Lactantius — Divine Institutes 5.5
Now the proposed dispute about justice must be rendered--which is either itself the highest virtue or itself the fountain of virtue--which not only the philosophers have sought, but the poets also, who were much earlier and, before the name of philosophy was born, were held for wise. They plainly understood that this justice was absent from human affairs, and they imagined that, offended by human vices, it had left the earth and migrated to heaven. And so that they may teach what it is to live justly--for they usually give precepts through riddles--they take examples of justice from the times of Saturn, which they call golden, and narrate in what state human life was while that justice lingered on earth; which indeed is to be held not for poetic fiction but for truth.
For while Saturn reigned there was not yet worship of false gods; people cultivated the one God; goods were held in common; there was no greed tearing society apart, no war. Poets painted that age as golden because justice--that is, the pious and religious worship of the one God--still walked among humans on earth. As long as justice was present and vigorous, no one needed weapons for self-defense, since no one lay in wait; nor did anyone seek another persons ruin for gain.
Perhaps Jupiter did something of that kind to storm and remove justice, and for that reason is said to have made serpents wild and sharpened wolves. Then the rage of war and love of possessing followed--and not without cause. For when the religion of God was taken away, people also lost the knowledge of good and evil. So the community of life among humans was cut off and the covenant of human society was broken. Then they began to join hands against each other, to lie in wait, and to get glory for themselves from human blood.
Latin
Nunc reddenda est de iustitia proposita disputatio. quae aut ipsa est summa uirtus aut fons est ipse uirtutis: quam non modo philosophi quaesierunt, sed poetae quoque, qui priores multo fuerunt et ante natum philosophiae nomen pro sapientibus habebantur. hi plane intellexerunt abesse hane a rebus humanis eamque finxerunt offensam uitiis hominum cessisse terra in caelumque migrasse. atque ut doceant quid sit iuste uiuere — solent enim praecepta per ambages dare —, a Saturni temporibus, quae illi uocant aurea, repetunt exempla iustitiae narrantque in quo statu fuerit humana uita, dum illa in terra moraretur.. quod quidem non pro poetica nctione, sed pro uero habendum est.
Saturno enim regnante, nondum deorum cultibus institutis nec adhuc illa gente ad diuinitatis opinionem consecrata, deus utique colebatur. et ideo non erant neque dissensiones nequp inimicitiae neque bella, nondum uesanos rabies nudauerat enses, ut Germanicus Caesar in Arateo loquitur carmine, nec consanguineis fuerat discordia nota, immo ne alienigenis quidem, sed neque ulli omnino gladii qui nudarentur fuerunt. quis enim praesente ac uigente iustitia aut de tutela sui, cum nemo insidiaretur, aut de pernicie alterius cogitaret, cum nemo quicquam concupisceret? malebant tenui contenti uiuere cultu, ut Cicero in suo narrat: quod est proprium nostrae religionis. ne signare quidem aut partiri limite campum fas erat: in medium quaerebant, quippe cum deus communem omnibus terram dedisset, ut communem degerent uitam, non ut rabida et furens auaritia sibi omnia uindicaret, nec ulli deesset quod omnibus nasceretur. quod poetae dictum sic accipi oportet, non ut existimemus nihil omnino tum fuisse priuati, sed more poetico figuratum, ut intellegamus tam liberales fuisse homines, ut natas sibi fruges non includerent nec soli absconditis incubarent, sed pauperes ad communionem proprii laboris admitterent. flumina iam lactis, iam flumina nectaris ibant . nec mirum, cum promptuaria iustorum benigne paterent omnibus nec auaritia intercipiens beneficia diuina famem sitimque uulgo faceret, sed omnes aequaliter abundarent, cum habentes non habentibus large copioseque donarent. sed postquam Saturnus a filio pulsus in Latiumque delatus est arma Iouis fugiens et regnis exul ademptis, cum iam populus uel noui regis metu uel sua sponte deprauatus deum colere desisset regemque pro deo habere coepisset, cum ipse propemodum parricida exemplo ceteris esset ad uiolandam pietatem, deseruit propere terras iustissima uirgo, sed non, ut ait Cicero, et Iouis in regno caelique in parte resedit . quomodo enim poterat in eius regno residere aut commorari qui patrem regno expulit, bello persecutus est, exulem toto orbe iactauit? ille malum uirus serpentibus addidit atris praedarique lupos iussit, id est odium et inuidiam et dolum hominibus inseuit, ut tam essent quam serpentes uenenati, tam rapaces quam lupi. quod quidem uere faciunt ii qui iustos ac fideles deo persecuntur dantque iudicibus saeuiendi aduersus innoxios potestatem.
fortasse aliquid eiusmodi Iuppiter fecerit ad expugnandam tollendamque iustitiam et idcirco efferasse serpentes ac lupos acuisse tradatur. tum belli rabies et amor successit habendi . neque inmerito. sublata enim dei religione boni quoque ac mali scientiam perdiderunt. sic hominibus intercidit communitas uitae et diremptum est foedus societatis humanae. tum inter se manus conserere coeperunt et insidiari et gloriam sibi ex humano sanguine conparare.