ON JEALOUSY AND ENVY. 41 lessperceived,letus alsobe watchful to understand and repel these,among which is the evilof jealousyand envy. And ifany one closelylookintothis,he willfindthatnothing should be more guarded againstby the Christian,nothing more carefullywatched, than being taken captiveby envy and malice,thatnone, entangledin the blindsnaresof a de ceitfulenemy, in thatthe brotheristurned by envy tohatred of hisbrother,shouldhimselfbe unwittinglydestroyedby his own sword. That we may be ablemore fullyto collectand more plainlyto perceivethis,letus recur to itsfount and origin. Let us considerwhence arisesjealousy,and when and how itbegins. For so mischievousan evilwillbe more easilyshunned by us, ifboth the sourceand the magnitude of thatsame evilbe known. 4. From thissource,even at the very beginningsof the world, the devilwas the firstwho both perished[himself] and destroyed[others].He who1 was sustainedin angelic majesty,he who was acceptedand belovedof God, when he beheld man made in the image of God, broke forthinto jealousywith malevolentenvy— not hurling down another by the instinctof his jealousybefore he himselfwas first hurled down by jealousy,captivebefore he takes captive, ruined before he ruinsothers. While, at the instigationof jealousy,he robs man of the graceof immortalityconferred, he himselfhas lostthatwhich he had previouslybeen. How great an evilis that,beloved brethren,whereby an angel fell,whereby that lofty and illustriousgrandeur could be defrauded and overthrown,whereby he who deceivedwas himself deceived! Thenceforth envy rageson the earth,in that he who isabout to perishby jealousyobeys the author of his ruin, imitatingthe devilin his jealousy; as it is written," But through envy of the devildeath enteredinto the world."1 Thereforetheywho areon hissideimitatehim. 5. Hence, in fine,began the primal hatredsof the new brotherhood,hence the abominable fratricides,in that the unrighteousCain isjealousofihe righteousAbel, in thatthe wicked persecutesthe good with envy and jealousy. So far 1 Some add," longago." 2 Wisd.ii.24.