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Page 57
33. Receive [wealth or prosperity] without arrogance; and be ready to
let it go.
34. If thou didst ever see a hand cut off, or a foot, or a head, lying
anywhere apart from the rest of the body, such does a man make himself,
as far as he can, who is not content with what happens, and separates
himself from others, or does anything unsocial. Suppose that thou hast
detached thyself from the natural unity,--for thou wast made by nature a
part, but now thou hast cut thyself off,--yet here there is this
beautiful provision, that it is in thy power again to unite thyself. God
has allowed this to no other part, after it has been separated and cut
asunder, to come together again. But consider the kindness by which he
has distinguished man, for he has put it in his power not to be
separated at all from the universal; and when he has been separated, he
has allowed him to return and to be united and to resume his place as a
part.
35. As the nature of the universal has given to every rational being
all the other powers that it has, + so we have received from it this
power also. For as the universal nature converts and fixes in its
predestined place everything which stands in the way and opposes it, and
makes such things a part of itself, so also the rational animal is able
to make every hindrance its own material, and to use it for such
purposes as it may have designed.[A]
36. Do not disturb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life. Let not
thy thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayest
expect to befall thee: but on every occasion ask thyself, What is there
in this which is intolerable and past bearing? for thou wilt be ashamed
to confess. In the next place remember that neither the future nor the
past pains thee, but only the present. But this is reduced to a very
little, if thou only circumscribest it, and chidest thy mind if it is
unable to hold out against even this.
37. Does Panthea or Fergamus now sit by the tomb of Verus?[B] Does
Chaurias or Diotimus sit by the tomb of Hadrianus? That would be
ridiculous. Well, suppose they did sit there, would the dead be
conscious of it? and if the dead were conscious, would they be pleased?
and if they were pleased, would that make them immortal? Was it not in
the order of destiny that these persons too should first become old
women and old men and then die? What then would those do after these
were dead? All this is foul smell and blood in a bag.
[A] The text is corrupt at the beginning of the paragraph, but
the meaning will appear if the second [Greek: logik�n] is
changed into [Greek: hol�n] though this change alone will not
establish the grammatical completeness of the text.
[B] "Verus" is a conjecture of Saumaise, and perhaps the true
reading.
38. If thou canst see sharp, look and judge wisely, + says the
philosopher.
39. In the constitution of the rational animal I see no virtue which is
opposed to justice; but I see a virtue which is opposed to love of
pleasure, and that is temperance.
40. If thou takest away thy opinion about that which appears to give
thee pain, thou thyself standest in perfect security.--Who is this
self?--The reason.--But I am not reason.--Be it so. Let then the reason
itself not trouble itself. But if any other part of thee suffers, let it
have its own opinion about itself (vii. 16).
41. Hindrance to the perceptions of sense is an evil to the animal
nature. Hindrance to the movements [desires] is equally an evil to the
animal nature. And something else also is equally an impediment and an
evil to the constitution of plants. So then that which is a hindrance to
the intelligence is an evil to the intelligent nature. Apply all these
things then to thyself. Does pain or sensuous pleasure affect thee? The
senses will look to that. Has any obstacle opposed thee in thy efforts
towards an object? If indeed thou wast making this effort absolutely
[unconditionally, or without any reservation], certainly this obstacle
is an evil to thee considered as a rational animal. But if thou takest
[into consideration] the usual course of things, thou hast not yet been
injured nor even impeded. The things however which are proper to the
understanding no other man is used to impede, for neither fire, nor
iron, nor tyrant, nor abuse, touches it in any way. When it has been
made a sphere, it continues a sphere (xi. 12).
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