Apology 43
43 Chapter XLIII PL 1, 495
I will confess, however, without hesitation, that there are some who in a sense may complain of Christians that they are a sterile race: as, for instance, pimps, and panders, and bath-suppliers; assassins, and poisoners, and sorcerers; soothsayers, too, diviners, and astrologers. But it is a noble fruit of Christians, that they have no fruits for such as these. And yet, whatever loss your interests suffer from the religion we profess, the protection you have from us makes amply up for it. What value do you set on persons, I do not here urge who deliver you from demons, I do not urge who for your sakes present prayers before the throne of the true God, for perhaps you have no belief in that—but from whom you can have nothing to fear?
Qui tamen vere de illis conqueri possunt, esse lenones, perductores, sicarios, venenarios, magos, similesque, quibus infructuosos esse magnus sit fructus. Sed et hoc damnum meliori lucro permutari: cum et ab illis daemonia excutiant, et pro illis Deum venerentur, nullisque, ut tales, rebus novis in exitium Reipublicae studeant.
43. Plane confitebor, quinam, si forte, vere de sterilitate Christianorum conqueri possint. Primi erunt lenones, perductores, aquarioli , tum sicarii, venenarii, magi, item harioli, haruspices, mathematici. His infructuosos esse magnus fructus est. Et tamen quodcumque dispendium est rei vestrae per hanc sectam, cum aliquo utique praesidio compensari potest. Quanti habetis, non dico qui jam de vobis daemonia excutiant, non dico jam qui pro vobis quoque vero Deo preces sternant, quia forte non creditis, sed a quibus nihil timere possitis.