Treatise on the Morals and Discipline of Human Conduct

Preface

According to the opinion of the most diligent Doctors The "Doctors" refers to established theological authorities, such as Thomas Aquinas or Augustine, God rules the whole world so carefully that He governs some things immediately by His own power, and others He governs through other created means. From this, it follows that the superior bodies The "superior bodies" refers to the planets and stars in the celestial spheres influence or rule these inferior bodies The "inferior bodies" refers to the Earth and all physical matter upon it. Although we do not see this in temporal matters in the way they move toward their specific properties, in theology The study of divine nature and religious truth we see it through the very passions original: "passiones"; here meaning the physical or psychological influences or "imprints" that the stars exert on human nature that man receives from the super-celestial bodies. These do not impose necessity A common medieval argument: the stars "incline" but do not "compel" the human will, preserving the concept of free will upon his nature, although they may dispose him toward a certain effect. And I say this: that all the evil now in the world, which arises from the governance of the celestial bodies, is natural.
For already two or three times in our experience we have had the plague; we have suffered it frequently. There is no corner of the world in which that plague has not been, which I attribute in large part to the constellation of the heavens (saving any better judgment). But besides that constellation, there is something active in our morals which we suffer from at present: there is no faithfulness among men, no constancy between men and women, but rather perjury and deceptions, adulteries and detestable flatteries, and every kind of malice is now tolerated in the world. Thus, the state of the world now in many ways verifies the saying of the prophet Hosea original: "Osee" in chapter 4, where it is written: "There is no truth, there is no mercy, there is no knowledge of God in the land; but lying, murder, theft, and robbery, and adultery have overflowed." And immediately afterward he adds the punishment: "Because of this, the land shall mourn, and everyone who dwells in it shall languish." For these evils, as they are now, were already present in the evil works of men; they existed then, but now vices reign. Virtues are suspended, and punishments are given for merit. There was never such great unfaithfulness...