On this I said: 'I see how there is a happiness and misery founded on the actual deserts of the righteous and the wicked. Nevertheless, I wonder in myself whether there is not some good and evil in fortune as the vulgar understand it. Surely, no sensible man would rather be exiled, poor and disgraced, than dwell prosperously in his own country, powerful, wealthy, and high in honour. Indeed, the work of wisdom is more clear and manifest in its operation when the happiness of rulers is somehow passed on to the people around them, especially considering that the prison, the law, and the other pains of legal punishment are properly due only to mischievous citizens on whose account they were originally instituted. Accordingly, I do exceedingly marvel why all this is completely reversed—why the good are harassed with the penalties due to crime, and the bad carry off the rewards of virtue; and I long to hear from thee what reason may be found for so unjust a state of disorder. For assuredly I should wonder less if I could believe that all things are the confused result of chance. But now my belief in God's governance doth add amazement to amazement. For, seeing that He sometimes assigns fair fortune to the good and harsh fortune to the bad, and then again deals harshly with the good, and grants to the bad their hearts' desire, how does this differ from chance, unless some reason is discovered for it all?'
'Nay; it is not wonderful,' said she, 'if all should be thought random and confused when the principle of order is not known. And though thou knowest not the causes on which this great system depends, yet forasmuch as a good ruler governs the world, doubt not for thy part that all is rightly done.'
M To frighten away the monster swallowing the moon. The superstition was once common. See Tylor's 'Primitive Culture,' pp. 296-302.
A new modern English rendering, made from the Latin with AI assistance — a reading aid, not a scholarly edition.
Here I said: "I see what happiness or what misery is established in the very deserts of the upright and the wicked. But in this common fortune itself I weigh that there is something of good or of evil. For none of the wise would prefer to be an exile, poor and dishonored, rather than to flourish, powerful in resources, reverend in honor, strong in power, remaining in his own city. For thus the office of wisdom is handled more brightly and with more testimony, when the blessedness of those who govern is, in some manner, poured over into the peoples in contact with them — especially since prison and the other torments of legal punishments are owed rather to the harmful citizens for whose sake they were even instituted. Why, then, are these things changed about into their reverse, and the punishments of crimes press down the good, while the bad seize the rewards of the virtues? I greatly marvel at this, and I desire to know from you what the reason may seem to be for so unjust a confusion. For I would marvel less if I believed that all things were mixed up by chance accidents. But now God the ruler increases my stupor. For since he often grants pleasant things to the good and harsh to the bad, and, on the contrary, gives hard things to the good and concedes to the bad what they wish — unless the cause is grasped, what is there that seems to differ from chance accidents?"
"And no wonder," she said, "if something is believed to be reckless and confused when its principle of order is not known. But you, although you do not know the cause of so great a disposition, still, since a good ruler governs the world, do not doubt that all things are rightly done."