DioLiu/Test1 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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he is not able now to distinguish falsehood from truth. And indeed
he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain as evil, is guilty
of impiety. For of necessity such a man must often find fault with
the universal nature, alleging that it assigns things to the bad and
the good contrary to their deserts, because frequently the bad are
in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure
pleasure, but the good have pain for their share and the things which
cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also
be afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and
even this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain
from injustice, and this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the
things towards which the universal nature is equally affected- for
it would not have made both, unless it was equally affected towards
both- towards these they who wish to follow nature should be of the
same mind with it, and equally affected. With respect to pain, then,
and pleasure, or death and life, or honour and dishonour, which the
universal nature employs equally, whoever is not equally affected
is manifestly acting impiously. And I say that the universal nature
employs them equally, instead of saying that they happen alike to
those who are produced in continuous series and to those who come
after them by virtue of a certain original movement of Providence,
according to which it moved from a certain beginning to this ordering
of things, having conceived certain principles of the things which
were to be, and having determined powers productive of beings and
of changes and of such like successions.

It would be a man's happiest lot to depart from mankind without having
had any taste of lying and hypocrisy and luxury and pride. However
to breathe out one's life when a man has had enough of these things
is the next best voyage, as the saying is. Hast thou determined to
abide with vice, and has not experience yet induced thee to fly from
this pestilence? For the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence,
much more indeed than any such corruption and change of this atmosphere
which surrounds us. For this corruption is a pestilence of animals
so far as they are animals; but the other is a pestilence of men so
far as they are men.

Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too
is one of those things which nature wills. For such as it is to be
young and to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and
to have teeth and beard and grey hairs, and to beget, and to be pregnant
and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations which the
seasons of thy life bring, such also is dissolution. This, then, is
consistent with the character of a reflecting man, to be neither careless
nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death, but to wait
for it as one of the operations of nature. As thou now waitest for
the time when the child shall come out of thy wife's womb, so be ready
for the time when thy soul shall fall out of this envelope. But if
thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which shall reach thy
heart, thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by observing the
objects from which thou art going to be removed, and the morals of
those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled. For it is no way
right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty to care for them
and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy departure
will be not from men who have the same principles as thyself. For
this is the only thing, if there be any, which could draw us the contrary
way and attach us to life, to be permitted to live with those who
have the same principles as ourselves. But now thou seest how great
is the trouble arising from the discordance of those who live together,
so that thou mayest say, Come quick, O death, lest perchance I, too,
should forget myself.

He who does wrong does wrong against himself. He who acts unjustly
acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad.

He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he
who does a certain thing.

Thy present opinion founded on understanding, and thy present conduct
directed to social good, and thy present disposition of contentment
with everything which happens- that is enough.

Wipe out imagination: check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the
ruling faculty in its own power.

Among the animals which have not reason one life is distributed; but
among reasonable animals one intelligent soul is distributed: just
as there is one earth of all things which are of an earthy nature,
and we see by one light, and breathe one air, all of us that have
the faculty of vision and all that have life.

All things which participate in anything which is common to them all
move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves. Everything
which is earthy turns towards the earth, everything which is liquid
flows together, and everything which is of an aerial kind does the
same, so that they require something to keep them asunder, and the
application of force. Fire indeed moves upwards on account of the
elemental fire, but it is so ready to be kindled together with all
the fire which is here, that even every substance which is somewhat
dry, is easily ignited, because there is less mingled with it of that
which is a hindrance to ignition. Accordingly then everything also
which participates in the common intelligent nature moves in like
manner towards that which is of the same kind with itself, or moves
even more. For so much as it is superior in comparison with all other
things, in the same degree also is it more ready to mingle with and
to be fused with that which is akin to it. Accordingly among animals
devoid of reason we find swarms of bees, and herds of cattle, and
the nurture of young birds, and in a manner, loves; for even in animals
there are souls, and that power which brings them together is seen
to exert itself in the superior degree, and in such a way as never

