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

ON ANGER, III. n. 5-ni. 4for the rash daring of its anger by a great disaster.Such is the outcome, when barbarians rush haphazardinto war ; the moment their excitable minds areroused by the semblance of injury, they are forthwithin action, and where their resentment draws them,Uke an avalanche they fall upon our legions—allunorganized, unfearful, and unguarded, seeking theirowTi destruction ; with joy they are struck down,or press forward upon the sword, or thrust theirbodies upon the spear, or perish from a self-madewound." Ttiere can be no doubt," you say, " that such aforce is powe~rftil~and pernicious; show, therefore,how itjs to be cured." And yet, as I said in my earlierbooks,** Aristotle stands forth as the defender ofanger, and forbids us to cut it out ; it is, he claims,a spur to virtue, and if the mind is robbed of it, itbecomes defenceless and grows sluggish and indifferentto high endeavour. Therefore our firstnecessity is to prove its foulness and fierceness, andto set before the eyes what an utter monster a manis Mclien he is enraged against a fellow-man, >rithwhat furylTe rushes on working destruction—destructiveof himself as well and wTCcking what cannot besunk_ unless he sinks with it. Tell me, then, willany one calFthe man sane who, just as if seized bya hurricane, does not walk but is driven along, andis at the mercy of a raging demon, who entrusts nothis revenge to another, but himself exacts it, and thus,bloodthirst}' ahke in purpose and in deed, becomesthe murderer of those persons who are dearest andthe destroyer of those things for which, when lost, heis destined ere long to weep ? Can any one assignthis passion to \irtue as its supporter and consort259