Book 3
Ch. 1
Of finery in dress.
A CERTAIN young man a rhetorician came to see Epictetus,
with his hair dressed more carefully than was usual and
his attire in an ornamental style; whereupon Epictetus
said, Tell me if you do not think that some dogs are
beautiful and some horses, and so of all other animals.
I do think so, the youth replied. Are not then some men
also beautiful and others ugly? Certainly. Do we then for
the same reason call each of them in the same kind beau-
tiful, or each beautiful for something peculiar? And you
will judge of this matter thus. Since we see a dog naturally formed for one thing, and a horse for another, and
for another still, as an example, a nightingale, we may
generally and not improperly declare each of them to be-
beautiful then when it is most excellent according to its
nature; but since the nature of each is different, each of
them seems to me to be beautiful in a different way. Is it
not so? He admitted that it was. That then which makes
a dog beautiful, makes a horse ugly; and that which
makes a horse beautiful, makes a dog ugly, if it is true
that their natures are different. It seems to be so. For
I think that what makes a Pancratiast beautiful, makes a.
wrestler to be not good, and a runner to be most ridiculous; and he who is beautiful for the Pentathlon, is very
ugly for wrestling.432 It is so said he. What then makes
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a man beautiful? Is it that which in its kind makes
both a dog and a horse beautiful? It is, he said. What
then makes a dog beautiful? The possession of the
excellence of a dog. And what makes a horse beautiful?
The possession of the excellence of a horse. What
then makes a man beautiful? Is it not the possession of
the excellence of a man? And do you then, if you
wish to be beautiful, young man, labour at this, the
acquisition of human excellence. But what is this?
Observe whom you yourself praise, when you praise
many persons without partiality: do you praise the
just or the unjust? The just. Whether do you praise
the moderate or the immoderate? The moderate. And
the temperate or the intemperate? The temperate. If
then you make yourself such a person, you will know that
you will make yourself beautiful: but so long as you
neglect these things, you must be ugly (αἰσχρόν) even
though you contrive all you can to appear beautiful.
Further I do not know what to say to you: for if I say
to you what I think, I shall offend you, and you will
perhaps leave the school and not return to it: and if I do
not say what I think, see how I shall be acting, if you
come to me to be improved, and I shall not improve you at
all, and if you come to me as to a philosopher, and I shall
say nothing to you as a philosopher. And how cruel it
is to you to leave you uncorrected. If at any time
afterwards you shall acquire sense, you will with good
reason blame me and say, What did Epictetus observe in
me that when he saw me in such a plight coming to him
in such a scandalous condition, he neglected me and never
said a word? did he so much despair of me? was I not
young? was I not able to listen to reason? and how many
other young men at this age commit many like errors? I
hear that a certain Polemon from being a most dissolute
youth underwent such a great change. Well, suppose that
he did not think that I should be a Polemon;433 yet he
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might have set my hair right, he might have stripped off
my decorations, he might have stopped me from plucking
the hair out of my body; but when he saw me dressed
likewhat shall I say?he kept silent. I do not say like
what; but you will say when you come to your senses, and
shall know what it is, and what persons use such a dress.
If you bring this charge against me hereafter, what
defence shall I make? Why, shall I say that the man will
not be persuaded by me? Was Laius persuaded by Apollo?
Did he not go away and get drunk and show no care for
the oracle?434 Well then for this reason did Apollo refuse
to tell him the truth? I indeed do not know, whether
you will be persuaded by me or not; but Apollo knew
most certainly that Laius would not be persuaded and yet
he spoke. But why did he speak? I say in reply, But why
is he Apollo, and why does he deliver oracles, and why has
he fixed himself in this place as a prophet and source of
truth and for the inhabitants of the world to resort to
him? and why are the words Know yourself written in
front of the temple, though no person takes any notice of
them?
Did Socrates persuade all his hearers to take care of
themselves? Not the thousandth part. But however,
after he had been placed in this position by the deity, as
he himself says, he never left it. But what does he say
even to his judges? If you acquit me on these conditions that I no longer do that which I do now, I will not
consent and I will not desist; but I will go up both to
young and to old, and, to speak plainly, to every man whom
I meet, and I will ask the questions which I ask now; and
most particularly will I do this to you my fellow citizens,
because you are more nearly related to me. 435 Are you so
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curious, Socrates, and such a busybody? and how does it
concern you how we act? and what is it that you say?
Being of the same community and of the same kin, you
neglect yourself, and show yourself a bad citizen to the
state, and a bad kinsman to your kinsmen, and a bad
neighbour to your neighbours. Who then are you?
Here it is a great thing to say, I am be whose duty it is
to take care of men; for it is not every little heifer which
dares to resist a lion; but if the bull comes up and resists
him, say to the bull, if you choose, 'and who are you, and
what business have you here?' Man, in every kind there
is produced something which excels; in oxen, in dogs, in
bees, in horses. Do not then say to that which excels,
Who then are you? If you do, it will find a voice in
some way and say, I am such a thing as the purple in a
garment:436 do not expect me to be like the others, or
blame my nature that it has made me different from the
rest of men.
