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

ON ANGER, III. V. 5-8than wantonness, since that finds satisfaction in itso\\Ti enjoyment, this in another's pain. It exceedsspite and envy ; for they desire a man to be unhappy,while anger tries to make him so ; theydehght in the ills that chance may bring, whileit cannot wait for chance—to the man it hatesitnot merely A\ishes harm to come, but brings it.There is nothing more baleful than enmity, yet it isanger that breeds it ; nothing is more deadly thanwar, yet in that the anger of the powerful finds itsvent ; none the less anger in the common folk orprivate persons is also war—war without arms andwithout resources. Moreover, leaving out of accountthe~Imme3iate consequences that vdW come fromanger, such as losses of money, plots, and the neverendinganxiety of mutual strife, anger pays for thepenalty it exacts—itjenounces human nature, whichincites to love, whereas if incites to hate ; which bidsus help, whereas it bids us injure. And besides,though its chafing originates in an excess of selfesteemand seems to be a show of spirit, it is pettyand narrow-minded ; for no man can fail to beinferior to the one by whom he regards himselfdespised. But the really great mind, the mind thathas taken the true measure of itself, fails to revenge -rinjury only because it fails to perceive it. As missilesrebound from a hard surface, and the man who strikessolid objects is hurt by the impact, so no injurywhatever can cause a truly great mind to be awareof it, since the injury is more fragile than that atwhich it is aimed. How much more glorious it isfor the mind, impervious, as it were, to any missile,to repel all insults and injuries! Revenge is the^,^confession of a hurt ;- no mind- is truly great that267