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

BOOK II. xx. 17-23wine compel the Galli. 1 Such a powerful and invinciblethingis the nature of man. For how cana vine be moved to act, not like a vine, but like anolive, or again an olive to act, not like an olive,but like a vine ? It is impossible, inconceivable.Neither, then, is it possible for a man absolutely tolose the affections of a man, and those who cut offtheir bodily organs are unable to cut off the reallyimportant thing their sexual desires. So withEpicurus he cut off : everything that characterizesa man, the head of a household, a citizen, and afriend, but he did not succeed in cutting off thedesires of human beings ;for that he could not do,any more than the 2easy-going Academics are able tocast away or blind their own sense-perceptions,although they have made every effort to do so.Ah, what a misfortune ! A man has received fromnature measures and standards for discovering thetruth, and then does not go on and take the painsadd toto these and to work out additional principlesto supply the deficiencies, but does exactly theopposite, endeavouring to take away and destroywhatever faculty he does possess for discovering thetruth. What do you say, philosopher? What isyour opinion of piety and sanctity ? C( If you wish,I shall prove that it is good." By all means, proveit, that our citizens may be converted and mayhonour the Divine and at last cease to be indifferentabout the things that are of supreme importance."Do you, then, possess the proofs? I do, thankheaven, " Since, then, you are quite satisfied with2That is, unwilling to think matters through to a logicalend. The meaning of the expression comes out clearly inthe following section.377