Gods
without any act of will or labour. As bodies which possess some power
produce their effects by merely existing: e. g. the sun gives light and
heat by merely existing; so, and far more so, the Providence of the Gods
acts without effort to itself and for the good of the objects of its
forethought. This solves the problems of the Epicureans, who argue that
what is Divine neither has trouble itself nor gives trouble to others.

The incorporeal providence of the Gods, both for bodies and for souls,
is of this sort; but that which is of bodies and in bodies is different
from this, and is called Fate, Heimarmene, because the chain of causes
(Heirmos) is more visible in the case of bodies; and it is for dealing
with this Fate that the science of 'Mathematic' has been
discovered.[211:1]

Therefore, to believe that human things, especially their material
constitution, are ordered not only by celestial beings but by the
Celestial Bodies, is a reasonable and true belief. Reason shows that
health and sickness, good fortune and bad fortune, arise according to
our deserts from that source. But to attribute men's acts of injustice
and lust to Fate, is to make ourselves good and the Gods bad. Unless by
chance a man meant by such a statement that in general all things are
for the good of the world and for those who are in a natural state, but
that bad education or weakness of nature changes the goods of Fate for
the worse. Just as it happens that the Sun, which is good for all, may
be injurious to persons with ophthalmia or fever. Else why do the
Massagetae eat their fathers, the Hebrews practise circumcision, and the
Persians preserve rules of rank?[212:1] Why do astrologers, while
calling Saturn and Mars 'malignant', proceed to make them good,
attributing to them philosophy and royalty, generalships and treasures?
And if they are going to talk of triangles and squares, it is absurd
that gods should change their natures according to their position in
space, while human virtue remains the same everywhere. Also the fact
that the stars predict high or low rank for the father of the person
whose horoscope is taken, teaches that they do not always make things
happen but sometimes only indicate things. For how could things which
preceded the birth depend upon the birth?

Further, as there is Providence and Fate concerned with nations and
cities, and also concerned with each individual, so there is also
Fortune, which should next be tr