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054 - XXIII On the Power of Speaking · Discourses of Epictetus

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  Speaker 1: Section fifty three of Discourses of Epictetus by Epictetus, translated
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  Speaker 1: by George Long. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Read by Christine Rucker, March second, twenty twenty two, Westford, Massachusetts,
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  Speaker 1: Book two, Chapter twenty three, on the power of speaking.
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  Speaker 1: Every man will read a book with more pleasure, or
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  Speaker 1: even with more ease, if it is written in fairer characters. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: every man will also listen more readily to what is
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  Speaker 1: spoken if it is signified by appropriate and becoming words.
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  Speaker 1: We must not say then that there is no faculty
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  Speaker 1: of expression, for this affirmation is the characteristic of an
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  Speaker 1: impious and also of a timid man. Of an impious
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  Speaker 1: man because he undervalues the gifts which come from God,
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  Speaker 1: just as if he would take away the commodity of
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  Speaker 1: the power of vision, or of hearing, or of seeing.
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  Speaker 1: Has then God given you eyes to no ppse And
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  Speaker 1: to no purpose has he infused into them a spirit
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  Speaker 1: so strong and of such skillful contrivance as to reach
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  Speaker 1: a long way and to fashion the forms of things
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  Speaker 1: which are seen. What messenger is so swift and vigilant,
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  Speaker 1: And to no purpose has he made the interjacent atmosphere
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  Speaker 1: so efficacious and elastic that the vision penetrates through the atmosphere,
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  Speaker 1: which is, in a manner moved. And to no purpose
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  Speaker 1: has He made light without the presence of which there
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  Speaker 1: would be no use in any other thing. Man be
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  Speaker 1: neither ungrateful for these gifts, nor ye forget the things
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  Speaker 1: which are superior to them, But indeed for the power
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  Speaker 1: of seeing and hearing, and indeed for life itself, and
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  Speaker 1: for the things which contribute to support it, for the
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  Speaker 1: fruits which are dry, and for wine and oil. Give
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  Speaker 1: thanks to God. But remember that He has given you
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  Speaker 1: something else better than all these. I mean the power
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  Speaker 1: of using them, proving them, and estimating the value of each.
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  Speaker 1: For what is that which gives information about each of
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  Speaker 1: these powers? What each of them is worth? Is it
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  Speaker 1: each faculty itself? Did you ever hear the faculty of
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  Speaker 1: vision saying anything about itself? Or the faculty of hearing,
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  Speaker 1: or wheat or barley, or a horse or a dog? Null?
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  Speaker 1: But they are appointed as ministers and slaves to serve
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  Speaker 1: the faculty which has the power of making use of
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  Speaker 1: the appearances of things. And if you inquire, what is
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  Speaker 1: the value of each thing of whom do you inquire,
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  Speaker 1: who answers you? How, then, can any other faculty be
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  Speaker 1: more powerful than this, which uses the rest as ministers,
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  Speaker 1: and itself proves each and pronounces about them. For which
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  Speaker 1: of them knows what itself is and what is its
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  Speaker 1: own value? Which of them knows when it ought to
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  Speaker 1: employ itself? And when not? What faculty is it which
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  Speaker 1: open and closes the eyes and turns them away from
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  Speaker 1: objects to which it ought not to apply them, and
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  Speaker 1: does not apply them to other objects? Is it the
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  Speaker 1: faculty of vision? No, but it is the faculty of
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  Speaker 1: the will? What is that faculty which closes and opens
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  Speaker 1: the ears? What is that by which they are curious
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  Speaker 1: and inquisitive, or, on the contrary, unmoved by what is said?
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  Speaker 1: Is it the faculty of hearing? It is no other
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  Speaker 1: than the faculty of the will? Will this faculty, then,
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  Speaker 1: seeing that it is amidst all the other faculties, which
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  Speaker 1: are blind and dumb and unable to see anything except
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  Speaker 1: the very acts for which they are pointed, in order
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  Speaker 1: to minister to this faculty and serve it. But this
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  Speaker 1: faculty alone sees sharp and sees what is the value
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  Speaker 1: of each of the rest? Will this faculty declare to
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  Speaker 1: us that anything else is the best, or that it's is?
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  Speaker 1: And what else does the eye do when is open? Then? See?
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  Speaker 1: But whether we ought to look on the wife of
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  Speaker 1: a certain person, and in what manner? Who tells us
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  Speaker 1: the faculty of the will? And whether we ought to
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  Speaker 1: believe what is said or not to believe it, And
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  Speaker 1: if we do believe, whether we ought to be moved
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  Speaker 1: by it or not? Who tells us? Is it not
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  Speaker 1: the faculty of the will? But this faculty of speaking
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  Speaker 1: and of ornamenting words? If there is indeed any such
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  Speaker 1: peculiar faculty, What else does it do when there happens
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  Speaker 1: to be discourse about a thing? Then to ornament the
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  Speaker 1: words and arrange them as hairdressers do the hair. But
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  Speaker 1: whether it is better to speak or to be silent,
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  Speaker 1: and better to speak in this way or that way?
