myself, that is, if you deign to look at them. The rest of the world I
simply disregard: they cannot understand, and therefore do not deserve
to read. We should not of course press our inquiry further than man's
wit and reason are allowed to climb the height of heavenly knowledge.[8]
In all the liberal arts we see the same limit set beyond which reason
may not reach. Medicine, for instance, does not always bring health to
the sick, though the doctor will not be to blame if he has left nothing
undone which he ought to do. So with the other arts. In the present case
the very difficulty of the quest claims a lenient judgment. You must
however examine whether the seeds sown in my mind by St. Augustine's
writings[9] have borne fruit. And now let us begin our inquiry.


[8] Cf. the discussion of human _ratio_ and divine _intellegentia_ in
_Cons. v._ pr. 4 and 5.

[9] e.g. Aug. _De Trin._




I.

Christianae religionis reuerentiam plures usurpant, sed ea fides pollet
maxime ac solitarie quae cum propter uniuersalium praecepta regularum,
quibus eiusdem religionis intellegatur auctoritas, tum propterea, quod eius
cultus per omnes paene mundi terminos emanauit, catholica uel uniuersalis
uocatur. Cuius haec de trinitatis unitate sententia est: "Pater," inquiunt,
"deus filius deus spiritus sanctus deus." Igitur pater filius spiritus
sanctus unus non tres dii. Cuius coniunctionis ratio est indifferentia. Eos