only, to fulfil the promise of a man's nature. For what is a
man? The answer is, A rational and mortal being. Then by the rational
faculty from whom are we separated? From wild beasts. And from what
others? From sheep and like animals. Take care then to do nothing like a
wild beast; but if you do, you have lost the character of a man; you
have not fulfilled your promise. See that you do nothing like a sheep;
but if you do, in this case also the man is lost. What then do we do as
sheep? When we act gluttonously, when we act lewdly, when we act rashly,
filthily, inconsiderately, to what have we declined? To sheep. What have
we lost? The rational faculty. When we act contentiously and harmfully
and passionately and violently, to what have we declined? To wild
beasts. Consequently some of us are great wild beasts, and others little
beasts, of a bad disposition and small, whence we may say, Let me be
eaten by a lion. But in all these ways the promise of a man acting as a
man is destroyed. For when is a conjunctive (complex) proposition
maintained? When it fulfils what its nature promises; so that the
preservation of a complex proposition is when it is a conjunction of
truths. When is a disjunctive maintained? When it fulfils what it
promises. When are flutes, a lyre, a horse, a dog, preserved? (When they
severally keep their promise.) What is the wonder then if man also in
like manner is preserved, and in like manner is lost? Each man is
improved and preserved by corresponding acts, the carpenter by acts of
carpentry, the grammarian by acts of grammar. But if a man accustoms
himself to write ungrammatically, of necessity his art will be corrupted
and destroyed. Thus modest actions preserve the modest man, and immodest
actions destroy him; and actions of fidelity preserve the faithful man,
and the contrary actions destroy him. And on the other hand contrary
actions strengthen contrary characters: shamelessness strengthens the
shameless man, faithlessness the faithless man, abusive words the
abusive man, anger the man of an angry temper, and unequal receiving and
giving make the avaricious man more avaricious.

For this reason philosophers admonish us not to be satisfied with
learning only, but also to add study, and then practice. For we have
long been accustomed to do contrary things, and we put in practice
opinions which are contrary to true opinions. If then we shall not also
put in practice right opinions, we shall be noth