Letter 14
I confess that we all have an inborn affection
for our body; I confess that we are entrusted with its guardianship.
I do not maintain that the body is not to be indulged at all; but I maintain
that we must not be slaves
to it. He will have many masters who makes his body his master, who
is over-fearful in its behalf,
who judges everything according to the body. We should conduct ourselves
not as if we ought to live for the body, but as if we could not live without
it. Our too great love for it makes us restless with fears, burdens
us with cares, and exposes us to insults. Virtue is held too cheap
by the man who counts his body too dear. We should cherish the body
with the greatest care; but we should also be prepared, when reason, self-
respect, and duty demand the sacrifice, to deliver it even to the flames.
Let us, however, in so far as we can, avoid discomforts as well as dangers,
and withdraw to safe ground, by thinking continually how we may repel all
objects of fear. If I am not mistaken, there are three main classes
of these: we fear want, we fear sickness, and we fear the
troubles which result from the violence of the stronger. And
of all these, that which shakes us most is the dread which hangs over us
from our neighbour's ascendancy; for it is accompanied by great outcry
and uproar. But the natural evils which I have mentioned, - want
and sickness, steal upon us silently with no shock of terror to the eye
or to the ear. The other kind of evil comes,
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so to speak, in the form of a huge parade. Surrounding it is a
retinue of swords and fire and chains and a mob of beasts to be let loose
upon the disembowelled entrails of men. Picture to yourself under
this head the prison, the cross, the rack, the hook, and the stake which
they drive straight through a man until it protrudes from his throat.
Think of human limbs torn apart by chariots driven in opposite directions,
of the terrible shirt smeared and interwoven with inflammable materials,
and of all the other contrivances devised by cruelty, in addition to those
which I have mentioned! It is not surprising, then, if our greatest terror
is of such a fate; for it comes in many shapes and its para phernalia are
terrifying. For just as the torturer accomplishes more in proportion to
the number of instruments which he displays, - indeed, the spectacle overcomes
those who would have patiently withstood the suffering, - similarly, of
all the agencies which coerce and master our minds, the most effective
are those which can make a display. Those other troubles are of course
not less serious; I mean hunger, thirst, ulcers of the stomach, and fever
that parches our very bowels. They are, however, secret; they have
no bluster and no heralding; but these, like huge arrays of war, prevail
by virtue of their display and their equipment. Let us, therefore,
see to it that we abstain from giving offence. It is sometimes the
people that we ought to fear; or sometimes a body of influential oligarchs
in the Senate, if the method of governing the State is such that most of
the business is done by that body; and sometimes individuals equipped with
power by the people and against the people. It is burdensome to keep
the friendship of all such
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persons; it is enough not to make enemies of them. So the wise
man will never provoke the anger of those in power; nay, he will even turn
his course, precisely as he would turn from a storm if he were steering
a ship. When you travelled to Sicily, you crossed the Straits.
The reckless pilot scorned the blustering South Wind, - the wind which
roughens the Sicilian Sea and forces it into choppy currents; he sought
not the shore on the left, but the strand hard by the place where Charybdis
throws the seas into confusion. Your more careful pilot, however, questions
those who know the locality as to the tides and the meaning of the clouds;
he holds his course far from that region notorious for its swirling waters.
Our wise man does the same he shuns a strong man who may be injurious to
him, making a point of not seeming to avoid him, because an important part
of one's safety lies in not seeking safety openly; for what one avoids,
one condemns,
We should therefore look about us, and see
how we may protect ourselves from the mob. And first of all, we should
have no cravings like theirs; for rivalry results in strife. Again,
let us possess nothing that can be snatched from us to the great profit
of a plotting foe. Let there be as little booty as possible on your
person. No one sets out to shed the blood of his fellow-men for the sake
of bloodshed, - at any rate very few. More murderers speculate on
their profits than give vent to hatred. If you are empty-handed,
the highwayman passes you by: even along
an infested road, the poor may travel in peace. Next, we must follow
the old adage and avoid three things with special care: hatred, jealousy,
and scorn. And wisdom alone can show you how this may be done.
It is hard to
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observe a mean; we must be chary of letting the fear of jealousy lead
us into becoming objects of scorn, lest, when we choose not to stamp others
down, we let them think that they can stamp us down. The power to
inspire fear has caused many men to be in fear. Let us withdraw ourselves
in every way; for it is as harmful to be scorned as to be admired.
One must therefore take refuge in philosophy;
this pursuit, not only in the eyes of good men, but also in the eyes of
those who are even moderately bad, is a sort of protecting emblem. For
speechmaking at the bar, or any other pursuit that claims the people's
attention, wins enemies for a man; but philosophy is peaceful and minds
her own business. Men cannot scorn her; she is honoured by every
profession, even the vilest among them. Evil can never grow so strong,
and nobility of character can never be so plotted against, that the name
of philosophy shall cease to be worshipful and sacred.
