t do away with the name of simony,
and there must be some matter to which the name attaches, you have
devised for that purpose an imaginary idea, which never enters the minds
of simoniacs at all, and indeed would be quite useless to them. This is,
that simony consists in valuing the money, considered in itself, as
highly as the spiritual privilege, considered in itself. Who would ever
dream of comparing things which are so disproportionate and of such
different kinds? Yet, according to your authors, so long as a man does
not entertain this metaphysical comparison, he may give his benefice to
another, and may receive money in return, without incurring the guilt of
simony. It is thus that you make game of religion in order to pander to
human passions.

The abusive language which you utter against me will never clear up our
differences, nor shall any of your threats restrain me from defending
myself. You trust in your strength and impunity, but I believe that I
possess truth and innocence. The war by which violence attempts to
oppress the truth is a strange and a long one, for all the efforts of
violence are unable to weaken truth, and serve only to make it more
evident. On the other hand, all the light of truth can do nothing to
arrest violence, but rather inflames it. When force combats force, the
stronger destroys the weaker; when argument is opposed to argument, true
and convincing reasoning confounds that which is based on vanity and
lies; but violence and truth have, no power one over the other. That is
not to say that these two things are equal. There is this extreme
difference between them: the career of violence is limited by the divine
order, which determines its effects to the glory of the truth which it
attacks; but truth, on the other hand, exists externally, and triumphs
at last over its enemies, because it is eternal and powerful as God
Himself.

_V.--HOMICIDE_

Let us now see, fathers, how you value that life of man, which is so
jealously safeguarded by human justice. It appears from your novel laws
that there is only one judge in a case of affront or injury, and that
this judge is to be he who has received the offence. He is to be at the
same time judge, plaintiff, and executioner. He demands the death of the
offender, sentences him to death, and immediately executes the sentence;
and so, without respect either for the body or for the soul of his
brother, slays and imperils the salvation of him for