Note 39 — LETTER IX.

The Casuists are divided into Probabilistæ and Probabilioristæ. The first, among whom were the Jesuits, maintain that a certain degree of probability as to the lawfulness of an action is enough to secure against sin. The second, supported by the Dominicans and the Jansenists (a kind of Catholic Calvinists, condemned by the Church) insist on the necessity of always taking the safest, or most probable side. The French proverb Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien, is perfectly applicable to the practical effects of these two systems, as they are observed in Spain.