Wouldst thou have men speak good of thee? speak good of
them. And when thou hast learned to speak good of them, try to do
good unto them, and thus thou wilt reap in return their speaking
good of thee.

LI

When thou goest in to any of the great, remember that
Another from above sees what is passing, and that thou shouldst
please Him rather than man. He therefore asks thee:--
"In the Schools, what didst thou call exile, imprisionment,
bonds, death and shame?"
"I called them things indifferent."
"What then dost thou call them now? Are they at all
changed?"
"No."
"Is it then thou that art changed?"
"No."
"Say then, what are things indifferent?"
"Things that are not in our power."
"Say then, what follows?"
"That things which are not in our power are nothing to me."
"Say also what things you hold to be good."
"A will such as it ought to be, and a right use of the
things of sense."
"And what is the end?"
"To follow Thee!"

LII

"That Socrates should ever have been so treated by the
Athenians!"
Slave! why say "Socrates"? Speak of the thing as it is: That
ever then the poor body of Socrates should have been dragged away
and haled by main force to prision! That ever hemlock should have
been given to the body of Socrates; that that should have
breathed its life away!-- Do you marvel at this? Do you hold this
unjust? Is it for this that you accuse God? Had Socrates no
compensation for this? Where then for him was the ideal Good?
Whom shall we hearken to, you or him? And what says he?
"Anytus and Melitus may put me to death: to injure me is
beyond their power."
And again:--
"If such be the will of God, so let it be."

LIII

Nay, young man, for heaven's sake; but once thou hast heard
these words, go home and say to thyself:--"It is not Epictetus
that has told me these things: how indeed should he? No, it is