Stoicism - College of Stoic Philosophers

212 STOICISM.spun for him, and not to defile the divinity which isplanted in his breast, nor disturb itby a crowd ofimages, but to preserve it tranquil, followingit obedientlyas a god, neithersaying anything contrary tothe truth, nor doing anything contrary to justice.And if all men refuse to believe that he lives a simple,modest, and contented life, he is neither angrywith any of them, nor does he deviate from the waywhich leads to the end of life, to which a man oughtto come pure, tranquil, ready to depart, and with-,out any compulsion perfectly reconciled to his lot."iYet he does not count himself " to have apprehended,or to be already perfect.""Thou wilt soondie, and thou art not yet simple, nor free from perturbations,nor without suspicion of being hurt byexternal things, nor kindly disposed towards all;nor dost thou yet place wisdom only in actingjustly. "2 " Simple and modest is the work of philosophy,"he says elsewhere "; draw me not aside toinsolence and "^ pride. This is in a different strainfrom the offensive language of Chrysippus, who isIreported to have said that "the wise man was asnecessary to Zeus as Zeus to the wise man."The very strength of the religious convictions of thisearnest thinker leads him to deny the reality of much"that common sense calls evil. If there was anythingevil, the gods would have providedfor thisalso, that it should be altogether in a man's powernot to fall into it. Now that which does not make a1i6. ^"Thoughts," iii. 37."Thoughts," iv.3 " Thoughts," ix. 29.