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

ON ANGER, II. XXXII. 2-xxxiii. 3a blow." It was better, he thought, to ignore theincident than to resent it. " Then the fellow," youask, "got no punishment for such an act of rudeness?"No, but much good—he began to know Cato.a great soul can be superior to injur}'^ ; the mosthurmliating kind of revenge is to have it appear thatthe man was not worth taking revenge upon. Manyhave taken slight injuries too deeply to heart in theact of revenging them. He is a great and noble manwho acts as does the lordly s\'ild beast that Ustensunconcernedly to the bajnng of tiny dogs." iTvce^avenge an injury," you say, " we shall beless ^bjecFTo-fconternpt." If we must resort to areriae3v, as if were, for contempt, let us do so ^vithoutanger—^not with the plea that revenge is sweet, butthat it is expedient ; it is often, however, better tofeigtr^gnoranee of an act than to take vengeance forit. Injuries from the more powerful must be borne,not merely with submission, but even with a cheerfulcountenance ; they will repeat the offence if they arecon\Tnced that they have succeeded once. Menwhose spirit has gro>\'n arrogant from the greatfavour of fortune have this most serious fault—thosewhom they have injured they also hate. The wordsof the man who had grown old in doing homage tokings are famihar to all. \Vlien some one askedhim how he had attained what was so rarely achievedat court; namely old age, he replied, " By acceptinginjuries and returning thanks for them." So far fromOnlv-^its being expedient to avenge injuries, it is ofteninexpedient even to acknowledge them. GaiusCaesar, offended with the son of Pastor, a distinguishedRoman knight, because of his foppishnessand his too elaborately dressed hair, sent him to239