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

ON ANGER, II. XXXIII. fr-.xxxiv. 4stripling prince, all the while so kindly and polite,did not permit even this ;pledging the old man'shealth again and again, he tortured him by m-ginghim to lighten his sorrow, while on the other handthe father made a show of being happy and obh\iousof all that had been done that day. The other .son was doomed, had the guest displeased the -4—executioner.We must, therefore, refrain from anger, whetherhe I)e~aii equ»l—of a supn4or'-t)T an~iTifertor whoprovo^s its pow er. A contest ^^ith one's equal ishazardous, with a superior mad, with an inferiordegraHing. It is a petty and sorry person who willbile J2ack^\yhen he is bitten. Mice and ants, if youbring your hand near them, do turn at you ; feeblecreatures think they are hurt if they are only touched.It will make us more kindly if we remember thebenefit we once received from him who now provokesour anger, and let his kindnesses atone for his offence.Let us jilso bear in mind how much approval we shallgain from a reputatTon for forbearance, how manyhave been made useful friends through forgiveness.From the examples of Sulla's cruelty comes theless^i that—we^ should feel no anger toward thechilclren of pergonal and political enemies, since heremcjved from the state even the children of theproscribed. Tliere is no greater injustice than tomake a man the inheritor of hatred borne toward hisfather. Whenever we are loth to pardon, let usconsider whether we ourselves should benefit if allmen were inexorable. How often has he who refusedforgiveness sought it ! How often has he grovelledat the feet of the man whom he had repulsed fromhis o\vn ! WTxat is more splendid than to exchange243