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the golden sayings-第7章

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same spot will produce no longer mere blisters; but sores。 If you

do not wish to be prone to anger; do not feed the habit; give it

nothing which may tend its increase。 At first; keep quiet and

count the days when you were not angry: 〃I used to be angry every

day; then every other day: next every two; next every three

days!〃 and if you succeed in passing thirty days; sacrifice to

the Gods in thanksgiving。





LXXVI







How then may this be attained?Resolve; now if never

before; to approve thyself to thyself; resolve to show thyself

fair in God's sight; long to be pure with thine own pure self and

God!





LXXVII







That is the true athlete; that trains himself to resist such

outward impressions as these。



〃Stay; wretched man! suffer not thyself to be carried away!〃

Great is the combat; divine the task! you are fighting for

Kingship; for Liberty; for Happiness; for Tranquillity。 Remember

God: call upon Him to aid thee; like a comrade that stands beside

thee in the fight。





LXXVIII





Who then is a Stoicin the sense that we call a statue of

Phidias which is modelled after that master's art? Show me a man

in this sense modelled after the doctrines that are ever upon his

lips。 Show me a man that is sickand happy; an exileand happy;

in evil reportand happy! Show me him; I ask again。 So help me

Heaven; I long to see one Stoic! Nay; if you cannot show me one

fully modelled; let me at least see one in whom the process is at

workone whose bent is in that direction。 Do me that favour!

Grudge it not to an old man; to behold a sight he has never yet

beheld。 Think you I wish to see the Zeus or Athena of Phidias;

bedecked with gold and ivory?Nay; show me; one of you; a human

soul; desiring to be of one mind with God; no more to lay blame

on God or man; to suffer nothing to disappoint; nothing to cross

him; to yield neither to anger; envy; nor jealousyin a word;

why disguise the matter? one that from a man would fan become a

God; one that while still imprisioned in this dead body makes

fellowship with God his aim。 Show me him!Ah; you cannot! Then

why mock yourselves and delude others? why stalk about tricked

out in other men's attrire; thieves and robbers that you are of

names and things to which you can show no title!





LXXIX





If you have assumed a character beyond your strength; you

have both played a poor figure in that; and neglected one that is

within your powers。





LXXX





Fellow; you have come to blows at home with a slave: you

have turned the household upside down; and thrown the

neighbourhood into confusion; and do you come to me then with

airs of assumed modestydo you sit down like a sage and

criticise my explanantion of the readings; and whatever idle

babble you say has come into my head? Have you come full of envy;

and dejected because nothing is sent you from home; and while the

discussion is going on; do you sit brooding on nothing but how

your father or your brother are disposed towards you:〃What are

they saying about me there? at this moment they imagine I am

making progress and saying; He will return perfectly omniscient!

I wish I could become omniscient before I return; but that would

be very troublesome。 No one sends me anythingthe baths at

Nicopolis are dirty; things are wretched at home and wretched

here。〃 And then they say; 〃Nobody is any the better for the

School。〃Who comes to the School with a sincere wish to learn:

to submit his principles to correction and himself to treatment?

Who; to gain a sense of his wants? Why then be surprised if you

carry home from the School exactly what you bring into it?





LXXXI





〃Epictetus; I have often come desiring to hear you speak;

