,,the ,,golden ,,sayings ,,of ,,epictetus ,translated and ,arranged by ,hastings ,crossley ,,contents ,i ,,ii ,,iii ,,iv ,v ,,vi ,,vii ,,viii ,,ix ,x ,,xi ,,xii ,,xiii ,,xiv ,,xv ,,xvi ,,xvii ,,xviii ,,xix ,,xx ,,xxi ,,xxii ,,xxiii ,,xxiv ,,xxv ,,xxvi ,,xxvii ,,xxviii ,,xxix ,,xxx ,,xxxi ,,xxxii ,,xxxiii ,,xxxiv ,,xxxv ,,xxxvi ,,xxxvii ,,xxxviii ,,xxxix ,,xl ,,xli ,,xlii ,,xliii ,,xliv ,,xlv ,,xlvi ,,xlvii ,,xlviii ,,xlix ,l ,,li ,,lii ,,liii ,,liv ,,lv ,,lvi ,,lvii ,,lviii ,,lix ,,lx ,,lxi ,,lxii ,,lxiii ,,lxiv ,,lxv ,,lxvi ,,lxvii ,,lxviii ,,lxix ,,lxx ,,lxxi ,,lxxii ,,lxxiii ,,lxxiv ,,lxxv ,,lxxvi ,,lxxvii ,,lxxviii ,,lxxix ,,lxxx ,,lxxxi ,,lxxxii ,,lxxxiii ,,lxxxiv ,,lxxxv ,,lxxxvi ,,lxxxvii ,,lxxxviii ,,lxxxix ,,xc ,,xci ,,xcii ,,xciii ,,xciv ,,xcv ,,xcvi ,,xcvii ,,xcviii ,,xcix ,c ,,ci ,,cii ,,ciii ,,civ ,,cv ,,cvi ,,cvii ,,cviii ,,cix ,,cx ,,cxi ,,cxii ,,cxiii ,,cxiv ,,cxv ,,cxvi ,,cxvii ,,cxviii ,,cxix ,,cxx ,,cxxi ,,cxxii ,,cxxiii ,,cxxiv ,,cxxv ,,cxxvi ,,cxxvii ,,cxxviii ,,cxxix ,,cxxx ,,cxxxi ,,cxxxii ,,cxxxiii ,,cxxxiv ,,cxxxv ,,cxxxvi ,,cxxxvii ,,cxxxviii ,,cxxxix ,,cxl ,,cxli ,,cxlii ,,cxlii ,,cxliv ,,cxlv ,,cxlvi ,,cxlvii ,,cxlviii ,,cxlix ,,cl ,,cli ,,clii ,,cliii ,,cliv ,,clv ,,clvi ,,clvii ,,clviii ,,clix ,,clx ,,clxi ,,clxii ,,clxiii ,,clxiv ,,clxv ,,clxvi ,,clxvii ,,clxviii ,,clxix ,,clxx ,,clxxi ,,clxxii ,,clxxiii ,,clxxiv ,,clxxv ,,clxxvi ,,clxxvii ,,clxxviii ,,clxxix ,,clxxx ,,clxxxi ,,clxxxii ,,clxxxiii ,,clxxxiv ,,clxxxv ,,clxxxvi ,,clxxxvii ,,clxxxviii ,,clxxxix 7,,appendix ,a7 ,fragments ,attributed to ,epictetus ,i ,,ii ,,iii ,,iv ,v ,,vi ,,vii ,,viii ,,ix ,x ,,xi ,,xii ,,xiii ,,xiv ,,xv ,,xvi ,,xvii ,,xviii ,,xix ,,xx ,,xxi ,,xxii ,,xxiii ,,xxiv 7,,appendix ,b7 ,the ,hymn of ,cleanthes ,i ,are these the only works of ,providence within us8 ,what words suffice to praise or set them forth8 ,had we but understanding1 should we ever cease hymning and blessing the ,divine ,power1 both openly and in secret1 and telling of ,his gracious gifts8 ,whether digging or ploughing or eating1 should we not sing the hymn to ,god3-- ,great is ,god1 for that ,he hath given us such instruments to till the ground withal3 ,great is ,god1 for that ,he hath given us hands and the power of swallowing and digesting2 of unconsciously growing and breathing while we sleep6 ,thus should we ever have sung2 yea and this1 the grandest and divinest hymn of all3-- ,great is ,god1 for that ,he hath given us a mind to apprehend these things1 and duly to use them6 ,what then6 seeing that most of you are blinded1 should there not be some one to fill this place1 and sing the hymn to ,god on behalf of all men8 ,what else can ,i that am old and lame do but sing to ,god8 ,were ,i a nightingale1 ,i should do after the manner of a nightingale4 ,were ,i a swan1 ,i should do after the manner of a swan4 ,but now1 since ,i am a reasonable being1 ,i must sing to ,god3 that is my work3 ,i do it1 nor will ,i desert this my post1 as long as it is granted me to hold it2 and upon you too ,i call to join in this self-same hymn4 ,,ii ,how then do men act8 ,as though one returning to his country who had sojourned for the night in a fair inn1 should be so captivated thereby as to take up his abode there4 8,friend1 thou hast forgotten thine intention6 ,this was not thy destination1 but only lay on the way thither40 8,nay1 but it is a proper place40 8,and how many more of the sort there may be2 only to pass through upon thy way6 ,thy purpose was to return to thy country2 to relieve thy kinsmen's fears for thee2 thyself to discharge the duties of a citizen2 to marry a wife1 to beget offspring1 and to fill the appointed round of office4 ,thou didst not come to choose out what places are most pleasant2 but rather to return to that wherein thou wast born and where wert appointed to be a citizen40 ,,iii ,try to enjoy the great festival of life with other men4 ,,iv ,but ,i have one whom ,i must please1 to whom ,i must be subject1 whom ,i must obey3--,god1 and those who come next to ,him4 ,he hath entrusted me with myself3 ,he hath made my will subject to myself alone and given me rules for the right use thereof4 ,v ,rufus used to say1 ,if you have leisure to praise me1 what ,i say is naught4 ,in truth he spoke in such wise1 that each of us who sat there1 though that some one had accused him to ,rufus3--so surely did he lay his finger on the very deeds we did3 so surely display the faults of each before his very eyes4 ,,vi ,but what saith ,god8--8,had it been possible1 ,epictetus1 ,i would have made both that body of thine and thy possessions free and unimpeded1 but as it is1 be not deceived3--it is not thine own2 it is but finely tempered clay4 ,since then this ,i could not do1 ,i have given thee a portion of ,myself1 in the power of desiring and declining and of pursuing and avoiding1 and in a word the power of dealing with the things of sense4 ,and if thou neglect not this1 but place all that thou hast therein1 thou shalt never be let or hindered2 thou shalt never lament2 thou shalt not blame or flatter any4 ,what then8 ,seemth this to thee a little thing80--,god forbid6--8,be content then therewith60 ,and so ,i pray the ,gods4 ,,vii ,what saith ,antisthenes8 ,hast thou never heard8-- ,it is a kingly thing1 ,o ,cyrus1 to do well and to be evil spoken of4 ,,viii 8,aye1 but to debase myself thus were unworthy of me40 8,that10 said ,epictetus1 8is for you to consider1 not for me4 ,you know yourself what you are worth in your own eyes2 and at what price you will sell yourself4 ,for men sell themselves at various prices4 ,this was why1 when ,florus was deliberating whether he should appear at ,nero's shows1 taking part in the performance himself1 ,agrippinus replied1 #8,but why do not you appear8' he answered1 #8,because ,i do not even consider the question4' ,for the man who has once stooped to consider such questions1 and to reckon up the value of external things1 is not far from forgetting what manner of man he is4 ,why1 what is it that you ask me8 ,is death preferable1 or life8 ,i reply1 ,life4 ,pain or pleasure8 ,i reply1 ,pleasure40 8,well1 but if ,i do not act1 ,i shall lose my head40 8,then go and act6 ,but for my part ,i will not act40 8,why80 8,because you think yourself but one among the many threads which make up the texture of the doublet4 ,you should aim at being like men in general--just as your thread has no ambition either to be anything distinguished compared with the other threads4 ,but ,i desire to be the purple--that small and shining part which makes the rest seem fair and beautiful4 ,why then do you bid me become even as the multitude8 ,then were ,i no longer the purple40 ,,ix ,if a man could be throughly penetrated1 as he ought1 with this thought1 that we are all in an especial manner sprung from ,god1 and that ,god is the ,father of men as well as of ,gods1 full surely he would never conceive aught ignoble or base of himself4 ,whereas if ,csar were to adopt you1 your haughty looks would be intolerable2 will you not be elated at knowing that you are the son of ,god8 ,now however it is not so with us3 but seeing that in our birth these two things are commingled--the body which we share with the animals1 and the ,reason and ,thought which we share with the ,gods1 many decline towards this unhappy kinship with the dead1 few rise to the blessed kinship with the ,divine4 ,since then every one must deal with each thing according to the view which he forms about it1 those few who hold that they are born for fidelity1 modesty1 and unerring sureness in dealing with the things of sense1 never conceive aught base or ignoble of themselves3 but the multitude the contrary4 ,why1 what am ,i8--,a wretched human creature2 with this miserable flesh of mine4 ,miserable indeed6 but you have something better than that paltry flesh of yours4 ,why then cling to the one1 and neglect the other8 ,x ,thou art but a poor soul laden with a lifeless body4 ,,xi ,the other day ,i had an iron lamp placed beside my household gods4 ,i heard a noise at the door and on hastening down found my lamp carried off4 ,i reflected that the culprit was in no very strange case4 8,tomorrow1 my friend10 ,i said1 8you will find an earthenware lamp2 for a man can only lose what he has40 ,,xii ,the reason why ,i lost my lamp was that the thief was superior to me in vigilance4 ,he paid however this price for the lamp1 that in exchange for it he consented to become a thief3 in exchange for it1 to become faithless4 ,,xiii ,but ,god hath introduced ,man to be a spectator of ,himself and of ,his works2 and not a spectator only1 but also an interpreter of them4 ,wherefore it is a shame for man to begin and to leave off where the brutes do4 ,rather he should begin there1 and leave off where ,nature leaves off in us3 and that is at contemplation1 and understanding1 and a manner of life that is in harmony with herself4 ,see then that ye die not without being spectators of these things4 ,,xiv ,you journey to ,olympia to see the work of ,phidias2 and each of you holds it a misfortune not to have beheld these things before you die4 ,whereas when there is no need even to take a journey1 but you are on the spot1 with the works before you1 have you no care to contemplate and study these8 ,will you not then perceive either who you are or unto what end you were born3 or for what purpose the power of contemplation has been bestowed on you8 8,well1 but in life there are some things disagreeable and hard to bear40 ,and are there none at ,olympia8 ,are you not scorched by the heat8 ,are you not cramped for room8 ,have you not to bathe with discomfort8 ,are you not drenched when it rains8 ,have you not to endure the clamor and shouting and such annoyances as these8 ,well1 ,i suppose you set all this over against the splendour of the spectacle and bear it patiently4 ,what then8 have you not received greatness of heart1 received courage1 received fortitude8 ,what care ,i1 if ,i am great of heart1 for aught that can come to pass8 ,what shall cast me down or disturb me8 ,what shall seem painful8 ,shall ,i not use the power to the end for which ,i received it1 instead of moaning and wailing over what comes to pass8 ,,xv ,if what philosophers say of the kinship of ,god and ,man be true1 what remains for men to do but as ,socrates did3--never1 when asked one's country1 to answer1 8,i am an ,athenian or a ,corinthian10 but 8,i am a citizen of the world40 ,,xvi ,he that hath grasped the administration of the ,world1 who hath learned that this ,community1 which consists of ,god and men1 is the foremost and mightiest and most comprehensive of all3--that from ,god have descended the germs of life1 not to my father only and father's father1 but to all things that are born and grow upon the earth1 and in an especial manner to those endowed with ,reason 7for those only are by their nature fitted to hold communion with ,god1 being by means of ,reason conjoined with ,him7--why should not such an one call himself a citizen of the world8 ,why not a son of ,god8 ,why should he fear aught that comes to pass among men8 ,shall kinship with ,csar1 or any other of the great at ,rome1 be enough to hedge men around with safety and consideration1 without a thought of apprehension3 while to have ,god for our ,maker1 and ,father1 and ,kinsman1 shall not this set us free from sorrows and fears8 ,,xvii ,i do not think that an old fellow like me need have been sitting here to try and prevent your entertaining abject notions of yourselves1 and talking of yourselves in an abject and ignoble way3 but to prevent there being by chance among you any such young men as1 after recognising their kindred to the ,gods1 and their bondage in these chains of the body and its manifold necessities1 should desire to cast them off as burdens too grievous to be borne1 and depart their true kindred4 ,this is the struggle in which your ,master and ,teacher1 were he worthy of the name1 should be engaged4 ,you would come to me and say3 8,epictetus1 we can no longer endure being chained to this wretched body1 giving food and drink and rest and purification3 aye1 and for its sake forced to be subservient to this man and that4 ,are these not things indifferent and nothing to us8 ,is it not true that death is no evil8 ,are we not in a manner kinsmen of the ,gods1 and have we not come from them8 ,let us depart thither1 whence we came3 let us be freed from these chains that confine and press us down4 ,here are thieves and robbers and tribunals3 and they that are called tyrants1 who deem that they have after a fashion power over us1 because of the miserable body and what appertains to it4 ,let us show them that they have power over none40 ,,xviii ,and to this ,i reply3-- 8,friends1 wait for ,god4 ,when ,he gives the signal1 and releases you from this service1 then depart to ,him4 ,but for the present1 endure to dwell in the place wherein ,he hath assigned you your post4 ,short indeed is the time of your habitation therein1 and easy to those that are minded4 ,what tyrant1 what robber1 what tribunals have any terrors for those who thus esteem the body and all that belong to it as of no account8 ,stay2 depart not rashly hence60 ,,xix ,something like that is what should pass between a teacher and ingenuous youths4 ,as it is1 what does pass8 ,the teacher is a lifeless body1 and you are lifeless bodies yourselves4 ,when you have had enough to eat today1 you sit down and weep about tomorrow's food4 ,slave6 if you have it1 well and good2 if not1 you will depart3 the door is open--why lament8 ,what further room is there for tears8 ,what further occasion for flattery8 ,why should one envy another8 ,why should you stand in awe of them that have much or are placed in power1 especially if they be also strong and passionate8 ,why1 what should they do to us8 ,what they can do1 we will not regard3 what does concern us1 that they cannot do4 ,who then shall rule one that is thus minded8 ,,xx ,seeing this then1 and noting well the faculties which you have1 you should say1--8,send now1 ,o ,god1 any trial that ,thou wilt2 lo1 ,i have means and powers given me by ,thee to acquit myself with honour through whatever comes to pass60--,no2 but there you sit1 trembling for fear certain things should come to pass1 and moaning and groaning and lamenting over what does come to pass4 ,and then you upbraid the ,gods4 ,such meanness of spirit can have but one result--impiety4 ,yet ,god has not only given us these faculties by means of which we may bear everything that comes to pass without being crushed or depressed thereby2 but like a good ,king and ,father1 ,he has given us this without let or hindrance1 placed wholly at our own disposition1 without reserving to ,himself any power of impediment or restraint4 ,though possessing all these things free and all you own1 you do not use them6 you do not perceive what it is you have received nor whence it comes1 but sit moaning and groaning2 some of you blind to the ,giver1 making no acknowledgment to your ,benefactor2 others basely giving themselves to complaints and accusations against ,god4 ,yet what faculties and powers you possess for attaining courage and greatness of heart1 ,i can easily show you2 what you have for upbraiding and accusation1 it is for you to show me6 ,,xxi ,how did ,socrates bear himself in this regard8 ,how else than as became one who was fully assured that he was the kinsman of ,gods8 ,,xxii ,if ,god had made that part of ,his own nature which ,he severed from ,himself and gave to us1 liable to be hindered or constrained either by ,himself or any other1 ,he would not have been ,god1 nor would ,he have been taking care of us as ,he ought 4 4 4 4 ,if you choose1 you are free2 if you choose1 you need blame no man--accuse no man4 ,all things will be at once according to your mind and according to the ,mind of ,god4 ,,xxiii ,petrifaction is of two sorts4 ,there is petrifaction of the understanding2 and also of the sense of shame4 ,this happens when a man obstinately refuses to acknowledge plain truths1 and persists in maintaining what is self-contradictory4 ,most of us dread mortification of the body1 and would spare no pains to escape anything of that kind4 ,but of mortification of the soul we are utterly heedless4 ,with