Ch. 11
Of purity.
Some doubt whether the love of society be comprehended in the nature of man; and yet these
very persons do not seem to me to doubt but that
purity is by all means comprehended in it; and that
by this, if by anything, it is distinguished from brute
animals. When, therefore, we see any animal cleaning itself, we are apt to cry, with wonder, that it is
like a human being: On the contrary, if an animal
is censured, we are presently apt to say, by way of
excuse, that it is not a human being. Such excellence do we suppose to be in man, which we first
received from the gods. For as they are by nature
pure and uncorrupt, in proportion as men approach
to them by reason, they are tenacious of purity and
incorruption. But since it is impracticable that their
essence, composed of such materials, should be absolutely pure, it is the office of reason to endeavor to
render it as pure as possible.
The first and highest purity or impurity, then, is
that which is formed in the soul. But you will not
find the impurity of the soul and body to be alike.
For what stain can you find in the soul, unless it be
something which renders it impure in its operations?
Now, the operations of the soul are its pursuits and
avoidances, its desires, aversions, preparations, intentions, assents. What, then, is that which renders it
defiled and impure in these operations? Nothing
else than its perverse judgments. So that the impurity of the soul consists in wicked principles, and
its purification in forming right principles; and that
is pure which has right principles, for that alone is
unmixed and undefiled in its operations.
Now we should, as far as possible, endeavor after
something like this in the body, too. It is impossible
but that in such a composition as man, there must be
a discharge of superfluous phlegm. For this reason
Nature has made hands, and the nostrils themselves
as channels to let out the moisture; nor can this be
neglected with propriety. It was impossible but that
the feet should be bemired and soiled from what they
pass through. Therefore Nature has prepared water
and hands. It was impossible but that some uncleanness must cleave to the teeth from eating. Therefore, she says, rinse your teeth. Why? That you
may be a man, and not a wild beast, or a swine. It
was impossible but that, from perspiration and the
pressure of the clothes, something dirty and necessary to be cleaned should remain upon the body.
For this there is water, oil, hands, towels, brushes,
soap, and other necessary apparatus for its purification. But no; a smith indeed will get the rust off his
iron, and have proper instruments for that purpose;
and you yourself will have your plates washed before
you eat, unless you are quite dirty and slovenly; but
you will not wash nor purify your body. " Why should
I? " say you. I tell you again, in the first place, that
you may be like a man; and, in the next, that you
may not offend those with whom you converse. Do
you think it fitting to smell offensively? Be it so.
But is it fitting as regards those who sit near you;
who are placed at the table with you; who salute
you? Either go into a desert, as you deserve, or
live solitary at home, and be the only sufferer. But
to what sort of character does it belong to live in a
city, and behave so carelessly and inconsiderately?
If Nature had trusted even a horse to your care,
would you have overlooked and neglected him? Yet
now, without being sensible of it, you do something
like this. Consider your body as committed to you,
instead of a horse. Wash it, rub it, take care that it
may not be any one's aversion, nor disgust any one.
Who is not more disgusted at a foul, unwholesome-looking sloven, than at a person who has been accidentally rolled in filth? The stench of the one is
adventitious, from without; but that which arises
from want of care is a kind of inward putrefaction.
" But Socrates bathed but seldom." Yet his person
looked clean, and was so agreeable and pleasing, that
the most beautiful and noble youths were fond of him,
and desired rather to sit by him than by those who
had the finest persons. He might have omitted both
bathing and washing, if he had pleased; and yet his
amount of bathing had its effect. Cold water may
supply the place of the warm bath. " But Aristophanes calls him one of the pallid, barefooted philosophers."83 Why, so he says, too, that he walked in the
air, and stole clothes from the Palaestra. Besides, all
who have written of Socrates affirm quite the contrary; that he was not only agreeable in his conversation, but in his person too. And, again, they write
the same of Diogenes. For we ought not to frighten
the world from philosophy by the appearance of our
persons; but to show our serenity of mind, as in all
other ways, so in the care of our persons. "See, all
of you, that I have nothing; that I want nothing.
Without house, without city, and an exile (if that
happens to be the case), and without a home, I live
more easily and prosperously than the noble and
rich. Look upon my person, too, that it is not injured by coarse fare." But if any one should tell
me this, bearing the habit and the visage of a condemned criminal, what god should persuade me to
come near philosophy, while it renders men such
figures? Heaven forbid! I would not do it, even
if I was sure to become a wise man for my pains.
I declare, for my own part, I would rather that a
young man, on his first inclination to philosophy,
should come to me finically dressed, than with his
hair spoiled and dirty. For there appears in him
some idea of beauty and desire of decency; and
where he imagines it to be, there he applies his endeavors. One has nothing more to do but to point
it out to him, and say, " You seek beauty, young man,
and you do well. Be assured, then, that it springs
from the rational part of you. Seek it there, where
the pursuits and avoidances, the desires and aversions, are concerned. Herein consists your excellence; but the paltry body is by nature clay. Why
do you trouble yourself, to no purpose, about it?
You will be convinced by time, if not otherwise, that
it is nothing." But if he should come to me soiled
and dirty, with mustaches drooping to his knees,
what can I say to him; by what similitude allure
him? For what has he studied which has any resemblance to beauty, that I may transfer his attention, and say that beauty is not there, but here?
Would you have me tell him that beauty consists
not in filth, but in reason? For has he any desire
of beauty? Has he any appearance of it? Go, and
argue with a hog not to roll in the mire.
It was in the quality of a young man who loved
beauty, that Polemo was touched by the discourses
of Xenocrates. For he entered with some incentives to the study of beauty, though he sought in the
wrong place. And, indeed, Nature has not made
the very brutes dirty which live with man. Does a
horse wallow in the mire; or a good dog? But
swine, and dirty geese, and worms, and spiders,
which are banished to the greatest distance from
human society. Will you, then, who are a man,
choose not to be even one of the animals that are
conversant with man; but rather a worm or a spider?
Will you not bathe sometimes, be it in whatever
manner you please? Will you never use water to
wash yourself? Will you not come clean, that they
who converse with you may have some pleasure in
you? But will you accompany us, in your uncleanness, even to the temples, where all unclean ways are
forbidden?
What, then; would anybody have you adorn yourself to the utmost? By no means, except in those
things where our nature requires it, - in reason, prin-
ciples, actions; but in our persons only so far as
neatness requires; so far as not to give offence. But
if you hear that it is not right to wear purple, you
must go, I suppose, and roll your cloak in the mud,
or tear it. "But how can I have a fine cloak?"
You have water, man; wash it. What an amiable
youth is here! How worthy this old man to love
and be loved! A fit person to be trusted with the
instruction of our sons and daughters, and attended
by young people as occasion may require, - to read
them lectures from a dunghill! Every deterioration
takes its origin from something human; but this
almost dehumanizes a man.