nless they diverted their intention from the
transaction. But I am going to show you this grand method in all its
beauty in relation to homicide, which it justifies under a thousand
circumstances."

"I am ready to believe," I said, "that your principle will permit
everything, and that nothing will escape it."

"Not at all," he replied; "you are always running from one extreme to
the other. We by no means permit everything. For instance, we never
permit the formal intention of sin, for the mere sake of sinning, and we
will have nothing to do with anyone who persists in seeking evil as an
end in itself, for that is a devilish intention, in whatever age, sex,
or rank it may be found. But so long as there is no such unhappy
disposition as that, we try to put in practice our method of directing
intention, which consists in proposing a lawful object as the end of
one's actions. In so far as it is in our power, we turn away from
forbidden things; but when we are unable to prevent the action, we at
least try to purify the intention, and so correct the vice of the means
by the purity of the end.

"That is how our fathers have been able to permit the acts of violence
which are committed in the defence of honour. It is only necessary to
turn away one's intention from the desire of vengeance, which is
criminal, and to restrict it to the desire of defending one's honour,
which is a lawful desire. It is thus that our fathers are able to fulfil
their duties towards God and towards men alike. They please the world by
permitting the actions, and they satisfy the Gospel by purifying the
intentions. It is a method which was unknown to the ancients, and is
entirely due to our fathers. Do you understand it now?"

"I understand it very well," I said. "You allow to men the external and
material effect of the action, and you give to God the internal and
spiritual movement of intention, and thus reconcile the human with the
divine law. But though I understand your principle well enough, I should
like to know what are its consequences.--I should like to know, for
instance, all the cases in which your method permits one to kill. You
have told me that whoever receives a blow may repay it with a
sword-thrust without the guilt of vengeance, but you have not yet told
me how far one may go."

"You can hardly make a mistake," said the father. "You may go as far as
to kill the man. One of our authorities speaks: 'It is permitted to kill
a man who