Human free will in man's fallen state can do nothing good of itself. That was the conclusion to which Augustine came after two decades of reflection and writing, and Gregory follows him. We learn, he says, by experience, that we can do nothing without the help of divine grace – prevenient grace (j: ii.xlix.78, pp. 106–7; j: ii.lvi.89, pp. 111–12; j: xviixiv.20, p. 863.2). ‘We really learn where our good qualities come from when, by apparently losing them, we are made to realise that they can never be preserved by our own efforts.’

Grace comes first. Good willing and good actions come afterwards (j: xxiv.x.24; j: xvi.xxv.30, pp. 815–16; j: xvii.xvi.22, pp. 864–5), so that we ‘give our consent’ to God when he delivers us, and only in that sense by a special usage of the term can we be said to ‘deliver ourselves’ (j: xxiv.x.24). In the Dialogues, Peter asks why some are chosen by God and others not. He is curious about a story of a group of monks who all died at once with their beloved abbot Anastasius, except one. The last remaining monk, who could not bear to outlive Anastasius, begged to follow him within seven days.