regard1 indeed1 to the soul1 if a man is in such a state as to be incapable of following or understanding anything1 ,i grant you we do think him in a bad way4 ,but mortification of the sense of shame and modesty we go so far as to dub strength of mind6 ,,xxiv ,if we were as intent upon our business as the old fellows at ,rome are upon what interests them1 we too might perhaps accomplish something4 ,i know a man older than ,i am1 now ,superintendent of the ,corn-market at ,rome1 and ,i remember when he passed through this place on his way back from exile1 what an account he gave me of his former life1 declaring that for the future1 once home again1 his only care should be to pass his remaining years in quiet and tranquility4 8,for how few years have ,i left60 he cried4 8,that10 ,i said1 8you will not do2 but the moment the scent of ,rome is in your nostrils1 you will forget it all2 and if you can but gain admission to ,court1 you will be glad enough to elbow your way in1 and thank ,god for it40 8,epictetus10 he replied1 8if ever you find me setting as much as one foot within the ,court1 think what you will of me40 ,well1 as it was1 what did he do8 ,ere ever he entered the city1 he was met by a despatch from the ,emperor4 ,he took it1 and forgot the whole of his resolutions4 ,from that moment1 he has been piling one thing upon another4 ,i should like to be beside him to remind him of what he said when passing this way1 and to add1 ,how much better a prophet ,i am than you6 ,what then8 do ,i say man is not made for an active life8 ,far from it6 4 4 4 ,but there is a great difference between other men's occupations and ours4 4 4 4 ,a glance at theirs will make it clear to you4 ,all day long they do nothing but calculate1 contrive1 consult how to wring their profit out of food-stuffs1 farm-plots and the like4 4 4 4 ,whereas1 ,i entreat you to learn what the administration of the ,world is1 and what place a ,being endowed with reason holds therein3 to consider what you are yourself1 and wherein your ,good and ,evil consists4 ,,xxv ,a man asked me to write to ,rome on his behalf who1 as most people thought1 had met with misfortune2 for having been before wealthy and distinguished1 he had afterwards lost all and was living here4 ,so ,i wrote about him in a humble style4 ,he however on reading the letter returned it to me1 with the words3 8,i asked for your help1 not for your pity4 ,no evil has happened unto me40 ,,xxvi ,true instruction is this3--to learn to wish that each thing should come to pass as it does4 ,and how does it come to pass8 ,as the ,disposer has disposed it4 ,now ,he has disposed that there should be summer and winter1 and plenty and dearth1 and vice and virtue1 and all such opposites1 for the harmony of the whole4 ,,xxvii ,have this thought ever present with thee1 when thou losest any outward thing1 what thou gainest in its stead2 and if this be the more precious1 say not1 ,i have suffered loss4 ,,xxviii ,concerning the ,gods1 there are who deny the very existence of the ,godhead2 others say that it exists1 but neither bestirs nor concerns itself nor has forethought for anything4 ,a third party attribute to it existence and forethought1 but only for great and heavenly matters1 not for anything that is on earth4 ,a fourth party admit things on earth as well as in heaven1 but only in general1 and not with respect to each individual4 ,a fifth1 of whom were ,ulysses and ,socrates are those that cry3-- ,i move not without ,thy knowledge6 ,,xxix ,considering all these things1 the good and true man submits his judgement to ,him that administers the ,universe1 even as good citizens to the law of the ,state4 ,and he that is being instructed should come thus minded3--,how may ,i in all things follow the ,gods2 and1 ,how may ,i rest satisfied with the ,divine ,administration2 and1 ,how may ,i become free8 ,for he is free for whom all things come to pass according to his will1 and whom none can hinder4 ,what then1 is freedom madness8 ,god forbid4 ,for madness and freedom exist not together4 8,but ,i wish all that ,i desire to come to pass and in the manner that ,i desire40 --,you are mad1 you are beside yourself4 ,know you not that ,freedom is a glorious thing and of great worth8 ,but that what ,i desired at random ,i should wish at random to come to pass1 so far from being noble1 may well be exceeding base4 ,,xxx ,you must know that it is no easy thing for a principle to become a man's own1 unless each day he maintain it and hear it maintained1 as well as work it out in life4 ,,xxxi ,you are impatient and hard to please4 ,if alone1 you call it solitude3 if in the company of men1 you dub them conspirators and thieves1 and find fault with your very parents1 children1 brothers1 and neighbours4 ,whereas when by yourself you should have called it ,tranquillity and ,freedom3 and herein deemed yourself like unto the ,gods4 ,and when in the company of many1 you should not have called it a wearisome crowd and tumult1 but an assembly and a tribunal2 and thus accepted all with contentment4 ,,xxxii ,what then is the chastisement of those who accept it not8 ,to be as they are4 ,is any discontented with being alone8 let him be in solitude4 ,is any discontented with his parents8 let him be a bad son1 and lament4 ,is any discontented with his children8 let him be a bad father4--8,throw him into prison60--,what prison8--,where he is already3 for he is there against his will2 and wherever a man is against his will1 that to him is a prison4 ,thus ,socrates was not in prison1 since he was there with his own consent4 ,,xxxiii ,knowest thou what a speck thou art in comparison with the ,universe8---,that is1 with respect to the body2 since with respect to ,reason1 thou art not inferior to the ,gods1 nor less than they4 ,for the greatness of ,reason is not measured by length or height1 but by the resolves of the mind4 ,place then thy happiness in that wherein thou art equal to the ,gods4 ,,xxxiv ,asked how a man might eat acceptably to the ,gods1 ,epictetus replied3--,if when he eats1 he can be just1 cheerful1 equable1 temperate1 and orderly1 can he not thus eat acceptably to the ,gods8 ,but when you call for warm water1 and your slave does not answer1 or when he answers brings it lukewarm1 or is not even found to be in the house at all1 then not to be vexed nor burst with anger1 is not that acceptable to the ,gods8 8,but how can one endure such people80 ,slave1 will you not endure your own brother1 that has ,god to his forefather1 even as a son sprung from the same stock1 and of the same high descent as yourself8 ,and if you are stationed in a high position1 are you therefor forthwith set up for a tyrant8 ,remember who you are1 and whom you rule1 that they are by nature your kinsmen1 your brothers1 the offspring of ,god4 8,but ,i paid a price for them1 not they for me40 ,do you see whither you are looking--down to the earth1 to the pit1 to those despicable laws of the dead8 ,but to the laws of the ,gods you do not look4 ,,xxxv ,when we are invited to a banquet1 we take what is set before us2 and were one to call upon his host to set fish upon the table or sweet things1 he would be deemed absurd4 ,yet in a word1 we ask the ,gods for what they do not give2 and that1 although they have given us so many things6 ,,xxxvi ,asked how a man might convince himself that every single act of his was under the eye of ,god1 ,epictetus answered3-- 8,do you not hold that things on earth and things in heaven are continuous and in unison with each other80 8,i do10 was the reply4 8,else how should the trees so regularly1 as though by ,god's command1 at ,his bidding flower2 at ,his bidding send forth shoots1 bear fruit and ripen it2 at ,his bidding let it fall and shed their leaves1 and folded up upon themselves lie in quietness and rest8 ,how else1 as the ,moon waxes and wanes1 as the ,sun approaches and recedes1 can it be that such vicissitude and alternation is seen in earthly things8 8,if then all things that grow1 nay1 our own bodies1 are thus bound up with the whole1 is not this still truer of our souls8 ,and if our souls are bound up and in contact with ,god1 as being very parts and fragments plucked from ,himself1 shall ,he not feel every movement of theirs as though it were ,his own1 and belonging to ,his own nature80 ,,xxxvii 8,but10 you say1 8,i cannot comprehend all this at once40 8,why1 who told you that your powers were equal to ,god's80 ,yet ,god hath placed by the side of each a man's own ,guardian ,spirit1 who is charged to watch over him--a ,guardian who sleeps not nor is deceived4 ,for to what better or more watchful ,guardian could ,he have committed which of us8 ,so when you have shut the doors and made a darkness within1 remember never to say that you are alone2 for you are not alone1 but ,god is within1 and your ,guardian ,spirit1 and what light do they need to behold what you do8 ,to this ,god you also should have sworn allegiance1 even as soldiers unto ,csar4 ,they1 when their service is hired1 swear to hold the life of ,csar dearer than all else3 and will you not swear your oath1 that are deemed worthy of so many and great gifts8 ,and will you not keep your oath when you have sworn it8 ,and what oath will you swear8 ,never to disobey1 never to arraign or murmur at aught that comes to you from ,his hand3 never unwillingly to do or suffer aught that necessity lays upon you4 8,is this oath like theirs80 ,they swear to hold no other dearer than ,csar3 you1 to hold our true selves dearer than all else beside4 ,,xxxviii 8,how shall my brother cease to be wroth with me80 ,bring him to me1 and ,i will tell him4 ,but to thee ,i have nothing to say about his anger4 ,,xxxix ,when one took counsel of ,epictetus1 saying1 8,what ,i seek is this1 how even though my brother be not reconciled to me1 ,i may still remain as ,nature would have me to be10 he replied3 8,all great things are slow of growth2 nay1 this is true even of a grape or of a fig4 ,if then you say to me now1 ,i desire a fig1 ,i shall answer1 ,it needs time3 wait till it first flower1 then cast its blossom1 then ripen4 ,whereas then the fruit of the fig-tree reaches not maturity suddenly nor yet in a single hour1 do you nevertheless desire so quickly1 and easily to reap the fruit of the mind of man8--,nay1 expect it not1 even though ,i bade you60 ,,xl ,epaphroditus had a shoemaker whom he sold as being good-for-nothing4 ,this fellow1 by some accident1 was afterwards purchased by one of ,csar's men1 and became a shoemaker to ,csar4 ,you should have seen what respect ,epaphroditus paid him then4 8,how does the good ,felicion8 ,kindly let me know60 ,and if any of us inquired1 8,what is ,epaphroditus doing80 the answer was1 8,he is consulting about so and so with ,felicion40--,had he not sold him as good-for-nothing8 ,who had in a trice converted him into a wiseacre8 ,this is what comes of holding of importance anything but the things that depend on the ,will4 ,,xli ,what you shun enduring yourself1 attempt not to impose on others4 ,you shun slavery--beware of enslaving others6 ,if you can endure to do that1 one would think you had been once upon a time a slave yourself4 ,for ,vice has nothing in common with virtue1 nor ,freedom with slavery4 ,,xlii ,has a man been raised to tribuneship8 ,every one that he meets congratulates him4 ,one kisses him on the eyes1 another on the neck1 while the slaves kiss his hands4 ,he goes home to find torches burning2 he ascends to the ,capitol to sacrifice4--,who ever sacrificed for having had right desires2 for having conceived such inclinations as ,nature would have him8 ,in truth we thank the ,gods for that wherein we place our happiness4 ,,xliii ,a man was talking to me to-day about the priesthood of ,augustus4 ,i said to him1 8,let the thing go1 my good ,sir2 you will spend a good deal to no purpose40 8,well1 but my name will be inserted in all documents and contracts40 8,will you be standing there to tell those that read them1 ,that is my name written there8 ,and even if you could now be there in every case1 what will you do when you are dead80 8,at all events my name will remain40 8,inscribe it on a stone and it will remain just as well4 ,and think1 beyond ,nicopolis what memory of you will there be80 8,but ,i shall have a golden wreath to wear40 8,if you must have a wreath1 get a wreath of roses and put it on2 you will look more elegant60 ,,xliv ,above all1 remember that the door stands open4 ,be not more fearful than children2 but as they1 when they weary of the game1 cry1 8,i will play no more10 even so1 when thou art in the like case1 cry1 8,i will play no more0 and depart4 ,but if thou stayest1 make no lamentation4 ,,xlv ,is there smoke in the room8 ,if it be slight1 ,i remain2 if grievous1 ,i quit it4 ,for you must remember this and hold it fast1 that the door stands open4 8,you shall not dwell at ,nicopolis60 ,well and good4 8,nor at ,athens40 ,then ,i will not dwell at ,athens either4 8,nor at ,rome40 ,nor at ,rome either4 8,you shall dwell in ,gyara60 ,well3 but to dwell in ,gyara seems to me like a grievous smoke2 ,i depart to a place where none can forbid me to dwell3 that habitation is open unto all6 ,as for the last garment of all1 that is the poor body2 beyond that1 none can do aught unto me4 ,this why ,demetrius said to ,nero3 8,you threaten me with death2 it is ,nature who threatens you60 ,,xlvi ,the beginning of philosophy is to know the condition of one's own mind4 ,if a man recognises that this is in a weakly state1 he will not then want to apply it to questions of the greatest moment4 ,as it is1 men who are not fit to swallow even a morsel1 buy whole treatises and try to devour them4 ,accordingly they either vomit them up again1 or suffer from indigestion1 whence come gripings1 fluxions1 and fevers4 ,whereas they should have stopped to consider their capacity4 ,,xlvii ,in theory it is easy to convince an ignorant person3 in actual life1 men not only object to offer themselves to be convinced1 but hate the man who has convinced them4 ,whereas ,socrates used to say that we should never lead a life not subjected to examination4 ,,xlviii ,this is the reason why ,socrates1 when reminded that he should prepare for his trial1 answered3 8,thinkest thou not that ,i have been preparing for it all my life80 8,in what way80 8,i have maintained that which in me lay60 8,how so80 8,i have never1 secretly or openly1 done a wrong unto any40 ,,xlix ,in what character dost thou now come forward8 ,as a witness summoned by ,god4 8,come thou10 saith ,god1 8and testify for me1 for thou art worthy of being brought forward as a witness by ,me4 ,is aught that is outside thy will either good or bad8 ,do ,i hurt any man8 ,have ,i placed the good of each in the power of any other than himself8 ,what witness dost thou bear to ,god80 8,i am in evil state1 ,master1 ,i am undone6 ,none careth for me1 none giveth me aught3 all men blame1 all speak evil of me40 ,is this the witness thou wilt bear1 and do dishonour to the calling wherewith ,he hath called thee1 because ,he hath done thee so great honour1 and deemed thee worthy of being summoned to bear witness in so great a cause8 ,l ,wouldst thou have men speak good of thee8 speak good of them4 ,and when thou hast learned to speak good of them1 try to do good unto them1 and thus thou wilt reap in return their speaking good of thee4 ,,li ,when thou goest in to any of the great1 remember that ,another from above sees what is passing1 and that thou shouldst please ,him rather than man4 ,he therefore asks thee3-- 8,in the ,schools1 what didst thou call exile1 imprisonment1 bonds1 death and shame80 8,i called them things indifferent40 8,what then dost thou call them now8 ,are they at all changed80 8,no40 8,is it then thou that art changed80 8,no40 8,say then1 what are things indifferent80 8,things that are not in our power40 8,say then1 what follows80 8,that things which are not in our power are nothing to me40 8,say also what things you hold to be good40 8,a will such as it ought to be1 and a right use of the things of sense40 8,and what is the end80 8,to follow ,thee60 ,,lii 8,that ,socrates should ever have been so treated by the ,athenians60 ,slave6 why say 8,socrates08 ,speak of the thing as it is3 ,that ever then the poor body of ,socrates should have been dragged away and haled by main force to prison6 ,that ever hemlock should have been given to the body of ,socrates2 that that should have breathed its life away6--,do you marvel at this8 ,do you hold this unjust8 ,is it for this that you accuse ,god8 ,had ,socrates no compensation for this8 ,where then for him was the ideal ,good8 ,whom shall we hearken to1 you or him8 ,and what says he8 8,anytus and ,melitus may put me to death3 to injure me is beyond their power40 ,and again3-- 8,if such be the will of ,god1 so let it be40 ,,liii ,nay1 young man1 for heaven's sake2 but once thou hast heard these words1 go home and say to thyself3--8,it is not ,epictetus that has told me these things3 how indeed should he8 ,no1 it is some gracious ,god through him4 ,else it would never have entered his head to tell me them--he that is not used to speak to any one thus4 ,well1 then1 let us not lie under the wrath of ,god1 but be obedient unto ,him40---,nay1 indeed2 but if a raven by its croaking bears thee any sign1 it is not the raven but ,god that sends the sign through the raven2 and if ,he signifies anything to thee through human voice1 will ,he not cause the man to say these words to thee1 that thou mayest know the power of the ,divine--how ,he sends a sign to some in one way and to others in another1 and on the greatest and highest matters of all signifies ,his will through the noblest messenger8 ,what else does the poet mean3-- ,i spake unto him erst ,myself1 and sent ,hermes the shining ,one1 to check and warn him1 ,the husband not to slay1 nor woo the wife6 ,,liv ,in the same way my friend ,heraclitus1 who had a trifling suit about a petty farm at ,rhodes1 first showed the judges that his cause was just1 and then at the finish cried1 8,i will not entreat you3 nor do ,i care what sentence you pass4 ,it is you who are on your trial1 not ,i60--,and so he ended the case4 ,,lv ,as for us1 we behave like a herd of deer4 ,when they flee from the huntsman's feathers in affright1 which way do they turn8 ,what haven of safety do they make for8 ,why1 they rush upon the nets6 ,and thus they perish by confounding what they should fear with that wherein no danger lies4 4 4 4 ,not death or pain is to be feared1 but the fear of death or pain4 ,well said the poet therefore3-- ,death has no terror2 only a ,death of shame6 ,,lvi ,how is it then that certain external things are said to be natural1 and other contrary to ,nature8 ,why1 just as it might be said if we stood alone and apart from others4 ,a foot1 for instance1 ,i will allow it is natural should be clean4 ,but if you take it as a foot1 and as a thing which does not stand by itself1 it will beseem it 7if need be7 to walk in the mud1 to tread on thorns1 and sometimes even to be cut off1 for the benefit of the whole body2 else it is no longer a foot4 ,in some such way we should conceive of ourselves also4 ,what art thou8--,a man4--,looked at as standing by thyself and separate1 it is natural for thee in health and wealth long to live4 ,but looked at as a ,man1 and only as a part of a ,whole1 it is for that ,whole's sake that thou shouldest at one time fall sick1 at another brave the perils of the sea1 again1 know the meaning of want and perhaps die an early death4 ,why then repine8 ,knowest thou not that as the foot is no more a foot if detached from the body1 so thou in like case art no longer a ,man8 ,for what is a ,man8 ,a part of a ,city3--first of the ,city of ,gods and ,men2 next1 of that which ranks nearest it1 a miniature of the universal ,city4 4 4 4 ,in such a body1 in such a world enveloping us1 among lives like these1 such things must happen to one or another4 ,thy part1 then1 being here1 is to speak of these things as is meet1 and to order them as befits the matter4 ,,lvii ,that was a good reply which ,diogenes made to a man who asked him for letters of recommendation4--8,that you are a man1 he will know when he sees you2--whether a good or bad one1 he will know if he has any skill in discerning the good or bad4 ,but if he has none1 he will never know1 though ,i write him a thousand times40--,it is as though a piece of silver money desired to be recommended to some one to be tested4 ,if the man be a good judge of silver1 he will know3 the coin will tell its own tale4 ,,lviii ,even as the traveller asks his way of him that he meets1 inclined in no wise to bear to the right rather than to the left 7for he desires only the way leading whither he would go71 so should we come unto ,god as to a guide2 even as we use our eyes without admonishing them to show us some things rather than others1 but content to receive the images of such things as they present to us4 ,but as it is we stand anxiously watching the victim1 and with the voice of supplication call upon the augur3--8,master1 have mercy on me3 vouchsafe unto me a way of escape60 ,slave1 would you then have aught else then what is best8 is there anything better than what is ,god's good pleasure8 ,why1 as far as in you lies1 would you corrupt your ,judge1 and lead your ,counsellor astray8 ,,lix ,god is beneficent4 ,but the ,good also is beneficent4 ,it should seem then that where the real nature of ,god is1 there too is to be found the real nature of the ,good4 ,what then is the real nature of ,god8--,intelligence1 ,knowledge1 ,right ,reason4 ,here then without more ado seek the real nature of the ,good4 ,for surely thou dost not seek it in a plant or in an animal that reasoneth not4 ,,lx ,seek then the real nature of the ,good in that without whose presence thou wilt not admit the ,good to exist in aught else4--,what then8 ,are not these other things also works of ,god8--,they are2 but not preferred to honour1 nor are they portions of ,god4 ,but thou art a thing preferred to honour3 thou art thyself a fragment torn from ,god3--thou hast a portion of ,him within thyself4 ,how is it then that thou dost not know thy high descent--dost not know whence thou comest8 ,when thou eatest1 wilt thou not remember who thou art that eatest and whom thou feedest8 ,in intercourse1 in exercise1 in discussion knowest thou not that it is a ,god whom thou feedest1 a ,god whom thou exercisest1 a ,god whom thou bearest about with thee1 ,o miserable6 and thou perceivest it not4 ,thinkest thou that ,i speak of a ,god of silver or gold1 that is without thee8 ,nay1 thou bearest ,him within thee6 all unconscious of polluting ,him with thoughts impure and unclean deeds4 ,were an image of ,god present1 thou wouldest not dare to act as thou dost1 yet1 when ,god ,himself is present within thee1 beholding and hearing all1 thou dost not blush to think such thoughts and do such deeds1 ,o thou that art insensible of thine own nature and liest under the wrath of ,god6 ,,lxi ,why then are we afraid when we send a young man from the ,schools into active life1 lest he should indulge his appetites intemperately1 lest he should debase himself by ragged clothing1 or be puffed up by fine raiment8 ,knows he not the ,god within him2 knows he not with whom he is starting on his way8 ,have we patience to hear him say to us1 ,would ,i had thee with me6--,hast thou not ,god where thou art1 and having ,him dost thou still seek for any other6 ,would ,he tell thee aught else than these things8 ,why1 wert thou a statue of ,phidias1 an ,athena or a ,zeus1 thou wouldst bethink thee both of thyself and thine artificer2 and hadst thou any sense1 thou wouldst strive to do no dishonour to thyself or him that fashioned thee1 nor appear to beholders in unbefitting guise4 ,but now1 because ,god is thy ,maker1 is that why thou carest not of what sort thou shalt show thyself to be8 ,yet how different the artists and their workmanship6 ,what human artist's work1 for example1 has in it the faculties that are displayed in fashioning it8 ,is it aught but marble1 bronze1 gold1 or ivory8 ,nay1 when the ,athena of ,phidias has put forth her hand and received therein a ,victory1 in that attitude she stands for evermore4 ,but ,god's works move and breathe2 they use and judge the things of sense4 ,the workmanship of such an ,artist1 wilt thou dishonor ,him8 ,ay1 when he not only fashioned thee1 but placed thee1 like a ward1 in the care and guardianship of thyself alone1 wilt thou not only forget this1 but also do dishonour to what is committed to thy care6 ,if ,god had entrusted thee with an orphan1 wouldst thou have thus neglected him8 ,he hath delivered thee to thine own care1 saying1 ,i had none more faithful than myself3 keep this man for me such as ,nature hath made him--modest1 faithful1 high-minded1 a stranger to fear1 to passion1 to perturbation4 4 4 4 ,such will ,i show myself to you all4--8,what1 exempt from sickness also3 from age1 from death80--,nay1 but accepting sickness1 accepting death as becomes a ,god6 ,,lxii ,no labour1 according to ,diogenes1 is good but that which aims at producing courage and strength of soul rather than of body4 ,,lxiii ,a guide1 on finding a man who has lost his way1 brings him back to the right path--he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off4 ,you also must show the unlearned man the truth1 and you will see that he will follow4 ,but so long as you do not show it him1 you should not mock1 but rather feel your own incapacity4 ,,lxiv ,it was the first and most striking characteristic of ,socrates never to become heated in discourse1 never to utter an injurious or insulting word--on the contrary1 he persistently bore insult from others and thus put an end to the fray4 ,if you care to know the extent of his power in this direction1 read ,xenophon's ,banquet1 and you will see how many quarrels he put an end to4 ,this is why the ,poets are right in so highly commending this faculty3-- ,quickly and wisely withal even bitter feuds would he settle4 ,nevertheless the practice is not very safe at present1 especially in ,rome4 ,one who adopts it1 ,i need not say1 ought not to carry it out in an obscure corner1 but boldly accost1 if occasion serve1 some personage of rank or wealth4 8,can you tell me1 sir1 to whose care you entrust your horses80 8,i can40 8,is it to the first comer1 who knows nothing about them80 8,certainly not40 8,well1 what of the man who takes care of your gold1 your silver or your raiment80 8,he must be experienced also40 8,and your body--have you ever considered about entrusting it to any one's care80 8,of course ,i have40 8,and no doubt to a person of experience as a trainer1 a physician80 8,surely40 8,and these things the best you possess1 or have you anything more precious80 8,what can you mean80 8,i mean that which employs these2 which weights all things2 which takes counsel and resolve40 8,oh1 you mean the soul40 8,you take me rightly2 ,i do mean the soul4 ,by ,heaven1 ,i hold that far more precious than all else ,i possess4 ,can you show me then what care you bestow on a soul8 ,for it can scarcely be thought that a man of your wisdom and consideration in the city would suffer your most precious possession to go to ruin through carelessness and neglect40 8,certainly not40 8,well1 do you take care of it yourself8 ,did any one teach you the right method1 or did you discover it yourself80 ,now here comes in the danger3 first1 that the great man may answer1 8,why1 what is that to you1 my good fellow8 are you my master80 ,and then1 if you persist in troubling him1 may raise his hand to strike you4 ,it is a practice of which ,i was myself a warm admirer until such experiences as these befell me4 ,,lxv ,when a youth was giving himself airs in the ,theatre and saying1 8,i am wise1 for ,i have conversed with many wise men10 ,epictetus replied1 8,i too have conversed with many rich men1 yet ,i am not rich60 ,,lxvi ,we see that a carpenter becomes a carpenter by learning certain things3 that a pilot1 by learning certain things1 becomes a pilot4 ,possibly also in the present case the mere desire to be wise and good is not enough4 ,it is necessary to learn certain things4 ,this is then the object of our search4 ,the ,philosophers would have us first learn that there is a ,god1 and that ,his ,providence directs the ,universe2 further1 that to hide from ,him not only one's acts but even one's thoughts and intentions is impossible2 secondly1 what the nature of ,god is4 ,whatever that nature is discovered to be1 the man who would please and obey ,him must strive with all his might to be made like unto him4 ,if the ,divine is faithful1 he also must be faithful2 if free1 he also must be free2 if beneficent1 he also must be beneficent2 if magnanimous1 he also must be magnanimous4 ,thus as an imitator of ,god must he follow ,him in every deed and word4 ,,lxvii ,if ,i show you1 that you lack just what is most important and necessary to happiness1 that hitherto your attention has been bestowed on everything rather than that which claims it most2 and1 to crown all1 that you know neither what ,god nor ,man is--neither what ,good or ,evil is3 why1 that you are ignorant of everything else1 perhaps you may bear to be told2 but to hear that you know nothing of yourself1 how could you submit to that8 ,how could you stand your ground and suffer that to be proved8 ,clearly not at all4 ,you instantly turn away in wrath4 ,yet what harm have ,i done to you8 ,unless indeed the mirror harms the ill-favoured man by showing him to himself just as he is2 unless the physician can be thought to insult his patient1 when he tells him3--8,friend1 do you suppose there is nothing wrong with you8 why1 you have a fever4 ,eat nothing to-day1 and drink only water40 ,yet no one says1 8,what an insufferable insult60 ,whereas if you say to a man1 8,your desires are inflamed1 your instincts of rejection are weak and low1 your aims are inconsistent1 your impulses are not in harmony with ,nature1 your opinions are rash and false10 he forthwith goes away and complains that you have insulted him4 ,,lxviii ,our way of life resembles a fair4 ,the flocks and herds are passing along to be sold1 and the greater part of the crowd to buy and sell4 ,but there are some few who come only to look at the fair1 to inquire how and why it is being held1 upon what authority and with what object4 ,so too1 in this great ,fair of life1 some1 like the cattle1 trouble themselves about nothing but the fodder4 ,know all of you1 who are busied about land1 slaves and public posts1 that these are nothing but fodder6 ,some few there are attending the ,fair1 who love to contemplate what the world is1 what ,he that administers it4 ,can there be no ,administrator8 is it possible1 that while neither city nor household could endure even a moment without one to administer and see to its welfare1 this ,fabric1 so fair1 so vast1 should be administered in order so harmonious1 without a purpose and by blind chance8 ,there is therefore an ,administrator4 ,what is ,his nature and how does ,he administer8 ,and who are we that are ,his children and what work were we born to perform8 ,have we any close connection or relation with ,him or not8 ,such are the impressions of the few of whom ,i speak4 ,and further1 they apply themselves solely to considering and examining the great assembly before they depart4 ,well1 they are derided by the multitude4 ,so are the lookers-on by the traders3 aye1 and if the beasts had any sense1 they would deride those who thought much of anything but fodder6 ,,lxix ,i think ,i know now what ,i never knew before--the meaning of the common saying1 ,a fool you can neither bend nor break4 ,pray heaven ,i may never have a wise fool for my friend6 ,there is nothing more intractable4--8,my resolve is fixed60--,why so madman say too2 but the more firmly they believe in their delusions1 the more they stand in need of treatment4 ,,lxx --8,o6 when shall ,i see ,athens and its ,acropolis again80--,miserable man6 art thou not contented with the daily sights that meet thine eyes8 canst thou behold aught greater or nobler than the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars2 than the outspread ,earth and ,sea8 ,if indeed thou apprehendest ,him who administers the universe1 if thou bearest ,him about within thee1 canst thou still hanker after mere fragments of stone and fine rock8 ,when thou art about to bid farewell to the ,sun