Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"Plutarch
Philosophy
Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"
Plutarch
Classical literature; Essays; Ethics; Philosophy
9. Indeed such evil examples as these afford us speculations which are
necessary, though not pleasant. But now, from those who have carried
themselves mildly and gently in their anger, I shall present you with
most excellent sayings and beautiful contemplations; and I begin to
contemn such as say, You have wronged a man indeed, and is a man
to bear this?—Stamp on his neck, tread him down in the dirt,—and
such like provoking speeches, whereby some do very unhandsomely
translate and remove anger from the women’s to the men’s apartment.
For fortitude, which in other respects agrees with justice, seems
only to disagree in respect of mildness, which she claims as more
properly her own. For it sometimes befalls even worser men to bear
rule over those who are better than themselves; but to erect a trophy
in the soul against anger (which Heraclitus says it is an hard thing
to fight against, because whatever it resolves to have, it buys at no
less a price than the soul itself) is that which none but a great and
victorious power is able to achieve, since that alone can bind and curb
the passions by its decrees, as with nerves and tendons.
Wherefore I always strive to collect and read not only the sayings and
deeds of philosophers, who (wise men say) had no gall in them, but
especially those of kings and tyrants. Of this sort was the saying of
Antigonus to his soldiers, when, as some were reviling him near his
tent supposing that he had not heard them, he stretched his staff out
of the tent, and said: What! will you not stand somewhere farther off,
while you revile me? So was that of Arcadio the Achaean, who was ever
speaking ill of Philip, exhorting men to flee
Till they should come where none would Philip know.
When afterwards by some accident he appeared in Macedonia, Philip’s
friends were of opinion that he ought not to be suffered, but be
punished; but Philip meeting him and speaking courteously to him, and
then sending him gifts, particularly such as were wont to be given to
strangers, bade him learn for the time to come what to speak of him
to the Greeks. And when all testified that the man was become a great
praiser of Philip, even to admiration, You see, said Philip, I am a
better physician than you. And when he had been reproached at the
Olympic solemnities, and some said it was fit to make the Grecians
smart and rue it for reviling Philip, who had dealt well with them,
What then, said he, will they do, if I make them smart? Those things
also which Pisistratus did to Thrasybulus, and Porsena to Mutius, were
bravely done; and so was that of Magas to Philemon, for having been
by him exposed to laughter in a comedy on the public stage, in these
words:—
Magas, the king hath sent thee letters:
Unhappy Magas, thou dost know no letters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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