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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Epictetus, Golden Sayings 52


"That Socrates should ever have been so treated by the Athenians!"

Slave! why say "Socrates"? Speak of the thing as it is: That ever then the poor body of Socrates should have been dragged away and hauled by main force to prison! That ever hemlock should have been given to the body of Socrates, that the body should have breathed its life away!

Do you marvel at this? Do you hold this unjust? Is it for this that you accuse God? Had Socrates no compensation for this? Where then for him was the ideal Good? Whom shall we hearken to, you or him? And what did he say? 

"Anytus and Meletus may put me to death; to injure me is beyond their power."

And again:

"If such be the will of God, so let it be."

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