What then? am I such a man? Certainly not. And
are you such a man as can listen to the truth? I wish
you were. But however since in a manner I have been
condemned to wear a white beard and a cloak, and you
come to me as to a philosopher, I will not treat you in a
cruel way nor yet as if I despaired of you, but I will say,
Young man, whom do you wish to make beautiful? In
the first place, know who you are and then adorn yourself
appropriately. You are a human being; and this is a
mortal animal which has the power of using appearances
rationally. But what is meant by 'rationally'? Conformably to nature437 and completely. What then do you
possess which is peculiar? Is it the animal part? No.
Is it the condition of mortality? No. Is it the power of
using appearances?438 No. You possess the rational faculty
as a peculiar thing: adorn and beautify this; but leave
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your hair to him who made it as he chose. Come, what
other appellations have you? Are you man or woman?
Man. Adorn yourself then as man, not as woman.
Woman is naturally smooth and delicate; and if she has
much hair (on her body), she is a monster and is exhibited
at Rome among monsters. And in a man it is monstrous
not to have hair; and if he has no hair, he is a monster:
'but if he cuts off his hairs and plucks them out, what
shall we do with him? where shall we exhibit him? and
under what name shall we show him? I will exhibit to
you a man who chooses to be a woman rather than a man.
What a terrible sight! There is no man who will not
wonder at such a notice. Indeed I think that the men
who pluck out their hairs do what they do without
knowing what they do. Man what fault have you to find
with your nature? That it made you a man? What then
was it fit that nature should make all human creatures
women? and what advantage in that case would you have
had in being adorned? for whom would you have adorned
yourself, if all human creatures were women? But you
are not pleased with the matter: set to work then upon
the whole business.439 Take awaywhat is its name?
that which is the cause of the hairs: make yourself a
woman in all respects, that we may not be mistaken: do
not make one half man, and the other half woman. Whom
do you wish to please? The women? Please them as a
man. Well; but they like smooth men. Will you not
hang yourself? and if women took delight in catamites,
would you become one? Is this your business? were
you born for this purpose, that dissolute women should
delight in you? Shall we make such a one as you a citizen
of Corinth and perchance a praefect of the city, or chief
of the youth, or general or superintendent of the games?
Well, and when you have taken a wife, do you intend to
have your hairs plucked out? To please whom and for
what purpose? And when you have begotten children,
will you introduce them also into the state with the habit
of plucking their hairs? A beautiful citizen, and senator
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and rhetorician. We ought to pray that such young men
be born among us and brought up.
Do not so, I intreat you by the Gods, young man: but
when you have once heard these words, go away and say
to yourself, 'Epictetus has not said this to me; for how
could he? but some propitious God through him: for it
Would never have come into his thoughts to say this, since
he is not accustomed to talk thus with any person. Come
then let us obey God, that we may not be subject to his
anger.' You say, No. But (I say), if a crow by his
croaking signifies any thing to you, it is not the crow
which signifies, but God through the crow; and if he
signifies any thing through a human voice, will he not
cause the man to say this to you, that you may know the
power of the divinity, that he signifies to some in this
way, and to others in that way, and concerning the
greatest things and the chief he signifies through the
noblest messenger? What else is it which the poet says:
For we ourselves have warned him, and have sent
Hermes the careful watcher, Argus' slayer,
The husband not to kill nor wed the wife.
440
Was Hermes going to descend from heaven to say this to
him (Aegisthus)? And now the Gods say this to you and
send the messenger, the slayer of Argus, to warn you not
to pervert that which is well arranged, nor to busy yourself about it, but to allow a man to be a man, and a woman
to be a woman, a beautiful man to be as a beautiful man,
and an ugly man as an ugly man, for you are not flesh
and hair, but you are will (προαίρεσις); and if your will is
beautiful, then you will be beautiful. But up to the
present time I dare not tell you that you are ugly,
for I think that you are readier to hear anything than
this. But see what Socrates says to the most beautiful
and blooming of men Alcibiades: Try then to be beautiful. What does he say to him? Dress your hair and
pluck the hairs from your legs? Nothing of that kind.
But adorn your will, take away bad opinions. How with
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the body? Leave it as it is by nature. Another has
looked after these things: intrust them to him. What
then, must a man be uncleaned? Certainly not; but
what you are and are made by nature, cleanse this. A
man should be cleanly as a man, a woman as a woman, a
child as a child. You say no: but let us also pluck out
the lion's mane, that he may not be uncleaned, and the
cock's comb for he also ought to be cleaned. Granted, but
as a cock, and the lion as a lion, and the hunting dog as a
hunting dog.