The Moral Discourses Of Epictetus

N1ORAL DISCOURSES EPICTETUS Translated y 3 ELIZABETH CARTER LONDON . TORONTO PUBLISHED BYJ M DENT . SONS DP JN NEVtrTORK BYE P DUTTON . CO FIRST ISSUE OF THIS EDITION . 1910 REPRINTED ... 19x1, 1913, 1916, 1920, 1926, 1998 IN SRBAT BttttUN EDITORS NOTE NOTHING need be added to Mrs. Carters sketch of the Stoic philosophy and its most interesting expounder. It is strange indeed that English readers have been content to neglect Epic tetus, who is superior to Marcus Aurelius intellectually as morally. Intellectually, indeed, there is no comparison between them but Marcus Aurelius seems to have become a fashion, with Omar Khayyam, whereas the keen pungent wit of Epic tetus is less to the taste of an age of sentimentalists. Epictetus has the philosophers dry light. He is so human, too, and his life was so true to his faith, that the reader can both love and respect him. In this, as in literary qualities, he has the advan tage over Seneca, who was too diffuse, and not free from the suspicion of temporising. Mrs. Carters own style is not the style of Epictetus but it is a style, which is more than can be said of most writers at this time. At least she has represented the authors ideas faithfully and coherently. W. H. D. ROUSE. BIBLIOGRAPHY Encheiridion, with Simplidus Commentary, zst edition, Jo. Ant. et fratres de Sabio, Venice. July, MDXXVtll. First Complete Test, Norenbergae, 1529, TRANSLATIONS Translation of complete works by Elizabeth Carter, 1758, 1759. 4th edition, 1807 T. W. Higginson, based on E. Carter. 1865, Boston, 1897. Encheiridion, T. W. H. Rolleston, z88z Camelot Classics, 1886 Lub Docks Hundred Books, No. 4 with golden verses of Pytha goras, T. Talbot, x88z Discourses, Encheiridion, and fragments, G. Long Bonn, 1848 8, etc. Discourses, G. Long, 1902, 1003 Temple, 1899. Manual, T. Sanford from the French, 1567 ley, 1610 with addition of Theophrastus Characters, Classic E. Carter, and Cebes, J. Healey, 161 1616 H. MConnac, 1844. Life and Philosophy, with Cebes, T. Davies from the French, 1670 Epictetus, his morals, with Simpucius, his comment, G. Stanhope, 1694 with life by Boileau, 1700, and other later editions Morals, with Life, 1805. vii TRANSLATORS INTRODUCTION i. THE Stoic sect was founded by Zeno, about three hundred years before the Christian era, and flourished in great reputation till the declension of the Roman Empire. A complete history of this philosophy would be the work of a large volume and nothing further is intended here than such a summary view of it as may be of use to give a clearer notion of those passages in Epictetus, a strict professor of it, which allude to some of its peculiar doctrines. 2. That the end of man is to live conformably to nature was universally agreed on amongst all the philosophers but in what that conformity to nature consists was the point in dispute. The Epicureans maintained that it consisted in pleasure, of which they constituted sense the judge. 1 The Stoics, on the contrary, placed it in an absolute perfection of the soul. Neither of them seem to have understood man in his mixed capacity but while the first debased him to a mere animal, the last exalted him to a pure intelligence, and both considered him as bdependent, uncorrupted, and sufficient, either by height of virtue or by well-regulated indulgence, to his own happiness. The Stoical excess was more useful to the public, as it often pro duced greatand noble efforts towards that perfection to which it was supposed possible for human nature to arrive. Yet, at the same time, by flattering man with false and presumptuous ideas of his own power and excellence, it tempted even the best to pride a vice not only dreadfully mischievous in human society, but perhaps, of all others, the most insuperable bar to real inward improvement. 3. Epictetus often mentions three topics, or classes, under which the whole of moral philosophy is comprehended...