The Enchiridion — Chapter 46: Section LI
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[8]Cleanthes, in Diogenes Laertius, quoted also by Seneca, Epistle 107.
[5][This refers to an anecdote given in full by Simplicius, in his commentary on this passage, of a man assaulted and killed on his way to consult the oracle, while his companion, deserting him, took refuge in the temple till cast out by the Deity.—Tr.]
I say, therefore, that the arms with which a prince defends his state are either his own, or they are mercenaries, auxiliaries, or mixed. Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious, and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy. The fact is, they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you. They are ready enough to be your soldiers whilst you do not make war, but if war comes they take themselves off or run from the foe; which I should have little trouble to prove, for the ruin of Italy has been caused by nothing else than by resting all her hopes for many years on mercenaries, and although they formerly made some display and appeared valiant amongst themselves, yet when the foreigners came they showed what they were. Thus it was that Charles, King of France, was allowed to seize Italy with chalk in hand;[1] and he who told us that our sins were the cause of it told the truth, but they were not the sins he imagined, but those which I have related. And as they were the sins of princes, it is the princes who have also suffered the penalty.
[3]Euphrates was a philosopher of Syria, whose character is described, with the highest encomiums, by Pliny the Younger, Letters I. 10.
Besides this, one cannot by fair dealing, and without injury to others, satisfy the nobles, but you can satisfy the people, for their object is more righteous than that of the nobles, the latter wishing to oppress, while the former only desire not to be oppressed. It is to be added also that a prince can never secure himself against a hostile people, because of there being too many, whilst from the nobles he can secure himself, as they are few in number. The worst that a prince may expect from a hostile people is to be abandoned by them; but from hostile nobles he has not only to fear abandonment, but also that they will rise against him; for they, being in these affairs more far-seeing and astute, always come forward in time to save themselves, and to obtain favours from him whom they expect to prevail. Further, the prince is compelled to live always with the same people, but he can do well without the same nobles, being able to make and unmake them daily, and to give or take away authority when it pleases him.
A story that may very fitly be coupled with another of the same kind, of recent date, of a prince of our own nation, who being at Trent, and having news there brought him of the death of his elder brother, a brother on whom depended the whole support and honour of his house, and soon after of that of a younger brother, the second hope of his family, and having withstood these two assaults with an exemplary resolution; one of his servants happening a few days after to die, he suffered his constancy to be overcome by this last accident; and, parting with his courage, so abandoned himself to sorrow and mourning, that some thence were forward to conclude that he was only touched to the quick by this last stroke of fortune; but, in truth, it was, that being before brimful of grief, the least addition overflowed the bounds of all patience. Which, I think, might also be said of the former example, did not the story proceed to tell us that Cambyses asking Psammenitus, “Why, not being moved at the calamity of his son and daughter, he should with so great impatience bear the misfortune of his friend?” “It is,” answered he, “because only this last affliction was to be manifested by tears, the two first far exceeding all manner of expression.”
Rishis and Siddhas cry "Hail! Highest Majesty!" From sage and singer breaks the hymn of glory In dulcet harmony, Sounding the praise of Thee; While countless companies take up the story,
HERE ENDETH CHAPTER I. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, Entitled "Arjun-Vishad," Or "The Book of the Distress of Arjuna."
We have seen above how necessary it is for a prince to have his foundations well laid, otherwise it follows of necessity he will go to ruin. The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed, it follows that where they are well armed they have good laws. I shall leave the laws out of the discussion and shall speak of the arms.
Enough, I said, of these civilities. It will be better that I should ask you a question: Is the physician, taken in that strict sense of which you are speaking, a healer of the sick or a maker of money? And remember that I am now speaking of the true physician.
(2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier’s minds.
By Me the whole vast Universe of things Is spread abroad;--by Me, the Unmanifest! In Me are all existences contained; Not I in them!
