Letter 98
Y ou need never believe that anyone who depends
upon happiness is happy! It is a fragile support - this delight in
adventitious things; the joy which entered from without will some day depart.
But that joy which springs wholly from oneself is leal and sound; it increases
and attends us to the last; while all other things which provoke the admiration
of the crowd are but temporary Goods. You may reply: "What do you
mean? Cannot such things serve both for utility and for delight?" Of course.
But only if they depend on us, and not we on them. All things that
Fortune looks upon become productive and pleasant, only if he who possesses
them is in possession also of himself, and is not in the power of that
which belongs to him. For men make a mistake, my dear Lucilius, if they
hold that anything good, or evil either, is bestowed upon us by Fortune;
it is simply the raw material of Goods and Ills that she gives to us -
the sources of things which, in our keeping, will develop into good or
ill. For the soul is more powerful than any sort of Fortune; by its own
agency it guides its affairs in either direction, and of its own power
it can produce a happy life, or a wretched one.
A bad man makes everything bad - even things
which had come with the appearance of what is best; but the upright and
honest man corrects the wrongs of Fortune, and softens hardship and bitterness
because he knows how to endure them; he likewise accepts prosperity with
appreciation and moderation, and stands up against trouble with steadiness
and
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courage. Though a man be prudent, though he conduct all his interests
with well-balanced judgment, though he attempt nothing beyond his strength,
he will not attain the Good which is unalloyed and beyond the reach of
threats, unless he is sure in dealing with that which is unsure.
For whether you prefer to observe other men (and it is easier to make up
one's mind when judging the affairs of others), or whether you observe
yourself, with all prejudice laid aside, you will perceive and acknowledge
that there is no utility in all these desirable and beloved things, unless
you equip yourself in opposition to the fickleness of chance and its consequences,
and unless you repeat to yourself often and uncomplainingly, at every mishap,
the words: "Heaven decreed it otherwise!" Nay rather, to adopt a phrase
which is braver and nearer the truth - one on which you may more safely
prop your spirit - say to yourself, whenever things turn out contrary to
your expectation: "Heaven decreed better!" If you are thus poised, nothing
will affect you and a man will be thus poised if he reflects on the possible
ups and downs in human affairs before he feels their force, and if he comes
to regard children, or wife, or property, with the idea that he will not
necessarily possess them always and that he will not be any more wretched
just because he ceases to possess them. It is tragic for the soul
to be apprehensive of the future and wretched in anticipation of wretchedness,
consumed with an anxious desire that the objects which give pleasure may
remain in its possession to the very
end. For such a soul will never be at rest; in waiting for the future
it will lose the present blessings which it might enjoy. And
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there is no difference between grief for something lost and the fear
of losing it.
B ut I do not for this reason advise you to
be indifferent. Rather do you turn aside from you whatever may cause
fear. Be sure to foresee whatever can be foreseen by planning. Observe
and avoid, long before it happens, anything that is likely to do you harm.
To effect this your best assistance will be a spirit of confidence and
a mind strongly resolved to endure all things. He who can bear Fortune,
can also beware of Fortune. At any rate, there is no dashing of billows
when the sea is calm. And there is nothing more wretched or foolish
than premature fear. What madness it is to anticipate one's troubles!
In fine, to express my thoughts in brief compass and portray to you those
busybodies and self-tormenters - they are as uncontrolled in the midst
of their troubles as they are before them. He suffers more than is
necessary, who suffers before it is necessary; such men do not weigh the
amount of their suffering, by reason of the same failing which prevents
them from being ready for it; and with the same lack of restraint they
fondly imagine that their luck will last for
ever, and fondly imagine that their gains are bound to increase as well
as merely continue. They forget this spring- board on which mortal
things are tossed, and they guarantee for themselves exclusively a steady
continuance of the gifts of chance.
F or this very reason I regard as excellent
the saying of Metrodorus, in a letter of consolation to his sister on
the loss of her son, a lad of great promise: "All the Good of mortals is
mortal." He is referring to those Goods towards which men rush in shoals.
For the real Good does not perish; it is certain and lasting and it consists
of wisdom and virtue; it is
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the only immortal thing that falls to mortal lot. But men are
so wayward, and so forgetful of their goal and of the point toward which
every day jostles them, that they are surprised at losing anything, although
some day they are bound to lose everything. Anything of which you
are entitled the owner is in your possession but is not your own; for there
is no strength in that which is weak, nor anything lasting and invincible
in that which is frail. We must lose our lives as surely as we lose
our property , and this, if we understand
the truth, is itself a consolation. Lose it with equanimity; for
you must lose your life also.
