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THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM





THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
A VOLUME OF DAILY READINGS FROM SOME
ANCIENT WRITERS FOR FAMILY
SCHOOL, AND PRIVATE
MEDITATION
COMPILED BY
JAMES DeNORMANDIE, D. D.
MINISTER OF THE FIRST CHURCH, ROXBURY, BOSTON

Gaut
3
Saut
des
Ghe Riverside Press
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY
Che Aiderside Press, Cambridge
1903


COPYRIGHT 1903 BY JAMES DE NORMANDIE
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published November 1903
TOL SEMINAR
DEC 9. 1903
LIBRARY


To my Wife
WHOSE JUDGMENT OF THE BEAUTIFUL, THE
TRUE, AND THE SPIRITUAL IN LITER-
ATURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN
MY HELP


Και τους θησαυρούς των πάλαι σοφών ανδρών, ους εκείνοι κατέλιπον έν βιβλίοις
γράψαντες, ανελιττών κοινή συν τοις φίλοις διέρχομαι, και αν τι δρώμεν άγαθον,
εκλεγόμεθα, και μέγα νομίζομεν κέρδος, εάν αλλήλοις φίλοι γιγνώμεθα.
Xenophontis Memorabilia, 1. 6. 14.


AN INTRODUCTORY WORD
THERE is hardly a passage in this volume which the reader
of good literature will not recognize ; but we find ourselves
coming back with fresh interest to these words of wisdom
which have helped centuries of speaking, thinking men and
women; and there is always another generation of young
persons attracted to what the past generations have found
true and beautiful.
The purpose of this book is a little different from selec-
tions of proverbs, mottoes, or sentences which constantly
appear. It is to revive, if possible, some form of family
service, grown often so formal, so undevout, or, more com-
monly, entirely given up. In our own busy and wearing
activities there is the greater need of a few minutes at
some meal or at some home gathering, to call to mind what
thoughtful and reverent men of old said about the great
questions of life which still press upon us for an answer.
If in many homes more time can be spared than for the
reading, there is here hardly a page which may not provoke
good conversation, or suggest a striking similarity to our
own serious problems, perhaps cause surprise and regret
that we have not made more rapid progress in turning this
ancient wisdom into modern living.
Sometimes the same truth comes to us more strikingly
when expressed in other writings than in the familiar —
though, I fear, growing less familiar — and sublime precepts
of our own Scriptures. He would be dull or heedless indeed
who is not helped by such passages as the choice of Hercu-
les, the wonderful story of Er, the constant reference to the
superior man, and the emphasis on sincerity by Confucius,


viii
AN INTRODUCTORY WORD
the old story of the corrupting power of riches, the pictures
of old age, the fine insight into true friendship, the testi-
mony to the power of the soul over the body, the weighty
words for temperance and good government, as if spoken
to-day for every home and every legislator and every citizen
in our land.
These selections have been put into my note-books during
the past forty years, in varying experiences and moods, so
that if any reason were asked for this one or for that one,
I might not give it now, but some time it had its interest
and uplift, and for them all I can offer only the explanation
of Montaigne for his friendship with La Boetie, “because
it was he, because it was I.” I commend them to homes,
to schools, and to the ever increasing number of solitary
readers and thinkers in the lonely lodging-places of town
and city.
I acknowledge gratefully the courtesy of Messrs. Little
and Brown for permitting me to make use of Higginson's
translation of Epictetus, and my indebtedness to various
translators, some quite old and some modern.
I shall be content if my selections lead the reader to a
greater love for these ancient seers.
JAMES DENORMANDIE.
45 LAMBERT AVENUE, BOSTON,
June 9, 1903.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM





THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JANUARY 1
ISDOM is fairer than the sun, and above all the
constellations of the stars : Being compared with
light she is found to be before it : For to the
light of day succeedeth night, but against wisdom evil doth
not prevail ; but she reacheth from one end of the world to
the other with full strength, and ordereth all things unto
good use. She glorifieth her noble birth in that it is given
her to live with God, and the Sovereign Lord of all loved
her. When I am come into my house I shall find rest with
her : for converse with her hath no bitterness, and to live
with her hath no pain, but gladness and joy. She that is
the artificer of all things taught me, even wisdom. For
there is in her a spirit quick of understanding, holy, alone
in kind, manifold, subtile, freely moving, clear in utterance,
unpolluted, distinct, unharmed, loving what is good, keen,
unhindered, beneficent, loving toward man, stedfast, sure,
free from care, all-powerful, all-surveying, and penetrating
through all spirits that are quick of understanding, pure,
most subtile : For wisdom is more mobile than any motion :
Yea she pervadeth and penetrateth all things by reason of
her pureness. For she is a breath of the power of God, and
a clear effulgence of the glory of the Almighty : Therefore
can nothing defiled find entrance into her. For she is an
effulgence from everlasting light and an unspotted mirror
of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. And
she being one, hath power to do all things; and remaining
in herself, reneweth all things; and from generation to


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
generation passing into holy souls, she maketh men friends
of God and prophets. For nothing doth God love save him
that dwelleth with wisdom.
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
JANUARY 2
D ERCEIVING that I could not otherwise possess wis-
T dom except God gave her me
- I pleaded with the Lord and besought him,
And with my whole heart I said,
O God of the fathers, and Lord who keepest thy mercy,
Who madest all things by thy word;
Give me wisdom, her that sitteth by thee on thy throne;
For even if a man be perfect among the sons of men,
Yet if the wisdom that cometh from thee be not with him,
he shall be held in no account.
Send her forth out of the holy heavens,
And from the throne of thy glory bid her come,
That being present with me she may toil with me,
And that I may learn what is well-pleasing before thee:
And in my doings she shall guide me in ways of soberness.
For the thoughts of mortals are timorous,
And our devices are prone to fail.
For a corruptible body weigheth down the soul,
And the earthly frame lieth heavily on a mind that is full
of cares.
And hardly do we divine the things that are on earth
And the things that are close at hand we find with labor :
But the things that are in the heavens who ever yet traced
out?
And who ever gained knowledge of thy counsel, except thou
gavest wisdom,
And sentest thy holy spirit from on high ?
And it was thus that the ways of them which are on earth
were corrected,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
en wer
I
And men were taught the things that are pleasing unto
thee;
And through wisdom were they saved.
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
JANUARY 3
(TAND firm upon the beaten ways, and consider, and
ask for paths eternal, and ye shall find the resting-
place for your souls.
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not
saved.
Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exerciseth loving-
kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth, for in
these things I delight, saith the Lord. O Lord, I know
that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps. If thou hast run with the
footmen and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou
contend with horses, and if in the land of peace, wherein
thou treadest, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in
the swelling of the Jordan ? The heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the
Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every
man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his
doings.
He judged the cause of the poor and the needy; then it
was well with him : was not this to know me, saith the
Lord ?
Woe is me for my hurt, my wound is grievous, but I said,
truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy back-
slidings shall reprove thee.
I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed, how
then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange
vine unto me?


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will
not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful,
saith the Lord, and I will not keep my anger forever.
JEREMIAH.
JANUARY 4.
RULY in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills,
and from the multitude of mountains, truly in the
Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
We looked for peace, but no good came, and for a time
of health, and behold trouble.
I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope in
your latter end; and ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go
and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you, and ye shall
seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all
your heart. In those days they shall say no more, the
fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children's teeth are
set on edge, but every one shall die for his own iniquity;
every man that eateth the sour grape his teeth shall be set
on edge.
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a
perpetual backsliding ; they hold fast deceit, and they re-
fuse to return. The redemption is thine, buy it for thyself.
After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their
God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no
more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother
saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the
least unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord, for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
For my people have committed two evils : they have for-
saken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them
out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
JEREMIAH.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 5
JANUARY 5
LMOST all young persons are alike beautiful in my
eyes. The part can never be well unless the whole
is well. All good and evil, whether in the body or in
human nature, originates in the soul. Where temperance
is there health is speedily imparted not only to the head,
but to the whole body. This is the great error of our day
in the treatment of the human body, that physicians sepa-
rate the soul from the body. The point is not who said the
words, but whether they are true or not. Is not the discov-
ery of things as they truly are a common good to all man-
kind ? Truth guiding, and error having been expelled in all
their doings, men would have done well, and would have been
happy. Friends have all things in common, so that one of
you can be no richer than the other, if you say truly that
you are friends. Children are your riches, and upon their
turning out well or ill depends the whole order of their
father's house. I would fain grow old, learning many things.
Modesty is becoming in youth. He who does not fly from
reproof will be sure to take more heed of his after life. Let
us make the education of our youth our own education.
When you buy the wares of knowledge, you must take them
into the soul and go your way, either greatly harmed or
greatly benefited by the lesson. Education and admonition
commence in the first years of childhood, and last to the
very end of life. A man who would be happy must not only
have the good things, but he must also use them — there is
no advantage in merely having them. I have actually known
some who were ready to bite me when I deprived them of
a darling folly; they did not perceive that I acted from
goodwill, not knowing that no God is the enemy of man
neither am I their enemy in all this, but religion will never
allow me to admit falsehood, or to stifle the truth.
PLATO.


6
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JANUARY 6
'HERE too was Cephalus, whom I had not seen for
a long time, and I thought him very much aged.
He was seated on a cushioned chair, and had a garland
on his head, for he had been holding a sacrifice in the court.
He said, You do not come to see me, Socrates, as often as
you ought. For if I were able to go to you, I would not ask
you to come to me. But at my age I can hardly get to the
city, and therefore you ought to come oftener to the Piræus.
For, indeed, I find that at my time of life, as the pleasures
and delights of the body fade away, the love of discourse
grows upon me.
Socrates said : There is nothing which I like better, Ceph-
alus, than conversing with aged men like yourself; for I
regard them as travellers who have gone a journey which
I too may have to go, and of whom I ought to enquire,
whether the way is smooth and easy, or rugged and difficult.
And this is a question which I should like to ask of you
who have arrived at that time which the poets call the
“threshold of old age," — Is life harder towards the end,
or what report do you give of it ?
I will tell you, Socrates, he said, what my own feeling is.
Old men flock together: they are birds of a feather, as the
proverb says, and at our meetings the tale of my acquaint-
ances commonly is — I cannot eat, I cannot drink, the
pleasures of youth and love are fled away; there was a good
time once, but that is gone, and now life is no longer life.
They tell you plaintively of how many evils old age is the
cause. But I do not believe that the blame is where they
say. For certainly old age has a great sense of calm and
freedom.
Yes, Cephalus, but people think that old age sits lightly
upon you, not because of your happy disposition, but be-
cause you are rich.
Cephalus: Neither can a good poor man lightly bear


8 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
cacy and ease; or if he had what good would it have done ?
What would have been the use of his arm and his strength,
of his patience and greatness of mind, if such circumstances
and subjects of action had not roused and exercised him ?
Any one thing in the creation is sufficient to demonstrate a
Providence to a humble and grateful mind.
How shall we believe you good legislators when you say,
“we allow none to be educated but the free !” For the
philosophers say, “we allow none to be free but the wise."
If one eats with justice, and with gratitude, and fairly and
temperately and decently, must he not also eat to the divine
acceptance ?
What can I do, a lame old man, but sing hymns to God?
Were I a nightingale I would act the part of a nightingale ;
were I a swan, the part of a swan; but since I am a reason-
able creature, it is my duty to praise God. This is my busi-
ness; I do it; and I call on you to join in the same song.
EPICTETUS.
JANUARY 8
ence?
WOULD endeavor, by a sweet and obliging conversation,
to create in my children a lively and unfeigned friend-
ship and good will, which in well-descended natures is
not hard to do. There are so many sorts of defects in old
age, and it is so liable to contempt, that the best purchase
a man can make is the kindness and affection of his own
family. We every day and every hour say things of another
we might more properly say of ourselves. The confession of
ignorance is one of the fairest and surest testimonies of
judgment that I know.
The very name of virtue presupposes difficulty and con-
tention, and that it cannot be exercised without opposition.
'Tis for this reason, perhaps, that we call God good, mighty,
liberal, and just, but we do not call him virtuous, being that
all his operations are natural and without endeavor. Virtue
refuses facility for a comparison, and that easy, smooth, and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
descending way, by which the regular steps of a sweet dis-
position of nature are conducted, is not that of a true virtue.
She requires a rough and stormy passage; she will have
either outward difficulties to wrestle with, by means of which
fortune delights to interrupt the speed of her career; or
internal difficulties which our inordinate appetites and im-
perfections introduce to disturb her. Here it comes into
my head that the soul of Socrates, the most perfect that
ever came to my knowledge, should by this rule be of very
little account; for I cannot conceive in that person any the
least motion of a vicious inclination ; I cannot imagine there
could be any difficulty or constraint in the course of his
virtue; I know his reason to be so powerful and sovereign
over him that she would never have suffered a vicious appe-
tite so much as to spring in him. To a virtue so elevated
as his I have nothing to oppose. Methinks I see him march,
with a victorious and triumphant pace, in pomp and at his
ease without opposition or disturbance.
NTAIGNE.
JANUARY 9
ISTEN to a very pretty tale. In the days of Cronos
there was this law respecting the destiny of man,
that he who has lived all his life in justice and holi-
ness shall go, when he dies, to the islands of the blest, and
dwell there in perfect happiness out of the reach of evil, but
that he who has lived unjustly and impiously shall go to the
home of vengeance and punishment — and the judgment
was given on the very day on which the men were alive.
Pluto and the authorities from the islands of the blest came
to Zeus and said that the souls found their way to the wrong
places. Zeus said: I shall put a stop to this ; there are
many having evil souls who are apparelled in fair bodies, or
wrapt round in wealth or rank, and when the day of judg.
ment arrives many witnesses come forward and witness on
their behalf that they have lived righteously. The judges


10
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
are awed by them. I will tell you what is to be done. I
will deprive men of the foreknowledge of death, and they
shall be entirely stripped before they are judged, for they
shall be judged when they are dead; and the judge too shall
be naked, that is, dead; he with his naked soul shall pierce
into the other soul as soon as each man dies, and is de-
prived of his kindred, and has left his brave attire in the
world above, and then the judgment will be just.
From this tale I draw the following inferences: death is
the separation from one another of soul and body, nothing
else. After they are separated they retain their several char-
acteristics which are much the same as in life; the body has
the same nature and ways and affections; whatever was the
habit of the body during life, would be distinguishable after
death. The judge places them near him and inspects them
quite impartially, not knowing whose the soul is; perhaps
he may lay hands on the soul of the great king who has
no soundness in him, all crooked with falsehood and impos-
ture, and has no straightness, because he has lived with-
out truth. He knows nothing about him ; he knows only
that he has got hold of a villain, and sends him away to
Tartarus. Or, again, he looks with admiration on the soul
of some just one who has lived in holiness and truth, he may
have been a private man or not; him he sends to the islands
of the blest. I am persuaded of the truth of these things,
and I consider how I shall present my soul whole and un-
defiled before the judge on that day. Renouncing the hon-
ors at which the world aims, I desire only to know the truth,
and to live as well as I can, and, when the time comes, to
die; and to the utmost of my power I exhort all men to do
the same; and I exhort you also to take part in the great
combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every
other earthly conflict. The three wisest Greeks of our day
are not able to show that we ought to live any life which
does not profit in another world as well as in this. The
reality and not the appearance of virtue is to be followed


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
II
above all things, as well in public as in private life. You
will never come to any harm in the practice of virtue, if you
are a really good and true man. When we have practiced
virtue in common, we will betake ourselves to politics, or we
will advise about whatever else may seem good to us, for we
shall be better able to judge then. In our present condition
we ought not to give ourselves airs, for even on the most
important subjects we are always changing our minds. The
best way of life is to practice justice and every virtue in
life and death. This way let us go; and in this exhort all
men to follow.
PLATO.
JANUARY 10
N that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of
glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of
- his people; and for a spirit of judgment to him that
sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn
back the battle at the gate.
Whom will he teach knowledge, and whom will he make
to understand the message ? For it is precept upon pre-
cept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line,
here a little and there a little. Nay, but by men of strange
lips, and with another tongue will he speak to this people
to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that
is weary; and this is the refreshing; yet they would not
hear.
Therefore shall the word of the Lord be unto them pre-
cept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line,
line upon line, here a little, there a little: that they may
go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and
taken.
Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men,
that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye
have said, we have made a covenant with death, and with
hell are we at agreement — therefore thus saith the Lord


12
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation. He that
believeth shall not make haste.
And I will make judgment the line, and righteousness the
plummet, and your covenant with death shall be annulled,
and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the
overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be
trodden down by it. For it is a day of discomfiture, and of
treading down, and of perplexity from the Lord, the Lord
of hosts, in the valley of vision ; a breaking down of the
walls, and a crying to the mountains.
ISAIAH.
JANUARY 11
IN the temple of Pallas there were apparent mysteries
to be shown to the people, and others were more secret
and high, that were only to be shown to such as were
professed ; 't is likely that in these the true point of friend-
ship, that every one owes to himself, is to be found ; not a
false friendship, that makes us embrace glory, knowledge,
riches and the like, with a principal and immoderate affec-
tion, nor an indiscreet and effeminate friendship, wherein
it happens as with ivy that decays and ruins the walls it
embraces; but a sound and regular friendship equally use-
ful and pleasant. Who knows the duties of this friendship
and practices them is truly of the cabinet council of the
muses.
He that carries himself the most moderately both toward
gain and loss, has always his wits about him. Want of
goods is easily repaired : poverty of soul is irreparable.
Socrates seeing a great quantity of riches, jewels and fur-
niture of great value carried in pomp through the city,
“How many things,” said he, “do I not desire."
The more business we create ourselves, the more we
amplify our possessions, so much more do we expose our-
selves to the blows and adversities of fortune.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
13
The real difficulty is in keeping one's self upright amidst
the waves of the world, truly and exactly performing all the
parts of one's duty.
Sheer poverty is for the most part a far less anxious and
discomforting state than a middling fortune; to use the
goods of life rationally is much more difficult than entirely
to do without them : moderation is a virtue that calls for a
vast deal more effort to exercise it than suffering.
Cyrus says, “'T is not the number of men, but the num-
ber of good men, that gives the advantage."
Meditation is a powerful and full study to such as can
effectually employ themselves! I had rather fashion my
soul than furnish it. Reading goes side by side with me
in my whole course, and everywhere is assisting to me;
it comforts me in my age and solitude ; it eases me of a
troublesome weight of idleness, and delivers me at all
hours from company that I dislike ; and it blunts the point
of griefs if they are not extreme, and have not got an entire
possession of my soul.
NTAIGNE.
JANUARY 12
D EHOLD, God is my salvation, I will trust and not
be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and
song ; and he is become my salvation. Therefore
with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
I will make a man more rare than fine gold; even a man
than the pure gold of Ophir. At eventide behold terror,
and before the morning they are not.
One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the
night ? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said,
The morning cometh and also the night: if ye will inquire,
inquire ye, turn ye, come.
Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth
the truth may enter in.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.


14
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is
an everlasting rock. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O
Lord, have we waited for thee; to thy name and to thy me-
morial is the desire of our soul. With my soul have I de-
sired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I
seek thee early; for when thy judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in
the midst of the valleys ; I will make the wilderness a pool
of water, and the dry land springs of water.
When thou passest through the waters I will be with
thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee ;
when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be
burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I
am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.
The liberal deviseth liberal things, and in liberal things
shall he continue.
Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and right-
eousness shall abide in the fruitful field.
AIAH.
JANUARY 13
F interest were the true and only medium that ce-
mented friendship, then changing interest would break
it, whereas genuine friendship, being formed by nature's
steady laws, is forever as permanent and unchangeable as
nature. Strong and just breaches of friendship are caused
by immoral requests made of friends, when one is asked to
aid in gratifying an impure desire, or to help in inflicting a
wrong. It is a rule without an exception, that no degree
of friendship can justify a wrong deed ; for as it is a belief
in his virtue which has made one your friend, the friendship
cannot continue if virtue be abandoned. Let it be estab-
lished as the most sacred law of friendship that we neither
make nor grant any request which honor and virtue will
not justify. They who insist that utility is the prevailing


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 15
motive in friendship divest the tie of its most attractive
principle. For to a mind rightly constituted, it is not so
much the benefits received, as the love from which they
flow, that gives them their greatest value.
Firmness, stability, consistency, are the qualities we ought
to look for in friends; and these are not easily found among
mankind, nor is there any other way to discover in what
bosom they reside, than by experience.
There cannot surely be a more striking instance of folly
than that those who have great wealth and influence should
employ them in furnishing showy equipages, gaudy raiment,
costly vases, and every fashionable decoration which riches
and power can procure, and yet neglect to use their means
for acquiring that noblest and most valuable ornament of
human life, a worthy and faithful friend.
CICERO.
JANUARY 14
WAITED patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto
| me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of
an horrible pit, out of the miry clay: and he set my feet
upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put
a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many
shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed
is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth
not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord
our God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done,
and thy thoughts which are to us-ward : they cannot be set in
order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they
are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou
hast no delight in : mine ears hast thou opened: burnt.
offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said
I, Lo, I am come: in the roll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do thy will, O my God, Yea, thy law is within
my heart. I have published righteousness in the great
congregation : Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, thou
knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart:


16 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not
concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great
congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from
me, O Lord : let thy loving-kindness and thy truth contin-
ually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed
me about, mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am
not able to look up : they are more than the hairs of mine
head, and my heart hath failed me. Be pleased, O Lord, to
deliver me: make haste to help me, O Lord. Let them be
ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul
to destroy it: let them be turned backward and brought to
dishonor that delight in my hurt. Let them be desolate
by reason of their shame that say unto me, Aha, Aha. Let
ail those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee : let
such as love thy salvation say continually, the Lord be mag-
nified. But I am poor and needy: yet the Lord thinketh
upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer: make no tarry-
ing, O my God.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kind-
ness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot
out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge
my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against
thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil
in thy sight : that thou mayest be justified when thou speak-
est, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, thou desirest
truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I
shall be clean : wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit
within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take
not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation, and uphold me with a free spirit. Then will
I teach transgressors thy way: and sinners shall be con-
verted unto thee. Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth
shall shew forth thy praise. For thou delightest not in


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
sacrifice; else would I give it : thou hast no pleasure in
burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
PSALMS.
JANUARY 15
T HE Master said, It is virtuous manners which con-
stitute the excellence of a neighborhood. If a man
in selecting a residence do not fix on one where
such prevail, how can he be wise? The virtuous rest in vir-
tue; the wise desire virtue. If the will be set on virtue,
there will be no practice of wickedness. The superior man
does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary
to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons
of danger, he cleaves to it.
If a man in the morning hear the right way, he may die
in the evening without regret.
The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks
of comfort. The superior man thinks of the questions of
law; the small man thinks of favors which he may receive.
A man should say, I am not concerned that I have no place.
I am concerned how I may fit myself for one. I am not
concerned that I am not known. I seek to be worthy to be
known.
The mind of the superior man is conversant with right-
eousness: the mind of the mean man is conversant with
gain. When we see men of worth, we should think of
equaling them ; when we see men of a contrary character,
we should turn inward and examine ourselves. The reason
why the ancients did not readily give utterance to their
words was that they feared lest their actions should not
come up to them. The superior man wishes to be slow in
his words and earnest in his conduct. Virtue is not left to
stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors. Be-
tween friends frequent reproofs make the friendship distant.
What I do not wish men to do to me, I also wish not to do


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
to men. The four characteristics of a superior man: in his
conduct of himself he was humble; in serving his superior
he was respectful; in nourishing the people he was kind; in
ordering the people he was just.
CONFUCIUS.
JANUARY 16
'HE eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, ard his
ears are open unto their prayers : but the face of
the Lord is against them that do evil.
Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that
which is good ?
If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye. Sanc-
tify the Lord God in your heart, and be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, having a
good conscience.
It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for
well doing, than for evil doing.
He went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Be ye
of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer; above all things
being fervent in your love among yourselves, for love cov-
ereth a multitude of sins.
The time is come for judgment to begin at the house of
God. Casting all your care upon God, for he careth for you.
Brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into manifold
temptations; knowing that the proof of your faith worketh
patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that ye
may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. But if any
of you lacketh wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all
liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But
let him ask in faith nothing doubting; for he that doubteth
is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything
of the Lord; a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ; for when he


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 19
hath been approved he shall receive the crown of life which
the Lord promised to them that love him.
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ. No soldier in service entangleth himself in
the affairs of this life; and if also a man contend in the
games, he is not crowned, except he have contended law-
fully.
Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed. Godliness with
contentment is great gain.
THE EPISTLES.
.
JANUARY 17
D LESSED be the name of God forever and ever : for
wisdom and might are his : and he changeth the
times and seasons: he removeth kings and setteth
up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise : and knowledge
to them that know understanding : he revealeth the deep
and secret things : he knoweth what is in the darkness; and
the light dwelleth with him.
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of
his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. They drank
wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of
iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth
the fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the
candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's pal-
ace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his
thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his loins were
loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The
king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoso-
ever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpreta-
tion thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain
of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the
kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men, but they
could not read the writing. The queen spake and said,


20
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the
holy gods; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and know-
ledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shew-
ing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts were found
in the same Daniel. Now let Daniel be called, and he will
shew the interpretation.
The king spake and said unto Daniel, If thou canst read the
writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof,
thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold
about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Then Daniel answered and said, O thou king, the Most
High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom,
and greatness, and glory, and majesty; and because of the
greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and
languages trembled and feared before him : whom he would
he slew, and whom he would he kept alive : and whom he
would he raised up, and whom he would he put down. But
when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened
that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly
throne, and they took his glory from him; and he was
driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made
like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses;
he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with
the dew of heaven : until he knew that the Most High God
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over
it whomsoever he will.
And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine
heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thy-
self against the Lord of heaven — and thou hast praised the
gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which
see not, nor hear, nor know — and the God in whose hand
thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, thou hast not
glorified: then was the part of the hand sent from before
him. And this is the writing that was inscribed, Mene,
Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the
thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and brought


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
21
it to an end. Tekel; thou art weighed in the balances, and
art found wanting. Peres; thy kingdom is divided, and
given to the Medes and Persians.
In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
DANIEL.
JANUARY 18
'HERE are many wicked men who dwell in stately
houses, surrounded with numerous families, splendid
in the pomp of magistracy, and illustrious for the
greatness of their power, whose punishments never display
themselves till those glorious persons come to be the public
spectacles of the people, either slain and weltering in their
blood, or are tumbled headlong from a high rock, which,
indeed, cannot so well be said to be a punishment as the
consummation and perfection of punishment. He is to be
laughed at who seeks for any other justice in the punish-
ment of vice than the cure and reformation of the offender.
For such an one seems to look no farther than what he
reaches by his senses; forgetting that a schoolmaster, by
chastising one admonishes all the rest of his scholars, and
that a general condemning only one in ten reduces all the
rest to obedience. Thus there is not only a cure and amend-
ment of one part of the body by another, but many times
the very soul itself is inclined to reformation or to vice
by the transgression or virtue of another. There is one and
the same reason to confirm the providence of God and the
immortality of the soul; neither is it possible to admit the
one if you deny the other. But the soul surviving after
death, the inference is the stronger, that it partakes of pun-
ishment and reward; for during this mortal life the soul is
in perpetual combat like a wrestler; but after all those con-
flicts are at an end, she then receives according to her
merits.
Beginning from the vestal hearth, from the reverence
which our ancestors bore to divine things, we shall decline


22
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
to speak about that mysterious Being as if we could speak
with absolute knowledge; for, though men unskilled in
music may talk at random of notes and harmony, and those
inexperienced in warfare of arms, it would be daring arro-
gance in us who are but mortal men to dive too far into the
mysteries of deity and of superior spirits. Just as if ignorant
persons should undertake to judge of the methods and reason
of skillful artists, by their slight opinions and probable con-
jectures.
PLUTARCH.
JANUARY 19
ECAUSE ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So
that thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son: and
if a son, then an heir through God. At that time, not
knowing God, ye were in bondage to them which by nature
are no gods; but now that ye have come to know God, or
rather to be known of God, how turn ye back again to the
weak and beggarly rudiments whereunto ye desire to be in
bondage over again ? Ye observe days, and months, and
seasons, and years. I am afraid of you, lest by any means I
have bestowed labor upon you in vain.
With freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore,
and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. For we
through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteous-
ness. For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not
your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love
be servants one to another. For the whole law is fulfilled
in one word, even in this : Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed
that ye be not consumed one of another. Walk by the Spirit
and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for
these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do
the things that ye would. But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 23
are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are mani-
fest, which are these, fornication, uncleanness, lascivious-
ness, idolatry, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions,
divisions, heresies, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and
such like; of the which I forewarn you, even as I did fore-
warn you that they which practise such things shall not in-
herit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
meekness, temperance : against such there is no law. And
they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with
the passions and the lusts thereof. If we live by the Spirit,
by the Spirit let us also walk.
THE EPISTLES.
JANUARY 20
BESEECH you, brethren, through the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing,
and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye
be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the
same judgment. For it hath been signified unto me con-
cerning you, my brethren, that there are contentions among
you. Now this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of
Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas : and I of Christ.
Is Christ divided ? was Paul crucified for you? or were
ye baptized into the name of Paul ? I thank God that I
baptized none of you, save Crispus and Gaius : lest any man
should say that ye were baptized into my name. And I
baptized also the household of Stephanas : besides, I know
not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not
to baptize, but to preach the Gospel : not in wisdom of words
lest the cross of Christ should be made void. For the word
of the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness; but
unto us which are being saved it is the power of God. For
it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the
prudence of the prudent will I reject. Where is the wise ?
Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?


24
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world ? For
seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its
wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through
the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.
Seeing that Jews ask for a sign, and Greeks seek after wis-
dom; but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling-
block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God,
and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than
men. To the pure all things are pure ; but to them that are
defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind
and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they
know God; but by their works they deny him, being abomi-
nable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
THE EPISTLES.
JANUARY 21
'HE scholar may not be without breadth of mind and
vigorous endurance. His burden is heavy and his
course is long. Perfect virtue is the burden which
he considers it his to sustain : is it not heavy ? Only with
death does his course stop: – is it not long ? Learn as if
you could most reach your object, and were always fearing
also lest you should lose it.
Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have
no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults,
do not fear to abandon them.
The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from
anxiety; and the bold from fear.
One distressed about the number of thieves in the state,
inquired of Confucius about how to do away with them.
Confucius said, “If you, sir, were not covetous, although
you should reward them to do it, they would not steal. Let
your evinced desire be for what is good, and the people will
be good. The relation between superiors and inferiors is


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 25
like that between the wind and the grass. The grass must
bend, when the wind blows across it.” The master said
about perfect virtue, “It is, in retirement, to be sedately
grave; in the management of business to be reverently at-
tentive; in intercourse with others to be strictly sincere.
Though a man go among rude, uncultivated tribes, these
qualities may not be neglected. The firm, the enduring,
the simple, and the modest are near to virtue. To be poor
without murmuring is difficult. To be rich without being
proud is easy. The man who in the view of gain thinks
of righteousness; who in the view of danger is prepared to
give up his life : and who does not forget an old agreement
however far back it extends : - such a man may be reckoned
a complete man. Where the solid qualities are in excess of
accomplishments, we have rusticity : where the accomplish-
ments are in excess of the solid qualities, we have the man-
ners of a clerk. When the accomplishments and solid quali-
ties are equally blended, we then have the man of complete
virtue.
CONFUCIUS.
JANUARY 22
LD age with no fear of death may be animated with
more courage and fortitude than is usually found
even in the prime of life. The tyrant, Pisistratus,
having questioned Solon what it was that inspired him to
the most desirable manner of yielding up our lives is, when
Nature herself - our understanding and other senses un-
impaired — thinks proper to destroy the work of her own
hand; as the artist who constructed the machine is best
qualified to take it to pieces. An old man should neither
be anxious to preserve the small portion of life which re-
mains to him, nor yet to abandon it without just cause.
Pythagoras forbids us to quit our post of life without being
authorized by the Commander - God. Dying may be at-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
tended with a sense of pain, but a pain which cannot be
of long duration, especially to an old man: after death
there must either be a state of utter insensibility, or of
desirable sensations. This is a truth upon which we ought
continually to meditate from our earliest youth, if we would
have a just contempt of death, as without this it is im-
possible to enjoy tranquillity. For death is a change we
must all meet; perhaps it may come at this moment; is it
possible that he who lives in constant dread of an event
always hanging over him, should know the satisfaction of
undisturbed repose and a serene mind? Shall old age with
all the superior advantages of reason and philosophy trem-
ble at the approach of death when common soldiers, who
are often illiterate and untrained peasants, despise its ter-
rors? The distaste with which we leave behind us the
employments of the various seasons of life renders life itself
no longer desirable. Infancy and youth, manhood and age,
have each their appropriate pursuits. When the state of
absolute satiety is reached, then death may justly be con-
sidered a mature and seasonable event.
CICERO.
JANUARY 23
D E not disobedient to the fear of the Lord when thou
art poor : and come not unto him with a double heart.
Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; and go
not aside lest ye fall. Ye that fear the Lord, believe him,
and your reward shall not fail. Ye that fear the Lord, hope
for good, and for everlasting joy and mercy. He that feareth
the Lord will honor his father and will do service unto his
parents, as to his masters.
Whoso feareth the Lord shall direct his friendships aright:
for as he is, so shall his neighbor be also.
The Lord hateth all abomination : and they that fear God
love it not.
O how great is he that findeth wisdom! yet is there none
above him that feareth the Lord.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 27
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of his love, and
faith is the beginning of cleaving unto him.
Whoso feareth the Lord will receive his discipline : and
they that seek him early shall find favor.
They that fear the Lord shall find judgment, and shall
kindle justice as a light.
Whoso feareth the Lord shall not fear, nor be afraid :
for he is his hope.
The fear of the Lord is a fruitful garden.
There shall no evil happen unto him that feareth the
Lord: but in temptation even again he will deliver him.
The fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction : and
faith and meekness are his delight.
He that feareth the Lord will do good.
He that hath small understanding and feareth God, is
better than one that hath much wisdom, and transgresseth
the law of the Most High.
There is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and
there is nothing sweeter than to take heed unto the com-
mandments of the Lord.
Righteousness is immortal.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
JANUARY 24.
L'ACH man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his
own lust and enticed.
Every good gift, and every perfect boon is from
above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom
can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turn-
ing.
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to
wrath ; for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
of God.
Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding
your own selves.
He that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty,


28
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth, but a
doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.
If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he
bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, this man's
religion is vain.
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father
is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
So speak ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by
the law of liberty.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he
hath faith, and have not works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food,
and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye
warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those
things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit ?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead in itself. Yea,
a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works : shew
me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will
shew thee my faith.
THE EPISTLES.
JANUARY 25
O you consider the faculties you have and say,
“Bring on me now, O Zeus, what difficulty thou
wilt, for I have faculties granted me by thee, and
powers by which I may win honor from every event"?
No: but you sit trembling, for fear this or that should
happen, and lamenting and moaning and groaning at what
doth happen, and then you accuse the Gods. And yet God
has not only granted these faculties by which we may bear
every event without being depressed or broken by it, but
like a good prince and a true father has placed their exer-
cise wholly within our own control. But you sit groaning
and lamenting, some of you blind to him who gave them,
and not acknowledging your benefactor, while others basely


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 29
turn themselves to complaints and accusations against God.
You have means and faculties to exhibit greatness of soul,
and a manly spirit ; but what occasion have you to find
fault and complain ?
Rational natures only are qualified to partake of a com-
munication with the Deity, being connected with him by
reason — why may not such a one call himself a citizen of
the universe? Why not a son of God ? and shall not the
having God for our maker and father and guardian free us
from griefs and alarms ?
My friends, wait for God, till he shall give the signal and
dismiss you from this service; then return to him. For the
present be content to remain at this post where he has
placed you.
Man is not to be made miserable at the will of his fellow-
man. If you are alone, you term it a desert; and if with
men, you call them cheats and robbers. You find fault, too,
with your parents and children and brothers and neighbors,
whereas you ought, if you live alone, to call that repose and
freedom ; and to esteem yourself as resembling the Gods;
and when you are in company, not to call it a crowd and a
tumult and a trouble, but an assembly and a festival, and
thus to take all things contentedly.
EPICTETUS.
JANUARY 26
F there were nothing that befell the soul after this life,
if death were the end of all reward and punishment,
I might infer that the deity was remiss and indulgent
in swiftly punishing the wicked and depriving them of life.
For if one asserts that during life the wicked find no other
evil than the conviction that crime is a fruitless and barren
thing, and for the many great and terrible combats of mind
produces nothing of good, nothing worthy of amendment,
the perception of this altogether subverts the soul. When
a man, either out of avarice, or ambition of civil honor and


30 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
power, or for sensual gratification, commits any enormous
and unlawful crime, and after the thirst and rage of his
passion being allayed, he sets before his eyes the vile and
horrible passions tending to injustice remaining, but sees
nothing useful, nothing necessary, nothing to make his life
happy, may it not be concluded that such a person is fre-
quently led by these reflections to consider how by vain
glory, or for the sake of a lawless and barren pleasure, he
has overthrown the noblest maxims of justice among men,
and overwhelmed his life with shame and trouble? As
Simonides, jesting, was wont to say, that he often found
the chest full of silver, but always empty of true benefit:
so the wicked contemplating their own wickedness, and
observing the returns of pleasure so barren and fruitless,
find their expectations vain, but their minds distressed with
fears and sorrows, ungrateful memories, future suspicions,
distrusts of present accidents. Thus is it not reasonable
to believe that the soul of every wicked man reasons these
things within itself, and by burying in oblivion the past
transgressions, and freeing itself from the crimes it has
committed, fits frail mortality for a new course of life?
PLUTARCH.
JANUARY 27
EHOLD all souls are mine: as the soul of the father,
so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul that
sinneth, it shall die.
But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and
right: and hath not wronged any, but hath restored to the
debtor his pledge: hath spoiled none by violence, hath
given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked
with a garment: he that hath not given forth upon usury,
neither hath taken any increase : that hath withdrawn his
hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between
man and man, hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept
my judgments, to deal truly : he is just, he shall surely
live saith the Lord God.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 31
If he hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by
violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up
his eyes to the idols, hath committed abominations : he
shall surely die. Yet say ye, Wherefore doth not the son
bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done
that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes
and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sin-
neth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the
father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son :
the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him : and
the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the
wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed,
and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and
right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his
transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered
against him : in his righteousness that he hath done he
shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should
die, saith the Lord God: and not rather that he should re-
turn from his way and live? But when the righteous turn-
eth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,
and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked
man doeth, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds
that he hath done shall be remembered : in his trespass
that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned,
in them shall he die.
Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now,
O house of Israel. Is not my way equal ? are not your
ways unequal ? When the righteous man turneth away from
his righteousness and committeth iniquity and dieth therein;
in his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his
wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which
is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not
equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal ? are not
your ways unequal ? Therefore I will judge you, O house of
Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God.


