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Page 31
[A] Est et horum quae media appellamus grande
discrimen.--_Seneca_, Ep. 82.
12. If thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason
seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to
distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure, as if thou shouldst be
bound to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this, expecting
nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity
according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which
thou utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to
prevent this.
13. As physicians have always their instruments and knives ready for
cases which suddenly require their skill, so do thou have principles
ready for the understanding of things divine and human, and for doing
everything, even the smallest, with a recollection of the bond which
unites the divine and human to one another. For neither wilt thou do
anything well which pertains to man without at the same time having a
reference to things divine; nor the contrary.
14. No longer wander at hazard; for neither wilt thou read thy own
memoirs,[A] nor the acts of the ancient Romans and Hellenes, and the
selections from books which thou wast reserving for thy old age.[B]
Hasten then to the end which thou hast before thee, and, throwing away
idle hopes, come to thy own aid, if thou carest at all for thyself,
while it is in thy power.
[A] [Greek: hypomn�mata]: or memoranda, notes, and the like.
See i. 17.
[B] Compare Fronto, ii. 9; a letter of Marcus to Fronto, who
was then consul: "Feci tamen mihi per hos dies excerpta ex
libris sexaginta in quinque tomis." But he says some of them
were small books.
15. They know not how many things are signified by the words stealing,
sowing, buying, keeping quiet, seeing what ought to be done; for this is
not effected by the eyes, but by another kind of vision.
16. Body, soul, intelligence: to the body belong sensation, to the soul
appetites, to the intelligence principles. To receive the impressions of
forms by means of appearances belongs even to animals; to be pulled by
the strings[A] of desire belongs both to wild beasts and to men who have
made themselves into women, and to a Phalaris and a Nero: and to have
the intelligence that guides to the things which appear suitable belongs
also to those who do not believe in the gods, and who betray their
country, and do their impure deeds when they have shut the doors. If
then everything else is common to all that I have mentioned, there
remains that which is peculiar to the good man, to be pleased and
content with what happens, and with the thread which is spun for him;
and not to defile the divinity which is planted in his breast, nor
disturb it by a crowd of images, but to preserve it tranquil, following
it obediently as a god, neither saying anything contrary to the truth,
nor doing anything contrary to justice. And if all men refuse to believe
that he lives a simple, modest, and contented life, he is neither angry
with any of them, nor does he deviate from the way which leads to the
end of life, to which a man ought to come pure, tranquil, ready to
depart, and without any compulsion perfectly reconciled to his lot.
[A] Compare Plato, De Legibus, i. p. 644, [Greek: oti tauta ta
path�] etc.; and Antoninus, ii. 2; vii. 3; xii. 19.
IV.
That which rules within, when it is according to nature, is so affected
with respect to the events which happened, that it always easily adapts
itself to that which is possible and is presented to it. For it requires
no definite material, but it moves towards its purpose,[A] under certain
conditions, however; and it makes a material for itself out of that
which opposes it, as fire lays hold of what falls into it, by which a
small light would have been extinguished; but when the fire is strong,
it soon appropriates to itself the matter which is heaped on it, and
consumes it, and rises higher by means of this very material.
[A] [Greek: pros tha h�goumena] literally "towards that which
leads." The exact translation is doubtful. See Gataker's note.
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