| Keywords |
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| ID |
1834 |
| Text |
De civitate Dei (413 - 427) Augustine of Hippo |
| Quotation |
hoc si fieret sine marte et bellona, ut nec uictoria locum haberet, nemine uincente ubi nemo
pugnauerat: nonne romanis et ceteris gentibus una esset eademque condicio?
praesertim si mox fieret, quod postea gratissime atque humanissime factum est, ut omnes ad romanum imperium pertinentes societatem acciperent ciuitatis et romani ciues essent, ac sic
esset omnium, quod erat ante paucorum; tantum quod plebs illa, quae suos agros non haberet, de
publico uiueret; qui pastus eius per bonos administratores rei publicae gratius a concordibus
praestaretur quam uictis extorqueretur.
nam quid intersit ad incolumitatem bonosque mores, ipsas certe hominum dignitates, quod alii uicerunt, alii uicti sunt, omnino non uideo, praeter illum gloriae humanae inanissimum fastum, in quo perceperunt mercedem suam, qui eius ingenti cupidine arserunt et ardentia bella gesserunt. |
| Translation |
Thus, if they had managed to impose them without the help of Mars and Bellona, so that Victory too had no place – since no one could be victorious where no one had fought – would not the Romans have been on a merely equal footing with the other nations? And this would have been especially true if that most gracious and humane step had been taken at once which was taken later: namely, the admission of all who belonged to the empire to the fellowship of the city, so that they became Roman citizens. In this way, that which had once belonged to a few would belong to all. The common people, of course, who had no land of their own, would live at the public expense; but it would be better for good administrators of the commonwealth to make this provision by the free consent of the people than by extorting it from the conquered.
But as to those things which truly confer dignity upon mankind, namely, security and good morals, I entirely fail to see what difference it makes, aside from the most empty pride of human glory, that some men should be conquerors and others conquered. Those men who burned with lust for glory and were ardent to wage war: they have received their reward. (Trans. Dyson) |
| Quotation source |
Lib. 5, Cap. 17 (lin. 9) |
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