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

—ON ANGER, II. XXIII. 2-xxiv. 2How much more courageous was Alexander ! Afterreading a letter from Ins mother warning him tobeware of poison from his physician Philip, he tookthe draught and drank it without alarm. In thecase of his own friend he trusted himself more. He"^deserved to find him innocent, deserved to provehim so ! I applaud this all the more in Alexanderbecause no man was so prone to anger ; but therarer self-control is among kings, the more praiseworthyit becomes. The great Gains Caesar alsoshowed this, he who, \ictorious in civil war, used hisvictory most mercifully ; ha\-ing apprehended somepackets of letters wTitten to Gnaeus Pompeius by thosewho were beheved to belong either to the opposingside or to the neutral part}', he burned them. Althoughhe was in the habit, within bounds, of indulgingin anger, yet he preferred being unable to do so ;he thought that the most gracious form of pardonwas not to know what the offence of each person hadbeen.Creduhty is a source of very great mischief.Often one should not even hsten to report, sinceunder some circumstances it is better to be deceivedthaii^to be suspicious. Suspicion and surmiseprovocations that are most deceptive—ought to bebanished from the mind." That man did not giveme a civil greeting ; that one did not return mykiss ; that one broke off the conversation abruptly ;that one did not invite me to dinner ; that oneseemed to avoid seeing me." Pretext for suspicionwill jjpt be lacking. But there is need of franknessand generosity in interpreting things. We shouldbeheve only what is thrust under our eyes andbecomes unmistakable, and every time our suspicion