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  Speaker 1: And whether this is becoming or not becoming? And the
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  Speaker 1: season for each and the use? What else tells us?
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  Speaker 1: Then the faculty of the will? Would you have it
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  Speaker 1: then to come forward and condemn itself? What then it
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  Speaker 1: the will says? If the fact is so, can that
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  Speaker 1: which ministers be superior to that which it ministers? Can
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  Speaker 1: the horse be superior to the rider, or the dog
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  Speaker 1: to the huntsman, or the instrument to the musician, or
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  Speaker 1: the servants to the king. What is that which makes
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  Speaker 1: use of the rest the will? What takes care of
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  Speaker 1: all the will? What destroys the whole man at one
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  Speaker 1: time by hunger, at another time by hanging, and at
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  Speaker 1: another time by a precipice? The will? Then? Is anything
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  Speaker 1: stronger in men than this? And how is it possible
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  Speaker 1: that the things which are subject to restraint are stronger
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  Speaker 1: than that which is not what things are naturally formed
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  Speaker 1: to hinder the faculty of vision, both will and things
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  Speaker 1: which do not depend on the faculty of will. It
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  Speaker 1: is what's the same with the faculty of hearing, with
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  Speaker 1: the faculty of speaking in like manner, But what has
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  Speaker 1: the natural power of hindering the will? Nothing which is
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  Speaker 1: independent of the will, but only the will itself when
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  Speaker 1: it is perverted. Therefore, this the will is alone vice
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  Speaker 1: or alone virtue. Then, being so great a faculty, and
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  Speaker 1: set over all the rest, let it the will come
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  Speaker 1: forward and tell us that the most excellent of all
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  Speaker 1: things is the flesh. Not even if the flesh itself
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  Speaker 1: declared that it is the most excellent? Would any person
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  Speaker 1: bear that it should say this? But what is it Epicurus,
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  Speaker 1: which pronounces this, which wrote about the end purpose of
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  Speaker 1: our being, which wrote on the nature of things, which
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  Speaker 1: wrote about the canon rule of truth, which led you
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  Speaker 1: to wear a beard, which wrote when it was dying,
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  Speaker 1: that it was spending the last and a happy day?
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  Speaker 1: Was this the flesh or the will? Then? Do you
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  Speaker 1: admit that you possess anything superior to this the will?
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  Speaker 1: And are you not mad? Are you, in fact so blind?
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  Speaker 1: And death? What? Then, does any man despise the other faculties?
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  Speaker 1: I hope not? Does any man say that there is
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  Speaker 1: no use or excellence in the speaking faculty? I hope not.
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  Speaker 1: That would be foolish, impious, ungrateful towards God. But a
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  Speaker 1: man renders to each thing its due value. For there
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  Speaker 1: is some use even in an ass, but not so
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  Speaker 1: much as in an ox. There is also use in
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  Speaker 1: a dog, but not so much as in a slave.
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  Speaker 1: There is also some use in a slave, but not
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  Speaker 1: so much as in citizens. There is also some use
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  Speaker 1: in citizens, but not so much as in magistrates. Not. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: because some things are superior, must we under value the
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  Speaker 1: use which other things have. There is a certain value
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  Speaker 1: in the power of speaking, but it is not so
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  Speaker 1: great as the power of the will when I speak. Thus,
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  Speaker 1: let no man think that I ask you to neglect
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  Speaker 1: the power of speaking, For neither do I ask you
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  Speaker 1: to neglect the eyes, nor the ears, nor the hands,
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  Speaker 1: nor the feet, nor clothing nor shoes. But if you
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  Speaker 1: ask me, what, then is the most excellent of all things,
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  Speaker 1: what must I say? I cannot say the power of speaking,
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  Speaker 1: but the power of the will, when it is right
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  Speaker 1: or fee For it is this which uses the other,
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  Speaker 1: the power of speaking, and all the other faculties, both
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  Speaker 1: small and great. For when this faculty of the will
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  Speaker 1: is set right, a man who is not good becomes good,
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  Speaker 1: but when it fails, a man becomes bad. It is
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  Speaker 1: through this that we are unfortunate, that we are fortunate,
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  Speaker 1: that we blame one another, are pleased with one another.
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  Speaker 1: In a word, it is this which, if we neglect,
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  Speaker 1: it makes unhappiness, and if we carefully look after, it
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  Speaker 1: makes happiness. But to take away the faculty of speaking,
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  Speaker 1: and to say that there is no such faculty in reality,
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  Speaker 1: is the act not only of an ungrateful man towards
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  Speaker 1: those who gave it, but also of a cowardly man,
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  Speaker 1: For such a person seems to me to fear if
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  Speaker 1: there is any faculty of this kind, that we shall
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  Speaker 1: not be able to despise it. Such also are those
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  Speaker 1: who say that there is no difference between beauty and ugliness.
