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Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers

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&quot;<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,&quot; 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 />

&quot;<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 />

98

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