The Discourses of Epictetus; with the Encheiridion and Fragments

by Epictetus

Layout 1

THE

DISCOURSES OF EPICTETUS.

 

THE

DISCOURSES OF EPICTETUS;

WITH THE

ENCHEIRIDION AND FRAGMENTS.

TRANSLATED,

WITH NOTES, A LIFE OF EPICTETUS, AND A VIEW OF HIS
PHILOSOPHY,

By GEORGE LONG.

 

“The important question, What is the rule of Life? is lost out of the world.”—Bp. Butler.

“Consider thyself to be dead, and to have completed thy life up to the present time; and live according to Nature the remainder which is allowed thee.”—M. Antoninus, vii. 56.

 

LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS, YORK STREET,
COVENT GARDEN.

1877.

All rights reserved.

 

Introduction (not listed in original)

Epictetus ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

page xi

The Philosophy of Epictetus ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

xvii

Prologue ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

1

CONTENTS.

 

 

BOOK I.
CHAP.		PAGE
I.	Of the Things which are in our Power, and not in our Power	3
II.	How a Man on every occasion can maintain his Proper Character	8
III.	How a Man should proceed from the principle of God being the Father of all Men to the rest	12
IV.	Of Progress or Improvement	13
V.	Against the Academics	17
VI.	Of Providence	19
VII.	Of the use of Sophistical Arguments and Hypothetical, and the like	23
VIII.	That the Faculties are not safe to the Uninstructed	28
IX.	How from the Fact that we are akin to God a Man may proceed to the Consequences	30
X.	Against those who eagerly seek Preferment at Rome	35
XI.	Of Natural Affection	37
XII.	Of Contentment	41
XIII.	How Everything may be done acceptably to the Gods	45
XIV.	That the Deity oversees All Things	46
XV.	What Philosophy promises	49
XVI.	Of Providence	50
XVII.	That the Logical Art is necessary	52
XVIII.	That we ought not to be Angry with the Errors (Faults) of others	55
XIX.	How we should behave to Tyrants	60
XX.	About Reason and how it contemplates itself	63
XXI.	Against those who wish to be Admired	66
XXII.	Of Praecognitions	66
XXIII.	Against Epicurus	69
XXIV.	How we should struggle with Circumstances	70
XXV.	On the same	73
XXVI.	What is the Law of Life	77
XXVII.	In how many ways Appearances exist, and what Aids we should provide against them	80
XXVIII.	That we ought not to be Angry with Men; and what are the Small and the Great Things among Men	83
XXIX.	On Constancy (or Firmness)	87
XXX.	What we ought to have ready in Difficult Circumstances	96
BOOK II.
I.	That Confidence (Courage) is not inconsistent with Caution	97
II.	Of Tranquillity (Freedom from Perturbation)	103
III.	To those who recommend Persons to Philosophers	106
IV.	Against a Person who had once been detected in Adultery	107
V.	How Magnanimity is consistent with Care	108
VI.	Of Indifference	112
VII.	How we ought to use Divination	116
VIII.	What is the Nature (ἡ οὐσία) of the Good	118
IX.	That when we cannot fulfil that which the Character of a Man promises, we assume the Character of a Philosopher	123
X.	How we may discover the Duties of Life from Names	127
XI.	What the Beginning of Philosophy is	130
XII.	Of Disputation or Discussion	133
XIII.	Of Anxiety (Solicitude)	136
XIV.	To Naso	140
XV.	To or against those who obstinately Persist in what they have determined	144
XVI.	That we do not strive to use our Opinions about Good and Evil	147
XVII.	How we must adapt Preconceptions to particular Cases	153
XVIII.	How we should struggle against Appearances	158
XIX.	Against those who embrace Philosophical Opinions only in Words	162
XX.	Against the Epicureans and Academics	167
XXI.	Of Inconsistency	173
XXII.	Of Friendship	176
XXIII.	On the Power of Speaking	182
XXIV.	To (or against) a Person who was one of those who were not valued (esteemed) by him	188
XXV.	That Logic is necessary	192
XXVI.	What is the Property of Error	192
BOOK III.
I.	Of Finery in Dress	195
II.	In what a Man ought to be exercised who has made Proficiency; and that we neglect the Chief Things	201
III.	What is the Matter on which a Good Man should be employed, and in what we ought chiefly to employ ourselves	204
IV.	Against a Person who showed his Partizanship in an unseemly way in a Theatre	207
V.	Against those who on account of Sickness go away Home	209
VI.	Miscellaneous	211
VII.	To the Administrator of the Free Cities who was an Epicurean	213
VIII.	How we must exercise ourselves against Appearances (φαντασίαι)	218
IX.	To a certain Rhetorician who was going up to Rome on a Suit	219
X.	In what Manner we ought to bear Sickness	222
XI.	Certain Miscellaneous Matters	225
XII.	About Exercise	225
XIII.	What Solitude is, and what Kind of Person a Solitary Man is	228
XIV.	Certain Miscellaneous Matters	233
XV.	That we ought to proceed with Circumspection to Everything	234
XVI.	That we ought with Caution to enter into Familiar Intercourse with Men	236
XVII.	Of Providence	238
XVIII.	That we ought not to be disturbed by any News	239
XIX.	What is the Condition of a Common Kind of Man and of a Philosopher	240
XX.	That we can derive Advantage from all External Things	241
XXI.	Against those who readily come to the Profession of Sophists	244
XXII.	About Cynism	248
XXIII.	To those who read and discuss for the sake of Ostentation	264
XXIV.	That we ought not to be moved by a Desire of those Things which are not in our Power	270
XXV.	To those who fall off (desist) from their Purpose	287
XXVI.	To those who fear Want	289
BOOK IV.
I.	About Freedom	295
II.	Of Familiar Intimacy	322
III.	What Things we should Exchange for other Things	324
IV.	To those who are desirous of passing Life in Tranquillity	325
V.	Against the Quarrelsome and Ferocious	333
VI.	Against those who lament over being Pitied	339
VII.	On Freedom from Fear	345
VIII.	Against those who hastily rush into the Philosophic Dress	351
IX.	To a Person who had been changed to a Character of Shamelessness	357
X.	What Things we ought to Despise and what Things we ought to Value	360
XI.	About Purity (Cleanliness)	366
XII.	On Attention	372
XIII.	Against or to those who readily Tell their own Affairs	375
The Encheiridion or Manual		379
Fragments		405
Index		441

LONDON:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS,

STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

 

TO

ESTHER LAWRENCE,

A DILIGENT READER OF EPICTETUS,

TO WHOM THE TRANSLATOR OWES MANY

USEFUL REMARKS.