E4P36S
Scholium — Part IV
Latin
Si quis autem roget quid si summum bonum eorum qui virtutem sectantur, non esset omnibus commune? an non inde ut supra (vide propositionem 34 hujus) sequeretur quod homines qui ex ductu rationis vivunt hoc est (per propositionem 35 hujus) homines quatenus natura conveniunt, essent invicem contrarii? Is hoc sibi responsum habeat non ex accidenti sed ex ipsa natura rationis oriri ut hominis summum bonum omnibus sit commune, nimirum quia ex ipsa humana essentia quatenus ratione definitur, deducitur et quia homo nec esse nec concipi posset si potestatem non haberet gaudendi hoc summo bono. Pertinet namque (per propositionem 47 partis II) ad mentis humanæ essentiam adæquatam habere cognitionem æternæ et infinitæ essentiæ Dei.
English (Elwes 1883)
Someone may ask how it would be, if the highest good of those who follow after virtue were not common to all? Would it not then follow, as above (IV. xxxiv.), that men living in obedience to reason, that is (IV. xxxv.), men in so far as they agree in nature, would be at variance one with another? To such an inquiry, I make answer, that it follows not accidentally but from the very nature of reason, that main's highest good is common to all, inasmuch as it is deduced from the very essence of man, in so far as defined by reason; and that a man could neither be, nor be conceived without the power of taking pleasure in this highest good. For it belongs to the essence of the human mind (II. xlvii.), to have an adequate knowledge of the eternal and infinite essence of God.
Modern English
Someone might ask: if the highest good of those who pursue virtue were not common to all, would it not follow, as above (E4P34), that people who live under the guidance of reason, that is (E4P35), people insofar as they agree in nature, would be contrary to one another? The answer is: it follows not accidentally but from the very nature of reason that the highest good of a human being is common to all, because it is derived from the very human essence insofar as that essence is defined by reason. A person could neither exist nor be conceived without the power to enjoy this highest good. For it belongs to the essence of the human mind (E2P47) to have adequate knowledge of the eternal and infinite essence of God.