Encheiridion — Epictetus

54 Gbe Discourses of Bpictctus Ignorance. What is a child ? Want of knowledge. For when a child knows these things, he is in no way inferior to us. What is death ? A tragic mask. Turn it and examine it. See, it does not bite. The poor bddy must be separated from the spirit either now or later as it was separated from it before. Why then are you troubled if it be separated now ? for if it is not separated now, it will be separated afterwards.

Why ? That the period of the universe may be completed, for it has need of the present, and of the future, and of the past. What is pain ? A mask. Turn it and examine it. The poor flesh is moved roughly, then on the contrary smoothly. If this does not satisfy (please) you, the door is open ; if it does, bear (with things). For the door ought to be open for all occasions ; and so we have no trouble. What then is the fruit of these opinions?

It is that which ought to be the most noble and the most becoming to those who are really educated, release from perturbation, release from fear, freedom. For in these matters we must not believe the many, who say that free persons only ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophcis who say that the educated only are free. How is this? In this manner : Is freedom anything <. Ise than the power of living as we choose? Nothing

Zbe Discourses of ;£plctetus 55 else. Tell me then, ye men, do you wish to live in error. We do not. No one then who lives in error is free. Do you wish to live in fear ? Do you wish to live in sorrow ? Do you wish to live in perturbation? By no means. No oue then who is in a state of fear or sorrow or perturbation is free ; but whoever is delivered from sorrows and fears and perturbations, he is at the same time also delivered from servitude.

How then can we continue to believe you, most dear legislators, when you say, We only allow free persons to be educated? For philosophers say we allow none to be free except the educated ; that is, God does not allow it. When then a man has turned round before the praetor his own slave, has he done nothing? He has done something. What? He has turned round his own slave before the praetor. Has he done nothing more ?

Yes : he is also bound to pay for him the tax called the twentieth. Well then, is not the man who has gone through this ceremony become free? No more than he is become free from perturbations. Have you who are able to turn round (free) others no master ? is not money your master, or a girl or a boy, or some tyrant or some friend of the tyrant ? Why do you trouble then when you are going off to any trial (danger) of this kind ? It is for this reason that I often

56 TTbe Discourses ct Bplctctus say, study and hold in readiness these principles by which you may determine what those things are with reference to which you ought to be cautious, courageous in that which does not depend on your will, cautious in that which does depend on it. Of Tranquillity (Freedom from Perturbation).— Consider, you who are going into court, what you wish to maintain and what you wish to succeed in.

For if you wish to maintain a will conformable to nature, you have every security, every facility, you have no troubles. For if you wish to maintain what is in your own power and is naturally free, and if you are content with these, what else do you care for? For who is the master of such things ? Who can take them away ? If you choose to be modest and faithful, who shall not allow you to be so ?

If you choose not to be restrained or compelled, who shall compel you to desire what you think that you ought not to desire? who shall compel jou to avoid what you do not think fit to avoid ? But what do you say? The judge will determine against you something that appears formidable ; but that you should also suffer in trying to avoid it, how can he do that ? When then the pursuit ol objects and the avoiding of them are in youi