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and to learn another way of his power, much more philosophical than this? For even if someone should do ten thousand terrible things to him, even if he should scourge him, even if he should bind him, the body is struck on account of its nature, but the soul remains unstruck on account of philosophy. For it is not captured by anger, not overcome by hatred, not conquered by enmity. And this is not yet the great thing, but what is much more wonderful than this; for just as he loves benefactors and patrons, so he loves those who have done such things, so he prays for all good things to happen to them. And yet what so great a thing would you have given him, if you had made him king of the world ten thousand times, and extended the kingdom for ten thousand years? Is this possession not more precious than any purple robe, any authority, any glory? what would he not give up, so as to receive such a soul? It seems to me that the desire for this life would seize even those who are extremely fond of the body. Do you wish also from another angle to see the power of the man, more wonderful and most sweet, from a humbler part, to be sure, but to you most sweet of all? For the things that have been said show him to be unconquerable and indestructible; but that he will also be a patron to others, and will establish them in great safety, this perhaps you seek to learn. This, then, is the first patronage, to lead others also into the same zeal, and so make them strong; but if they should not wish it, but pursue this more human and earthly life, even in this you will again see him who has nothing having a greater power than you who are rich, for this very reason especially, that he has nothing. For who will converse with and rebuke a king with greater authority? you who possess so many things, and are on account of these things accountable even to his slaves, and trembling for everything, and offering him ten thousand holds, if he should wish, in his anger, to wrong you, or this man who is superior to his hands? For these men have especially conversed with kings with great authority, who have become separate from all the things of this life. And to whom will the man in power, who moves about in the royal palace, yield and listen more, to you who are rich, and whom he suspects of often doing many things for the sake of money, or to the one who has one motive for his commands, philanthropy towards others? Whom will he honor and admire, about whom he could suspect nothing base, or the one who is thought to be baser 47.343 than his own servants? For just as in matters of money, when it is necessary to spend, they obey those men more readily, so also they command these to be patrons.

8.

But if you wish, let him accomplish nothing through others, but through himself; and let us bring the one who has suffered ill both to this man and to you, or rather not to you, but to the king himself; then let us see who will be more able to care for him. And first of all others, let the one be brought who has suffered the most terrible things of all. For let there be someone who has an only-begotten son, and let him lose him in the prime of his youth. Neither a ruler, nor a king, nor anyone else will be able to help this man, much less you; for you will give him nothing such as what he has lost. But if you bring him to your son, first he will quickly raise him up from his appearance, from his demeanor, and from his dwelling, and will persuade him to consider human affairs as nothing; then also with words he will easily drive away the cloud. But from your house that man will have even more grief. For when he sees it free from evils, and full of great prosperity, and having an heir, he will be burned all the more; but from that place he will be calmer and more philosophical. For seeing your son looking down on so much substance, and so much glory and splendor, he will not grieve so much for the one who has died. For how will it bite him to have no heir for his possessions, when he sees another despising all these things? And he will hear the words about philosophy more easily from him who verifies them by his deeds. But you, if you only dare to open your mouth, will fill him with much despair, as one philosophizing over another's misfortunes; but that one, teaching him through facts, will easily persuade him, that the... is nothing more than sleep

