Epicurus's Morals Author:Epicurus General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1712 Original Publisher: S. Briscoe Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can sele... more »ct from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: H Max. XXIL E flull he prepar'd againft all the Attacks of Fortune. Reflection. Fortune is the bittereft Enemy the Wife Man has; and as the major part of Mankind are her Slaves, and worlhip her in her Inconftancy, ibe difdains thefe, and levels her Mifchiefs at more noble Objerts. She knowing by Experience what fhe can do, makes her temerarious enough to aflauh thofe Heads that are grown grey in Speculation, and fte never defpairs finking, by the violence of hei Storms, even thofe that teach us the Art of Tran- quility. Tis therefore againft Her that the Wife Man ought to double his Caution. If lhe fmiles upon him, 'tis a Snare lhe prepares him, that he may imagin his own Merit draws thofe Prefents froi her, and that he may become blind with the Vanity of Self. love. How dreadful is this falfe Deity! Her greateft Favours ought to be fufpected, fince they can transform a reafonable Wife Man, into a proud Haughty Fool; and that the Fury of her Attacks may wrcft from the Sage himfelf, that precious Calm and Quiet of Mind, in which confii all tke Charms of his Life. He muft therefore fummons all the Strength of his Reflections, to defend himfelf againtt this pro- fefs'd Enemy of his Reft ; He muft receive Her Prefents with Indiffe'rency, and aim himfelf much more againft het Carefles than her Difpleafure : She ought to be more fufpected by him when lhe flatters, than frightful in the time of her Anger : If lhe begins to rage, he muft encounter her with all the Refolution poffible ; her moft cruel Events don't concern us ; lhe can take nothing from us, but what depends...« less