corruption, so far as men approach them by reason, so far do they
cling to purity and to a love of purity. But since it is impossible
that man's nature can be altogether pure being mixed of such
materials, reason is applied, as far as it is possible, and reason
endeavours to make human nature love
The first, then, and highest purity is that which is in the soul;
and we say the same of impurity. Now you could not discover the
impurity of the soul as you could discover that of the body: but as to
the soul, what else could you find in it than that which makes it
filthy in respect to the acts which are her own? Now the acts of the
soul are movement toward an object or movement from it, desire,
aversion, preparation, design, assent. What, then, is it which in
these acts makes the soul filthy and impure? Nothing else than her own
bad judgements. Consequently, the impurity of the soul is the soul's
bad opinions; and the purification of the soul is the planting in it
of proper opinions; and the soul is pure which has proper opinions,
for the soul alone in her own acts is free from perturbation and
pollution.
Now we ought to work at something like this in the body also, as far
as we can. It was impossible for the defluxions of the nose not to run
when man has such a mixture in his body. For this reason, nature has
made hands and the nostrils themselves as channels for carrying off
the humours. If, then, a man sucks up the defluxions, I say that he is
not doing the act of a man. It was impossible for a man's feet not
to be made muddy and not be soiled at all when he passes through dirty
places. For this reason, nature has made water and hands. It was
impossible that some impurity should not remain in the teeth from
eating: for this reason, she says, wash the teeth. Why? In order
that you may be a man and not a wild beast or a hog. It was impossible
that from the sweat and the pressing of the clothes there should not
remain some impurity about the body which requires to be cleaned away.
For this reason water, oil, hands, towels, scrapers, nitre,
sometimes all other kinds of means are necessary for cleaning the
body. You do not act so: but the smith will take off the rust from the
iron, and be will have tools prepared for this purpose, and you
yourself wash the platter when you are going to eat, if you are not
completely impure and dirty: but will you not wash the body nor make
it clean? "Why?" he replies. I will tell you again; in the first
place, that you may do the acts of a man; then, that you may not be
disagreeable to those with whom you associate. You do something of
this kind even in this matter, and you do not perceive it: you think
that you deserve to stink. Let it be so: deserve to stink. Do you
think that also those who sit by you, those who recline at table
with you, that those who kiss you deserve the same? Either go into a
desert, where you deserve to go, or live by yourself, and smell
yourself. For it is just that you alone should enjoy your own
impurity. But when you are in a city, to behave so inconsiderately and
foolishly, to what character do you think that it belongs? If nature
had entrusted to you a horse, would you have overlooked and
neglected him? And now think that you have been intrusted with your