se men who rank pain among the evils, a wise man cannot be happy when
he is tormented on the rack? While the principles of those who do not
consider pain among the evils, certainly compels us to allow that a happy
life is preserved to a wise man among all torments. In truth, if those men
endure pain with greater fortitude who suffer it in the cause of their
country, than those who do so for any slighter object; then it is plain
that it is opinion, and not nature, which makes the force of pain greater
or less. Even that opinion of the Peripatetics is more than I can agree
to, that, as there are three kinds of goods, as they say, each individual
is the happier in proportion as he is richer in the goods of the body or
external goods, so that we must be forced also to approve of this
doctrine, that that man is happier who has a greater quantity of those
things which are accounted of great value as affecting the body. For they
think that a happy life is made complete by bodily advantages; but there
is nothing which our philosophers can so little agree to. For, as our
opinion is that life is not even made in the least more happy by an
abundance of those goods which we call goods of nature, nor more
desirable, nor deserving of being more highly valued, then certainly a
multitude of bodily advantages can have still less effect on making life
happy. In truth, if to be wise be a desirable thing, and to be well be so
too, then both together must be more desirable than wisdom by itself; but
it does not follow, if each quality deserves to be esteemed, that
therefore, the two taken together deserve to be esteemed more highly than
wisdom does by itself. For we who consider good health worthy of any
esteem, and yet do not rank it among the goods, think, at the same time,
that the esteem to which it is entitled is by no means such as that it
ought to be preferred to virtue. But this is not the doctrine of the
Peripatetics; and they ought to tell us, that that which is an honourable
action and unaccompanied by pain, is more to be desired than the same
action would be if it were attended with pain. We think not: whether we
are right or wrong may be discussed hereafter; but can there possibly be a
greater disagreement respecting facts and principles?

XIV. For as the light of a candle is obscured and put out by the light of
the sun; and as a drop of brine is lost in the magnitude of the AEgaean sea;
or an addition of a penny amid the riches