if you have
intermitted thirty days, make a sacrifice to God. For the habit at first
begins to be weakened, and then is completely destroyed. "I have not
been vexed to-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 that you are in a good way.

How then shall this be done? Be willing at length to be approved by
yourself, be willing to appear beautiful to God, desire to be in purity
with your own pure self and with God. Then when any such appearance
visits you, Plato says, Have recourse to expiations, go a suppliant to
the temples of the averting deities. 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.

But in the first place, be not hurried away by the rapidity of the
appearance, but say, Appearances, wait for me a little; let me see who
you are, and what you are about; let me put you to the test. And then do
not allow the appearance to lead you on and draw lively pictures of the
things which will follow; for if you do, it will carry you off wherever
it pleases. But rather bring in to oppose it some other beautiful and
noble appearance, and cast out this base appearance. And if you are
accustomed to be exercised in this way, you will see what shoulders,
what sinews, what strength you have. But now it is only trifling words,
and nothing more.

This is the true athlete, the man who exercises himself against such
appearances. Stay, wretch, do not be carried away. Great is the combat,
divine is the work; it is for kingship, for freedom, for happiness, for
freedom from perturbation. Remember God; call on him as a helper and
protector, as men at sea call on the Dioscuri in a storm. For what is a
greater storm than that which comes from appearances which are violent
and drive away the reason? For the storm itself, what else is it but an
appearance? For take away the fear of death, and suppose as many
thunders and lightnings as you please, and you will know what calm and
serenity there is in the ruling faculty. But if you have once been
defeated and say that you will conquer hereafter, and then say the same
again, be assured that you will at last be in so wretched a condition
and so weak that you will not even know afterwards that you are doing
wrong, but you will even begin to make apologies (defences) for your
wrong-doing, and