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

BOOK II. vii. 12-vni. 6f *as if lie were a god,, we beg of him, saying Master,:have mercy ; grant that I come off safe." You slave !What, do you want anything hut what is hest foryou ? Is anything else hest for you than what pleasesGod ?Why do you do all that in you lies to corruptyour judge, to mislead your counsellor?CHAPTER VIIIWhat is the true nature of the good ?GOD is helpful; but the good also is helpful. Itwould seem,, therefore, that the true nature of thegood will be found to be where we find that of Godto be. What, then, is the true nature of God ?Flesh ? Far from it ! Land ? Far from it ! Fame ?Far from it ! It is intelligence, knowledge., rightreason. Here, therefore, and only here, shall youseek the true nature of the good. Surely you donot seek it at all in a plant, do you? No. Nor inan irrational creature ? No. If, then, you seek itin that which is rational, why do you keep on seekingit somewhere else than in that which differentiatesthe rational from the irrational ? Plants are incapableof dealing even with external impressions ;for that reason you do not speak of the " good " inreferring to them. The good requires, therefore, thefaculty of using external impressions. Can that beall that it requires? For, if that be all, then youmust assert that things good, and happiness andun happiness, are to be found in the other animals aswell as in man. But, as a matter of fact, you do notso assert, and you are right for even if ;they have ins 2