32 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgres-
sions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you
all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed, and
make you a new heart and a new spirit, for why will ye
die, O house of Israel ? For I have no pleasure in the death
of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn
yourselves and live.
EZEKIEL.
JANUARY 28
VUSTOM is a second nature, and no less powerful.
What is wanting to my custom I hold to be wanting
to me; and I should be almost as well content that
they took away my life, as to take me from the way wherein
I have so long lived. I have willingly avoided all confu-
sion in my affairs, and never coveted to have my estate con-
tiguous to those of my relations, and those with whom I
coveted a strict friendship : whence matter of unkindness
and fallings-out often proceed. I formerly loved cards and
dice, but have long since left them off only for this reason,
that though I carry my losses as handsomely as another, I
was not quiet within.
There is nothing so supple and erratic as our understand-
ing: 't is like the shoe of Theramenes fit for all feet : 't is
double and various : and the matters are double and diverse
too.
King Ferdinand, sending colonies to the Indies, wisely
provided that they should not carry along with them any
law students, for fear lest suits should get footing in that
new world : as being a science, in its own nature, the mother
of alteration and division; judging with Plato, “that law-
yers and physicians are the pests of a country.”
The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to know
how to live to purpose : all other things, to reign, to lay up
treasure, to build, are at the best but mere appendices and
little props.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 33
'T is for little souls, that truckle under the weight of af-
fairs, not to know how clearly to disengage themselves, and
not to know how to lay them aside, and take them up again.
Yielding and facility do wonderfully honor, and best be-
come, a strong and generous soul. Epaminondas did not
think that to dance, sing, and play, and be intent upon them
with the young men of his city, were things that did any
way derogate from the honor of his glorious victories, and
the perfect reformation of manners that was in him. And
amongst so many admirable actions of Scipio, a person
worthy the opinion of a heavenly extraction, there is nothing
that gives him a greater grace than to see him earnestly
and childishly trifling, in gathering and choosing shells, and
playing at ducks and drakes upon the sea-shore with Lælius.
Nor is there anything more remarkable in Socrates, than
that, old as he was, he found time to make himself to be in-
structed in dancing and playing upon instruments, and
thought it time well spent. Yet this same man has been seen
in an ecstasy standing upon his feet a whole day and a
night together, in the presence of all the Grecian army,
surprised and ravished with some profound thought. He
has been seen to go to the war, and with his bare feet to
walk upon ice, and he never refused to ride the hobby-horse
with the boys, and it became him well : for all actions,
songs, philosophy, equally become and equally honor a wise
man.
MONTAIGNE.
JANUARY 29
(VINCERITY is the end and beginning of things; with-
out sincerity there would be nothing. On this account
the superior man regards the attainment of sincerity
as the most excellent thing. To entire sincerity there be-
longs ceaselessness. Not ceasing, it continues long. Con-
tinuing long, it evidences itself. Evidencing itself, it reaches
afar. Reaching far, it becomes large and substantial. Large


34
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
and substantial, it becomes high and brilliant. So large and
substantial, the individual possessing it is the coequal of
Earth. So high and brilliant, it makes him the coequal of
Heaven. So far-reaching and long-continuing, it makes him
infinite. Such being its nature, without any display, it be-
comes manifest; without any movement, it produces change;
and without any effort, it accomplishes its ends. The way
of Heaven and Earth may be completely declared in one
sentence. They are without any doubleness, and so they
produce things in a manner that is unfathomable.
It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sin-
cerity that can exist under heaven who can give its full
development to his nature. Able to give its full develop-
ment to his own nature, he can do the same to the nature
of other men. Able to give its full development to the nature
of other men, he can give their full development to the
natures of animals and things. Able to give their full de-
velopment to the natures of creatures and things, he can
assist the transforming and nourishing powers of Heaven
and Earth. Able to assist the transforming and nourishing
powers of Heaven and Earth, he may with Heaven and
Earth form a ternion.
Next to him is he who cultivates to the utmost the shoots
of goodness in him. From those he can attain to the pos-
session of sincerity. This sincerity becomes manifest. From
being manifest it becomes brilliant. Brilliant, it affects
others. Affecting others, they are transformed. It is only
he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can
exist under heaven who can transform.
It is only the individual possessed of the most entire sin-
cerity that can exist under heaven who can adjust the great
invariable relations of mankind, establish the great funda-
mental virtues of humanity, and know the transforming and
nurturing operations of Heaven and Earth:— shall this
individual have any being or anything beyond himself on
which he depends ?


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Call him man in his ideal, how earnest is he! Call him
an abyss, how deep is he! Call him Heaven, how vast is
he! Who can know him, but he who is indeed quick in ap-
prehension, clear in discernment, of far-reaching intelligence,
and all-embracing knowledge, possessing all heavenly virtue.
It is characteristic of the most entire sincerity to be able
to foreknow. Therefore the individual possessed of the most
complete sincerity is like a spirit. Sincerity is that whereby
self-completion is effected, and its way is that by which
man must direct himself.
CONFUCIUS.
JANUARY 30
SEE no reason why I should hesitate to tell you how I
myself feel about death: for I seem to have a clearer
- view of it, the nearer I approach it. My belief is, that
your father, Publius Scipio, and yours, Caius Lælius, men
of the highest renown and my very dear friends, are living,
and are living the only life that truly deserves to be called
life. Indeed, while we are shut up in this prison of the body,
we are performing a heavy task laid upon us by necessity;
for the soul of celestial birth is forced down from its su-
premely high abode, and, as it were, plunged into the earth,
a place uncongenial with its divine nature and its eternity.
I believe, indeed, that the gods disseminated souls, and
planted them in human bodies that there might be those
who should hold the earth in charge, and contemplating the
order of celestial beings, should copy it in symmetry and
harmony of life.
agine, my beloved sons, that when I go from you I shall be
nowhere, or shall cease to be. For while I was with you, you
did not see my soul, but you inferred its existence from
the things which I did in this body. Believe then that I am
the same being, even though you do not see me at all.” The
fame of illustrious men would not remain after their death,


36
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
T
ness
if the souls of those men did nothing to perpetuate their
memory. Indeed, I never could be persuaded that souls live
while they are in mortal bodies and die when they depart
from them, nor yet that the soul becomes void of wisdom
on leaving a senseless body, but I have believed that when,
freed from all corporeal existence, it begins to be pure and
entire, it then is wise.
CICERO.
JANUARY 31
H E wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad :
the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It
shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy
and singing
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble
knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong,
fear not ; behold, your God will come with vengeance, with
the recompence of God; he will come and save you. Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the
deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as
an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing ; for in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
And the glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty
ground springs of water. And a highway shall be there
and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the
unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall be for those : the
wayfaring men, yea fools shall not err therein. No lion
shall be there, nor any ravenous beast go up thereon, they
shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk
there : and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and
come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be
upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes
shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as a hiding
place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 37
rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock
in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall
not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
The heart also of the hasty shall understand knowledge,
the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak
plainly. The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor
the churl said to be bountiful.
ISAIAH.
FEBRUARY 1
TE offer sacrifices in memory of those who have
given us corn and the vine, and shall we not give
thanks to God for those who have nurtured such
fruit in the human heart, — even the truth which makes
us blessed ?
We all dread a bodily paralysis, and would make use of
every contrivance to avoid it; but none of us is troubled
about a paralysis of the soul. And yet indeed, even with
regard to the soul, when a person is so affected as not to
apprehend or understand anything, we think him in a sad
condition : but where the emotions of shame and modesty
are under an absolute paralysis, we go so far as even to call
this strength of mind.
For every event that happens in the world it is easy
to give thanks to Providence, if a person has but these two
qualities in himself: a habit of closely considering what
happens to each individual, and a grateful temper.
God has introduced man as a spectator of Himself and of
his works; and not only as a spectator, but an interpreter
of them. It is therefore shameful that man should begin
and end where irrational creatures do. He is indeed to be-
gin there, but to end where nature itself has fixed our end,
and that is in contemplation and understanding, and in a
scheme of life conformable to nature.
You take a journey to Olympia to behold the works of
Phidias, and each of you thinks it is a misfortune to die


38
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
without a knowledge of such things; and will you have no
inclination to see and understand those works for which
there is no need to take a journey, but which are ready and at
hand, even to those who bestow no pains ? Will you never
perceive what you are, or for what you were born, or for
what purpose you are admitted to behold this spectacle ?
EPICTETUS.
FEBRUARY 2
NE cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts : the whole earth is full of his
glory.
I said, Woe is me! for I am undone ; because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of un-
clean lips.
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live
coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off
the altar ; and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo,
this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away,
and thy sin purged.
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall
I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am
I, send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people. Hear ye
indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but per-
ceive not.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him ; the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and of
might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord,
and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear
of the Lord ; and he shall not judge after the sight of his
eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears :
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and re-
prove with equity for the meek of the earth.
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
39
shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion
and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed : their young ones
shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the
ox. And the sucking child play on the hole of the asp, and
the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain ;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as
the waters cover the deep.
ISAIAH.
FEBRUARY 3
EAUTY is certainly a soft, smooth, slippery thing,
and therefore of a nature which easily slips in and
permeates our souls.
Arguments, like men, are often pretenders. A good
decision is based on knowledge, and not on numbers. Every
one of us should seek out the best teacher whom he can
find, first for ourselves and then for the youth, regardless
of expense or anything.
What do possessions profit a man, if he have neither
sense nor wisdom ?
Men are commonly supposed to know the things that are
best, and not to do them when they might. And most
persons of whom I have asked the reason of this have said
that those who did this were overcome by pain or pleasure,
or some other affection. To prefer evil to good is not in
human nature : and when a man is compelled to choose one
of two evils, no one will choose the greater when he might
have the less. Virtue is the health and beauty and well-
being of the soul, and vice is the disease and weakness and
deformity of the soul.
The true lover of learning must from his earliest youth,
as far as in him lies, desire all truth.
All great things are attended with risk, as the saying is,
“Hard is the good.” Beloved Pan, and all ye other gods


40
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
LATO.
who haunt this place, give me beauty in the inward soul,
and may the outward and inward man be at one. May I
reckon the wise to be the wealthy, and may I have such a
quantity of gold as none but the temperate can carry. Any-
thing more? That prayer, I think, is enough for me,
Socrates.
FEBRUARY 4
EAR, O heavens, and give ear, O Earth, for the Lord
hath spoken. I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me. The
ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib : but
Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. To
what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?
Saith the Lord : I am full of the burnt offerings of rams,
and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. Bring no more vain
oblations : incense is an abomination unto me. Your new
moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth, they
are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And
when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from
you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear :
your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean :
put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ;
cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve
the oppressed ; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord :
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the
land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with
the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. And
he shall judge between the nations, and shall reprove many
peoples, and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
41
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more.
ISAIAH.
FEBRUARY 5
TP towards the divine laws you never turn your eyes.
How is it that in their season, as if by express
command, God bids the plants to blossom and they
blossom, to bud and they bud, to bear fruit and they bear
it, to ripen it and they ripen; and when again he bids them
drop their leaves, and withdrawing into themselves to rest
and wait, they rest and wait ? Have, then, the very leaves
and our own bodies this connection and sympathy with the
whole, and not also our souls much more?
Zeus has assigned to each man a director, his own good
genius, and committed him to that guardianship, a director
careful guardian could he have committed each one of us ?
So that when you have shut your doors, and darkened your
room, remember never to say that you are alone ; for you
are not alone, but God is within, and your genius is within ;
and what need have they of light to see what you are doing ?
The soldiers of Cæsar, in order to receive their pay, swear
to prefer before all things the safety of Cæsar, and will you
not swear, who have received so many and so great favors,
or, if you have sworn, will you not fulfil the oath ? And
what must you swear ? Never to distrust, nor accuse, nor
murmur at any of the things appointed by him, nor to shrink
from doing or enduring that which is inevitable. In the first
oath persons swear never to dishonor Cæsar, by the last
never to dishonor themselves.
Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a
prison.
If any one can bear sunshine and storm, discouragement
and fatigue, I pronounce him an athlete unconquerable in-
deed. No one who lives in error is free.
EPICTETUS.


42
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
FEBRUARY 6
ON of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
D and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Woe
unto the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves !
should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat
and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings, but ye
feed not the sheep. The diseased have ye not strength-
ened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither
have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye
brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye
sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor
have ye ruled them. My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and upon every high hill : yea, my sheep were
scattered upon all the face of the earth, and there was none
that did search or seek after them.
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I am against the
shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hands. Be-
hold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will
seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the
day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad,
so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of
all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy
and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peo-
ples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring
them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the
mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the
inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with
good pasture; and upon the mountains of the height of
Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a
good fold, and on fat pastures shall they feed upon the
mountains of Israel. I myself will feed my sheep, and I
will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will
seek that which was lost, and will bring again that which
was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken,
and will strengthen that which was sick; and the fat and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 43
the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in judgment.
And they shall know that I the Lord their God am with
them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people.
And ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I
am your God, saith the Lord God.
EZEKIEL,
FEBRUARY 7
N the pleasures of country occupations I take amazing
delight; to which old age is no hindrance, and which
seem to me to approach nearest to the ideal wise man's
life. For the former has to deal with the earth, which never
refuses its obedience, nor ever returns what it has received
without usury; sometimes indeed with less, but generally
with greater interest. Need I mention the starting, plant-
ing, and growth of vines ? I can never have too much of
this pleasure — to let you into the secret of what gives my
old age repose and amusement Passing by the natural
force which all things growing from the earth possess,
which from the tiny grain in a fig or grape seed, or from
the most minute seeds of the other fruits or plants, produces
such massive trunks and boughs, are not shoots, slips, cut-
tings, quick-sets, layers, enough to fill any one with delight
and astonishment? Can anything be richer in product or
more beautiful to contemplate than the vine? Nothing can
either furnish necessaries more richly or present a fairer
spectacle, than well-cultivated land. And to the enjoyment
of that, old age does not merely present no hindrance, it
actually invites and allures to it. For where can it better
warm itself, either by basking in the sun or by sitting by
the fire, or at the proper time cool itself by grateful shade,
or refreshing streams?
The crowning grace of old age is influence; for when it
has enjoyed honors, it has an authority worth all the plea-
sures of youth. But remember, throughout my discourse all
my praises belong to an old age that has been established


44
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
on foundations laid by youth. Neither white hairs nor
wrinkles can at once claim influence in themselves; it is
the honorable conduct of earlier days that is rewarded by
larger authority at the last.
Cicero.
FEBRUARY 8
T HE fear of the Lord is honor and glory and gladness
and a crown of rejoicing.
The fear of the Lord maketh a merry heart, and
giveth joy and gladness, and a long life.
Whoso feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the
last, and he shall be blessed in the day of his death.
The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, making peace
and perfect health to flourish: both which are the gift of
God, and it enlargeth their rejoicing that love him.
The fear of the Lord driveth away sins, and where it is
present, it turneth away wrath.
Look at the generations of old, and see : did ever any
trust in the Lord and was confounded ? or did any abide in
his fear and was forsaken, or whom did he ever despise,
that called upon him?
For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, longsuf-
fering, and very pitiful, and forgiveth sins, and saveth in
time of affliction.
They that fear the Lord will not disobey his word; and
they that love him will keep his ways.
They that fear the Lord will seek that which is well
pleasing unto him; and they that love him shall be filled
with the law.
They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and
humble their souls in his sight, saying, we will fall into the
hands of the Lord and not into the hands of men; for as
his majesty is, so is his mercy.
The fear of the Lord goeth before the obtaining of au-
thority. Whether he be rich, noble, or poor, their glory is


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
the fear of the Lord. Great men and judges and potentates
shall be honored, yet is there none of them greater than he
that feareth the Lord.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
FEBRUARY 9
HE way which the superior man pursues reaches
wide and far, and yet is secret. Common men and
women, however ignorant, may intermeddle with the
knowledge of it; yet in its utmost reaches there is that
which even the sage does not know. Common men and
women, however much below the ordinary standard of char-
acter, can carry it into practice; yet in its utmost reaches
there is that which even the sage is not able to carry into
practice.
The way of the superior man may be found in its simple
elements in the intercourse of common men and women;
but in its utmost reaches it shines brightly through heaven
and earth. When one cultivates to the utmost the princi-
ples of his nature, and exercises them in the principle of
reciprocity, he is not far from the path. What you do not
like when done to yourself, do not do to others. The supe-
rior man can find himself in no position in which he is not
himself. In a high situation he does not treat with con-
tempt his inferiors. In a low situation he does not court
the favor of his superiors. He rectifies himself, and seeks
for nothing from others, so that he has no dissatisfactions.
He does not murmur against heaven, nor grumble against
men. Thus it is that the superior man is quiet and calm,
waiting for the appointments of heaven, while the mean
man walks in dangerous paths, looking for lucky occur-
rences. From the emperor down to the mass of the people,
all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of
everything besides. It cannot be, when the root is neglected,
that what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never
has been the case that what was of great importance has


46 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
been slightly cared for, and at the same time, that what
was of slight importance has been greatly cared for. He
was able to make his virtue illustrious. He contemplated
and studied the illustrious decrees of heaven. On the bath-
ing-tub of T'ang these words were engraved : “If you can
one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let
there be daily renovation.”
CONFUCIUS.
FEBRUARY 10
HO hath believed our report, and to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed ? For he
grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a
root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness,
and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should
desire him. He was despised and rejected of men, a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his
stripes we are healed. For a small moment have I forsaken
thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In over-
flowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but
with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith
the Lord thy redeemer. For the mountains shall depart,
and the hills be removed: but my kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed,
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted,
behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy
foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy pinnacles
of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border
of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of
the Lord : and great shall be the peace of thy children. In
righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far
from oppression, for thou shalt not fear, and from terror,
for it shall not come near thee. No weapon that is formed


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteous-
ness is of me, saith the Lord.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the
effect of righteousness quietness and confidence forever.
And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in
sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
ISAIAH.
FEBRUARY 11
THOSE punishments that reach succeeding posterity,
being manifest to all that are living at the same
time, restrain the inclinations of many wicked per-
sons. There is no punishment more grievous, or that goes
more to the quick, than for a man to behold his children
suffering for his crimes; nothing can more afflict the surviv-
ing soul of a wicked and profligate criminal, than to look down
upon his own children, his friends, or nearest kindred, ruined
and overwhelmed with calamity. Certainly were the same
person to live again, he would refuse all the honors of Zeus,
rather than to abandon himself a second time to his wonted
injustice and passionate excesses. We cannot be said to
do an absurd thing, but what is altogether useful and neces-
sary, when we prescribe such exercise, diet, and remedies,
not so much because persons are at that time troubled with
illness, but to prevent the illness : for one born of an un-
sound body is deserving not of punishment but watchful
healing. If, then, it is of such importance to care for the
body born of diseased parents, ought we to suffer the innate
principles of a wicked nature to spring up and grow by evil
custom in youth, and to wait until, being diffused through
the mind, they bring forth and ripen the malignant fruits
of a malignant nature? Man, many times curbed by the
shame of transgressing common customs, common opinion,
or the law, conceals the evil that is within him, and imitates


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
only what is praiseworthy and honorable: and we are
hardly aware of the deception until we feel the stripes or
sting of his injustice, imagining men to be only then un-
just when we see their unrighteousness and sensuality, just
as if a man were so simple as to believe a scorpion had no
sting until he used it, or that a viper had no venom until
he bit one. For no man then only becomes wicked when
his wickedness is manifest : but no man's nature or disposi-
tion is concealed from God, who scrutinizes the soul with
more exactness than the body.
One who knows nothing of the science cannot see why
the physician uses the lancet earlier or later; so it is not
easy or safe to speak otherwise of God than only this, that he
alone knows the best time to apply to every transgressor
the proper remedy for sin, and this not of an equal quality
and measure, nor at one and the same time to all.
PLUTARCH.
FEBRUARY 12
THE Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall
I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of
whom shall I be afraid ? When evil-doers came
upon me to eat up my flesh, even mine adversaries and
my foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should
encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war
should rise against me, even then will I be confident. One
thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his
temple. For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly
in his pavilion ; in the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide
me: he shall lift me up upon a rock. And now shall mine
head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and
I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy: I will sing,
yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice; have mercy


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
also upon me and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye
my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I
seek; put not thy servant away in anger : thou hast been
my help: cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of
my salvation. For my father and mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me up. Teach me thy way, O Lord;
and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. De-
liver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries; for false
witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe
out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the
Lord : be strong, and let thine heart take courage: Yea, wait
thou on the Lord. Blessed be the Lord, because he has heard
the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength
and my shield : my heart trusted in him and I am helped :
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song
will I praise him. The Lord is their strength, and he is a
stronghold of salvation to his anointed. Save thy people,
and bless thine inheritance: feed them also and bear them
up forever. Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks to his holy name : for his anger is but for
a moment; in his favor is life; weeping may tarry for the
night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Thou hast set my feet in a large place.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all ye that
hope in the Lord.
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous : praise is comely
for the upright. The word of the Lord is right, and all his
work is done in faithfulness. He loveth righteousness and
judgment. The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the
Lord.
Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, is in the heavens; thy
faithfulness reacheth unto the skies. Thy righteousness is
like the mountains of God; thy judgments are a great deep.
How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God; and the chil-
dren of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.


50 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
For with thee is the fountain of life ; in thy light shall we see
light. O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know
thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
LMS.
FEBRUARY 13
CHOSE to have wisdom rather than light,
Because her bright shining is never laid to sleep,
But with her there came to me all good things together,
And in her hands innumerable riches.
Wisdom delivered out of troubles those that waited on her.
She rendered unto holy men a reward for their toils;
She guided them along a marvellous way
And became unto them a covering in the daytime,
And a flame of stars through the night.
As a ship passing through the billowy water,
Whereof when it is gone by, there is no trace to be found,
Neither pathway of its keel in the billows;
Or, as when a bird flieth through the air, no token of her
way is found,
Or as when an arrow is shot at a mark
The air disparted closeth up again immediately,
So that men know not where it passed through,
So we also, as soon as we were born began to draw to an end.
The hope of the ungodly man is as chaff carried by the
wind, and as foam vanishing before a tempest; and
is scattered, as smoke is scattered by the wind, and
passeth by as the remembrance of a guest that tar-
rieth but a day.
But the righteous live forever.
And in the Lord is their reward,
And the care of them with the Most High,
Therefore shall they receive the crown of royal dignity
And the diadem of beauty from the Lord's hand.
A righteous man though he die before his time shall be at
rest,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 51
For honorable old age is not that which standeth in length
of time,
Nor is its measure given by number of years ;
But understanding is gray hairs unto men,
And an unspotted life is ripe old age.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
FEBRUARY 14
C INCERITY is the way of heaven. To think how to
be sincere is the way of man. Never has there been
one possessed of complete sincerity who did not move
others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity
who was able to move others.
To say 'I am not able to dwell in benevolence, or pur-
sue the path of righteousness,' is what we mean by throw-
ing one's self away. Listen to a man's words and look at
the pupil of his eye. How can a man conceal his character ?
Men must be decided on what they will not do and then
they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.
The great man is he who does not lose his child-heart.
If the sovereign be benevolent, all will be benevolent. If
the sovereign be righteous, all will be righteous. Acts of
propriety which are not really proper, and acts of righteous-
ness which are not really righteous, the great man does not
do. Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or
west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? The tend-
ency of man's nature to good is like the tendency of water
to flow downwards. There are more that have this tend-
ency to good, just as all water flows downwards. Now by
striking water and causing it to leap up, you may make it
go over your forehead, and, by damming and leading it, you
may force it up a hill :— but are such movements according
to the nature of water? It is the force applied which causes
them. When men are made to do what is not good, their
nature is dealt with in this way.


52
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
I like life indeed, but there is that which I like more than
life, and therefore I will not seek to possess it by any
improper ways. I dislike death indeed, but there is that
which I dislike more than death, and therefore there are
occasions when I will not avoid danger.
The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult
to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it. Do
you go home and search for it, and you will have abundance
of teachers. Men who are possessed of intelligent virtue
and prudence in affairs will generally be found to have been
in sickness and trouble.
Let a man not do what his own sense of righteousness
tells him not to do, and let him not desire what his sense
of righteousness tells him not to desire: - to act thus is
all he has to do. There are those who are the people of
Heaven. They, judging that, if they were in office, they
could carry out their principles throughout the empire, pro-
ceed so to carry them out.
There are those who are great men. They rectify them-
selves and others are rectified.
The disease of men is this :— that they neglect their own
fields, and go to weed the fields of others, and that what
they require from others is great, while what they lay upon
themselves is light. The regular path of virtue is to be
pursued without any bend, and from no view to emolument.
To nourish the heart there is nothing better than to make
the desires few. Here is a man whose desires are few :-in
some things he may not be able to keep his heart, but they
will be few. Here is a man whose desires are many: – in
some things he may be able to keep his heart, but they will
be few.
MENCIUS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
53
FEBRUARY 15
AY ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him ;
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto
the wicked ; it shall be ill with him : for the reward
of his hands shall be given him.
O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and
destroy the way of thy paths.
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day-
time from the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from
storm and from rain. What could have been done more to
my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore when
I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth
wild grapes ? He looked for judgment, but beheld oppres-
sion; for righteousness, but beheld a cry.
Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
and sin as it were with a cart rope. Woe unto them that
call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light
and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet
for bitter.
If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the
joy.
Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart
think so.
For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a strong-
hold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a
shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones
is as a storm against the wall. O Lord, thou art my God, I
will exalt thee, I will praise thy name, for thou hast done
wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and
truth.
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light
of the Lord.
ISAIAH.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
55
FEBRUARY 17
AITH is the substance of things hoped for, the prov-
ing of things not seen. For therein the elders had
witness borne to them. By faith we understand that
the worlds have been framed by the word of God. By faith
Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he
was not found, because God translated him: for before his
translation he hath had witness borne to him that he had
been well pleasing unto God : and without faith it is impos-
sible to be well pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of
them that seek after him. By faith Abraham, when he was
called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to
receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing
whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the
land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents,
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same pro-
mise ; for he looked for the city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and
having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth. For they that say such things make it manifest
that they are seeking after a country of their own. And if,
indeed, they had been mindful of that country from which
they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly;
wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their
God; for he hath prepared them a city.
By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac; by faith
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau even concerning things to
come: by faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed each of
the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top
of his staff. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season : accounting the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he
looked unto the recompense of reward. By faith he forsook
Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured
as seeing him who is invisible.
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me if
I tell of those who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of
lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in
war, turned to flight armies of aliens; they were stoned,
they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain
with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goat-
skins, being destitute, afflicted, evil entreated (of whom the
world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains
and caves, and the holes of the earth. And these all, having
had witness borne to them through their faith, received not
the promise, God having provided some better thing con-
cerning us, that apart from us they should not be made
perfect.
Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
that was before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
THE EPISTLES.
FEBRUARY 18
LL other knowledge is hurtful to him who has not
the science of honesty and goodness.
Cripples are very unfit for exercises of the body
and lame souls for exercises of the mind.
If we see a shoemaker with his shoes out at the toes, we
A
the


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
57
say, “It is no wonder; for commonly, none go worse shod
than they." In like manner, experience doth often present
us a physician worse physicked, a divine worse reformed,
and most frequently a scholar of less sufficiency, than another.
One asking Agesilaus what he thought most proper for
boys to learn ? “What they ought to do when they come
to be men.”
At Athens they learned to speak well, at Lacedæmon to
do well; there those cudgelled their brains about words,
these made it their business to inquire into things; there
was an eternal babble of the tongue, here a continual exer-
cise of the soul.
A sentence couched in the harmony of verse darts more
briskly upon the understanding, and strikes both my ear
and apprehension with a smarter and more pleasing power.
The greatest and most important difficulty of human sci-
ence is the nurture and education of children. Cicero says,
“The authority of those who teach is very often an impedi-
ment to those who desire to learn.” The most certain sign
of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness; her state is like that
of things in the regions above the moon, always clear and
serene. Philosophy has discourses equally proper for child-
hood as for old age.
It is not a soul, it is not a body, that we are training up;
it is a man, and we ought not to divide him into two parts;
we are not to fashion one without the other, but make them
draw together like two horses harnessed to a coach.
The conduct of our lives is the true mirror of our doc-
trine.
For my part I hold, and Socrates is positive in it, that
whoever has in his mind a vivid and clear idea, will express
it well enough in one way or other; and if he be dumb, by
signs.
MONTAIGNE.


58
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
FEBRUARY 19
'HESE things write we unto you that your joy may
be full. God is light, and in him is no darkness
at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and
walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. Hereby we know that we know him, if
we keep the commandments.
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother,
is in darkness even until now. Love not the world, neither
the things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he
that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
This is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal
life. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every
one that is righteous is born of him.
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Be-
loved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure.
THE EPISTLES.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
59
FEBRUARY 20
| AM a common man who only speaks the truth.
1 All good poets compose their beautiful poems not as
works of art, but because they are inspired and pos-
sessed. For they tell us that they gather their strains from
honied fountains out of the gardens and dells of the Muses;
thither, like the bees, they wing their way. And this is true.
For the poet is a light and winged and holy thing, and there
is no invention in him until he is inspired
God takes away the minds of poets, and uses them as his
ministers, in order that we who hear them may know that
they speak not of themselves who utter these priceless
words in a state of unconsciousness, but that God is the
speaker, and that through them he is conversing with us.
For in this way the God would seem to indicate to us
and not allow us to doubt that these beautiful poems are not
human, or the work of man, but divine and the word of
God; and that the poets are only the interpreters of the
gods by whom they are severally possessed.
When any one repeats the verses of another poet, you go
to sleep, and know not what to say, but when any one
recites a strain of Homer, you wake up in a moment, and
your soul leaps within you, and you have plenty to say, for
not by art or knowledge about Homer do you say what you
say, but by divine inspiration and by possession.
The guides of man are true opinion and knowledge. So I
go my way, obedient to the God, and make inquisition into
the wisdom of any one, whether citizen or stranger, who ap-
pears to be wise; and if he is not wise, then in vindication
of the oracle I show him that he is not wise; and this occu-
pation quite absorbs me, and I have no time to give to any
public matter of interest, or to any concern of my own; but
I am in utter poverty by reason of my devotion to the God.
Plato.


60
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
FEBRUARY 21
T CREATE the fruit of the lips; Peace, Peace to him
that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord;
and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the trou-
bled sea; for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and
dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
We wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness,
but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the
blind, yea, we grope as they that have no eyes; and we
stumble at noonday as in the twilight.
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed inno-
cent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity ; deso-
lation and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace
they know not, and there is no judgment in their goings;
they have made them crooked paths, whosoever goeth
therein doth not know peace.
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring sil-
ver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also
make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness,
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation
nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy
walls salvation, and thy gates praise. The sun shall be no
more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the
moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee
an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall
no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself,
for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days
of thy mourning shall be ended. A little one shall become
a thousand, and the small one a strong nation. I the Lord
will hasten it its time.
ISAIAH.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
61
welv
FEBRUARY 22
'HE great day of the Lord is near, it is near and
hasteth greatly.
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and
distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of dark-
ness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute
the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, and let none
of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and
love no false oath, for all these are things that I hate, saith
the Lord.
But it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be
light.
In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses,
"holy unto the Lord,” and the pots in the Lord's house
shall be like the bowls before the altar.
Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to an-
other, and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of
remembrance was written before him for them that feared
the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that
day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a
man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous
and the wicked; between him that serveth God, and him
that serveth him not.
Unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteous-
ness arise with healing in his wings.
Every morning doth he bring his judgments to light.
Who hath despised the day of small things ?
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the
Lord of hosts.
THE MINOR PROPHETS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
FEBRUARY 23
EPICTETUS, if it had been possible, I had made
this little body and property of thine free, and not
liable to hindrance. But now do not mistake: it is
not thy own, but only a finer mixture of clay. Since, then,
I could not give thee this, I have given thee a certain por-
tion of myself.
Make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest
as it occurs.
Not Zeus himself can get the better of my free will. It
is you who are to consider what value you set upon your-
self, and at what rate you sell yourself; for different per-
sons sell themselves at different prices. I would be the
purple, that small and brilliant part which gives a lustre
and beauty to the rest (alluding to the purple border on the
dress of the Roman nobility).
When Vespasian forbid Priscus going to the senate, he
answered, “It is in your power to prevent my continuing
a senator, but while I am one I must go.” “Well, then, at
least be silent there.” “Do not ask my opinion, and I will
be silent.” “But I must ask it.” “And I must speak what
appears to me to be right.” “But if you do, I will put you
to death.” “When did I ever tell you that I was immortal ?
You will do your part, and I mine; it is yours to kill, and
mine to die intrepid ; yours to banish, mine to depart un-
troubled.”
Because my gifts are humble shall I neglect all care of
myself? Heaven forbid ! Epictetus may not surpass Soc-
rates, - granted: but could I overtake him it might be
enough for me. I shall never be Milo, and yet I do not
neglect my body; nor Cræsus, and yet I do not neglect my
property; nor should we omit any effort from or despair of
arriving at the highest.
If a person could be persuaded of this principle as he
ought : that we are all originally descended from God, I


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
conceive he never would think of himself meanly or
ignobly.
PICTETUS.
FEBRUARY 24
THE pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou
that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habita-
tion is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring
me down to the ground ?
Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou
set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down,
saith the Lord.
Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and
he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke
strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords
into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more.
But they shall sit every man under his vine and under
his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth
of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it. For all people will
walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in
the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself
before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-
offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be
pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of
rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgres-
sion, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ?
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what
doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and
he knoweth them that trust in him.


