24 If you propose to adorn your ments, first adorn yourself with the noblest offering of gentleness and justice and beneficence. the bad; moderation is one of the good things. And moderation in- city by the dedication of monuvites to frugality and the acquisition of good things: but wealth invites to great expenditure and draws us away from moderation. It is diffi cult, then, for a rich man to be moderate, or for a moderate man to be rich. 18 Choose the best life, for custom will make it pleasant. 25 You will do the greatest services to the state, if you shall raise not the roofs of houses, but the souls of citizens: for it is better that great souls should dwell in small houses than for mean slaves to lurk in great houses. 26 Do not decorate the walls of your house with the valuable stones from Euboea and Sparta; but adorn the minds of the citizens and of those who administer the state with the instructions of wise men. For states are well governed by the wisdom of men, but not by stone and wood. 27 If you wished to breed lions, you would not care so much about 19 Be careful to leave your sons the costliness of their dens as about well instructed rather than rich, for the habits of the animals; so, if you the hopes of the instructed are bet-attempt to preside over your citizens, ter than the wealth of the ignorant. be not so anxious about the costli20 Let no man think that he is ness of the buildings as careful about loved by any man when he loves no the manly character of those who dwell in them. man. 21 You ought to choose both phy 28 He who exercises wisdom exsician and friend not the most agree-ercises the knowledge which is about able, but the most useful. 22 In prosperity it is very easy to find a friend; but in adversity it is the most difficult of all things. God. 29 Those who have been instructed, like those who have been trained in the palæstra, though they may have fallen, rise again from their misfortune quickly and skilfully. 23 Let no wise man be averse to undertaking the office of a magistrate: for it is both impious for a 30 Those who are well constituted man to withdraw himself from being in the body endure both heat and useful to those who have need of cold: and so those who are well conour services; and it is ignoble to give stituted in the soul endure both way to the worthless; and it is fool- anger and grief and excessive joy ish to prefer being ill-governed to and the other affects. governing well. 31 Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; will of God, with no pre-determinations, but wish the things which happen repinings, or complaints, is the only way to be as they are, and you will have by which this attainment may be reached. a tranquil flow of life. HE wise and good man, remem THE 32 Never say about any thing I bering who he is, and whence have lost it, but say, I have restored he came, and by whom he was proit. Is your child dead? It has been duced, is attentive only to this, how restored. Is your wife dead? She he may fill his place with due regu. larity and obedience to God. has been restored. Has your estate been taken from you? Has not then this also been restored? What is it to you, by whose hands the giver demanded it back? So long as he may allow you, take care of it as a thing which belongs to another, as travellers do with their inn. 2 Dost Thou wish me still to live? I will continue to live as free, as noble in nature as Thou hast wished me to; for Thou hast made me free from hindrance in that which is my own. 3 But hast Thou no further need of me? I thank Thee; so far, I have remained for Thy sake, and for the sake of no other person, and now, in 33 On a voyage when a vessel has reached a port, if you go out to get water, it is an amusement by the way to pick up a shell fish or some obedience to Thee I depart. How bulb, but your thoughts ought to be dost thou depart? Again, I say, directed to the ship; and you ought as Thou hast pleased; as free, as Thy to be constantly watching if the cap- servant, as one who has known Thy tain should call, and then you must commands and Thy prohibitions. throw away all those things, and hasten to the ship. So in life also, if there be given to you a wife and child and similar things, there will be nothing to prevent you from accepting them. But if the Captain should call, run to the ship, and leave all those things without regard to them. And if you are aged, do not even go far from the ship, lest when you are called you make default. 34 When Thales was asked what is most universal, he answered, Hope, for hope stays with those who have nothing else. SELECTION XIV. Tranquillity of mind the highest of attainments; and entire submission to the 4 And so long as I shall stay in Thy service, whom dost Thou will me to be? A prince or a private man, a senator or a common person, a soldier or a general, a teacher or a master of family? whatever place and position Thou mayest assign to me, as Socrates says, I will die ten thousand times rather than desert them. 5 And where dost Thou will me to be? in Rome, or Athens, or Thebes, or Gyara. Only remember me there where I am. 6 If Thou sendest me to a place where there are no means for men living according to nature, I shall not depart in disobedience to Thee, but as if Thou wast giving me the signal to retreat: I do not leave Thee, let this be far from my inten- both of yourself and of God, why do you still speak of being educated? What kind of an education, man? tion, but I perceive that thou hast no need of me. 7 If means of living according to nature be allowed to me, I will seek no other place than that in which I am, or other men than those among whom I am. 8 Let these thoughts be ready to hand by night and by day; these you should write, these you should read; about these you should talk to yourself, and to others. Ask a man, Can you help me at all for this purpose? and further, go to another and to another. 9 In a word, desire nothing than that which God wills: then, Who shall hinder you? who shall compel you? No man shall compel you any more than he shall compel God himself. 10 When you have such a Guide, and your wishes and desires are the same as His, why do you still fear disappointment? 14 Will you not, if it is possible, unlearn all these things and begin from the beginning, and see at the same time that hitherto you have not even touched the matter; and then commencing from this foundation, will you not build up all that comes after, so that nothing may happen which you do not choose, and nothing shall fail to happen which you do choose? 