nor attempt to appropriate to yourself what belongs to all. If you
do not consent to this, bear being abused: for when you do the same as
the many, you put yourself on the same level with them.

CHAPTER 5

Against those who on account of sickness go away home

"I am sick here," said one of the pupils, "and I wish to return
home." At home, I suppose, you free from sickness. Do you not consider
whether you are doing, anything here which may be useful to the
exercise of your will, that it may be corrected? For if you are
doing nothing toward this end, it was to no purpose that you came.
Go away. Look after your affairs at home. For if your ruling power
cannot be maintained in a state conformable to nature, it is
possible that your land can, that you will he able to increase your
money, you will take care of your father in his old age, frequent
the public place, hold magisterial office: being bad you will do badly
anything else that you have to do. But if you understand yourself, and
know that you are casting away certain bad opinions and adopting
others in their place, and if you have changed your state of life from
things which are not within your will to things which are within
your will, and if you ever say, "Alas!" you are not saying what you
say on account of your father, or your brother, but on account of
yourself, do you still allege your sickness? Do you not know that both
disease and death must surprise us while we are doing something? the
husbandman while he is tilling the ground, the sailor while he is on
his voyage? what would you be doing when death surprises you, for
you must be surprised when you are doing something? If you can be
doing anything better than this when you are surprised, do it. For I
wish to be surprised by disease or death when I am looking after
nothing else than my that may be free from perturbation, own will that
I may be free from hindrance, free from compulsion, and in a state
of liberty. I wish to be found practicing these things that I may be
able to say to God, "Have I in any respect transgressed thy
commands? have I in any respect wrongly used the powers which Thou
gavest me? have I misused my perceptions or my preconceptions? have
I ever blamed Thee? have I ever found fault with Thy administration? I
have been sick, because it was Thy will, and so have others, but I was
content to be sick. I have been poor because it was Thy will, but I
was content also. I have not filled a magisterial office, because it
was not Thy pleasure that I should: I have never desired it. Hast Thou
ever seen me for this reason discontented? have I not always
approached Thee with a cheerful countenance, ready to do Thy
commands and to obey Thy signals? Is it now Thy will that I should
depart from the assemblage of men? I depart. I give Thee all thanks
that Thou hast allowed me to join in this Thy assemblage of men and to
see Thy works, and to comprehend this Thy administration." May death
surprise me while I am thinking of these things, while I am thus
writing and reading.