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  Speaker 1: Then it would happen that a man would be affected
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  Speaker 1: in the same way if he saw their cities, and
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  Speaker 1: if he saw Achilles, in the same way if he
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  Speaker 1: saw Helen and any other woman. But these are foolish
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  Speaker 1: and clownish notions, and the notions of men who know
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  Speaker 1: not the nature of each thing, but are afraid if
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  Speaker 1: a man shall see the difference, that he shall immediately
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  Speaker 1: be seized and carried off vanquished. But this is the
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  Speaker 1: great matter, to leave each thing the power faculty which
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  Speaker 1: it has, and leaving it to this power to see
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  Speaker 1: what is the worth of the power, and to learn
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  Speaker 1: what is the most excellent of all things, and to
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  Speaker 1: pursue this. Always to be diligent about this, considering all
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  Speaker 1: of the things of secondary value compared with this. But yet,
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  Speaker 1: as far as we can not neglecting all those other things,
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  Speaker 1: for we must take care of the eyes also, not
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  Speaker 1: as if they were the most excellent thing. But we
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  Speaker 1: must take care of them on account of the most
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  Speaker 1: excellent thing, because it will not be in its true
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  Speaker 1: natural condition if it does not rightly use the other
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  Speaker 1: faculties and prefer some things to others. What then is
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  Speaker 1: usually done? Men generally act as the traveler would do
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  Speaker 1: on his way to his own country, when he enters
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  Speaker 1: a good inn, and, being pleased with it, should remain there. Man,
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  Speaker 1: have you forgotten your purpose? You are not traveling to
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  Speaker 1: this inn, but you were passing through it. But this
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  Speaker 1: is a pleasant in, And how many other inns are pleasant,
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  Speaker 1: and how many meadows are pleasant, yet only for passing through.
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  Speaker 1: But your purpose is this to return to your country,
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  Speaker 1: to relieve your kinsmen of anxiety, to discharge the duties
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  Speaker 1: of a citizen, to marry, to beget children, to fill
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  Speaker 1: the usual magistracies. Where you are not come to select
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  Speaker 1: more pleasant places, but to live in these where you
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  Speaker 1: were born and of which you were made a citizen.
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  Speaker 1: Something of the kind takes place in the matter which
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  Speaker 1: we are considering. Since by the aid of speech and
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  Speaker 1: such communication as you receive here, you must advance to
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  Speaker 1: perfection and purge your will and correct the faculty which
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  Speaker 1: makes use of the appearances of things, And since it
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  Speaker 1: is necessary also for the tea delivery of theorems to
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  Speaker 1: be affected by a certain mode of expression and with
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  Speaker 1: a certain variety and sharpness, some persons captivated by these
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  Speaker 1: things abide in them, one captivated by the expression, another
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  Speaker 1: by syllogisms, another again by sulphisms, and still another by
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  Speaker 1: some other in pante quieu of the kind. And there
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  Speaker 1: they stay and waste away, as if they were among syriens. Man.
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  Speaker 1: Your purpose business was to make yourself capable of using
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  Speaker 1: conformably to nature the appearances presented to you in your desires,
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  Speaker 1: not to be frustrated in your aversion from things, not
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  Speaker 1: to fall into that which you would avoid, never to
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  Speaker 1: have no luck, as one may say, nor ever to
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  Speaker 1: have bad luck, to be free, not hindered, not compelled,
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  Speaker 1: conforming yourself to the administration of Zeus, obeying it well,
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  Speaker 1: satisfied with this blaming no one, charging no one with fault,
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  Speaker 1: able from your whole soul to utter these verses lead
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  Speaker 1: me o Zeus, and thou too destiny. Then, having this
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  Speaker 1: purpose before you, if some little form of expression pleases you,
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  Speaker 1: if some theorems please you, do you abide among them
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  Speaker 1: and choose to dwell there forgetting the things at home?
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  Speaker 1: And do you say these things are fine? Who says
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  Speaker 1: they are not fine? But only as being away home?
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  Speaker 1: As ends are? For what hinders you from being an
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  Speaker 1: unfortunate man? Even if you speak like Demosthenes? And what
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  Speaker 1: prevents you? If you can resolve syllogisms like Chrysippus, from
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  Speaker 1: being wretched and from sorrowing, from envying, in a word,
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  Speaker 1: from being disturbed, from being unhappy? Nothing, you see then
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  Speaker 1: that these were ends worth nothing, and that the purpose
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  Speaker 1: before you was something else. When I speak thus to
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  Speaker 1: some persons, they think that I am rejecting care about speaking,
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  Speaker 1: or care about theorems. But I am not rejecting his care.
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  Speaker 1: But I am rejecting the abiding about these things incessantly
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  Speaker 1: and putting our hopes in them. If a man, by
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  Speaker 1: this teaching does harm to those who listen to him,
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  Speaker 1: reckon me too among those who do this harm. For
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  Speaker 1: I am not able when I see one thing which
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  Speaker 1: is most excellent and supreme, to say that another is so,
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  Speaker 1: in order to please you. End a Book two, Chapter
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  Speaker 1: twenty three