(LLA 29) .60 Dostoevski: The Grand Inquisitor on the Nature of Man. Tr. C. Garnett. (LLA 63) .40 *Dryden: An Essay of Dramatic Poesy. (LLA 104) .60 Emerson: Nature. (LLA 2) .40 Epictetus: The Enchiridion. Tr. T. W. Higginson. (LLA 8) .40 Erasmus: Ten Colloquies of Erasmus. Tr. C. R. Thompson. (LLA 48) cl. $3.00 .90 Euripides: Electra. Tr. M. Hadas. (LLA 26) .40 Fichte: The Vocation of Man. Tr. W. Smith. (LLA 50) .75 Goethe: Faust I. Tr. B. Q. Morgan. (LLA 33) cl. $2.50 .75 Grotius: Prolegomena to the Law of War and Peace. Tr. F. W. Kelsey. (LLA 65) .50 Hanslick: The Beautiful in Music. (LLA 45) cl. $2.50 .80 Harrington: The Political Writings of James Harrington. (LLA 38) cl. $3.00 .90 Hegel: Reason in History. Tr. R. S. Hartman. (LLA 35) cl. $2.75 .75 Hesiod: Theogony. Tr. N. O. Brown. (LLA 36) .50 Hobbes: Leviathan I-II. (LLA 69) 1.00 *Hume.: David Hume’s Literary Essays. (LLA 84) .90 ——: David Hume’s Political Essays. (LLA 34) cl. $3.00 .90 ——: An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding. (LLA 49) .80 ——: An Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals. (LLA 62) .75 *Kant: Critique of the Aesthetic Judgment. Tr. W. Cerf. (LLA 73) 1.25 ——: Critique of Practical Reason. Tr. L. W. Beck. (LLA 52) .90 ——: Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals. Tr. T. K. Abbott. (LLA 16) .60 ——: Perpetual Peace. Tr. M. C. Smith. (LLA 3) .45 ——: Perpetual Peace. Tr. L. W. Beck. (LLA 54) .50 *——: Perpetual Peace and the Idea of a Universal Commonwealth. Tr. L. W. Beck. (LLA 96) .75 *——: Philosophy of Right. Tr. J. Ladd. (LLA 72) 1.25 ——: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Tr. Mahaffy-Carus; rev. L. W. Beck. (LLA 27) cl. $2.00 .85 *——: Religion within the Limits of Reason. Tr. T. M. Green. (LLA 108) cl. $3.50 1.00 Kleist: The Prince of Homburg. Tr. C. E. Passage. (LLA 60) .75 *Le Bon: Mass Psychology (The Crowd). (LLA 90) .80 *Leibniz: Monadology and Other Philosophical Essays. Tr. P. & A.
When you have learned to nourish your body frugally, do not pique yourself upon it; nor, if you drink water, be saying upon every occasion, “I drink water.” But first consider how much more frugal are the poor than we, and how much more patient of hardship. If at any time you would inure yourself by exercise to labor and privation, for your own sake and not for the public, do not attempt great feats; but when you are violently thirsty, just rinse your mouth with water, and tell nobody.
So did Pandu's Son behold All this universe enfold All its huge diversity Into one vast shape, and be Visible, and viewed, and blended In one Body--subtle, splendid, Nameless--th' All-comprehending God of Gods, the Never-Ending Deity!
Such and such things, from such and such causes, must of necessity proceed. He that would not have such things to happen, is as he that would have the fig-tree grow without any sap or moisture. In sum, remember this, that within a very little while, both thou and he shall both be dead, and after a little while more, not so much as your names and memories shall be remaining.
Be not deceived; for thou shalt never live to read thy moral commentaries, nor the acts of the famous Romans and Grecians; nor those excerpta from several books; all which thou hadst provided and laid up for thyself against thine old age. Hasten therefore to an end, and giving over all vain hopes, help thyself in time if thou carest for thyself, as thou oughtest to do.
Thou, of all souls the Soul! The Comprehending Whole! Of being formed, and formless being the Framer; O Utmost One! O Lord! Older than eld, Who stored The worlds with wealth of life! O Treasure-Claimer,
Seneca's Morals of a Happy Life, Benefits, Anger and Clemency — Chapter 2: Benefits — Chapter II: Several Sorts Of Benefits