'them their error, and you will see how they desist from their errors. If they do not see their errors, they have nothing superior to their present condition.

21 What then? if one does all these things, will it be possible to be free from faults? It is not possible; but this is possible, to direct your efforts incessantly to being faultless. For we must be content if by never remitting this attention we shall escape at least a few errors.

18 Ought not, then, this robber and this adulterer to be destroyed? By no means say so, but speak rather in this way: This man who has been 22 But now when you have said, mistaken and deceived about the To-morrow I will begin to attend, most important things, and blinded, you must be told that you are saynot in the faculty of vision which ing this: To-day I will be shameless, distinguishes white and black, but disregardful of time and place, mean; in the faculty which distinguishes to-day I will be passionate and engood and bad, should we not destroy vious. See how many evil things him? If you speak thus, you will you are permitting yourself to do. see how inhuman this is which you say, and that it is just as if you would say, Ought we not to destroy this blind and deaf man?

19 But if the greatest harm is the privation of the greatest things, and the greatest thing in every man is the will or choice such as it ought to be, and a man is deprived of this will, why are you also angry with him? Man, you ought not to be affected contrary to nature by the bad things of another. Pity him rather: drop this readiness to be offended and to hate, and these words which the many utter: "These accursed and odious fellows!"

20 What then? shall I not hurt him who has hurt me? In the first

If it is good to use attention to-morrow, how much better is it to do so to-day? if to-morrow it is in your interest to attend, much more is it to-day, that you may be able to do so to-morrow also, and may not defer it again to the third day.

23 We ought, then, to have these rules in readiness, and to do nothing without them, and we ought to keep the soul directed to this mark: To pursue nothing external, and nothing which belongs to others, but to do as He has appointed who has the control of us and of all things.

SELECTION X.

Self-discipline; its methods, helps, difficulties, and rewards.

place consider what hurt is, and EVERY habit and faculty is main

remember what you have heard from the wise men. For if the good consists in the will, and the evil also in the will, see if what you say is not this: What, then, since that man has hurt himself by doing an unjust act to me, shall I not hurt myself by doing some unjust act to him?

tained and increased by the corresponding actions: the habit of walking by walking, the habit of running by running. If you would be a good reader, read; if a writer, write. But when you shall not have read for thirty days in succession, but have done something else, you will

know the consequence. In the same have not been angry-I used to be way, if you shall have lain down ten in passion every day; now every days, get up and attempt to make second day; then every third; then a long walk, and you will see how every fourth. But if you have interyour limbs are weakened. mitted thirty days, make an offering

2 Generally, then, if you would to God. For the habit at first begins. make any thing a habit, do it; if to be weakened, and then is comyou would not make it a habit, do pletely destroyed. And when you not do it, but accustom yourself to can say, I have not been vexed todo something else in place of it. day, nor the day after, nor yet on any succeeding day during two or three months; but I took care when some exciting things happened ;-be assured, then, that you are in a good way.

3 So it is with respect to the affections of the soul: when you have been angry, you must know that not only has this evil befallen you, but that you have also increased the habit, and in a manner thrown fuel 6 But how shall this be done? upon fire. For it is impossible for In this way: Be willing at length to habits and faculties, some of them be approved by yourself, be willing not to be produced, when they did to appear beautiful to God, desire to not exist before; and others not be be in purity with your own pure self increased and strengthened by cor- and with God. Then, when any such responding acts. temptation visits you, Plato says: Have recourse to expiations, go a suppliant to the temples of the averting deities. But I think it is even sufficient if you resort to the society of noble and just men, and compare yourself with them, whether you find one who is living or dead. 7 This is the true athlete, the man who exercises himself against such temptations. Stay, man, do not be carried away. Great is the combat, divine is the work; it is for kingship, for freedom, for happiness, for disenthrallment from perturbation. Remember God: call on him as a helper and protector, as men at sea call on the Dioscuri in a storm. For 5 If, then, you wish not to be of an what is a greater storm than that angry temper, do not feed the habit: which comes from passions which throw nothing on it which will are violent and drive away the reaincrease it at first keep quiet son ? and count the days on which you 8 And the storm itself, what else

4 In this manner certainly, as wise men say, also diseases of the mind grow up. For when you have once desired money, if reason be applied to lead to a perception of the evil, the desire is stopped, and the ruling faculty of our mind is restored to the original authority. But if you apply no means of cure, it no longer returns to the same state, but being again excited by the corresponding appearance, it is inflamed to desire quicker than before: and when this takes place continually, it is henceforth made callous, and the disease of the mind confirms the love of money.

is it but an appearance? For take

12 First of all, condemn what you

away the fear of death, and suppose are doing, and then when you have as many thunders and lightnings as condemned it, do not despair of you please, and you will know what yourself and be not in the condicalm and serenity there is in the rul- tion of those men of mean spirit, ing faculty. who, when they have once given in, 9 But if you have once been de- surrender themselves completely and feated and say that you will conquer are carried away as if by a torrent. hereafter, and then say the same But see what the trainers of boys do. again, be assured that you will at Has the boy fallen? Rise, they say, last be in so wretched a condition wrestle again till you are made and so weak that you will not even strong. Do you also do something know afterward that you are doing of the same kind: for be well assured wrong, but you will even begin to nothing is more tractable than the make apologies for your wrong-do- human soul. ing and then you will confirm the saying of Hesiod to be true, With constant ills the dilatory strives.

13 You must exercise the Will, and the thing is done, it is set right: as on the other hand, only be careless, and the thing is lost for from within comes ruin, and from within comes help.

