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

BOOK II. in. i -iv. iknow at a glance but whether; you are a good ora bad man he will discover if he has the skill todistinguish between good and bad,, and if he is withoutthat skill he will not discover the facts, eventhoughI write him thousands of times." For it isjust as though a drachma asked to be recommendedto someone, in order to be tested. If the man inquestion is an assayer of silver., you will recommendyourself. We ought,, therefore, to have also ineveryday life the sort of thing that we have in thecase of silver, so that Imay be able to say, as theassayer of silver says, "" Bring me any drachma youplease, and I will appraise it." Now in the case ofsyllogisms " I say, Bring me any you please and Iwill distinguish for you between the one that iscapable of 1analysis and the one that is not." Howso ? Because, I know how to analyze syllogismsmyself; I have the faculty which the man must havewho isgoing to appraise those who handle syllogismsproperly. But in everydaylife what do I do?Sometimes I call a thing good, and sometimes bad.What is the reason? The opposite of what was truein the case of syllogisms, namely, ignorance andinexperience.CHAPTER IVTo ike mem who had once been caught in adulteryAs Epictetus was remarking that man isborn tofidelity,and that the man who overthrows this isoverthrowing the characteristic quality of man, thereentered one who had the reputation of being ascholar, and who had once been caught in the city2 33