nor timid, nor suspicious, nor a sophist; and with how little he was satisfied, such as lodging, bed, dress, food, servants; and how laborious and patient; and how he was able on account of his sparing diet to hold out to the evening, not even requiring to relieve himself by any evacuations except at the usual hour; and his firmness and uniformity in his friendships; and how he tolerated freedom of speech in those who opposed his opinions; and the pleasure that he had when any man showed him anything better; and how religious he was without superstition.  Imitate all this, that thou mayest have as good a conscience, when thy last hour comes, as he had (i. 16).

31.  Return to thy sober senses and call thyself back; and when thou hast roused thyself from sleep and hast perceived that they were only dreams which troubled thee, now in thy waking hours look at these [the things about thee] as thou didst look at those [the dreams].

32.  I consist of a little body and a soul.  Now to this little body all things are indifferent, for it is not able to perceive differences.  But to the understanding those things only are indifferent which are not the works of its own activity.  But whatever things are the works of its own activity, all these are in its power.  And of these however only those which are done with reference to the present; for as to the future and the past activities of the mind, even these are for the present indifferent.

33.  Neither the labor which the hand does nor that of the foot is contrary to nature, so long as the foot does the foot’s work and the hand the hand’s.  So then neither to a man as a man is his labor contrary to nature, so long as it does the things of a man.  But if the labor is not contrary to his nature, neither is it an evil to him.

34.  How many pleasures have been enjoyed by robbers, patricides, tyrants.

35.  Dost thou not see how the handicrafts-men accommodate themselves up to a certain point to those who are not skilled in their craft—­nevertheless they cling to the reason [the principles] of their art, and do not endure to depart from it?  Is it not strange if the architect and the physician shall have more respect to the reason [the principles] of their own arts than man to his own reason, which is common to him and the gods?

36.  Asia, Europe, are corners of the universe; all the sea a drop in the universe; Athos a little clod of the universe:  all the present time is a point in eternity.  All things are little, changeable, perishable.  All things come from thence, from that universal ruling power, either directly proceeding or by way of sequence.  And accordingly the lion’s gaping jaws, and that which is poisonous, and every harmful thing, as a thorn, as mud, are after-products of the grand and beautiful.  Do not then imagine that they are of another kind from that which thou dost venerate, but form a just opinion of the source of all (vii. 75).