3847. CONCERNING THE BONDS OF CONSCIENCE. Because the deceitful, who are above the head, are void of conscience, the bond of conscience being so entirely loosed with them they do not know what conscience is, therefore they wished to induce upon me the persuasion that that which was indifferent ought to be a matter of conscience. Thus whatever occurred they would infuse a conscientiousness concerning it, without discrimination, so also with those who had conscience whether true or spurious, they would suggest that to do this or that was a matter of conscience, as with me, that I should eat or buy in a certain place, because the persons there were upright, and so on. Thence arise spurious consciences, causing the possessors to be tormented with remorse by doing this or that in which there is no sin. It was given to say to them that they would be goaded by conscience if they could not perpetrate evil, for the devil is of such a quality that he is led on by a kind of conscience, inasmuch as he is affected by anxiety that he is not [always] able to think, speak, or do evil, as is also the case with some men.