10 But those who have a good natural disposition, even if you try to turn them aside, cling still more to reason. Wherefore Rufus gener- 14 Then you say, What good do ally attempted to discourage his I gain? I answer: What greater pupils, and he used this method as a test of those who had a good natural disposition and those who had not. For it was his habit to say: As a stone, if you cast it upward, will be brought down to the earth by its own nature, so the man whose mind is naturally good, the more you repel him, the more he turns toward that to which he is naturally inclined.

good do you seek than this; from a shameless man to become a modest man, from a disorderly man to become orderly, from a faithless man to become faithful, from a man of unbridled habits to become a sober man? If you seek any thing more than this, go on doing what you are doing: not even a God can now help you.

II So, then, will you not help your. 15 You must know that if you alself? and how much easier is this low your desire and aversion to turn help? There is no need to kill any to things which are not within the man, nor to put him in chains, nor power of the will, you will neither to treat him with contumely, nor to have your desire capable of attaining go to the courts of law; but it is your object, nor your aversion free only necessary for you to speak to from the power of avoiding that yourself, who will be most easily which you would avoid. And since persuaded, with whom no man has strong habit prevails, and we are acmore power of persuasion than your-customed to employ desire and aver

self.

sion only to things which are not

within the power of our will, we to rules: follow strict diet, abstain ought to oppose to this habit a con- from delicacies, exercise yourself by trary habit, and where there is great compulsion at fixed times, in heat, slipperiness in the appearances, there in cold. Do you think that you can to oppose the habit of exercise. eat as you do now, drink as you do

16 For instance, I am rather in-now, and in the same way be angry clined to pleasure: I will incline to and out of humor? You must watch, the contrary side above measure for labor, conquer certain desires; you the sake of exercise. I am averse must depart from your kinsmen, be to pain I will exercise against this despised by your servant, laughed the appearances which are presented at by those who meet you in to me for the purpose of withdraw- every thing you must be willing to ing my aversion from every such be in an inferior condition, as to thing. For, in exercise, who is a true magisterial office, in honors, in courts practitioner? Is it not he who for- of justice. bears gratifying his desire, applies his aversion only to things which are within the power of his will, and practises most in the things which are difficult to conquer?

20 When you have considered all these things adequately, then, if you think proper, approach to the study of Wisdom, if you would gain in exchange for these things freedom from perturbations, liberty, tranquilBut if you have not considered

not act like children, at one time a student of Wisdom, then a tax-collector, then a rhetorician, then an officer of Cæsar. These things are

17 After this manner, then, being irritable, practise, man, to endure if lity. you are abused, not to be vexed if these things, do not approach: do you are treated with dishonor. Then you will make so much progress that, even if a man strikes you, you will say to yourself, Imagine that you have run against a statue: then not consistent. You must be one also exercise yourself to use wine man, either good or bad; you must properly so as not to drink much, for in this also there are men who foolishly indulge themselves. Then, at last, if an occasion is presented for the purpose of putting you to the test, at a proper time you will descend into the arena to know if temptations overpower you as they did formerly.

either labor at your own ruling faculty or at external things; you must either labor at things within or at external things: that is, you must either occupy the place of a wise man, or that of one of the vulgar.

21 If we practised thus, and exercised ourselves in these things daily 18 But at first, fly far from that from morning to night, something, which is stronger than yourself; for indeed, would be accomplished. But the contest is unequal. As the say- now we are forthwith caught half ing is, The earthen pitcher and the asleep by every temptation, and it rock do not agree. is only, if ever, in the school that 19 You must proceed according we are roused a little. Then when we

For

go out, if we see a man lamenting, we makes him his own master? say, He is undone. wealth does not do it, nor consulship, nor provincial government.

If we see a consul, we say, He is happy. If we see an exiled man, we say, He is miserable. If we see a poor man, we say, He is wretched; he has nothing to eat. 22 We ought to eradicate these false opinions, and to this end we should direct all our efforts.

2 Does freedom seem to you a good thing? The greatest good. Is it possible, then, that he who obtains the greatest good can be unhappy or fare badly? No. Whomsoever, then, you shall see unhappy, unfortunate, lamenting, confidently declare that they are not free. I do declare

3 We have now, then, got away from buying and selling, and from

23 Has, then, God given you eyes to no purpose? and to no purpose has he infused into them a spirit so it. strong and of such skilful contrivance as to reach a long way and to fashion the forms of things which such arrangements about matters of are seen? What messenger is so swift and vigilant? And to no purpose has he made the interjacent atmosphere so efficacious and elastic that the vision penetrates through the atmosphere, which is in a manner moved? And to no purpose has he made light, without the presence of which there would be no use in any other thing?

24 Man, be neither ungrateful for these gifts, nor yet forget the things which are superior to them. But indeed for the power of seeing and hearing, and indeed for life itself, and for the things which contribute to support it; for the fruits which are dry, and for wine and oil give thanks to God: but remember that he has given you something else better than all these, I mean the power of using them, proving them, and estimating the value of each.

SELECTION XI.

Freedom is the greatest good, and consists in leading a virtuous life, preserving a contented mind and being attached to God as friend and guide.

property: for if you have rightly assented to these matters, if the great king is unhappy, he cannot be free, nor can a little king, nor a man of consular rank, nor one who has been twice consul.-Be it so.

4 Further, then, answer me this question also, Does freedom seem to you to be something great and noble and valuable ?-How should it not seem so? Is it possible, then, when a man obtains any thing so great and valuable and noble to be mean?-It is not possible.

5 When, then, you see any man subject to another, or flattering him contrary to his own opinion, confidently affirm that this man also is not free; and not only if he do this for a bit of supper, but also if he does it for a government office (province) or for a consulship: and call these men little slaves who for the sake of little matters do these things, and those who do so for the sake of great things call great slaves.

6 And how is it possible that a man who has nothing, who is naked,

WHAT, then, is that which makes houseless, without hearth, squalid,

a man free from hindrance and without a servant, without a city,