SENECA - College of Stoic Philosophers

EPISTLE XCI.
comprehended by a madman, who let his thoughts
range beyond the ocean.* " Teach me somethingeasy
he cries !
;
'
but his teacher answers "
: These
things are the same for all, as hard for one as for
another." Imagine that nature is saying to us :
"Those things of which you complain are the same
for all. I cannot give anything easier to any man, but
whoever wishes will make things easier for himself."
In what way ? By equanimity. You must suffer
pain, and thirst, and hunger, and old age too, if a
longer stay among men shall be granted you
; you
must be sick, and you must suffer loss and death.
Nevertheless, you should not believe those whose
noisy clamour surrounds you none of these things
;
is an evil, none is
beyond your power to bear, or is
burdensome. It is
only by common opinion that
there is
anything formidable in them. Your fearing
death is therefore like your fear of gossip. But
what is more foolish than a man afraid of words ?
Our friend Demetrius b is wont to put it cleverly
when he " says
: For me the talk of ignorant men
is like the rumblings which issue from the belly.
For," he " adds, what difference does it make to me
whether such rumblings come from above or from
below " ? What madness it is to be afraid of disrepute
in the judgment of the disreputable Just
!
as you have had no cause for shrinking in terror
from the talk of men, so you have no cause now to
shrink from these things, which you would never
fear had not their talk forced fear upon you. Does
it do any harm to a good man to be besmirched by
unjust gossip Then ? let not this sort of thing
damage death, either, in our estimation death also
;
is in bad odour. But no one of those who malign
death has made trial of it.
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