Like thorns or stinging nettles, which pierce or scratch, it cannot be any other way. The most tolerable form of revenge is for injustices for which there is no law to correct them; but then one must be careful that the revenge is such that there is no law to punish it; otherwise, the enemy is still at an advantage, and then there are two against one. Some, when seeking revenge, want the other side to know where the revenge is coming from. That is noble. Because satisfaction seems to come not so much from inflicting pain as from the remorse of the opponent. But revenge of vile and cunning cowards is like an arrow that flies in the dark. Cosimo, Duke of Florence, had a bitter saying against unfaithful and negligent friends, holding that their deeds are unforgivable: “You will read (he says) that we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but nowhere will you read that we are commanded to forgive our friends. However, the spirit of Job was better tuned: “We have received good from God,” he says, “shall we not also receive evil?” This can be understood in a certain way. The following is the translation:
Revenge is a kind of wild justice, and the more human nature strives for it, the more the law needs to eradicate it. Because regarding the first act of injustice, it only offends the law; but the revenge of that injustice nullifies the law.
Indeed, the one who seeks revenge only becomes equal to their enemy; but the one who overlooks the insult is better, because forgiving is royal. And Solomon, I am convinced, says: Glory belongs to the one who overlooks the insult. What is past is gone and irretrievable, and wise people have enough to do with present and future matters; therefore those who dwell on what is past waste their time. No person does evil for the sake of evil; they do it to gain profit, pleasure, honor, or something similar. So why would they be angry at someone for loving themselves more. from me? And if someone does evil just because of their vile nature, it is only because, like a thorn or a briar, that stings or scratches, they cannot do otherwise.
The most tolerable form of revenge is one for injustices for which there is no law that would correct them; but then one must be careful that the revenge is such that there is no law that would punish it; otherwise, the enemy is still at an advantage, and then there are two against one. Some, when seeking revenge, want the other side to know where the revenge is coming from. That is nobler. Because satisfaction seems to come not so much from causing pain as from the opponent’s remorse. But the revenge of vile and cunning cowards is like an arrow flying in the dark.
Cosimo, the Duke of Florence, had a bitter saying against unfaithful and negligent friends, believing that their actions were unforgivable: You will read (he says) that we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but nowhere will you read that we are commanded to forgive our friends. However, the spirit of Job was better attuned. We were receiving good things (he says) from God, but won’t we also receive evil? This can be applied in a certain way to our friends as well. One thing is certain: a person who hatches revenge is digging into their own wound, which would otherwise heal and close. Public revenge mostly ends happily, like revenge for the death of Caesar, for the death of Pertinax, for the death of Henry III, King of France, and many others. But it’s not the same with private revenges. On the contrary, vengeful individuals live a life like witches who, just as they are wicked, also have an unfortunate ending.
1 Cosimo de’ Medici (1389-1464)
2 Public revenges here refer to punishments imposed by state authorities and prescribed by laws.
3 Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was a Roman dictator killed in the Senate, and Mark Antony punished those responsible for his death.
4 Publius Helvius Pertinax (126-193) was killed three months after becoming Roman emperor; his assassins were found and executed.
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