Encheiridion — Epictetus

XLbc Discourses of jEpictetus 87 (judges), he who talked in his prison. Diogenes had practised speaking, he who spoke as he did to Alexander, to the pirates, to the person who bought him. These men were confident in the things which they practised. But do you walk off to your own affairs and never leave them : go and sit in a corner, and weave syllogisms, and propose them to another. There is not in you the man who can rule a state.

To Naso. — When a certain Roman entered with his son and listened to one reading, Epictetus said, This is the method of instruction ; and he stopped.

When the Roman asked him to go on, Epictetus said, Every art when it is taught causes labor to him who is unacquainted with it and is unskilled in it, and indeed the things which proceed from the arts immediately show their use in the purpose for which they were made ; and most of them contain something attractive and pleasing.

For indeed to be present and to observe how a shoemaker learns is not a pleasant thing ; but the shoe is useful and also not disagreeable to look at. And the discipline of a smith when he is learning is very disagreeable to one who chances to be present and is a stranger to the art : but the work shows the use of the art. But you will see this much more in music ; for if

88 Gbe Discourses of Bplctetus you are present while a person is learning, the discipline will appear most disagreeable ; and yet the results of music are pleasing and delightful to those who know nothing of music.

And here we conceive the work of a philosopher to be something of this kind : he must adapt his wish (fi6v\y6iv) to what is going on, so that neither any of the things which are taking place shall take place contrary to our wish, nor any of the things which do not take place shall not take place when we wish that they should.

From this the result is to those who have so arranged the work of philosophy, not to fail in the desire, nor to fall in with that which they would avoid ; without uneasiness, without fear, without perturbation to pass through life themselves, together with their associates maintaining the relations both natural and acquired, as the relation of son, of father, of brother, of citizen, of man, of wife, of neighbor, of fellow-traveller, of ruler, of ruled.

The work of a philosopher we conceive to be something like this. It remains next to inquire how this must be accomplished. We see then that the carpenter (reHra>v) when he has learned certain things becomes a carpenter ; the pilot by learning certain things becomes a pilot. May it not then in philosophy also not be sufficient to wish to be wise and

Gbe Discourses of JSpictetus 89 good, and that there is also a necessity to learn certain things ? We inquire then what these things are. The philosophers say that we ought first to learn that there is a God and that he provides for all things ; also that it is not possible to conceal from him our acts, or even our intentions and thoughts.

The next thing is to learn what is the nature of the gods ; for such as they are discovered to be, he, who would please and obey them, must try with all his power to be like them.

If the divine is faithful, man also must be faithful ; if it is free, man also must be free ; if beneficent, man also must be beneficent ; if magnanimous, man also must be magnanimous ; as being then an imitator of God he must do and say everything consistently with this fact. to or against those who obstinately Persist in what they have Determined. — When some persons have heard these words, that a man ought to be constant (firm), and that the will is naturally free and not subject to compulsion, but that all other things are subject to hindrance, to slavery, and are in the power of others, they suppose that they ought without deviation to abide by everything which they have determined. But in the first place that which has been determined ought to be