Encheiridion — Epictetus

84 Zbc Discourses of Bpfctetus about things which are not evils? No. Is he afraid about things which are evils, but still so far within his power that they may not happen i Certainly he is not.

If then the things which are independent of the will are neither good nor bad, and all things which do depend on the will are within our power, and no man can either take them from us or give them to viz, if we do not choose, where is room left .or anxiety ? But we are anxious about our poor body, our little property, about the will of Csesar ; but not anxious about things internal. Are we anxious about not forming a false opinion ?

No, for this is in my power. About not exerting our movements contrary to nature? No, not even about this. When then you see a man pale, as the physician says, judging from the complexion, this man's spleen is disordered, that man's liver ; so also say, this man's desire and aversion are disordered, he is not in the right way, he is in a fever.

For nothing else changes the color, or causes trembling or chattering of the teeth, or causes a man to Sink in his knees and shift from foot to foot. Iliad, xiii.,28i. For this reason, when Zeno was going to meet Antigonus, he was not anxious, for Antigonus

Zbe SHecourses of lEptctetus 85 had no power over any of the things which Zeno admired ; and Zeno did not care for those things over which Antigonus had power. But Antigonus was anxious when he was going to meet Zeno, for he wished to please Zeno ; but this was a thing external (out of his power). But Zeno did not want to please Antigonus ; for no man who is skilled in any art wishes to please one who has no such skill.

Should I try to please you ? Why ? I suppose, you know the measure by which one man is estimated by another. Have you taken pains to learn what is a good man and what is a bad man, and how a man becomes one or the other? Why then are j^ou not good yourself? How, he replies, am I not good ? Because no good man laments or groans or weeps, no good man is pale and trembles, or says, How will he receive me, how will he listen to me?

Slave, just as it pleases him. Why do you care about what belongs to others ? Is it now his fault if he receives badly what proceeds from you ? Certainly. And is it possible that a fault should be one man's, and the evil in another? No. Why then are you anxious about that which belongs to others ? Your question is reasonable ; but I am anxious how I shall speak to him. Cannot you then speak to him as you choose? But I fear that I may be disconcerted ? If you are

S6 £be Discourses of Bpictetus going to write tbe name of Dion, are you afraid that you would be disconcerted ? By no means. Why? is it not because you have practised writing the name ? Certainly. Well, if you were going to read the name, would you not feel the same? and why? Because every art has a certain strength and confidence in the things which belong to it. Have you then not practised speaking? and what else did you learn in the school ?

Syllogisms and sophistical propositions? For what purpose? was it not for the purpose of discoursing skilfully ? and is not discoursing skilfully the same as discoursing seasonably and cautiously and with intelligence, and also without making mistakes and without hindrance, and besides all this with confidence? Yes.

When then you are mounted on a horse and go into a plain, are you anxious at being matched against a man who is on foot, and anxious in a matter in which you are practised, and he is not? Yes, but that person (to whom I am going to speak) has power to kill me.

Speak the truth, then, unhappy man, and do not brag, nor claim to be a philosopher, nor refuse to acknowledge your masters, but so long as you present this handle in your body, follow every man who is stronger than yourself. Socrates used to practise speaking, he who talked as he did to tlie tyrants, to the dicasts