Volume 1 - Discourses - Books I - II - College of Stoic Philosophers

BOOK I. xxix. 42-51everything but their lines in common. Therefore,one should take ifaway from him both his buskins andhis mask, and bring him on the stage as a mereshade of an actor, is the tragic actor lost, or doeshe abide? If he has a voice, he abides.And so it is in actual life. "Take a governorship/*I take it and having done so I show howan educated man comports himself."Laythe asidelati clave, 1 and having put on rags come forwardin a character to correspond." What then?Has it not been given me to display a fine voice."In what role, then, do you mount the stage now " ?As a witness summoned byeeGod. God Gosays,you and bear witness for Me; for you are worthyto be produced by me as a witness. Is any of thosethings which lie outside the range of the moralpurpose either good or evil Do ? I injure any man ?Have Iput each man's advantage under the controlof any but himself?" What kind of witness doyou bear for God " ? I am in sore straits, O Lord,and in misfortune ;no one regards me, no one givesme anything, all blame me and speak ill of me."Is this the witness that you are going to bear,, andis this the way in which you are going to disgrace thesummons which He gave you, in that He bestowedthis honour upon you and deemed you worthy to bebrought forward in order to bear testimony so important?But the one who has authority over you declares,"I pronounce you impious and profane." What hashappened to you ? "I have been pronounced impiousand profane." Nothing else? "Nothing." Butif he had passed judgement upon some hypotheticalsyllogism and had made a declaration, " Ijudge199