ciety, among rocks or other places, for the rest no longer trouble
about them. Some societies try by various methods to compel such
persons to repent; but when this is to no purpose they dissociate
themselves from them. Thus they take precautions lest the lust of
dominion and the lust of gain should creep in, that is, lest from the
lust of dominion any should subject some society to themselves, and
afterwards many others; and lest from the lust of gain any should
deprive others of their goods. Every one there lives content with his
own goods, and every one with his own honour, that of being reputed
just and a lover of the neighbour. This delightful and tranquil state
of mind (_animus_) would perish, unless those who think and will
evil were cast out, and a prudent but severe check given to the first
beginnings of the love of self and the love of the world. For these
are the loves which first led to the establishment of empires and
kingdoms, within which there are few who do not desire to acquire
dominion, and to possess the goods of others, for there are few who do
what is just and fair from a love of justice and fairness, still less
who do good from charity itself, but most from fear of the law, the
loss of life, of gain, of honour, and of reputation for the sake of
these.

91. Concerning the Divine worship of those who dwell on that earth,
they said that they acknowledge and adore our Lord, saying that He is
the only God, and that He governs both heaven and the universe; that
all good is from Him, and that He leads them; also that He very often
appears on their earth amongst them. It was then given me to tell them
that on our Earth Christians also know that the Lord governs heaven
and earth, according to His own words in Matthew, "_All power is given
unto Me in heaven and on earth_" (xxviii. 18), but that they do not
believe it as those who belong to the earth Mars do. They said also
that there they believe that with themselves there is nothing but what
is filthy and infernal, and that all good is of the Lord; nay, they
added that of themselves they are devils, and that the Lord draws them
out of hell, and continually withholds them from it. On one occasion,
when the Lord was named, I saw that those spirits humbled themselves
more inwardly and profoundly than can be described: for in their
humiliation there was the thought that of themselves they were in
hell, and that thus they were utterly unworthy to look to the Lo