Philosophy itself, however should be practised
with calmness and moderation. "Very well, then," you retort, "do you regard
the philosophy of Marcus Cato as moderate? Cato's voice strove to
check a civil war. Cato parted the swords of maddened chieftains.
When some fell foul of Pompey and others fell foul of Caesar, Cato defied
both parties at once!" Nevertheless, one may well question whether, in
those days, a wise man ought to have taken any part in public affairs,
and ask: "What do you mean, Marcus Cato? It is not now a question
of freedom; long since has freedom gone to rack and ruin. The question
is, whether it is Caesar or Pompey who controls the State. Why, Cato,
should yo
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tyrant is being selected. What does it concern you who conquers?
The better man may win; but the winner is bound to be the worse man."
I have referred to Cato's final role. But even in previous years
the wise man was not permitted to intervene in such plundering of the state;
for what could Cato do but raise his voice and utter unavailing words?
At one time he was "bustled" by the mob and spat upon and forcibly removed
from the forum and marked for exile; at another, he was taken straight
to prison from the senate-chamber. However, we shall consider later
whether the wise man ought to give his attention to politics; meanwhile,
I beg you to consider those Stoics who, shut out from public life, have
withdrawn into privacy for the purpose of improving men's existence and
framing laws for the human race without incurring the displeasure of those
in power. The wise man will not upset the customs of the people, nor will
he invite the attention of the populace by any novel ways of living.
"What then? Can one who follows out
this Plan be safe in any case?" I cannot guarantee you this any more than
I can guarantee good health in the case of a man who observes moderation;
although, as a matter of fact, good health results from such moderation.
Sometimes a vessel perishes in harbour; but what do you think happens on
the open sea? And how much more beset with danger that man would be, who
even in his leisure is not secure, if he were busily working at many things!
Innocent persons sometimes perish; who would deny that? But the guilty
perish more frequently. A soldier's skill is not at fault if he receives
the death-blow through his armour. And finally, the wise man
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Latin / Greek Original
[1] Fateor insitam esse nobis corporis nostri caritatem; fateor nos huius gerere tutelam. Non nego indulgendum illi, serviendum nego; multis enim serviet qui corpori servit, qui pro illo nimium timet, qui ad illud omnia refert. [2] Sic gerere nos debemus, non tamquam propter corpus vivere debeamus, sed tamquam non possimus sine corpore; huius nos nimius amor timoribus inquietat, sollicitudinibus onerat, contumeliis obicit; honestum ei vile est cui corpus nimis carum est. Agatur eius diligentissime cura, ita tamen ut, cum exiget ratio, cum dignitas, cum fides, mittendum in ignes sit. [3] Nihilominus quantum possumus evitemus incommoda quoque, non tantum pericula, et in tutum nos reducamus, excogitantes subinde quibus possint timenda depelli. Quorum tria, nisi fallor, genera sunt: timetur inopia, timentur morbi, timentur quae per vim potentioris eveniunt. [4] Ex his omnibus nihil nos magis concutit quam quod ex aliena potentia impendet; magno enim strepitu et tumultu venit. Naturalia mala quae rettuli, inopia atque morbus, silentio subeunt nec oculis nec auribus quicquam terroris incutiunt: ingens alterius mali pompa est; ferrum circa se et ignes habet et catenas et turbam ferarum quam in viscera immittat humana. [5] Cogita hoc loco carcerem et cruces et eculeos et uncum et adactum per medium hominem qui per os emergeret stipitem et distracta in diversum actis curribus membra, illam tunicam alimentis ignium et illitam et textam, et quidquid aliud praeter haec commenta saevitia est. [6] Non est itaque mirum, si maximus huius rei timor est cuius et varietas magna et apparatus terribilis est. Nam quemadmodum plus agit tortor quo plura instrumenta doloris exposuit - specie enim vincuntur qui patientiae restitissent -, ita ex iis quae animos nostros subigunt et domant plus proficiunt quae habent quod ostendant. Illae pestes non minus graves sunt - famem dico et sitim et praecordiorum suppurationes et febrem viscera ipsa torrentem - sed latent, nihil habent quod intentent, quod praeferant: haec ut magna bella aspectu paratuque vicerunt.