and ,moon itself1 wilt thou sit down and cry like a child8 ,why1 what didst thou hear1 what didst thou learn8 why didst thou write thyself down a philosopher1 when thou mightest have written what was the fact1 namely1 8,i have made one or two ,compendiums1 ,i have read some works of ,chrysippus1 and ,i have not even touched the hem of ,philosophy's robe60 ,,lxxi ,friend1 lay hold with a desperate grasp1 ere it is too late1 on ,freedom1 on ,tranquility1 on ,greatness of soul6 ,lift up thy head1 as one escaped from slavery2 dare to look up to ,god1 and say3--8,deal with me henceforth as ,thou wilt2 ,thou and ,i are of one mind4 ,i am ,thine3 ,i refuse nothing that seeeth good to ,thee2 lead on whither ,thou wilt2 clothe me in what garb ,thou pleasest2 wilt ,thou have me a ruler or a subject--at home or in exile--poor or rich8 ,all these things will ,i justify unto men for ,thee4 ,i will show the true nature of each4 4 4 40 ,who would ,hercules have been had he loitered at home8 no ,hercules1 but ,eurystheus4 ,and in his wanderings through the world how many friends and comrades did he find8 but nothing dearer to him than ,god4 ,wherefore he was believed to be ,god's son1 as indeed he was4 ,so then in obedience to ,him1 he went about delivering the earth from injustice and lawlessness4 ,but thou art not ,hercules1 thou sayest1 and canst not deliver others from their iniquity--not even ,theseus1 to deliver the soil of ,attica from its monsters8 ,purge away thine own1 cast forth thence--from thine own mind1 not robbers and monsters1 but ,fear1 ,desire1 ,envy1 ,malignity1 ,avarice1 ,effeminacy1 ,intemperance4 ,and these may not be cast out1 except by looking to ,god alone1 by fixing thy affections on ,him only1 and by consecrating thyself to ,his commands4 ,if thou choosest aught else1 with sighs and groans thou wilt be forced to follow a ,might greater than thine own1 ever seeking ,tranquillity without1 and never able to attain unto her4 ,for thou seekest her where she is not to be found2 and where she is1 there thou seekest her not6 ,,lxxii ,if a man would pursue ,philosophy1 his first task is to throw away conceit4 ,for it is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he has a conceit that he already knows4 ,,lxxiii ,give me but one young man1 that has come to the ,school with this intention1 who stands forth a champion of this cause1 and says1 8,all else ,i renounce1 content if ,i am but able to pass my life free from hindrance and trouble2 to raise my head aloft and face all things as a free man2 to look up to heaven as a friend of ,god1 fearing nothing that may come to pass60 ,point out such a one to me1 that ,i may say1 8,enter1 young man1 into possession of that which is thine own4 ,for thy lot is to adorn ,philosophy4 ,thine are these possessions2 thine these books1 these discourses60 ,and when our champion has duly exercised himself in this part of the subject1 ,i hope he will come back to me and say3--8,what ,i desire is to be free from passion and from perturbation2 as one who grudges no pains in the pursuit of piety and philosophy1 what ,i desire is to know my duty to the ,gods1 my duty to my parents1 to my brothers1 to my country1 to strangers40 8,enter then on the second part of the subject2 it is thine also40 8,but ,i have already mastered the second part2 only ,i wished to stand firm and unshaken--as firm when asleep as when awake1 as firm when elated with wine as in despondency and dejection40 8,friend1 you are verily a ,god6 you cherish great designs40 ,,lxxiv 8,the question at stake10 said ,epictetus1 8is no common one2 it is this3--,are we in our senses1 or are we not80 ,,lxxv ,if you have given way to anger1 be sure that over and above the evil involved therein1 you have strengthened the habit1 and added fuel to the fire4 ,if overcome by a temptation of the flesh1 do not reckon it a single defeat1 but that you have also strengthened your dissolute habits4 ,habits and faculties are necessarily affected by the corresponding acts4 ,those that were not there before1 spring up3 the rest gain in strength and extent4 ,this is the account which ,philosophers give of the origin of diseases of the mind3--,suppose you have once lusted after money3 if reason sufficient to produce a sense of evil be applied1 then the lust is checked1 and the mind at once regains its original authority2 whereas if you have recourse to no remedy1 you can no longer look for this return--on the contrary1 the next time it is excited by the corresponding object1 the flame of desire leaps up more quickly than before4 ,by frequent repetition1 the mind in the long run becomes callous2 and thus this mental disease produces confirmed ,avarice4 ,one who has had fever1 even when it has left him1 is not in the same condition of health as before1 unless indeed his cure is complete4 ,something of the same sort is true also of diseases of the mind4 ,behind1 there remains a legacy of traces and blisters3 and unless these are effectually erased1 subsequent blows on the same spot will produce no longer mere blisters1 but sores4 ,if you do not wish to be prone to anger1 do not feed the habit2 give it nothing which may tend its increase4 ,at first1 keep quiet and count the days when you were not angry3 8,i used to be angry every day1 then every other day3 next every two1 next every three days60 and if you succeed in passing thirty days1 sacrifice to the ,gods in thanksgiving4 ,,lxxvi ,how then may this be attained8--,resolve1 now if never before1 to approve thyself to thyself2 resolve to show thyself fair in ,god's sight2 long to be pure with thine own pure self and ,god6 ,,lxxvii ,that is the true athlete1 that trains himself to resist such outward impressions as these4 8,stay1 wretched man6 suffer not thyself to be carried away60 ,great is the combat1 divine the task6 you are fighting for ,kingship1 for ,liberty1 for ,happiness1 for ,tranquillity4 ,remember ,god3 call upon ,him to aid thee1 like a comrade that stands beside thee in the fight4 ,,lxxviii ,who then is a ,stoic--in the sense that we call a statue of ,phidias which is modelled after that master's art8 ,show me a man in this sense modelled after the doctrines that are ever upon his lips4 ,show me a man that is sick--and happy2 an exile--and happy2 in evil report--and happy6 ,show me him1 ,i ask again4 ,so help me ,heaven1 ,i long to see one ,stoic6 ,nay1 if you cannot show me one fully modelled1 let me at least see one in whom the process is at work--one whose bent is in that direction4 ,do me that favour6 ,grudge it not to an old man1 to behold a sight he has never yet beheld4 ,think you ,i wish to see the ,zeus or ,athena of ,phidias1 bedecked with gold and ivory8--,nay1 show me1 one of you1 a human soul1 desiring to be of one mind with ,god1 no more to lay blame on ,god or man1 to suffer nothing to disappoint1 nothing to cross him1 to yield neither to anger1 envy1 nor jealousy--in a word1 why disguise the matter8 one that from a man would fain become a ,god2 one that while still imprisoned in this dead body makes fellowship with ,god his aim4 ,show me him6--,ah1 you cannot6 ,then why mock yourselves and delude others8 why stalk about tricked out in other men's attire1 thieves and robbers that you are of names and things to which you can show no title6 ,,lxxix ,if you have assumed a character beyond your strength1 you have both played a poor figure in that1 and neglected one that is within your powers4 ,,lxxx ,fellow1 you have come to blows at home with a slave3 you have turned the household upside down1 and thrown the neighbourhood into confusion2 and do you come to me then with airs of assumed modesty--do you sit down like a sage and criticise my explanation of the readings1 and whatever idle babble you say has come into my head8 ,have you come full of envy1 and dejected because nothing is sent you from home2 and while the discussion is going on1 do you sit brooding on nothing but how your father or your brother are disposed towards you3--8,what are they saying about me there8 at this moment they imagine ,i am making progress and saying1 ,he will return perfectly omniscient6 ,i wish ,i could become omniscient before ,i return2 but that would be very troublesome4 ,no one sends me anything--the baths at ,nicopolis are dirty2 things are wretched at home and wretched here40 ,and then they say1 8,nobody is any the better for the ,school40--,who comes to the ,school with a sincere wish to learn3 to submit his principles to correction and himself to treatment8 ,who1 to gain a sense of his wants8 ,why then be surprised if you carry home from the ,school exactly what you bring into it8 ,,lxxxi 8,epictetus1 ,i have often come desiring to hear you speak1 and you have never given me any answer2 now if possible1 ,i entreat you1 say something to me40 8,is there1 do you think10 replied ,epictetus1 8an art of speaking as of other things1 if it is to be done skilfully and with profit to the hearer80 8,yes40 8,and are all profited by what they hear1 or only some among them8 ,so that it seems there is an art of hearing as well as of speaking4 4 4 4 ,to make a statue needs skill3 to view a statue aright needs skill also40 8,admitted40 8,and ,i think all will allow that one who proposes to hear philosophers speak needs a considerable training in hearing4 ,is that not so8 ,the tell me on what subject your are able to hear me40 8,why1 on good and evil40 8,the good and evil of what8 a horse1 an ox80 8,no2 of a man40 8,do we know then what ,man is8 what his nature is8 what is the idea we have of him8 ,and are our ears practised in any degree on the subject8 ,nay1 do you understand what ,nature is8 can you follow me in any degree when ,i say that ,i shall have to use demonstration8 ,do you understand what ,demonstration is8 what ,true or ,false is8 4 4 4 must ,i drive you to ,philosophy8 4 4 4 ,show me what good ,i am to do by discoursing with you4 ,rouse my desire to do so4 ,the sight of a pasture it loves stirs in a sheep the desire to feed3 show it a stone or a bit of bread and it remains unmoved4 ,thus we also have certain natural desires1 aye1 and one that moves us to speak when we find a listener that is worth his salt3 one that himself stirs the spirit4 ,but if he sits by like a stone or a tuft of grass1 how can he rouse a man's desire80 8,then you will say nothing to me80 8,i can only tell you this3 that one who knows not who he is and to what end he was born2 what kind of world this is and with whom he is associated therein2 one who cannot distinguish ,good and ,evil1 ,beauty and ,foulness1 4 4 4 ,truth and ,falsehood1 will never follow ,reason in shaping his desires and impulses and repulsions1 nor yet in assent1 denial1 or suspension of judgement2 but will in one word go about deaf and blind1 thinking himself to be somewhat1 when he is in truth of no account4 ,is there anything new in all this8 ,is not this ignorance the cause of all the mistakes and mischances of men since the human race began8 4 4 40 8,this is all ,i have to say to you1 and even this against the grain4 ,why8 ,because you have not stirred my spirit4 ,for what can ,i see in you to stir me1 as a spirited horse will stir a judge of horses8 ,your body8 ,that you maltreat4 ,your dress8 ,that is luxurious4 ,you behavior1 your look8--,nothing whatever4 ,when you want to hear a philosopher1 do not say1 ,you say nothing to me'2 only show yourself worthy or fit to hear1 and then you will see how you will move the speaker40 ,,lxxxii ,and now1 when you see brothers apparently good friends and living in accord1 do not immediately pronounce anything upon their friendship1 though they should affirm it with an oath1 though they should declare1 8,for us to live apart in a thing impossible60 ,for the heart of a bad man is faithless1 unprincipled1 inconstant3 now overpowered by one impression1 now by another4 ,ask not the usual questions1 ,were they born of the same parents1 reared together1 and under the same tutor2 but ask this only1 in what they place their real interest--whether in outward things or in the ,will4 ,if in outward things1 call them not friends1 any more than faithful1 constant1 brave or free3 call them not even human beings1 if you have any sense4 4 4 4 ,but should you hear that these men hold the ,good to lie only in the ,will1 only in rightly dealing with the things of sense1 take no more trouble to inquire whether they are father and son or brothers1 or comrades of long standing2 but1 sure of this one thing1 pronounce as boldly that they are friends as that they are faithful and just3 for where else can ,friendship be found than where ,modesty is1 where there is an interchange of things fair and honest1 and of such only8 ,,lxxxiii ,no man can rob us of our ,will--no man can lord it over that6 ,,lxxxiv ,when disease and death overtake me1 ,i would fain be found engaged in the task of liberating mine own ,will from the assaults of passion1 from hindrance1 from resentment1 from slavery4 ,thus would ,i fain to be found employed1 so that ,i may say to ,god1 8,have ,i in aught transgressed ,thy commands8 ,have ,i in aught perverted the faculties1 the senses1 the natural principles that ,thou didst give me8 ,have ,i ever blamed ,thee or found fault with ,thine administration8 ,when it was ,thy good pleasure1 ,i fell sick--and so did other men3 by my will consented4 ,because it was ,thy pleasure1 ,i became poor3 but my heart rejoiced4 ,no power in the ,state was mine1 because ,thou wouldst not3 such power ,i never desired6 ,hast ,thou ever seen me of more doleful countenance on that account8 ,have ,i not ever drawn nigh unto ,thee with cheerful look1 waiting upon ,thy commands1 attentive to ,thy signals8 ,wilt ,thou that ,i now depart from the great ,assembly of men8 ,i go3 ,i give ,thee all thanks1 that ,thou hast deemed me worthy to take part with ,thee in this ,assembly3 to behold ,thy works1 to comprehend this ,thine administration40 ,such ,i would were the subject of my thoughts1 my pen1 my study1 when death overtakes me4 ,,lxxxv ,seemeth it nothing to you1 never to accuse1 never to blame either ,god or ,man8 to wear ever the same countenance in going forth as in coming in8 ,this was the secret of ,socrates3 yet he never said that he knew or taught anything4 4 4 4 ,who amongst you makes this his aim8 ,were it indeed so1 you would gladly endure sickness1 hunger1 aye1 death itself4 ,,lxxxvi ,how are we constituted by ,nature8 ,to be free1 to be noble1 to be modest 7for what other living thing is capable of blushing1 or of feeling the impression of shame87 and to subordinate pleasure to the ends for which ,nature designed us1 as a handmaid and a minister1 in order to call forth our activity2 in order to keep us constant to the path prescribed by ,nature4 ,,lxxxvii ,the husbandman deals with land2 physicians and trainers with the body2 the wise man with his own ,mind4 ,,lxxxviii ,which of us does not admire what ,lycurgus the ,spartan did8 ,a young citizen had put out his eye1 and been handed over to him by the people to be punished at his own discretion4 ,lycurgus abstained from all vengeance1 but on the contrary instructed and made a good man of him4 ,producing him in public in the theatre1 he said to the astonished ,spartans3--8,i received this young man at your hands full of violence and wanton insolence2 ,i restore him to you in his right mind and fit to serve his country40 ,,lxxxix ,a money-changer may not reject ,csar's coin1 nor may the seller of herbs1 but must when once the coin is shown1 deliver what is sold for it1 whether he will or no4 ,so is it also with the ,soul4 ,once the ,good appears1 it attracts towards itself2 evil repels4 ,but a clear and certain impression of the ,good the ,soul will never reject1 any more than men do ,csar's coin4 ,on this hangs every impulse alike of ,man and ,god4 ,,xc ,asked what ,common ,sense was1 ,epictetus replied3-- ,as that may be called a ,common ,ear which distinguishes only sounds1 while that which distinguishes musical notes is not common but produced by training2 so there are certain things which men not entirely perverted see by the natural principles common to all4 ,such a constitution of the ,mind is called ,common ,sense4 ,,xci ,canst thou judge men8 4 4 