Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 3 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"Plutarch
Philosophy
Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 3 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"
Plutarch
Classical literature; Essays; Ethics; Philosophy
5. At any other time, I replied, I question not but I shall give you
full satisfaction. But now, sir, after such a large pot as you have
seen me take, I boldly affirm, that all passions which have been
fixed in the soul a long time raise ill humors in the body, which by
continuance growing strong enough to be, as it were, a new nature,
being excited by any intervening accident, force men, though unwilling,
to their accustomed passions. Consider the timorous, they are afraid
even of those things that preserve them. Consider the pettish, they are
angry with their best and dearest friends. Consider the amorous and
lascivious, in the height of their fury they dare violate a Vestal.
For custom is very powerful to draw the temper of the body to any
thing that is suitable to it; and he that is apt to fall will stumble
at every thing that lies in his way. So that we need not wonder at
those that have raised in themselves an envious and bewitching habit,
if according to the peculiarity of their passion they are carried on
to suitable effects; for when they are once moved, they do that which
the nature of the thing, not which their will, leads them to. For as a
sphere must necessarily move spherically, and a cylinder cylindrically
according to the difference of their figures; thus his disposition
makes an envious man move enviously to all things; and it is likely
they should chiefly hurt their most familiar acquaintance and best
beloved. And that fine fellow Eutelidas you mentioned, and the rest
that are said to overlook themselves, may be easily and upon good
rational grounds accounted for; for, according to Hippocrates, a good
habit of body, when at height, is easily perverted, and bodies come to
their full maturity do not stand at a stay there, but fall and waste
down to the contrary extreme. And therefore when they are in very good
plight, and see themselves look much better than they expected, they
gaze and wonder; but then their body being nigh to change, and their
habit declining into a worse condition, they overlook themselves. And
this is done when the effluvia are stopped and reflected by the water
rather than by any other specular body; for this breathes upon them
whilst they look upon it, so that the very same particles which would
hurt others must hurt themselves. And this perchance often happens to
young children, and the cause of their diseases is falsely attributed
to those that look upon them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account