death awaits you as it did--what was the
man's name--Crinis; and he too was proud, because he understood
Archedamus. Wretch, will you not dismiss these things that do not
concern you at all? These things are suitable to those who are able to
learn them without perturbation, to those who can say: "I am not subject
to anger, to grief, to envy: I am not hindered, I am not restrained.
What remains for me? I have leisure, I am tranquil: let us see how we
must deal with sophistical arguments; let us see how when a man has
accepted an hypothesis he shall not be led away to any thing absurd." To
them such things belong. To those who are happy it is appropriate to
light a fire, to dine; if they choose, both to sing and to dance. But
when the vessel is sinking, you come to me and hoist the sails.

* * * * *

WHAT IS THE MATTER ON WHICH A GOOD MAN SHOULD BE EMPLOYED, AND IN WHAT
WE OUGHT CHIEFLY TO PRACTISE OURSELVES.--The material for the wise and
good man is his own ruling faculty: and the body is the material for the
physician and the aliptes (the man who oils persons); the land is the
matter for the husbandman. The business of the wise and good man is to
use appearances conformably to nature: and as it is the nature of every
soul to assent to the truth, to dissent from the false, and to remain in
suspense as to that which is uncertain; so it is its nature to be moved
towards the desire for the good, and to aversion from the evil; and with
respect to that which is neither good nor bad it feels indifferent. For
as the money-changer (banker) is not allowed to reject Caesar's coin, nor
the seller of herbs, but if you show the coin, whether he chooses or
not, he must give up what is sold for the coin; so it is also in the
matter of the soul. When the good appears, it immediately attracts to
itself; the evil repels from itself. But the soul will never reject the
manifest appearance of the good, any more than persons will reject
Caesar's coin. On this principle depends every movement both of man and
God.

Against (or with respect to) this kind of thing chiefly a man should
exercise himself. As soon as you go out in the morning, examine every
man whom you see, every man whom you hear; answer as to a question, What
have you seen? A handsome man or woman? Apply the rule. Is this
independent of the will, or dependent? Independent. Take it away. What
have you seen? A man lamenting over the death of a child