Ch. 12
Of contentment.
Concerning the gods, some affirm that there
is no deity; others, that he indeed exists, but
is slothful, negligent, and without providential care; a
third class admits both his being and his providence,
but only in respect to great and heavenly objects, not
earthly; a fourth recognizes him both in heaven and
earth, but only in general, not individual matters; a
fifth, like Odysseus and Socrates, says, " I cannot be
hid from thee in any of my motions."18
It is, before all things, necessary to examine each
of these opinions; which is, and which is not rightly
spoken. Now, if there are no gods, wherefore serve
them? If there are, but they take no care of anything, how is the case bettered? Or, if they both are,
and take care; yet, if there is nothing communicated
from them to men, and therefore certainly nothing to
me, how much better is it? A wise and good man,
after examining these things, submits his mind to
Him who administers the whole, as good citizens do
to the laws of the commonwealth.
He, then, who comes to be instructed, ought to
come with this aim: " How may I in everything follow the gods? How may I acquiesce in the divine
administration? And how may I be free? " For he
is free to whom all happens agreeably to his desire,
and whom no one can unduly restrain.
"What, then, is freedom mere license?"
By no means; for madness and freedom are incompatible.
"But I would have that happen which appears to
me desirable, however it comes to appear so."
You are mad; you have lost your senses. Do not
you know that freedom is a very beautiful and valuable thing? But for me to choose at random, and
for things to happen agreeably to such a choice, may
be so far from a beautiful thing, as to be of all things
the most undesirable. For how do we proceed in
writing? Do I choose to write the name of Dion
(for instance) as I will? No, but I am taught to be
willing to write it as it ought to be written. And what
is the case in music? The same. And what in every
other art or science? Otherwise, it would be of no
purpose to learn anything if it were to be adapted to
each one's particular humor. Is it, then, only in the
greatest and principal matter, that of freedom, permitted me to desire at random? By no means; but
true instruction is this, - learning to desire that
things should happen as they do. And how do they
happen? As the appointer of them hath appointed.
He hath appointed that there should be summer and
winter, plenty and dearth, virtue and vice, and all such
contrarieties, for the harmony of the whole. To each
of us he has given a body and its parts, and our several possessions and companions. Mindful of this appointment, we should enter upon a course of education
and instruction, not in order to change the constitution of things,- a gift neither practicable nor desirable,-but that, things being as they are with regard
to us, we may have our minds accommodated to the
facts. Can we, for instance, flee from mankind?
How is that possible? Can we, by conversing with
them, transform them? Who has given us such a
power? What, then, remains, or what method is there
to be found, for such a commerce with them that,
while they act according to the appearances in their
own minds, we may nevertheless be affected conformably to nature?
But you are wretched and discontented. If you
are alone, you term it a desert; and if with men, you
call them cheats and robbers. You find fault too
with your parents, and children, and brothers, and
neighbors. Whereas you ought, if you live alone, to
call that repose and freedom, and to esteem yourself
as resembling the gods; and when you are in company, not to call it a crowd, and a tumult, and a trouble, but an assembly, and a festival, - and thus to take
all things contentedly. What, then, is the punishment
of those who do not so accept them? To be as
they are. Is any one discontented with being alone?
Let him remain in his desert. Discontented with his
parents? Let him be a bad son; and let him mourn,
Discontented with his children? Let him be a bad
father. Shall we throw him into prison? What prison?
Where he already is; for he is in a situation against his
will, and wherever any one is against his will, that is
to him a prison, -just as Socrates was not truly in
prison, for he was willingly there.
"What, then, must my leg be lame? "
And is it for one paltry leg, wretch, that you accuse
the universe? Can you not forego that, in consider
tion of the whole? Can you not give up something?
Can you not gladly yield it to him who gave it? And
will you be angry and discontented with the decrees
of Zeus, - which he, with the Fates, who spun in his
presence the thread of your birth, ordained and appointed? Do not you know how very small a part
you are of the whole? - that is, as to body; for, as to
reason, you are neither worse nor less than divine.
For reason is not measured by size or height, but by
principles. Will you not, therefore, place your good
there where you share with the gods?
"But how wretched am I, in such a father and
mother !"
What, then, was it granted you to come beforehand,
and make your own terms, and say, "I et such and
such persons, at this hour, be the authors of my
birth"? It was not granted; for it was necessary
that your parents should exist before you, and so you
be born afterwards. Of whom? Of just such as they
were. What, then, since they are such, is there no
remedy afforded you? Surely, you would be wretched
and miserable if you knew not the use of sight, and
shut your eyes in presence of colors; and are not you
more wretched and miserable in being ignorant that
you have within you the needful nobleness and manhood wherewith to meet these accidents? Events proportioned to your reason are brought before you; but
you turn your mind away, at the very time when you
ought to have it the most open and discerning. Why
do not you rather thank the gods that they have made
you superior to those events which they have not placed
within your own control, and have rendered you accountable for that only which is within your own control? They discharge you from all responsibility for
your parents, for your brothers, for your body, possessions, death, life. For what, then, have they made
you responsible? For that which is alone in your own
power,- a right use of things as they appear. Why,
then, should you draw those cares upon yourself for
which you are not accountable? This is giving one's
self vexation without need.