Book 1, Chapter 28

68 “Consider how we first see the beauty and brightness of the heavens, then the speed of their revolution, so great that we cannot conceive it; then the alternation of days and nights and the fourfold change of seasons, suited to ripening crops and tempering our bodies; and the sun, ruler and guide of them all. We see the moon marking and announcing the days, as if in a calendar, by the waxing and waning of its light; then five stars traveling in the same belt divided into twelve parts, most faithfully maintaining their courses, though their motions differ from one another; and the face of the night sky adorned with stars on every side. Then we see the globe of the earth rising from the sea, fixed in the center of the whole universe, inhabited and cultivated in two widely separated regions. One, where we live, lies

“‘Under the pole, toward the seven stars, from where the shuddering“‘North wind’s shriek drives freezing snow;’

“the other, in the south, is unknown to us: the Greeks call it the ‘opposite earth.’ The remaining regions are uninhabited,

69 “because they are either rigid with cold or scorched by heat. But here where we live, each in its season, there is no failure of

“‘The sky to shine, the trees to break in leaf,“‘The gladdening vines to clothe themselves in shoots,“‘The branches to bend down with wealth of berries,“‘The fields to yield their crops, all things to flower,“‘The springs to bubble, meadows to be robed in grass.’

“Then we see the multitude of animals, some for food, some for cultivating the fields, some for transport, some to clothe our bodies; and humanity itself, as it were the observer of heaven and worshiper of the gods, with every land and sea obedient to human needs—

70 “When we see these things and countless others, can we doubt that some being presides over them, either their maker, if they had a beginning, as Plato believes, or, if they have always existed, as Aristotle holds, the governor of so vast a structure and service? In the same way, although you cannot see the human mind, just as you cannot see a god, nevertheless, as you recognize a god by his works, recognize the mind’s divine power by its memory, invention, swiftness of movement, and all the beauty of virtue.”

68 “Look up: the beauty and brilliance of the sky meet us first, and then its spinning, faster than thought can grasp. Day gives way to night and night to day; the seasons change four times, allowing crops to ripen and our bodies to keep a proper temperature. Over all of this the sun presides and gives direction. As the moon’s light increases and fades, it shows and marks the days like a calendar. Five planets travel within one belt, which has twelve divisions. They move at different speeds, yet each follows its regular course without fail. Stars adorn the night sky on every side. The earth’s round mass rises above the sea and stays fixed at the universe’s center. People inhabit and farm two zones far apart. Our zone is “‘Beneath the pole beside the seven stars, where Aquilo’s “‘Terrifying howl heaps up the icy snow.’ “The other zone lies to the south. We don’t know it; the Greek name is ‘the opposite earth.’ The rest has no inhabitants,

69 “being either stiff with frost or burning hot. Here where we live, however, every year at the right time “‘The heavens grow bright, the trees break into leaf, “‘The vines that bring delight grow thick with shoots, “‘The branches bow beneath a wealth of berries, “‘The fields give grain, and flowers bloom everywhere, “‘Springs bubble up, and grass covers the meadows.’ “Then consider the herds of animals in all their numbers. Some feed us, some help farm the fields, some provide transport, and some supply clothing for our bodies. Consider humanity itself, a spectator of heaven and a worshiper of the gods, with every field and sea at its service.

70 “Such sights, and countless more, leave us in no doubt: someone must preside over them. If they had a beginning, as Plato believes, he made them. If they have existed forever, as Aristotle believes, he directs this vast work and the benefits it brings. Treat the human mind in the same way. It is invisible to you, but so is a god. His works tell you he exists. Likewise, remembering things, inventing, moving so quickly, and displaying goodness in all its beauty tell you that the mind has divine power.”