64 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings, that publisheth peace!
He remembereth his worthies.
THE MINOR PROPHETS.
FEBRUARY 25
T is said, “an old man has nothing even to hope." But
it is here that he is in a better position than a young
man, since what the latter hopes for he has already
obtained. The one wishes to live long; the other has lived
long. And yet what is “long” in a man's life? To my
thinking nothing seems even long in which there is any
"last,” – for when the end comes, then that which has
past, has slipped away - only that remains which you have
attained by virtue and righteousness. A short term of life
is long enough for the purposes of honor and virtue; but if
he lives on, a wise man will no more lament his entrance
into old age, than the husbandman, when the charm of
the spring season has passed, that summer or autumn has
arrived. Spring suggests youth, and the blossoms it puts
forth are promises of the harvest to be; the other seasons
of life are for the reaping and garnering of the crops.
The fruit of old age is the memory and rich store of bless-
ings laid up in earlier life. All things that accord with
nature are to be counted as good; but what can be more
natural than for an old man to die? but in youth it is a dis-
solution against which nature revolts and fights. The death
of the young seems to me like putting out a great fire with
a deluge of water, but the old die like a fire going out,
because the fuel is consumed. Or, as fruit before it is ripe
must be violently separated from the stalk, but drops of
itself when ripe and mellow; so it is force that takes life
from the young, ripeness from the old. This ripeness of old
age is to me so delightful, that as I approach nearer to
death, I seem to be sighting land, where I shall find a happy
repose from the fatigues of a long voyage.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 65
Only a few arrive at old age, and this is a reason why
the affairs of the world are no better conducted. For age
brings with it experience, discretion, and judgment, and if
there were no old men, states could never exist at all.
CICERO.
FEBRUARY 26
Y little children, let us not love in word neither in
tongue, but in deed and in truth.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater
than our heart and knoweth all things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we con-
fidence toward God.
He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and
he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us by
the spirit which he hath given us.
Whoever hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from
him — how dwelleth the love of God in him ?
Little children, let no man deceive you ; he that doeth
righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous. For this
is the message that ye have heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another. We know that we have passed
from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He
that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Little children,
keep yourselves from idols. Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.
There are spots in your feasts of charity, when they
feast with you, feeding themselves without fear; clouds are
they without water carried about of winds; trees whose
fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the
roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own
shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness forever.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature.


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THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Where is the promise of his coming ? for since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the begin-
ning of creation.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
THE EPISTLES.
FEBRUARY 27
VERY much desire that we may be judged every man
| by himself, and I would not be drawn into the conse-
quences of common examples.
Crawling upon the slime of the earth, I do not, for all
that, the less observe in the clouds the inimitable height of
some heroic souls.
Our judgments are yet sick, and obey the humor of our
depraved manners.
'Tis the duty of good men to draw virtue as beautiful as
they can, and there would be no impropriety in the case
should our passion a little transport us in favor of so sacred
a form.
True, supreme, and divine poesy is above all the rules of
reason. It is like a loadstone, that not only attracts the
needle, but also infuses into it the virtue to attract others.
None of us can boast, what journey soever he may have
in hand that he has the most set his heart upon, but when
he comes to part with his family and friends he will find
something that troubles him within ; and though he restrain
his tears, yet he puts his foot in the stirrup with a sad and
cloudy countenance.
'Tis said that the light of the sun is not one continuous
thing, but that he darts new rays so thick one upon another,
that we cannot perceive the intermission. Just so the soul
variously and imperceptibly darts out her passions.
The corrupt ways by which men push on towards the


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 67
height at which their ambitions aspire, do manifestly enough
declare that their ends cannot be very good.
Charondas punished as bad men those who were con-
victed of keeping bad company.
There is little less trouble in governing a private family
than a whole kingdom. For having shaken off the court
and the exchange, we have not taken leave of the principal
vexations of life; our ambition, avarice, irresolution, fear,
and inordinate desires do not leave us with change of place.
MONTAIGNE.
FEBRUARY 28
OW wise a man grows on a sudden, when Cæsar
has made him his flunkey! Is one exalted to office ?
All who meet him congratulate him. He goes to
his home; finds it illuminated. He ascends the capitol ;
offers a sacrifice. Who ever offered a sacrifice for having
good desires ; for confirming his aims to nature ?
Difficulties are the things that show what men are. If I
prize my body first, I have surrendered myself as a slave ;
if my estate, the same; for I at once betray where I am
vulnerable. It is the nature of man not to endure the being
deprived of good; not to endure the falling into evil.
Socrates used to say, that we ought not to live a life
unexamined.
Man is a being fond of contemplation.
When you are going before any of the great, remember
that there is another who sees from above what passes, and
whom you ought to please, rather than man.
Have you not received faculties by which you may sup-
port every event of life? Have you not received greatness
of soul? Have you not received a manly spirit ? Have you
not received patience? What signifies to me anything that
happens, while my soul is above it ? What shall disconcert
or trouble or appear grievous to me? Shall I neglect to
use my powers to that purpose for which I received them,
and shall I lament and groan at every casualty ?


68
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If they do not see the error, they will rise no higher than
their convictions.
Who is unconquerable? He whom the inevitable cannot
overcome.
Why should any person envy another? Why should he
be impressed with awe by those who have great possessions,
or are placed in high rank, especially if they are powerful
and passionate? For what can they do to us? The things
which they can do we do not regard; the things about which
we are concerned, they cannot reach.
EPICTETUS.
FEBRUARY 29
CHARGE against old age is that it lacks the plea-
sures of sensual gratifications. What a splendid ser-
vice indeed if it deliver us from the greatest snares
of youth. For nothing is so great an enemy to that divine
endowment, reason, as the pleasures of sense. For pleasure
thwarts good counsel, is the foe to reason, and blinds the
eyes of the mind. Far from being a reproach to old age, it
is its highest merit that it leaves us little relish for enjoy-
ments of the sensual kind. If it must give up the pleasures
of the table of luxuriant dishes, and the flowing cups, it is
also free from their unhappy consequences : from painful
indigestions, restless nights, and disordered reason. The
divine Plato justly represents pleasure as the bait by which
vice ensnares and captivates her deluded votaries, because
men are caught by it as fish by a hook ; yet old age, while
it dispenses with costly banquets, is still capable of enjoy-
ing in a moderate degree, convivial gratifications. I acknow-
ledge my obligations to old age for increasing my love for
conversation, while it has abated it for the pleasures of the
palate. Of what inestimable value is old age if it delivers
us from the tyranny of lust and ambition, from the angry
and contentious passions, from every inordinate desire,
teaching us to retire within ourselves, and look for happi-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 69
ness in our own bosoms! If to this be added that sweet
food of the mind which is gathered from the fields of learn-
ing, no season of life is passed more agreeably than the
learned leisure of a virtuous old age. It is these intellectual
pursuits which in minds rightly formed and properly culti-
vated grow with years; so that it is much to Solon's honor
that he says, he grew old learning something every day,
which is one of the most pleasing satisfactions of the human
mind.
CICERO.
MARCH 1
HY should we care about the opinion of the
many ? Good men, and they are the only persons
who are worth considering, will think of things
truly as they happened.
Your zeal is invaluable, if a right one; but if wrong, the
greater the zeal the greater the evil.
Let me follow the intimations of the will of God.
To me there is no greater pleasure than to have Socrates
brought to my recollection. I remember the strange feel.
ing which came over me at being with him. For I could
hardly believe that I was present at the death of a friend,
and therefore I did not pity him; his mien and his language
were so noble and fearless in the hour of death, that to me
he appeared blessed. I thought that in going to the other
world he could not be without a divine call, and that he
would be happy, if any man ever was, when he arrived
there.
Philosophy has always been the pursuit of my life, and is
the noblest and best of music. Any man who has the spirit
of philosophy will be willing to die; though he will not take
his own life, for that is held not to be right.
There is a doctrine uttered in secret that man is a pris-
oner who has no right to open the door of his prison and
run away; this is a great mystery which I do not quite


70
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
understand. Yet I believe that the gods are our guardians,
and that we are a possession of theirs.
I am quite ready to acknowledge that I ought to be
grieved at death, if I were not persuaded that I am going
to other gods who are wise and good (of this I am as cer-
tain as I can be of anything of the sort) and to men departed
(though I am not so certain of this), who are better than
those whom I leave behind.
PLATO.
MARCH 2
BESEECH you, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not fash-
ioned according to this world ; but be ye transformed by
the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say,
through the grace that was given me, to every man that
is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he
ought to think; but so to think as to think soberly, accord-
ing as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith. For
even as we have many members in one body, and all the
members have not the same office; so we, who are many,
are one body in Christ, and severally members one of an-
other. And having gifts differing according to the grace
that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy
according to the proportion of our faith; or ministry, let us
give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his
teaching; or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting; he that
giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with
diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let
love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave
to that which is good. In love of the brethren, be tenderly
affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another ;
in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the
Lord ; rejoicing in hope ; patient in tribulation; continu-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 71
STLES.
ing stedfastly in prayer ; communicating to the necessities
of the saints; given to hospitality. Bless them that perse-
cute you; bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that
rejoice; weep with them that weep.
THE EPISTLES.
MARCH 3
EAR, O Israel, the commandments of life; give ear
to understand wisdom. How happeneth it, O Israel,
- that thou art in thine enemies' land, that thou art
waxen old in a strange country? Thou hast forsaken the
fountain of wisdom. For if thou hadst walked in the way of
God thou shouldest have dwelled in peace forever. Learn
where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding;
that thou mayest know also where is length of days, and
life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace. Who hath
found out her place? and who hath come into her trea-
suries? Where are the princes of the heathen, and such as
ruled the beasts that are upon the earth; they that had
their pastime with the fowls of the air, and they that
hoarded up silver and gold wherein men trust; and of whose
getting there is no end? For they that wrought in silver,
and were so careful, and whose works are past finding out,
they are vanished and gone down to the grave, and others
are come up in their steads. Younger men have seen the
light, and dwelt upon the earth; but the way of knowledge
have they not known, neither understood they the paths
thereof; neither have their children laid hold of it; they
are far off from their way. It hath not been heard of in Ca-
naan, neither hath it been seen in Teman. The sons also of
Agar that seek understanding, which are in the land, the
merchants of Merran and Teman, and the authors of fables,
and the searchers out of understanding; none of these have
known the way of wisdom, or remembered her paths.
BARUCH.


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THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
MARCH 4
ISRAEL, how great is the house of God! how
large is the place of his possession! great, and
hath none end; high, and immeasurable. There
were giants born that were famous of old, great of stature,
and expert in war. These did not God choose, neither
gave he the way of knowledge unto them ; so they perished,
because they had no wisdom, they perished through their
own foolishness. Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken
her, and brought her down from the clouds ? Who hath gone
over the sea and found her, and will bring her for choice
gold? There is none that knoweth her way, nor any that
comprehendeth her path. But he that knoweth all things
knoweth her, he found her out with his understanding; he
that sendeth forth the light, and it goeth; he called it, and it
obeyed him with fear; and the stars shined in their watches,
and were glad ; when he called them, they said, Here we be ;
they shined with gladness unto him that made them. This
is our God, and there shall none other be accounted of in
comparison of him. This is the law that endureth forever.
Turn thee, O Jacob, and take hold of it; walk towards her
shining in the presence of the light thereof. O Israel, happy
are we ; for the things that are pleasing to God are made
known unto us. Be of good cheer, my people, the memorial
of Israel. Hearken, ye women that dwell about Sion; for
God hath brought me with great mourning; for I have
seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the
Everlasting hath brought upon them. For I sent you out
with mourning and weeping; but God will give you to me
again with joy and gladness for ever. For I have trusted in
the Everlasting that he will save you; and joy is come unto
me from the Holy One, because of the mercy which shall
soon come unto you from the Everlasting your Savior.
BARUCH.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
73
MARCH 5
F thou knowest of a serpent lurking in a place, where
without suspicion, a person is going to sit down, by
whose death thou expectest an advantage, thou dost
ill if thou dost not give him caution of his danger: and so
much the more because the action is to be known by none
but thyself.
Seeing philosophy has not been able to find out any way
to tranquillity that is good in common, let every one seek it
for himself.
The mariner of old said to Neptune, in a great tempest :
“O God, thou mayest save me if thou wilt, and if thou
wilt, thou mayest destroy me: But whether or no, I will
steer my rudder true.”
They were more ambitious of a great reputation than of
a good one. This vice is very common; we are more soli-
citous that men speak of us, than how they speak; and 't is
enough for us that our names are often mentioned, be it
after what manner it will.
Ceremony forbids us to express by words things that are
lawful and natural, and we obey it; law forbids us to do
things unlawful and ill, and nobody obeys it.
The approbation of others makes me not think the better
of myself. The uncertainty of my judgment is so equally
balanced in most occurrences that I could willingly refer it
to be decided by the chance of a die.
Happy people, who do what they are commanded better
than they who command without tormenting themselves
with the causes, who suffer themselves gently to roll on,
after the celestial revolution. Obedience is never pure nor
calm in him who argues and disputes.
I have known men enough that had several fine parts;
one wit, another courage, another address, another con-
science, another language; but a man generally great, that
we should admire him, and compare him with those we


74 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
honor of times past, my fortune never brought me ac-
quainted with; and the greatest I ever knew was de la
Boëtie; his was a full soul indeed, and that had every way a
beautiful aspect: a soul of the old stamp.
'Tis the only comfort I find in my old age, that it morti-
fies in me several cares and desires wherewith life is dis-
turbed ; the care how the world goes, the care of riches, of
grandeur, of knowledge, of health, of myself.
MONTAIGNE.
MARCH 6
AM the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God,
which is and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty. I know thy works, and thy toil and patience,
and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them
which call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst
find them false: and thou hast patience, and didst bear for
my name's sake, and hast not grown weary. But I have
this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.
He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to
the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to
eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. Be
thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life. He that hath an ear to hear let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall
not be hurt of the second death. He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him
that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna,
and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new
name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth
it. Howbeit that which ye have, hold fast till I come.
And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations;
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of
the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of
my Father: and I will give him the morning star. He


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
75
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the
churches. Be thou watchful, and stablish the things that
remain which were ready to die; for I have found no
works of thine fulfilled before God. He that overcometh,
the same shall thus be arrayed in white raiments, and I
will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life. He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches. I know thy works (behold, I have set before
thee a door opened, which none can shut), that thou hast
a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny
my name.
REVELATION.
MARCH 7
RETHREN, even if a man be overtaken in any tres-
pass, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in a
spirit of meekness, looking to thyself, lest thou also
be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ. For if a man thinketh himself to be
something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But
let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have
his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his
neighbor. For each man shall bear his own burden. Be
not deceived ; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto
his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that
soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season
we shall reap, if we faint not.
So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye
are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of
God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;
in whom each several building, fitly framed together, grow-
eth into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are
builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.


76 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good com-
fort, be of one mind, live in peace : and the God of love
and peace shall be with you.
THE EPISTLES.
MARCH 8
'HE twittering yellow bird rests on a corner of the
mound. The Master said, “When it rests, it knows
where to rest. Is it possible that a man should not
be equal to this bird ?”
Profound was King Wan. With how bright and unceas-
ing a feeling of reverence did he regard his resting-places.
As a sovereign, he rested in benevolence. As a son, he
rested in filial piety. As a father, he rested in kindness. In
communication with his subjects, he rested in good faith.
What is meant by being beneficent without great ex-
penditure? The Master replied, “When the person in au-
thority makes more beneficial to the people the things from
which they naturally derive benefit, is not this being bene-
ficent without great expenditure? When he chooses the
labors which are proper, and makes them labor on them,
who will repine? When his desires are set on benevolent
government and he realizes it, who will accuse him of cov-
etousness? Whether he has to do with many people or few,
or with things great or small, he does not dare to indicate
any disrespect, - is not this to maintain a dignified ease
without any pride?
Sincerity is the way of Heaven. The attainment of sin-
cerity is the way of men. He who possesses sincerity is he
who, without an effort, hits what is right, and apprehends
without the exercise of thought;- he is the sage who nat-
urally and easily embodies the right way. He who attains
to sincerity is he who chooses what is good, and firmly
holds it fast. To this attainment there are requisite the
extensive study of what is good, accụrate inquiry about it,
careful reflection on it, the clear discrimination of it, and
the earnest practice of it.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
77
How great is the path proper to the sage! It waits for
the proper man, and then it is trodden. Like overflowing
water, it sends forth and nourishes all things, and rises up
to the height of heaven. Only by perfect virtue can the
perfect path, in all its courses, be made a fact.
When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean
condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is
ill governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of.
I do not know how a man without truthfulness is to get on.
He who offends against heaven has none to whom he
can pray.
CONFUCIUS.
MARCH 9
IT shall be as when an hungry man dreameth, and behold
he eateth ; but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or as
when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold he drinketh;
but he awaketh, and behold he is faint, and his soul hath
appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be that
fight against mount Zion.
They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but
not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon
you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes,
the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered.
And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book
that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned,
saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for
it is sealed : and the book is delivered to him that is not
learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee : and he saith, I am
not learned. And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this peo-
ple draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their
lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me:
Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from
the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say,
Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Ye turn things up-
side down. Shall the potter be counted as clay, that the


78
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
thing made should say of him that made it, He made me
not; or the thing framed say of him that framed it, He hath
no understanding? And in that day shall the deaf hear the
words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of
obscurity and out of darkness. The meek also shall in-
crease their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For thus saith the Lord
God, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye
be saved ; in quietness and in confidence shall be your
strength, and ye would not.
ISAIAH.
MARCH 10
HAT is good for every part of nature which the
nature of the whole brings, and what serves to
maintain this nature. Let these principles be
enough for thee, let them always be fixed opinions. But
cast away the thirst after books, that thou mayest not die
murmuring, but cheerfully, truly, and from thy heart thank-
ful to the gods. Remember how often thou hast received
an opportunity from the gods, and yet dost not use it.
Thou must now at last perceive of what universe thou art a
part, and of what administrator of the universe thy exist-
ence is an efflux, and that a limit of time is fixed for thee,
which if thou dost not use for clearing away the clouds
from thy mind, it will go and thou wilt go, and it will never
return.
Every moment think steadily as a man to do what thou
hast in hand with perfect and simple dignity, and feeling of
affection, and freedom and justice: and to give thyself
relief from all other thoughts. And thou wilt give thyself
relief, if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the
last, laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion
from the commands of reason, and all hypocrisy, and self-
love, and discontent with the portion which has been given
to thee. Thou seest how few the things are, the which if a


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
79
man lays hold of, he is able to live a life which flows in
quiet, and is like the existence of the gods; for the gods
on their part will require nothing more from him who ob-
serves these things. Do the things external which fall
upon thee distract thee? Give thyself time to learn some-
thing new and good, and cease to be whirled about. But
then thou must also avoid being carried about the other
way. For those too are triflers who have wearied them-
selves in life by their activity, and yet have no object to
which to direct every movement and, in a word, all their
thoughts. Hast thou reason? Why, then, dost not thou use
it? For if this does its own work, what else dost thou wish?
The soul of man does violence to itself when it is over-
powered by pleasure or by pain : when it plays a part, and
does or says anything insincerely and untruly: when it
allows any act of its own and any movement to be without
an aim, and does anything thoughtlessly and without con-
sidering what it is, it being right that even the smallest
thing be done with reference to an end.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
MARCH 11
HAT is purification, but the separation of the
soul from the body; the habit of the soul gather-
ing and collecting herself into herself; the dwell-
ing in her own place alone, as in another life, so also in this,
as far as she can :— the release of the soul from the chains
of the body?
In this present life, I reckon that we make the nearest
approach to knowledge when we have the least possible
concern or interest in the body, and are not saturated with
the bodily nature, but remain pure until the hour when God
himself is pleased to release us. And then the foolishness
of the body will be cleared away, and we shall be pure and
hold converse with other pure souls, and know of ourselves


80 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
the clear light everywhere, and this is surely the light of
truth.
Many are the thyrsus-bearers, but few are the mystics —
the true philosophers.
Where shall we find a good charmer of our fears, Soc-
rates, when you are gone? Hellas, he replied, is a large
place, and has many good men, and there are barbarous
races not a few; seek for him among them all, far and wide,
sparing neither pains nor money, for there is no better way
of using your money. And you must not forget to seek
him among yourselves too; for he is nowhere more likely
to be found.
I would ask you to be thinking of the truth and not of
Socrates ; agree with me, if I seem to you to be speaking
the truth, or if not, withstand me might and main, that I
may not deceive you as well as myself in my enthusiasm,
and like the bee, leave my sting in you before I die.
A soul which is absolutely a soul has no vice.
Any man who is not devoid of natural feeling has reason
to fear, if he has no knowledge or proof of the soul's immor-
tality.
Plato.
MARCH 12
OU do a sick man more harm than good in remov-
ing him from place to place. You fix and establish
the disease by motion, as stakes go deeper and more
fixedly into the earth by being moved up and down in
the place where they are designed to stand. And therefore
it is not enough to get remote from the public; 't is not
enough to shift one's self, a man must fly from the popular
dispositions that have taken possession of his soul — he
must sequester and tear himself from himself.
One telling Socrates that such a one was nothing im-
proved by his travels, “I may well believe it,” said he,
“for he took himself along with him."


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 81
A wise man never loses anything if he has himself.
No doubt but Greek and Latin are very great ornaments
and of great use, but we buy them too dear.
By how much the soul is more empty and without coun-
terpoise, with so much greater facility it yields under the
weight of the first persuasion.
In friendship, 't is a general and universal fire, but tem-
perate and equal, a constant and steady heat, all easy and
smooth, without poignancy or roughness. Friendship is
enjoyed proportionately as it is desired, and only grows up,
is nourished, and improves by enjoyment, as being spiritual,
and the soul growing still more perfect by use.
If any one should importune me to give a reason why I
loved him, I feel it could no otherwise be expressed than
by making answer, “Because it was he; because it was I."
Our souls have drawn so unitedly together, and we have,
with so mutual a confidence, laid open the very bottom of
our hearts to one another's view, that I not only know his
as well as my own, but should certainly, in any concern of
mine, have trusted my interest much more willingly with
him than with myself.
This friendship that possesses the whole soul, and there
rules and sways with an absolute sovereignty, can admit of
no rival.
'T is a hard matter to reduce divine things to our balance
without losing a great deal of the weight.
TAIGNE.
MARCH 13
TOMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the
wilderness the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert
a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and
every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked


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shall be made straight, and the rough places plain : and the
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The
voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the
flower of the field; the grass withereth, the flower fadeth ;
because the breath of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the
people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but
the word of our God shall stand forever.
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up
into the high mountain ; 0 thou that tellest good tidings
to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength ; lift it up, be
not afraid ; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God.
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the
lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall
gently lead those that are with young.
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended
the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the moun-
tains in scales, and the hills in a balance ? Who hath
directed the spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath
taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who in-
structed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and
shewed to him the way of understanding ? To whom then
will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto
him ? Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ? hath it not
been told you from the beginning ? have ye not understood
from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon
the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as
grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain,
and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in ; that bringeth
princes to nothing, he maketh the judges of the earth as
vanity.
To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to
him ? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and
see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
83
number; he calleth them all by name ; by the greatness of
his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lack-
ing. Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard ? the ever-
lasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his
understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to him
that hath no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths
shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
ISAIAH.
MARCH 14
1 HE soul is like a vase filled with water; while the
semblances of things fall like rays upon its surface.
I would be found engaged in nothing but in the
regulation of my own will; how to render it undisturbed,
unrestrained, uncompelled, free. That I may be able to say
to God, “Have I transgressed thy commands ? Have I per-
verted the powers, the senses, the instincts which thou hast
given me? Have I ever accused thee, or censured thy dis-
pensations? I have been ill, because it was thy pleasure,
like others : but I willingly. I have been poor, it being thy
will : but with joy. I have not been in power, because it
was not thy will: and power I have never desired. Hast
thou ever seen me saddened because of this? Have I not
always approached thee with a cheerful countenance, pre-
pared to execute thy commands and the indications of thy
will ? Is it thy pleasure that I should depart from this
assembly? I depart. I give thee all thanks that thou hast
thought me worthy to have a share in it with thee; to
behold thy works, and to join with thee in comprehending
thy administration." Let death overtake me while I am
thinking, while I am writing, while I am reading such things
as these.


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THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Whenever you lay anything to the charge of Providence,
do but reflect, and you will find that it has happened agree-
ably to reason. “Well; but a dishonest man has the ad-
vantage." In what? “In money." Here he ought to sur-
pass you ; because he flatters, he is shameless, he keeps
awake. Where is the wonder? But look whether he has
the advantage of you in fidelity or in honor. You will find
he has not, but that whenever it is best for you to have the
advantage of him, there you have it. How can you call him
happy in possessions acquired by means which you detest?
Or what harm does Providence do in giving the best things
to the best men ? Is it not better to have a sense of honor
than to be rich ? Always remember that a better man has
the advantage of a worse in that direction in which he is
better, and you will never have any indignation.
EPICTETUS.
MARCH 15
D E not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years
as one day.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness.
Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things,
be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without
spot and blameless.
Beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest
ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall
from your own steadfastness.
Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue,
knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temper-
ance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godli-
ness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 85
But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see
afar.
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried
with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved
forever.
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according
to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conver-
sation.
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth
away ; but the word of the Lord endureth forever.
I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of mali-
ciousness, but as the servants of God.
THE EPISTLES.
MARCH 16
TOME and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath
torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he
will bind us up.
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what
shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning
cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge
of God more than burnt offerings.
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the
whirlwind.
And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to
the hills, Fall on us.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy ; break
up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord till
he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Ye have ploughed wickedness; ye have reaped iniquity.
ISTLES.


86
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I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.
And now they sin more and more.
Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the
early dew that passeth away; as the chaff that is driven
with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out
of the chimney.
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine
help. Who is wise that he shall understand these things,
prudent and he shall know them ? for the ways of the Lord
are right, and the just shall walk in them ; but the trans-
gressors shall fall therein.
I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment,
and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I de-
light, saith the Lord.
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself:
it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord,
correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest
thou bring me to nothing.
THE PROPHETS.
MARCH 17
TNLESS we allow unjust and impious persons to
| · be wise and prudent, there is nothing for one
to trust in, nothing permanent, nothing durable
or constant in whatever wickedness proposes to itself, but
wherever avarice, voluptuousness, envy, malice, and deprav-
ity are associated together, there you shall also surely find
superstition nestling in secret with effeminacy, and fear of
death ; violent passions rapidly changing, and an arrogant
ambition for undeserved honor. Such men as these stand
in constant dread of those who condemn them, and fear
those who applaud them, thinking themselves injured by
their flatteries, and more especially are they at enmity with
the wicked, because they are so free to extol those who
seem to be good. However, that which hardens men to evil
soon grows brittle and shivers in pieces like bad iron. So


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 87
that in process of time, coming to a better knowledge of
themselves, they abhor and utterly disclaim their former
course of life. For my part, I believe there is no occasion
for the Gods or men to inflict their punishment upon the
worst offenders, for the course of their own lives is suffi-
cient penalty for their crimes while they are under the fear
and torments following their guilt. As for those whose
nature has embraced the vices they have inherited, holy
justice pursues and prosecutes the innate resemblance to
sin. I think that the ancients ascribed to Cecrops a double
body, not because from a good king he became a merciless
and dragon-like tyrant, but because from being at first both
cruel and feared, afterwards he became a mild and gentle
ruler. Others, having obtained the sovereignty by violence
and wickedness, used their power with virtue; coming to
the throne unjustly they ruled with moderation, and for the
public good; by recommending wholesome laws, and giv-
ing encouragement to husbandry, they converted their sub-
jects from idle scoffers and babbling romancers into modest
citizens and industrious men.
PLUTARCH.
MARCH 18
EHOLD my servant whom I uphold ; my chosen in
whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon
him. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his
voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not
break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall
bring forth judgment in truth. He shall not fail nor be
discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth; and the
isles shall wait for his law. I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee;
to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the
dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house.
I am the Lord, and there is none else; I will gird thee,


88
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norsun
though thou hast not known me. Oh that thou hadst heark-
ened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a
river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. There
is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked. I have labored
in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity, yet
surely my judgment is with the Lord, my recompense with
my God.
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat
nor sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them
shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide
them.
For the Lord hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all
her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden
and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and glad-
ness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of
melody.
The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth
shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein
shall die, but my salvation shall be forever, and my right-
eousness shall not be abolished.
ISAIAH.
MARCH 19
C HOW me that he who has the worse principles can
get the advantage over him who has the better. You
never will show it, nor anything like it ; for the law of
nature and of God is this — let the better always prevail
over the worse. One body may be stronger than another, a
thief than one who is not a thief. I lost my lamp because
the thief was better at keeping awake than I. But for that
lamp he paid the price of becoming a thief; for that lamp he
lost his virtue. This seemed to him a good bargain; and so
let it be.
Let us not act inconsiderately, nor from cowardice, nor
on slight ground, since that would be contrary to the will of
God; for he hath need of such a world, and such beings to


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 89
live on earth. But if he sounds a retreat, as he did to
Socrates, we are to obey him when he sounds it, as our
General.
This is not the contest I would choose, say you. Is it
in your power, then, to make the selection ? Such a body is
given you, such parents, such brothers, such a country,
and such a rank in it ; and then you come to me to change
the conditions ! Have you not abilities to manage that which
is given you?
Do you come and make some use of what you have
learned. It is not reasonings that are wanted now, for there
are books stuffed full of stoical reasonings. What is wanted
is the man who shall apply them ; whose actions may bear
testimony to his doctrines, that we may no longer make
use in the schools of the examples of the ancients, but may
have some examples of our own. Will you not remember
what you are, and over whom you bear rule ; and that they
are by nature your relatives, your brothers; that they are
the offspring of God ?
EPICTETUS.
MARCH 20
F we knew how to convert stones into gold, the know-
ledge would be of no value to us, unless we also knew
how to use the gold.
And if there were a knowledge which was able to make
men immortal, without giving them the knowledge of the
way to use the immortality, neither would there be any use
in that.
I am a common man, who only speaks the truth.
They tell us that the lyric poets gather their strains from
honied fountains out of the gardens and dells of the muses;
thither, like bees they wing their way.
The poet is a light and winged and holy thing, and there
is no invention in him until he has been inspired and is out
of his senses, and the mind is no longer in him ; when he


90 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
has not attained to this state, he is powerless and unable
to utter his oracle.
God takes away the minds of poets, and uses them as his
ministers, in order that we who hear them may know that
they speak not of themselves, but that God is the speaker,
and that through them he is conversing with us. In this
way God would seem to indicate to us that these beautiful
poems are not human or the work of man, but divine and
the word of God, and that the poets are only the interpret-
ers of the Gods.
When any one recites a strain of Homer, you wake up in
a moment, and your soul leaps within you, and you have
plenty to say, for not by art or knowledge about Homer do
you say what you say, but by divine inspiration and posses-
sion.
All inquiry and all learning are but recollection.
The guides of man are true opinion and knowledge.
I go my way obedient to the God and make inquisition
into the wisdom of any one, whether citizen or stranger,
who appears to be wise ; and if he is not wise, then in vin-
dication of the oracle I show him that he is not wise ; and
this occupation quite absorbs me, and I have no time to
give either to any public matter of interest or to any con-
cern of my own, for I am in utter poverty by reason of my
devotion to the God.
Plato.
MARCH 21
ANITY of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of
vanities, all is vanity. What profit hath man of all
his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun ? One
generation goeth, and another generation cometh; and the
earth abideth forever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun
goeth down, and hasteth to the place where he ariseth.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto
the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 91
the wind returneth again to its circuits. All the rivers run
into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither
the rivers go, thither they go again. All things are full of
weariness; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied
with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which
hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been
done is that which shall be done ; and there is no new thing
under the sun. Is there a thing whereof men say, See, this
is new? it hath been already, in the ages which were before
us. There is no remembrance of the former generations;
neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter genera-
tions that are to come, among those that shall come after. I
have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, be-
hold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. That which is
crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is want-
ing cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own
heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all
that were before me in Jerusalem ; yea, my heart hath had
great experience of wisdom and knowledge, and I applied
my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly;
I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. For in
much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth know-
ledge increaseth sorrow.
ECCLESIASTES.
MARCH 22
HILOSOPHY estimates other pleasures as nothing
in comparison with the pleasure of knowing the
truth, and in that abiding, ever learning, in the pur-
suit of truth, not far indeed from the heaven of pleasure.
How would a man profit if he received gold and silver
on the condition that he was to enslave the noblest part of
him to the worst? Who can imagine that a man who sold
his son or daughter into slavery for money would be the
gainer, however large might be the sum which he received ?
And will any one say that he is not a miserable caitiff who


92
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
sells his own divine being to that which is most atheistical
and detestable, and has no pity ?
A man is not to be reverenced before the truth.
Even when the just man is in poverty or sickness, or any
other seeming misfortune, all things will in the end work
together for good to him in life and death; for the gods
have a care of any one whose desire is to be just and to
be like God, as far as any man can attain his likeness by
the pursuit of virtue. He who endures to the end of every
action and occasion of his entire life has a good report and
carries off the prize which men bestow.
Plato.
MARCH 23
D) ELOVED, let us love one another ; for love is of God,
and every one that loveth is born of God and know-
eth God.
He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one
another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one
another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, because he hath
given us of his spirit.
God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God
and God in him.
There is no fear in love ; but perfect love casteth out
fear. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We loved him, because he first loved us.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a
liar, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen ?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who
loveth God love his brother also. By this we know that we
love the children of God, when we love God and keep his
commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 93
his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world ; and
this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
faith.
Now I beseech thee, not as though I wrote a new com-
mandment unto thee, but that which we had from the be-
ginning, that we love one another.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk
in truth.
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is
good. He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil
hath not seen God.
THE EPISTLES.
MARCH 24
HE ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come
with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be
upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and
joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bring-
eth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Break forth into joy,
sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord
hath comforted his people. The Lord hath made bare his
holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends
of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. For ye
shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by fight ; for
the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will
be your rearward. For thus saith the high and lofty One
that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This
is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand
and when ye turn to the left.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
O Lord, be gracious with us, we have waited for thee;
be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the
time of trouble. And there shall be stability in thy times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear
of the Lord is his treasure.
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, he
that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his
hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ear from
hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon
evil ; he shall dwell on high ; his place of defence shall be
the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given him; his
waters shall be sure.
Thine eyes shall behold the King in his beauty; they
shall behold a far-stretching land.
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver; the
Lord is our King – he will save us.
Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters.
AIAH
MARCH 25
TONFUCIUS said, “There are three friendships
which are advantageous, and three friendships which
are injurious. Friendship with the upright; friend-
ship with the sincere; and friendship with the man of much
observation ; — these are advantageous. Friendship with
the man of specious airs; friendship with the insinuatingly
soft; and friendship with the glib-tongued ; - these are in-
jurious.
There are three things men find employment in which
are advantageous, and three things they find enjoyment in
which are injurious. To find enjoyment in the discriminat-
ing study of ceremonies and music; to find enjoyment in
speaking of the goodness of others; to find enjoyment in
having many worthy friends ; – these are advantageous.
To find enjoyment in extravagant pleasures; to find enjoy-
ment in idleness and sauntering; to find enjoyment in the
pleasures of feasting;— these are injurious.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
95
There are three errors to which they who stand in the
presence of a man of virtue and station are liable. They
may speak when it does not come to them to speak; — this
is called rashness. They may not speak when it comes to
them to speak; - this is called concealment. They may
speak without looking at the countenance of their superior;
- this is called blindness.
There are three things which the superior man guards
against. In youth, when the physical powers are not yet
settled, he guards against lust. When he is strong, and the
physical powers are full of vigor, he guards against quarrel.
someness. When he is old, and the animal powers are de-
cayed, he guards against covetousness. There are three
things of which the superior man stands in awe. He stands
in awe of the ordinances of heaven. He stands in awe of
great men. He stands in awe of the words of sages.
CONFUCIUS.
MARCH 26
D ATROCLES said, The slowness of the Supreme
Being in the punishment of the wicked seems to me
the greatest mystery; for it becomes the Deity not
to be remiss in anything, but more especially in the prose-
cution of the wicked ; for they themselves are no way dila-
tory in ill-doing, but always driven on by their impetuous
passions to acts of injustice. For certainly, as Thucydides
says, punishment which follows injury closest at the heels
puts a stop to successful wickedness. Therefore, there is
no debt put off with so much loss as that of justice, for it
weakens the hope of the person wronged, and renders him
hopeless and comfortless, but heightens the boldness and
insolence of the oppressor. The fruit which injustice yields
is soon ripe, and offers itself to the gatherer's hand;
whereas punishment comes late, lagging long behind the
pleasure of enjoyment. The tardiness of retribution takes
away a belief in Providence, and the wicked, seeing that


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
saith the Lord God unto these bones : Behold, I will cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall live ; and I will lay
sinews upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath
in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am
the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I
prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and
the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I
beheld, lo, the sinews of the flesh came up upon them, and
the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in
them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind,
prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the
Lord God, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe
upon these slain, that they may live. So, I prophesied as
he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they
lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the
whole house of Israel ; behold, they say, Our bones are:
dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off from our parts.
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord God : Behold, O my people, I will open your graves,
and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring
you into the land of Israel ; and when I have brought you
up out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in you, and
ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then
shall ye know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and per-
formed it.
EZEKIEL.
MARCH 28
YOD defend me from being an honored man, accord-
Ting to the description I daily see every one make
in honor of himself. What before were vices are
now become manners.
We who live private lives, not exposed to any other view
than our own, ought to have settled a pattern within our-
selves, by which to try our actions; and according to that,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
sometimes to encourage, and sometimes to correct our-
selves. I have my own laws and judicature to judge of
myself, and apply myself more to these than any other
rules.
I do indeed restrain my actions according to others, but
judge them not by any other rule than my own. You your-
self only know if you are cowardly and cruel, or loyal and
devout ; others see you not, and only guess at you by uncer-
tain conjectures; they do not so much see your nature as
your art; rely not, therefore, upon their opinions, but stick
to your own : “Thou must spend thy own judgment upon
thyself; great is the weight of thy own conscience in the
discovery of thy own virtues and vices; that being taken
away, all things are lost.” Every one may take a part in the
farce and assume the character of an honest man upon the
stage; but within, and in his own bosom, where all things
are lawful to us, all things concealed, — to be regular, that
is the point.
Drusus being about to build a home, and the architect
offering to contrive it so that none of his neighbors might
look into it, Drusus said, “If you know how, make me such
a home rather, that what I do in it may be seen by every-
body."
The shortest way to arrive at glory should be to do that
for conscience which we do for glory; and the virtue of
Alexander appears to me with much less vigor, in his great
theatre, than that of Socrates, in his mean and obscure
employment. I can easily conceive Socrates in the place
of Alexander ; but Alexander in that of Socrates I cannot.
Who shall ask the one, what he can do, he will answer,
“Subdue the world.” Who shall put the same question to
the other, he will say, “Carry on human life conformably
to his natural condition.”
MONTAIGNE.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
99
MARCH 29
| TURNED myself to behold wisdom and madness and
folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the
king? even that which hath been already done. Then
I saw that wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth
darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head and the
fool walketh in darkness; and yet I perceived that one
event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart,
As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me,
and surely was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart,
that this also was vanity. For of the wise man, even as of
the fool, there is no remembrance forever; seeing that in
the days to come all will have been already forgotten. And
how doth the wise man die even as the fool! So I hated life;
because the work that is wrought under the sun was griev-
ous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun ;
seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be
after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man
or a fool ? Yet shall he have rule over all my labor wherein
I labored, and wherein I have shewed wisdom under the
sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned about to
cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein
I had labored under the sun. For there is a man whose
labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skilfulness ;
yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he give it
for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. For
what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of
his heart wherein he laboreth under the sun ? For all his
days are but sorrows, and his travail is grief ; yea, even in
the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.
ECCLESIASTES.