he is not able now to distinguish falsehood from truth. And indeed

he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain as evil, is guilty

of impiety. For of necessity such a man must often find fault with

the universal nature, alleging that it assigns things to the bad and

the good contrary to their deserts, because frequently the bad are

in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure

pleasure, but the good have pain for their share and the things which

cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also

be afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and

even this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain

from injustice, and this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the

things towards which the universal nature is equally affected- for

it would not have made both, unless it was equally affected towards

both- towards these they who wish to follow nature should be of the

same mind with it, and equally affected. With respect to pain, then,

and pleasure, or death and life, or honour and dishonour, which the

universal nature employs equally, whoever is not equally affected

is manifestly acting impiously. And I say that the universal nature

employs them equally, instead of saying that they happen alike to

those who are produced in continuous series and to those who come

after them by virtue of a certain original movement of Providence,

according to which it moved from a certain beginning to this ordering

of things, having conceived certain principles of the things which

were to be, and having determined powers productive of beings and

of changes and of such like successions.

It would be a man's happiest lot to depart from mankind without having

had any taste of lying and hypocrisy and luxury and pride. However

to breathe out one's life when a man has had enough of these things

is the next best voyage, as the saying is. Hast thou determined to

abide with vice, and has not experience yet induced thee to fly from

this pestilence? For the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence,

much more indeed than any such corruption and change of this atmosphere

which surrounds us. For this corruption is a pestilence of animals

so far as they are animals; but the other is a pestilence of men so

far as they are men.

Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too

is one of those things which nature wills. For such as it is to be

young and to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and

to have teeth and beard and grey hairs, and to beget, and to be pregnant

and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations which the

seasons of thy life bring, such also is dissolution. This, then, is

consistent with the character of a reflecting man, to be neither careless

nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death, but to wait

for it as one of the operations of nature. As thou now waitest for

the time when the child shall come out of thy wife's womb, so be ready

for the time when thy soul shall fall out of this envelope. But if

thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which shall reach thy

heart, thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by observing the

objects from which thou art going to be removed, and the morals of

those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled. For it is no way

right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty to care for them

and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy departure

will be not from men who have the same principles as thyself. For

this is the only thing, if there be any, which could draw us the contrary

way and attach us to life, to be permitted to live with those who

have the same principles as ourselves. But now thou seest how great

is the trouble arising from the discordance of those who live together,

so that thou mayest say, Come quick, O death, lest perchance I, too,

should forget myself.

He who does wrong does wrong against himself. He who acts unjustly

acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad.

He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he

who does a certain thing.

Thy present opinion founded on understanding, and thy present conduct

directed to social good, and thy present disposition of contentment

with everything which happens- that is enough.

Wipe out imagination: check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the

ruling faculty in its own power.

Among the animals which have not reason one life is distributed; but

among reasonable animals one intelligent soul is distributed: just

as there is one earth of all things which are of an earthy nature,

and we see by one light, and breathe one air, all of us that have

the faculty of vision and all that have life.

All things which participate in anything which is common to them all

move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves. Everything

which is earthy turns towards the earth, everything which is liquid

flows together, and everything which is of an aerial kind does the

same, so that they require something to keep them asunder, and the

application of force. Fire indeed moves upwards on account of the

elemental fire, but it is so ready to be kindled together with all

the fire which is here, that even every substance which is somewhat

dry, is easily ignited, because there is less mingled with it of that

which is a hindrance to ignition. Accordingly then everything also

which participates in the common intelligent nature moves in like

manner towards that which is of the same kind with itself, or moves

even more. For so much as it is superior in comparison with all other

things, in the same degree also is it more ready to mingle with and

to be fused with that which is akin to it. Accordingly among animals

devoid of reason we find swarms of bees, and herds of cattle, and

the nurture of young birds, and in a manner, loves; for even in animals

there are souls, and that power which brings them together is seen

to exert itself in the superior degree, and in such a way as never