on itself. And this is his third proof,
namely, that one cannot sufficiently explain our actions without having
recourse to this power. One sees numbers of people despising the entreaties
of their friends, the counsels of their neighbours, the reproaches of their
conscience, discomforts, tortures, death, the wrath of God, hell itself,
for the sake of running after follies which have no claim to be good or
tolerable, save as being freely chosen by such people. All is well in this
argument, with the exception of the last words only. For when one takes an
actual instance one will find that there were reasons or causes which led
the man to his choice, and that there are very strong bonds to fasten [434]
him thereto. A love-affair, for example, will never have arisen from mere
indifference: inclination or passion will have played its part; but habit
and stubbornness will cause certain natures to face ruin rather than
separation from the beloved. Here is another example cited by the author:
an atheist, a man like Lucilio Vanini (that is what many people call him,
whereas he himself adopts the magnificent name of Giulio Cesare Vanini in
his works), will suffer a preposterous martyrdom for his chimera rather
than renounce his impiety. The author does not name Vanini; and the truth
is that this man repudiated his wrong opinions, until he was convicted of
having published atheistical dogmas and acted as an apostle of atheism.
When he was asked whether there was a God, he plucked some grass, saying:

_Et levis est cespes qui probet esse Deum._

But since the Attorney General to the Parliament of Toulouse desired to
cause annoyance to the First President (so it is said), to whom Vanini was
granted considerable access, teaching his children philosophy, if indeed he
was not altogether in the service of that magistrate, the inquisition was
carried through rigorously. Vanini, seeing that there was no chance of
pardon, declared himself, when at the point of death, for what he was, an
atheist; and there was nothing very extraordinary in that. But supposing
there were an atheist who gave himself up for torture, vanity might be in
his case a strong enough motive, as in that of the Gymnosophist, Calanus,
and of the Sophist who, according to Lucian's account, was burnt to death
of his own will. But the author thinks that that very vanity, that
stubbornness, those other wild intentions of persons who otherwise seem to
have quite good sense,