Epictetus his Morals, with Simplicius his comment made English from the Greek, by George Stanhope ...

COMMENT.

THE Advice he gives here, is much of the same nature with what we met with be∣fore in the Ninth Chapter; where he begins thus: In every Action you undertake, consider, first, with your self, and weigh well the Nature and Cir∣cumstances

of the Thing, &c. Only there indeed he continues and illustrates his Discourse, by a very low and familiar instance of Bathing; but here he applies it to that much more important one of application to Great Men. There is also this other difference between the two Passages, That the Conclusion and Design of his Advice there, was to persuade Men not be too much concerned at things when they had happened, but to keep their Temper even, and their Reason undistur∣bed; whereas here his Business is to bring Men to a prudent forecast, that they may not run on giddily, nor see Things by halves; but repre∣sent to themselves before-hand, all the possible Difficulties and Inconveniences that can rise upon them, that they may take as true an Idea of all the discouraging Circumstances now, as it is pos∣sible for the Event to give them afterwards.

For after we have taken upon us the slavery of waiting upon a Great Man, and met with these Disappointments and cold Neglects, we are apt to sit down discontented, and with much remorse to condemn our own Folly, and take it exceeding ill to be treated with so much insolence and scorn, and so unbecoming our Quality or Desert. Now all that Dissatisfaction is owing to one of these two Causes; either, That we made a rash and an ill Choice at first; or else, That these ex∣ternal Accidents make too strong and too tender an Impression upon us. And both these Defects betray a base and a narrow Soul, not suitable in any degree to the Dignity of a Philosopher, who should know how to manage, and how to slight every Accident of this kind; not suffering him∣self to be imposed upon like the ignorant Vulgar,

with the false appearances of Things, nor mi∣staking those for matters of Consequence, which are really and in their own Nature mere Trifles, and of little or no consideration at all to him.

So that having in the former Chapter instru∣cted us what Decorum is to be observed towards Persons of Honour and Authority, who are con∣tent to admit us to some familiarity and free con∣ferences with them, and proposed the Prudence of Socrates and Zeno for the Standard of our Be∣haviour; he prescribes to us here the Rules proper to be followed, where we are received with coldness and disdain, and rougher usage: That except where some absolute necessity re∣quires, we should have nothing at all to do with such Persons; and when any urgent occasion compels us to chuse this Attendance, and our Bu∣siness must be followed, though at the expence of all those Hardships and Affronts, to settle and compose our Minds before, and not expose our selves to the misfortune of a Surprize, or the weakness of a late Repentance, and wish we had never undertaken it, when these things are come upon us.