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

—ON ANGER, III. xin. 3-xiv. lshould he not have been happy that many perceivedhis anger, yet no man felt it ? But they would havefelt it, had his friends not been granted the same rightto criticize him which he himself claimed over them.How much more ought we to do this ! Let us beg allour best friends to use to the utmost such libertytoward us, especially when we are least able to bearit, and let there be no approval of our anger. Whilewe are sane, -while we are ourselves, let us ask helpagainst an e\-il that is powerful and oft indulged byus. Those who cannot carry their ^^^ne discreetlyand fear that they ^^•ill be rash and insolent in theircups, instruct their friends to remove them fromthe feast ; those who have learned that they areunreasonable when they are sick, give orders that intimes of illness they are not to be obeyed. It isbest to pro\'ide obstacles for recognized weaknesses,and above all so to order the mind that even whenshaken by most serious and sudden happenings iteither shall not feel anger, or shall bury deep anyanger that may arise from the magnitude of theunexpected affront and shall not acknowledge itshurt. That this can be done will become clear iffrom a great an-ay of instances I shall cite a fewexamples ; from these you may learn two thingshow great e\il there is in anger when it wields thecomplete power of supremely powerful men, andhow great control it can impose upon itself whenrestrained by the stronger influence of fear. x/Since Cambyses was too much addicted to ^^•ine,^K.Praexaspes, one of his dearest friends, urged him to ^drink more sparingly, declaring that drunkenness isdisgraceful for a king, towards whom all eyes andears are turned. To this Cambyses repHed : "ToVOL. I u 289