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That we do not strive to use our opinions about good and evil.—­Where is the good?  In the will.  Where is the evil?  In the will.  Where is neither of them?  In those things which are independent of the will.  Well then?  Does any one among us think of these lessons out of the schools?  Does any one meditate (strive) by himself to give an answer to things as in the case of questions?—­Is it day?—­Yes.—­Is it night?—­No.—­Well, is the number of stars even?—­I cannot say.—­When money is shown (offered) to you, have you studied to make the proper answer, that money is not a good thing?  Have you practised yourself in these answers, or only against sophisms?  Why do you wonder then if in the cases which you have studied, in those you have improved; but in those which you have not studied, in those you remain the same?  When the rhetorician knows that he has written well, that he has committed to memory what he has written, and brings an agreeable voice, why is he still anxious?  Because he is not satisfied with having studied.  What then does he want?  To be praised by the audience?  For the purpose then of being able to practise declamation he has been disciplined; but with respect to praise and blame he has not been disciplined.  For when did he hear from any one what praise is, what blame is, what the nature of each is, what kind of praise should be sought, or what kind of blame should be shunned?  And when did he practise this discipline which follows these words (things)?  Why then do you still wonder, if in the matters which a man has learned, there he surpasses others, and in those in which he has not been disciplined, there he is the same with the many.  So the lute player knows how to play, sings well, and has a fine dress, and yet he trembles when he enters on the stage; for these matters he understands, but he does not know what a crowd is, nor the shouts of a crowd, nor what ridicule is.  Neither does he know what anxiety is, whether it is our work or the work of another, whether it is possible to stop it or not.  For this reason if he has been praised, he leaves the theatre puffed up, but if he has been ridiculed, the swollen bladder has been punctured and subsides.

This is the case also with ourselves.  What do we admire?  Externals.  About what things are we busy?  Externals.  And have we any doubt then why we fear or why we are anxious?  What then happens when we think the things, which are coming on us, to be evils?  It is not in our power not to be afraid, it is not in our power not to be anxious.  Then we say, Lord God, how shall I not be anxious?  Fool, have you not hands, did not God make them for you?  Sit down now and pray that your nose may not run.  Wipe yourself rather and do not blame him.  Well then, has he given to you nothing in the present case?  Has he not given to you endurance?