100
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
MARCH 30
V OU, therefore, if you are wise, my son, will en-
treat the gods to pardon you if you have been
wanting in respect toward your mother, lest, regard-
ing you as an ungrateful person, they should be disinclined
to do you good ; and you will have regard also to the
opinion of men, lest, observing you to be neglectful of your
parents, they should all condemn you, and you should then
be found destitute of friends ; for if men surmise that you
are ungrateful toward your parents, no one will believe that
if he does you a kindness, he will meet with gratitude in
return.
Do you reflect how much grievous trouble you have
given your mother by your peevishness, by voice, and by
action, in the day and in the night, and how much anxiety
you have caused her when you were ill? Yet you are dis-
pleased at your mother, although you well know that, what-
ever she says, she not only says nothing with intent to do you
harm, but that she wishes you more good than any other
human being. For my part, I think if you cannot endure
such a mother, you cannot endure anything that is good.
Socrates, having observed that two brothers well known
to him were at variance with each other, said to one, “ Tell
me, you surely are not one of those men, are you, who
think wealth more valuable than brothers, when wealth is
but a senseless thing, and a brother endowed with reason;
when wealth needs protection, while a brother can afford
protection ; when wealth besides is plentiful, and a brother
is but one ?"
At present you are in the same case as if the two hands,
which the gods have made to assist each other, should neg-
lect their duty, and begin to impede each other. Would
it not be a great folly and misfortune to use for our hurt
what was formed for our benefit? And indeed, as it appears
to me, the gods have designed brothers to be of greater mu-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
IOI
tual service than the hands, or feet, or eyes, or other mem-
bers, which they have made in pairs for men ; for the hands, if
required to do things at the same time, at greater distance
than a fathom, would be unable to do them; the feet can-
not reach two objects at the same time that are distant
even a fathom, and the eyes, which seem to reach to the
greatest distance, cannot, of objects that are much nearer,
see at the same time those that are before and behind them ;
but brothers, if they are in friendship, can, even at the
greatest distance, act in concert and for mutual benefit.
XENOPHON.
MARCH 31
STATE arises out of the needs of mankind; no one
is self-sufficing, but all of us have many wants. As
we have many wants, and many persons are needed
to supply them, one takes a helper for one purpose and an-
other for another, and when these helpers and partners are
gathered together in one habitation the body of inhabitants
is termed a state. And they exchange with one another, and
one gives, and another receives, under the idea that the
exchange will be for their good. Let us begin and create a
state, and yet the true creator is necessity, who is the
mother of our invention. There are diversities of natures
among us, which are adapted to different occupations. All
things are produced more plentifully and easily, and of a
better quality when one man does one thing which is nat-
ural to him, and is done at the right time, and leaves other
things. We shall have to select natures which are suited to
their task of guarding the city. He who is to be a really
good and noble guardian of the state will require to unite
in himself philosophy and spirit and swiftness and strength.
The beginning is the chiefest part of any work, especially
in a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which
the character is formed and most readily receives the desired
impression. And shall we just carelessly allow children to


102
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
hear any casual tales which may be framed by casual per-
sons, and to receive into their minds notions which are the
very opposite of those which are to be held by them when
they are grown up? Then the first thing will be to have
a censorship of the writers of fiction, and let the censors
receive any tale of fiction which is good, and reject the bad,
and we will desire mothers and nurses to tell their children
the authorized ones only. Let them fashion the mind with
these tales, and not the tender frame with the hands only.
At the same time, most of those which are now in use will
have to be discarded, — whenever an erroneous represen-
tation is made of the nature of gods and heroes, — like
the drawing of a limner which has not the shadow of a like-
ness to the truth. The young man should not be told that
in committing the worst of crimes he is far from doing
anything outrageous, and in them will only be following the
example of the first and greatest among the gods. For
the young man cannot judge what is allegorical and what is
literal, and anything that he receives into his mind at that
age is apt to become indelible and unalterable, and there-
fore the tales which they first hear should be models of
virtuous thoughts. God is always to be represented as he
truly is; that is one form which is equally to be observed
in every kind of verse, whether epic, lyric, or tragic.
God, if he be good, is not the author of all things, as the
many assert, but he is the cause of a few things only, and
not of most things that occur to men; for few are the goods
of human life, and many are the evils, and the good only is
to be attributed to him. That God, being good, is the author
of evil to any one, that is to be strenuously denied, and not
allowed to be sung or said in any well-ordered common-
wealth by old or young. Such a fiction is suicidal, ruinous,
impious. God and his attributes are absolutely perfect.
God is one and the same, immutably fixed in his own proper
image.
Plato.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
103
APRIL 1
(AVE no will but the will of God. When you have
such a guide, and conform your will and inclinations
to his, why need you fear being disappointed ? Fix
your desire and aversion on riches or poverty; the one will
be disappointed, the other incurred. Fix them on health,
power, honors, your country, friends, children, — in short,
on anything beyond the control of your will,'— you will be
unfortunate. But fix them on Zeus, on the gods; give your-
self up to these; let these govern you; let your powers
be ranged on the same side with these, and how can you
be any longer unprosperous ? Having two things united
in our composition, a body in common with the brutes and
reason in common with the gods, many incline to this un-
happy and mortal kindred, and only some few who suppose
that they are made for faith and honor and a wise use of
things will never think meanly or ignobly concerning them-
selves.
I yield up all the rest ; it suffices me if once I become
able to pass my life free from hindrance and grief, to stretch
out my neck to all events as freely, and to look up to
Heaven as the friend of God, fearing nothing that can
happen.
Whatever you would make habitual, practice it; and if
you would not make a thing habitual, do not practice it,
but habituate yourself to something else.
Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a
present evil, but that you have increased a habit, and added
fuel to a fire.
Be willing to approve yourself to yourself. Be willing to
appear beautiful in the sight of God; be desirous to con-
verse in purity with your own pure mind and with God.
EPICTETUS.


104
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
APRIL 2
HARGE them that are rich in this present world
that they be not high-minded, nor have their hope
set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that
they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute,
willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves
a good foundation against the time to come, that they may
lay hold on the life which is life indeed.
Above all things, put on love, which is the bond of per-
fectness, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, and
be ye thankful.
Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of
Christ. Have this mind in you which was also in Christ
Jesus. Work out your own salvation with fear and trem-
bling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and
to work, for his good pleasure. Do all things without mur-
murings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and
harmless, children of God without blemish, in the midst of
a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are
seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed unto
his death ; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrec-
tion from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or
am already made perfect; but I press on, if so be that I
may apprehend that for which also I was apprehended by
Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have ap-
prehended; but one thing I do, forgetting the things which
are behind and stretching forward to the things which are
before, I press on toward the goal, unto the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. For our citizenship
is in heaven. Rejoice in the Lord alway, again I will say,
Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. In
nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayers and sup-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
105
plication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth
understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts
in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
I have learned in whatever state I am, therein to be con-
tent. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to
abound. I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.
THE EPISTLES.
APRIL 3
HAT wonder, since the actions of men are so dif-
ficult to be understood, it is no less difficult to
determine concerning the gods, why they send
their punishments upon sinners, sometimes later, sometimes
sooner. There is no greater benefit that man can enjoy
from God than to be incited to the study of virtue, by the
imitation and pursuit of those perfections and that holiness
which are in him. Therefore, God, with forbearance and at
leisure, inflicts his punishments upon the wicked, not be-
cause he fears committing a mistake, or may repent, were
he to hasten his indignation, but to cast out the brutish and
eager desire for revenge in human breasts, and to teach us
that we are not, in the heat of fury, nor when our anger
boils up above our understanding, to fall upon those who
have done us an injury, like those who seek to gratify a
vehement thirst, or burning appetite; but that we should
in imitation of this mildness and forbearance, with due com-
posure, give way to the desire of punishment or correction,
only after such sufficient time for reflection as may admit
of no repentance. As Socrates said, it is far less an evil
for a man overwhelmed with intemperance and gluttony
to drink muddy water, than when the mind is disturbed by


106
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
anger and fury, and before it is settled and limpid again, for
a man to seek his revenge upon the body of a friend or
kinsman. For Thucydides says, not the revenge nearest to
the injury, but that at the greatest distance from it, is the
most fitting ; so reason does that which is just and moder-
ate, laying aside passion and fury; as when Plato, holding
his staff over his page's shoulders, paused a long time, cor-
recting his own anger; or Archytas, observing the sloth
and negligence of his servants in the field, and perceiving
his anger to rise, went away, saying, as he left them, “ It
is your good fortune that I am angry.” As one who is
unskilled in husbandry would by no means choose a piece
of ground overrun with brakes and weeds, abounding with
wild beasts, and covered with stagnant pools; yet to him
who has understood the nature of the earth, these are sure
signs of the softness and fertility of the soil; so great na-
tures many times produce many absurd and vile enormities,
and we, not enduring their excesses, are at once for lopping
off the lawless transgressors; but the more prudent judge,
who discerns the abounding goodness and generosity se-
cretly hidden in those transcendent minds, waits the co-
operation of age and season for reason and virtue to mani-
fest themselves and gather the ripe fruit when nature has
ripened it.
PLUTARCH.
APRIL 4
S many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the
sons of God. For ye received the spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God;
and if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint heirs with
Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be
also glorified with him. For I reckon that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. For the earnest


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 107
expectation of the creature waiteth for the revealing of
the sons of God. For the creature was subjected to vanity,
not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it,
in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of
the children of God. For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And
not only so, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, wait-
ing for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
For by hope were we saved; but hope that is seen is not
hope ; for who hopeth for that which he seeth? But if we
hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience
wait for it.
THE EPISTLES.
APRIL 5
'HE Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came
unto him and said unto him, There were two men
in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The
rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; but the
poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which
he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together
with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own mor-
sel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was
unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto
the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and
of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was
come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed
it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger
was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan,
As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy
to die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he
did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan
said to David, Thou art the man.
II. SAMUEL.


JO8
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
This commandment which I command thee this day, it
is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in
heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to
heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that
we may do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou
shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring
it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? But
the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy
heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee
this day life and good, and death and evil ; in that I com-
mand thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his
ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and
his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that
the Lord thy God may bless thee in the land whither thou
goest in to possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness
against you this day, that I have set before thee life and
death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that
thou mayest live to love the Lord thy God, to obey his voice,
and to cleave unto him, for he is thy life, and the length of
thy days.
DEUTERONOMY.
APRIL 6
N every occasion a man should say: This comes from
God: and this is according to the spinning of the
thread of destiny. If thou workest at that which
is before thee, following right reason seriously, vigorously,
calmly, without allowing anything else to distract thee, but
keeping thy divine part pure, as if thou shouldest be bound
to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this, expect-
ing nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present
activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every
word and sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happy.
And there is no man who is able to prevent this. It is in
thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thy-
self. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom


110 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
continued by a succession of poor human beings, who will
very soon die, and who know not even themselves, much
less him who died long ago.
As physicians have always their instruments and knives
ready for cases which suddenly require their skill, so do thou
have principles ready for the understanding of things divine
and human, and for doing everything, even the smallest,
with a recollection of the bond which unites the divine and
human to one another. For thou wilt not do anything well
which pertains to man without at the same time having a
reference to things divine.
The soul is dyed by thoughts. Dye it, then, with a con-
tinuous series of such thoughts as these : for instance, that
where a man can live, there he also can live well. But he
must live in a palace : well, then, he can also live well in a
palace. Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed
by nature to bear. Reverence that which is best in the uni-
verse; reverence also that which is best in thyself. Live
with the gods. And he does live with the gods who con-
stantly shows to them that his own soul is satisfied with that
which is assigned to him, and that it does all that the dæmon
wishes, which Zeus hath given to every man for his guard-
ian and guide, a portion of himself.
Marcus AURELIUS.
APRIL 8
V E will not come to me, that ye may have life. Work
not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat
which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of
man shall give unto you. It is the spirit that quickeneth ;
the flesh profiteth nothing : the words that I have spoken
unto you are spirit and are life. My teaching is not mine,
but his that sent me. If any man willeth to do his will, he
shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, or whether
I speak from myself. Judge not according to appearance,
but judge righteous judgment. I am the light of the world :


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
III
he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but
shall have the light of life. I came that they may have life,
and may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd :
the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. I am
come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me
may not abide in darkness. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions ; if it
were not so, I would have told you ; for I go to prepare a
place for you. I am the way, and the truth, and the life : no
man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye love me, ye
will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be
with you forever, even the Spirit of truth : whom the world
cannot receive : for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth
him : ye know him ; for he abideth with you, and shall be
in you. I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to
you : because I live, ye shall live also. Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither
let it be fearful. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced,
because I go unto the Father. Herein is my Father glori-
fied, that ye bear much fruit : and so shall ye be my disci-
ples. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my
love : even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and
abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you,
that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribu-
lation : but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,
THE GOSPELS.
APRIL 9
HY are we afraid when we send a young man from
the school into active life, that he should behave
indecently; that he should either debase himself
by slovenliness, or clothe himself too finely? Knows he not


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
113
APRIL 10
\HE Spirit also helpeth our infirmity; for we know
not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts know-
eth what is the mind of the Spirit, and we know that to
them that love God all things work together for good, even
to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom
he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among
many brethren ; and whom he foreordained, them he also
called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and
whom he justified, them he also glorified. What then shall
we say to these things ? If God is for us, who is against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all
things ? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth : who is he that shall con-
demn? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword ? Even as it is written, For
thy sake we are killed all the day long : we were accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I
am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Owe no nian anything, save to love one another; for he
that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. Love work-
eth no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfilment
of the law.
THE EPISTLES.


114
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
APRIL 11
F all animals the boy is the most unmanageable :
inasmuch as he has the fountain of reason in him
not yet regulated, he is the most insidious, sharp-
witted, and insubordinate of animals. Wherefore he must
be bound with many bridles.
Of all the great affairs of state the minister of the edu-
cation of youth is the greatest; for the first shoot of any
plant rightly tending to the perfection of its own nature
has the greatest effect on its maturity; and this is not only
true of plants, but of animals wild and tame, and also of
men. Man is a tamed or civilized animal; nevertheless he
requires proper instruction and a fortunate nature, and
then of all animals he becomes the most divine and most
civilized; but if he be insufficiently or ill educated, he is
the savagest of earthly creatures. Wherefore the legislator
ought not to allow the education of children to become a
secondary or accidental matter.
The greatest ignorance is when a man hates that which
he nevertheless thinks to be good and noble, and loves and
embraces that which he knows to be unrighteous and evil.
If any one gives too great a power to anything, too much
food to the body, too large a sail to a vessel, too much
authority to the mind, and is regardless of the mean, every-
thing is overthrown, and in wantonness of excess runs in
the one case to disorder and in the other to injustice, which
is the child of excess.
There is no soul of man, young and irresponsible, who
will be able to sustain the temptation of arbitrary power —
no one who will not under such circumstances become filled
with folly, that worst of diseases, and be hated by his near-
est and dearest friends; when this happens, his kingdom is
undermined, and all his power vanishes from him. And
great legislators should know the nature of the mean and
take heed of the danger.
It is an excellent rule not lightly to profane the names


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 115
of the Gods after the fashion of men in general, who care
little about piety and purity in their actions.
Every man should regard adulteration as a particular
kind of falsehood.
The possession of justice in the soul is preferable to the
possession of wealth.
All things are full of Gods.
PLATO.
APRIL 12
E carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain
great and high, and shewed me the holy city Jeru-
salem, coming down out of heaven from God, hav-
ing the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most
precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal : having
a wall great and high. And he that spake with me had for
a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare,
and the length thereof is as great as the breadth : the
length and the breadth and the height are equal. And the
city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations
of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of
precious stones. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were trans-
parent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine upon it : for the glory of God did lighten it, and
the lamp thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk
amidst the light thereof : and the kings of the earth do
bring their glory into it. And the gates thereof shall in no
wise be shut by day, for there shall be no night there, and
they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into
it : and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean :
or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they
which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
REVELATION.


116
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APRIL 13
E of good cheer, O my children, and cry unto God;
for ye shall be remembered of him that hath brought
these things upon you. For as it was your mind to
go astray from God, so return and seek him ten times more.
For he that brought these plagues upon you shall bring you
everlasting joy again with your salvation. Be of good cheer,
O Jerusalem, for he that calleth thee by name will comfort
thee. Say ye in your hearts, O Lord, we must worship thee.
For mine angel is with you, and I myself do care for your
souls.
O Jerusalem, look about thee toward the east, and behold
the joy that cometh unto thee from God. Lo, thy sons come,
whom thou sentest away; they come gathered together from
the east to the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing
in the glory of God. Put off, O Jerusalem, the garment of
thy mourning and affliction, and put on the comeliness of the
glory that cometh from God forever. Cast about thee the
robe of the righteousness which cometh from God; set a
diadem on thine head of the glory of the Everlasting. For
God will shew thy brightness unto every region under
heaven. For thy name shall be called of God forever, The
peace of righteousness, and The glory of Godliness. Arise,
O Jerusalem, and behold thy children gathered from the
going down of the sun unto the rising thereof, rejoicing that
God hath remembered them. For they went from thee on
foot, but God bringeth them in unto thee from on high with
glory, as on a royal throne. For God hath appointed that
every high mountain and the everlasting hills should be
made low, and the valleys filled up, to make plain the ground,
that Israel may go safely in the glory of God.
RUCH.


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117
APRIL 14
L'OR behold your calling, brethren, how that not many
wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,
are called ; but God chose the foolish things of the
world, that he might put to shame them that are wise ; and
God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put
to shame the things that are strong; and the base things of
the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose,
yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to
nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory before
God. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made
unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctifi-
cation, and redemption : that, according as it is written, He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. And I, brethren,
when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech
or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery of God. For I
determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus
Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness,
and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my
preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power : that your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among the perfect; yet a
wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world,
which are coming to nought; but we speak God's wisdom
in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which
God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory; which
none of the rulers of this world knoweth; for had they
known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory:
but as it is written,
Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not,
And which entered not into the heart of man,
Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love
him.


Ii8
118 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit; for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
THE EPISTLES.
APRIL 15
HOLY spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and will
start away from thoughts that are without under-
standing; and will be put to confusion when unright-
eousness hath come in. For wisdom is a spirit that loveth
man, and will not hold a reviler guiltless for his lips. Re-
frain your tongue from backbiting; because no secret utter-
ance shall go on its way void, and a mouth that belieth
destroyeth a soul.
While our heart beateth reason is a spark, which being
extinguished, the body shall be turned into ashes, and the
spirit shall be dispersed as thin air ; and our name shall be
forgotten in time, and no man shall remember our works;
and our life shall pass away as the traces of a cloud, and
shall be scattered as is a mist when it is chased by the
beams of the sun, and overcome by the heat thereof.
Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness be-
fore the face of them that afflicted him, and them that make
his labors of no account. When they see it they shall be
troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the marvel
of God's salvation. They shall say within themselves, repent-
ing, This was he whom aforetime we had in derision, and
made a parable of reproach ; we fools accounted his life mad-
ness and his end without honor : how was he numbered
among sons of God, and how is his lot among saints? I
took thought in my heart how that in kinship unto wisdom
is immortality, and in her friendship is good delight. When
an unrighteous man fell away from her in his anger, and
when for his cause the earth was drowning with a flood,
Wisdom again saved it, guiding the righteous man's course
by a poor piece of wood; and thy Providence, O Father,
guideth it along, because even in the sea thou gavest a way,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 119
and in the waves a sure path. When proud giants were
perishing, the hope of the world, taking refuge on a raft, left
to the race of men a seed of generations to come, thy hand
guiding the helm.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
APRIL 16
THEREFORE, putting away falsehood, speak ye
truth each one with his neighbor : for we are
members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin
not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath; neither
give place to the devil. Let him that stole, steal no more ;
but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing
that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that
hath need. Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your
mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may
be, that it may give grace to them that hear. And grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto
the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and clamor, and railing be put away from you, with
all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave
you.
For ye were once darkness, but are now light in the
Lord : walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light is
in all goodness and righteousness and truth), proving what
is well-pleasing unto the Lord, and have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness. Look therefore carefully
how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the
time because the days are evil. Be not drunk with wine,
but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord.
THE EPISTLES.


120
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APRIL 17
HE offences which are committed through desire
are more blameable than those which are committed
through anger. For he who is excited by anger seems
to turn away from reason with a certain pain and uncon-
scious contraction, but he who offends through desire, be-
ing overpowered by pleasure, seems to be in a manner
more intemperate in his offences.
Since it is possible that thou mayest depart from life this
very moment, regulate every act and thought accordingly.
But to go away from among men, if there are gods, is not a
thing to be afraid of, for the gods will not involve thee in
evil, but if indeed they do not exist, or if they have no con-
cern about human affairs, what is it to me to live in a uni-
verse devoid of gods or devoid of providence? But in truth
they do exist, and they do care for human things, and they
have put all the means in man's power to enable him not
to fall into real evils. And as to the rest, if there was any.
thing evil, they would have provided for this also, that it
should be altogether in a man's power not to fall into it.
Now that which does not make a man worse, how can it
make a man's life worse? But neither through ignorance,
nor having the knowledge but not the power to guard
against or correct these things, is it possible that the nature
of the universe has overlooked them ; nor is it possible that
it has made so great a mistake, either through want of
power or want of skill, that good or evil should happen in-
discriminately to the good and the bad. But death certainly,
and life, honor and dishonor, pain and pleasure, all these
things equally happen to good men and to bad, being things
which make us neither better nor worse. Therefore they
are neither good nor evil.
Death is nothing else than an operation of nature; and
if any one is afraid of an operation of nature, he is a child.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 121
This, however, is not only an operation of nature, but it is
also a thing which conduces to the purposes of nature.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
APRIL 18
F the sayings and actions of men, when called to mind,
have such a power to soften the harshness of wrath,
much more does it become us, seeing how God, with
whom there is neither dread nor repentance of anything,
defers his punishments to future time, to be very cautious
in these matters, and to regard as a divine part of virtue
that mildness and long-suffering of which God affords us an
example, who by punishing reforms a few, but by delaying
punishment helps and admonishes many.
God probably sees into the motives and inclinations of
every diseased soul which he follows with his divine justice,
whether indeed they tend to repentance, and gives time for
reformation to those whose wickedness is neither invincible
nor incorrigible, well knowing what proportion of virtue
souls bring with them from himself, and how strong their
innate and primal goodness still continues. For wickedness
buds forth upon the corruption of bad diet and evil conver-
sation, but some souls recover to a perfect cure, or an indif-
ferent condition, and therefore the Deity does not inflict his
punishments alike upon all. Those that are incurable he
presently cuts off and deprives of life, as being hurtful to
others, but most hurtful to themselves, and always wallow-
ing in wickedness. But as for those who transgress rather
out of ignorance for what is good and virtuous than through
choice of what is foul and vicious, he grants them time to
turn, but if they remain obdurate, at last he inflicts his pun-
ishments upon them, for there is no fear lest they should
escape. Hesiod asserts that the punishment of injustice is
of the same age with it, and arises from the same place and
root. The Cantharis, by a certain kind of antipathies in its
nature, carries within itself the cure of the wound it inflicts;


122 I 22
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
on the other hand, wickedness at the same time it is com-
mitted, causing its own pain and torment, not at last, but
at the very moment of the injury, suffers the reward of the
injustice it has done.
Every malefactor bears his own cross to the crucifixion,
and so all the various torments of all wicked acts are pre-
pared by the several sorts of wickedness themselves. Such
a diligent architect of a miserable and wretched life is wick-
edness, attended by a thousand terrors of the mind, inces-
sant repentance, and never-ceasing tumults of the spirit.
PLUTARCH.
APRIL 19
COLOMON stood before the altar of the Lord in the
presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread
forth his hands towards heaven; and he said, Lord God
of Israel, there is no God like thee in heaven above, or on
earth beneath ; who keepest covenant and mercy with thy
servants, that walk before thee with all their heart. But
will God in very deed dwell on the earth ? behold, heaven
and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee: how much
less this house that I have builded. Yet have thou respect
unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O
Lord my God, to harken unto the cry and to the prayer
which thy servant prayeth before thee this day; that thine
eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even
toward the place whereof thou hast said, My name shall be
there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall
pray toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication
of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall
pray toward this place; yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwell-
ing place; and when thou hearest, forgive. If there be in
the land famine, if there be pestilence; whatsoever plague,
whatsoever sickness there be ; what prayer and supplication
soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which
shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 123
spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and render
unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou
knowest : (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of
all the children of men.)
The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers;
let him not leave us, nor forsake us ; that he may incline our
hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his com-
mandments and his statutes and his judgments, which he
commanded our fathers; that all the peoples of the earth
may know that the Lord he is God; there is none else. Let
your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God.
I. Kings.
APRIL 20
H E right and left hand are supposed to differ by
nature when we use them, whereas no difference is
found in the use of the feet and the lower limbs ;
but in the use of the hands we are in a manner lame, by
reason of the folly of nurses and mothers; for although our
several limbs are by nature balanced, we create a difference
in them by bad habit.
Education has two branches, - one of gymnastic, which
is concerned with the body, and the other of music, which
is designed for the improvement of the soul. As the ship-
wright first lays down the lines of the keel, and draws the
design in outline, so do I seek to distinguish the patterns
of life, and lay down their keels according to the nature of
different men's souls ; seeking truly to consider by what
means and in what ways we may go through the voyage of
life best.
Man is made to be the plaything of God, and this truly
considered is the best of him. God is the natural and
worthy object of a man's most serious and blessed endeavors;
wherefore every man and woman should follow in this way,
and pass life in the noblest of pastimes, and be of another


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
mind from what they now are. They think that their serious
pursuits should be for the sake of their sports, for they deem
war a serious pursuit, which must be managed well for the
sake of peace; but the truth is, that there neither is, nor has
been, nor ever will be, either amusement or instruction in
any degree worth speaking of in war, which is nevertheless
deemed by us to be the most serious of our pursuits. And
therefore, every man of us should live the life of peace as
long and as well as he can.
The legislator ought to be whole and perfect, and not
half a man only; he ought not to let the female sex live
softly and waste money and have no order of life, while he
takes the utmost care of the male sex, and leaves half of life
blest with happiness, when he might have made the whole
state happy. The life which is wholly concerned with the
virtue of body and soul may truly be said to be twice, or
more than twice, as full of toil and trouble as the pursuit
after Pythian and Olympic victories, which debars a man
from every employment of life. For there ought to be no
life-work which interferes with the due exercise and nour-
ishment of the body, or the attainments and habits of the
soul. Night and day are not long enough for the accom-
plishment and consummation.
Much sleep is not required by nature, either for our souls
or bodies, or for the actions in which they are concerned,
if the habit of not sleeping be once formed.
PLATO.
APRIL 21
MAN should use himself to think of those things
only about which if one should suddenly ask, What
hast thou now in thy thoughts ? with perfect open-
ness thou mightest immediately answer, This or That, so
that from thy words it should be plain that everything in
thee is simple and benevolent, and such as befits a social
animal, and one that cares not for thoughts about pleasure


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 125
or sensual enjoyments at all, or any rivalry or envy or
suspicion or anything else for which thou wouldest blush if
thou shouldst say that thou hadst it in thy mind. For the
man who is such as no longer to delay being among the
number of the best is like a priest or minister of the gods,
using, too, the deity which is planted within him, which
makes the man uncontaminated by pleasure, unharmed by
pain, untouched by an insult, feeling no wrong, a fighter
in the noblest fight, one who cannot be overpowered by any
passion, dyed deep with justice, accepting with all his soul
everything which happens and is assigned to him as his
portion, and not often, nor yet without great necessity and
for the general interest, imagining what another says, or
does, or thinks. And he remembers, also, that every ra-
tional animal is his kinsman, and that to care for all men is
according to man's nature; and a man should hold on to
the opinion, not of all, but of those only who confessedly live
according to nature. Never value anything as profitable to
thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise, to
lose thy self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse,
to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which needs walls
and curtains. He is a runaway who flies from social rea-
son; he is blind who shuts the eyes of the understanding ;
he is poor who has need of another, and has not from him-
self all things which are useful for life.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
APRIL 22
7 ISDOM delivered out of troubles those that
waited on her.
Thou lovest all things that are, for never wouldest
thou have formed anything if thou didst hate it, and how
would anything have endured except thou hadst willed it ?
But being righteous, thou rulest all things righteously.
Thou, our God, art gracious and true, long-suffering, and
in mercy ordering all things. For even if we sin we are


126
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thine, knowing thy dominion ; but we shall not sin, know-
ing that we have been accounted thine: for to be acquainted
with thee is perfect righteousness, and to know thy domin-
ion is the root of immortality. He who, having but a little
before been made of earth, after a short space goeth his
way to the earth out of which he was taken, when he is
required to render back the soul which was lent him.
For of a truth it was neither herb nor mollifying plaister
that cured them, but thy word, O Lord, which healeth all
things; for thou hast authority over life and death. It is
not the growth of the earth's fruits that nourisheth a man,
but thy word preserveth them that trust thee.
The world fighteth for the righteous.
Thou gavest thy people angels' food to eat.
Great are thy judgments, and hard to interpret; there-
fore souls undisciplined went astray. For when lawless men
had supposed that they held a holy nation in their power,
they themselves, prisoners of darkness, and bound in the
fetters of a long night, close kept beneath their roofs, lay
exiled from the eternal providence.
For in all things, O Lord, thou didst magnify thy people,
and thou didst glorify them and not lightly regard them ;
standing by their side in every time and place.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
APRIL 23
'HINGS do not touch the soul; but perturbations
come only from the opinion which is within.
The universe is transformation; life is opinion.
How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what
his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only to what he does
himself, that it may be just and pure. That which is really
beautiful has no need of anything, not more than law, not
more than truth, not more than benevolence or modesty.
Everything harmonizes with me which is harmonious to


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 127
thee, O Universe. Nothing for me is too early nor too late
which is in due time for thee. Everything is fruit to me which
thy seasons bring, O Nature; from thee are all things,
in thee are all things, to thee all things return. The poet
says, Dear city of Cecrops : Wilt not thou say, Dear city
of Zeus ? The greatest part of what we say and do being
unnecessary, if a man takes this away, he will have more
leisure and less uneasiness. Does any one do wrong? It is
to himself that he does the wrong. Has anything happened
to thee? well : out of the universe from the beginning
everything which happens has been apportioned and spun
out to thee. Love the art, poor as it may be, which thou
hast learned, and be content with it ; and pass through the
rest of life like one who has intrusted to the Gods with his
whole soul all that he has, making thyself neither the tyrant
nor the slave of any man. Remember on every occasion
which leads thee to vexation to apply this principle : that
this is not a misfortune, but that to bear it nobly is good
fortune ; happy am I, neither crushed by the present, nor
fearing the future.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
APRIL 24
So divert myself from a troublesome fancy 't is but
to run to my books : they presently fix me to them,
and drive the other out of my thoughts; and do not
mutiny at seeing I have only recourse to them for want
of other more real, natural, and lively conveniences; they
always receive me with the same kindness. I never travel
without books, either in peace or war. 'Tis the best viaticum
I have yet found out for this human journey.
Prosperity is the same discipline and instruction to me
that adversity and persecution are to others. As if good
fortune were a thing incompatible with good conscience,
men never grow good but in evil fortune. Happiness is to
me a singular spur to modesty and moderation.


