efore, for I may now bring this discourse to an end, your Stoics seem
to me to be most especially open to this charge, that they fancy they can
support two opposite propositions. For what is so inconsistent as for the
same person to say that what is honourable is the only good, and also that
the desire of things adapted for human life proceeds from nature? But when
they wish to maintain the arguments which are suitable for the former
propositions, they agree with Aristo; when they avoid that, they in
reality are upholding the same doctrines as the Peripatetics; they cling
to words with great tenacity; and as they cannot bear to have them taken
from them one after another, they become more fierce, and rough, and
harsher both in their language and manners. But Panaetius, wishing to avoid
their moroseness and asperity, would not approve of either the bitterness
of their sentiments, or their captious way of arguing: and so in one
respect he was more gentle, and in the other more intelligible. And he was
always quoting Plato, and Aristotle, and Xenocrates, and Theophrastus, and
Dicaearchus, as his own writings show. And indeed, I feel very sure that it
would do you a great deal of good if you too were to study those authors
with care and diligence.

But since it is getting towards evening, and I must return to my villa, we
will stop this discussion at this point, but we will often return to it on
other occasions. Indeed we will, said he, for what can we do better? And
indeed I shall require of you to give me a hearing while I refute what you
have said; but recollect that you approve of all our opinions, charging us
only with using words incorrectly; but that we do not approve of one
single one of your ideas. You are throwing a stone at me as I depart, said
I; however, we shall see. And when we had thus spoken we separated.

Fifth Book Of The Treatise On The Chief Good And Evil.

I. One day when I had been hearing Antiochus lecture, as I was in the
habit of doing, O Brutus, in company with Marcus Piso, in that gymnasium
which is called Ptolemy's, my brother Quintus being with me, and Titus
Pomponius, and Lucius Cicero, our cousin on the father's side as to
relationship, but our own brother as to affection, we determined to take
our afternoon's walk in the Academy, principally because at that time of
day that place was free from any crowd. Accordingly, at the appointed time
we all met at Piso's house, and from thence w