Discourses - Book II   

very disagreeable to one who chances to be present and is a stranger
to the art: but the work shows the use of the art. But you will see
this much more in music; for if you are present while a person is
learning, the discipline will appear most disagreeable; and yet the
results of music are pleasing and delightful to those who know nothing
of music. And here we conceive the work of a philosopher to be
something of this kind: he must adapt his wish to what is going on, so
that neither any of the things which are taking place shall take place
contrary to our wish, nor any of the things which do not take place
shall not take place when we wish that they should. From this the
result is to those who have so arranged the work of philosophy, not to
fall in the desire, nor to fall in with that which they would avoid;
without uneasiness, without fear, without perturbation to pass through
life themselves, together with their associates maintaining the
relations both natural and acquired, as the relation of son, of
father, of brother, of citizen, of man, of wife, of neighbour, of
fellow-traveler, of ruler, of ruled. The work of a philosopher we
conceive to be something like this. It remains next to inquire how
this must be accomplished.
We see then that the carpenter when he has learned certain things
becomes a carpenter; the pilot by learning certain things becomes a
pilot. May it not, then, in philosophy also not be sufficient to
wish to be wise and good, and that there is also a necessity to
learn certain things? We inquire then what these things are. The
philosophers say that we ought first to learn that there is a God
and that he provides for all things; also that it is not possible to
conceal from him our acts, or even our intentions and thoughts. The
next thing, is to learn what is the nature of the Gods; for such as
they are discovered to be, he, who would please and obey them, must
try with all his power to be like them. If the divine is faithful, man
also must be faithful; if it is free, man also must be free; if
beneficent, man also must be beneficent; if magnanimous, man also must
be magnanimous; as being, then an imitator of God, he must do and
say everything consistently with this fact.
"With what then must we begin?" If you will enter on the discussion,
I will tell you that you must first understand names. "So, then, you
say that I do not now understand names?" You do not understand them.
"How, then, do I use them?" Just as the illiterate use written
language, as cattle use appearances: for use is one thing,
understanding is another. But if you think that you understand them,
produce whatever word you please, and let us try whether we understand
it. But it is a disagreeable thing for a man to be confuted who is now
old and, it may be, has now served his three campaigns. I too know
this: for now you are come to me as if you were in want of nothing:
and what could you even imagine to be wanting to you? You are rich,
you have children, and a wife, perhaps and many slaves: Caesar knows
you, in Rome you have many friends, you render their dues to all,
you know how to requite him who does you a favour, and to repay in the
same kind him who does a wrong. What do you lack? If, then, I shall
show you that you lack the things most necessary and the chief