certainty with regard to everything, which characterises
the New Academy, the City of God detests all such doubting as a form of
madness, since she has the most certain knowledge of those things which
she understands by mind and reason, however that knowledge may be
limited by our corruptible body. She believes also the evidence of the
senses, which the mind uses through the body, for he is miserably
deceived who regards them as untrustworthy. She believes also the holy
Scriptures, which we call canonical.

It is no matter to the City of God what dress the citizen wears, or what
manner of life he follows, so long as it is not contrary to the Divine
commands; so that she does not compel the philosophers, who become
Christians, to change their habit or their means of life, which are no
hindrance to religion, but only their false opinions. As for these three
kinds of life, the contemplative, the active, and that which partakes of
both qualities, although a man living in faith may adopt any of them,
and therein reach eternal reward, yet the love of truth and the duties
of charity alike must have their place. One may not so give himself to
contemplation as to neglect the good of his neighbour, nor be so deeply
immersed in action as to neglect the contemplation of God. In leisure we
ought to delight, not in an empty inertia, but in the inquisition or
discovery of truth, in such a way that each may make progress without
envying the attainments of another. In action we ought to seek neither
the honours of this life nor power, since all that is under the sun is
vanity; but only the work itself, which our situation enables us to do,
and to do it rightly and serviceably.

According to the definitions which Scipio used in Cicero's "Republic,"
there never really existed a Roman republic. For he briefly defines a
republic as the estate of the people--"res publica" as "res populi," and
defines the people as a multitudinous assemblage, united by consent to
law and by community of advantage. So, then, where justice is not, there
can be no people; and if no people, then no estate of the people, but
only of a confused multitude unworthy of the name of a people. Where no
justice is, there is no commonwealth. Now, justice is a virtue
distributing unto everyone his due. Where, then, is the justice of the
man who deserts the true God and gives himself over to unclean demons?
Is this giving everyone his due?

But if we define a people in ano