Ch. 12
About exercise.
WE ought not to make our exercises consist in means
contrary to nature and adapted to cause admiration, for if
we do so, we who call ourselves philosophers, shall not
differ at all from jugglers. For it is difficult even to
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walk on a rope; and not only difficult, but it is also dan-
gerous. Ought we for this reason to practise walking on
a rope, or setting up a palm tree,492 or embracing statues?
By no means. Every thing which is difficult and dangerous is not suitable for practice; but that is suitable
which conduces to the working out of that which is proposed to us. And what is that which is proposed to
us as a thing to be worked out? To live with desire
and aversion (avoidance of certain things) free from restraint. And what is this? Neither to be disappointed in
that which you desire, nor to fall into any thing which
you would avoid. Towards this object then exercise
(practice) ought to tend. For since it is not possible to
have your desire not disappointed and your aversion free
from falling into that which you would avoid, without
great and constant practice, you must know that if you
allow your desire and aversion to turn to things which
are not within the power of the will, you will neither
have your desire capable of attaining your object, nor
your aversion free from the power of avoiding that which
you would avoid. And since strong habit leads (prevails),
and we are accustomed to employ desire and aversion only
to things which are not within the power of our will, we
ought to oppose to this habit a contrary habit, and where
there is great slipperiness in the appearances, there to
oppose the habit of exercise.
I am rather inclined to pleasure: I will incline to the
contrary side493 above measure for the sake of exercise. I
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am averse to pain: I will rub and exercise against this
the appearances which are presented to me for the purpose
of withdrawing my aversion from every such thing. For
who is a practitioner in exercise? He who practises not
using his desire, and applies his aversion only to things
which are within the power of his will, and practises
most in the things which are difficult to conquer. For
this reason one man must practise himself more against
one thing and another against another thing. What then
is it to the purpose to set up a palm tree, or to carry about
a tent of skins, or a mortar and pestle?494 Practise, man,
if you are irritable, to endure if you are abused, not
to be vexed if you are treated with dishonour. Then you
will make so much progress that, even if a man strikes you
you will say to yourself, Imagine that you have embraced
a statue: then also exercise yourself to use wine properly
so as not to drink much, for in this also there are men
who foolishly practise themselves; but first of all you
should abstain from it, and abstain from a young girl and
dainty cakes. Then at last, if occasion presents itself, for
the purpose of trying yourself at a proper time you will
descend into the arena to know if appearances overpower
you as they did formerly. But at first fly far from that
which is stronger than yourself: the contest is unequal
between a charming young girl and a beginner in philosophy. The earthen pitcher, as the saying is, and the
rock do not agree.495
After the desire and the aversion comes the second topic
(matter) of the movements towards action and the withdrawals from it; that you may be obedient to reason, that
you do nothing out of season or place, or contrary to any
propriety of the kind.496 The third topic concerns the
assents, which is related to the things which are persuasive and attractive. For as Socrates said, we ought not
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to live a life without examination,497 so we ought not to
accept an appearance without examination, but we should
say, Wait, let me see what you are and whence you come;
like the watch at night (who says) Show me the pass
(the Roman tessera).498 Have you the signal from nature
which the appearance that may be accepted ought to
have? And finally whatever means are applied to the
body by those who exercise it, if they tend in any way
towards desire and aversion, they also may be fit means
of exercise; but if they are for display, they are the indications of one who has turned himself towards something
external and who is hunting for something else and who
looks for spectators who will say, Oh the great man. For
this reason Apollonius said well, When you intend to
exercise yourself for your own advantage, and you are
thirsty from heat, take in a mouthful of cold water, and
spit it out and tell nobody.499