128
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
The smallest and slightest impediments are the most
piercing, and as small print most tires the eyes, so do little
affairs the most disturb us. Vain vexations, vain sometimes,
but always vexations. Life is a tender thing, and easily
molested.
Oh! what a mean and ridiculous thing it is for a man to
study his money, to delight himself with handling and tell-
ing it over and over ! 't is by such ways that avarice makes
its approaches. I hate poverty equally with pain ; but I
could be content to change the kind of life I live for another
that was meaner and had fewer affairs. Even the goods of
the mind, wisdom itself, seems even fruitless to us if only
enjoyed by ourselves. We compare ourselves in all our for-
tunes to what is above us, and still look towards the better;
but let us measure ourselves with what is below us, and there
is no condition so miserable, wherein a man may not find a
thousand examples that will administer consolation.
Praise is always pleasing, let it come from whom or upon
what account it will ; yet ought a man to understand why
he is commended, that he may know how to keep up the
same reputation still. Even imperfections may meet with
commendation from some one or other : the vulgar and
common esteem seldom hits right; and I am much mistaken
if among the writings of my time the worst are not those
which have most gained the popular applause.
It were a fine thing to be old, if we only travelled to-
wards improvement: but 't is a drunken, stumbling, reeling,
ill-favored motion, like that of reeds which the air casually
waves to and fro at pleasure.
MONTAIGNE.
APRIL 25
HETHER one member suffereth, all the mem-
bers suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all
the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the
body of Christ, and severally members thereof. And God


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 129
officient for idly therefor of Christ
hath set some in the church: first apostles, secondly pro-
phets, thirdly teachers, then powers, then gifts of healing,
helps, governments, divers kinds of tongues. Are all
apostles ? are all prophets ? are all teachers ? are all workers
of powers ? have all gifts of healing ? do all speak with
tongues ? do all interpret? But desire earnestly the greater
gifts.
That I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given
to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet
me. Concerning these things I besought the Lord thrice,
that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My
grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in
my weaknesses, that the strength of Christ may rest upon
me. Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake;
for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers ; for what fellow-
ship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion
hath light with darkness? or what concord hath Christ with
Belial ? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?
and what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we
are a temple of the living God.
For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
THE EPISTLES.
APRIL 26
ECAUSE thou didst keep the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that
hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth. I come quickly : hold fast
that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. He that
overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write
upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city
of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of


130 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
heaven from my God, and mine own new name. He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the
churches.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I
would thou wert cold or hot. So, because thou art luke-
warm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my
mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten
riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and
naked : I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that
thou mayest become rich, and white garments, that thou may-
est clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not
made manifest, and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou
mayest see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten; be
zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me
in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my
Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith to the churches.
REVELATION.
APRIL 27
NOW ye not that they which run in a race run all,
but one receiveth the prize? Even so run, that ye
may attain. And every man that striveth in the
games is temperate in all things. Now they do it to receive
a corruptible crown ; but we an incorruptible. I therefore
so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air :
but I bruise my body, and bring it into bondage : lest by any
means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should
be rejected
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such
as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with
the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may
be able to endure it. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles,
eat, asking no question for conscience sake ; for the earth
is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. If one of them that
believe not biddeth you to a feast, and ye are disposed to
go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question
for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This
hath been offered in sacrifice, eat not, for his sake that
shewed, and for conscience sake: conscience, I say, not
thine own, but the other's; for why is my liberty judged
by another conscience? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink,
or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give no
occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to
the church of God.
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the
world, and no kind is without signification. I will pray with
the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also : I
will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the under-
standing also.
Brethren, be not children in mind : how beit in malice be
ye babes, but in mind be men.
THE EPISTLES.
APRIL 28
NE of the multitude said unto him, Master, bid my
brother divide the inheritance with me. But he
said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a
divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and
keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life con-
sisteth not in the abundance of the things which he pos-
sesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The
ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and
he reasoned within himself saying, What shall I do, because
I have not where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This
will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and


132
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there will I bestow all my corn and my goods. And I will
say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many
years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said
unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required
of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose
shall they be? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,
and is not rich toward God. Therefore I say unto you, Be
not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for
your body, what ye shall put on. For the life is more than
the food, and the body than the raiment. Consider the
ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-
chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them : of how much
more value are ye than the birds! Consider the lilies, how
they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin ; yet I say
unto you, Even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed
like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass in
the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the
oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little
faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye
shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these
things do the nations of the world seek after: but your
Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. How-
beit seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added
unto you. Make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a
treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draw-
eth near, neither moth destroyeth. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.
THE GOSPELS.
APRIL 29
E shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou
shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither
shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest. And thou shalt
not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen
fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 133
and the stranger: I am the Lord your God. Ye shall not
steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another.
Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor, nor rob him ; the
wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night
until the morning. Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put
a stumbling-block before the blind, but thou shalt fear thy
God: I am the Lord. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judg-
ment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor
honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt
thou judge thy neighbor. Thou shalt not go up and down
as a talebearer among thy people; thou shalt not hate thy
brother in thine heart; thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any
grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. Neither shall ye use enchant-
ments, nor practice augury. Ye shall keep my sabbaths,
and reverence my sanctuary. Turn ye not unto them that
have familiar spirits, nor unto the wizards. Thou shalt rise
up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old
man. And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye
shall not do him wrong. The stranger that sojourneth with
you shall be unto you as the homeborn among you, and
thou shalt love him as thyself: for ye were strangers in the
land of Israel. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judg-
ment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances,
just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have.
And ye shall observe all my statutes and all my judgments,
and do them. I am the Lord.
LEVITICUS.
APRIL 30
V OU said that the wrong-doer is happy, if he be unpun-
ished; and I say that he is most miserable, and that
those who are punished are less miserable. The
proper office of punishment is twofold: he who is rightly
punished ought either to become better and profit by it, or
he ought to be made an example to his fellows, that they


134
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
may see what he suffers, and fear and become better; those
who are punished by Gods and men, and improved, are those
whose sins are curable ; still the way of improving them, as
in this world, so also in another, is by pain and suffering ;
for there is no other way in which they can be delivered
from their evil. But they who have been guilty of the worst
crimes, and are incurable by reason of their crimes, are
made examples; for, as they are incurable, the time has
passed at which they can receive any benefit themselves.
But others get good when they behold them forever endur-
ing the most terrible and painful and fearful sufferings as
the penalty of their sins — there they are, hanging up as
examples, in the prison-house of the world below, a specta-
cle and a warning to all unrighteous men who come thither.
And most of these examples are taken from the class of
tyrants and kings and public men, for they are the authors
of the greatest and most impious crimes, because they have
the power. The very bad men come from the class of those
who have power. And yet in that very class there may
arise good men, and worthy of all admiration they are; for
where there is great power to do wrong, to live and die justly
is a hard thing, and greatly to be praised, and few there are
who attain this. In general, great men are also bad.
Goods are of two kinds: there are human goods and there
are divine goods, and the human hang upon the divine;
and the state which attains the greater at the same time
acquires the less, or not having the greater, loses both. Of
the lesser goods the first is health, the second beauty, the
third strength, and the fourth wealth, not the blind god, but
one who is keen of sight and has wisdom for a companion.
Wisdom is chief and leader of the divine class of goods, and
next follows temperance; and from the union of these two
with courage springs justice, and fourth in the scale of vir-
tue is courage. How ought we to define courage? Is that
to be regarded only as a combat against fears and pains,
or also against desires and pleasures, and against flatteries;


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
135
which exercise such a tremendous power that they make
the hearts even of respectable citizens to melt like wax?
PLATO.
MAY 1
IN many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in
word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole
- body also. Now if we put the horses' bridles into their
mouths, that they may obey us, we turn about their whole
body also. Behold the ships also, though they are so great,
and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very
small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth.
So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great
things. Behold how much wood is kindled by how small a fire,
and the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our
members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and
setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell.
For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things, and
things in the sea, is tamed and hath been tamed by mankind;
but the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full
of deadly poison. Therewith bless we the Lord and Father;
and therewith curse we men, which are made after the like-
ness of God; out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing
and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet
water and bitter? Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives,
or a vine figs? Neither can salt water yield sweet.
Who is wise and understanding among you ? let him shew
by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. But if
ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not,
and lie not against the truth. This wisdom is not a wisdom
that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devil-
ish. For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion,
and every vile deed. But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full
of mercy and good fruits without variance, without hypoc-


136 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
risy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for
them that make peace.
THE EPISTLES.
MAY 2
AM not now speaking of the common or qualified form
of friendship, which considers both pleasure and profit,
but of that true and perfect friendship which existed in
the few select instances which history holds in remembrance.
Such friendship adds to the brightness of prosperity, and
lessens the burdens of adversity by dividing and sharing
them. He who looks into the face of a true friend sees as
it were a second self. So that where his friend is he is; he
is not poor if his friend is rich ; if he is weak, he has his
friend's strength; and in his friend's life he lives after his
own is ended, such is the respect, the fond remembrance,
and the enduring love with which the departed are followed
by the living. If one does not know what virtue there is in
friendship and harmony, he may learn it from discords and
strife. For what home is so firmly established, what state
is so secure, that it cannot be overthrown by hatred and
divisions? Here we may learn the inestimable value of
friendship. A Greek philosopher sang in verse that whatever
in nature and the universe is harmonious and unchangeable
comes from the binding power of friendship ; and all that
is changeable comes from the power of discord. In friend-
ship there can be nothing feigned, nothing pretended :
everything in it must be genuine and spontaneous. Did
Africanus need me? Did I need Africanus ? Though many
and great material advantages came from our friendship,
they were not the cause of our mutual love. For as we are
not beneficent and generous in order to demand gratitude
in return, but are by a natural law inclined to generosity;
so friendship is not to be sought for the sake of gain, but
because its rewards are in its love.
CICERO.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
137
MAY 3
Y son, keep the commandment of thy father, and
forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them con-
tinually upon thine heart, tie them about thy neck.
When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest,
it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall
talk with thee. Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding
put forth her voice? In the top of high places by the way,
where the paths meet, she standeth ; beside the gates, at
the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors, she
crieth aloud : Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to
the sons of men. Receive my instruction, and not silver;
and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is bet-
ter than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are
not to be compared unto her. I wisdom have made subtilty
my dwelling, and find out knowledge and discretion. Coun-
sel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding ; I
have might. I love them that love me; and those that seek
me diligently shall find me. Riches and honor are with me;
yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better
than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice
silver. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,
before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from
the beginning, or ever the earth was. Before the mountains
were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as
yet he had not made the earth nor the fields, nor the begin-
ning of the dust of the world.
PROVERBS.
MAY 4
EJOICE, O young man in thy youth, and let thy
N heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk
in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine
eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring
thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy


138 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the
prime of life are vanity. Remember also thy Creator in
the days of thy youth, or ever the evil days come, and the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure
in them; or ever the sun, and the light, and the moon, and
the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain :
in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and
the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders
cease, because they are few, and those that look out of the
windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the
street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one
shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of
music shall be brought low; yea, they shall be afraid of
that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way ; and
the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall
be a burden, and the caper-berry shall fail: because man
goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the
streets; or ever the silver cord be loosed or the golden
bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain,
or the wheel broken at the cistern ; and the dust return
to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who
gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.
Because the Preacher was wise he still taught the people
knowledge : yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in
order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out
acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly,
even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads,
and as nails well fastened are the words of the collectors of
sentences, which are given from one shepherd. Of making
many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness
of the flesh. This is the end of the matter; all hath been
heard; fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is
the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work
into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good
or whether it be evil.
ECCLESIASTES.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
139
MAY 5
HERE was a man in the land of Uz, whose name
was Job; and that man was perfect and upright,
and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And
there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three
thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five
hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this
man was the greatest of all the children of the east. And
his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon
his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to
eat and to drink with them. And it was so when the days
of their feasting were gone about, that Job went and sanc-
tified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered
burnt offerings according to the number of them all : for
Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced
God in their hearts. Now there was a day when the sons
of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and
Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto
Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the
Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and
from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto
Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job ? for there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil. Then Satan an-
swered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his
house, and about all that he hath, on every side ? thou hast
blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is in-
creased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and
touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy
face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath
is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.
So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were


140
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eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,
that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen
were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; and the
Sabeans fell upon them and took them away ; yea, they
have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I
only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speak-
ing, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is
fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the
servants, and consumed them ; and I only am escaped alone
to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also
another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and
fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and
slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I only
am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking,
there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daugh-
ters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's
house ; and, behold, there came a great wind from the wil-
derness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it
fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am
escaped alone to tell thee. Then Job arose and rent his
mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground,
and worshipped ; and he said, Naked came I out of my
mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord
gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name
of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God
with foolishness.
JOB.
MAY 6
| HEN he established the heavens, I was there ;
When he set a circle upon the face of the deep;
When he made firm the skies above ;
When the fountains of the deep became strong;
When he gave to the sea its bound,
That the waters should not transgress his commandments;
When he marked out the foundations of the earth;


142
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
these strait and vain things, they can never receive those
that are laid up for them. Now therefore why disquietest
thou thyself, seeing thou art but a corruptible man? And
why art thou moved, whereas thou art but mortal ? And
why hast thou not considered in thy mind that which is to
come, rather than that which is present ?
O Lord, that bearest rule, lo, thou hast ordained in thy
law, that the righteous should inherit these things, but that
the ungodly should perish. The righteous therefore shall
suffer strait things and hope for wide: but they that have
done wickedly have suffered the strait things, and yet shall
not see the wide.
If I have found favor in thy sight, show further unto me,
thy servant, whether in the day of judgment the just will
be able to intercede for the ungodly, or to entreat the Most
High for them, whether fathers for children or children for
parents, or brethren for brethren, or kinsfolk for their next
of kin, or friends for them that are most dear.
Since thou hast found favor in my sight, I will show thee
this: The day of judgment is a day of decision, and display-
eth unto all the seal of truth ; even as now a father sendeth
not his son, or a son his father, or a master his slave, or
a friend him that is most dear, that in his stead he may be
sick, or sleep, or eat, or be healed, so never shall any one
pray for another in that day, neither shall one lay a burden
on another, for then shall all bear every one his own right-
eousness or unrighteousness.
For in truth there is no man among them that be born
but he hath dealt wickedly; and among them that hath lived
there is none which hath not done amiss. For in this,
O Lord, thy righteousness and thy wonders shall be de-
clared, if thou be merciful unto them which have no store
of good works.
ESDRAS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
143
MAY 8
'HE grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation
to all men, instructing us, to the intent that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly
and righteously and godly in this present world. God gave
us not a spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and
discipline. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience
toward God endureth grief, suffering wrongfully. Because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye
should follow his steps.
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of
plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on
of apparel. But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in
that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another;
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. Not rendering
evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing.
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain
his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.
Let him eschew evil, and do good, let him seek peace and
ensue it. Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to
be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving. Exercise
thyself unto godliness : for bodily exercise is profitable for
a little ; but godliness is profitable for all things, having
promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to
come. Be thou an example to them that believe, in word,
in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity. Let brotherly
love continue! Remember them that are in bonds, as bound
with them ; them that are evil-entreated, as being yourselves
also in the body. Let your conversation be without cov-
etousness. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious
fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it until it
receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stab-
lish your hearts.
THE EPISTLES.


144
144 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
MAY 9
ESUS spake a parable unto those which were bidden,
when he marked how they chose out the chief seats;
saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man
to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest
haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,
and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee,
Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame
to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and
sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden
thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher;
then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at
meat with thee. For every one that exalteth himself shall
be humbled ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
What man of you having a hundred sheep and having
lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it ?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together
his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice
with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say
unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
righteous persons, which need no repentance.
Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like
unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures
of meal, till it was all leavened.
Which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit
down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to
complete it? Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation,
and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
He looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting
their gifts into the treasury. And he saw a certain poor
widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
145
truth, I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than
they all; for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto
the gifts: but she of her want did cast in all the living that
she had.
THE GOSPELS.
MAY 10
'HE fruit of a tree declareth the husbandry thereof :
so is the utterance of the thought of the heart of
man. Many have fallen by the edge of the sword :
yet not so many as they that have fallen because of the
tongue. The stroke of a whip maketh a mark in the flesh:
but the stroke of a tongue will break the bones. Suretiship
hath undone many that were prospering; and shaken them
as a wave of the sea : mighty men hath it driven from their
houses; and they wandered among strange nations. Better
is the life of a poor man under a shelter of logs, than
sumptuous fare in another man's house. An unbroken
horse becometh stubborn: and a son left at large becometh
headstrong
Better is a poor man, being sound and strong of constitu-
tion, than a rich man that is plagued in his body. Health
and a good constitution are better than all gold : and a strong
body than wealth without measure. There is no riches bet-
ter than health of body; and there is no gladness above the
joy of the heart. Death is better than a bitter life, and eter-
nal rest than a continual sickness. Gladness of heart is the
life of a man; and the joyfulness of a man is length of days.
Envy and wrath shorten a man's days; and care bringeth
old age before the time. Wine is as good as life to men, if
thou drink it in its measure. What life is there to a man
that is without wine? and it hath been created to make
men glad. Wine drunk in season and to satisfy is joy of
heart, and gladness of soul: wine drunk largely is bitterness
of soul, with provocation and conflict.
In every work trust thine own soul.


146
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Be not ashamed concerning thy soul; for there is a
shame that bringeth sin; and there is a shame that is glory
and grace.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
MAY 11
IT is the fear of dying, and not the love of life, that ties
the fool to his body. .
Such as returned from the new world discovered by
the Spaniards in our fathers' day testify to us how much
more honestly and regularly those nations live, without
magistrate and without law, than ours do, where there are
more officers and lawyers than there are of other sorts of
men and business. It was what a Roman senator of the
latter ages said, that their predecessors' breath was offensive
with garlic, but their stomachs were perfumed with a good
conscience; and that, on the contrary, those of his time were
all sweet odor without, but offensive within with all sorts
of vices; that is to say, that they abounded with learning
and eloquence, but were very defective in moral honesty.
Incivility, ignorance, simplicity, roughness, are the natural
companions of innocence; curiosity, subtlety, knowledge,
bring malice in their train ; humility, fear, obedience, and
affability, which are the principal things that support and
maintain human society, require an empty and docile soul,
and little presuming upon itself.
To meet with an incredible thing is an occasion to Chris-
tians to believe, and it is so much the more according to
reason by how much it is against human reason. If it were
according to reason, it would be no more a miracle; and if it
were according to example, it would be no longer a singular
thing. “God is better known by not knowing him," says
St. Austin, and Tacitus, “It is more holy and reverent to
believe the works of God than to know them," and Plato
thinks there is something of impiety in inquiring too curi-
ously into God, the world, and the first causes of things. It


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 147
is more by the mediation of our ignorance than of our know-
ledge that we know anything of the divine wisdom.
MONTAIGNE.
MAY 12
E that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets:
therefore meddle not with him that openeth wide
his lips. The glory of young men is their strength:
and the beauty of old men is the hoary head. To do justice
and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacri-
fice. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth
his soul from troubles. A good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and
gold. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when
he is old he will not depart from it. Riches certainly make
themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions ?
who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause ?
who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the
wine : they that go to seek out mixed wine. Look not then
upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the
cup, when it goeth down smoothly : at the last it biteth like
a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Through wisdom is an house builded ; and by understand-
ing is it established ; and by knowledge are the chambers
filled with all precious and pleasant riches. If thou faint in
the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Fret not thy-
self because of evil-doers : neither be thou envious at the
wicked; for there shall be no reward to the evil man; the
lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
PROVERBS.
MAY 13
F you kill me, you will not easily find another like me,
who, if I may use such a ludicrous figure of speech, am
a sort of gadfly, given to the state by the God; and the
state is like a great and noble steed who is tardy in his mo-


148 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
tions owing to his very size, and requires to be stirred into
life. I am that gadfly which God has given the state, and all
day long and in all places am always fastening upon you,
arousing and persuading, and reproaching you.
You have often heard me speak of an oracle or sign which
comes to me. This sign I have had ever since I was a child.
The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids
me to do something which I am going to do, but never
commands to do anything.
The difficulty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in
avoiding unrighteousness; for that runs faster than death.
O my judges, I should like to tell you of a wonderful cir-
cumstance. Hitherto the familiar oracle within me has con-
stantly been in the habit of opposing me even about trifles,
if I was going to make a slip or error about anything; and
now as you see there has come upon me that which may be
thought, and is generally believed to be the last and worst
evil. But the oracle made no sign of opposition. I regard
this as a proof that what has happened to me is a good, and
that those of us who think that death is an evil are in error.
The customary sign would surely have opposed me had I
been going to evil and not to good.
Plato.
WHAT
MAY 14
| HAT fellowship shall the wolf have with the lamb ?
So is the sinner with the godly.
What peace is there between the hyena and the
dog ?
And what peace between the rich man and the poor?
Wild asses are the prey of lions in the wilderness;
So poor men are pasture for the rich.
Lowliness is an abomination to a proud man;
So a poor man is an abomination to the rich.
A rich man when he is shaken is held up by his friends:


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 149
But one of low degree being down is thrust away also by his
friends.
When a rich man is fallen, there are many helpers;
He speaketh things not to be spoken, and men justify him.
A man of low degree falleth and men rebuke him withal;
He uttereth wisdom, and no place is allowed him.
A rich man speaketh, and all keep silence;
And what he saith they extol to the clouds;
A poor man speaketh, and they say, Who is this?
And if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.
Riches are good that have no sin :
And poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly.
He that is evil to himself, to whom will he be good ?
Do well unto thy friend before thou die.
If thou will, thou shalt keep the commandments;
And to perform faithfulness is of thine own good pleasure.
He hath set fire and water before thee; thou shalt stretch
forth thy hand unto which soever thou wilt.
Before man is life and death; and whichsoever he liketh
it shall be given him.
As his mercy is great, so is his correction also.
He judgeth a man according to his works.
The sinner shall not escape with his plunder;
And the patience of the godly shall not be frustrate.
The number of man's days at the most are a hundred
years.
As a drop of water from the sea, and a pebble from the sand,
So are a few years in the day of eternity.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
MAY 15
HEY delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a
centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band. And
embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was
about to sail unto the places on the coast of Asia, we put to


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sea, and Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him leave to
go unto his friends and refresh himself. And when we had
sailed slowly many days, and were come with difficulty over
against Cnidus, the wind not further suffering us, we sailed
under the lee of Crete, and with difficulty coasting along it
we came unto a certain place called Fair Havens. And when
much time was spent, and the voyage was now dangerous,
Paul admonished them, and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive
that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only
of the lading and the ship, but also of our lives. But the
centurion gave more heed to the master and to the owner of
the ship, than to those things which were spoken by Paul.
And because the haven was not commodious to winter in,
the more part advised to put to sea from thence, if by any
means they could reach Phønix, and winter there.
And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they
had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed
along Crete, close in shore. But after no long time there
beat down from it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon;
and when the ship was caught, and could not face the wind,
we gave way to it and were driven. And running under the
lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with diffi-
culty to secure the boat; and when they had hoisted it up,
they used helps, undergirding the ship; and fearing lest
they should be cast upon the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,
and so were driven. And as we labored exceedingly with
the storm, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we
should be saved was now taken away. Then Paul stood
forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, I exhort you to
be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of life among
you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night
an angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, saying,
Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Cæsar : and lo, God
hath granted thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore,
sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be
even so as it hath been spoken unto me.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 151
And when the fourteenth night was come, as we were
driven to and fro on the sea of Adria, about midnight the
sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some coun-
try ; and they sounded, and found twenty fathoms; after a
little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fathoms.
And fearing lest haply we should be cast ashore on rocky
ground, they let go four anchors from the stern and wished
for day. And when it was day, they knew not the land, but
they perceived a certain bay with a beach; and casting off
the anchors, and hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they
made for the beach. Lighting upon a place where two seas
met, they ran the vessel aground, and the stern began to
break up by the violence of the waves. The centurion com-
manded that they which could swim should cast themselves
overboard, and the rest, some on planks, and some on other
things from the ship. And so it came to pass that they all
escaped safe to land.
Acts.
MAY 16
OW do we act in a voyage? What is in my power ?
To choose the pilot, the sailors, the day, the hour.
Afterwards comes a storm, what have I to care for ?
My part is performed. This matter belongs to another, to the
pilot. But the ship is sinking : what then have I to do?
That which alone I can do; I submit to being drowned,
without fear, without clamor, or accosting God; but as we
who know that what is born must likewise die. For I am
not eternity, but a man, — a part of the whole, as an hour
is of the day. I must come like an hour, and like an hour
must pass away.
The events of life occur indifferently, but the use of it is
not indifferent. When you are told, therefore, that these
things are indifferent, do not on that account be careless;
nor yet, when you are governed by prudence, be abject, and
dazzled by externals. Chrysippus rightly says : While con-


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sequences are uncertain, I will keep to those things which
will bring me most in harmony with nature. It would be a
curse upon ears of corn not to be reaped, and we ought to
know that it would be a curse upon man not to die.
Only remember the distinction between what is your own
and what is not your own, and you will never claim what
belongs to others.
We are to learn what the gods are; for such as they are
found to be, such must he seek to be to the utmost of his
power, who would please and obey them. If the deity is
faithful, he too must be faithful ; if free, beneficent, and
noble, he must be free, beneficent, and noble likewise, in all
his words and actions behaving as an imitator of God.
EPICTETUS.
MAY 17
HIS present world is not the end; the full glory
abideth not therein ; therefore have they who were
able prayed for the weak. But the day of judgment
shall be the end of this time, and the beginning of the im-
mortality for to come, wherein corruption is passed away,
intemperance is at an end, infidelity is cut off, but righteous-
ness is grown, and truth is sprung up. Then shall no man
be able to have mercy on him that is cast in judgment, nor
to thrust down him that hath gotten the victory.
I answered: it had been better that the earth had not
given Adam ; or else, when it had given him to have re-
strained him from sinning. For what profit is it for all that
are in this present time to live in heaviness, and after death
to look for punishment ? O thou Adam, what hast thou
done? for though it was thou that sinned, the evil is not
fallen on thee alone, but upon all of us that come of thee.
For what profit is it unto us, if there be promised us an im-
mortal time, whereas we have done the works that bring
death ? And that there is promised us an everlasting hope,
whereas ourselves most miserably are become vain ? And


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 153
that there are reserved habitations of health and safety,
whereas we have lived wickedly? And that the glory of the
Most High shall defend them which have led a pure life,
whereas we have walked in the most wicked ways of all ?
And that there shall be shewed a paradise, whose fruit en-
dureth without decay, wherein is abundance and healing,
but we shall not enter it, for we have walked in unpleasant
places ? And that the faces of them which have used absti-
nence shall shine above the stars, whereas our faces shall be
blacker than darkness ? For while we lived and committed
iniquity, we considered not what we should have to suffer
after death.
ESDRAS.
MAY 18%
LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me,
thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,
thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou
searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted
with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue,
but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast be-
set me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can-
not attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or
whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into
heaven, thou art there : if I make my bed in Sheol, behold
thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy
hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me
shall be night ; even the darkness hideth not from thee, but
the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are
both alike to thee. I will give thanks unto thee, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made : wonderful are thy works,
and that my soul knoweth right well. How precious also are
thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of


154 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
them. If I should count them, they are more in number than
the sand; when I awake, I am still with thee. Search me,
O God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts;
and see if there be any way of wickedness in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting.
PSALMS.
MAY 19
HAT a ridiculous thing it is to trouble and affect
ourselves about taking the only step that is to de-
liver us from all misery and trouble. Nothing can
be grievous that is but once, and is it reasonable so long to
fear a thing that will be so soon despatched ?
Death is the beginning of another life. Your death is a
part of the order of the universe, 't is a part of the life of
the world. Why dost thou fear thy last day? it contributes
no more to thy dissolution than every one of the rest.
Every day travels towards death, the last only arrives at it.
Miracles appear to be so, according to our ignorance of
nature, and not according to the essence of nature. The
continually being accustomed to anything blinds the eye of
our judgment.
In spite of all our projects, counsels, and precautions, for-
tune will still be mistress of events.
I always despise physic, and when I am sick, I begin yet
more to hate and fear it, telling those who importune me to
take physic, that they must at least give me time to recover
my strength and health, that I may be the better able to
support and encounter the violence and danger of the potion.
Whosoever despises his own life is always master of that
of another man.
We should rather examine who is better learned, than
who is more learned.
It is not enough that our education does not spoil us : it
should alter us for the better.
Would to God that, for the sake of justice, our courts of


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
155
judicature were as well furnished with understanding and
conscience, as they are with knowledge.
TAIGNE.
MAY 20
I WENT by the field of the slothful,
And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding ;
And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,
The face thereof was covered with nettles,
And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Then I beheld, and considered well ;
I saw and received instruction.
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep;
So shall thy poverty come as a robber;
And thy want as an armed man.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Take away the dross from the silver,
And there cometh forth a vessel for the finer;
Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king,
And stand not in the place of great men:
Far better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither,
Than that thou shouldst be put lower in the presence of
the prince.
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold, in baskets of silver.
As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold :
So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ;
And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink :
For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head :
And the Lord shall reward thee.
PROVERBS.


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MAY 21
CERTAIN lawyer stood up and tempted Jesus, say-
ing, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
And he said unto him, What is written in the law ?
how readest thou ? and he answering said, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and
thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast
answered right : this do and thou shalt live. But he, desir-
ing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my
neighbor ? Jesus made answer and said, A certain man was
going down from Jerusalem to Jericho: and he fell among
robbers, which both stripped him, and beat him, and de-
parted leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain
priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side. And in like manner a Levite
also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on
the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed,
came where he was : and when he saw him, he was moved
with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds,
pouring on them oil and wine ; and he set him on his own
beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow he took out two pence, and gave them
to the host, and said, Take care of him ; and whatsoever thou
spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay thee.
Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto
him that fell among the robbers ? And he said, He that
shewed mercy on him. And Jesus said unto him, Go, and
do thou likewise.
Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto
shall I liken it? It is like unto a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and cast into his own garden ; and it
grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heavens
lodged in the branches thereof. And again he said, Where-
unto shall I liken the kingdom of God ? It is like unto


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 157
leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of
meal, till it was all leavened.
THE GOSPELS.
MAY 22
T seems wonderful to me that any one should have been
persuaded that Socrates corrupted the youth: Socrates,
who was not only the most rigid of all men in the gov-
ernment of his passions and appetites, but also most able
to withstand cold, heat, and every kind of labor; and be-
sides so inured to frugality, that though he possessed very
little, he very easily made it a sufficiency. How, then, being
of such a character himself, could he have rendered others
impious, or lawless, or luxurious, or too effeminate to en-
dure labor ? On the contrary, he restrained many of them
from such vices, leading them to love virtue, and giving
them hopes that if they would take care of themselves, they
would become honorable and worthy characters. Not, in-
deed, that he ever professed to be an instructor in that way,
but, by showing that he was himself such a character, he
made those in his society hope that, by imitating him, they
would become such as he was. He asked no remuner-
ation from those who desired his company; by refraining
from such a demand he thought that he consulted his lib-
erty, and called those who took money for their discourses
their own enslavers, since they must of necessity hold dis-
cussions with those from whom they received pay. He
expressed wonder, too, that any one who professed to teach
virtue should demand money, and not think that he gained
the greatest profit in securing a good friend, but fear that
he whom he had made an honorable and worthy character
would not retain the greatest gratitude towards his greatest
benefactor.
It is not the part of those who cultivate the intellect to
use violence, for to adopt such a course belongs to those who
possess brute force without intellect. Fathers keep their


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sons, though they be of a virtuous disposition, from the soci-
ety of bad men, in the belief that association with the good
is an exercise of virtue, but that association with the bad is
the destruction of it; as one of the poets says: “From good
men you will learn what is good ; but if you associate with
the bad, you will lose the understanding which is in you.”
XENOPHON
MAY 23
AN is born for uprightness. If a man lose his
uprightness, and yet live, his escape from death
is the effect of mere good fortune. They who
know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and
they who love it are not equal to those who find pleasure in
it. The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established
himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be en-
larged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others. With coarse
rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a
pillow, I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches
and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a
floating cloud.
He is a man who in his eager pursuit of knowledge forgets
his food, who in the joy of his attainment forgets his sor-
rows, and who does not perceive that old age is coming on.
Is virtue a thing remote ? I wish to be virtuous, and lo!
virtue is at hand. Extravagance leads to insubordination,
and parsimony to meanness. It is better to be mean than to
be insubordinate. When a bird is about to die, its notes are
mournful ; when a man is about to die, his words are good.
The mean man does not know the ordinances of Heaven,
and consequently does not stand in awe of them. He is
disrespectful to great men. He makes sport of the words
of sages. Those who are born with the possession of know-
ledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn, and
so readily get possession of knowledge, are the next. Those
who are dull and stupid, and yet compass the learning, are


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 159
another class next to these. As to those who are dull and
stupid and yet do not learn, — they are the lowest of the
people.
If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will
find sorrow near at hand. Is there any word which may
serve as a rule of practice for all one's life? The Master
said, “Is not reciprocity such a word ? What you do not
want done to yourself do not do to others.”
CONFUCIUS.
MAY 24
FAITHFUL friend is a strong defence; and he that
hath found him hath found a treasure. There is
nothing that can be taken in exchange for a faith-
ful friend; and his excellency is beyond price. A faithful
friend is a medicine of life; and they that fear the Lord
shall find him.
Come unto wisdom as one that plougheth and soweth; and
wait for her good fruits. Come unto her with all thy soul,
and keep her ways with thy whole power. Search and seek,
and she shall be made known unto thee, and when thou
hast got hold of her, let her not go. For at the last thou
shalt find her rest; and she shall be turned for thee into
gladness. And her fetters shall be to thee for a covering
of strength, and her chains for a robe of glory. For there
is a golden ornament upon her, and her hands are a riband
of blue. Thou shalt put her on as a robe of glory, and shalt
array thee with her as a crown of rejoicing. If thou seest
a man of understanding, get thee betimes unto him, and
let thy foot wear out the steps of his doors. Be willing to
listen to every godly discourse; and let not the proverbs of
understanding escape thee. Do no evil : so shall no evil over-
take thee. Depart from wrong, and it shall turn aside from
thee. Be not faint-hearted in thy prayer. Hate not labori-
ous work; neither husbandry, which the Most High hath
ordained.
ECCLESIASTICUS.


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MAY 25
GRIPPA said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak
for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and
made his defence:-
I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make
my defence before thee this day touching all the things
whereof I am accused by the Jews : especially because thou
art expert in all customs and questions which are among the
Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My
manner of life then from my youth up, which was from the
beginning among mine own nation, and at Jerusalem, know
all the Jews; having knowledge of me from the first, if
they be willing to testify, how that after the straitest sect
of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand here to
be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto
our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, ear-
nestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. And con-
cerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! Why
is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead ?
I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And
this I also did in Jerusalem : and I both shut up many of
the saints in prisons, having received authority from the
chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my
vote against them. And punishing them oftentimes in all
the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and
being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them
even unto foreign cities. Whereupon as I journeyed to
Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief
priests, at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from
heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round
about me and them that journeyed with me. And when we
were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me
in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And I


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 161
said, Who art thou, Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus,
whom thou persecutest. But arise, and stand upon thy
feet : for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to ap-
point thee a minister and a witness both of the things
wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I
will appear unto thee ; delivering thee from the people, and
from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their
eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remis-
sion of sins and an inheritance among them that are sancti-
fied by faith in me. Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not
disobedient unto the heavenly vision.
And as he thus made his defence, Festus saith with a
loud voice, Paul, thou art mad ; thy much learning doth
turn thee to madness. But Paul saith, I am not mad, most
excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and sober-
ness. For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom
also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these
things is hidden from him ; for this hath not been done
in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets ? I
know that thou believest. And Agrippa said unto Paul,
With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a
Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that whether
with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that
hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these
bonds.
Acts.
MAY 26
LL other creatures are indeed excluded from a power
of comprehending the administration of the world ;
but a reasonable being has abilities for the con-
sideration of all these things. Besides, being by nature con-
stituted noble, magnanimous, and free, it sees that of the
things which relate to it, some are unrestrained and in its
own power, some restrained and in the power of others.


162
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And for this reason, if it esteems its good and its interest to
consist in things unrestrained and in its own power, it will
be free, prosperous, happy, safe, magnanimous, pious, thank-
ful to God for everything, never finding fault with any.
thing, never censuring anything that is brought about by
him. Why may not he, who discerns these things, live with
an easy and light heart, quietly awaiting whatever may hap-
pen, and bearing contentedly what has happened ? Shall
it be poverty? Bring it ; and you shall see what poverty
is when it is met well. Would you have power? Bring toils
too, along with it. Banishment? Wherever I go, it will be
well with me there ; for it was well with me here, not on
account of the place, but of the principles which I shall
carry away with me; for no one can deprive me of these;
on the contrary, they alone are my property and cannot be
taken away.
A life at odds with fortune resembles a wintry torrent;
for it is turbulent and muddy and difficult to pass, and vio-
lent and noisy and brief. A soul conversant with virtue
resembles a perpetual fountain ; for it is clear and gentle,
and agreeable and sweet, and serviceable and rich, and harm-
less and innocent.
If you would be good, first believe that you are bad. No
one who is a lover of money, a lover of pleasure, or a lover
of glory, is likewise a lover of mankind; but only he who is
a lover of virtue. As you would not wish to sail a large
and elegant and gilded ship, and sink ; so neither is it de-
sirable to inhabit a grand and sumptuous house, and be in
a tumult.
EPICTETUS.
MAY 27
RAISE waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion! and unto
thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hear-
est prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities
prevail against me; as for our transgressions, thou shalt


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 163
purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,
and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in
thy courts; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy
house, the holy place of thy temple. By terrible things thou
wilt answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation;
thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and
of them that are afar off upon the sea; which by his strength
setteth fast the mountains; being girded about with might;
which stilleth the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their
waves, and the tumult of the peoples. They also that dwell
in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens; thou makest
the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Thou
visitest the earth and waterest it; thou greatly enrichest it;
the river of God is full of water ; thou providest them corn,
when thou hast so prepared the earth. Thou waterest her
furrows abundantly ; thou settlest the ridges thereof; thou
makest it soft with showers; thou blessest the springing
thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and
thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the
wilderness; and the hills are girded with joy. The pastures
are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over
with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
Psalms.
MAY 28
F there come into your synagogue a man with a gold
ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man ·
1 in vile clothing, and ye have regard to him that wear-
eth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good
place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit
under my footstool, are ye not divided in your own mind,
and become judges with evil thoughts? Hearken, my be.
loved brethren! Did not God choose them that are poor
as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the king-
dom which he promised to them that love him? But ye
have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress


164 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats ?
Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by the which
ye are called ? How beit, if ye fulfil the royal law, according
to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,
ye do well; but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit
sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. For who-
soever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one
point, he is become guilty of all. For he that said, Do not
commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou dost
not commit adultery, but killest, thou art become a trans-
gressor of the law. For judgment is without mercy to them
that shewed no mercy; mercy glorieth against judgment.
Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the
world maketh himself an enemy of God. God resisteth the
proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Resist the devil,
and he will fee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will
draw nigh to you. Speak not evil one of another. He that
speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh
against the law, and judgeth the law. One only is the law-
giver and judge, even he who is able to save and destroy -
but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor ?
The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its
working
The EPISTLES.
MAY 29
VICERO says, “I know not whether it had not been
better for mankind that this quiet motion, this pene-
tration, this subtility that we call reason, had not
been given to mankind at all; considering how pestiferous it
is to many, and useful but to few, than to have been conferred
in so abundant manner, and with so liberal hand.” Of what
advantage can we conceive the knowledge of so many things
was to Vano and Aristotle? Did it exempt them from
human inconveniences ? Were they by it freed from the


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 165
accidents that lay heavy upon the shoulders of a porter?
Did they extract from their logic any consolation for the
gout? Or, for knowing how this humor is lodged in the
joints, did they feel it the less? Did they enter into com-
position with death by knowing that some nations rejoice
in his approach? On the contrary, having been reputed the
greatest men for knowledge, the one amongst the Romans,
and the other amongst the Greeks, and in a time when learn-
ing did most flourish, we have not heard, nevertheless,
that they had any particular excellence in their lives; nay,
the Greek had enough to do to clear himself from some
notable blemishes of his. Learning, methinks, has its place
amongst the necessary things of life, as glory, nobility, dig-
nity, or at the most as beauty, riches, and such other qualities,
which indeed are useful to it, but remotely, and more by
opinion than by nature. If man were wise, he would take the
true value of everything according as it was useful and proper
to his life. Whoever will number us by our actions and de-
portments will find many more excellent men amongst the
ignorant than among the learned ; ay, in all sorts of virtue.
Old Rome seems to me to have been of much greater value,
both for peace and war, than that learned Rome that ruined
itself. 'T is only humility and submission that can make a
complete good man. The sirens in Homer, to allure Ulysses
and draw him within the danger of their snares, offered to
give him knowledge.
MONTAIGNE.
MAY 30
HE Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make
his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto
thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace.
Moses said, Would God that all the Lord's people were
prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them.
One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation,


166
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordi-
nance forever in your generations ; as ye are, so shall the
stranger be before the Lord. One law and one manner shall
be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.
Balaam said, If Balak would give me his house full of silver
and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God,
to do less or more. Let me die the death of the righteous,
and let my last end be like his.
NUMBERS.
Hear, O Israel : the Lord our God is one Lord; and thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which
I command thee this day shall be upon thine heart, and
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt
talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thy house,
and upon thy gates. And thou shalt do that which is right
and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with
thee. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect
persons; neither shalt thou take a gift ; for a gift doth blind
the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous.
That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou
mayest live. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy
field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go
again to fetch it : it shall be for the stranger, for the father-
less, and for the widow. When thou beatest thine olive tree,
thou shalt not go over the boughs again : it shall be for the
stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou
shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of
Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
DEUTERONOMY.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
167
MAY 31
VIVE glory to thy father with thy whole heart; and
I forget not the pangs of thy mother.
Remember that of them thou wast born; and what
wilt thou recompense them for the things that they have
done for thee?
Be not slow to visit a sick man; for by such things thou
shalt gain love.
Be not surety above thy power: and if thou be surety, take
thought as one that will have to pay. Forsake not an old
friend: for the new is not comparable to him: as new wine,
so is a new friend: if it become old, thou shalt drink it with
gladness. Know surely that thou goest about in the midst of
snares, and walkest upon the battlements of a city.
Let thy converse be with men of understanding ; let just
men be the companions of thy board : and let all thy dis-
course be in the law of the Most High.
It is not right to dishonor a poor man that hath under-
standing; and it is not fitting to glorify a man that is a sin-
ner. The great man, and the judge, and the mighty man
shall be glorified : and there is not one of them greater than
he that feareth the Lord. The bee is little among such as
fly; and her fruit is the chief of sweet-meats.
Call no man blesssed before his death.
In the day of good things there is a forgetfulness of evil
things : and in the day of evil things a man will not remem-
ber things that are good. The affliction of an hour causeth
forgetfulness of delight.
He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled.
The rich man doeth a wrong, and he threateneth withal ;
the poor is wronged, and he shall intreat withal. If thou be
profitable, he will make merchandise of thee; and if thou be
in want, he will forsake thee.
ECCLESIASTICUS.