W hat resource do we find, then, in the face
of these losses? Simply this -to keep in memory the things we have
lost, and not to suffer the enjoyment which we have derived from them to
pass away along with them. To have may be taken from us, to have
had, never. A man is thankless in the highest degree if, after losing something,
he feels no obligation for having received it. Chance robs us of
the thing, but leaves us its use and its enjoyment - and we have lost this
if we are so unfair as to regret. Just say to yourself: "Of all these
experiences that seem so frightful, none is insuperable. Separate
trials have been overcome by many: fire by Mucius, crucifixion by Regulus,
poison by Socrates, exile by Rutilius, and a sword-inflicted death by Cato;
therefore, let us also overcome something." Again, those objects which
attract the crowd under the appearance of beauty and happiness, have been
scorned by many men and on many occasions. Fabricius when he was
general refused riches, and when he was censor branded them with disapproval.
-------- a i.e., when he declined the bribe of Pyrrhus, 280 B.C.
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Tubero deemed poverty worthy both of himself and of the deity on the
Capitol when, by the use of earthenware dishes at a public festival, he
showed that man should be satisfied with that which the gods could still
use. The elder Sextius rejected the honours of office; he was born
with an obligation to take part in public affairs, and yet would not accept
the broad stripe even when the deified Julius offered it to him.
For he understood that what can be given can also be taken away.
L et us also, therefore, carry out some courageous
act of our own accord; let us be included among the ideal types of history.
Why have we been slack? Why do we lose heart? That which could
be done, can be done, if only we purify our souls and follow Nature; for
when one strays away from Nature one is compelled to crave, and fear, and
be a slave to the things of chance. We may return to the true path;
we may be restored to our proper state; let us therefore be so, in order
that we may be able to endure pain, in whatever form it attacks our bodies,
and say to Fortune: "You have to deal with a man; seek someone whom you
can conquer!"
B y these words, and words of a like kind,
the malignity of the ulcer is quieted down; and I hope indeed that it can
be reduced, and either cured or brought to a stop, and grow old along with
the patient himself. I am, however, comfortable in my mind regarding
him; what we are now discussing is our own loss - the taking-off of a most
excellent old man. For he himself has lived a full life, and anything
additional may be craved by him, not for his own sake, but for the sake
of those who need his services. In continuing to live, he deals generously.
Some other person might have put an end to these
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Latin / Greek Original
[1] Numquam credideris felicem quemquam ex felicitate suspensum. Fragilibus innititur qui adventicio laetus est: exibit gaudium quod intravit. At illud ex se ortum fidele firmumque est et crescit et ad extremum usque prosequitur: cetera quorum admiratio est vulgo in diem bona sunt. 'Quid ergo? non usui ac voluptati esse possunt?' Quis negat? sed ita si illa ex nobis pendent, non ex illis nos. [2] Omnia quae fortuna intuetur ita fructifera ac iucunda fiunt si qui habet illa se quoque habet nec in rerum suarum potestate est. Errant enim, Lucili, qui aut boni aliquid nobis aut mali iudicant tribuere fortunam: materiam dat bonorum ac malorum et initia rerum apud nos in malum bonumve exiturarum. Valentior enim omni fortuna animus est et in utramque partem ipse res suas ducit beataeque ac miserae vitae sibi causa est. [3] Malus omnia in malum vertit, etiam quae cum specie optimi venerant: rectus atque integer corrigit prava fortunae et dura atque aspera ferendi scientia mollit, idemque et secunda grate excipit modesteque et adversa constanter ac fortiter. Qui licet prudens sit, licet exacto faciat cuncta iudicio, licet nihil supra vires suas temptet, non continget illi bonum illud integrum et extra minas positum nisi certus adversus incerta est. [4] Sive alios observare volueris (liberius enim inter aliena iudicium est) sive te ipsum favore seposito, et senties hoc et confiteberis, nihil ex his optabilibus et caris utile esse nisi te contra levitatem casus rerumque casum sequentium instruxeris, nisi illud frequenter et sine querella inter singula damna dixeris:
