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And that the perfect Happiness must be a kind of Contemplative

Working may appear also from the following consideration: our

conception of the gods is that they are above all blessed and

happy: now what kind of Moral actions are we to attribute to

them? those of justice? nay, will they not be set in a ridiculous

light if represented as forming contracts, and restoring

deposits, and so on? well then, shall we picture them performing

brave actions, withstanding objects of fear and meeting dangers,

because it is noble to do so? or liberal ones? but to whom shall

they be giving? and further, it is absurd to think they have

money or anything of the kind. And as for actions of perfected

self-mastery, what can theirs be? would it not be a degrading

praise that they have no bad desires? In short, if one followed

the subject into all details all the circumstances connected with

Moral actions would appear trivial and unworthy of Gods.