4 then make us imitators of thyself1 as ,socrates did4 ,do this1 do not do that1 else will ,i cast thee into prison3 this is not governing men like reasonable creatures4 ,say rather1 ,as ,god hath ordained1 so do2 else thou wilt suffer chastisement and loss4 ,askest thou what loss8 ,none other than this3 ,to have left undone what thou shouldst have done3 to have lost the faithfulness1 the reverence1 the modesty that is in thee6 ,greater loss than this seek not to find6 ,,xcii 8,his son is dead40 ,what has happened8 8,his son is dead40 ,nothing more8 8,nothing40 8,his ship is lost40 8,he has been haled to prison40 ,what has happened8 8,he has been haled to prison40 ,but that any of these things are misfortunes to him1 is an addition which every one makes of his own4 ,but 7you say7 ,god is unjust is this4--,why8 ,for having given thee endurance and greatness of soul8 ,for having made such things to be no evils8 ,for placing happiness within thy reach1 even when enduring them8 ,for open unto thee a door1 when things make not for thy good8--,depart1 my friend and find fault no more6 ,,xciii ,you are sailing to ,rome 7you tell me7 to obtain the post of ,governor of ,cnossus4 ,you are not content to stay at home with the honours you had before2 you want something on a larger scale1 and more conspicuous4 ,but when did you ever undertake a voyage for the purpose of reviewing your own principles and getting rid of any of them that proved unsound8 ,whom did you ever visit for that object8 ,what time did you ever set yourself for that8 ,what age8 ,run over the times of your life--by yourself1 if you are ashamed before me4 ,did you examine your principles when a boy8 ,did you not do everything just as you do now8 ,or when you were a stripling1 attending the school of oratory and practising the art yourself1 what did you ever imagine you lacked8 ,and when you were a young man1 entered upon public life1 and were pleading causes and making a name1 who any longer seemed equal to you8 ,and at what moment would you have endured another examining your principles and proving that they were unsound8 ,what then am ,i to say to you8 8,help me in this matter60 you cry4 ,ah1 for that ,i have no rule6 ,and neither did you1 if that was your object1 come to me as a philosopher1 but as you might have gone to a herb-seller or a cobbler4--8,what do philosophers have rules for1 then80--,why1 that whatever may betide1 our ruling faculty may be as ,nature would have it1 and so remain4 ,think you this a small matter8 ,not so6 but the greatest thing there is4 ,well1 does it need but a short time8 ,can it be grasped by a passer-by8--grasp it1 if you can6 ,then you will say1 8,yes1 ,i met ,epictetus60 ,aye1 just as you might a statue or a monument4 ,you saw me6 and that is all4 ,but a man who meets a man is one who learns the other's mind1 and lets him see his in turn4 ,learn my mind--show me yours2 and then go and say that you met me4 ,let us try each other2 if ,i have any wrong principle1 rid me of it2 if you have1 out with it4 ,that is what meeting a philosopher means4 ,not so1 you think2 this is only a flying visit2 while we are hiring the ship1 we can see ,epictetus too6 ,let us see what he has to say4 ,then on leaving you cry1 8,out on ,epictetus for a worthless fellow1 provincial and barbarous of speech60 ,what else indeed did you come to judge of8 ,,xciv ,whether you will or no1 you are poorer than ,i6 8,what then do ,i lack80 ,what you have not3 ,constancy of mind1 such as ,nature would have it be3 ,tranquillity4 ,patron or no patron1 what care ,i8 but you do care4 ,i am richer than you3 ,i am not racked with anxiety as to what ,csar may think of me2 ,i flatter none on that account4 ,this is what ,i have1 instead of vessels of gold and silver6 your vessels may be of gold1 but your reason1 your principles1 your accepted views1 your inclinations1 your desires are of earthenware4 ,,xcv ,to you1 all you have seems small3 to me1 all ,i have seems great4 ,your desire is insatiable1 mine is satisfied4 ,see children thrusting their hands into a narrow-necked jar1 and striving to pull out the nuts and figs it contains3 if they fill the hand1 they cannot pull it out again1 and then they fall to tears4--8,let go a few of them1 and then you can draw out the rest60--,you1 too1 let your desire go6 covet not many things1 and you will obtain4 ,,xcvi ,pittacus wronged by one whom he had it in his power to punish1 let him go free1 saying1 ,forgiveness is better than revenge4 ,the one shows native gentleness1 the other savagery4 ,,xcvii 8,my brother ought not to have treated me thus40 ,true3 but he must see to that4 ,however he may treat me1 ,i must deal rightly by him4 ,this is what lies with me1 what none can hinder4 ,,xcviii ,nevertheless a man should also be prepared to be sufficient unto himself--to dwell with himself alone1 even as ,god dwells with ,himself alone1 shares ,his repose with none1 and considers the nature of ,his own administration1 intent upon such thoughts as are meet unto ,himself4 ,so should we also be able to converse with ourselves1 to need none else beside1 to sigh for no distraction1 to bend our thoughts upon the ,divine ,administration1 and how we stand related to all else2 to observe how human accidents touched us of old1 and how they touch us now2 what things they are that still have power to hurt us1 and how they may be cured or removed2 to perfect what needs perfecting as ,reason would direct4 ,,xcix ,if a man has frequent intercourse with others1 either in the way of conversation1 entertainment1 or simple familiarity1 he must either become like them1 or change them to his own fashion4 ,a live coal placed next a dead one will either kindle that or be quenched by it4 ,such being the risk1 it is well to be cautious in admitting intimacies of this sort1 remembering that one cannot rub shoulders with a soot-stained man without sharing the soot oneself4 ,what will you do1 supposing the talk turns on gladiators1 or horses1 or prize-fighters1 or 7what is worse7 on persons1 condemning this and that1 approving the other8 ,or suppose a man sneers and jeers or shows a malignant temper8 ,has any among us the skill of the lute-player1 who knows at the first touch which strings are out of tune and sets the instrument right3 has any of you such power as ,socrates had1 in all his intercourse with men1 of winning them over to his own convictions8 ,nay1 but you must needs be swayed hither and thither by the uninstructed4 ,how comes it then that they prove so much stronger than you8 ,because they speak from the fulness of the heart--their low1 corrupt views are their real convictions3 whereas your fine sentiments are but from the lips1 outwards2 that is why they are so nerveless and dead4 ,it turns one's stomach to listen to your exhortations1 and hear of your miserable ,virtue1 that you prate of up and down4 ,thus it is that the ,vulgar prove too strong for you4 ,everywhere strength1 everywhere victory waits your conviction6 ,c ,in general1 any methods of discipline applied to the body which tend to modify its desires or repulsions1 are good--for ascetic ends4 ,but if done for display1 they betray at once a man who keeps an eye on outward show2 who has an ulterior purpose1 and is looking for spectators to shout1 8,oh what a great man60 ,this is why ,apollonius so well said3 8,if you are bent upon a little private discipline1 wait till you are choking with heat some day--then take a mouthful of cold water1 and spit it out again1 and tell no man60 ,,ci ,study how to give as one that is sick3 that thou mayest hereafter give as one that is whole4 ,fast2 drink water only2 abstain altogether from desire1 that thou mayest hereafter conform thy desire to ,reason4 ,,cii ,thou wouldst do good unto men8 then show them by thine own example what kind of men philosophy can make1 and cease from foolish trifling4 ,eating1 do good to them that eat with thee2 drinking1 to them that drink with thee2 yield unto all1 give way1 and bear with them4 ,thus shalt thou do them good3 but vent not upon them thine own evil humour6 ,,ciii ,even as bad actors cannot sing alone1 but only in chorus3 so some cannot walk alone4 ,man1 if thou art aught1 strive to walk alone and hold converse with thyself1 instead of skulking in the chorus6 at length think2 look around thee2 bestir thyself1 that thou mayest know who thou art6 ,,civ ,you would fain be victor at the ,olympic games1 you say4 ,yes1 but weigh the conditions1 weigh the consequences2 then and then only1 lay to your hand--if it be for your profit4 ,you must live by rule1 submit to diet1 abstain from dainty meats1 exercise your body perforce at stated hours1 in heat or in cold2 drink no cold water1 nor1 it may be1 wine4 ,in a word1 you must surrender yourself wholly to your trainer1 as though to a physician4 ,then in the hour of contest1 you will have to delve the ground1 it may chance dislocate an arm1 sprain an ankle1 gulp down abundance of yellow sand1 be scourge with the whip--and with all this sometimes lose the victory4 ,count the cost--and then1 if your desire still holds1 try the wrestler's life4 ,else let me tell you that you will be behaving like a pack of children playing now at wrestlers1 now at gladiators2 presently falling to trumpeting and anon to stage-playing1 when the fancy takes them for what they have seen4 ,and you are even the same3 wrestler1 gladiator1 philosopher1 orator all by turns and none of them with your whole soul4 ,like an ape1 you mimic what you see1 to one thing constant never2 the thing that is familiar charms no more4 ,this is because you never undertook aught with due consideration1 nor after strictly testing and viewing it from every side2 no1 your choice was thoughtless2 the glow of your desire had waxed cold 4 4 4 4 ,friend1 bethink you first what it is you would do1 and then what your own nature is able to bear4 ,would you be a wrestler1 consider your shoulders1 your thighs1 your loins--not all men are formed to the same end4 ,think you to be a philosopher while acting as you do8 think you go on thus eating1 thus drinking1 giving way in like manner to wrath and to displeasure8 ,nay1 you must watch1 you must labour2 overcome certain desires2 quit your familiar friends1 submit to be despised by your slave1 to be held in derision by them that meet you1 to take the lower place in all things1 in office1 in positions of authority1 in courts of law4 ,weigh these things fully1 and then1 if you will1 lay to your hand2 if as the price of these things you would gain ,freedom1 ,tranquillity1 and passionless ,serenity4 ,,cv ,he that hath no musical instruction is a child in ,music2 he that hath no letters is a child in ,learning2 he that is untaught is a child in ,life4 ,,cvi ,can any profit be derived from these men8 ,aye1 from all4 8,what1 even from a reviler80 ,why1 tell me what profit a wrestler gains from him who exercises him beforehand8 ,the very greatest3 he trains me in the practice of endurance1 of controlling my temper1 of gentle ways4 ,you deny it4 ,what1 the man who lays hold of my neck1 and disciplines loins and shoulders1 does me good1 4 4 4 while he that trains me to keep my temper does me none8 ,this is what it means1 not knowing how to gain advantage from men6 ,is my neighbour bad8 ,bad to himself1 but good to me3 he brings my good temper1 my gentleness into play4 ,is my father bad8 ,bad to himself1 but good to me4 ,this is the rod of ,hermes2 touch what you will with it1 they say1 and it becomes gold4 ,nay1 but bring what you will and ,i will transmute it into ,good4 ,bring sickness1 bring death1 bring poverty and reproach1 bring trial for life--all these things through the rod of ,hermes shall be turned to profit4 ,,cvii ,till then these sound opinions have taken firm root in you1 and you have gained a measure of strength for your security1 ,i counsel you to be cautious in associating with the uninstructed4 ,else whatever impressions you receive upon the tablets of your mind in the ,school will day by day melt and disappear1 like wax in the sun4 ,withdraw then somewhere far from the sun1 while you have these waxen sentiments4 ,,cviii ,we must approach this matter in a different way2 it is great and mystical3 it is no common thing2 nor given to every man4 ,wisdom alone1 it may be1 will not suffice for the care of youth3 a man needs also a certain measure of readiness--an aptitude for the office2 aye1 and certain bodily qualities2 and above all1 to be counselled of ,god ,himself to undertake this post2 even as ,he counselled ,socrates to fill the post of one who confutes error1 assigning to ,diogenes the royal office of high reproof1 and to ,zeno that of positive instruction4 ,whereas you would fain set up for a physician provided with nothing but drugs6 ,where and how they should be applied you neither know nor care4 ,,cix ,if what charms you is nothing but abstract principles1 sit down and turn them over quietly in your mind3 but never dub yourself a ,philosopher1 nor suffer others to call you so4 ,say rather3 ,he is in error2 for my desires1 my impulses are unaltered4 ,i give in my adhesion to what ,i did before2 nor has my mode of dealing with the things of sense undergone any change4 ,,cx ,when a friend inclined to ,cynic views asked ,epictetus1 what sort of person a true ,cynic should be1 requesting a general sketch of the system1 he answered3--8,we will consider that at leisure4 ,at present ,i content myself with saying this much3 ,if a man put his hand to so weighty a matter without ,god1 the wrath of ,god abides upon him4 ,that which he covets will but bring upon him public shame4 ,not even on finding himself in a well-ordered house does a man step forward and say to himself1 ,i must be master here6 ,else the lord of that house takes notice of it1 and1 seeing him insolently giving orders1 drags him forth and chastises him4 ,so it is also in this great ,city1 the ,world4 ,here also is there a ,lord of the ,house1 who orders all thing3-- 8,thou are the ,sun6 in thine orbit thou hast power to make the year and the seasons2 to bid the fruits of the earth to grow and increase1 the winds arise and fall2 thou canst in due measure cherish with thy warmth the frames of men2 go make thy circuit1 and thus minister unto all from the greatest to the least6 4 4 40 8,thou canst lead a host against ,troy2 be ,agamemnon60 8,thou canst meet ,hector in single combat2 be ,achilles60 8,but had ,thersites stepped forward and claimed the chief command1 he had been met with a refusal1 or obtained it only to his own shame and confusion of face1 before a cloud of witnesses40 ,,cxi ,others may fence themselves with walls and houses1 when they do such deeds as these1 and wrap themselves in darkness--aye1 they have many a device to hide themselves4 ,another may shut his door and station one before his chamber to say1 if any comes1 ,he has gone forth6 he is not at leisure6 ,but the true ,cynic will have none of these things2 instead of them1 he must wrap himself in ,modesty3 else he will but bring himself to shame1 naked and under the open sky4 ,that is his house2 that is his door2 that is the slave that guards his chamber2 that is his darkness6 ,,cxii ,death8 let it come when it will1 whether it smite but a part of the whole3 ,fly1 you tell me--fly6 ,but whither shall ,i fly8 ,can any man cast me beyond the limits of the ,world8 ,it may not be6 ,and whithersoever ,i go1 there shall ,i still find ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars2 there ,i shall find dreams1 and omens1 and converse with the ,gods6 ,,cxiii ,furthermore the true ,cynic must know that he is sent as a ,messenger from ,god to men1 to show unto them that as touching good and evil they are in error2 looking for these where they are not to be found1 nor ever bethinking themselves where they are4 ,and like ,diogenes when brought before ,philip after the battle of ,chaeronea1 the ,cynic must remember that he is a ,spy4 ,for a ,spy he really is--to bring back word what things are on ,man's side1 and what against him4 ,and when he had diligently observed all1 he must come back with a true report1 not terrified into announcing them to be foes that are no foes1 nor otherwise perturbed or confounded by the things of