Encheiridion — Epictetus

Gbe Dfecourses of Bpictetus 211 without a city, and an exile, if it happens to be so, and without a hearth I live more free from trouble and more happily than all of noble birth and than the rich. But look at my poor body also and observe that it is not injured by my hard way of living.

But if a man says this to me, who has the appearance (dress) and face of a condemned man, what god shall persuade me to approach philosophy, if it makes men such persons ? Far from it ; I would not choose to do so, even if I were going to become a wise man.

I indeed would rather that a young man, who is making his first movements towards philosophy, should come to me with his hair carefully trimmed than with it dirty and rough, for there is seen in him a certain notion (appearance) of beauty and a desire of (attempt at) that which is becoming ; and where he supposes it to be, there also he strives that it shall be.

It is only necessary to show him (what it is), and to say : Young man, you seek beauty, and you do well ; you must know then that it (is produced) grows in that part of you where you have the rational faculty ; seek it there where you have the movements towards and the movements from things, where you have the desires towards and the aversion from things ; for this is what you have in yourself of a superior kind ; but the poor body is naturally

212 ttbe Discourses of fipictetus only earth ; why do you labor about it to no purpose ? if you shall learn nothing else, you will learn from time that the body is nothing. But if a man comes to me daubed with filth, dirty, with a moustache down to his knees, what can I say to him, by what kind of resemblance can I lead him on ?

For about what has he busied himself which resembles beauty, that I may be able to change him and say, Beauty is not in this, but in that ? Would you have me to tell him, that beauty consists not in being daubed with muck, but that it lies in the rational part ? Has he any desire of beauty ? has he any form of it in his mind ? Go and talk to a hog, and tell him not to roll in the mud.

On Attention. — When you have remitted your attention for a short time, do not imagine this, that you will recover it when you choose ; but let this thought be present to you, that in consequence of the fault committed to-day your affairs must be in a worse condition for all that follows. For first, and what causes most trouble, a habit of not attending is formed in you ; then a habit of deferring your attention.

And continually from time to time you drive away by deferring it the happiness of life, proper behavior, the being and living conformably to nature. If then the procrastination

TIbe Discourses ot JEpictetus 213 af attention is profitable, the complete omission of attention is more profitable ; but if it is not profitable, why do you not maintain your attention constant ? To-day I choose to play. Well then, ought you not to play with attention ? I choose to sing. What then hinders you from doing so with attention ? Is there any part of life excepted, to which attention does not extend?

For will you do it (anything in life) worse by using attention, and better by not attending at all ? And what else of the things in life is done better by those who do not use attention ? Does he who works in wood work better by not attending to it ? Does the captain of a ship manage it better by not attending? and are any of the smaller acts done better by inattention ?

Do you not see that when you have let your mind loose, it is no longer in your power to recall it, either to propriety, or to modesty, or to moderation ; but you do everything that comes into your mind in obedience to your inclinations.

First then we ought to have these (rules) in readiness, and to do nothing without them, and we ought to keep the soul directed to this mark, to pursue nothing external, and nothing which belongs to others (or is in the power of others), but to do as he has appointed who has the power ; we ought to pursue altogether the