Chapter IV.
Second, on the vanity of malice in subjects according to a threefold distinction.
I turned myself to other things, etc. Above we treated the vanity of malice in prelates; here in subjects. The vanity of malice is touched upon here with regard to a threefold distinction: first, of calumny, in maliciously harming; second, of envy, in maliciously grieving, there: Again I contemplated; third, of sloth, in withdrawing from good work, and this is touched upon there: The fool folds.
(Verses 1, 2, 3). He therefore describes the emptiness of calumny; and with regard to the consideration of calumny he says: I turned myself to other things, supply: to be considered; and I saw the calumnies that are committed under the sun, that is, in this world: Ezekiel twenty-two: "The people of the land practiced extortion and seized by violence; they afflicted the needy and the poor and oppressed the stranger with calumny without justice." And calumny is called the violent extortion of goods, as if through justice, but through malice.
And he adds the aggravation of misery, on account of the calamity of the oppressed, because they are oppressed unjustly, inconsolably, irremediably.
Because unjustly, he says: And the tears of the innocent, namely on account of such calumnies: Job thirty-five: "Because of the multitude of oppressors they will cry out, and they will wail because of the violence of the arm of tyrants."
Because inconsolably: and no one to console them, which indeed aggravates the cruelty; whence Lamentations one: "There is none to comfort her among all her dear ones." On the contrary, Ecclesiasticus seven: "Do not fail those who weep in consolation, and walk with those who mourn."
Nor does he lack only consolation, but indeed a remedy; whence he also adds: Nor able to resist their violence, destitute of all assistance, supply: I saw. Of this malice it is said in Proverbs twenty-two: "Do not do violence to the poor because he is poor, nor crush the needy at the gate." Therefore 2 Chronicles twenty: "In us there is not such great strength that we can resist this multitude that rushes upon us."
But with regard to the detestation of fault he adds: And I praised the dead more than the living, namely because they do not see these evils and cruelties, which no good person can see and not grieve: 3 Kings nineteen, Elijah said: "It is enough for me, Lord; take my soul, for I am not better than my fathers."
And I judged happier than both, namely than the dead and the living, him who has not yet been born nor seen the evils that are under the sun; as though to see or to have seen these evils were a great misery: 1 Maccabees two: "Woe to me, said Mattathias, why was I born to see the destruction of my people and the destruction of the holy city, and to sit there?" -- Thus therefore there is noted here the consideration of calumny, the aggravation of misery, because they are oppressed, desolate, destitute of assistance, and then the detestation of fault.
(Verse 4.). I again contemplated etc. Here secondly is touched upon the vanity of envy, in grieving maliciously over the good and prosperity of one's neighbor, which he also saw; whence he adds: I again contemplated. This contemplation is a free, penetrating, and fixed gaze. I contemplated, I say, all the labors and industries of men: labors, as regards the body; and industries of men, as regards the soul.
Or: labors and industries, that is, virtues; whence another translation: Every virtue of work; above in chapter two: "I detested all my industry, by which I most diligently labored under the sun." And I observed, that is, I perceived in my mind, that they lie open, that is, are exposed, to the envy of one's neighbor, because the envious person, seeing good things, immediately grieves; Ecclesiasticus chapter fourteen: "Evil is the eye of the envious, turning away his face and despising his own soul." And in this therefore is vanity, namely of malice; Proverbs chapter twenty-eight: "The man who hastens to become rich and envies others," etc. And superfluous care, namely of punishment, because, when he ought to think about his own goods, he always thinks about those of others; whence Proverbs chapter twenty-three: "Do not eat with an envious man, and do not desire his foods, because like a diviner he reckons what he does not know."
(Verses 5, 6.). The fool folds etc. Here thirdly is touched upon the vanity of sloth, on account of which a man is rendered weary and lazy toward every good and thereby foolish. Therefore he says: The fool folds his hands; therefore a fool, because lazy; Proverbs chapter twelve: "He who pursues idleness is most foolish"; Proverbs chapter six: "Go to the ant, O sluggard, and learn wisdom." This fool folds his hands, because he refuses to work; Proverbs chapter twenty-six: "The sluggard hides his hands under his armpit and finds it labor if he brings them to his mouth." And from this, that he refuses to work, he becomes poor and thin on account of the want of poverty; whence he says: And he eats his own flesh, saying: this is said hyperbolically, because he becomes thin, not having food; Proverbs chapter twenty-one: "Desires kill the sluggard, for his hands refused to do anything."
But in this laziness of sloth he seems to himself to have an excuse of wisdom; whence he also adds, saying: Better is a handful with rest than both hands full with labor and affliction of spirit. This is the maxim of the sluggard, by which he excuses himself; whence it is said in Proverbs chapter twenty-six: "The sluggard seems wiser to himself than seven men who speak maxims." — And thus is intimated in the sluggard the torpor of sloth, because he folds his hands; the endurance of penury, because he eats his flesh; the excuse of ignorance, because he praises rest.
Questions.
I. The question is raised here concerning what he says: I praised the dead more than the living.
Against: 1. Below in chapter nine: A living dog is better than a dead lion.
2. Furthermore, this seems evident by reason: because a positive state is better than a privation, therefore life is better than death; therefore, from conjugates, the living are better off than the dead.
I respond: it must be said that to praise one thing more than another, or to prefer it, can be done in two ways: either absolutely, or with respect to some condition. Speaking absolutely, the living is preferred to the dead, unless the condition of blessedness is added; but with respect to something, the dead is preferred to the living: first, because he does not have so many occasions of sinning; whence the Apostle said in Romans 7: Unhappy man that I am, who will deliver me from the servitude of this body? Second, because he does not have so many occasions of sorrow, since he does not see so many evils; Jonah, last chapter: It is better for me to die than to live. And with respect to this condition, the dead is preferred to the living, to emphasize present evils and miseries.
II. Likewise, there is a question about what is said: I judged him who has not yet been born happier than both.
Against: 1. He has nothing good; therefore he is not happier.
2. Furthermore, everything that has in some way the character of happiness is to be desired; but no one can desire non-being, as Augustine says; therefore he who has not been born is in no way happy.
III. Likewise, it is asked whether anyone can will this, namely to prefer non-being to punishment, with a rightly ordered appetite.
That he can: Matthew 26: "It would have been better for him if he had not been born"; therefore if everything better is to be desired and preferred, so also is this.
That he cannot, it seems, because it takes away all good; therefore nothing is worse than that.