Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers
Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers
Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers
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"<br />
De Providentia<br />
their sacred duties while impure women are enjoying<br />
sound sleep? Toil claims the best men. The senate<br />
is <strong>of</strong>ten in session during the entire day, when at<br />
the<br />
same time all the vilest men are either taking their<br />
ease in the Campus Martins, or loitering in eatinghouses,<br />
or wasting their time in idle gossip. It is<br />
just so in the world at large good men toil, sacrifice<br />
themselves or are sacrificed, <strong>and</strong> willingly at that.<br />
They are not dragged along by destiny, they follow it<br />
<strong>and</strong> keep pace with it; had they known whither it<br />
would lead them, they would have preceded it.<br />
4. I remember also to have heard these encourag<br />
ing words from that noblest <strong>of</strong> men, Demetrius.<br />
one complaint," said he, I have to make against you,<br />
ye immortal gods: it is that ye did not sooner make<br />
known to me your will; for <strong>of</strong> my own accord I would<br />
have come to those things to which I am now sum<br />
"<br />
This<br />
moned. Do you wish to take away my children?<br />
For you I have brought them up.<br />
Do you wish any<br />
portion <strong>of</strong> my body? Take it. No great thing<br />
it is<br />
that I am <strong>of</strong>fering you; soon I shall resign it entirely<br />
not? I shall not<br />
to you. Do you wish my life? Why<br />
be slow to give back to you what ye have entrusted<br />
to my keeping; ye shall find me willing to give up<br />
anything ye ask.<br />
Still I should rather have preferred<br />
it to you than given it up. What need was there to<br />
take what you could have had as a gift. Yet not<br />
even now do ye need to constrain me, since that is<br />
not taken from a man which he does not try to retain.<br />
I am in no sense the victim <strong>of</strong> constraint or violence,<br />
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