into your head to kill
me, ought you to abide by your determinations?"

Now this man was with difficulty persuaded to change his mind. But it is
impossible to convince some persons at present; so that I seem now to
know what I did not know before, the meaning of the common saying, that
you can neither persuade nor break a fool. May it never be my lot to
have a wise fool for my friend; nothing is more untractable. "I am
determined," the man says. Madmen are also, but the more firmly they
form a judgment on things which do not exist, the more hellebore they
require. Will you not act like a sick man and call in the physician?--I
am sick, master, help me; consider what I must do: it is my duty to obey
you. So it is here also: I know not what I ought to do, but I am come to
learn.--Not so; but speak to me about other things: upon this I have
determined.--What other things? for what is greater and more useful than
for you to be persuaded that it is not sufficient to have made your
determination and not to change it. This is the tone (energy) of
madness, not of health.--I will die, if you compel me to this.--Why,
man? What has happened?--I have determined--I have had a lucky escape
that you have not determined to kill me--I take no money. Why?--I have
determined--Be assured that with the very tone (energy) which you now
use in refusing to take, there is nothing to hinder you at some time
from inclining without reason to take money, and then saying, I have
determined. As in a distempered body, subject to defluxions, the humor
inclines sometimes to these parts, and then to those, so too a sickly
soul knows not which way to incline; but if to this inclination and
movement there is added a tone (obstinate resolution), then the evil
becomes past help and cure.

* * * * *

THAT WE DO NOT STRIVE TO USE OUR OPINIONS ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL.--Where is
the good? In the will. Where is the evil? In the will. Where is neither
of them? In those things which are independent of the will. Well then?
Does any one among us think of these lessons out of the schools? Does
any one meditate (strive) by himself to give an answer to things as in
the case of questions?--Is it day?--Yes.--Is it night?--No.--Well, is
the number of stars even?--I cannot say.--When money is shown (offered)
to you, have you studied to make the proper answer, that money is not a
good thing? Have you practised yourself in these answers, or only
a