sense4 ,,cxiv ,how can it be that one who hath nothing1 neither raiment1 nor house1 nor home1 nor bodily tendance1 nor servant1 nor city1 should yet live tranquil and contented8 ,behold ,god hath sent you a man to show you in act and deed that it may be so4 ,behold me6 ,i have neither house nor possessions nor servants3 the ground is my couch2 ,i have no wife1 no children1 no shelter--nothing but earth and sky1 and one poor cloak4 ,and what lack ,i yet8 am ,i not untouched by sorrow1 by fear8 am ,i not free8 4 4 4 when have ,i laid anything to the charge of ,god or ,man8 when have ,i accused any8 hath any of you seen me with a sorrowful countenance8 ,and in what wise treat ,i those of whom you stand in fear and awe8 ,is it not as slaves8 ,who when he seeth me doth not think that he beholdeth his ,master and his ,king8 ,,cxv ,give thyself more diligently to reflection3 know thyself3 take counsel with the ,godhead3 without ,god put thine hand unto nothing6 ,,cxvi 8,but to marry and to rear offspring10 said the young man1 8will the ,cynic hold himself bound to undertake this as a chief duty80 ,grant me a republic of wise men1 answered ,epictetus1 and perhaps none will lightly take the ,cynic life upon him4 ,for on whose account should he embrace that method of life8 ,suppose however that he does1 there will then be nothing to hinder his marrying and rearing offspring4 ,for his wife will be even such another as himself1 and likewise her father2 and in like manner will his children be brought up4 ,but in the present condition of things1 which resembles an ,army in battle array1 ought not the ,cynic to be free from all distraction and given wholly to the service of ,god1 so that he can go in and out among men1 neither fettered by the duties nor entangled by the relations of common life8 ,for if he transgress them1 he will forfeit the character of a good man and true2 whereas if he observe them1 there is an end to him as the ,messenger1 the ,spy1 the ,herald of the ,gods6 ,,cxvii ,ask me if you choose if a ,cynic shall engage in the administration of the ,state4 ,o fool1 seek you a nobler administration that that in which he is engaged8 ,ask you if a man shall come forward in the ,athenian assembly and talk about revenue and supplies1 when his business is to converse with all men1 ,athenians1 ,corinthians1 and ,romans alike1 not about supplies1 not about revenue1 nor yet peace and war1 but about ,happiness and ,misery1 ,prosperity and ,adversity1 ,slavery and ,freedom8 ,ask you whether a man shall engage in the administration of the ,state who has engaged in such an ,administration as this8 ,ask me too if he shall govern2 and again ,i will answer1 ,fool1 what greater government shall he hold than he holds already8 ,,cxviii ,such a man needs also to have a certain habit of body4 ,if he appears consumptive1 thin and pale1 his testimony has no longer the same authority4 ,he must not only prove to the unlearned by showing them what his ,soul is that it is possible to be a good man apart from all that they admire2 but he must also show them1 by his body1 that a plain and simple manner of life under the open sky does no harm to the body either4 8,see1 ,i am proof of this6 and my body also40 ,as ,diogenes used to do1 who went about fresh of look and by the very appearance of his body drew men's eyes4 ,but if a ,cynic is an object of pity1 he seems a mere beggar2 all turn away1 all are offended at him4 ,nor should he be slovenly of look1 so as not to scare men from him in this way either2 on the contrary1 his very roughness should be clean and attractive4 ,,cxix ,kings and tyrants have armed guards wherewith to chastise certain persons1 though they themselves be evil4 ,but to the ,cynic conscience gives this power--not arms and guards4 ,when he knows that he has watched and laboured on behalf of mankind3 that sleep hath found him pure1 and left him purer still3 that his thoughts have been the thought of a ,friend of the ,gods--of a servant1 yet one that hath a part in the government of the ,supreme ,god3 that the words are ever on his lips3-- ,lead me1 ,o ,god1 and thou1 ,o ,destiny6 as well as these3-- ,if this be ,god's will1 so let it be6 ,why should he not speak boldly unto his own brethren1 unto his children--in a word1 unto all that are akin to him6 ,,cxx ,does a ,philosopher apply to people to come and hear him8 does he not rather1 of his own nature1 attract those that will be benefited by him--like the sun that warms1 the food that sustains them8 ,what ,physician applies to men to come and be healed8 7,though indeed ,i hear that the ,physicians at ,rome do nowadays apply for patients--in my time they were applied to47 ,i apply to you to come and hear that you are in evil case2 that what deserves your attention most is the last thing to gain it2 that you know not good from evil1 and are in short a hapless wretch2 a fine way to apply6 though unless the words of the ,philosopher affect you thus1 speaker and speech are alike dead4 ,,cxxi ,a ,philosopher's school is a ,surgery3 pain1 not pleasure1 you should have felt therein4 ,for on entering none of you is whole4 ,one has a shoulder out of joint1 another an abscess3 a third suffers from an issue1 a fourth from pains in the head4 ,and am ,i then to sit down and treat you to pretty sentiments and empty flourishes1 so that you may applaud me and depart1 with neither shoulder1 nor head1 nor issue1 nor abscess a whit the better for your visit8 ,is it then for this that young men are to quit their homes1 and leave parents1 friends1 kinsmen and substance to mouth out ,bravo to your empty phrases6 ,,cxxii ,if any be unhappy1 let him remember that he is unhappy by reason of himself alone4 ,for ,god hath made all men to enjoy felicity and constancy of good4 ,,cxxiii ,shall we never wean ourselves--shall we never heed the teachings of ,philosophy 7unless perchance they have been sounding in our ears like an enchanter's drone73-- ,this ,world is one great ,city1 and one is the substance whereof it is fashioned3 a certain period indeed there needs must be1 while these give place to those2 some must perish for others to succeed2 some move and some abide3 yet all is full of friends--first ,god1 then ,men1 whom ,nature hath bound by ties of kindred each to each4 ,,cxxiv ,nor did the hero weep and lament at leaving his children orphans4 ,for he knew that no man is an orphan1 but it is the ,father that careth for all continually and for evermore4 ,not by mere report had he heard that the ,supreme ,god is the ,father of men3 seeing that he called ,him ,father believing ,him so to be1 and in all that he did had ever his eyes fixed upon ,him4 ,wherefore in whatsoever place he was1 there is was given him to live happily4 ,,cxxv ,know you not that the thing is a warfare8 one man's duty is to mount guard1 another must go out to reconnoitre1 a third to battle2 all cannot be in one place1 nor would it even be expedient4 ,but you1 instead of executing you ,commander's orders1 complain if aught harsher than usual is enjoined2 not understanding to what condition you are bringing the army1 so far as in you lies4 ,if all were to follow your example1 none would dig a trench1 none would cast a rampart around the camp1 none would keep watch1 or expose himself to danger2 but all turn out useless for the service of war4 4 4 4 ,thus it is here also4 ,every life is a warfare1 and that long and various4 ,you must fulfil a soldier's duty1 and obey each order at your commander's nod3 aye1 if it be possible1 divine what he would have done2 for between that ,command and this1 there is no comparison1 either in might or in excellence4 ,,cxxvi ,have you again forgotten8 ,know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance' sake1 but for the sake of having done right8 4 4 4 8,is there no reward then80 ,reward6 do you seek any greater reward for a good man than doing what is right and just8 ,yet at the ,great ,games you look for nothing else2 there the victor's crown you deem enough4 ,seems it to you so small a thing and worthless1 to be a good man1 and happy therein8 ,,cxxvii ,it befits thee not to be unhappy by reason of any1 but rather to be happy by reason of all men1 and especially by reason of ,god1 who formed us to this end4 ,,cxxviii ,what1 did ,diogenes love no man1 he that was so gentle1 so true a friend to men as cheerfully to endure such bodily hardships for the common weal of all mankind8 ,but how loved he them8 ,as behoved a minister of the ,supreme ,god1 alike caring for men and subject unto ,god4 ,,cxxix ,i am by ,nature made for my own good2 not for my own evil4 ,,cxxx ,remind thyself that he whom thou lovest is mortal--that what thou lovest is not thine own2 it is given thee for the present1 not irrevocably nor for ever1 but even as a fig or a bunch of grapes at the appointed season of the year4 4 4 4 8,but these are words of evil omen404 4 4 ,what1 callest thou aught of evil omen save that which signifies some evil thing8 ,cowardice is a word of evil omen1 if thou wilt1 and meanness of spirit1 and lamentation and mourning1 and shamelessness4 4 4 4 ,but do not1 ,i pray thee1 call of evil omen a word that is significant of any natural thing3--as well call of evil omen the reaping of the corn2 for that means the destruction of the ears1 though not of the ,world6--as well say that the fall of the leaf is of evil omen2 that the dried fig should take the place of the green2 that raisins should be made from grapes4 ,all these are changes from a former state into another2 not destruction1 but an ordered economy1 a fixed administration4 ,such is leaving home1 a change of small account2 such is ,death1 a greater change1 from what now is1 not to what is not1 but to what is not now4 8,shall ,i then no longer be80 ,not so2 thou wilt be2 but something different1 of which the ,world now hath need4 ,for thou too wert born not when thou chosest1 but when the ,world had need of thee4 ,,cxxxi ,wherefore a good man and true1 bearing in mind who he is and whence he came and from whom he sprang1 cares only how he may fill his post with due discipline and obedience to ,god4 ,wilt thou that ,i continue to live8 ,then will ,i live1 as one that is free and noble1 as ,thou wouldst have me4 ,for ,thou hast made me free from hindrance in what appertaineth unto me4 ,but hast ,thou no further need of me8 ,i thank ,thee6 ,up to this hour have ,i stayed for ,thy sake and none other's3 and now in obedience to ,thee ,i depart4 8,how dost thou depart80 ,again ,i say1 as ,thou wouldst have me2 as one that is free1 as ,thy servant1 as one whose ear is open unto what ,thou dost enjoin1 what ,thou dost forbid4 ,,cxxxii ,whatsoever place or post ,thou assignest me1 sooner will ,i die a thousand deaths1 as ,socrates said1 than desert it4 ,and where wilt ,thou have me to be8 ,at ,rome or ,athens8 ,at ,thebes or on a desert island8 ,only remember me there6 ,shouldst ,thou send me where man cannot live as ,nature would have him1 ,i will depart1 not in disobedience to ,thee1 but as though ,thou wert sounding the signal for my retreat3 ,i am not deserting ,thee--far be that from me6 ,i only perceive that thou needest me no longer4 ,,cxxxiii ,if you are in ,gyaros1 do not let your mind dwell upon life at ,rome1 and all the pleasures it offered to you when living there1 and all that would attend your return4 ,rather be intent on this--how he that lives in ,gyaros may live in ,gyaros like a man of spirit4 ,and if you are at ,rome1 do not let your mind dwell upon the life at ,athens1 but study only how to live at ,rome4 ,finally1 in the room of all other pleasures put this--the pleasure which springs from conscious obedience to ,god4 ,,cxxxiv ,to a good man there is no evil1 either in life or death4 ,and if ,god supply not food1 has ,he not1 as a wise ,commander1 sounded the signal for retreat and nothing more8 ,i obey1 ,i follow--speaking good of my ,commander1 and praising ,his acts4 ,for at ,his good pleasure ,i came2 and ,i depart when it pleases ,him2 and while ,i was yet alive that was my work1 to sing praises unto ,god6 ,,cxxxv ,reflect that the chief source of all evils to ,man1 and of baseness and cowardice1 is not death1 but the fear of death4 ,against this fear then1 ,i pray you1 harden yourself2 to this let all your reasonings1 your exercises1 your reading tend4 ,then shall you know that thus alone are men set free4 ,,cxxxvi ,he is free who lives as he wishes to live2 to whom none can do violence1 none hinder or compel2 whose impulses are unimpeded1 whose desires are attain their purpose1 who falls not into what he would avoid4 ,who then would live in error8--,none4 ,who would live deceived and prone to fall1 unjust1 intemperate1 in abject whining at his lot8--,none4 ,then doth no wicked man live as he would1 and therefore neither is he free4 ,,cxxxvii ,thus do the more cautious of travellers act4 ,the road is said to be beset by robbers4 ,the traveller will not venture alone1 but awaits the companionship on the road of an ambassador1 a quaestor or a proconsul4 ,to him he attaches himself and thus passes by in safety4 ,so doth the wise man in the world4 ,many are the companies of robbers and tyrants1 many the storms1 the straits1 the losses of all a man holds dearest4 ,whither shall he fall for refuge--how shall he pass by unassailed8 ,what companion on the road shall he await for protection8 ,such and such a wealthy man1 of consular rank8 ,and how shall ,i be profited1 if he is stripped and falls to lamentation and weeping8 ,and how if my fellow-traveller himself turns upon me and robs me8 ,what am ,i to do8 ,i will become a friend of ,csar's6 in his train none will do me wrong6 ,in the first place--,o the indignities ,i must endure to win distinction6 ,o the multitude of hands there will be to rob me6 ,and if ,i succeed1 ,csar too is but a mortal4 ,while should it come to pass that ,i offend him1 whither shall ,i flee from his presence8 ,to the wilderness8 ,and may not fever await me there8 ,what then is to be done8 ,cannot a fellow-traveller be found that is honest and loyal1 strong and secure against surprise8 ,thus doth the wise man reason1 considering that if he would pass through in safety1 he must attach himself unto ,god4 ,,cxxxviii 8,how understandest thou attach himself to ,god80 ,that what ,god wills1 he should will also2 that what ,god wills not1 neither should he will4 8,how then may this come to pass80 ,by considering the movements of ,god1 and ,his administration4 ,,cxxxix ,and dost thou that hast received all from another's hands1 repine and blame the ,giver1 if ,he takes anything from thee8 ,why1 who art thou1 and to what end comest thou here8 was it not ,he that made the ,light manifest unto thee1 that gave thee fellow-workers1 and senses1 and the power to reason8 ,and how brought ,he thee into the world8 ,was it not as one born to die2 as one bound to live out his earthly life in some small tabernacle of flesh2 to behold ,his administration1 and for a little while share with ,him in the mighty march of this great ,festival ,procession8 ,now therefore that thou hast beheld1 while it was permitted thee1 the ,solemn ,feast and ,assembly1 wilt thou not cheerfully depart1 when ,he summons thee forth1 with adoration and thanksgiving for what thou hast seen and heard8--8,nay1 but ,i would fain have stayed longer at the ,festival40--,ah1 so would the mystics fain have the rites prolonged2 so perchance would the crowd at the ,great ,games fain behold more wrestlers still4 ,but the ,solemn ,assembly is over6 ,come forth1 depart with thanksgiving and modesty--give place to others that must come into being even as thyself4 ,,cxl ,why art thou thus insatiable8 why thus unreasonable8 why encumber the world8--8,aye1 but ,i fain would have my wife and children with me too40--,what1 are they then thine1 and not ,his that gave them--,his that made thee8 ,give up then that which is not thine own3 yield it to ,one who is better than thou4 8,nay1 but why did ,he bring one into the world on these conditions80--,if it suits thee not1 depart6 ,he hath no need of a spectator who finds fault with his lot6 ,them that will take part in the ,feast he needeth--that will lift their voices with the rest that men may applaud the