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καὶ ἕτερον τρόπον τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν, πολλῷ τούτου φιλοσοφώτερον; Κἂν γὰρ μυρία τις αὐτὸν ἐργάσηται δεινὰ, κἂν μαστίξῃ, κἂν δήσῃ, τὸ μὲν σῶμα πλήττεται διὰ τὴν φύσιν, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἄπληκτος διὰ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν μένει. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁλίσκεται θυμῷ, οὐ χειροῦται μίσει, οὐκ ἀπεχθείᾳ καταγωνίζεται. Καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο μέγα, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολλῷ τούτου θαυμαστότερον· καθάπερ γὰρ εὐεργέτας καὶ προστάτας, οὕτω φιλεῖ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργασαμένους, οὕτως εὔχεται πάντα αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι τὰ ἀγαθά. Καίτοι τί τοσοῦτον ἔδωκας ἂν αὐτῷ, εἰ μυριάκις αὐτὸν βασιλέα τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐποίησας, καὶ ἐπὶ μυρίοις ἔτεσι τὴν βασιλείαν ἐξέτεινας; πόσης ἁλουργίδος τοῦτο τὸ κτῆμα, πόσης ἀρχῆς, πόσης δόξης οὐ τιμιώτερον; τί οὐκ ἂν προήκατο, ὥστε ψυχὴν τοιαύτην λαβεῖν; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα φιλοσωμάτους ἑλεῖν ἂν ταύτης τῆς ζωῆς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. Βούλει καὶ ἑτέρωθεν τὴν δύναμιν ἰδεῖν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς θαυμαστοτέραν καὶ ἡδίστην, ἀπὸ μέρους ταπεινοτέρου μὲν, σοὶ δὲ μάλιστα ἡδίστου; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ εἰρημένα δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν ἀχείρωτον ὄντα καὶ ἀνάλωτον· ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἑτέρων προστήσεται, καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστήσει πολλῇ, τοῦτο ἴσως ζητεῖς μαθεῖν. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν πρώτη ἐστὶ προστασία, τὸ καὶ ἑτέρους εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν ζῆλον ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ οὕτω ποιῆσαι ἰσχυρούς· εἰ δὲ μὴ θέλοιεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπινωτέραν ταύτην καὶ γηΐνην μετέρχοιντο ζωὴν, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ πάλιν ὄψει δύναμιν αὐτὸν ἔχοντα τοῦ πλουτοῦντος σοῦ μείζονα τὸν μηδὲν ἔχοντα δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μάλιστα τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν. Τίς γὰρ μετὰ πλείονος ἐξουσίας διαλέξεται βασιλεῖ καὶ ἐπιτιμήσει; σὺ ὁ τοσαῦτα κεκτημένος, καὶ ὑπεύθυνος ὢν διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου δούλοις, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τρέμων, καὶ μυρίας αὐτῷ παρέχων λαβὰς, εἰ βούλοιτό σε ἀδικεῖν ὀργισθεὶς, ἢ οὗτος ὁ τῶν ἐκείνου χειρῶν ἀνώτερος ὤν; Βασιλεῦσι μὲν γὰρ οὗτοι μάλιστα διελέχθησαν μετ' ἐξουσίας πολλῆς, ὅσοι πάντων ἐγένοντο τῶν βιωτικῶν ἐκτός. Τίνι δὲ μᾶλλον εἴξει καὶ ἐπακούσεται ὁ ἐν δυνάμει ὢν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις στρεφόμενος, τῷ πλουτοῦντί σοι, καὶ ὃν ὑποπτεύει ἕνεκα χρημάτων πολλὰ πολλάκις ποιεῖν, ἢ τῷ μίαν ἔχοντι τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων ὑπόθεσιν, τὴν εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους φιλανθρωπίαν; Τίνα τιμήσει καὶ θαυμάσεται, περὶ οὗ μηδὲν ταπεινὸν ὑποπτεῦσαι δύναιτ' ἂν, ἢ τὸν καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ταπεινότε 47.343 ρον εἶναι νομιζόμενον τῶν αὐτοῦ; Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν χρήμασιν, ὅταν ἀναλίσκειν δέοι, ἐκείνοις ὑπακούουσι μᾶλλον, οὕτω καὶ προστῆναι κελεύουσιν.

ηʹ. Εἰ δὲ βούλει, μηδὲν δι' ἑτέρων ἀνυέτω, ἀλλὰ δι' ἑαυτοῦ· καὶ τὸν κακῶς παθόντα καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον ἀγάγωμεν καὶ πρὸς σὲ, μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ πρὸς σὲ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλεύοντα· εἶτα ἴδωμεν τίς μᾶλλον προνοῆσαι δυνήσεται τούτου. Καὶ πρῶτος ἀγέσθω τῶν ἄλλων ὁ πάντων δεινότατα πεπονθώς. Ἔστω γάρ τις υἱὸν ἔχων μονογενῆ, καὶ ἐν ἀκμῇ τῆς ὥρας αὐτὸν ἀποβαλέτω. Τοῦτον οὔτε ἄρχων, οὔτε βασιλεὺς, οὔτε ἄλλος τις ὠφελῆσαι δυνήσεται, μήτιγε σύ· οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ δώσεις τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἀπολώλεκεν. Ἐὰν δὲ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἀγάγῃς τὸν σὸν, πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸν ἀπό τε τῆς ὄψεως, ἀπό τε τοῦ σχήματος, ἀπό τε τῆς οἰκήσεως ἀναστήσει ταχέως, καὶ πείσει μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα· ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ λόγοις ἀπελάσει τὸ νέφος εὐνόλως. Ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς σῆς οἰκίας καὶ πλέον ἕξει τὸ πένθος ἐκεῖνος. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ ταύτην καθαρὰν οὖσαν κακῶν, καὶ πολλῆς εὐπραγίας γέμουσαν, καὶ κληρονόμον ἔχουσαν, μᾶλλον κατακαήσεται· ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἡμερώτερος ἔσται καὶ φιλοσοφώτερος. Ὁρῶν γὰρ τοσαύτης μὲν οὐσίας ὑπερορῶντα τὸν σὸν υἱὸν, τοσαύτης δὲ δόξης καὶ λαμπρότητος, οὐκ ἀλγήσει τῷ τελευτήσαντι τοσοῦτον. Πῶς γὰρ αὐτὸν δήξεται τὸ μηδένα κληρονόμον ἔχειν τῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἴδῃ τούτων πάντων καταφρονοῦντα ἕτερον; Καὶ τοὺς περὶ φιλοσοφίας δὲ λόγους εὐκολώτερον παρ' ἐκείνου ἀκούσεται τοῖς ἔργοις ἐπαληθεύοντος. Σὺ δὲ ἂν χᾶναι τολμήσῃς μόνον, καὶ ἀθυμίας αὐτὸν ἐμπλήσεις πολλῆς, ἅτε ἐπ' ἀλλοτρίοις φιλοσοφῶν κακοῖς· ἐκεῖνος δὲ αὐτὸν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων διδάσκων, πείσει ῥᾳδίως, ὅτι οὐδὲν ὕπνου πλέον ὁ