The principles of forgiveness had also advocates in Greece and Rome. In one of the Platonic dialogues, Socrates says, "We ought not to retaliate or render evil for evil to any one, whatever evil we may have suffered from him"; though he wisely adds that "this opinion has never been held, and never will be held, by any considerable number of persons."[28] The Stoics strongly condemned anger as unnatural and unreasonable. "Mankind is born for mutual assistance, anger for mutual ruin."[29] "Anger is a crime of the mind; . . . it often is even more criminal than the faults with which it is angry."[30] He is the best and purest "who pardons others as if he sinned himself daily, but avoids sinning as if he never pardoned."[31] "If any one is angry with you, meet his anger by returning benefits for it."[32] "The cynic loves those who beat him."[33] [Footnote 28: Plato, _Crito_, p. 49.] [Footnote 29: Seneca, _De ira_, i. 5.] [Footnote 30: _Ibid._ i. 16; ii. 6.] [Footnote 31: Pliny, _Epistolæ_, ix. 22 (viii. 22).] [Footnote 32: Seneca, _op. cit._ ii. 34.] [Footnote 33: Epictetus, _Dissertationes_, iii. 22, 54.] Forgiveness of enemies is thus by no means an exclusively Christian tenet, although it has never before or after been inculcated with the same emphasis as it was by Jesus. "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."[34] When St. Peter asked, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" Jesus replied, "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven,"[35]--that is, as often as he repeats the offence. It would seem that Jesus by these sentences expressly forbade men to avenge themselves, or even {77} to feel resentment on their own behalf; and so also he was understood by St. Paul.[36] [Footnote 34: _St. Matthew_, v. 44. _Cf._ _ibid._ v. 39 _sq._; vi. 14 _sq._; _St. Luke_, vi. 27 _sqq._; xvii. 3 _sq._; _St. Mark_, xi. 25 _sq._] [Footnote 35: _St. Matthew_, xviii. 21 _sq._] [Footnote 36: _Romans_, xii. 19 _sqq._; _1 Thessalonians_, v. 14 _sq._; _Colossians_, iii. 12 _sq._]