more1 and exalt the ,great ,assembly in hymns and songs of praise4 ,but the wretched and the fearful ,he will not be displeased to see absent from it3 for when they were present1 they did not behave as at a ,feast1 nor fulfil their proper office2 but moaned as though in pain1 and found fault with their fate1 their fortune and their companions2 insensible to what had fallen to their lot1 insensible to the powers they had received for a very different purpose--the powers of ,magnanimity1 ,nobility of ,heart1 of ,fortitude1 or ,freedom6 ,,cxli ,art thou then free8 a man may say4 ,so help me heaven1 ,i long and pray for freedom6 ,but ,i cannot look my masters boldly in the face2 ,i still value the poor body2 ,i still set much store on its preservation whole and sound4 ,but ,i can point thee out a free man1 that thou mayest be no more in search of an example4 ,diogenes was free4 ,how so8 ,not because he was of free parentage 7for that1 indeed1 was not the case71 but because he was himself free4 ,he had cast away every handle whereby slavery might lay hold of him to enslave him1 nor was it possible for any to approach and take hold of him to enslave him4 ,all things sat loose upon him--all things were to him attached by but slender ties4 ,hadst thou seized upon his possessions1 he would rather have let them go than have followed thee for them--aye1 had it been even a limb1 or mayhap his whole body2 and in like manner1 relatives1 friends1 and country4 ,for he knew whence they came--from whose hands and on what terms he had received them4 ,his true forefathers1 the ,gods1 his true ,country1 he never would have abandoned2 nor would he have yielded to any man in obedience and submission to the one nor in cheerfully dying for the other4 ,for he was ever mindful that everything that comes to pass has its source and origin there2 being indeed brought about for the weal of that his true ,country1 and directed by ,him in whose governance it is4 ,,cxlii ,ponder on this--on these convictions1 on these words3 fix thine eyes on these examples1 if thou wouldst be free1 if thou hast thine heart set upon the matter according to its worth4 ,and what marvel if thou purchase so great a thing at so great and high a price8 ,for the sake of this that men deem liberty1 some hang themselves1 others cast themselves down from the rock2 aye1 time has been when whole cities came utterly to an end3 while for the sake of ,freedom that is true1 and sure1 and unassailable1 dost thou grudge to ,god what ,he gave1 when ,he claims it8 ,wilt thou not study1 as ,plato saith1 to endure1 not death alone1 but torture1 exile1 stripes--in a word1 to render up all that is not thine own8 ,else thou wilt be a slave amid slaves1 wert thou ten thousand times a consul2 aye1 not a whit the less1 though thou climb the ,palace steps4 ,and thou shalt know how true the saying of ,cleanthes1 that though the words of philosophers may run counter to the opinions of the world1 yet have they reason on their side4 ,,cxliii ,asked how a man should best grieve his enemy1 ,epictetus replied1 8,by setting himself to live the noblest life himself40 ,,cxliv ,i am free1 ,i am a friend of ,god1 ready to render ,him willing obedience4 ,of all else ,i may set store by nothing--neither by mine own body1 nor possessions1 nor office1 nor good report1 nor1 in a word1 aught else beside4 ,for it is not ,his ,will1 that ,i should so set store by these things4 ,had it been ,his pleasure1 ,he would have placed my ,good therein4 ,but now ,he hath not done so3 therefore ,i cannot transgress one jot of ,his commands4 ,in everything hold fast to that which is thy ,good--but to all else 7as far as is given thee7 within the measure of ,reason only1 contented with this alone4 ,else thou wilt meet with failure1 ill success1 let and hindrance4 ,these are the ,laws ordained of ,god--these are ,his ,edicts2 these a man should expound and interpret2 to these submit himself1 not to the laws of ,masurius and ,cassius4 ,,cxlv ,remember that not the love of power and wealth sets us under the heel of others1 but even the love of tranquillity1 of leisure1 of change of scene--of learning in general1 it matters not what the outward thing may be--to set store by it is to place thyself in subjection to another4 ,where is the difference then between desiring to be a ,senator1 and desiring not to be one3 between thirsting for office and thirsting to be quit of it8 ,where is the difference between crying1 ,woe is me1 ,i know not what to do1 bound hand and foot as ,i am to my books so that ,i cannot stir6 and crying1 ,woe is me1 ,i have not time to read6 ,as though a book were not as much an outward thing and independent of the will1 as office and power and the receptions of the great4 ,or what reason hast thou 7tell me7 for desiring to read8 ,for if thou aim at nothing beyond the mere delight of it1 or gaining some scrap of knowledge1 thou art but a poor1 spiritless knave4 ,but if thou desirest to study to its proper end1 what else is this than a life that flows on tranquil and serene8 ,and if thy reading secures thee not serenity1 what profits it8--8,nay1 but it doth secure it10 quoth he1 8and that is why ,i repine at being deprived of it40--,and what serenity is this that lies at the mercy of every passer-by8 ,i say not at the mercy of the ,emperor or ,emperor's favorite1 but such as trembles at a raven's croak and piper's din1 a fever's touch or a thousand things of like sort6 ,whereas the life serene has no more certain mark than this1 that it ever moves with constant unimpeded flow4 ,,cxlvi ,if thou hast put malice and evil speaking from thee1 altogether1 or in some degree3 if thou hast put away from thee rashness1 foulness of tongue1 intemperance1 sluggishness3 if thou art not moved by what once moved thee1 or in like manner as thou once wert moved--then thou mayest celebrate a daily festival1 to-day because thou hast done well in this manner1 to-morrow in that4 ,how much greater cause is here for offering sacrifice1 than if a man should become ,consul or ,prefect8 ,,cxlvii ,these things hast thou from thyself and from the ,gods3 only remember who it is that giveth them--to whom and for what purpose they were given4 ,feeding thy soul on thoughts like these1 dost thou debate in what place happiness awaits thee8 in what place thou shalt do ,god's pleasure8 ,are not the ,gods nigh unto all places alike2 see they not alike what everywhere comes to pass8 ,,cxlviii ,to each man ,god hath granted this inward freedom4 ,these are the principles that in a house create love1 in a city concord1 among nations peace1 teaching a man gratitude towards ,god and cheerful confidence1 wherever he may be1 in dealing with outward things that he knows are neither his nor worth striving after4 ,,cxlix ,if you seek ,truth1 you will not seek to gain a victory by every possible means2 and when you have found ,truth1 you need not fear being defeated4 ,,cl ,what foolish talk is this8 how can ,i any longer lay claim to right principles1 if ,i am not content with being what ,i am1 but am all aflutter about what ,i am supposed to be8 ,,cli ,god hath made all things in the world1 nay1 the world itself1 free from hindrance and perfect1 and its parts for the use of the whole4 ,no other creature is capable of comprehending ,his administration thereof2 but the reasonable being ,man possesses faculties for the consideration of all these things--not only that he is himself a part1 but what part he is1 and how it is meet that the parts should give place to the whole4 ,nor is this all4 ,being naturally constituted noble1 magnanimous1 and free1 he sees that the things which surround him are of two kinds4 ,some are free from hindrance and in the power of the will4 ,other are subject to hindrance1 and depend on the will of other men4 ,if then he place his own good1 his own best interest1 only in that which is free from hindrance and in his power1 he will be free1 tranquil1 happy1 unharmed1 noble-hearted1 and pious2 giving thanks to all things unto ,god1 finding fault with nothing that comes to pass1 laying no charge against anything4 ,whereas if he place his good in outward things1 depending not on the will1 he must perforce be subject to hindrance and restraint1 the slave of those that have power over the things he desires and fears2 he must perforce be impious1 as deeming himself injured at the hands of ,god2 he must be unjust1 as ever prone to claim more than his due2 he must perforce be of a mean and abject spirit4 ,,clii ,whom then shall ,i fear8 the lords of the ,bedchamber1 lest they should shut me out8 ,if they find me desirous of entering in1 let them shut me out1 if they will4 8,then why comest thou to the door80 ,because ,i think it meet and right1 so long as the ,play lasts1 to take part therein4 8,in what sense art thou then shut out80 ,because1 unless ,i am admitted1 it is not my will to enter3 on the contrary1 my will is simply that which comes to pass4 ,for ,i esteem what ,god wills better than what ,i will4 ,to ,him will ,i cleave as ,his minister and attendant2 having the same movements1 the same desires1 in a word the same ,will as ,he4 ,there is no such thing as being shut out for me1 but only for them that would force their way in4 ,,cliii ,but what says ,socrates8--8,one man finds pleasure in improving his land1 another his horses4 ,my pleasure lies in seeing that ,i myself grow better day by day40 ,,cliv ,the dress is suited to the craft2 the craftsman takes his name from the craft1 not from the dress4 ,for this reason ,euphrates was right in saying1 8,i long endeavoured to conceal my following the philosophic life2 and this profited me much4 ,in the first place1 ,i knew that what ,i did aright1 ,i did not for the sake of lookers-on1 but for my own4 ,i ate aright--unto myself2 ,i kept the even tenor of my walk1 my glance composed and serene--all unto myself and unto ,god4 ,then as ,i fought alone1 ,i was alone in peril4 ,if ,i did anything amiss or shameful1 the cause of ,philosophy was not in me endangered2 nor did ,i wrong the multitude by transgressing as a professed philosopher4 ,wherefore those that knew not my purpose marvelled how it came about1 that whilst all my life and conversation was passed with philosophers without exception1 ,i was yet none myself4 ,and what harm that the philosopher should be known by his acts1 instead of mere outward signs and symbols80 ,,clv ,first study to conceal what thou art2 seek wisdom a little while unto thyself4 ,thus grows the fruit2 first1 the seed must be buried in the earth for a little space2 there it must be hid and slowly grow1 that it may reach maturity4 ,but if it produce the ear before the jointed stalk1 it is imperfect--a thing from the garden of ,adonis4 ,such a sorry growth art thou2 thou hast blossomed too soon3 the winter cold will wither thee away6 ,,clvi ,first of all1 condemn the life thou art now leading3 but when thou hast condemned it1 do not despair of thyself--be not like them of mean spirit1 who once they have yielded1 abandon themselves entirely and as it were allow the torrent to sweep them away4 ,no2 learn what the wrestling masters do4 ,has the boy fallen8 8,rise10 they say1 8wrestle again1 till thy strength come to thee40 ,even thus should it be with thee4 ,for know that there is nothing more tractable than the human soul4 ,it needs but to will1 and the thing is done2 the soul is set upon the right path3 as on the contrary it needs but to nod over the task1 and all is lost4 ,for ruin and recovery alike are from within4 ,,clvii ,it is the critical moment that shows the man4 ,so when the crisis is upon you1 remember that ,god1 like a trainer of wrestlers1 has matched you with a rough and stalwart antagonist4--8,to what end80 you ask4 ,that you may prove the victor at the ,great ,games4 ,yet without toil and sweat this may not be6 ,,clviii ,if thou wouldst make progress1 be content to seem foolish and void of understanding with respect to outward things4 ,care not to be thought to know anything4 ,if any should make account of thee1 distrust thyself4 ,,clix ,remember that in life thou shouldst order thy conduct as at a banquet4 ,has any dish that is being served reached thee8 ,stretch forth thy hand and help thyself modestly4 ,doth it pass thee by8 ,seek not to detain it4 ,has it not yet come8 ,send not forth thy desire to meet it1 but wait until it reaches thee4 ,deal thus with children1 thus with wife2 thus with office1 thus with wealth--and one day thou wilt be meet to share the ,banquets of the ,gods4 ,but if thou dost not so much as touch that which is placed before thee1 but despisest it1 then shalt thou not only share the ,banquets of the ,gods1 but their ,empire also4 ,,clx ,remember that thou art an actor in a play1 and of such sort as the ,author chooses1 whether long or short4 ,if it be his good pleasure to assign thee the part of a beggar1 a ruler1 or a simple citizen1 thine it is to play it fitly4 ,for thy business is to act the part assigned thee1 well3 to choose it1 is another's4 ,,clxi ,keep death and exile daily before thine eyes1 with all else that men deem terrible1 but more especially ,death4 ,then wilt thou never think a mean though1 nor covet anything beyond measure4 ,,clxii ,as a mark is not set up in order to be missed1 so neither is such a thing as natural evil produced in the ,world4 ,,clxiii ,piety toward the ,gods1 to be sure1 consists chiefly in thinking rightly concerning them--that they are1 and that they govern the ,universe with goodness and justice2 and that thou thyself art appointed to obey them1 and to submit under all circumstances that arise2 acquiescing cheerfully in whatever may happen1 sure it is brought to pass and accomplished by the most ,perfect ,understanding4 ,thus thou wilt never find fault with the ,gods1 nor charge them with neglecting thee4 ,,clxiv ,lose no time in setting before you a certain stamp of character and behaviour both when by yourself and in company with others4 ,let silence be your general rule2 or say only what is necessary and in few words4 ,we shall1 however1 when occasion demands1 enter into discourse sparingly4 avoiding common topics as gladiators1 horse-races1 athletes2 and the perpetual talk about food and drink4 ,above all avoid speaking of persons1 either in way of praise or blame1 or comparison4 ,if you can1 win over the conversation of your company to what it should be by your own4 ,but if you find yourself cut off without escape among strangers and aliens1 be silent4 ,,clxv ,laughter should not be much1 nor frequent1 nor unrestrained4 ,,clxvi ,refuse altogether to take an oath if you can1 if not1 as far as may be4 ,,clxvii ,banquets of the unlearned and of them that are without1 avoid4 ,but if you have occasion to take part in them1 let not your attention be relaxed for a moment1 lest you slip after all into evil ways4 ,for you may rest assured that be a man ever so pure himself1 he cannot escape defilement if his associates are impure4 ,,clxviii ,take what relates to the body as far as the bare use warrants--as meat1 drink1 raiment1 house and servants4 ,but all that makes for show and luxury reject4 ,,clxix ,if you are told that such an one speaks ill of you1 make no defence against what was said1 but answer1 ,he surely knew not my other faults1 else he would not have mentioned these only6 ,,clxx ,when you visit any of those in power1 bethink yourself that you will not find him in3 that you may not be admitted3 that the door may be shut in your face3 that he may not concern himself about you4 ,if with all this1 it is your duty to go1 bear what happens1 and never say to yourself1 ,it was not worth the trouble6 ,for that would smack of the foolish and unlearned who suffer outward things to touch them4 ,,clxxi ,in company avoid frequent and undue talk about your own actions and dangers4 ,however pleasant it may be to you to enlarge upon the risks you have run1 others may not find such pleasure in listening to your adventures4 ,avoid provoking laughter also3 it is a habit from which one easily slides into the ways of the foolish1 and apt to diminish the respect which your neighbors feel for you4 ,to border on coarse talk is also dangerous4 ,on such occasions1 if a convenient opportunity