Moral essays. With an English translation by J.W. Basore

ON ANGER, I. xiii. 1-xiv. 1If justice is a good, no one will say that it becomesa greater good after something has been AvithdrawTifrom it ; if bravery is a good, no one ^\•ill desire itto be in any measure reduced. Consequently, also,the greater anger is, the better it is ; for who wouldoppose the augmentation of any good ? And yet,itis -not profitable that anger should be increased ; therefnreTTBatAnger sluiuld exist either. That is not agoo4_ which _by increase becomes an evil., " Angeris profitable," it is said, " because it makes menmore warlike. " By that reasoning, so is drunkennesstoo ; for it makes men forward and bold, and manyhave been better at the sword because they werethe worse for drink. By the same reasoning youmust also say that lunacy and madness are essentialto strength, since frenzy often makes men morepowerful. But telLJILe^Jioes not fear, in the oppositewayj sometimes make a man bold, and does not theterror of death arouse even arrant cowards to fight ?But anger, drunkenness, fear, and the Hke, are baseand fleeting incitements and do not give arms tovirtue, which never needs the help of vice ; theydo, however, assist somewhat the mind that is otherwiseslack and cowardly. No man is ever madebraver through anger, except the one who wouldnever have been brave without anger. It comes,then, not as a help to virtue, but as a substitute forit. And is it not true that if anger were a good, itwould come naturally to those who are the mostperfect ? But the fact is, children, old men, and thesick are most prone to anger, and weakness of anysort is by nature captious." It is impossible," says Theophrastus, " for agood mag not to be angry with bad men." Accord-141