21. R. We have pain of body left, which perhaps moves thee of its proper force. A. Nor indeed do I grievously dread even that for any other reason than that it impedes me in my research. For although of late I have been grievously tormented with attacks of toothache, so that I was not suffered to revolve aught in my mind except such things as I have been engaged in learning; while, as the whole intensity of my mind was requisite for new advances, I was entirely restrained from making these: yet it seemed to me, that if the essential refulgence of Truth would disclose itself to me, I should either not have felt that pain, or certainly would have made no account of it. But although I have never had anything severer to bear, yet, often reflecting how much severer the pains are which I might have to bear, I am sometimes forced to agree with Cornelius Celsus, who says that the supreme good is wisdom, and the supreme evil bodily pain. For since, says he, we are composed of two parts, namely, mind and body, of which the former part, the mind, is the better, the body the worse; the highest good is the best of the better part, and the chiefest evil the worst of the inferior; now the best thing in the mind is wisdom, and the worst thing in the body is pain. It is concluded, therefore, and as I fancy, most justly, that the chief good of man is to be wise, and his chief evil, to suffer pain. R. We will consider this later. For perchance Wisdom herself, towards which we strive, will bring us to be of another mind. But if she should show this to be true, we will then not hesitate to adhere to this your present judgment concerning the highest good and the deepest ill.

21. R. Dolor corporis restat, qui te fortasse vi sua commovet. A. Et ipsum non ob aliud vehementer formido, nisi quia me impedit a quaerendo. Quanquam enim acerrimo his diebus dentium dolore torquerer , non quidem sinebar animo volvere, nisi ea quae jam forte didiceram; a discendo autem penitus impediebar, ad quod mihi tota intentione animi opus erat: tamen mihi videbatur, si se ille mentibus meis veritatis fulgor 0881 aperiret, aut me non sensurum fuisse illum dolorem, aut certe pro nihilo toleraturum. Sed quia etsi nihil majus aliquando pertuli, tamen saepe cogitans quanto graviores possint accidere, cogor interdum Cornelio Celso assentiri, qui ait summum bonum esse sapientiam, summum autem malum dolorem corporis. Nec ejus ratio mihi videtur absurda. Nam quoniam duabus, inquit, partibus compositi sumus, ex animo scilicet et corpore, quarum prior pars est animus melior, deterius corpus est, summum bonum est melioris partis optimum, summum autem malum pessimum deterioris: est autem optimum in animo sapientia, est in corpore pessimum dolor. Summum igitur bonum hominis sapere, summum malum dolere, sine ulla, ut opinor, falsitate concluditur. R Posterius ista videbimus. Aliud enim fortasse nobis ipsa ad quam pervenire nitimur sapientia persuadebit. Si autem hoc esse verum ostenderit, hanc de summo bono et summo malo sententiam sine dubitatione tenebimus.