il to bear the evil. For as I said before,[35] when He
grants fewer bodily gifts and possessions, He gives greater
mental gifts; so that all things may be equal, and He the just
Judge of all. For a cheerful mind is a greater comfort than much
riches. Moreover, to some He grants offspring, and, as men say,
the highest pleasure, influence, rank, honor, fame, glory, favor,
and the like. And if these be enjoyed for a long or even for a
short season, they will soon teach men how they ought to conduct
themselves under some small evil.

But more excellent than all these are the blessings of the mind;
such as reason, knowledge, judgment, eloquence, prudence. And,
here again, God tempers the justice of His dealing, so that when
He bestows more of these gifts on some men. He does not therefore
prefer them to others, since on these again He confers greater
peace and cheerfulness of mind. In all these things we should
gratefully mark the bountiful hand of God, and take comfort in
our infirmity. For we should feel no surprise if among so many
and great blessings there be some intermingling of bitterness;
since even for epicures no meat is savory without salt, nor
scarce any dish palatable that has not a certain bitter savor,
either native or produced by seasoning. So intolerable is a
continual and unrelieved sweetness, that it has been truly said,
"Every pleasure too long continued begets disgust"; and again,
"Pleasure itself turns at length to loathing." That is to say,
this life is incapable of enjoying only good things without a
tempering of evil, because of the too great abundance of good
things, has arisen also this proverb, "It needs sturdy bones to
bear good days"; which proverb I have often pondered and much
admired for its excellent true sense, namely, that the wishes of
men are contrary to one another; they seek none but good days,
and, when these arrive, are less able to bear them than evil
days.

What, then, would God have us here lay to heart but this, that
the cross is held in honor even among the enemies of the cross!
For all things must needs be tempered and sanctified with the
relics of the cross, lest they decay; even as the meat must be
seasoned with salt, that it may not breed worms. And why will we
not gladly accept this tempering which God sends, and which, if
He did not send it, our own life, weakened with pleasures and
blessings, would of itself demand? Hence we see with what truth
the Book of Wisdom say