Discourses - Book II   

matter is this? He knows not what a crowd is or what the praise of a
crowd is. However he has learned to strike the lowest chord and the
highest; but what the praise of the many is, and what power it has
in life he neither knows nor has he thought about it. Hence he must of
necessity tremble and grow pale. I cannot then say that a man is not a
lute player when I see him afraid, but I can say something else, and
not one thing, but many. And first of all I call him a stranger and
say, "This man does not know in what part of the world he is, but
though he has been here so long, he is ignorant of the laws of the
State and the customs, and what is permitted and what is not; and he
has never employed any lawyer to tell him and to explain the laws."
But a man does not write a will, if he does not does not know how it
ought to be written, or he employs a person who does know; nor does he
rashly seal a bond or write a security. But he uses his desire without
a lawyer's advice, and aversion, and pursuit, and attempt and purpose.
"How do you mean without a lawyer?" He does not know that he wills
what is not allowed, and does not will that which is of necessity; and
he does not know either what is his own or what is or what is
another man's; but if he did know, he could never be impeded, he would
never be hindered, he would not be anxious. "How so?" Is any man
then afraid about things which are not evil? "No." Is he afraid
about things which are evils, but still so far within his power that
they may not happen? "Certainly he is not." If, then, the things which
are independent of the will are neither good nor bad, and all things
which do depend on the will are within our power, and no man can
either take them from us or give them to us, if we do not choose,
where is room left for anxiety? But we are anxious about our poor
body, our little property, about the will of Caesar; but not anxious
about things internal. Are we anxious about not forming a false
opinion? No, for this is in my power. About not exerting our movements
contrary to nature? No, not even about this. When then you see a man
pale, as the physician says, judging from the complexion, this man's
spleen is disordered, that man's liver; so also say, this man's desire
and aversion are disordered, he is not in the right way, he is in a
fever. For nothing else changes the color, or causes trembling or
chattering of the teeth, or causes a man to

Sink in his knees and shift from foot to foot.

For this reason when Zeno was going to meet Antigonus, he was not
anxious, for Antigonus had no power over any of the things which
Zeno admired; and Zeno did not care for those things over which
Antigonus had power. But Antigonus was anxious when he was going to
meet Zeno, for he wished to please Zeno; but this was a thing
external. But Zeno did not want to please Antigonus; for no man who is
skilled in any art wishes to please one who has no such skill.
Should I try to please you? Why? I suppose, you know the measure
by which one man is estimated by another. Have you taken pains to
learn what is a good man and what is a bad man, and how a man
becomes one or the other? Why, then, are you not good yourself? "How,"