15 Give me one young man who has come with this intention, who has become a champion for this matter and says, I give up every thing else; it is enough for me if it shall ever be in my power to pass my life free from hindrance and free from trouble, and to stretch out my neck to all things like a free man, and to look up to heaven as a friend of God and fear nothing that can happen. II Give your desires to wealth 16 Let any one of you point out and your aversions to poverty, and such a man that I may say, Come, you will be disappointed in the one, young man, into the possession of you will fall into the other. Well, that which is your own, for it is your give them up to health, and you destiny to adorn Wisdom; yours will be unfortunate; give them are these possessions, yours these up to magistracies, honors, country, | books, yours these discourses. friends, children, in a word, to any of 17 Then when he shall have lathe things which are not in man's bored sufficiently and exercised himpower, and you will be unfortunate. | self in this part of the matter, let 12 But give them up to God, sur-him come again and say, I desire to render them to Him, let Him gov-be free from passion and free from ern, let your desire and aversion be perturbation; and I wish, as a lover ranged on His side, and wherein will you be any longer unhappy? of Wisdom and a diligent person, to know what is my duty to God, what 13 But if you envy, and complain, to my parents, what to my brothers, and are jealous, and fear, and never what to my country, what to stran. cease for a single day complaining gers. To such an one I would say, Man you are an immortal, you have great say, Deal with me for the future as designs. Thou wilt; I am of the same mind as Thou art; I am Thine; I refuse nothing that pleases Thee; lead me where Thou wilt; clothe me in any dress Thou choosest: is it Thy will 18 In the place of all other delights, then, substitute this, that of being conscious that you are obeying God, that not in word but in deed you are performing the acts that I should hold the office of a of a wise and good man. 19 Seek not the good in things external; seek it in yourselves; if you do not, you will not find it. magistrate, that I should be in the condition of a private man, stay here or be an exile, be poor, be rich? I will make Thy defence to men in behalf of all these conditions. I will show the nature of each thing what it is. 20 For this purpose God leads me at one time hither, at another time sends me thither, shows me to men as poor, without authority, and sick; 25 From yourself, from your sends me to Gyara, leads me into thoughts cast away sadness, fear, prison, not because He hates me; desire, envy, malevolence, avarice, far from Him be such a meaning, effeminacy, intemperance. for who hates the best of his ser- 26 But it is not possible to eject vants? nor yet because He cares not for me, for He does not neglect any even of the smallest things; but He does this for the purpose of exercising me and making use of me as a witness to others. these things otherwise than by looking to God only, by fixing your affections on Him only, by being consecrated to His commands. And if you choose any thing else, you will with sighs and groans be com21 Being appointed to such a pelled to follow what is stronger service, do I still care about the than yourself, always seeking tranplace in which I am, or with whom quillity and never able to find it; I am, or what men say about me? for you seek tranquillity there where and do I not entirely direct my it is not, and you neglect to seek it thoughts to God and to His instruc- where it is. tions and commands? SELECTION XV. 22 Having these thoughts always in hand, and exercising them by Death to those who are virtuous and yourself, and keeping them in readiwho rely on God is joyous freedom; to ness, you will never be in want of die happy is to die with a clear conscience, one to comfort you and strengthen and in the performance of whatever duties God has appointed us to do. you. 23 My man, as the proverb says, make a desperate effort on the partET death and exile and every of tranquillity of mind, freedom, and magnanimity. Lift up your head at last as released from slavery. other thing which appears dreadful be daily before your eyes; but most of all death: and you will 24 Dare to look up to God and never think of any thing mean, nor will you desire any thing extrava- your dwelling here, and easy to bear gantly. for those who are so disposed: for what tyrant or what thief or what courts of justice are formidable to those who have thus considered as 2 But what is usually done? Men generally act as a traveller would do on his way to his own country, when he enters a good inn, and being things of no value the body and the pleased with it should remain there. possessions of the body? the body? Wait, 3 Man, you have forgotten your then, do not depart without a purpose: you were not travelling reason. to this inn; you were only passing 7 I think that what God chooses through it. But, you say, this is a is better than what I choose; I will pleasant inn. And how many other attach myself as minister and follower inns are pleasant? and how many to Him. meadows are pleasant? yet only for passing through. Your purpose is this, to return to your country, to relieve your kinsmen of anxiety, to discharge the duties of a citizen, to fill the usual magistracies. For you are not come to select more pleasant places, but to live in those where you were born and of which you were made a citizen. 4 Are we not in a manner kinsmen of God, and did we not come from Him? Allow us to depart to the place from which we came; allow us to be released at last from these bonds by which we are bound and weighed down. 8 Wherever I shall go, there it will be well with me; for here also where I am, it was not because of the place that it was well with me, but because of my opinions which I shall carry off with me: for neither can any man deprive me of them. My opinions alone are mine; they cannot be taken from me and I am satisfied while I have them, wherever I may be and whatever I am doing. 9 But now it is time to die. Why do you say to die? Make no tragedy show of the thing, but speak of it as it is: It is now time for the matter of the body to be resolved into the things out of which it was composed. 5 Here there are robbers and thieves and courts of justice, and IO And what is the formidable those who are named tyrants, who thing here? what is going to perish think that they have some power of the things which are in the uniover us by means of the body and verse? what new thing or wondrous its possessions. Permit us to show is going to happen? Is it for this them that they have no power over reason that a tyrant is formidable? any man. Is it for this reason that the guards appear to have swords which are large and sharp? 6 Friends, wait for God: when He shall give the signal and release you from this service, then go to Him; but for the present endure to dwell in this place where He has put you short indeed is this time of II Say this to others; but I have considered about all these things; no man has power over me. I have been made free; I know His com |