ose anything external, what you acquire in place of
it; and if it be worth more, never say, I have had a loss; neither if
you have got a horse in place of an ass, or an ox in place of a sheep,
nor a good action in place of a bit of money, nor in place of idle talk
such tranquillity as befits a man, nor in place of lewd talk if you have
acquired modesty. If you remember this, you will always maintain your
character such as it ought to be. But if you do not, consider that the
times of opportunity are perishing, and that whatever pains you take
about yourself, you are going to waste them all and overturn them. And
it needs only a few things for the loss and overturning of all--namely,
a small deviation from reason. For the steerer of a ship to upset it, he
has no need of the same means as he has need of for saving it; but if he
turns it a little to the wind, it is lost; and if he does not do this
purposely, but has been neglecting his duty a little, the ship is lost.
Something of the kind happens in this case also; if you only fall a
nodding a little, all that you have up to this time collected is gone.
Attend therefore to the appearances of things, and watch over them; for
that which you have to preserve is no small matter, but it is modesty
and fidelity and constancy, freedom from the affects, a state of mind
undisturbed, freedom from fear, tranquillity, in a word liberty. For
what will you sell these things? See what is the value of the things
which you will obtain in exchange for these.--But shall I not obtain any
such thing for it?--See, and if you do in return get that, see what you
receive in place of it. I possess decency, he possesses a tribuneship:
he possesses a praetorship, I possess modesty. But I do not make
acclamations where it is not becoming: I will not stand up where I ought
not; for I am free, and a friend of God. and so I obey him willingly.
But I must not claim (seek) anything else, neither body nor possession,
nor magistracy, nor good report, nor in fact anything. For he (God) does
not allow me to claim (seek) them, for if he had chosen, he would have
made them good for me; but he has not done so, and for this reason I
cannot transgress his commands. Preserve that which is your own good in
everything; and as to every other thing, as it is permitted, and so far
as to behave consistently with reason in respect to them, content with
this only. If you do not, you will be unfortunate, you will fail in all
t