[5] Immo mehercules, ut carmen fortius ac iustius petam quo animum tuum magis fulcias, hoc dicito quotiens aliquid aliter quam cogitabas evenerit: 'di melius'. Sic composito nihil accidet. Sic autem componetur si quid humanarum rerum varietas possit cogitaverit antequam senserit, si et liberos et coniugem et patrimonium sic habuerit tamquam non utique semper habiturus et tamquam non futurus ob hoc miserior si habere desierit. [6] Calamitosus est animus futuri anxius et ante miserias miser, qui sollicitus est ut ea quibus delectatur ad extremum usque permaneant; nullo enim tempore conquiescet et expectatione venturi praesentia, quibus frui poterat, amittet. In aequo est autem amissae rei <dolor> et timor amittendae. [7] Nec ideo praecipio tibi neglegentiam. Tu vero metuenda declina; quidquid consilio prospici potest prospice; quodcumque laesurum est multo ante quam accidat speculare et averte. In hoc ipsum tibi plurimum conferet fiducia et ad tolerandum omne obfirmata mens. Potest fortunam cavere qui potest ferre; certe in tranquillo non tumultuatur. Nihil est nec miserius nec stultius quam praetimere: quae ista dementia est malum suum antecedere? [8] Denique, ut breviter includam quod sentio et istos satagios ac sibi molestos describam tibi, tam intemperantes in ipsis miseriis sunt quam ante illas. Plus dolet quam necesse est qui ante dolet quam necesse est; eadem enim infirmitate dolorem non aestimat qua non expectat; eadem intemperantia fingit sibi perpetuam felicitatem suam, fingit crescere debere quaecumque contigerunt, non tantum durare, et oblitus huius petauri quo humana iactantur sibi uni fortuitorum constantiam spondet. [9] Egregie itaque videtur mihi Metrodorus dixisse in ea epistula qua sororem amisso optimae indolis filio adloquitur: 'mortale est omne mortalium bonum'. De his loquitur bonis ad quae concurritur; nam illud verum bonum non moritur, certum est sempiternumque, sapientia et virtus; hoc unum contingit inmortale mortalibus. [10] Ceterum tam inprobi sunt tamque obliti quo eant, quo illos singuli dies trudant, ut mirentur aliquid ipsos amittere, amissuri uno die omnia. Quidquid est cui dominus inscriberis apud te est, tuum non est; nihil firmum infirmo, nihil fragili aeternum et invictum est. Tam necesse est perire quam perdere et hoc ipsum, si intellegimus, solacium est. Aequo animo perde: pereundum est.
[11] Quid ergo adversus has amissiones auxili invenimus? hoc, ut memoria teneamus amissa nec cum ipsis fructum excidere patiamur quem ex illis percepimus. Habere eripitur, habuisse numquam. Peringratus est qui, cum amisit, pro accepto nihil debet. Rem nobis eripit casus, usum fructumque apud nos relinquit, quem nos iniquitate desiderii perdidimus. [12] Dic tibi ex istis quae terribilia videntur nihil est invictum'. Singula vicere iam multi, ignem Mucius, crucem Regulus, venenum Socrates, exilium Rutilius, mortem ferro adactam Cato: et nos vincamus aliquid. [13] Rursus ista quae ut speciosa et felicia trahunt vulgum a multis et saepe contempta sunt. Fabricius divitias imperator reiecit, censor notavit; Tubero paupertatem et se dignam et Capitolio iudicavit, cum fictilibus in publica cena usus ostendit debere iis hominem esse contentum quibus di etiamnunc uterentur. Honores reppulit pater Sextius, qui ita natus ut rem publicam deberet capessere, latum clavum divo Iulio dante non recepit; intellegebat enim quod dari posset et eripi posse. Nos quoque aliquid et ipsi faciamus animose; simus inter exempla. [14] Quare defecimus? quare desperamus? Quidquid fieri potuit potest, nos modo purgemus animum sequamurque naturam, a qua aberranti cupiendum timendumque est et fortuitis serviendum. Licet reverti in viam, licet in integrum restitui: restituamur, ut possimus dolores quocumque modo corpus invaserint perferre et fortunae dicere 'cum viro tibi negotium est: quaere quem vincas'.
[15] * * * His sermonibus et his similibus lenitur illa vis ulceris, quam opto mehercules mitigari et aut sanari aut stare et cum ipso senescere. Sed securus de illo sum: de nostro damno agitur, quibus senex egregius eripitur. Nam ipse vitae plenus est, cui adici nihil desiderat sua causa sed eorum quibus utilis est. [16] Liberaliter facit quod vivit. Alius iam hos cruciatus finisset: hic tam turpe putat mortem fugere quam ad mortem confugere. 'Quid ergo? non si suadebit res exibit?' Quidni exeat, si nemo iam uti eo poterit, si nihil aliud quam dolori operam dabit? [17] Hoc est, mi Lucili, philosophiam in opere discere et ad verum exerceri, videre quid homo prudens animi habeat contra mortem, contra dolorem, cum illa accedat, hic premat; quid faciendum sit a faciente discendum est. [18] Adhuc argumentis actum est an posset aliqui dolori resistere, an mors magnos quoque animos admota summittere. Quid opus est verbis? in rem praesentem eamus: nec mors illum contra dolorem facit fortiorem nec dolor contra mortem. Contra utrumque sibi fidit nec spe mortis patienter dolet nec taedio doloris libenter moritur: hunc fert, illam expectat. Vale.