E4Cap4
Chapter — Part IV
Latin
In vita itaque apprime utile est intellectum seu rationem quantum possumus perficere et in hoc uno summa hominis felicitas seu beatitudo consistit; quippe beatitudo nihil aliud est quam ipsa animi acquiescentia quæ ex Dei intuitiva cognitione oritur : at intellectum perficere nihil etiam aliud est quam Deum Deique attributa et actiones quæ ex ipsius naturæ necessitate consequuntur, intelligere. Quare hominis qui ratione ducitur finis ultimus hoc est summa cupiditas qua reliquas omnes moderari studet, est illa qua fertur ad se resque omnes quæ sub ipsius intelligentiam cadere possunt, adæquate concipiendum.
English (Elwes 1883)
Thus in life it is before all things useful to perfect the understanding, or reason, as far as we can, and in this alone man's highest happiness or blessedness consists, indeed blessedness is nothing else but the contentment of spirit, which arises from the intuitive knowledge of God: now, to perfect the understanding is nothing else but to understand God, God's attributes, and the actions which follow from the necessity of his nature. Wherefore of a man, who is led by reason, the ultimate aim or highest desire, whereby he seeks to govern all his fellows, is that whereby he is brought to the adequate conception of himself and of all things within the scope of his intelligence.
Modern English
In life, then, the most useful thing of all is to perfect the intellect, or reason, as far as we can, and the highest happiness or blessedness of a person consists in this alone. Blessedness is nothing other than the mind's contentment that arises from the intuitive knowledge of God, and to perfect the intellect is nothing other than to understand God, the attributes of God, and the actions that follow from the necessity of the divine nature. The ultimate aim of a person guided by reason — the highest desire by which they seek to govern all others — is therefore the one that carries them to conceive themselves and all things that fall within their understanding as adequately as possible.