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

—ON MERCY, I. XIX. 5-8assailed even when no one is for laying hold on him,and not a moment must he have that is free fromdread. Would any one endure to live such a hfewhen, doing no harm to others and consequentlyfearless, he might exercise beneficently his pri\-ilegeof power to the happiness of all ? For if any onethinks that a king can abide in safety where notliingis safe from the king, he is AATong ; for the price ofsecurity is an interchange of security. He has noneed to rear on high his towering castles, or to wallabout steep hills against ascent, or to cut away thesides of mountains, or to encircle himself A\ith rowsof walls and turrets ; through mercy a king vriW beassured of safety on an open plain. His one impregnabledefence is the love of his countrjTnen.And what is more glorious than to live a life whichall men hope may last, and for which all voice theirprayers when there is none to watch them ? toexcite men's fears, not their hopes, if one's healthgives way a little ? to have no one hold anything soprecious that he would not gladly give it in exchangefor his chieftain's safety ? Oh, surely a man sofortunate would owe it also to himself to hve " ; tothat end he has shown by constant evidences of hisgoodness, not that the state is his, but that he isthe state's. Who would dare to de\ise any dangerfor such a man ? Who would not ^vish to shield himif he could, even from the chance of ill—him beneathwhose sway justice, peace, chastity, secxirity, andhonour flourish, under whom the state abounds inwealth and a store of all good things ? Nor does itgaze upon its ruler ^\ith other emotion than, didthey vouchsafe us the power of beholding them,we should gaze upon the immortal gods vnth413