[3] Non est philosophia populare artificium nec ostentationi paratum; non in verbis sed in rebus est. Nec in hoc adhibetur, ut cum aliqua oblectatione consumatur dies, ut dematur otio nausia: animum format et fabricat, vitam disponit, actiones regit, agenda et omittenda demonstrat, sedet ad gubernaculum et per ancipitia fluctuantium derigit cursum. Sine hac nemo intrepide potest vivere, nemo secure; innumerabilia accidunt singulis horis quae consilium exigant, quod ab hac petendum est.

子張學干祿。子曰：「多聞闕疑，愼言其餘，則寡尤；多見闕殆，愼行其餘，則寡悔。言寡尤，行寡悔，祿在其中矣。」

Not to blame, not to strike, to live restrained under the law, to be moderate in eating, to sleep and sit alone, and to dwell on the highest thoughts,–this is the teaching of the Awakened.

An Old Woman became almost totally blind from a disease of the eyes, and, after consulting a Doctor, made an agreement with him in the presence of witnesses that she should pay him a high fee if he cured her, while if he failed he was to receive nothing. The Doctor accordingly prescribed a course of treatment, and every time he paid her a visit he took away with him some article out of the house, until at last, when he visited her for the last time, and the cure was complete, there was nothing left. When the Old Woman saw that the house was empty she refused to pay him his fee; and, after repeated refusals on her part, he sued her before the magistrates for payment of her debt. On being brought into court she was ready with her defence. “The claimant,” said she, “has stated the facts about our agreement correctly. I undertook to pay him a fee if he cured me, and he, on his part, promised to charge nothing if he failed. Now, he says I am cured; but I say that I am blinder than ever, and I can prove what I say. When my eyes were bad I could at any rate see well enough to be aware that my house contained a certain amount of furniture and other things; but now, when according to him I am cured, I am entirely unable to see anything there at all.”

He who walks in the company of fools suffers a long way; company with fools, as with an enemy, is always painful; company with the wise is pleasure, like meeting with kinsfolk.

A certain man put an Image on the back of his Ass to take it to one of the temples of the town. As they went along the road all the people they met uncovered and bowed their heads out of reverence for the Image; but the Ass thought they were doing it out of respect for himself, and began to give himself airs accordingly. At last he became so conceited that he imagined he could do as he liked, and, by way of protest against the load he was carrying, he came to a full stop and flatly declined to proceed any further. His driver, finding him so obstinate, hit him hard and long with his stick, saying the while, “Oh, you dunder-headed idiot, do you suppose it’s come to this, that men pay worship to an Ass?” Rude shocks await those who take to themselves the credit that is due to others.

Him I call indeed a Brahmana who utters true speech, instructive and free from harshness, so that he offend no one.

季氏使閔子騫爲費宰。閔子騫曰：「善爲我辭焉。如有復我者，則吾必在汶上矣。」

But, my good friend, reflect whether that which is noble and good is not something different from saving and being saved; for as to a man living such or such a time, at least one who is really a man, consider if this is not a thing to be dismissed from the thoughts: and there must be no love of life: but as to these matters a man must entrust them to the deity and believe what the women say, that no man can escape his destiny, the next inquiry being how he may best live the time that he has to live.

A Crow became very jealous of a Raven, because the latter was regarded by men as a bird of omen which foretold the future, and was accordingly held in great respect by them. She was very anxious to get the same sort of reputation herself; and, one day, seeing some travellers approaching, she flew on to a branch of a tree at the roadside and cawed as loud as she could. The travellers were in some dismay at the sound, for they feared it might be a bad omen; till one of them, spying the Crow, said to his companions, “It’s all right, my friends, we can go on without fear, for it’s only a crow and that means nothing.” Those who pretend to be something they are not only make themselves ridiculous.

[3] Sed de isto satis multa in iis libris locuti sumus qui de beneficiis inscribuntur: illud magis quaerendum videtur, quod non satis, ut existimo, explicatum est, an is qui profuit nobis, si postea nocuit, paria fecerit et nos debito solverit. Adice, si vis, et illud: multo plus postea nocuit quam ante profuerat.

[5] Bassus noster videbatur mihi prosequi se et componere et vivere tamquam superstes sibi et sapienter ferre desiderium sui. Nam de morte multa loquitur et id agit sedulo ut nobis persuadeat, si quid incommodi aut metus in hoc negotio est, morientis vitium esse, non mortis; non magis in ipsa quicquam esse molestiae quam post ipsam.

Saint Augustin : la raison ne se soumettrait jamais, si elle ne jugeait qu’il y a des occasions où elle se doit soumettre. Il est donc juste qu’elle se soumette, quand elle juge qu’elle se doit soumettre.

« Humilibus dat gratiam » — an ideo non dedit humilitatem ? « Sui eum non receperunt » — quotquot autem non receperunt annon erant sui ?

[7] Aut ego te non novi aut Aetna tibi salivam movet; iam cupis grande aliquid et par prioribus scribere. Plus enim sperare modestia tibi tua non permittit, quae tanta in te est ut videaris mihi retracturus ingenii tui vires, si vincendi periculum sit: tanta tibi priorum reverentia est.

子貢曰：「有美玉於斯，韞櫝而藏諸？求善賈而沽諸？」子曰：「沽之哉！沽之哉！我待賈者也！」

An act carelessly performed, a broken vow, and hesitating obedience to discipline, all this brings no great reward.

A Farmer set some traps in a field which he had lately sown with corn, in order to catch the cranes which came to pick up the seed. When he returned to look at his traps he found several cranes caught, and among them a Stork, which begged to be let go, and said, “You ought not to kill me: I am not a crane, but a Stork, as you can easily see by my feathers, and I am the most honest and harmless of birds.” But the Farmer replied, “It’s nothing to me what you are: I find you among these cranes, who ruin my crops, and, like them, you shall suffer.” If you choose bad companions no one will believe that you are anything but bad yourself.

Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.

[5] Non vacat de pretio queri, plus in accessionibus fuit. 'Vis severi illius uxorem? dabo illam. Vis divitis huius? tibi praestabo concubitum. Adulterium nisi feceris, damna. Illa formonsa quam desideras veniet. Illius tibi noctem promitto nec differo; intra comperendinationem fides promissi mei extabit.' Plus est distribuere adulteria quam facere; hoc vero matribus familiae denuntiare est.