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CLASSICAL ESSAY |
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by Marcus Tullius Cicero
The great foundation of justice is faithfulness, which consists in being constantly firm to your word, and a conscientious performance of all compacts and bargains. The vice that is opposite to justice is injustice, of which there are two sorts: the first consists in the actual doing an injury to another; the second, in tamely looking on while he is injured, and not helping and defending him though we are able. He that injuriously falls on another, whether prompted by rage or other violent passion, does, as it were, leap at the throat of his companion; and he that refuses to help him when injured, and to ward off the wrong if it lies in his power, is as guilty of injustice as though he had deserted his father, his friends, or native country. It is observable that the limits of justice are not fixed. Respect must be had to general rules as the ground and foundation of all justice -- first, that no injury be done to another; and, secondly, that we make it our earnest endeavor to promote the good of all mankind: so that our duty is not always the same, but various, according to circumstances. There are certain duties to be strictly observed, even towards those who have injured us; for we ought not to go beyond certain bounds in exacting revenge and punishment of another; in which particular it may, perhaps, be enough to make him that has wronged us repent of the wrong done, so that both he himself may abstain from the like, and others may be discouraged from injuring us in the future. There are certain peculiar laws of war, also, which are of all things most strictly to be observed in the commonwealth; for there being two sorts of disputing in the world, the one by reason, and the other by open force; and the former of these being that which is agreeable to the nature of man, and the latter to that of brutes. When we cannot obtain what is our right by one, we must of necessity have recourse to the other. It is allowable, therefore, to undertake wars, but it must always be with the design of obtaining a secure peace; and when we have got the better of our enemies, we should rest content with the victory alone unless they are such as have been very cruel and committed inhuman barbarities in the war. In my opinion, it is always our duty to do what we can for a fair and safe peace. Unless a man be governed by the rules of justice, and fight for the safety and good of the public, his is a sort of courage that is altogether blamable.
Excerpted from On Justice, by Marcus Tullius Cicero |
Cicero: On the Commonwealth and On the Laws
On the Good Life, by Marcus Tullius Cicero
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