Caput
1 II | herself kindly; life, if you know how to use it, is long.
2 II | their lusts abides. Think you that I am speaking of the
3 II | are known by heart, and you will see that these are
4 II | After all, no matter who you are, the great man does
5 II | does sometimes look toward you even if his face is insolent,
6 II | to your words, he permits you to appear at his side; but
7 II | appear at his side; but you never deign to look upon
8 II | services, seeing that, when you performed them, you had
9 II | when you performed them, you had no wish for another'
10 III | men and say: "I see that you have reached the farthest
11 III | farthest limit of human life, you are pressing hard upon your
12 III | has lain idle and unused; you will see that you have fewer
13 III | unused; you will see that you have fewer years to your
14 III | years to your credit than you count. Look back in memory
15 III | memory and consider when you ever had a fixed plan, how
16 III | few days have passed as you had intended, when you were
17 III | as you had intended, when you were ever at your own disposal,
18 III | ever unperturbed, what work you have achieved in so long
19 III | life, how many have robbed you of life when you were not
20 III | robbed you of life when you were not aware of what you
21 III | you were not aware of what you were losing, how much was
22 III | of yourself was left to you; you will perceive that
23 III | yourself was left to you; you will perceive that you are
24 III | you will perceive that you are dying before your season!"7
25 III | is the reason of this? You live as if you were destined
26 III | of this? You live as if you were destined to live forever,
27 III | time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander
28 III | gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you
29 III | You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant
30 III | the while that day which you bestow on some person or
31 III | thing is perhaps your last. You have all the fears of mortals
32 III | the desires of immortals. You will hear many men saying: "
33 III | what guarantee, pray, have you that your life will last
34 III | your course to be just as you plan it? Are you not ashamed
35 III | just as you plan it? Are you not ashamed to reserve for
36 IV | IV. You will see that the most powerful
37 V | shattered arms in Spain! "Do you ask," he said, "what I am
38 VI | amount of time. The space you have, which reason can prolong,
39 VI | of necessity escapes from you quickly; for you do not
40 VI | escapes from you quickly; for you do not seize it, you neither
41 VI | for you do not seize it, you neither hold it back, nor
42 VI | thing in the world, but you allow it to slip away as
43 VII | a seemly manner; though you should cite to me the men
44 VII | matter of business—, and you will see how their interests,
45 VII | their interests, whether you call them evil or good,
46 VII | and—what will perhaps make you wonder more—it takes the
47 VII | And there is no reason for you to suppose that these people
48 VII | aware of their loss. Indeed, you will hear many of those
49 VII | chance to live." Of course you have no chance! All those
50 VII | chance! All those who summon you to themselves, turn you
51 VII | you to themselves, turn you away from your own self.
52 VII | has that defendant robbed you? Of how many that candidate?
53 VII | powerful friend who has you and your like on the list,
54 VII | review the days of your life; you will see that very few,
55 VII | refuse. have been left for you. That man who had prayed
56 VII | so there is no reason for you to think that any man has
57 VII | existed long. For what if you should think that that man
58 VIII | carefully which will fail you know not when. ~ Yet there
59 VIII | Yet there is no reason for you to suppose that these people
60 VIII | years, no one will bestow you once more on yourself. Life
61 VIII | noise, it will not remind you of its swiftness. Silent
62 VIII | what will be the result? You have been engrossed, life
63 VIII | for which, willy nilly, you must find leisure.
64 IX | morrow and wastes to-day. You dispose of that which lies
65 IX | in the hands of Fortune, you let go that which lies in
66 IX | in your own. Whither do you look? At what goal do you
67 IX | you look? At what goal do you aim? All things that are
68 IX | first to flee.19 ~"Why do you delay," says he, "Why are
69 IX | delay," says he, "Why are you idle? Unless you seize the
70 IX | Why are you idle? Unless you seize the day, it flees."
71 IX | it flees." Even though you seize it, it still will
72 IX | still will flee; therefore you must vie with time's swiftness
73 IX | and will not always flow, you must drink quickly. And,
74 IX | your greed inclines, do you stretch before yourself
75 IX | fast? The poet speaks to you about the day, and about
76 X | past time will appear when you bid them, they will suffer
77 X | bid them, they will suffer you to behold them and keep
78 X | no matter how much water you pour into a vessel, if there
79 XI | XI. In a word, do you want to know how they do
80 XII | XII. Perhaps you ask whom I would call "the
81 XII | There is no reason for you to suppose that I mean only
82 XII | the law-court, those whom you see either gloriously crushed
83 XII | in busy idleness.24 Would you say that that man is at
84 XII | athletes? Tell me, would you say that those men are at
85 XII | barbered than upright? Would you say that these are at leisure
86 XII | pampered people—provided that you can call it pampering to
87 XII | questioningly: "Am I now seated?" Do you think that this man, who
88 XII | then, is not at leisure, you must apply to him a different
89 XIII | of this stamp, which, if you keep them to yourself, in
90 XIII | your secret soul, and, if you publish them, make you seem
91 XIII | if you publish them, make you seem more of a bore than
92 XIII | popular speech. Perhaps you will permit someone to be
93 XIII | the same sort? For though you grant that they tell these
94 XV | one of these will force you to die, but all will teach
95 XV | die, but all will teach you how to die; no one of these
96 XV | one of these will bring you peril, the friendship of
97 XV | tax your purse. From them you will take whatever you wish;
98 XV | them you will take whatever you wish; it will be no fault
99 XV | be no fault of theirs if you do not draw the utmost that
100 XV | not draw the utmost that you can desire. What happiness,
101 XV | choose the one into which you wish to be adopted; you
102 XV | you wish to be adopted; you will inherit not merely
103 XV | spirit; the more persons you share it with, the greater
104 XV | become. These will open to you the path to immortality,
105 XV | immortality, and will raise you to a height from which no
106 XVI | sometimes invoke death, have you any reason to think it any
107 XVI | they fear it. And, too, you have no reason to think
108 XVII | born. But of what sort do you think those times are which
109 XVIII| storm-tossed for the time you have lived, at length withdraw
110 XVIII| Think of how many waves you have encountered, how many
111 XVIII| storms, on the one hand, you have sustained in private
112 XVIII| how many, on the other, you have brought upon yourself
113 XVIII| well. And I do not summon you to slothful or idle inaction,
114 XVIII| crowd. That is not to rest; you will find far greater works
115 XVIII| greater works than all those you have hitherto performed
116 XVIII| energetically, to occupy you in the midst of your release
117 XVIII| release and retirement. You, I know, manage the accounts
118 XVIII| whole world as honestly as you would a stranger's, as carefully
119 XVIII| stranger's, as carefully as you would your own, as conscientiously
120 XVIII| own, as conscientiously as you would the state's. You win
121 XVIII| as you would the state's. You win love in an office in
122 XVIII| from your earliest years, you were not aiming at this—
123 XVIII| of corn to your charge; you gave hope of something greater
124 XVIII| besides, how much worry you have in subjecting yourself
125 XVIII| state—with good reason, you may be sure. For certain
126 XIX | XIX. Do you retire to these quieter,
127 XIX | safer, greater things! Think you that it is just the same
128 XIX | is just the same whether you are concerned in having
129 XIX | and measure, or whether you enter upon these sacred
130 XIX | full of mighty wonders? You really must leave the ground
131 XX | XX. And so when you see a man often wearing
132 XX | the robe of office, when you see one whose name is famous
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