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

BOOK IL xx. 28-33Man, what are you doing? 1 You are confutingyour own self every day, and are you unwillingto give up these frigid attempts of yours? Whenyou eat, where do you bring your hand ? To yourmouth, or to your eye When ? you take a bath, intowhat do you step?When did you ever call the pot aJf I were slave to one ofplate, or the ladle a spit ?these men, even if I had to be soundly flogged byhim every day,I would torment him." Boy, throwa little oil into the bath." I would have thrown alittle fish sauce in, and as I left would pour it downon his head. " What does this mean ? " "I had anexternal impression that could not be distinguishedfrom olive oil ; indeed, it was altogether like it. Iswear by your fortune." ffHere, give me the gruel."I would have filled a side dish with vinegar and fishICsauce and broughtit to him. Did I not ask for thegruel " " ? Yes, master ;this is gruel."ee Is not thisvinegar and fish sauce " " How ? so, any more thanecgruel." Take and smell it, take and taste it."u Well, how do you know, if the senses deceive us ? "If I had had three or four fellow-slaves who felt as Idid, I would have made him burst with rage and hanghimself, or else change his opinion. But as it is, suchmen are toying with us ;they use all the gifts ofnature, while in theory doing away with them.Grateful men indeed and reverential ! Wrhy, ifnothing else, at least they eat bread every day, andyet have the audacity to " say, We do not know ifthere is a Demeter, or a Kore, or a Pluto " 1not to;Korc, or olso, possibly, because he suggests the death of thegrain of corn before the new slioot appears. Of. /. Corinth.xv. 36: ** That winch tliou sowest is not quickened, exceptit die."