Laudator Temporis Acti

Augustine, Sermons 25A.1 (Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina, vol. 41, p. 341; tr. Edmund Hill):

In this world the prosperity of evil men is the pit for sinners. People are habitually upset by this, and often religious people too, people who wouldn't dream of blaming the Lord and yet wonder to themselves why bad people are so often successful. And such people are supremely upset when they themselves are beset by miseries and disasters though they are well aware that they live better lives than the others. They see evil people prevailing successfully all along the line in all their business which is admittedly earthly and temporal, but is still good. And they sigh in their miseries, and can scarcely restrain their thoughts from blaming God.

In isto enim saeculo felicitas malorum fovea est peccatorum. Solent autem hinc moveri homines, et plerumque religiosi, et qui non audent reprehendere Dominum, tamen mirari apud semetipsos, quare sint mali plerumque felices. Et maxime hii moventur, qui cum se melius vivere noverint, miseriis et calamitatibus aguntur. Ipsi enim vident malos in omnibus, licet terrenis et temporalibus, tamen bonis omni felicitate pollere. Et suspirant in miseriis suis, et vix a reprehensione Dei sua corda refrenant.