Ch. 3
How a man should proceed from the principle of god being the father of all men to the rest.
IF a man should be able to assent to this doctrine as he
ought, that we are all sprung from God26 in an especial
manner, and that God is the father both of men and of
gods, I suppose that he would never have any ignoble
or mean thoughts about himself. But if Caesar (the
emperor) should adopt you, no one could endure your
arrogance; and if you know that you are the son of Zeus,
will you not be elated? Yet we do not so; but since
[p. 13]
these two things are mingled in the generation of man,
body in common with the animals, and reason and intelligence in common with the gods, many incline to this kinship, which is miserable and mortal; and some few to that
which is divine and happy. Since then it is of necessity
that every man uses everything according to the opinion
which he has about it, those, the few, who think that they
are formed for fidelity and modesty and a sure use of
appearances have no mean or ignoble thoughts about
themselves; but with the many it is quite the contrary.
For they say, What am I? A poor, miserable man, with
my wretched bit of flesh. Wretched, indeed; but you possess something better than your bit of flesh. Why then
do you neglect that which is better, and why do you
attach yourself to this?
Through this kinship with the flesh, some of us inclining to it become like wolves, faithless and treacherous
and mischievous: some become like lions, savage and
bestial and untamed; but the greater part of us become
foxes, and other worse animals. For what else is a
slanderer and a malignant man than a fox, or some other
more wretched and meaner animal? See27 then and take
care that you do not become some one of these miserable
things.