[7] Demus itaque operam, abstineamus offensis. Interdum populus est quem timere debeamus; interdum, si ea civitatis disciplina est ut plurima per senatum transigantur, gratiosi in eo viri; interdum singuli quibus potestas populi et in populum data est. Hos omnes amicos habere operosum est, satis est inimicos non habere. Itaque sapiens numquam potentium iras provocabit, immo [nec] declinabit, non aliter quam in navigando procellam. [8] Cum peteres Siciliam, traiecisti fretum Temerarius gubernator contempsit austri minas - ille est enim qui Siculum pelagus exasperet et in vertices cogat -; non sinistrum petit litus sed id a quo propior Charybdis maria convolvit. At ille cautior peritos locorum rogat quis aestus sit, quae signa dent nubes; longe ab illa regione verticibus infami cursum tenet. Idem facit sapiens: nocituram potentiam vitat, hoc primum cavens, ne vitare videatur; pars enim securitatis et in hoc est, non ex professo eam petere, quia quae quis fugit damnat. [9] Circumspiciendum ergo nobis est quomodo a vulgo tuti esse possimus. Primum nihil idem concupiscamus: rixa est inter competitores. Deinde nihil habeamus quod cum magno emolumento insidiantis eripi possit; quam minimum sit in corpore tuo spoliorum. Nemo ad humanum sanguinem propter ipsum venit, aut admodum pauci; plures computant quam oderunt. Nudum latro transmittit; etiam in obsessa via pauperi pax est. [10] Tria deinde ex praecepto veteri praestanda sunt ut v itentur: odium, invidia, contemptus. Quomodo hoc fiat sapientia sola monstrabit; difficile enim temperamentum est, verendumque ne in contemptum nos invidiae timor transferat, ne dum calcare nolumus videamur posse calcari. Multis timendi attulit causas timeri posse. Undique nos reducamus: non minus contemni quam suspici nocet. [11] Ad philosophiam ergo confugiendum est; hae litterae, non dico apud bonos sed apud mediocriter malos infularum loco sunt. Nam forensis eloquentia et quaecumque alia populum movet adversarios habet: haec quieta et sui negotii contemni non potest, cui ab omnibus artibus etiam apud pessimos honor est. Numquam in tantum convalescet nequitia, numquam sic contra virtutes coniurabitur, ut non philosophiae nomen venerabile et sacrum maneat. Ceterum philosophia ipsa tranquille modesteque tractanda est.
[12] 'Quid ergo?' inquis 'videtur tibi M. Cato modeste philosophari, qui bellum civile sententia reprimit? qui furentium principum armis medius intervenit? qui aliis Pompeium offendentibus, aliis Caesarem, simul lacessit duos?' [13] Potest aliquis disputare an illo tempore capessenda fuerit sapienti res publica. Quid tibi vis, arce Cato? iam non agitur de libertate: olim pessum data est. Quaeritur utrum Caesar an Pompeius possideat rem publicam: quid tibi cum ista contentione? nullae partes tuae sunt. Dominus eligitur: quid tua, uter vincat? potest melior vincere, non potest non peior esse qui vicerit. Ultimas partes attigi Catonis; sed ne priores quidem anni fuerunt qui sapientem in illam rapinam rei publicae admitterent. Quid aliud quam vociferatus est Cato et misit irritas voces, cum modo per populi levatus manus et obrutus sputis exportandus extra forum traheretur, modo e senatu in carcerem duceretur?
[14] Sed postea videbimus an sapienti opera rei publicae danda sit: interim ad hos te Stoicos voco qui a re publica exclusi secesserunt ad colendam vitam et humano generi iura condenda sine ulla potentioris offensa. Non conturbabit sapiens publicos mores nec populum in se vitae novitate convertet. [15] 'Quid ergo? utique erit tutus qui hoc propositum sequetur?' Promittere tibi hoc non magis possum quam in homine temperanti bonam valetudinem, et tamen facit temperantia bonam valetudinem. Perit aliqua navis in portu: sed quid tu accidere in medio mari credis? Quanto huic periculum paratius foret multa agenti molientique, cui ne otium quidem tutum est? Pereunt aliquando innocentes - quis negat? -, nocentes tamen saepius. Ars ei constat qui per ornamenta percussus est. [16] Denique consilium rerum omnium sapiens, non exitum spectat; initia in potestate nostra sunt, de eventu fortuna iudicat, cui de me sententiam non do. 'At aliquid vexationis afferet, aliquid adversi.' Non damnat latro cum occidit.
[17] Nunc ad cotidianam stipem manum porrigis. Aurea te stipe implebo, et quia facta est auri mentio, accipe quemadmodum usus fructusque eius tibi esse gratior possit. 'Is maxime divitiis fruitur qui minime divitiis indiget.' 'Ede' inquis 'auctorem.' Ut scias quam benigni simus, propositum est aliena laudare: Epicuri est aut Metrodori aut alicuius ex illa officina. [18] Et quid interest quis dixerit? omnibus dixit. Qui eget divitiis timet pro illis; nemo autem sollicito bono fruitur. Adicere illis aliquid studet; dum de incremento cogitat, oblitus est usus. Rationes accipit, forum conterit, kalendarium versat: fit ex domino procurator. Vale.