and you have never given me any answer; now if possible; I

entreat you; say something to me。〃



〃Is there; do you think;〃 replied Epictetus; 〃an art of

speaking as of other things; if it is to be done skilfully and

with profit to the hearer?〃



〃Yes。〃



〃And are all profited by what they hear; or only some among

them? So that it seems there is an art of hearing as well as of

speaking。 。 。 。 To make a statue needs skill: to view a statue

aright needs skill also。〃



〃Admitted。〃



〃And I think all will allow that one who proposes to hear

philosophers speak needs a considerable training in hearing。 Is

that not so? The tell me on what subject your are able to hear

me。〃



〃Why; on good and evil。〃



〃The good and evil of what? a horse; an ox?〃



〃No; of a man。〃



〃Do we know then what Man is? what his nature is? what is th

idea we have of him? And are our ears practised in any degree on

the subject? Nay; do you understand what Nature is? can you

follow me in any degree when I say that I shall have to use

demonstration? Do you understand what Demonstration is? what True

or False is? 。 。 。must I drive you to Philosophy? 。 。 。Show me

what good I am to do by discoursing with you。 Rouse my desire to

do so。 The sight of a pasture it loves stirs in a sheep the

desire to feed: show it a stone or a bit of bread and it remains

unmoved。 Thus we also have certain natural desires; aye; and one

that moves us to speak when we find a listener that is worth his

salt: one that hhimself stirs the spirit。 But if he sits by like

a stone or a tuft of grass; how can he rouse a man's desire?〃



〃Then you will say nothing to me?〃



〃I can only tell you this: that one who knows not who he is

and to what end he was born; what kind of world this is and with

whom he is associated therein; one who cannot distinguish Good

and Evil; Beauty and Foulness; 。 。 。 Truth and Falsehood; will

never follow Reason in shaping his desires and impulses and

repulsions; nor yet in assent; denial; or suspension of

judgement; but will in one word go about deaf and blind; thinking

himself to be somewhat; when he is in truth of no account。 Is

there anything new in  all this? Is not this ignorance the cause

of all the mistakes and mischances of men since the human race

began? 。 。 。〃



〃This is all I have to say to you; and even this against the

grain。 Why? Because you have not stirred my spirit。 For what can

I see in you to stir me; as a spirited horse will stir a judge of

horses? Your body? That you maltreat。 Your dress? That is

luxurious。 You behavior; your look?Nothing whatever。 When you

want to hear a philosopher; do not say;  You say nothing to me';

only show yourself worthy or fit to hear; and then you will see

how you will move the speaker。〃





LXXXII







And now; when you see brothers apparently good friends and

living in accord; do not immediately pronounce anything upon

their friendship; though they should affirm it with an oath;

though they should declare; 〃For us to live apart in a thing

impossible!〃 For the heart of a bad man is faithless;

unprincipled; inconstant: now overpowered by one impression; now

by another。 Ask not the usual questions; Were they born of the

same parents; reared together; and under the same tutor; but ask

this only; in what they place their real interestwhether in

outward things or in the Will。 If in outward things; call them

not friends; any more than faithful; constant; brave or free:

call them not even human beings; if you have any sense。 。 。 。 But

should you hear that these men hold the Good to lie only in the

Will; only in rightly dealing with the things of sense; take no

more trouble to inquire whether they are father and son or

brothers; or comrades of long standing; but; sure of this one

thing; pronounce as boldly that they are friends as that they are

faithful and just: for where else can Friendship be found than

where Modesty is; where there is an interchange of things fair

and honest; and of such only?





LXXXIII







No man can rob us of our Willno man can lord it over that!





LXXXIV







When disease and death overtake me; I would fain be found

engaged in the task of liberating mine oew Will from the assaults

of passion; from hindrance; from resentment; from slavery。



Thus would I fain to be found employed; so that I may say to

God; 〃Have I in aught transgressed Thy commands? Have I in aught

perverted the faculties; the senses; the natural principles that

Thou didst give me? Have I ever blamed Thee or found fault with

Thine administration? When it was Thy good pleasure; I fell sick

and so did other men: by my will consented。 Because it was Thy

pleasure; I became poor: but my heart rejoiced。 No power in the

State was mine; because Thou wouldst not: such power I never

desired! Hast Thou ever seen me of more doleful countenance on

that account? Have I not ever drawn nigh unto Thee with cheerful

look; waiting upon Thy commands; attentive to Thy signals? Wilt

Thou that I now depart from the great Assembly of men? I go: I

give Thee all thanks; that Thou hast deemed me worthy to tak
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