Ch. 19
How we should behave to tyrants.
IF a man possesses any superiority, or thinks that he does,
when he does not, such a man, if he is uninstructed, will
of necessity be puffed up through it. For instance, the
tyrant says, I am master of all? And what can you
do for me? Can you give me desire which shall have no
hindrance? How can you? Have you the infallible
power of avoiding what you would avoid? Have you the
power of moving towards an object without error? And
how do you possess this power? Come, when you are in
a ship, do you trust to yourself or to the helmsman? And
when you are in a chariot, to whom do you trust but to
the driver? And how is it in all other arts? Just the
same. In what then lies your power? All men pay
respect124 to me. Well, I also pay respect to my platter,
and I wash it and wipe it; and for the sake of my oil
flask, I drive a peg into the wall. Well then, are these
things superior to me? No, but they supply some of my
wants, and for this reason I take care of them. Well, do
I not attend to my ass? Do I not wash his feet? Do I
not clean him? Do you not know that every man has
regard to himself, and to you just the same as he has
regard to his ass? For who has regard to you as a man?
Show me. Who wishes to become like you? Who
imitates you, as he imitates Socrates?But I can cut off
your head.You say right. I had forgotten that I must
have regard to you, as I would to a fever125 and the bile,
and raise an altar to you, as there is at Rome an altar
to fever.
What is it then that disturbs and terrifies the multitude? is it the tyrant and his guards? [By no means.]
I hope that it is not so. It is not possible that what
is by nature free can be disturbed by anything else, or
[p. 61]
hindered by any other thing than by itself. But it is a
man's own opinions which disturb him: for when the
tyrant says to a man, I will chain your leg, he who
values his leg says, Do not; have pity: but he who
values his own will says, If it appears more advantageous
to you, chain it. Do you not care? I do not care. I
will show you that I am master. You cannot do that.
Zeus has set me free: do you think that he intended to
allow his own son126 to be enslaved? But you are master
of my carcase: take it.So when you approach me, you
have no regard to me? No, but I have regard to myself;
and if you wish me to say that I have regard to you also,
I tell you that I have the same regard to you that I have
to my pipkin.
This is not a perverse self-regard,127 for the animal is
constituted so as to do all things for itself. For even the
sun does all things for itself; nay, even Zeus himself.
But when he chooses to be the Giver of rain and the Giver
of fruits, and the Father of Gods and men, you see that
he cannot obtain these functions and these names, if he is
not useful to man; and, universally, he has made the
nature of the rational animal such that it cannot obtain
any one of its own proper interests, if it does not contribute something to the common interest.128 In this
manner and sense it is not unsociable for a man to do
every thing for the sake of himself. For what do you
expect? that a man should neglect himself and his own
interest? And how in that case can there be one and the
same principle in all animals, the principle of attachment
(regard) to themselves?
What then? when absurd notions about things inde-
[p. 62]
pendent of our will, as if they were good and (or) bad, lie at
the bottom of our opinions, we must of necessity pay regard to tyrants; for I wish that men would pay regard to
tyrants only, and not also to the bedchamber men.129 How
is it that the man becomes all at once wise, when Caesar
has made him superintendent of the close stool? How is
it that we say immediately, Felicion spoke sensibly to
me. I wish he were ejected from the bedchamber, that
he might again appear to you to be a fool.
Epaphroditus130 had a shoemaker whom he sold because
he was good for nothing. This fellow by some good luck
was bought by one of Caesar's men, and became Caesar's
shoemaker. You should have seen what respect Epaphroditus paid to him: How does the good Felicion do, I
pray? Then if any of us asked, What is master
(Epaphroditus) doing? the answer was, He is consulting about something with Felicion. Had he not sold
the man as good for nothing? Who then made him wise
all at once? This is an instance of valuing something else
than the things which depend on the will.
Has a man been exalted to the tribuneship? All who
meet him offer their congratulations: one kisses his eyes,
another the neck, and the slaves kiss his hands.131 He
goes to his house, he finds torches lighted. He ascends
the Capitol: he offers a sacrifice on the occasion. Now
who ever sacrificed for having had good desires? for having
acted conformably to nature? For in fact we thank the
gods for those things in which we place our good.132
[p. 63]
A person was talking to me to-day about the priesthood
of Augustus.133 I say to him: Man, let the thing alone:
you will spend much for no purpose. But he replies,
Those who draw up agreements will write my name.
Do you then stand by those who read them, and say to
such persons It is I whose name is written there? And
if you can now be present on all such occasions, what will
you do when you are dead? My name will remain.
Write it on a stone, and it will remain. But come, what
remembrance of you will there be beyond Nicopolis?But
I shall wear a crown of gold.If you desire a crown at
all, take a crown of roses and put it on, for it will be
more elegant in appearance.
