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

BOOK II. xxiv. 18-22eager to play with an ass, or to join its braying ?For however small itmay be, it is still nothing buta little ass.Why, then,, have you nothing to say to me ? Thereisonly one thing I can say to you that the man whodoes not know who he is, and what he is born for, andwhat sort of a world this is that he exists in, and whomhe shares it with ;and does not know what the goodthings are and what are the evil, what the noble andwhat the base ;and is unable to follow either reasonor demonstration, or what is true and what is false,and cannot distinguish one from the other ;and willmanifest neither desire, nor aversion, nor choice, norpurpose in accordance with nature will not; assent,will not dissent, will not withhold judgement such aman, to sum it all up, will go about deaf and blind,thinking that he is somebody, when he really isnobody. What ! do you think that this issomethingnew ? Has it not been true from the time when thehuman race began to be, that every mistake aridevery misfortune has been due to this kind of ignorance? Why did Agamemnon and Achilles quarrel ?Was it not because they did not know what thingsDoes notare expedient and what are inexpedient?one of them say that it isexpedient to give Chrysei'sback to her father, while the other says that it is notexpedient? Does not one of them say that he oughtto get some other man's meed of honour, while theother says that he ought not? Is it, not true thatthis made them forget who they were and what theyhad come for ? Ho, there, man, what have you comefor? To get sweethearts or to " fight? To fight."With whom? The Trojans or the Greeks? "TheTrojans." Well, then, are*you turning your back on427