168
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 1
N my opinion 't is “the happy living "and not “the happy
I dying” in which human felicity consists. Were I to live
my life over again, I should live it just as I have done.
I neither complain of the past, nor do I fear the future, and,
if I am not much deceived, I am the same within that I am
without. 'Tis one main obligation I have to fortune, that the
course of my bodily state has been carried on according to
the natural seasons; I have seen the leaves, the blossoms,
and the fruit, and now see the tree withered; happily, how-
ever, because naturally, I bear the infirmities I have the
better, because they come not till I have reason to expect
them : and also because they make me with greater pleasure
remember that long felicity of my past life.
Natural inclinations are much assisted and fortified by ed-
ucation, but they seldom alter and overcome their institution.
God must touch our hearts : our consciences must amend
of themselves by the force of our reason and not by the decay
of our appetites ; pleasure is in itself neither pale nor discol-
ored because discerned by dim and decayed eyes. A man
cannot boast that he despises and resists pleasure if he can-
not see it; if he knows not what it is, its graces, its force,
its most alluring beauties. Methinks our souls in old age are
subject to more troublesome maladies and imperfections than
in youth. Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind than it
does on the face, and souls are never, or very rarely seen, that
in growing old do not smell sour and musty. Man moves alto-
gether both toward his perfection and decay. What strange
metamorphoses do I see age make every day in many of my
acquaintances. It is a powerful distemper, which naturally
and imperceptibly steals in upon us. I find it gaining upon
me inch by inch. I make as strong a defence as I can, but I
am entirely ignorant whither it drive me at last.
I find no quality so easy for a man to counterfeit as devo-
tion, though his life and manners are not comformable to it.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 169
The essence of it is abstruse and occult, but the appearances
easy and showy.
MONTAIGNE.
JUNE 2
'OR we are God's fellow-workers : ye are God's hus-
bandry: God's building. According to the grace of
God which was given unto me, as a wise master-builder
I laid a foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let
each man take heed how he buildeth thereon, for other foun-
dation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. But if any man buildeth on the foundation, gold, sil-
ver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man's work shall
be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it is re-
vealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work
of what sort it is. If any man's work shall abide which he
built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall
be saved, yet so as through fire. Know ye not that ye are a
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God de-
stroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is
wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he
may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things
are yours: whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world,
or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are
yours : and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
THE EPISTLES.
JUNE 3
Jo living being is held by anything so strongly as by
its own needs. This motive is father and brother
and family and country and God. Where else can
friendship be met, but joined with fidelity, modesty, and the
intercommunication of virtue alone ?


170 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
You were not travelling to this place, but through it.
“But this is a fine place;" and how many other fine inns
are there, and how many pleasant fields, yet they are sim-
ply as a means of passage. What is the real business? To
return to your country ; to perform the duties of a citizen,
and go through the public offices. For you do not travel in
order to choose the finest places; but to return to live in
that where you were born, and of which you are appointed
a citizen.
If you would appear beautiful, young man, strive for
human excellence.
I am he who ought to take care of mankind.
Let us obey God, that we may not incur the Divine dis-
pleasure.
The chief concern of a wise and good man is his own
reason.
As a money-changer, or a gardener, is not at liberty to
reject Cæsar's coin, but whenever it is shown, is obliged,
whether he will or not, to deliver his wares in exchange
for it, so is it with the soul. Apparent good at first sight
attracts, and evil repels. Nor will the soul any more reject
an evident appearance of good than Cæsar's coin.
No one in a state of fear or sorrow or perturbation is
free, but whosoever is delivered from sorrow, fear, and per-
turbation, by the same means is delivered from slavery.
The only thing is to study how to rid life of lamenta-
tion and complaint, and Alas ! and I am undone and mis-
fortune, and failure; and to learn what death, what exile,
what a prison, what poison is ; that he may be able to say
in a prison, like Socrates, “If it thus pleases the gods, thus
let it be.”
EPICTETUS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
171
JUNE 4
HAT is able to conduct a man? One thing, and
only one, philosophy. But this consists in keeping
the dæmon within a man free from violence and
unharmed, superior to pains and pleasures, doing nothing
without a purpose, nor yet falsely and with hypocrisy; and
besides, accepting all that happens, and all that is allotted,
as coming from thence, wherever it is, from whence he him-
self came, and, finally, waiting for death with a cheerful
mind, as being nothing else than a dissolution of the ele-
ments of which every living being is compounded. For it is
according to nature, and nothing is evil which is according
to nature. If a man should have a feeling and deeper in-
sight with respect to the things which are produced in the
universe, there is hardly one of those which follow by way
of consequence which will not seem to him to be in a
manner disposed so as to give pleasure. In an old woman
and an old man he will be able to see a certain maturity
and comeliness; and the attractive loveliness of young
persons he will be able to look on with chaste eyes, and
many such things will present themselves, but to him only
who has become truly familiar. with nature and her works.
What means all this? Thou hast embarked, thou hast
made the voyage, thou art come to shore: get out. If in-
deed to another life, there is no want of gods, not even
there. But if to a state without sensation, thou wilt cease
to be held by pains and pleasures.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
JUNE 5
HAT wonder is it if old men are sometimes op-
pressed by those infirmities from which even
young men cannot always escape? We must
combat the advances of old age, and fight it as we should
an illness. We should bestow care upon the health : take


172 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
moderate exercise, eat and drink just enough to repair our
strength, but not to oppress digestion. Nor is it the body
only which must be supported, but the intellectual faculties
and the soul much more. For the powers of the body, like
the flame of the lamp, will go out from old age unless you
feed them with oil. Bodily exercise ends in fatigue, but the
mind is never wearied by its activity. The senile folly which
is called dotage is not incident to all old men, but only to
frivolous old men, who have spent their days in idleness and
folly. As I like to see a young man who has something of
the gravity of age, so do I like to see old age enlivened with
the vivacity of youth ; and whoever unites these two quali-
ties in his character may bear the marks of years in his
body, but never in his mind. I recall to my mind every
evening all that I have said or done or heard during the day.
These are the exercises of the intellect, the training-ground
of the mind, and while I am engaged in these employments
I hardly perceive old age coming upon me. He who fills
up the days of his life in this way glides into old age insen-
sibly, and his powers, instead of being prematurely extin-
guished, gradually go out.
Men are called into existence for the sake of men, so that
they may be useful to each other. The good man does
not love himself more than he loves his friends. The wise
are the friends of the wise even if they be strangers to each
other; for nothing is more lovable than virtue, and those
who possess virtue must be loved by us, to whatever nation
they belong. The immortal gods constantly care and pro-
vide, not only for the whole human race, but also for every
individual. Scipio was in the habit of saying that he was
never less at leisure than when he was at leisure, nor less
alone than when he was alone. Reposing from the most
honorable public trusts, upon certain occasions he snatched
leisure for himself, and from the company and concourse of
men between whiles betook himself to solitude as to a harbor.
CICERO.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
173
JUNE 6
VONCERNING spiritual gifts, I would not have you
ignorant. There are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. And there are diversities of ministrations,
and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings,
but the same God, who worketh all things in all. But to each
one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal.
For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom ;
and to another the word of knowledge, according to the
same Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to
another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit ; and to another
workings of powers; and to another prophecy; but all these
worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each
one severally even as he will. For as the body is one, and
hath many members, and all the members of the body,
being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For in one
Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink
of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not
of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. And if the
ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the
body, it is not therefore not of the body. If the whole body
were an eye, where were the hearing ? If the whole were
hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set
the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased
him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now they are many members, but one body. And the
eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee, or again
the head to the feet, I have no need of you. But God tem-
pered the body together, that there should be no schism in
the body ; but that the members should have the same care
one for another.
THE EPISTLES.


174
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 7
ITHER there is a fatal necessity and invincible order,
or a kind providence, or a confusion without a pur-
pose and without a director. If, then, there is an in-
vincible necessity, why dost thou resist? But if there is a
providence which allows itself to be propitiated, make thy-
self worthy of the help of the divinity. But if there is a
confusion without a governor, be content that in such a
tempest thou hast in thyself a certain ruling intelligence.
How worthless everything is after which men violently
strain ? and how much more philosophical it is for a man in
the opportunities presented to him to show himself just,
temperate, obedient to the gods, and to do this with all sim-
plicity; for the pride which is proud of its want of pride is
the most intolerable of all. The Pythagoreans bid us in the
morning look to the heavens, that we may be reminded of
those bodies which continually do the same things, and also
be reminded of their purity and nudity. For there is no
veil over a star.
How can it be that the gods, having arranged all things
well and benevolently for mankind, have overlooked this
alone, that some men, and very good men, who have had
most communion with the divinity, when they have once died
should never exist again ? But if this is so, be assured that
if it ought to have been otherwise, the gods would have done
it. For if it were just, it would also be possible; and if it
were according to nature, nature would have had it so. But
because it is not so, if in fact it is not so, be thou convinced
that it ought not to have been so.
What shall be a complete drama is determined by him
who was once the cause of its composition, and now of its
dissolution ; but thou art the cause of neither. Depart, then,
satisfied, for he also who releases thee is satisfied.
MARCUS AURELIUS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
175
JUNE 8
HE progress of the superior man is upwards; the
progress of the mean man is downwards. In ancient
times men learned with a view to their own im-
provement. Nowadays men learn with a view to the appro-
bation of others. The superior man in his thoughts does
not go out of his place. The superior man is modest in his
speech, but exceeds in his actions. The way of the superior
man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is
free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold,
he is free from fear.
The mechanic who wishes to do his work well must first
sharpen his tools. When you are living in any state, take
service with the most worthy among its great officers, and
make friends of the most virtuous among its scholars.
The duke King of Ts'e had a thousand teams, each of
four horses, but on the day of his death the people did not
praise him for a single virtue. P'ihe and Shuh-ts'e died of
hunger at the foot of the Shuryseng Mountain, and the peo-
ple down to the present time praise them.
The Master said : " By nature, men are nearly alike; by
practice, they get to be wide apart.” The Master said :
"Does Heaven speak? The four seasons pursue their
courses, and all things are continually being produced, but
does Heaven say anything ?”
To be able to practice fine things everywhere under
heaven constitutes perfect virtue, gravity, generosity of
soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness. If you are grave,
you will not be treated with disrespect. If you are generous,
you will win all. If you are sincere, people will repose trust
in you. If you are earnest, you will accomplish much. If
you are kind, this will enable you to employ the services of
others.
CONFUCIUS.


176
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 9
HAT is even an eternal remembrance? A mere
nothing. What, then, is that about which we ought
to employ our serious pains ? This one thing :
thoughts just, and acts social, and words which never lie, and
a disposition which gladly accepts all that happens as neces-
sary. Everything is only for a day, both that which remem-
bers and that which is remembered. Thou art a little soul
bearing about a corpse, as Epictetus used to say. Pass
through this little space of time conformably to nature, and
end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it
is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the
tree on which it grew. Be like the promontory, against
which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and
tames the fury of the water around it. Look to the im-
mensity of time behind thee, and to the time which is before
thee, another boundless space. In this infinity, then, what is
the difference between him who lives three days and him
who lives three generations ?
In the morning, when thou risest unwillingly, let this
thought be present — I am rising to the work of a human
being. Dost thou exist to take thy pleasure, and not at all
for action or exertion ? Dost thou not see the little plants,
the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working
together to put in order their several parts of the universe ?
And art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being,
and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according
to thy nature? If a thing is good to be done or said, do not
consider it unworthy of thee.
Show those qualities which are altogether in thy power :
sincerity, gravity, endurance of labor, aversion to pleasure,
contentment with thy portion and with few things, benevo-
lence, frankness, no love of superfluity, freedom from trifling,
magnanimity.
MARCUS AURELIUS.


178
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 11
ABOR not unwillingly, nor without regard to the
common interest, nor without due consideration, nor
with distraction; nor let studied ornament set off thy
thoughts, and be not either a man of many words, or busy
about too many things. Let the deity which is in thee be
the guardian of a living being, manly and of ripe age, and
engaged in matters political, who has taken his post like a
man waiting for the signal which summons him from life,
and ready to go. Be cheerful also, and seek not external help,
nor the tranquillity which others give. A man must stand
erect, not be kept erect by others. If thou findest in human
life anything better than justice, truth, temperance, forti.
tude, and, in a word, anything better than thy own mind's
self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do
according to right reason, and in the condition that is as-
signed to thee without thy own choice, turn to it with all
thy soul, and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the
best. But if nothing appears to be better than the deity
which is planted in thee, which has subjected to itself all
thy appetites, and, as Socrates said, has detached itself from
the persuasions of sense, and has submitted itself to the
gods, and cares for mankind, — if thou findest everything
else smaller and of less value than this, give place to nothing
else, for if thou dost once diverge and incline to it, thou wilt
no longer without distraction be able to give the preference
to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy
own; for it is not right that anything of any other kind, such
as praise from the many or power or enjoyment of pleasure,
should come into competition with that which is rationally
and politically good.
Accept everything which happens, even if it seem disa-
greeable, because it leads to this, to the health of the uni-
verse, and to the prosperity and felicity of Zeus. For he
would not have brought on any man what he has brought, if


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 179
it were not useful to the whole. Rest on these principles
only, that nothing will happen to me which is not conform-
able to the nature of the universe, and that it is in my power
never to act contrary to my God and dæmon.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
JUNE 12
HO among men knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of the man, which is in him ?
even so the things of God none knoweth save
the Spirit of God. But we received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know
the things that are freely given to us by God. Which things
also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth,
but which the Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things
with spiritual. Now the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him ; and he
cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But
he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged
of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that
he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual,
but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with
milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it ; nay,
not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal; for whereas
there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal,
and walk after the manner of men ? For when one saith, I
am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men ?
What then is Apollos ? and what is Paul ? Ministers through
whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him. I
planted, Apollos watered ; but God gave the increase. So
then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that
watereth ; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that
planteth and he that watereth are one; but each shall receive
his own reward according to his own labor.
THE EPISTLES.


180
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 13
HE state in which the rulers are most reluctant to
govern is best and most quietly governed, and that
in which they are most willing, the worst. If you con-
trive for your future rulers another and a better life than
that of a ruler, then you may have a well-ordered state, for
only in the state which offers this will they rule who are
truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom,
which are the true blessings of life. Whereas, if they go to
the administration of public affairs poor and hungering after
their own private advantage, thinking that because they are
to watch the good of life, order there can never be ; for they
will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils
which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves,
and of the whole state. Solon was under a delusion when
he said that a man as he is growing older may learn many
things — for he can no more learn than he can run ; youth
is the time of toil.
Bodily exercise when compulsory does no harm; but
knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold
on the mind. Do not use compulsion, but let early educa-
tion be a sort of amusement; that will better enable you to
find out the natural bent.
When they have reached fifty years of age, the time has
arrived at which they must raise the eye of the soul to the
universal light which lightens all things, and behold the
absolute good; for that is the pattern according to which
they are to order the state and the lives of individuals, and
the remainder of their own lives also ; and when they have
brought up others like them, and left them in their place to
be governors of the state, then they will depart to the
Islands of the Blest and dwell there.
PLATO.


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181
JUNE 14
E of the same mind one toward another.
Set not your mind on high things, but condescend
to things that are lowly.
Be not wise in your own conceits.
Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things
honorable in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much
as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. Avenge not your-
selves, beloved, but give place unto wrath: for it is written,
Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the
Lord. But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst,
give him to drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of
fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome
evil with good. Render to all their dues. The night is far
spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let
us walk honestly, as in the day; not in revelling and drunk-
enness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and
jealousy.
One man esteemeth one day above another; another es-
teemeth every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in
his own mind. None of us liveth to himself, and none dieth
to himself. But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother?
or thou again, why dost thou set at naught thy brother?
for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. Let
us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge ye
this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block in his bro-
ther's way, or an occasion of falling. Let not then your good
be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
Let us follow after things which make for peace.
The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before
God.
THE EPISTLES.


182
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 15
ROM Severus I learned to love my kin, and to love
truth, and to love justice; and from him I received
the idea of a polity in which there is the same law
for all, a polity administered with regard to equal rights and
equal freedom of speech, and the idea of a kingly govern-
ment which respects most of all the freedom of the gov-
erned. I learned from him also a disposition to do good,
and to give to others readily, and to cherish good hopes,
and to believe that I am loved by my friends; and in him I
observed no concealment of his opinions with respect to
those whom he condemned, and that his friends had no
need to conjecture what he wished or did not wish, but it
was quite plain. From Maximus (another Stoic) I learned
self-government, and not to be led aside by anything; and
cheerfulness in all circumstances, as well as in illness;
and a just admixture in the moral character of sweetness
and dignity, and to do what was set before me without com-
plaining. I observed that everybody believed that he thought
as he spoke, and that in all that he did he never had any bad
intention ; and he never showed amazement and surprise,
and was never in a hurry, and never put off doing a thing,
nor was perplexed nor dejected, nor did he ever laugh to
disguise his vexation, nor, on the other hand, was he ever
passionate or suspicious. He was accustomed to do acts
of beneficence, and was ready to forgive, and was free from
all falsehood; and he presented the appearance of a man
who could not be diverted from right, rather than of a
man who had been improved. He had also the art of being
humorous in an agreeable way.
MARCUS AURELIUS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
183
JUNE 16
O the gods I am indebted for having good grandfa-
thers, good parents, a good sister, good teachers,
good associates, good kinsmen and friends, – nearly
everything good. Further, I owe it to the gods that I was
not hurried into any offence against any of them, though I
had a disposition, which if opportunity had offered might
have led me to do something of this kind; but through
their favor, there never was such a concurrence of circum-
stances as put me to the trial. I am thankful to the gods
that I was subjected to a ruler and a father who was able to
take away all pride from me, and to bring me to the know-
ledge that it is possible for a man to live in a palace without
wanting either guards or embroidered dresses, or torches
and statues, and such like show; but that it is in such a
man's power to bring himself very near to the fashion of a
private person, without being for this reason either meaner
in thought, or more remiss in action, with respect to the
things which must be done for the public interest in a man.
ner that befits a ruler. I thank the gods for giving me a
brother who was able by his moral character to rouse me to
vigilance over myself, and who at the same time pleased me
by his respect and affection; and that, though it was my
mother's fate to die young, she spent the last years of her
life with me; that, whenever I wished to help any man in
his need, or on any other occasion, I was never told that I
had not the means of doing it ; that I have a wife so obedi-
ent and so affectionate and so simple; that I had abun-
dance of good masters for my children; that I made haste
to place those who brought me up in the station of honor,
without putting them off with hope of my doing it some
time after : that I received clear and frequent impressions
about living according to nature, and what kind of a life
that is, so that, so far as depended on the gods and their
gifts and help and inspirations, nothing hindered me from


THE BEAUTY OP WISDOM 185
one word he is often deemed to be foolish. We ought to be
careful indeed in what we say.
· Not to take office is not righteous. A superior man
takes office, and performs the righteous duties belonging to
it. As to the failure of right principles to make progress,
he is aware of that.
When a man does not transgress the boundary line in
the great virtues, he may pass and repass it in the small
virtues.
CONFUCIUS.
JUNE 18
SOWER went forth to sow his seed: and as he
sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden
under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it.
And other fell on the rock; and as soon as it grew, it with-
ered away, because it had no moisture. And other fell amidst
the thorns; and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. And
other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth
fruit a hundredfold. The seed is the word of God. And
those by the wayside are they that have heard ; then cometh
the devil, and taketh away the word from their heart, that
they may not believe and be saved. And those on the rock
are they which, when they have heard, receive the word with
joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and
in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among
the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they go
on their way they are choked with cares and riches and
pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. And
that in the good ground, these are such as in an honest
and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and
bring forth fruit with patience.
If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever would
save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for
my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man profited,


186
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit his own self?
A certain man said unto Jesus, Lord, I will follow thee whither-
soever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have
holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man
hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another,
Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury
my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their
own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of
God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but
first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my home.
But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
THE GOSPELS.
JUNE 19
E who has had a fever, even after it has left him, is
not in the same state as before unless he was per-
fectly cured; and the same thing happens in dis-
tempers of the soul likewise. If you would not be of an
angry temper, then do not feed the habit. Give it nothing
to help its increase. Be quiet at first, and reckon the days in
which you have not been angry. I used to be angry every
day; now every other day; then every third and fourth day;
and if you miss it so long as thirty days, offer a sacrifice of
thanksgiving to God. For habit is first weakened and then
entirely destroyed. Some things are good, some evil, and
some indifferent. Now the good are the virtues and whatever
partakes of them; and the evil are vices and what partakes of
vice; the indifferent lie between these, as riches, health, life,
death, pleasure, pain. So strong and unconquerable a thing
is human nature. For how can a vine have the properties not
of a vine, but of an olive tree, or an olive tree not those of an
olive tree, but of a vine? It is impossible. Neither, therefore,
is it possible for a human creature entirely to lose human
affections. Nature is of all influences the most powerful
among mankind, and draws every one, however unwilling and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 187
reluctant, to its own purposes. Do you not often see little
dogs caressing and playing with each other, so that you would
say nothing could be more friendly? But to learn what this
friendship is, throw a bit of meat between and you will see.
Do you too throw a bit of an estate betwixt you and your
son, and you will see that he will quickly wish you under-
ground, and you him; and then you no doubt, on the other
hand, will exclaim, What a son have I brought up! He
would bury me alive!
EPICTETUS.
JUNE 20
FI speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I am become sounding brass or a clanging
cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know
all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so
as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give
my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me
nothing. Love suffereth long and is kind ; love envieth not;
love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave
itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh
not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but re-
joiceth with the truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth;
but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there
be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part,
and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect
is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When
I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought
as a child ; now that I am become a man, I have put away
childish things. For now we see in a mirror darkly, but then
face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even
as also I have been known. But now abideth faith, hope,
love, these three: and the greatest of these is love.
THE EPISTLES.


188
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JUNE 21
HERE is a very small remnant of worthy disciples
of philosophy, perchance some noble nature brought
up under good influences and in the absence of
temptation. He is like one who retires under the shelter
of a wall in the storm of dust and sleet which the driving
wind hurries along, and when he sees the rest of mankind
full of wickedness, he is content if only he can live his own
life and be pure from evil or unrighteousness, and depart in
peace and good-will with bright hopes.
The state can only be happy which is planned by artists
who make use of the heavenly pattern. The soul is like the
eye: when resting upon that on which truth and being shine,
the soul perceives and understands, and is radiant with intel-
ligence; but when turning towards the twilight of genera-
tion and destruction, then she has opinion only, and goes
blinking about, and is first of one opinion and then of an-
other, and seems to have no intelligence.
Whether I am right or not, God only knows; but, whether
true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge
the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an
effort, and when seen, is also inferred to be the universal
author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light,
and the law of light in this world, and the source of truth
and reason in the other; this is the first great cause which
he who would act rationally either in public or private life
must behold.
PLATO.
JUNE 22
To everything there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven : a time to be born, and
a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck
up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal ;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 189
and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to seek, and a time to lose ; a time to keep, and a time
to cast away; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak ;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time
for peace. He hath made everything beautiful in its time.
That which is hath been already; and that which is to be
hath already been. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the
righteous and the wicked. All go unto one place; all are of
the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit
of man whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast
whether it goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I saw
that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice
in his works, for that is his portion; for who shall bring him
back to see what shall be after him? Then I returned and
saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun; and
behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no
comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already
dead more than the living which are yet alive, yea, better
than them both did I esteem him which hath not yet been,
who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
ECCLESIASTES.
JUNE 23
EGIN the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet
with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceit-
ful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to
them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.
But I who have seen the nature of the good, that it is beau-
tiful, and of the bad, that it is ugly, and the nature of him
who does wrong, that it is akin to me, not only of the same
blood, but that it participates in the same intelligence, and
the same portion of divinity, I can neither be injured by any
of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be
angry with my kinsman nor hate him. For we are made for
coöperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows
of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another,


190 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
then, is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one
another to be vexed and to turn away.
Whatever this is that I am, it is a little flesh, and breath,
and the ruling part. As if thou wast now dying, despise the
flesh. See the breath also, what kind of a thing it is, air, and
not always the same. The third, then, is the ruling part;
consider this : Thou art an old man; no longer let this be a
slave, no longer be pulled by the strings like a puppet to
unsocial movements, no longer be either dissatisfied with
thy present lot, or shrink from the future. All that is from
the gods is full of providence.
Nothing is more wretched than a man who seeks by con-
jecture what is in the minds of his neighbors without per-
ceiving that it is sufficient to attend to the dæmon within
him, and to reverence it sincerely. And reverence of the
dæmon consists in keeping it pure from passion and thought-
lessness, and dissatisfaction with what comes from gods and
men. To be vexed at anything which happens is a separation
of ourselves from nature.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
JUNE 24
GREAT door and effectual is opened unto me, and
there are many adversaries. Our glorying is this, the
testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and
sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of
God, we behaved ourselves in the world. As we obtained
mercy, we faint not; but we have renounced the hidden
things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the
word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the
truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in
the sight of God.
We are troubled on every side, yet not straitened ; per-
plexed, yet not unto despair ; pursued, yet not forsaken ; smit-
ten down, yet not destroyed. Wherefore we faint not; but
though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 191
renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the
moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eter-
nal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things
which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not
seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly house of
our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old
things are passed away ; behold they are become new.
He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he
that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
THE EPISTLES.
JUNE 25
C TILPO, the philosopher, being asked “Whether the
gods were delighted with our adorations and sacri-
fices ?” “You are indiscreet,” answered he; “let us
withdraw apart, if you would talk of such things."
Most of the occasions of disturbance in the world are
grammatical ones; our suits only spring from disputes as to
the interpretation of laws, and most wars proceed from the
inability of ministers clearly to express the conventions and
treaties of amity of princes.
Do not take notice of the juggling in the ancient deifica-
tions. After the great and stately pomp of the funeral, so
soon as the fire began to mount to the top of the pyramid,
and to catch hold of the couch where the body lay, they at
the same time turned out an eagle, which, flying upward, sig-
nified that the soul went into Paradise. The Thracians, in
return of the benefits they had received from Agesilaus,
came to bring him word that they had canonized him. “Has
your nation,” said he to them, “the power to make gods of
whom they please? Pray, first deify some one amongst your-
selves, and when I shall see what advantage he has by it,
I will thank you for your offer.”


192 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
We are no nearer heaven at the top of Mount Cenis than
at the bottom of the sea.
Philosophy has so many faces, so much variety, and has
said so many things, that all our dreams and ravings are there
to be found. Human fancy can conceive nothing good or bad
that is not there. How uprightly soever a judge may mean, if
he does not look well to himself, which few care to do, his in-
clination to friendship, to relationship, to beauty or revenge,
and not only things of that weight, but even the fortuitous
instinct that makes us favor one thing more than another,
and that, without reason's permission, puts the choice upon
us in two equal subjects, or some shadow of like vanity, may
insensibly insinuate unto his judgment the recommendation
or disfavo. of a cause, and make the balance dip.
MONTAIGNE.
JUNE 26
/ INNOW not with every wind, and walk not in every
path ; thus doth the sinner that hath a double
tongue.
Be swift to hear; and with patience make thine answer.
Glory and dishonor is in talk; and the tongue of a man is
his fall.
Be not faint-hearted in giving judgment.
Be as a father unto the fatherless, and instead of a hus-
band unto their mother; so shalt thou be as a son of the
Most High, and he shall love thee more than thy brother
doth.
He that holdeth wisdom fast shall inherit glory, and
wheresoever he entereth, the Lord will bless.
At the first she will walk with him in crooked ways, and
will bring fear and dread upon him, and torment him with
her discipline, until she may trust his soul, and try him by her
judgments; then will she return again the straight way unto
him, and will gladden him, and reveal to him her secrets.
Accept not the person of any against thy soul, and rever-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
193
ence no man unto thy falling. Set not thine heart upon un-
righteous gains; for thou shalt profit nothing in the day of
calamity. Sweet words will multiply a man's friends, and a
fair-speaking tongue will multiply courtesies.
Let those that are at peace with thee be many: but thy
counsellors one of a thousand. If thou wouldst get thee a
friend, get him by proving, and be not in haste to trust him.
For there is a friend that is so for his own occasion, and he
will not continue in the day of thy affliction. And there is a
friend that turneth to enmity, and he will discover strife to
thy reproach. And there is a friend that is a companion at
the table, and he will not continue in the day of thy afflic-
tion, and in thy prosperity he will be as thyself. If thou shalt
be brought low, he will be against thee, and will hide himself
from thy face.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
JUNE 27
| HAT appearance soever there may be in novelty,
I do not easily change for fear of losing by the
bargain, and, as I am not capable of choosing, I
take other men's choice and keep myself in the station wherein
God has placed me. I could not otherwise keep myself from
perpetual rolling. Thus have I, by the grace of God, pre-
served myself entire without anxiety or trouble of conscience,
in the ancient faith of our religion, amidst so many sects and
divisions as our age has produced. The writings of the an-
cients, the best authors I mean, being full and solid, tempt
and carry me which way almost they will : he that I am read-
ing seems always to have the most force, and I fear that
every one in his turn is in the right, though they contradict
one another.
Who ever saw old age that did not applaud the past and
condemn the present time, laying the fault of his misery and
discontent upon the world, and the manners of men.


194 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
“Now the old ploughman sighs and shakes his head,
And present times comparing with those fled,
His predecessors' happiness doth praise,
And the great piety of that old race.”
'T is an effect of the Divine Providence to suffer his holy
Church to be afflicted with so many storms and troubles,
by this opposition to rouse pious souls, and to awaken them
from that drowsy lethargy, whereinto, by so long tranquillity,
they had immerged. If we should lay the loss we have sus-
tained in the number of those who have gone astray in the
balance against the benefits we have had by being again put
in health, and by having our zeal and force resuscitated by
reason of this opposition, I know not whether the utility
would not surmount the damage.
Bias, in setting forth the excellent state of a private family,
says, “Of which the master is the same within by his own
virtue and temper that he is abroad for fear of the laws and
report of men.” Aristotle says, “ Private men serve virtue
more painfully and assiduously than those in authority.” We
prepare ourselves for eminent occasions more out of glory
than conscience.
MONTAIGNE.
JUNE 28
LEASANT words are as an honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;
But the Lord trieth the hearts.
He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the
righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
A friend loveth at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
A merry heart is a good medicine,
But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
195
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters;
The well-spring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.
The rich man's wealth is his strong city,
And as an high wall in his own imagination.
A man's gift maketh room for him,
And bringeth him before great men.
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city ;
And such contentions are like the bars of a castle.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction :
But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
That the soul be without knowledge is not good.
Wealth addeth many friends;
But the poor is separated from his friend.
Many will intreat the favor of the liberal man;
And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
But every fool will be quarrelling.
The slothful will not plough by reason of the winter:
Therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.
Even a child maketh himself known by his doings,
Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer;
But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
PROVERBS.
JUNE 29
ESUS spake this parable unto certain which trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and set all others
at nought : Two men went up into the temple to pray;
the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that
I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give


196 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
tithes of all that I get. But the publican, standing afar off,
would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote
his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. I say
unto you, This man went down to his house justified rather
than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be
humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,
A certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall
I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why
callest thou me good ? None is good, save one, that is God.
Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery,
Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor
thy father and mother. And he said, All these things have
I observed from my youth up. And when Jesus heard it, he
said unto him, One thing thou lackest yet : sell all that thou
hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have trea-
sure in heaven; and come, follow me. But when he heard
these things, he became exceeding sorrowful ; for he was
very rich. And Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall
they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. For
it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And
they that heard it said, Then who can be saved ? But he
said, The things which are impossible with men are possible
with God.
THE GOSPELS.
JUNE 30
HE accumulation of gold ruins timocracy. After they
get on in trade, and the more they think of this, the
less they think of virtue; for when riches and vir-
tue are placed together in the scales of the balance, the one
always rises as the other falls; and in proportion as riches
and rich men are honored in the state, virtue and the vir-
tuous are dishonored ; and so at last, instead of loving con-
tention and glory, men become lovers of trade and money,
and they honor and reverence the rich man, and make a


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
197
ruler of him, and dishonor the poor man. At the same time
their fondness for money makes them unwilling to pay taxes.
Then they proceed to make a law which fixes a sum of money
as the qualification of citizenship; and they forbid any one
whose property is below the amount fixed to share in the
government. Just think what would happen if the pilots were
to be chosen according to their property, and a poor man re-
fused permission to steer, even though he were a better pilot.
Such a state is not one, but two states, the one of poor men,
the other of rich men, who are living on the same spot and
ever conspiring against one another. Of all conversions, there
is none so speedy or so sure as when the ambitious youth
changes into the avaricious one. The men of business, stoop-
ing as they walk, and pretending never so much as to see
those whom they have already ruined, insert the sting — that
is, their money — into anybody else who is not on his guard
against them, and recover this present or principal sum many
times over multiplied into a family of children: this is the
way in which they make drone and pauper to abound in the
state. Excess of liberty, whether in states or individuals,
seems only to pass into excess of slavery; the truth being
that the excessive increase of anything often causes a reac-
tion in the opposite direction.
PLATO.
JULY 1
1 O man can be perfectly secure against wrong, unless
he has become perfectly good ; and cities are like
individuals in this ; for a city if good has a life of
peace, but if evil, a life of war within and without
The love of wealth wholly absorbs men, and never for a
moment allows them to think of anything but their own pri-
vate possessions; on this the soul of every citizen hangs sus-
pended, and can attend to nothing but his daily gain; and
every man is ready to learn any branch of knowledge, and to
follow any pursuit which tends to this end, and he laughs at


198 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
every other; – that is one reason why a city will not be in
earnest about any good and honorable pursuit. From an in-
satiable love of gold and silver every man is willing to endure
the practice of any art or contrivance, seemly or unseemly,
in the hope of becoming rich; and will make no objection to
performing any action, holy or unholy, and utterly base, if
only like a beast he have the power of eating and drinking,
and procuring for himself in every sort of way the gratifica-
tion of his lusts.
Seeing that Divine aid is not to be had (i. e., an ordinance
from God), there appears to be a need of some bold man who
specially honors plainness of speech, and will say outright
what is best for the city and citizens, - ordaining what is good
and convenient for the whole state amid the corruptions of hu-
man souls, opposing the mightiest lusts, and having no man his
helper but himself, standing alone and following reason only.
O youth or young man, who fancy you are neglected by
the gods, know that if you become worse you shall go to the
worse souls, or if better to the better, and in every succes-
sion of life and death you will do and suffer what like may
fitly suffer at the hands of like. This is a divine justice,
which neither you nor any other unfortunate will ever glory
in escaping, and which the ordaining powers have specially
ordained; take good heed of them, for a day will come when
they will take heed of you. If thou sayest, I am small and will
creep into the depths of the earth, or I am high and will fly
up to heaven, you are not so small or so high but that you
shall pay the fitting penalty.
There is an immortal conflict going on among us, which
requires marvellous watchfulness, and in that conflict the
gods and demi-gods are our allies, and we are their property.
Injustice and insolence and folly are the destruction of us,
and justice and temperance and wisdom are the salvation of
us; and the place of these latter is in the life of the gods,
and of their virtues some vestiges may occasionally be dis-
cerned among mankind.
PLATO.


