a fresh grief, which,
admitting it to be moderate in itself, yet still must have been a great
addition to the other. Now to these let us add some acute pains of body,
the loss of his fortune, blindness, banishment; supposing, then, each
separate misfortune to occasion a separate additional grief, the whole
would be too great to be supportable.

XVIII. The man who attempts to set bounds to vice, acts like one who
should throw himself headlong from Leucate, persuaded that he could stop
himself whenever he pleased. Now, as that is impossible, so a perturbed
and disordered mind cannot restrain itself, and stop where it pleases.
Certainly whatever is bad in its increase, is bad in its birth: now grief,
and all other perturbations, are doubtless baneful in their progress, and
have therefore no small share of evil at the beginning; for they go on of
themselves when once they depart from reason, for every weakness is
self-indulgent, and indiscreetly launches out, and does not know where to
stop. So that it makes no difference whether you approve of moderate
perturbations of mind, or of moderate injustice, moderate cowardice, and
moderate intemperance. For whoever prescribes bounds to vice, admits a
part of it, which, as it is odious of itself, becomes the more so as it
stands on slippery ground, and being once set forward, glides on headlong,
and cannot by any means be stopped.

XIX. Why should I say more? Why should I add that the Peripatetics say
that these perturbations, which we insist upon it should be extirpated,
are not only natural, but were given to men by nature for a good purpose?
They usually talk in this manner. In the first place, they say much in
praise of anger; they call it the whetstone of courage, and they say that
angry men exert themselves most against an enemy or against a bad citizen:
that those reasons are of little weight which are the motives of men who
think thus, as,--It is a just war, it becomes us to fight for our laws, our
liberties, our country; they will allow no force to these arguments unless
our courage is warmed by anger.--Nor do they confine their argument to
warriors: but their opinion is, that no one can issue any rigid commands
without some bitterness and anger. In short, they have no notion of an
orator either accusing or even defending a client, without he is spurred
on by anger. And though this anger should not be real, still they think
his words and gestures ought to wear the appeara