him according to the natural law of fellowship
with benevolence and justice. At the same time, however, in things
indifferent[A] I attempt to ascertain the value of each.

[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: hypomnemata]: 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 hav