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199
JULY 2
RET not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou
envious against them that work unrighteousness. For
they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither
as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good : dwell in
the land, and follow after faithfulness. Delight thyself also
in the Lord : and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord : trust also in him, and he
shall bring it to pass. And he shall make thy righteousness
to go forth as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him : fret not thyself
because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the
man who bringeth evil devices to pass. For evil-doers shall
be cut off : but the meek shall inherit the land, and shall
delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked
borroweth, and payeth not again : but the righteous dealeth
graciously and giveth.
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly
nation. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
For thou art the God of my strength: why hast thou cast
me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of
the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth ; let them
lead me: let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy
tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God
my exceeding joy : and upon the harp will I praise thee, O
God, my God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? And
why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for
I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance,
and my God.
Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a sceptre of equity
is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteous-
ness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, thy God, hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Oh that I had wings like a dove, then would I fly away and
be at rest.
PSALMS.


200
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
JULY 3
O OD, in his love of mankind, placed over us the dæmons,
who are a superior race, and they with great ease and
pleasure to themselves, and no less to us, taking care
of us and giving us peace and reverence and order and jus-
tice never failing, make the tribes of men happy and peaceful.
To living parents, as is meet, we have to pay the first and
greatest and oldest of all debts, considering that all which a
man has belongs to those who gave him birth, and brought
him up, and he must do all that he can to minister to them:
paying the debts due to them for the care and travail which
they bestowed upon him of old, in the days of his infancy,
and which he is now to pay back to them when they are old
and in the extremity of their need. And all his life long he
ought never to utter, or to have uttered, an unbecoming word
to them; for of all light and winged words he will have to
give an account. Nemesis, the messenger of justice, is ap-
pointed to watch over them.
For the good man to offer sacrifice to the gods, and hold
converse with them by means of prayers and offerings and
every kind of service, is the noblest and best of all things,
and also the most conducive to a happy life, and very fit and
meet. There is no great inclination or readiness on the part
of mankind to be made as good, or as quickly good, as pos-
sible; rather, the many prove the wisdom of Hesiod, who
says that the road to wickedness is smooth and very short,
and there is no need of perspiring. “But before virtue the
immortal gods have placed the sweat of labor, and long and
steep is the way thither, and rugged at first : but when you
have reached the top, then, however difficult, it becomes
easy."
As a ship sailing on the sea has to be watched night and
day, in like manner a city also is sailing on a sea of politics,
and is liable to all sorts of insidious assaults; and therefore
from morning to night, and from night to morning, rulers


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
201
must join hands with rulers, and watchers succeed watchers,
receiving and giving up their trust in a perpetual order.
He who is not a good servant will not be a good master;
a man should pride himself more upon serving well than
upon commanding well, — first upon serving the laws, which
is also the service of the gods; in the second place upon
having served ancient and honorable men in the days of his
youth.
PLATO.
JULY 4
USTLY may you, O Lacedæmonians, be praised for this
— that you do not give special honor or maintenance
to poverty in particular, or to wealth in particular, or
to a royal rather than to a private station. For no man ought
to have preëminent honor in a state because he surpasses
others in wealth, any more than because he is swift or fair or
strong, unless he have some virtue in him ; nor even if he
have virtue, unless he have this particular virtue of temper-
ance.
The right way is to place the goods of the soul first and
highest in the scale, always assuming temperance as a con-
dition of them ; and in the second place, the goods of the
body; and in the third place, those of money and property.
And if any legislator or state departs from this rule by giving
money the place of honor, or in any way preferring that
which is really last, may we not say that he or the state is
doing an unholy and unpatriotic thing?
The sea is pleasant enough as a daily companion, but has
also a bitter and brackish quality, filling the streets with
merchants and shopkeepers, and begetting in the souls of
men uncertain and unfaithful ways, making the state un-
friendly and unfaithful both to her own citizens and also
to other nations. There is a consolation, therefore, in the
country producing all things at home, and yet, owing to the
ruggedness of the soil, not providing anything in great abun-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
203
JULY 5
LL things come alike to all; there is one event to
the righteous and to the wicked ; to the good and
to the clean and to the unclean ; to him that sacri-
ficeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is
the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there
is one event unto all : yea also, the heart of the sons of
men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they
live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that
is joined with all the living there is hope ; for a living dog
is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they
shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have
they any more a reward ; for the memory of them is for-
gotten. As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is
now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever
in anything that is done under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither
thou goest. I returned and saw under the sun, that the race
is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet
bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding,
nor yet favor to men of skill ; but time and chance happeneth
to them all. There was a little city and few men within it ;
and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and
built great bulwarks against it; now there was found in it a
poor wise man, and he by his wisdom saved the city; yet no
man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom
is better than strength : nevertheless the poor man's wisdom
is despised, and his words are not heard ! Curse not the
king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy
bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and
that which hath wings shall tell the matter. Cast thy bread
upon the waters : for thou shalt find it after many days.
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that re-


204 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
gardeth the clouds shall not reap. In the morning sow thy
seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand : for thou
knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or
whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is
sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the
sun. Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them
all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they
shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
CLESIASTES.
JULY 6
| ORTHY art thou, our Lord and our God, to re-
ceive the glory and the honor and the power :
for thou didst create all things, and because of
thy will they were, and were created.
After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude,
which no man could number, out of every nation, and of
all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the
throne, and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and
palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, say-
ing, Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne,
and unto the Lamb.
The angels fell before the throne on their faces, and wor-
shipped God, saying, Amen : Blessing and glory, and wisdom,
and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto
our God forever and ever. And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, These which are arrayed in the white robes,
who are they and whence came they? And he said unto me,
These are they which come out of the great tribulation, and
they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of
God; and they serve him day and night in his temple; and
he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle
over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat;
for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 205
their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of
waters of life ; and God shall wipe away every tear from
their eyes.
There followed great voices in heaven, and they said,
The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our
Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders fell upon their faces and
worshiped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God,
the Almighty, which art and which wast; because thou
hast taken thy power and didst reign. If any man hath an
ear, let him hear. If any man is for captivity, into captivity
he goeth ; if any man shall kill with the sword, with the
sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith
of the saints. Here is the patience of the saints, they that
keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Righteous art thou, which art and which wast, thou Holy
One. Yea, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous
are thy judgments.
REVELATION.
JULY 7
WILL bless the Lord at all times : his praise shall
continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her
boast in the Lord : the meek shall hear thereof, and
be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his
name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and
delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and
were lightened ; and their faces shall never be confounded.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him
out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth
round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste
and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that
trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there
is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack,
and suffer hunger ; but they that seek the Lord shall not
want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me:


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 207
strange difficulties ; methinks there are such incomprehen-
sible wonders amongst the things that we ordinarily see, as
surpass all difficulties of miracles.
Once asking a Lacedæmonian, what had made him live
so long, he made answer, “The ignorance of physic;" and
the Emperor Adrian continually exclaimed as he was dy-
ing, that the crowd of physicians had killed him. An ill
wrestler turned physician : “Courage," says Diogenes to
him, “thou hast done well, for now thou wilt throw those
who have formerly thrown thee.” But they have this ad-
vantage, according to Nicocles, that the sun gives light to
success, and the earth covers their failures. Æsop plea-
santly represents to us the tyrannical authority physicians
usurp over poor creatures, weakened and subdued by sick-
ness and fever, for he tells us that a rich person being asked
by his physician what operation he found of the potion he
had given him? “I have sweated very much.” “That's
good.” Another time having asked him how he felt him-
self after his physic? “I have been very cold, and have
had a great shivering upon me.” “That 's good.” After the
third potion he asked him again how he did ? “Why, I find
myself swelled and puffed up as if I had a dropsy.” “That
is very well,” said the physician. One of his servants com-
ing presently after to inquire how he felt himself, “Truly,
friend,” said he, “with being too well, I am about to die."
MONTAIGNE.
JULY 9
T is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
1 Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump? Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump. Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither
with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Know ye not that
the saints shall judge the world ? And if the world is judged


208
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God ? It is altogether a defect in you, that
ye have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather take
wrong? Why not rather be defrauded ?
All things are lawful for me; but not all things are ex-
pedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be
brought under the power of any. Know ye not that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which
ye have from God? and ye are not your own. Now con-
cerning things sacrificed to idols : We know that we all have
knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth. Con-
cerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know
that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no
God but one. Howbeit in all men there is not that know-
ledge: but some, being used until now to the idol, eat as of a
thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak
is defiled. But meat will not commend us to God: neither,
if we eat not, are we the worse ; nor, if we eat, are we the
better. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours
become a stumbling-block to the weak. For if a man see
thee which hast knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's tem-
ple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to
eat things sacrificed to idols ? For through thy knowledge
he that is weak perisheth, the brother for whose sake Christ
died. And thus, sinning against the brethren, and wound-
ing their conscience when it is weak, ye sin against Christ.
Wherefore, if meat maketh my brother to stumble, I will
eat no fesh forevermore, that I may not make my brother
to stumble. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to
glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me,
if I preach not the gospel. For though I was free from all
men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might
gain the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I
might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under
the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 209
them that are without law, as without law, that I might gain
them that are without law. To the weak I became weak,
that I might gain the weak; I am become all things to all
men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things
for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof.
All things are lawful; but all things are not expedient.
All things are lawful ; but all things edify not. Let no man
seek his own, but each his neighbor's good.
THE EPISTLES.
JULY 10
HAT is it that leads us so often to divination ?
Cowardice: the dread of events. Hence we flat-
ter the diviners. What, then, is to be done? We
should come, as a traveller inquires the road of the person
he meets, without any desire for that which turns to the
right hand more than to the left; for he wishes for neither
of these, but only for that road which leads him properly.
Thus we should come to God as to a guide - just as we make
use of our eyes; not persuading them to show us one ob-
ject rather than another, but receiving such as they present
to us. Foolish man! would you have anything but what is
best? And what is best but what pleases God ?
You are a distinct portion of the essence of God, and con-
tain a certain part of him in yourself. Why, then, are you
ignorant of your noble birth? Why do not you consider
whence you came? Why do not you remember, when you are
eating, who you are who eat, and whom you feed ? When you
are in the company of women, when you are conversing, when
you are exercising, when you are disputing, do not you know
that it is the Divine you feed, the Divine you exercise ?
You carry a god about with you, poor wretch, and know no-
thing of it. Do you suppose I mean some god without you
of gold or silver ? It is within yourself that you carry him,
and you do not observe that you profane him by impure
thoughts and unclean actions. If the mere external image


210
210 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
of God were present, you would not dare to act as you do :
and when God himself is within you, and hears and sees all,
are not you ashamed to think and act thus, — insensible of
your own nature and at emnity with God ?
EPICTETUS.
JULY 11
RE we beginning again to commend ourselves? or
need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to
you or from you? Ye are our epistle, written in our
hearts, known and read of all men ; written not with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but
in tables that are hearts of flesh. Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves; but our
sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as min-
isters of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit ;
for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the
ministration of death, written and engraven on stones, came
with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stead-
fastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which
glory was passing away: how shall not rather the ministra-
tion of the spirit be with glory ? For if the ministration of
condemnation is glory, much rather doth the ministration
of righteousness exceed in glory. For verily that which hath
been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this re-
spect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth. For if that
which passeth away was with glory, much more that which
remaineth is in glory. Having therefore such a hope, we
use great boldness of speech, and are not as Moses, who put
a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not
look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away :
but their minds were hardened ; for until this very day, at
the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth up-
lifted; which veil is done away in Christ. But unto this day,
whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. But
whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
213
I would inflict very heavy penalties on any one in all the
land who should dare to say that there are bad men who
lead pleasant lives, or that the profitable and gainful is one
thing, and the just another. We shall affirm this to be a
most certain truth, that the life which is by the gods deemed
to be the happiest is the holiest.
Truth is a noble thing and a lasting, but a thing of which
men are hard to be persuaded.
The sound of the voice which reaches and educates the
soul we have ventured to term music.
The community which has neither poverty nor riches will
always have the noblest principles.
The inspiration of the poets is divine, and often in their
strains, by the aid of the Muses and the Graces, they attain
truth.
PLATO.
JULY 14
OW amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; my
soul longeth, yea even fainteth, for the courts of the
Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out unto the living
God. Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the
swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even
thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be
still praising thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in
thee; in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Passing
through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of
springs; yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings. They
go from strength to strength. Every one of them appeared
before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer.
Give ear, O God of Jacob. Behold, O God our shield, and
look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts
is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in
the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wicked-
ness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will


214 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from
them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the
man that trusteth in thee. Righteousness and judgment are
the foundation of thy throne; mercy and truth go before thy
face. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he
shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted
in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our
God.
The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my
salvation.
PSALMS.
JULY 15
MY people, hear my word; make you ready to the
battle, and in those evils be even as pilgrims upon
the earth. For yet a little while and iniquity shall
be taken away out of the earth, and righteousness shall reign
over us. Let not the sinner say that he hath not sinned,
for he shall burn coals of fire upon his head, which saith I
have not sinned before God and his glory. Behold, the Lord
knoweth all the works of men, their imaginations, their
thoughts and their hearts. Who said, Let the earth be made;
and it was made : Let the heaven be made ; and it was made.
And at his word were the stars established, and he knoweth
the number of the stars. Who searcheth the deep and the
treasures thereof; he hath measured the sea, and what it
contained. Who hath shut the sea in the midst of the waters,
and with his word hath he hanged the earth upon the wa-
ters. Who spreadeth out the heaven like a vault : upon the
waters hath he founded it. Who hath made in the desert
springs of water, and pools upon the tops of the mountains,
to send forth rivers from the height to water the earth. Who
framed man, and put a heart in the midst of the body, and
gave him breath, life, and understanding, yea, the spirit of
God Almighty. He who made all things, and searched out
hidden things in hidden places, surely he knoweth your


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
215
imagination, and what ye think in your hearts. Woe to them
that sin, and would fain hide their sin! Forasmuch as the
Lord will exactly search out all your works, and he will put
you to shame. And when your sins are brought forth before
men, ye shall be ashamed, and your own iniquities shall stand
as your accusers in that day. What will ye do? or how will
ye hide your sins before God and his angels ?
ESDRAS.
JULY 16
E shall come down like rain upon the mown grass ;
as showers that water the earth. In his day shall
the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till
the moon be no more.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards
receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My
flesh and my heart faileth ; but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my hand was
stretched out in the night and slacked not : my soul refused
to be comforted. I remember God, and am disquieted : I
complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Thou holdest mine
eyes watching; I am so troubled I cannot speak. I call to
remembrance my song in the night; I commune with mine
own heart ; and my spirit made diligent search. Will the
Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable no more ?
Is his mercy clean gone forever ? Doth his promise fail for-
evermore ? Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? Hath he
in anger shut up his tender mercies?
Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace
have kissed each other. Truth springeth out of the earth, and
righteousness hath looked down from heaven. For thou,
Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy
unto all them that call upon thee. In the day of my trouble
I will call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me. For thou art


216 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
great, and doeth wondrous things ; thou art God alone.
Teach me the way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth. I will
praise thee, O Lord, my God, with my whole heart : and
I will glorify thy name forevermore. Thou, O Lord, art a
God full of compassion, and gracious, slow to anger and plen-
teous in mercy.
LMS.
JULY 17
VERTAIN Greek writers, who have a reputation as
philosophers, have some extraordinary views upon
this subject, as indeed what subject is there subtle
geniuses have not touched upon ? They dissuade their dis-
ciples from any very intimate friendships, because they create
unnecessary anxieties, and every man has more than enough
to call forth his own solicitude, and it is a weakness to be
involved in the concerns of others : the best way, they hold,
is to have the bonds of union extremely loose, so as always
to have it in one's power to tighten or relax them as may be
most expedient, for they add that to live exempt from cares
is an essential condition of human happiness, but a condition
which he who voluntarily distresses himself with cares in
which he has no personal interest can never hope to possess.
Others teach, that friendship is an affair of self-interest
entirely, and that the proper motive for engaging in it is not
to gratify the kind and benevolent affections, but only for
the good of that assistance and support which is to be gained
from the union : and that therefore the less of strength and
self-support one has, the more eager he will be to seek for
friendship : hence women are more inclined to make friends
than men; and the poor and unfortunate, more than the rich
and prosperous. What excellent philosophy! To strike out
the friendly affections from the moral world would be like
blotting the sun out from the natural, each of them being
the source of the best and most joyous blessings that the
gods have conferred on the sons of men. Take all sentiment


218 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
would have none of it.” Architas was of my opinion when
he said, “ that it would be unpleasant even in heaven itself,
to wander in those great and divine celestial bodies without
a companion.” A man should publish and communicate his
joy, but as much as he can, conceal and smother his grief.
He that makes himself pitied without reason, is a man not to
be pitied when there shall be real cause ; to be always com-
plaining is the way never to get sympathy; by making him-
self out always so miserable, he is never commiserated by any.
MONTAIGNE.
JULY 19
D EHOLD, God is the judge, fear him, leave off from
your sins and forget your iniquities, to meddle no
more with them forever; so shall God lead you forth,
and deliver you from all tribulation. The days of tribulation
are at hand, and I will deliver you from them. Be not afraid,
neither doubt; for God is your guide ; and ye who keep my
commandments and precepts, saith the Lord God, let not
your sins weigh you down, and let not your iniquities lift up
themselves. Woe unto them that are fast bound with their
sins, and covered with their iniquities, like a field is fast
bound with bushes, and the path thereof covered with thorns,
that no man may travel through! It is even shut off, and
given up to be consumed of fire.
EsDRAS.
Ask counsel of every man that is wise, and despise not any
counsel that is profitable. Bless God, and give him thanks,
and magnify him, and give him thanks in the sight of all that
live for the things which he hath done with you. It is good
to bless God, and exalt his name, shewing forth with honor
the works of God; and be not slack to give him thanks. It
is good to keep close the secret of a king, but to reveal glo-
riously the works of God. Do good, and evil shall not find
you. Good is prayer with fasting and alms and righteousness.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 219
A little with righteousness is better than much with unright-
eousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. They
that do alms and righteousness shall be filled with life.
For not of any favor of mine, but by the will of your God,
I came; wherefore bless him forever.
Tobit.
thee
JULY 20
'HE Lord will be a high tower for the oppressed, a
high tower in times of trouble. And they that know
thy name will put their trust in thee; for thou, Lord,
hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have
a goodly heritage. I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Thou
wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of
joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore..
Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the
night; thou hast tried me and findest no evil purpose in me;
I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. My steps
have held fast to thy paths, my feet have not slipped. Keep
me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of
thy wings. I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall
be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ;
My God, my strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and
the horn of my salvation, my high tower. He brought me
forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted
in me. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful ;
with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect; with
the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the perverse
thou wilt shew thyself froward. For thou wilt save the af-
flicted people ; but the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way
perfect. O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou answerest
not, and in the night season, but find no rest. But thou art


220 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
holy. Our fathers trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver
them; they trusted in thee, and were not ashamed.
ALMS.
JULY 21
'HE wisdom of the scribe cometh by opportunity of
leisure; and he that hath little business shall be-
come wise. How shall he become wise that holdeth
the plough, that glorieth in the shaft of the goad, that
driveth oxen, and is occupied in their labors, and whose
discourse is of the stock of bulls ? He will set his heart
upon turning his furrows; and his wakefulness is to give
his heifers their fodder. So is every artificer and work-
master that passeth his time by night as by day; they
that cut gravings of signets, and his diligence is to make
great variety; he will set his heart to preserve likeness in
his portraiture, and will be wakeful to finish his work. So
is the smith sitting by the anvil, and considering the un-
wrought iron ; the vapor of the fire will waste his flesh, and
in the heat of the furnace will he wrestle with his work; the
noise of the hammer will be ever in his ear, and he will be
wakeful to adorn his works perfectly. So is the potter sit..
ting at his work and turning the wheel about with his feet;
he will fashion the clay with his arm; he will apply bis
heart to finish the glazing, and he will be wakeful to make
clean the furnace.
All these put their trust in their hands; and each becom-
eth wise in his own work. Without these shall not a city
be inhabited ; and men shall not sojourn nor walk up and
down therein. They shall not be sought for in the council
of the people ; neither shall they declare instruction and
judgment, and where parables are they shall not be found.
But they will maintain the fabric of the world; and in the
Not so he that hath applied his soul, and meditateth on
the law of the Most High. He will travel through the land


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 221
of strange nations ; for he hath tried good things and evil
among men. If the great Lord will, he shall be filled with
the spirit of understanding ; and in prayer give thanks unto
the Lord. He shall direct his counsel and knowledge, and
on his secrets shall he meditate. Many shall commend his
understanding, and so long as the world endureth it shall
not be blotted out ; his memorial shall not depart, and his
name shall live from generation to generation ; nations shall.
declare his wisdom, and the congregation shall tell out his
praise. If he continue, he shall leave a greater name than
a thousand, and if he die, he addeth thereto.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
JULY 22
THE Lord reigneth, he is apparelled with majesty;
the Lord is apparelled, he hath girded himself with
strength; the world also is stablished that it can-
not be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art
from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the
floods have lifted up their voice, the floods lift up their
waves. Above the voices of many waters, the mighty break-
ers of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty. Thy testimonies
are very sure; holiness becometh thine house, O Lord,
forevermore.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, tremble
before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord
reigneth; the world also is stablished that it cannot be
moved; he shall judge the peoples with equity. Let the
heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar
and the fulness thereof; let the field exult, and all that is
therein ; then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth. He
shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples
with his truth. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the
earth; break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises. Sing
praises unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp and the


222 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
voice of melody. With trumpets and sound of cornet make
a joyful noise before the King the Lord. Let the sea roar,
and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell
therein ; let the floods clap their hands ; let the hills sing for
joy together before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the
earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and
the peoples with equity.
PSALMS.
JULY 23
N ATO says, “There are some who owe more to their
bitter enemies than to the friends that seem sweet ;
for those often tell the truth, these never.” Let
pleasing truth be told; let flattery, the handmaid of the
vices, be put far away, as unworthy, not only of a friend, but
of any man above the condition of a slave. A flattering
friend may be distinguished and discriminated from a true
friend by proper care, as easily as everything disguised and
feigned is seen to differ from what is genuine and real.
For me, indeed, Scipio, though suddenly snatched away,
still lives and will always live; for I loved the virtue of
the man, which is not extinguished. Nor does it float before
my eyes only, as I have always had it at hand; it will also
be renowned and illustrious with generations to come. No
one will ever enter with courage and hope on a high and
noble career, without proposing to himself as a standard
the memory and image of his virtue. Indeed, of all things
which fortune or nature ever gave me, I have nothing that I
can compare with the friendship of Scipio. Had the recollec-
tion and remembrance of these things died with him, I could
not anyhow bear the loss of a man thus bound to me in
the closest intimacy and holding me in the dearest love.
But they are not blotted out, they are rather nourished and
increased by reflection and memory, and were I entirely
bereft of them, my advanced age would still be my great
comfort, for I can miss his society but for a brief season, and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
223
all sorrows, however heavy, if they can last but a little while,
ought to be endured. I exhort you that you so give the
foremost place to virtue, without which friendship cannot
be, that with the sole exception of virtue, you may think
nothing to be preferred to friendship.
Cicero.
JULY 24
A BRAM was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Lot, also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and
herds, and tents. And the land was not able to
bear them, that they might dwell together. And there was
a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle, and the
herdmen of Lot's cattle. And Abram said unto Lot, Let
there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and
between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be breth-
ren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I
pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then
I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I
will go to the left.
The word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, say-
ing, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding
great reward. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted
it to him for righteousness.
Abraham said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with
the wicked ? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within
the city ; wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the
fifty righteous that are therein ? That be far from thee to
do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked,
that so the righteous shall be as the wicked ; that be far
from thee; shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within
the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. And
Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken
upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and
ashes; peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty right-


224 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
eous; wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And
he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure
there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not
destroy it for the forty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the
Lord be angry, and I will speak; peradventure there shall
thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it if I find
thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord; peradventure there shall be
twenty found there. And he said, I will not desiroy it for
the twenty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be
angry, and I will speak yet but this once; peradventure ten
shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for
the ten's sake.
GENESIS
JULY 25
ORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all genera-
,tions. Before the mountains were brought forth, or
ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even
from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turn-
est man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of
men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yester-
day when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou car-
riest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the
morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morn-
ing it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut
down, and withereth. For we are consumed in thine anger,
and in thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our ini-
quities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy coun-
tenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we
bring our years to an end as a tale that is told. The days
of our years are threescore years and ten, or even by reason
of strength fourscore years; yet is their pride but labor and
sorrow; for it is soon gone, and we fly away. So teach us to
number our days, that we may get us an heart of wisdom.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 225
Return, O Lord; how long ? and let it repent thee con-
cerning thy servants. O satisfy us in the morning with thy
mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make
us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,
and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work
appear unto thy servants, and thy glory upon their children,
and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and
establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work
of our hands establish thou it.
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing
praises unto thy name, O most High: to shew forth thy
lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every
night.
PSALMS.
JULY 26
HE most fruitful and natural exercise of the mind,
in my opinion, is conversation. I find the use of
it more sweet than of any other action of life ; and
for that reason it is that, if I were now compelled to
choose, I should sooner, I think, consent to lose my sight
than my hearing and speech. The study of books is a lan-
guishing and feeble motion, that heats not, whereas conver-
sation teaches and exercises at once.
In my country and in my time, learning improves for.
tunes enough, but not minds. In the hand of some 't is a
sceptre, in that of others a fool's bauble. To hunt after
truth is properly our business, and we are inexcusable if we
carry on the chase impertinently and ill; to fail of catching
it is another thing ; for we are born to inquire after truth ;
it belongs to a greater power to possess it ; it is not, as
Democritus said, hid in the bottom of the deeps, but rather
elevated to an infinite height in the divine knowledge.
I know that the arms of friendship are long enough to
reach from one end of the world to the other. In true
friendship, I more give myself to my friend than I attract


226
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
him to me. I am not only better pleased in doing him ser-
vice than if he conferred a benefit upon me; but moreover,
had rather he should do himself good than me, and he most
obliges me when he does so. And if absence be either more
pleasant or convenient for him, 't is also more acceptable to
me than his presence; neither is it properly absence when
we can write to one another. This insatiable desire of per-
sonal presence a little implies weakness in the fruition of
souls.
If not mirth, at least a temperate countenance in the stand-
ers-by, is proper in the presence of a wise sick man; he
does not quarrel with health, for seeing himself in a contrary
direction; he is pleased to contemplate it sound and en-
tire in others, and at least to enjoy it for company.
A free and generous confession enervates reproach, and
disarms slander.
MontaIGNE.
JULY 27
A ND he shewed me a river of water of life, bright as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and
of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof.
And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of
life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every
month : and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of
the nations. And there shall be no curse any more: and
the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein : and
his servants shall do him service; and they shall see his face ;
and his name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall
be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither
light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light; and
they shall reign forever and ever. And he said unto me,
These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of
the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to shew unto his
servants the things which must shortly come to pass. And
behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 227
of the prophecy of this book. Seal not up the words of the
prophecy of this book ; for the time is at hand. He that is
unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still; and he that
is filthy, let him be made filthy still; and he that is right-
eous, let him do righteousness still; and he that is holy, let
him be made holy still. Behold I come quickly, and my
reward is with me, to render to each man according as his
work is. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash
their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree
of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. I Jesus
have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the
churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright,
the morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is
athirst, let him come; he that will, let him take the water
of life freely
REVELATION.
JULY 28
O OD be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his
UT face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known
upon the earth, thy saving health among all nations.
Let the peoples praise thee, O God ; let all the peoples praise
thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for thou
shalt judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations
upon earth. Let the peoples praise thee, O God ; let all the
peoples praise thee. The earth hath yielded her increase;
God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us;
and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
The rebellious dwell in a dry land. Save me, O God, for
the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire,
where there is no standing; I am come into deep waters,
where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying;
my throat is dried, mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Answer me, O Lord, for thy lovingkindness is good ; accord-


228
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
ing to the multitude of thy tender mercies turn thou unto
me, and hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in
distress, answer me speedily. The Lord heareth the needy,
and despiseth not his prisoners. Let all those that seek thee
rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salva-
tion say continually, let God be magnified. Be thou to me a
rock of habitation whereunto I may continually resort ; thou
hast given commandment to save me, for thou art my rock
and my fortress.
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the
hills in righteousness.
When I thought how I might know this, it was too power-
ful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God and con-
sidered their latter end.
ALMS.
JULY 29
T THEREFORE, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you
to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,
with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, for-
bearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body
and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of
your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But
unto each one of us was the grace given according to the
measure of the gift of Christ. And he gave some to be apos-
tles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pas-
tors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the
work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of
Christ; till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;
that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 229
truth in love, may grow up in all things unto him who is
the head, even Christ; from whom all the body fitly framed
and knit together, through that which every joint supplieth,
according to the working in due measure of each several
part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up
of itself in love. This I say, therefore, and testify in the
Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk. Ye
did not so learn Christ, if so be that ye heard him and were
taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus; that ye put away,
as concerning your former manner of life, the old man which
waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit, and that ye be
renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new
man, which after God hath been created in righteousness,
and holiness of truth.
THE EPISTLES.
JULY 30
THINK Euripides was probably right in saying, “ Who
knows if life be not death, and death life :" for I think
that we are very likely dead; and I have heard a wise
man say that at this very moment we are dead, that the body
is a tomb.
Rhetoric is of two sorts: one which is mere flattery and
disgraceful declamation; the other which is noble and aims
at the training and improvement of the souls of the citizens,
and strives to say what is best, whether welcome or unwel-
come to the audience. There is no profit in a man's life if his
body is in an evil plight, for in that case his life also is evil.
Will not the temperate man do what is proper both in re-
lation to gods and men ; for he would not be temperate if he
did not do what is proper ? And in his relation to other men
he will do what is just, and in relation to the gods he will do
what is holy; and he who does what is just and holy cannot
be other than just and holy. And he must be courageous, for
the duty of a temperate man is not to follow or to avoid
what he ought not, but what he ought, whether things or


230 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
men or pleasures or pains, and patiently to endure when he
ought: and he who does well must of necessity be happy
and blessed, and the evil man who does evil, miserable. He
who desires to be happy must pursue and practice temperance,
and run away from intemperance as fast as his legs will
carry him. Communion and friendship and orderliness and
temperance and justice bind together heaven and earth and
gods and men, and this universe is therefore called Cosmos
or order, not disorder or misrule.
The aim of education is right training in the nursery. He
who would be good at anything must practice that thing from
his youth upwards. That education from youth upwards
which makes a man eagerly pursue the ideal perfection of
citizenship, and teaches how rightly to rule and how to obey,
is the only training which would be characterized as educa-
tion. That other sort of training, which aims at the acquisi-
tion of wealth or bodily strength, or mere cleverness apart
from intelligence and justice, is mean and illiberal, and is not
worthy to be called education at all. Those who are rightly
educated generally become good men. Education is the first
and fairest thing that the best of men can ever have, and
though liable to take a wrong direction, is capable of refor-
mation. And this work of reformation is the great business
of every man while he lives.
PLATO.
JULY 31
FIND that elevated souls are not much more proper
for low things, than mean souls are to high ones.
This pleasure in travelling is a testimony of uneasiness
and irresolution ; but these two are our governing and pre-
dominating qualities. I see nothing, not so much as in a
dream and in a wish, whereon I could set up my rest, variety
only and the possession of diversity can satisfy me.
Such there are who will condemn men to death for crimes
that they do not themselves repute so much as faults. There


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
231
is no man so good who, were he to submit all his thoughts
and actions to the laws, would not deserve hanging ten times
in his life; nay, and such a one, too, as it were great pity to
make away with, and very unjust to punish.
We are so far from being good men, according to the laws
of God, that we cannot be so according to our own; human
wisdom never yet arrived at the duty that it had itself pre-
scribed ; and could it arrive there, it would still prescribe
itself others beyond it, to which it would ever aspire and
pretend.
A man may regret the better times, but cannot fly from
the present.
We go forward with the current, but to turn back towards
ourselves is a painful motion. 'T is my opinion that a man
should lend himself to others, and only give himself to
himself.
Men let themselves out to hire; their faculties are not for
themselves, but to be employed for those to whom they have
enslaved themselves. We must be thrifty of the liberty of
our souls, and never let them out but upon just occasions,
which are very few if we judge aright. Do but observe such
as have accustomed themselves to be at every one's call, they
do it indifferently upon all, as well upon little as upon great
occasions; and are without life, when not in the bustle of
affairs. It is not so much that they will go, as that they can-
not stand still; their souls seek repose in motion, as children do
by being rocked in a cradle: they may pronounce themselves
as serviceable to their friends as troublesome to themselves.
MONTAIGNE.
AUGUSTI
I AM a sojourner in the earth; hide not thy command-
ments from me. My soul breaketh for the longing that
it hath unto thy judgments at all times. Thy testimo-
nies also are my delight and my counsellors. My soul cleav-
eth unto the dust : quicken thou me according to thy word.


232
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM .
Make me to understand the way of thy precepts; so shall I
meditate of thy wondrous works. My soul melteth for heav-
iness; strengthen thou me according unto thy word. I have
chosen the way of truth; thy judgments have I laid before
me. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law, yea,
I shall observe it with my whole heart; and I will walk at
liberty, for I have sought thy precepts. I will also speak of
thy testimonies before kings, and will not be ashamed, and
I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have
loved. The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have
I not swerved from thy law. Thy statutes have been my
songs in the house of my pilgrimage. I have remembered thy
name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law. At mid-
night I will rise to give thanks unto thee. Teach me good
judgment and knowledge; for I have believed in thy com-
mandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now
I observe thy word. Thou art good and doest good ; teach
me thy statutes. It is good for me that I have been af-
flicted, that I might learn thy statutes. The law of thy
mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
They that fear thee shall see me and be glad, because I have
hoped in thy word. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are
righteous, and that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.
Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for
thy law is my delight. Unless thy law had been my delight,
I should then have perished in mine affliction. I have seen
an end of all perfection ; but thy commandment is exceed-
ing broad. Oh, how I love thy law! it is my meditation all
the day.
ALMS.
AUGUST 2
DEBORAH arose a mother in Israel.
They fought from heaven, the stars in their courses
fought against Sisera.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 233
and where be all his wondrous works which our fathers told
us of ?
Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine
hand, as thou hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool
on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only,
and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that
thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken.
And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow, and
pressed the fleece together, wringing the dew out of the
fleece, a bowlful of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let
me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece: let it
now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground
let there be dew. And God did so that night ; for it was dry
upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over
them : and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over
us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my
fatness wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go
to wave to and fro over the trees? And the trees said to the
fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. But the fig tree said
unto them, Should I leave my sweetness and my good fruit,
and go to wave to and fro over the trees? And the trees
said unto the vine, Come thou and reign over us. And the
vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheer-
eth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the
trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou
and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees,
If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put
your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of
the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou
wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into mine hand,
then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors
of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the
children of Ammon, it shall be the Lord's, and I will offer
it up for a burnt offering. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh,


234 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet
him with timbrels and with dances; and she was his only
child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
Samson wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
JUDGES.
AUGUST 3
Y soul waiteth only upon God; from him cometh
my salvation. He only is my rock and my salva-
tion; he is my high tower; I shall not be greatly
moved. My soul, wait thou only upon God: for my expecta-
tion is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; he
is my high tower: I shall not be moved. With God is my
salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my
refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, ye people; pour
out your heart before him : God is a refuge for us. Surely
men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a
lie: in the balances they will go up; they are together lighter
than vanity. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain
in robbery : if riches increase, set not your heart thereon.
God hath spoken once, twice have I heard this : that power
belongeth unto God: also, unto thee, O Lord, belongeth
mercy; for thou renderest to every man according to his
work.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul
thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and
weary land, where no water is. So have I looked upon thee
in the sanctuary, to see thy power and thy glory. For thy
lovingkindness is better than life; my lips shall praise thee.
So will I bless thee while I live; I will lift up my hands in
thy name. When I remember thee upon my bed, and med-
itate on thee in the night watches, my mouth shall praise
thee with joyful lips. For thou hast been my help, and in
the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare
what he hath done for my soul.


