THE PRICE OF TRANQUILLITY.
1. If you would advance in philosophy you must abandon such thoughts as,
_If I neglect my affairs I shall not have the means of living. If I do
not correct my servant he will be good for nothing._ For it is better to
die of hunger, having lived without grief and fear, than to live with a
troubled spirit amid abundance. And it is better to have a bad servant
than an afflicted mind.
2. Make a beginning then in small matters. Is a little of your oil
spilt, or a little wine stolen? Then say to yourself, _For so much peace
is bought, this is the price of tranquillity_. For nothing can be gained
without paying for it. And when you call your servant, bethink you that
he may not hear, or, hearing, may not obey. For him, indeed, that is not
well, but for you it is altogether well that he have not the power to
trouble your mind.