456 THE OCTAVIOS OF not to ariseso much from our arguments,as to be originated from your own perceptions.Accordingly,ifyou sitin judg ment on me, as a person who is new, and as one ignorant of eitherside,there is no difficultyin making plain that allthings in human affairsare doubtful,uncertain,and un settled,and that allthings are rather probable than true. Wherefore itisthe less1wonderful thatsome,from the weari nessof thoroughlyinvestigatingtruth,shouldrashlysuccumb to any sortof opinionratherthan perseverein exploring it with persistentdiligence.And thus allmen must be indig nant,allmen must feelpain,2thatcertainpersons— and these unskilledin learning,strangersto literature,without know ledgeeven3 of sordidarts— shoulddareto determineon any certaintyconcerning the nature at large,and the [divine] majesty,of which somany of themultitudeof sectsin allages [arestillin doubt],and philosophyitselfdeliberatesstill.Nor withoutreason; sincethemediocrityof human intelligenceis sofarfrom [thecapacityof]divineinvestigation,thatneither isitgiven us to know, nor isitpermittedto search,nor isit religiousto ravish,*the thingsthatare supportedin suspense in the heaven above us,nor the thingswhich are deeply sub merged below the earth; and we may rightlyseem sufficiently happy and sufficientlyprudent,if,accordingto that ancient oracleof the sage,we shouldknow ourselvesintimately.But even if we indulge in a senselessand uselesslabour,and wander away beyond the limitsproperto our humility,and though,inclinedtowards the earth,we transcendwith daring ambitionheaven itself,and the very stars,letus at leastnot entanglethiserrorwith vain and fearfulopinions. Let the seedsof allthingshave been in the beginning condensed by a nature combining them in itself— what God is the author here1 Let the members of the whole world be by fortuitous 1 The MS.and firsteditionread" more;" Ursinussuggestedptiaus insteadofmagis. 1 Thisclauseisotherwiseread:"Thereforewe must be indignant, nay,mustbe grieved." 3Otherwisefor" even,"" except." 4 The readingoftheMS.is" stuprari,"asabove. " Scrutari,"" sci- ari,"or"lustrare" and " suspicari,"areproposedemendations.