Encheiridion — Epictetus

Gbe Discourses of Bptctetus 163 an army. Again, in a vessel if you go as a sailor, keep to one place and stick to it. And if j'ou are ordered to climb the mast, refuse ; if to run to the head of the ship, refuse ; and what master of a ship will endure you ? and will he not pitch you overboard as a useless thing, an impediment only and bad example to the other sailors ?

And so it is here also ; every man's life is a kind of warfare, and it is long and diversified. You must observe the duty of a soldier and do every thing at the nod of the general ; if it is possible, divining what his wishes are ; for there is no resemblance between that general and this, neither in strength nor in superiority of character. Know you not that a good man does nothing for the sake of appearance, but for the sake of doing right?

What advantage is it then to him to have done right ? And what advantage is it to a man who writes the name of Dion to write it as he ought ? The advantage is to have written it. Is there no reward then ? Do you seek a reward for a good man greater than doing what is good and just? At Olympia you wish for nothing more, but it seems to you enough to be crowned at the games. Does it seem to you so small and worthless a thing to be good and happy ? For these purposes being introduced by the gods into this city (the world), and it being now

1 64 Jibe Discourses of Spfctetus your duty to undertake the work of a man, do you still want nurses also and a mamma, and do foolish women by their weeping move you and make you effeminate ? Will you thus never cease to be a foolish child ? know you not that he who does the acts of a child, the older he is, the more ridiculous he is ?

So in this matter also : if you kiss your own child, or your brother or friend, never give full license to the appearance ((pavra6i'av), and allow not your pleasure to go as far as it chooses ; but check it, and curb it as those who stand behind men in their triumphs and remind them that they are mortal.

Do you also remind yourself in like manner, that he whom you love is mortal, and that what you love is nothing of your own ; it has been given to you for the present, not that it should not be taken from you, nor has it been given to you for all time, but as a fig is given to you or a bunch of grapes at the appointed season of the year. But if you wish for these things in winter, you are a fool.

So if you wish for your son or friend when it is not allowed to you, you must know that you are wishing for a fig in winter. For such as winter is to a fig, such is every event which happens from the universe to the things which are taken away according to its nature. And further, at the times when you are delighted

Gbe Discourses of jEpfctetus 165 with a thing, place before yourself the contrary appearances. What harm is it while you are kissing your child to say with a lisping voice : To-morrow you will die ; and to a friend also : To-morrow you will go away or I shall, and never shall we see one another again ?

But these are words of bad omen — and some incantations also are of bad omen ; but because they are useful, I don't care for this ; only let them be useful. But do you call things to be of bad Qtnen except those which are significant of some evil? Cowardice is a word of bad omen, and meanness of spirit, and sorrow, and grief, and shamelessness.

These words are of bad omen ; and yet we ought not to hesitate to utter them in order to protect ourselves against the things. Do you tell me that a name which is significant of any natural thing is of evil omen ? say that even for the ears of corn to be reaped is of bad omen, for it signifies the destruction of the ears, but not of the world.

Say that the falling of the leaves also is of bad omen, and for the dried fig to take the place of the green fig, and for raisins to be made from the grapes. For all these things are changes from a former state into other states ; not a destruction, but a certain fixed economy and administration. Such is going away from home and a small change : such is death, a greater change, not from the