to him:  If you do not choose to desire that which you will fail to obtain nor to attempt to avoid that into which you will fall, desire nothing which belongs to (which is in the power of) others, nor try to avoid any of the things which are not in your power.  If you do not observe this rule, you must of necessity fail in your desires and fall into that which you would avoid.  What is the difficulty here? where is there room for the words How will it be? and How will it turn out? and Will this happen or that?

Now is not that which will happen independent of the will?  Yes.  And the nature of good and of evil, is it not in the things which are within the power of the will?  Yes.  Is it in your power then to treat according to nature everything which happens?  Can any person hinder you?  No man.  No longer then say to me, How will it be?  For, however it may be, you will dispose of it well, and the result to you will be a fortunate one.  What would Hercules have been if he said:  How shall a great lion not appear to me, or a great boar, or savage men?  And what do you care for that?  If a great boar appear, you will fight a greater fight; if bad men appear, you will relieve the earth of the bad.  Suppose then that I lose my life in this way.  You will die a good man, doing a noble act.  For since he must certainly die, of necessity a man must be found doing something, either following the employment of a husbandman, or digging, or trading, or serving in a consulship, or suffering from indigestion or from diarrhoea.  What then do you wish to be doing when you are found by death?  I, for my part, would wish to be found doing something which belongs to a man, beneficent, suitable to the general interest, noble.  But if I cannot be found doing things so great, I would be found doing at least that which I cannot be hindered from doing, that which is permitted me to do, correcting myself, cultivating the faculty which makes use of appearances, laboring at freedom from the affects (laboring at tranquillity of mind); rendering to the relations of life their due.  If I succeed so far, also (I would be found) touching on (advancing to) the third topic (or head) safety in forming judgments about things.  If death surprises me when I am busy about these things, it is enough for me if I can stretch out my hands to God and say:  The means which I have received from thee for seeing thy administration (of the world) and following it I have not neglected; I have not dishonored thee by my acts; see how I have used my perceptions, see how I have used my preconceptions; have I ever blamed thee? have I been discontented with anything that happens, or wished it to be otherwise? have I wished to transgress the (established) relations (of things)?  That thou hast given me life, I thank thee for what thou hast given.  So long as I have used the things which are thine I am content.  Take them back and place them wherever thou mayest choose, for thine were all things, thou gavest them to me.  Is it not enough to depart in this state of mind? and what life is better and more becoming than that of a man who is in this state of mind? and what end is more happy?