Chapter 10.—Sin is Only from the Will.  His Own Life and Will Best Known to Each Individual.  What Will is. 102 For let any men whatever, if only no madness has broken them loose from the common sense of the human race, bring whatever zeal they like for judging, whatever ignorance, nay whatever slowness of mind, I should like to find out what they would have replied to me had I asked, whether a man would seem to them to have sinned by whose hand while he was asleep another should have written something disgraceful?  Who doubts that they would have denied that it is a sin, and have exclaimed against it so vehemently that they might perchance have been enraged that I should have thought them proper objects of such a question?  Of whom reconciled and restored to equanimity, as best I could do it, I should have begged that they would not take it amiss if I asked them another thing just as manifest, just as completely within the knowledge of all.  Then I should have asked, if some stronger person had done some evil thing by the hand of one not sleeping but conscious, yet with the rest of his members bound and in constraint, whether because he knew it, though abso- lutely unwilling, he should be held guilty of any sin?  And here all marvelling that I should ask such questions, would reply without hesitation, that he had absolutely not sinned at all.  Why so?  Because whoever has done anything evil by means of one unconscious or unable to resist, the latter can by no means be justly condemned.  And precisely why this is so, if I should inquire of the human nature in these men, I should easily bring out the desired answer, by asking in this manner:  Suppose that the sleeper already knew what the other would do with his hand, and of purpose aforethought, having drunk so much as would prevent his being awakened, should go to sleep, in order to deceive some one with an oath.  Would any amount of sleep suffice to prove his innocence?  What else than a guilty man would one pronounce him?  But if he has also willingly been bound that he may deceive some one by this pretext, in what respect then would those chains profit as a means of relieving him of sin?  Although bound by these he was really not able to resist, as in the other case the sleeper was absolutely ignorant of what he was then doing.  Is there therefore any possibility of doubting that both should be judged to have sinned?  Which things having been conceded, I should have argued, that sin is indeed nowhere but in the will,210 since this consideration 210 The Pelagians used this statement with considerable effect in their polemics against its author.  In his Retractations Augustin has this to say by way of explanation:  "The Pelagians may think that thus was said in their interest, on account of young children whose sin which is remitted to them in baptism they deny on the ground that they do not yet use the power of will.  As if indeed the sin, which we say they derive originally from Adam, that is, that they are implicated in his guilt and on this account are held obnoxious to punishment, could ever be otherwise than in will, by which will it was committed when the transgression of the divine precept was accomplished.  Our statement, that ‘there is never sin but in will,’ may be thought false for the reason that the apostle says:  ‘If what I will not this I do, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.’  For this sin is to such an extent involuntary, that he says:  ‘What I will not this I do.’  How, therefore, is there never sin but in Sin is Only from the Will.  His Own Life and Will Best Known to Each Individual.  What Will is. 174 Sin is Only from the Will.  His Own Life and Will Best Known to Each Individual. …