offer1 rebuke the speaker4 ,if not1 at least by relapsing into silence1 colouring1 and looking annoyed1 show that you are displeased with the subject4 ,,clxxii ,when you have decided that a thing ought to be done1 and are doing it1 never shun being seen doing it1 even though the multitude should be likely to judge the matter amiss4 ,for if you are not acting rightly1 shun the act itself2 if rightly1 however1 why fear misplaced censure8 ,,clxxiii ,it stamps a man of mean capacity to spend much time on the things of the body1 as to be long over bodily exercises1 long over eating1 long over drinking1 long over other bodily functions4 ,rather should these things take the second place1 while all your care is directed to the understanding4 ,,clxxiv ,everything has two handles1 one by which it may be borne1 the other by which it may not4 ,if your brother sin against you lay not hold of it by the handle of injustice1 for by that it may not be borne3 but rather by this1 that he is your brother1 the comrade of your youth2 and thus you will lay hold on it so that it may be borne4 ,,clxxv ,never call yourself a ,philosopher nor talk much among the unlearned about ,principles1 but do that which follows from them4 ,thus at a banquet1 do not discuss how people ought to eat2 but eat as you ought4 ,remember that ,socrates thus entirely avoided ostentation4 ,men would come to him desiring to be recommended to philosophers1 and he would conduct them thither himself--so well did he bear being overlooked4 ,accordingly if any talk concerning principles should arise among the unlearned1 be you for the most part silent4 ,for you run great risk of spewing up what you have ill digested4 ,and when a man tells you that you know nothing and you are not nettled at it1 then you may be sure that you have begun the work4 ,,clxxvi ,when you have brought yourself to supply the needs of the body at small cost1 do not pique yourself on that1 nor if you drink only water1 keep saying on each occasion1 ,i drink water6 ,and if you ever want to practise endurance and toil1 do so unto yourself and not unto others--do not embrace statues6 ,,clxxvii ,when a man prides himself on being able to understand and interpret the writings of ,chrysippus1 say to yourself3-- ,if ,chrysippus had not written obscurely1 this fellow would have had nothing to be proud of4 ,but what is it that ,i desire8 ,to understand ,nature1 and to follow her6 ,accordingly ,i ask who is the ,interpreter4 ,on hearing that it is ,chrysippus1 ,i go to him4 ,but it seems ,i do not understand what he wrote4 ,so ,i seek one to interpret that4 ,so far there is nothing to pride myself on4 ,but when ,i have found my interpreter1 what remains is to put in practice his instructions4 ,this itself is the only thing to be proud of4 ,but if ,i admire the interpretation and that alone1 what else have ,i turned out but a mere commentator instead of a lover of wisdom8--except indeed that ,i happen to be interpreting ,chrysippus instead of ,homer4 ,so when any one says to me1 ,prithee1 read me ,chrysippus1 ,i am more inclined to blush1 when ,i cannot show my deeds to be in harmony and accordance with his sayings4 ,,clxxviii ,at feasts1 remember that you are entertaining two guests1 body and soul4 ,what you give to the body1 you presently lose2 what you give to the soul1 you keep for ever4 ,,clxxix ,at meals1 see to it that those who serve be not more in number than those who are served4 ,it is absurd for a crowd of persons to be dancing attendance on half a dozen chairs4 ,,clxxx ,it is best to share with your attendants what is going forward1 both in the labour of preparation and in the enjoyment of the feast itself4 ,if such a thing be difficult at the time1 recollect that you who are not weary are being served by those that are2 you who are eating and drinking by those who do neither2 you who are talking by those who are silent2 you who are at ease by those who are under constraint4 ,thus no sudden wrath will betray you into unreasonable conduct1 nor will you behave harshly by irritating another4 ,,clxxxi ,when ,xanthippe was chiding ,socrates for making scanty preparation for entertaining his friends1 he answered3--8,if they are friends of ours they will not care for that2 if they are not1 we shall care nothing for them60 ,,clxxxii ,asked1 ,who is the rich man8 ,epictetus replied1 8,he who is content40 ,,clxxxiii ,favorinus tells us how ,epictetus would also say that there were two faults far graver and fouler than any others--inability to bear1 and inability to forbear1 when we neither patiently bear the blows that must be borne1 nor abstain from the things and the pleasures we ought to abstain from4 8,so10 he went on1 8if a man will only have these two words at heart1 and heed them carefully by ruling and watching over himself1 he will for the most part fall into no sin1 and his life will be tranquil and serene40 ,he meant the words ,greek3 ,anechou kai apechou--8,bear and ,forbear40 ,,clxxxiv ,on all occasions these thoughts should be at hand3-- ,lead me1 ,o ,god1 and ,thou1 ,o ,destiny ,be what it may the goal appointed me1 ,bravely ,i'll follow2 nay1 and if ,i would not1 ,i'd prove a coward1 yet must follow still6 ,again3 ,who to ,necessity doth bow aright1 ,is learn'd in wisdom and the things of ,god4 ,once more3-- ,crito1 if this be ,god's will1 so let it be4 ,as for me1 ,anytus and ,meletus can indeed put me to death1 but injure me1 never6 ,,clxxxv ,we shall then be like ,socrates1 when we can indite hymns of praise to the ,gods in prison4 ,,clxxxvi ,it is hard to combine and unite these two qualities1 the carefulness of one who is affected by circumstances1 and the intrepidity of one who heeds them not4 ,but it is not impossible3 else were happiness also impossible4 ,we should act as we do in seafaring4 8,what can ,i do80--,choose the master1 the crew1 the day1 the opportunity4 ,then comes a sudden storm4 ,what matters it to me8 my part has been fully done4 ,the matter is in the hands of another--the ,master of the ship4 ,the ship is foundering4 ,what then have ,i to do8 ,i do the only thing that remains to me--to be drowned without fear1 without a cry1 without upbraiding ,god1 but knowing that what has been born must likewise perish4 ,for ,i am not ,eternity1 but a human being--a part of the whole1 as an hour is part of the day4 ,i must come like the hour1 and like the hour must pass6 ,,clxxxvii ,and now we are sending you to ,rome to spy out the land2 but none send a coward as such a spy1 that1 if he hear but a noise and see a shadow moving anywhere1 loses his wits and comes flying to say1 ,the enemy are upon us6 ,so if you go now1 and come and tell us3 8,everything at ,rome is terrible3 ,death is terrible1 ,exile is terrible1 ,slander is terrible1 ,want is terrible2 fly1 comrades6 the enemy are upon us60 we shall reply1 ,get you gone1 and prophesy to yourself6 we have but erred in sending such a spy as you4 ,diogenes1 who was sent as a spy long before you1 brought us back another report than this4 ,he says that ,death is no evil2 for it need not even bring shame with it4 ,he says that ,fame is but the empty noise of madmen4 ,and what report did this spy bring us of ,pain1 what of ,pleasure1 what of ,want8 ,that to be clothed in sackcloth is better than any purple robe2 that sleeping on the bare ground is the softest couch2 and in proof of each assertion he points to his own courage1 constancy1 and freedom2 to his own healthy and muscular frame4 8,there is no enemy near10 he cries1 8all is perfect peace60 ,,clxxxviii ,if a man has this peace--not the peace proclaimed by ,csar 7how indeed should he have it to proclaim871 nay1 but the peace proclaimed by ,god through reason1 will not that suffice him when alone1 when he beholds and reflects3--,now can no evil happen unto me2 for me there is no robber1 for me no earthquake2 all things are full of peace1 full of tranquillity2 neither highway nor city nor gathering of men1 neither neighbor nor comrade can do me hurt4 ,another supplies my food1 whose care it is2 another my raiment2 another hath given me perceptions of sense and primary conceptions4 ,and when ,he supplies my necessities no more1 it is that ,he is sounding the retreat1 that ,he hath opened the door1 and is saying to thee1 ,come6--,wither8 ,to nought that thou needest fear1 but to the friendly kindred elements whence thou didst spring4 ,whatsoever of fire is in thee1 unto fire shall return2 whatsoever of earth1 unto earth2 of spirit1 unto spirit2 of water1 unto water4 ,there is no ,hades1 no fabled rivers of ,sighs1 of ,lamentation1 or of ,fire3 but all things are full of ,beings spiritual and divine4 ,with thoughts like these1 beholding the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars1 enjoying earth and sea1 a man is neither helpless nor alone6 ,,clxxxix ,what wouldst thou be found doing when overtaken by ,death8 ,if ,i might choose1 ,i would be found doing some deed of true humanity1 of wide import1 beneficent and noble4 ,but if ,i may not be found engaged in aught so lofty1 let me hope at least for this--what none may hinder1 what is surely in my power--that ,i may be found raising up in myself that which had fallen2 learning to deal more wisely with the things of sense2 working out my own tranquillity1 and thus rendering that which is its due to every relation of life4 4 4 4 ,if death surprise me thus employed1 it is enough if ,i can stretch forth my hands to ,god and say1 8,the faculties which ,i received at ,thy hands for apprehending this thine ,administration1 ,i have not neglected4 ,as far as in me lay1 ,i have done ,thee no dishonour4 ,behold how ,i have used the senses1 the primary conceptions which ,thous gavest me4 ,have ,i ever laid anything to ,thy charge8 ,have ,i ever murmured at aught that came to pass1 or wished it otherwise8 ,have ,i in anything transgressed the relations of life8 ,for that ,thou didst beget me1 ,i thank ,thee for that ,thou hast given3 for the time during which ,i have used the things that were ,thine1 it suffices me4 ,take them back and place them wherever ,thou wilt6 ,they were all ,thine1 and ,thou gavest them me40--,if a man depart thus minded1 is it not enough8 ,what life is fairer and more noble1 what end happier than his8 7,,appendix ,a7 ,fragments ,attributed to ,epictetus ,i ,a life entangled with ,fortune is like a torrent4 ,it is turbulent and muddy2 hard to pass and masterful of mood3 noisy and of brief continuance4 ,,ii ,the soul that companies with ,virtue is like an ever-flowing source4 ,it is a pure1 clear1 and wholesome draught2 sweet1 rich1 and generous of its store2 that injures not1 neither destroys4 ,,iii ,it is a shame that one who sweetens his drink with the gifts of the bee1 should embitter ,god's gift ,reason with vice4 ,,iv ,crows pick out the eyes of the dead1 when the dead have no longer need of them2 but flatterers mar the soul of the living1 and her eyes they blind4 ,v ,keep neither a blunt knife nor an ill-disciplined looseness of tongue4 ,,vi ,nature hath given men one tongue but two ears1 that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak4 ,,vii ,do not give sentence in another tribunal till you have been yourself judged in the tribunal of ,justice4 ,,viii ,if is shameful for a ,judge to be judged by others4 ,,ix ,give me by all means the shorter and nobler life1 instead of one that is longer but of less account6 ,x ,freedom is the name of virtue3 ,slavery1 of vice4 4 4 4 ,none is a slave whose acts are free4 ,,xi ,of pleasures1 those which occur most rarely give the most delight4 ,,xii ,exceed due measure1 and the most delightful things become the least delightful4 ,,xiii ,the anger of an ape--the threat of a flatterer3--these deserve equal regard4 ,,xiv ,chastise thy passions that they avenge not themselves upon thee4 ,,xv ,no man is free who is not master of himself4 ,,xvi ,a ship should not ride on a single anchor1 nor life on a single hope4 ,,xvii ,fortify thyself with contentment3 that is an impregnable stronghold4 ,,xviii ,no man who is a lover of money1 of pleasure1 of glory1 is likewise a lover of ,men2 but only he that is a lover of whatsoever things are fair and good4 ,,xix ,think of ,god more often than thou breathest4 ,,xx ,choose the life that is noblest1 for custom can make it sweet to thee4 ,,xxi ,let thy speech of ,god be renewed day by day1 aye1 rather than thy meat and drink4 ,,xxii ,even as the ,sun doth not wait for prayers and incantations to rise1 but shines forth and is welcomed by all3 so thou also wait not for clapping of hands and shouts and praise to do thy duty2 nay1 do good of thine own accord1 and thou wilt be loved like the ,sun4 ,,xxiii ,let no man think that he is loved by any who loveth none4 ,,xxiv ,if thou rememberest that ,god standeth by to behold and visit all that thou doest2 whether in the body or in the soul1 thou surely wilt not err in any prayer or deed2 and thou shalt have ,god to dwell with thee4 ,note4--,schweighuser's great edition collects #aha fragments attributed to ,epictetus1 of which but a few are certainly genuine4 ,some 7as xxi41 xxiv41 above7 bear the stamp of ,pythagorean origin2 others1 though changed in form1 may well be based upon ,epictetean sayings4 ,most have been preserved in the ,anthology of ,john of ,stobi 7,stobus71 a ,byzantine collector1 of whom scarcely anything is known but that he probably wrote towards the end of the fifth century1 and made his vast body of extracts from more than five hundred authors for his son's use4 ,the best examination of the authenticity of the ,fragments is ,quaestiones ,epictete1 by ,r4 ,asmus1 #ahhh4 ,the above selection includes some of doubtful origin but intrinsic interest4--,crossley4 7,,appendix ,b7 ,the ,hymn of ,cleanthes ,chiefest glory of deathless ,gods1 ,almighty for ever1 ,sovereign of ,nature that rulest by law1 what ,name shall we give ,thee8-- ,blessed be ,thou6 for on ,thee should call all things that are mortal4 ,for that we are ,thine offspring2 nay1 all that in myriad motion ,lives for its day on the earth bears one impress--,thy likeness--upon it4 ,wherefore my song is of ,thee1 and ,i hymn thy power for ever4 ,lo1 the vast orb of the ,worlds1 round the ,earth evermore as it rolleth1 ,feels ,thee its ,ruler and ,guide1 and owns ,thy lordship rejoicing4 ,aye1 for ,thy conquering hands have a servant of living fire-- ,sharp is the bolt6--where it falls1 ,nature shrinks at the shock and doth shudder4 ,thus ,thou directest the ,word universal that pulses through all things1 ,mingling its life with ,lights that are great and ,lights that are lesser1 ,e'en as beseemeth its birth1 ,high ,king through ages unending4 ,nought is done that is done without ,thee in the earth or the waters ,or in the heights of heaven1 save the deed of the fool and the sinner4 ,thou canst make rough things smooth2 at ,thy voice1 lo1 jarring disorder ,moveth to music1 and ,love is born where hatred abounded4 ,thus hast ,thou fitted alike things good and things evil together1 ,that over all might reign one ,reason1 supreme and eternal2 ,though thereunto the hearts of the wicked be hardened and heedless-- ,woe unto them6--for while ever their hands are grasping at good things1 ,blind are their eyes1 yea1 stopped are their ears to ,god's ,law universal1 ,calling through wise disobedience to live the life that is noble4 ,this they mark not1 but heedless of right1 turn each to his own way1 ,here1 a heart fired with ambition1 in strife and straining unhallowed2 ,there1 thrusting honour aside1 fast set upon getting and gaining2 ,others again given over to lusts and dissolute softness1 ,working never ,god's ,law1 but that which wareth upon it4 ,nay1 but1 ,o ,giver of all things good1 whose home is the dark cloud1 ,thou that wields ,heaven's bolt1 save men from their ignorance grievous2 ,scatter its night from their souls1 and grant them to come to that ,wisdom ,wherewithal1 sistered with ,justice1 ,thou rulest and governest all things2 ,that we1 honoured by ,thee1 may requite ,thee with worship and honour1 ,evermore praising thy works1 as is meet for men that shall perish2 ,seeing that none1 be he mortal or ,god1 hath privilege nobler ,than without stint1 without stay1 to extol ,thy ,law universal4