Stoicism - College of Stoic Philosophers

124 STOICISM.men shall quit home and leave their parentsfriends and kinsmen and property, thatand theirthey may sayto you, 'Wonderful!' when you are uttering yourexclamations ? Did Socrates do this, or Zenon, orCleanthes ? What then ? is there not the hortatorystyle ? Who denies it ? as there is the styleof refutation,and the didactic style. Who, then, everreckoned a fourth style with these— the style of display? What is the hortatory style ? To be able toshow both to one person and to many the struggle inwhich they are engaged, and that they think moreabout anything than about what they really wish.For they wish the things that lead to happiness, butthey look for them in the wrong place.In order thatthis may be done, a thousand seats must be placed,and men must be invited to listen, and you mustascend the pulpit in a fine robe or cloak and describethe death of Achilles. Cease, I entreat you by thegods, to spoil good words and good acts as much asyou can. Nothing can have more power in exhortationthan when the speaker shows to the hearers thathe has need of them. But tell me who, when hehears you reading or discoursing, is anxious abouthimself, or turns to reflect on himself? or when hehas gone out, says, ' The philosopher hit me well ;Imust no longer do these things.' But does he not,even ifyou have a great reputation, say to someperson, He ' spoke finely about Xerxes ;'and anothersays, ' No;but about the battle of ?'Thermopylce Isthis listening to a philosopher ?"There were, however, worse abuses than the poor