BOOK II PART III
is as pure and untainted, after having commit-
ted the most horrid crimes, as at the first mo-
ment of his birth, nor is his character any way
concerned in his actions; since they are not de-
rived from it, and the wickedness of the one
can never be used as a proof of the depravity
of the other. It is only upon the principles of
necessity, that a person acquires any merit or
demerit from his actions, however the common
opinion may incline to the contrary.
But so inconsistent are men with themselves,
that though they often assert, that necessity ut-
terly destroys all merit and demerit either to-
wards mankind or superior powers, yet they
continue still to reason upon these very princi-
ples of necessity in all their judgments concern-
ing this matter. Men are not blamed for such
evil actions as they perform ignorantly and ca-