贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the golden sayings >

第11章

the golden sayings-第11章

小说: the golden sayings 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




does a man step forward and say to himself; I must be master

here! Else the lord of that house takes notice of it; and; seeing

him insolently giving orders; drags him forth and chastises him。

So it is also in this great City; the World。 Here also is there a

Lord of the House; who orders all thing:





〃Thou are the Sun! in thine orbit thou hast power to make the

year and the seasons;    



to bid the fruits of the earth to grow

and increase; the winds arise and fall;

thou canst in due measure cherish with

thy warmth the frames of men; go make

thy circuit; and thus minister unto all

from the greatest to the least! 。 。 。



〃Thou canst lead a host against Troy; be Agamemnon!〃

〃Thou canst meet Hector in single combat; be Achilles!〃







But had Thersites stepped forward and claimed the chief

command; he had been met with a refusal; or obtained it only to

his own shame and confusion of face; before a cloud of

witnesses。〃                                  







CXI





Others may fence themselves with walls and houses; when they

do such deeds as these; and wrap themselves in darknessaye;

they have many a device to hide themselves。 Another may shut his

door and station one before his chamber to say; if any comes; He

has gone forth! he is not at leisure! But the true Cynic will

have none of these things; instead of them; he must wrap himself

in Modesty: else he will but bring himself to shame; naked and

under the open sky。 That is his house; that is his door; that is

the slave that guards his chamber; that is his darkness!





CXII







Death? let it come when it will; whether it smite but a part

of the whole: Fly; you tell mefly! But whither shall I fly?

Can any man cast me beyond the limits of the World? It may not

be! And whithersoever I go; there shall I still find Sun; Moon;

and Stars; there I shall find dreams; and omens; and converse

with the Gods!





CXIII





Furthermore the true Cynic must know that he is sent as a

Messenger from God to men; to show unto them that as touching

good and evil they are in error; looking for these where they are

not to be found; nor ever bethinking themselves where they are。

And like Diogenes when brought before Philip after the battle of

Chaeronea; the Cynic must remember that he is a Spy。 For a Spy he

really isto bring back word what things are on Man's side; and

what against him。 And when he had diligently observed all; he

must come back with a true report; not terrified into announcing

them to be foes that are no foes; nor otherwise perturbed or

confounded by the things of sense。





CXIV





How can it be that one who hath nothing; neither raimant;

nor house; nor home; nor bodily tendance; nor servant; nor city;

should yet live tranquil and contented? Behold God hath sent you

a man to show you in act and deed that it may be so。 Behold me! I

have neither house nor possessions nor servants: the ground is my

couch; I have no wife; no children; no shelternothing but

earth and sky; and one poor cloak。 And what lack I yet? am I not

untouched by sorrow; by fear? am I not free? 。 。 。 when have I

laid anything to the charge of God or Man? when have I accussed

any? hath any of you seen me with a sorrowful countenance? And in

what wise treat I those of whom you stand in fear and awe? Is it

not as slaves? Who when he seeth me doth not think that he

beholdeth his Master and his King?





CXV







Give thyself more diligently to reflection: know thyself:

take counsel with the Godhead: without God put thine hand unto

nothing!





CXVI





〃But to marry and to rear offspring;〃 said the young man;

〃will the Cynic hold himself bound to undertake this as a chief

duty?〃



Grant me a republic of wise men; answered Epictetus; and

perhaps none will lightly take the Cynic life upon him。 For on

whose account should he embrace that method of life? Suppose

however that he does; there will then be nothing to hinder his

marrying and rearing offspring。 For his wife will be even such

another as himself; and likewise her father; and in like manner

will his children be brought up。



But in the present condition of things; which resembles an

Army in battle array; ought not the Cynic to be free from all

distraction and given wholly to the service of God; so that he

can go in and out among men; neither fettered by the duties nor

entangled by the relations of common life? For if he transgress

them; he will forfeit the character of a good man and true;

whereas if he observe them; there is an end to him as the

Messenger; the Spy; the Herald of the Gods!



CXVII







Ask me if you choose if a Cynic shall engage in the

administration of the State。 O fool; seek you a nobler

administration that that in which he is engaged? Ask you if a man

shall come forward in the Athenian assembly and talk about

revenue and supplies; when his business is to converse with all

men; Athenians; Corinthians; and Romans alike; not about

supplies; not about revenue; nor yet peace and war; but about

Happiness and Misery; Prosperity and Adversity; Slavery and

Freedom?



Ask you whether a man shall engage in the administration of

the State who has engaged in such an Administration as this? Ask

me too if he shall govern; and again I will answer; Fool; what

greater government shall he hold than he holds already?





CXVIII





Such a man needs also to have a certain habit of body。 If he

appears consumptive; thin and pale; his testimony has no longer

the same authority。 He must not only prove to the unlearned by

showing them what his Soul is that it is possible to be a good

man apart from all that they admire; but he must also show them;

by his body; that a plain and simple manner of life under the

open sky does no harm to the body either。 〃See; I am proof of

this! and my body also。〃 As Diogenes used to do; who went about

fresh of look and by the very appearance of his body drew men's

eyes。 But if a Cynic is an object of pity; he seems a mere

beggar; all turn away; all are offended at him。 Nor should he be

slovenly of look; so as not to scare men from him in this way

either; on the contrary; his very roughness should be clean and

attractive。





CXIX







Kings and tyrants have armed guards wherewith to chastise

certain persons; though they themselves be evil。 But to the Cynic

conscience gives this powernot arms and guards。 When he knows

that he has watched and laboured on behalf of mankind: that sleep

hath found him pure; and left him purer still: that his thoughts

have been the thought of a Friend of the Godsof a servant; yet

one that hath a part in the government of the Supreme God: that

the words are ever on his lips:





Lead me; O God; and thou; O Destiny!



as well as these:





If this be God's will; so let it be!



why should he not speak boldly unto his own brethren; unto his

childrenin a word; unto all that are akin to him!





CXX







Does a Philosopher apply to people to come and hear him?

does he not rather; of his own nature; attract those that will be

benefited by himlike the sun that warms; the food that sustains

them? What Physician applies to men to come and be healed?

(Though indeed I hear that the Physicians at Rome do nowadays

apply for patientsin my time they were applied to。) I apply to

you to come and hear that you are in evil case; that what

deserves your attention most in the last thing to gain it; that

you know not good from evil; and are in short a hapless wretch; a

fine way to apply! though unless the words of the Philosopher

affect you thus; speaker and speech are alike dead。





CXXI







A Philosopher's school is a Surgery: pain; not pleasure; you

should have felt therein。 For on entering none of you is whole。

One has a shoulder out of joint; another an abscess: a third

su

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的