purpose for which they were made; and
most of them contain something attractive and pleasing. For indeed to be
present and to observe how a shoemaker learns is not a pleasant thing;
but the shoe is useful and also not disagreeable to look at. And the
discipline of a smith when he is learning is very disagreeable to one
who chances to be present and is a stranger to the art: but the work
shows the use of the art. But you will see this much more in music; for
if you are present while a person is learning, the discipline will
appear most disagreeable; and yet the results of music are pleasing and
delightful to those who know nothing of music. And here we conceive the
work of a philosopher to be something of this kind: he must adapt his
wish ([Greek: boulaesin]) to what is going on, so that neither any of
the things which are taking place shall take place contrary to our wish,
nor any of the things which do not take place shall not take place when
we wish that they should. From this the result is to those who have so
arranged the work of philosophy, not to fail in the desire, nor to fall
in with that which they would avoid; without uneasiness, without fear,
without perturbation to pass through life themselves, together with
their associates maintaining the relations both natural and acquired, as
the relation of son, of father, of brother, of citizen, of man, of wife,
of neighbor, of fellow-traveller, of ruler, of ruled. The work of a
philosopher we conceive to be something like this. It remains next to
inquire how this must be accomplished.

We see then that the carpenter ([Greek: techton]) when he has learned
certain things becomes a carpenter; the pilot by learning certain things
becomes a pilot. May it not then in philosophy also not be sufficient to
wish to be wise and good, and that there is also a necessity to learn
certain things? We inquire then what these things are. The philosophers
say that we ought first to learn that there is a God and that he
provides for all things; also that it is not possible to conceal from
him our acts, or even our intentions and thoughts. The next thing is to
learn what is the nature of the gods; for such as they are discovered to
be, he, who would please and obey them, must try with all his power to
be like them. If the divine is faithful, man also must be faithful; if
it is free, man also must be free; if beneficent, man also must be
beneficent; if magnanimous, man also must be magnani