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There is assuredly a difference between the desire of human glory and
the desire of domination; for, though he who has an overweening
delight in human glory will be also very prone to aspire earnestly after
domination, nevertheless they who desire the true glory even of human
praise strive not to displease those who judge well of them. For there
are many good moral qualities, of which many are competent judges,
although they are not possessed by many; and by those good moral
qualities those men press on to glory, honor and domination, of whom
Sallust says, "But they press on by the true way."
But whosoever, without possessing that desire of glory which makes one
fear to displease those who judge his conduct, desires domination and
power, very often seeks to obtain what he loves by most open crimes.
Therefore he who desires glory presses on to obtain it either by the
true way, or certainly by deceit and artifice, wishing to appear good
when he is not. Therefore to him who possesses virtues it is a great
virtue to despise glory; for contempt of it is seen by God, but is
not manifest to human judgment. For whatever any one does before the
eyes of men in order to show himself to be a despiser of glory, if they
suspect that he is doing it in order to get greater praise, that is,
greater glory, he has no means of demonstrating to the perceptions of
those who suspect him that the case is really otherwise than they
suspect it to be. But he who despises the judgment of praisers,
despises also the rashness of suspectors. Their salvation, indeed,
he does not despise, if he is truly good; for so great is the
righteousness of that man who receives his virtues from the Spirit of
God, that he loves his very enemies, and so loves them that he
desires that his haters and detractors may be turned to righteousness,
and become his associates, and that not in an earthly but in a heavenly
country. But with respect to his praisers, though he sets little
value on their praise, he does not set little value on their love;
neither does he elude their praise, lest he should forfeit their love.
And, therefore, he strives earnestly to have their praises directed
to Him from whom every one receives whatever in him is truly
praiseworthy. But he who is a despiser of glory, but is greedy of
domination, exceeds the beasts in the vices of cruelty and
luxuriousness. Such, indeed, were certain of the Romans, who,
wanting the love of esteem, wanted not the thirst for domination; and
that there were many such, history testifies. But it was Nero
Caesar who was the first to reach the summit, and, as it were, the
citadel, of this vice; for so great was his luxuriousness, that one
would nave thought there was nothing manly to be dreaded in him, and
such his cruelty, that, had not the contrary been known, no one would
have thought there was anything effeminate in his character.
Nevertheless power and domination are not given even to such men save
by the providence of the most high God, when He judges that the state
of human affairs is worthy of such lords. The divine utterance is
clear on this matter; for the Wisdom of God thus speaks: "By me
kings reign, and tyrants possess the land." But, that it may not be
thought that by "tyrants" is meant, not wicked and impious kings,
but brave men, m accordance with the ancient use of the word, as when
Virgil says, "For know that treaty may not stand Where king greets
king and joins not hand," in another place it is most unambiguously
said of God, that He "maketh the man who is an hypocrite to reign on
account of the perver sity of the people." Wherefore, though have,
according to my ability, shown for what reason God, who alone is true
and just, helped forward the Romans, who were good according to a
certain standard of an earthly state, to the aCquirement of the glory
of so great an empire, there may be, nevertheless, a more hidden
cause, known better to God than to us, depending on the diversity of
the merits of the human race. Among all who are truly pious, it is at
all events agreed that no one without true piety, that is, true
worship of the true God, can have true virtue; and that it is not
true virtue which is the slave of human praise. Though,
nevertheless, they who are not citizens of the eternal city, which is
called the city of God in the sacred Scriptures, are more useful to
the earthly city when they possess even that virtue than if they had not
even that. But there could be nothing more fortunate for human affairs
than that, by the mercy of God, they who are endowed with true piety
of life, if they have the skill for ruling people, should also have
the power. But such men, however great virtues they may possess in
this life, attribute it solely to the grace of God that He has
bestowed it on them, willing, believing, seeking. And, at the same
time, they understand how far they are short of that perfection of
righteousness which exists in the society of those holy angels for which
they are striving to fit themselves. But however much that virtue may
be praised and cried up, which without true piety is the slave of human
glory, it is not at all to be compared even to the feeble beginnings of
the virtue of the saints, whose hope is placed in the grace and mercy
of the true God.
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