as he is at variance with the universal
nature, and inasmuch as he disturbs the order by fighting against the
nature of the world; for he fights against it, who is moved of himself
to that which is contrary to truth, for he had received powers from
nature through the neglect of which he is not able now to distinguish
falsehood from truth. And indeed he who pursues pleasure as good, and
avoids pain as evil, is guilty of impiety. For of necessity such a man
must often find fault with the universal nature, alleging that it
assigns things to the bad and the good contrary to their deserts,
because frequently the bad are in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess
the things which procure pleasure, but the good have pain for their
share and the things which cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of
pain will sometimes also be afraid of some of the things which will
happen in the world, and even this is impiety. And he who pursues
pleasure will not abstain from injustice, and this is plainly impiety.
Now with respect to the things towards which the universal nature is
equally affected--for it would not have made both, unless it was equally
affected towards both--towards these they who wish to follow nature
should be of the same mind with it, and equally affected. With respect
to pain, then, and pleasure, or death and life, or honor and dishonor,
which the universal nature employs equally, whoever is not equally
affected is manifestly acting impiously. And I say that the universal
nature employs them equally, instead of saying that they happen alike to
those who are produced in continuous series and to those who come after
them by virtue of a certain original movement of Providence, according
to which it moved from a certain beginning to this ordering of things,
having conceived certain principles of the things which were to be, and