236 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord forever.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he
will show them his covenant.
All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth,
unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an
owl of the waste places. My days are like a shadow that
declineth, and I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord,
shalt endure forever, and thy memorial unto all generations.
ILMS.
AUGUST 5
LESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight
is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate
day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,
that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also doth
not wither: and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The
wicked are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind
driveth away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the
judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way
of the wicked shall perish. Lord, how are mine adversaries
increased ! Many are they that rise up against me. Many
there be which say of my soul : There is no help for him in
God. But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me: my glory
and the lifter up of mine head. I cry unto the Lord with my
voice, and he answereth me out of his holy hill. I laid me
down and slept : I awaked : for the Lord sustained me. Sal-
vation belongeth unto the Lord : thy blessing be upon thy
people.
Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 237
himself. Stand in awe, and sin not ; commune with your
own heart upon your bed and be still. Offer the sacrifices of
righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. Many there
be that say, Who will show us any good ? Lord, lift thou up
the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put glad-
ness in my heart, more than they have when their corn
and their wine are increased. In peace will I both lay me
down and sleep, for thou, Lord, alone makest me dwell in
safety. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all
the earth! Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens. Out
of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established
strength, because of thine adversaries, that thou might-
est still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy
heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars,
which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mind-
ful of him ? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him but little lower than God, and
crownest him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to
have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put
all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the
beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the
sea, whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the
earth! Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth ; for the
faithful fail from among the children of men. The wicked
walk on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons
of men.
I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bounti-
fully with me.
PSALMS.
AUGUST 6
WHEN the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind,
and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by
words without knowledge ? Gird up now thy loins
like a man; for I will demand of thee, and declare thou


238 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
unto me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations
of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who
determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest ? Or
who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foun-
dations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone
thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the
sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with
doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb :
when I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick dark-
ness a swaddling-band for it, and prescribed for it my decree,
and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come,
but no further, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.
Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,
and caused the dayspring to know its place ? Hast thou
entered into the springs of the sea ? or hast thou walked in
the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been
revealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the
shadow of death ? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of
the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all. Where is the
way to the dwelling of light; and as for darkness, where
is the place thereof? Hast thou entered into the treasuries
of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail ?
By what way is the light parted, or the east wind scattered
upon the earth ? Hath the rain a father? or who hath begot-
ten the drops of dew? And the hoary frost of heaven, who
hath gendered it ? Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleia-
des, or loose the bands of Orion ? Canst thou lead forth the
signs of the Zodiac in their season? Or canst thou guide the
Bear with her train ? Canst thou send forth lightnings, that
they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? Who hath
put wisdom in the inward parts ? Or who hath given under-
standing to the mind ? Wilt thou hunt the prey for the
lioness? Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they
couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait ?
Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones
cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat ? Doth the eagle


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 239
mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high ?
Hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with
a voice like him?
Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou
canst do all things, and that no purpose of thine can be
restrained. Who is this that hideth counsel without know-
ledge ? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood
not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. I had
heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye
seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust
and ashes.
JOB.
AUGUST 7
OB said, Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in
the days when God watched over me; when his lamp
U shined upon my head, and by his light I walked through
darkness : when the secret of God was upon my tent; when
the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were about
me. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me ; and when
the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me; because I delivered
the poor that cried, the fatherless also, that had none to help
him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon
me ; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put
on righteousness, and it clothed me : my justice was as a
robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I
to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and the cause of
him that I knew not I searched out. Unto me men gave ear,
and waited, and kept silence for my counsel. And now I am
become their song, yea, I am a byword unto them : and my
welfare is passed away as a cloud. My soul is poured out
within me ; days of affliction have taken hold upon me; and
I am become like dust and ashes. I cry unto thee, and thou
dost not answer me. Thou art turned to be cruel to me:
with the might of thy hand thou persecutest me. When I
looked for good, then evil came, and when I waited for light,


240 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
there came darkness. I am a brother to jackals, and a com-
panion to ostriches.
If I have walked with vanity, and my foot hath hasted to
deceit : if my step hath turned out of the way, and mine
heart walked after mine eyes; and if any spot hath cleaved
to mine hands : if I have withheld the poor from their desire,
or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; or have eaten
my morsel alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
if I have seen any perishing for want of clothing, and if he
were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep: if I have
made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, Thou art
my confidence: if my land cry out against me; let thistles
grow instead of wheat and noisome weeds instead of barley.
JOB.
AUGUST 8
OPHAR said :-
Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst
thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is
high as heaven : what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol :
what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than
the earth, and broader than the sea.
If thou set thine heart aright, and let not unrighteousness
dwell in thy tents, thou shalt forget thy misery ; thou shalt
remember it as waters that are passed away, and thy life
shall be clearer than the noonday: though there be dark-
ness, it shall be as the morning; and thou shalt be secure,
because there is hope ; thou shalt take thy rest in safety:
thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid.
Job said :-
Who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of the Lord
hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every liv-
ing thing, and the breath of all mankind. He discovereth
deep things out of darkness. Though he slay me, yet will I
wait for him : nevertheless I will maintain my ways before
him.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 241
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of
trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; he
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. For there is
hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. But man
dieth and wasteth away ; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and
where is he? If a man die, shall he live again ? All the
years of my warfare would I wait, till my release should
come.
Eliphaz said : -
Are the consolations of God too small for thee? Why
doth thine heart carry thee away? That thou turnest thy
spirit against God?
Job said: –
Miserable comforters are ye all. If your soul were in my
soul's stead, I could join words together against you. Even
now, behold my witness is in heaven, and he that vouch-
eth for me is on high. For when a few years are come, I
shall go the way whence I shall not return. I have said to
corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my
mother, and my sister ; where then is my hope? How long
will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?
Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard ; I cry for
help, but there is no judgment. He hath fenced up my way
that I cannot pass, and hath set darkness in my paths. My
kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten
me; and they whom I loved are turned against me. Have
pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends ; for the
hand of God hath touched me. But I know that my re-
deemer liveth, and that he shall stand up at the last upon
the earth : and after my skin hath been thus destroyed, yet
without my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for my-
self; and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.
Јов.


242
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
AUGUST 9
E grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root
out of a dry ground; he hath no form nor comeli-
ness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that
we should desire him. He was despised and rejected of men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from
whom men hide their face he was despised, and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions ;
he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
He was oppressed, yet he humbled himself, and opened not
his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a
sheep that before her shearers is dumb, yea, he opened not
his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath
put him to grief. He was numbered with the transgressors :
yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and
he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come,
buy wine and milk without money and without price. Where-
fore do ye spend money for that which is not bread ? and
your labor for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul
delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear and come unto me;
hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Seek ye
the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he
is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unright-
eous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and
he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 243
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For
as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it
bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread
to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth ; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accom-
plish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereunto I send it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be
led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break
forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field
shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up
the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle
tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlast-
ing sign that shall not be cut off.
Isaiah.
AUGUST 10
HEN Job's three friends heard of all this evil that
was come upon him, they came every one from his
own place, and they made an appointment together
to come to bemoan him and to comfort him. And when they
lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up
their voice and wept ; and they rent every one his mantle,
and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they
sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven
nights, and none spake a word unto him ; for they saw that
his grief was very great.
Job said :—
Let the day perish wherein I was born,
Let that day be darkness;
Let not God regard it from above,
Neither let the light shine upon it,
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their
own;
Let a cloud dwell upon it;
Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.


244 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
Why died I not from the womb ?
For now should I have lain down and been quiet ;
I should have slept ; then had I been at rest :
With kings and counsellors of the earth,
Which built up waste places for themselves,
Or with princes that had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver :
There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the weary be at rest.
There the prisoners are at ease together;
They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
And life unto the bitter in soul ;
Which long for death, but it cometh not ;
Which rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad, when they can find the grave ?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,
And whom God hath hedged in ?
I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest;
But trouble cometh.
Eliphaz said : —
Behold thou hast instructed many,
And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
Thy words have upholden him that was falling,
And thou hast confirmed the feeble knees.
But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;
It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
Is not thy fear of God thy confidence,
And thy hope the integrity of thy ways?
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright cut off ?
According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,
And sow trouble, reap the same.
By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.
Now a thing was secretly brought to me,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 245
And mine ear received a whisper thereof.
In thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falleth on men,
Fear came upon me, and trembling,
Which made all my bones to shake.
Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance
thereof;
A form was before mine eyes :
There was silence, and I heard a voice saying,
Shall mortal man be more just than God?
Shall a man be more pure than his Maker ?
For affliction cometh not forth of the dust,
Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
But man is born unto trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.
JOB.
AUGUST 1
THE word of the Lord came unto Elijah, saying, Get
thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself
by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the
ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and
bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook.
And it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up,
because there was no rain in the land. And the word of the
Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath
and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow woman
there to sustain thee. And when he came to the gate of the
city, behold, a widow woman was there gathering sticks; and
he called to her and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little
water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going
to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee,
a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the
Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of


246
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse : and behold,
I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for
me and my son, that we may eat it and die. And Elijah said
unto her, Fear not ; go and do as thou hast said ; but make
me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and
afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the
Lord, the God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste,
neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord
sendeth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah ;
and she, and he, and her house did eat many days. The bar-
rel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, accord-
ing to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.
KINGS.
Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, and to return
from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and
there will I be buried : the Lord do so to me, and more also,
if aught but death part thee and me.
And they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them,
Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath
dealt very bittely with me. I went out full, and the Lord
hath brought me home again empty.
RUTH.
AUGUST 12
T HE heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth know-
ledge. There is no speech nor language; their voice cannot
be heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and
their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set
a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming
out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his


248 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
I gave you a camp for your safeguard, nevertheless ye mur-
mured there, and ye triumphed not in my name for the
destruction of your enemies, but ever to this day do ye
murmur. Where are the benefits that I have done for you?
when ye were hungry and thirsty in the wilderness, did ye
not cry unto me, saying, Why hast thou brought us into
this wilderness to kill us? It had been better for us to have
served the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness. I had
pity upon your mournings, and gave you manna for food; ye
did eat angels' bread. When ye were thirsty, did I not cleave
the rock, and waters flowed out to your fill? for the heat I
covered you with the leaves of the trees. I divided among
you fruitful lands, I cast out the Canaanites and the Philis-
tines before you; what shall I yet do more for you? saith
the Lord. When ye were in the wilderness at the bitter river,
being athirst, and blaspheming my name, I gave you not fire
for your blasphemies, but cast a tree in the water, and made
the river sweet. What shall I do unto thee, O Jacob? thou,
Judah, wouldest not obey me; I will turn me to other nations,
and unto them will I give my name, that they may keep my
statutes. Seeing ye have forsaken me, I also will forsake
you. When ye ask me to be merciful unto you, I will have
no mercy upon you. Whensoever ye shall call upon me, I
will not hear you. Ye have not, as it were, forsaken me, but
your own selves, saith the Lord.
ESDRAS.
AUGUST 14
OE unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteous-
ness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth
his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth
him not his hire ; that saith, I will build me a wide house
and spacious chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and
it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shalt
thou reign because thou strivest to excel in cedar? did not
thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice ? then
it was well with him.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 249
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope in
your latter end. He that scattered Israel will gather him,
and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. A voice was
heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel
weeping for her children ; she refuseth to be comforted for
her children, because they are not.
Though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I
hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should
hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is
good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. The Lord
will not cast off forever. For though he cause grief, yet will
he have compassion, according to the multitude of his mer.
cies. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the chil-
dren of men.
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, save me, and I
shall be saved; for thou art my praise.
JEREMIAH.
AUGUST 15
AKE heed, brethren, lest there be in any one of you
an evil heart of unbelief in falling away from the
living God; but exhort one another day by day, so
long as it is called to-day, lest any one of you be hardened
by the deceitfulness of sin.
Let us fear, lest, a promise being left of entering into his
rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.
There remaineth a sabbath rest for the people of God. Let
us labor therefore to enter into that rest. The word of God
is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both
joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thought and in-
tents of the heart. We have not a high priest that cannot be


250 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath
been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of
grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to
help us in time of need.
Though he was a son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered. The law made nothing perfect,
but the bringing in of a better hope did, through which we
draw nigh unto God. For the law having a shadow of good
things to come, it can never with the same sacrifices year by
year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that
draw nigh. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you
as with sons. All chastening seemeth for the present to be
not joyous, but grievous, yet afterwards it yieldeth peaceable
fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the
fruit of righteousness.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness. We have not
here an abiding city, but we seek after one which is to come.
To do good and to communicate forget not: for with such
sacrifices God is well pleased. Pray for us : for we are per-
suaded that we have a good conscience, desiring to live hon-
estly in all things.
THE EPISTLES.
AUGUST 16
LESS the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou
art very great; thou art clothed with honor and ma-
jesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a gar-
ment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain : who
layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh
the clouds his chariot ; who walketh upon the wings of the
wind : who maketh winds his messengers; his ministers a
flaming fire: who laid the foundations of the earth, that it
should not be moved forever. Thou coveredst it with the deep
as with a vesture; the waters stood above the mountains. At
thy rebuke they fled ; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted


252 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
let the Lord rejoice in his works; who looketh on the earth,
and it trembleth; he toucheth the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise
to my God while I have any being. Let my meditation be
sweet unto him ; I will rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be
consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul Praise ye the Lord.
LMS.
AUGUST 17
LIPHAZ said :-
I would seek unto God,
And unto God would I commit my cause :
Which doeth great things and unsearchable;
Marvellous things without number;
He taketh the wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
They meet with darkness in the day-time,
And grope at noonday as in the night.
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth;
Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty,
For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;
He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles ;
Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;
Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
Like as a shock of corn cometh in in its season.
Job said :-
Oh that my vexation were but weighed,
And my calamity laid in the balances together!
For now it would be heavier than the sands of the seas :
For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up.
Oh that I might have my request;


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 253
And that God would grant me the thing that I long for:
Even that it would please God to crush me;
That he would loose his hand and cut me off !
What is my strength that I should wait ?
And what is mine end, that I should be patient ?
Is there not a warfare to man upon earth ?
And are not his days like the days of an hireling?
So am I made to possess months of vanity,
And wearisome nights are appointed to me.
When I lie down, I say,
When shall I arise? but the night is long,
And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the
day.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away,
So he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more;
He shall return no more to his house,
Neither shall his place know him any more.
When I say, My bed shall comfort me,
My couch shall ease my complaint ;
Then thou scarest me with dreams,
And terrifiest me through visions.
I loathe my life; I would not live alway :
Let me alone ; for my days are vanity.
What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him,
And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him,
And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,
And try him every moment ?
Now my days are swifter than a post :
They flee away, they see no good ;
They are passed away as the swift ships ;
As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.
For he is not a man as I am, that I should answer him,
That we should come together in judgment.
There is no daysman betwixt us,


254 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
That might lay his hand upon us both.
My soul is weary of my life;
I will give free course to my complaint ;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Thine hands have framed me and fashioned me
Together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.
Thou hast granted me life and favor,
And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
Are not my days few ? cease then,
And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,
Before I go whence I shall not return,
Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;
A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself ;
A land of the shadow of death, without any order,
And where the light is as darkness.
JOB.
AUGUST 18
NLY be strong and very courageous, to observe to
do according to all the law which Moses my servant
commanded thee : turn not to the right hand or to
the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever
thou goest. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for
the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
When Joshua was by Jericho, behold, there stood a man
over against him with his sword drawn in his hand : and
Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or
for our adversaries? And he said, Nay, but as captain of the
host of the Lord am I now come. Put off thy shoe from off
thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.
One man of you shall chase a thousand ; for the Lord
your God, he it is that fighteth for you. Take good heed
therefore unto yourself, that ye love the Lord your God.
Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth, and
ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one
thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 255
God spake concerning you: all are come to pass unto you,
not one thing hath failed thereof. And it shall come to pass,
that as all the good things are come unto you of which the
Lord your God spake unto you, so shall the Lord bring upon
you all the evil things. When ye transgress the covenant of
the Lord your God, and go and serve other gods, and bow
down yourselves to them : then shall the anger of the Lord
be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off
the good land which he hath given unto you. Now therefore
fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth. And
if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this
day whom ye will serve: but as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord.
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay : but we will serve
the Lord.
Joshua.
AUGUST 19
IRY aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,
and declare unto my people their transgression, and
to the house of Jacob their sins. Wherefore have
we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we
afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge ? Behold, in
the day of your fast ye find your own pleasure, and oppress
all your laborers. Behold, ye fast for strife and contention,
and to smite with the fist of wickedness : ye fast not this
day so as to make your voice to be heard on high. Is such
the fast that I have chosen ? the day for a man to afflict his
soul ? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread
sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast,
and an acceptable day to the Lord ? Is not this the fast that
I have chosen ? to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo
the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and
that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the
hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to
thy house ? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him,


256 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then
shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing
shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go
before thee: the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer ; thou shalt
cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from
the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger,
and speaking wickedly; and if thou draw out thy soul to
the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light
rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday; and
the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in
drought, and make strong thy bones, and thou shalt be like
a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail
not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste
places : thou shalt raise up the foundations of many genera-
tions; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of paths to dwell in.
ISAIAH.
AUGUST 20
T o the Lord our God belongeth righteousness, but
unto us confusion of face, for that we have sinned
before the Lord and disobeyed him, and have not
hearkened unto the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the
commandments of the Lord that he hath set before us; since
the day that the Lord brought our fathers out of the land
of Egypt, unto this present day, we have been disobedient
unto the Lord our God, and we have dealt unadvisedly in not
hearkening unto his voice. To the Lord our God belongeth
righteousness, but unto us and to our fathers confusion of
face, as at this day. For all these plagues are come upon us,
which the Lord hath pronounced against us. Yet have we
not entreated the favor of the Lord, in turning every one
from the thoughts of his wicked heart. Therefore hath the
Lord kept watch over the plagues, and the Lord hath brought
them upon us; for the Lord is righteous in all his works


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 257
which he hath commanded us. Yet we have not hearkened
unto his voice, to walk in the commandments of the Lord
that he hath set before us. O Lord, look down from thine
holy house and consider us; incline thine ear, O Lord, and
hear; open thine eyes and behold; the soul that is greatly
vexed, which goeth stooping and feeble, and the eyes that
fail, and the hungry soul, will give thee glory and righteous-
ness, O Lord. O Lord Almighty, thou God of Israel, the
soul in anguish, the troubled spirit, crieth unto thee. Hear,
O Lord, and have mercy: for thou art a merciful God: yea,
have mercy upon us, because we have sinned before thee.
Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity, where thou hast
scattered us for a reproach and a curse, and to be subject to
penalty according to all the iniquities of our fathers which
departed from the Lord our God.
BARUCH.
AUGUST 21
ETTER is an handful with quietness than two hand-
fuls with labor and vexation of spirit. Two are better
than one; because they have a good reward for their
labor, for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe
to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another
to lift him up. Better is a pious and wise youth than an old
and foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition
any more. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with
silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase ; this also
is vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat
them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof,
saving the beholding of them with the eyes. The sleep of a
laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but
the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. There is
a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely,
riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt; and those riches
perish by evil adventure. There is an evil which I have seen
under the sun, and it is heavy upon men : a man to whom


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh
nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth
him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it; this
is vanity, and it is an evil disease. All the labor of man is for
his mouth, and the appetite is not filled. Who knoweth
what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life
which he spendeth as a shadow ? For who can tell a man
what shall be after him under the sun ? A good name is bet-
ter than precious ointment; and the day of death than the
day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning,
than to go to the house of feasting. Sorrow is better than
laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is
made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourn-
ing: but the heart of fools is in the houses of mirth. It is
better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear
the song of fools. Better is the end of a thing than the be-
ginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better than the
proud in spirit.
ECCLESIASTES.
AUGUST 22
C O D is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
I trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth
do change, and though the mountains be moved
in the heart of the seas; though the waters thereof roar and
be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling
thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the
city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most
High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved ;
God shall help her, and that right early. The nations raged,
the kingdoms were moved : he uttered his voice, the earth
melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desola-
tions he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease
unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth
the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariots in the fire. Be


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
259
still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the
nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is
with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
For it was not an enemy that reproached me : then I could
have borne it; neither was it he that hated me that did
magnify himself against me : then I would have hid myself
from him; but it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion
and my familiar friend. We took sweet counsel together, we
walked in the house of God with the throng. His mouth was
smooth as butter, but his heart was war; his words were
softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden
upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never
suffer the righteous to be moved. My soul is among lions.
From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my
heart is overwhelmed : lead me to the rock that is higher
than I. For thou hast been a refuge for me, and a strong
tower from the enemy. I will dwell in thy tabernacle forever,
I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings.
PSALMS.
AUGUST 23
OB said, How hast thou helped him that is without power?
How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength ?
He hangeth the earth upon nothing : he bindeth up the
waters in his thick clouds. He stirreth up the sea with his
power. By his spirit the heavens are garnished. Lo, these
are but the outskirts of his ways; and how small a whisper
do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can
understand ?
Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me. My
righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go : my heart
shall not reproach me so long as I live. For what is the hope
of the godless, though he get him gain, when God taketh
away his soul? There is a path no bird of prey knoweth ;
neither hath the falcon's eye seen it ; the proud beasts have
not trodden it, nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby. His


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
261
know not. He answered me and said, As touching thy life
I am not sent to show thee; for I do not know it. Number
me them that are not yet come, gather me together the drops
that are scattered abroad, make me the flowers green again
that are withered, open me the chambers that are closed, and
bring me forth the winds that in them are shut up, or show
me the image of a voice : and then will I declare to thee
the travail (of Israel) that thou askest to see. Like as thou
canst do none of these things that I have spoken of, even so
canst thou not find out my judgments, or the end of the love
that I have promised unto my people. I will liken my judg-
ments unto a ring; like as there is no slackness of them
that be last, even so there is no swiftness of them that be
first.
In the beginning, when the earth was made, before the
outgoings of the world were fixed, or even the gatherings of
the winds blew, before the voices of the thunder sounded, and
before the flashes of the lightning shone, or ever the founda-
tions of paradise were laid, before the fair flowers were seen,
or ever the powers of the earthquake were established, before
the innumerable hosts of angels were gathered together, or
ever the heights of the air were lifted up, before the measures
of the firmament were named, or ever the footstool of Zion
was established, or ere the present years were sought out, or
ever the imaginations of them that now sin were estranged,
before they were sealed that have gathered faith for a trea-
sure: then did I consider these things, and they all were
made through me alone, and through none other; as by me
also they shall be ended, and by none other. For evil shall
be blotted out, and deceit shall be quenched ; and faith shall
flourish, and corruption shall be overcome, and the truth,
which hath been so long without fruit, shall be declared.
For thou hast a treasure of good works laid up with the
most High, but it shall not be shewed thee until the last
times.
Now therefore set thine house in order, and reprove thy


262
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people, comfort the lowly among them, and instruct such of
them as be wise, and now renounce the life that is corrupt.
ible, and let go from thee mortal thoughts. Cast away from
thee the burdens of man, put off now thy weak nature, and
lay aside the thoughts that are most grievous unto thee;
and come hither, and I shall light a lamp of understanding
in thine heart which shall not be put out.
ESDRAS.
AUGUST 25
SAID, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with
my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while
the wicked is before me.
My heart was hot within me; while I was musing the
fire kindled; then spake I with my tongue : Lord, make me
to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it
is ; let me know how frail I am. Behold thou hast made my
days as handbreadths, and mine age is as nothing before
thee. Surely every man at his best estate is altogether
vanity. Surely every man walketh in a vain show. Surely
they are disquieted in vain ; he heapeth up riches, and
knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what
wait I for? My hope is in thee. Deliver me from all my
transgressions : make me not the reproach of the foolish.
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it.
Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the
blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct
man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away
like a moth ; surely every man is vanity. Hear my prayer,
O Lord, and give ear unto my cry: hold not thy peace at
my tears; for I am a stranger with thee, a sojourner, as all
my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength,
before I go hence, and be no more.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with
the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect; with the
pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ; and with the perverse


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 265
shall come forth as gold. When I consider, I am afraid of
him. For God hath made my heart faint, and the Almighty
hath troubled me.
JOB.
AUGUST 28
D E not deceived; evil company doth corrupt good man-
D ners. Awake up righteously, and sin not. Some one
will say, How are the dead raised up, and with what
manner of body do they come? Thou foolish one, that which
thou thyself sowest is not quickened, except it die: and that
which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be,
but a bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other
kind; but God giveth it a body even as it pleased him, and
to each seed a body of its own. There are also celestial
bodies, and bodies terrestrial : but the glory of the celestial
is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is
one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and
another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from an-
other star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption : it is
sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory : it is sown in weak-
ness; it is raised in power : it is sown a natural body ; it
is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there
is also a spiritual body. Howbeit that is not first which is
spiritual, but that which is natural; then, that which is
spiritual. As is the earthy, such are they also that are
earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy,
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. For this cor-
ruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality. Wherefore, be ye steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord.
For indeed we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened, not that we would be unclothed, but that we
would be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
up of life. He that wrought us for this very thing is God,
who gave unto us the earnest of the spirit.
THE EPISTLES.
AUGUST 29
LESSED is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose
sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there
is no guile. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine
iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgres.
sions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my
sin. Thou art my hiding-place: thou wilt preserve me from
trouble: thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliv-
erance. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that
trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be
glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for
joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Better is a little that the righteous hath than the abun-
dance of many wicked.
A man's goings are established of the Lord, and he delight-
eth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down; but the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have
been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the right-
eous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. I have
seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like
a green tree in its native soil : yet he passed away, and lo,
he was not; yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; for the latter
end of that man is peace.
PSALMS.
AUGUST 30
'HUS saith the Lord, I brought this people out of
bondage, and I gave them my commandments by
my servants the prophets; whom they would not
hear, but set my counsels at nought. The mother that bare


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 267
them saith unto them, Go your way, O my children ; for I am
a widow and forsaken. I brought you up with gladness,
and with sorrow and heaviness have I lost you ; for ye have
sinned before the Lord God, and done that which is evil
before me. But what shall I now do unto you? for I am a
widow and forsaken; go your way, O my children, and ask
mercy of the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord unto Esdras, Tell my people that
I will give them the kingdom of Jerusalem which I would
have given unto Israel. Their glory also will I take unto
me, and give them the everlasting tabernacles which I have
prepared for them. They shall have the tree of life for
an ointment of sweet savor ; they shall neither labor, nor be
weary. Ask, and ye shall receive; the kingdom is already
prepared for you : watch. Fear not, thou mother of the
children ; for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord. Do right
to the widow, judge the fatherless, give to the poor, defend
the orphan, clothe the naked, heal the broken and the weak,
laugh not a lame man to scorn, defend the maimed, and let
the blind man come unto the sight of my glory. Keep the
old and young within thy walls. Abide still, O my people,
and take thy rest, for thy quietness shall come. Be not care-
ful overmuch : for when the day of tribulation and anguish
cometh, others shall weep and be sorrowful, but thou shalt be
merry and have abundance. Be joyful, O thou mother, with
thy children, for I will deliver thee, saith the Lord. Embrace
thy children until I come, and proclaim mercy unto them,
for my wells run over, and my grace shall not fail.
Oye nations, that hear and understand, look for your shep-
herd, he shall give you everlasting rest; for he is nigh at
hand. Be ready to the rewards of the kingdom, for the ever-
lasting light shall shine upon you forevermore. Flee the
shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your glory.
O receive that which is given you of the Lord, and be joyful.
Give thanks unto him that hath called you to heavenly king-
doms. They that withdrew them from the shadow of the


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Confucius said, “The flowing progress of virtue is more
rapid than the transmission of imperial orders by stages and
couriers.”
“When Heaven sends down calamities, it is still possible
to escape from them ; when we occasion the calamities our-
selves, it is not possible any longer to live.”
The man who would be benevolent is like the archer.
The archer adjusts himself, and then shoots. If he misses,
he does not murmur against those who surpass him. He
simply turns round and seeks the cause of his failure in
himself.
The great Shun had a still greater delight in what was
good. He regarded virtue as the common property of him-
self and others, giving up his own way to follow that of
others, and delighting to learn from others to practice what
was good. There is no attribute of the superior man greater
than his helping men to practise virtue.
It is said in the Book of Poetry, “Be always studious to
be in harmony with the ordinances of God, and you will
obtain much happiness. Benevolence is the tranquil habita-
tion of man, and righteousness is his straight path. Alas
for them who leave the tranquil dwelling empty, and do not
reside in it, and who abandon the right path and do not pur-
sue it.
MENCIUS.
SEPTEMBER 2
O one ever saw Socrates doing, or heard him saying
anything impious or profane; but he would hold dis-
course from time to time on what concerned man-
kind, considering what was pious, what impious; what was
becoming, what unbecoming; what was just, what unjust;
what was saintly, what unsaintly; what was fortitude, what
cowardice; what a state was, and what was the character of
a statesman; what was the nature of government over men,
and the qualities of one skilled in governing them : and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 271
though the multitude were enraged at him, he considered
it of more importance to observe his oath than to gratify the
people contrary to what was right, or to seek safety against
those who menaced him ; for he thought that the gods paid
regard to men, not in the way in which some persons sup-
pose, who imagine that the gods know some things and do
not know others, but he considered that the gods know all
things, what is said, what is done, and what is meditated in
silence, and are present everywhere, and give admonition
to men concerning everything human. I wonder how the
Athenians were ever persuaded that Socrates had not right
sentiments concerning the gods, a man who never said or did
anything impious towards the gods, but spoke and acted in
such a manner with respect to them that any other who
had spoken and acted in the same manner would have been
considered eminently pious.
A statuary, he said, must express the working of the mind
by the form.
"I wonder, Socrates," said Pericles, “how our city ever
degenerated.” “I imagine,” said Socrates, “ that as some
other nations have grown indolent through excessive exalta-
tion of power, so likewise the Athenians, after attaining great
preëminence, grew neglectful of themselves, and consequently
became degenerate."
XENOPHON.
SEPTEMBER 3
NNIUS well observes, It is in the hour of adversity
that friendship must chiefly prove her truth and
strength. The deserting of a friend in his distress,
or neglecting him in one's own prosperity, are the two
things which discover the weakness and instability of most
friendships. In either event, to preserve an immovable and
unshaken fidelity is a virtue, that I had almost called more
than human. It is essential to choose for a friend, not only
one who has the same general interests as our own, but one


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who possesses an open, artless, and affable temper, for where
these qualities are wanting it would be vain to expect a last-
ing and faithful attachment. True friendship is absolutely
inconsistent with every species of artifice and duplicity, and
it cannot be maintained between persons whose dispositions
and general modes of thought are not in accord. I must add
as another requisite that a friend should not have any satis-
faction in finding fault with the frailties of his friend, nor
easily give credit to the imputations which the malice of
others may bring against him. It has been asked, “Is the
pleasure of acquiring a new friendship preferable to the satis-
faction of possessing an old one?" It is not with friendship
as with most other acquisitions which, after frequent enjoy-
ment, are attended with satiety, but the longer we preserve
them, the more precious and relishing they are, like wines that
will bear age : as the old proverb says, “ One must eat many
a peck of salt with a man, to approve him a thorough friend."
New friendships are not to be declined, if appearances indi-
cate that in due time they may ripen into the happy fruits of
a strong tie, but old friendships have a greater claim to our
esteem, from that powerful impression which ancient customs
make upon the human heart. As to the associates of our
early years, some regard is due to them, but if our early at-
tachments were the foundation of friendship, it would be im-
possible for the union to last ; for our inclinations and pursuits
take a different turn as we advance in years, and the true
bond of friendship is dissolved. Most men are so unreason-
able and arrogant as to require that their friends should be
formed by a higher standard than they themselves are able
or willing to imitate, whereas the first endeavor should be to
acquire yourself those moral excellencies which make a vir-
tuous character, and then to find companions whose good
qualities reflect back the true image of your own.
CICERO.


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273
SEPTEMBER 4
T what employment would you have death find you ?
For my part, I would have it to be some human,
beneficent, public-spirited, noble action. But if I can-
not be found doing any such great things, advancing still
further to the security of judging right. If death overtakes
me in such a situation, it is enough for me if I can stretch
out my hands to God and say : “ The opportunities which I
have received from thee of comprehending and obeying thy
administration, I have not neglected. As far as in me lay, I
have not dishonored thee. See how I have used my percep-
tions, how my convictions. Have I at any time found fault
with thee? Have I been discontented at thy dispensations,
or wished them otherwise ? Have I transgressed the relations
of life? I thank thee that thou hast brought me into being.
I am satisfied with the time that I have enjoyed the things
which thou hast given me. Receive them back again and
distribute them as thou wilt : for they were all thine, and
thou gavest them to me."
The first and highest purity or impurity is that which is
formed in the soul. The impurity of the soul consists in
wicked principles, and its purification in forming right prin-
ciples. Every deterioration takes its origin from something
human. When you say you will begin to take pains to-morrow,
be assured that it is the same thing as if you said, “To-day
I will be shameless, impertinent, base; it shall be in the
power of others to grieve me: I will be passionate. I will
be envious to-day." See to how many evils you give yourself
up. “But all will be well to-morrow." How much better
to-day. If it be for your interest to-morrow, how much
more to-day, that it may be in your power to-morrow too,
and that you may not again defer it until the third day.
EPICTETUS.


274 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
SEPTEMBER 5
SOUL clear from prejudice has a marvellous advance
toward tranquillity and repose. Men that judge and
control their judges do never duly submit to them.
The more we resign and commit ourselves to God, and the
more we renounce ourselves, of the greater value we are.
Aristotle, the prince of all dogmatists, says that the more
we know, the more we have room to doubt. “In a slippery
and sliding place let us suspend our belief.” It is not to be
thought strange if men, despairing to overtake what they
hunt after, have not, however, lost the pleasure of the chase,
study being of itself so pleasant an employment; and so
pleasant that amongst the pleasures the Stoics forbid that
also which proceeds from the exercise of the mind, will have
it crushed, and find a kind of intemperance in too much
knowledge.
Of all human and ancient opinions concerning religion,
that seems to me the most likely and most excusable that
acknowledged God as an incomprehensible power, the origi-
nal and preserver of all things, all goodness, all perfection,
receiving and taking in good part the honor and reverence
that man paid him, under what method, name, or ceremonies
soever. Of all the religions that St. Paul found in repute at
Athens, that which they had dedicated “to the unknown
God” seemed to him the most to be excused. It was a savage
humor to think to take away the punishment due to the
guilty by punishing the innocent, and that poor Iphigenia
at the port of Aulis should by her death and immolation
acquit towards God the whole army of the Greeks from all
the crimes they had committed. Zeno said that "the voice
was the flower of beauty.” He who lies open on one side is
everywhere so. Virtue is satisfied with herself, without dis-
cipline, without words, without effect.
The greatest thing in the world is for a man to know how
to be his own.
MONTAIGNE.


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275
SEPTEMBER 6
M OCRATES said that he had heard many persons ob-
serve that a true and honest friend was the most val-
uable of all possessions, but that he saw the greater
part of mankind attending to anything rather than securing
friends. He observed them industriously endeavoring to
procure houses and lands, slaves, cattle, and furniture; but
as for a friend, whom they called the greatest of blessings,
he saw the majority considering neither how to procure one,
nor how those whom they had might be retained. Yet in
comparison with what possession, of all others, would not a
good friend appear more valuable? For a good friend is
ready to supply whatever is wanting on the part of his
friend, whether in his private affairs, or for the public inter-
ests. What the hands do, what the eyes foresee, what the
ears hear, what the feet accomplish, for each individual, his
friend, of all such services, fails to perform no one; and
oftentimes, what a person has not effected for himself, or has
not seen, or has not heard, or has not accomplished, a friend
has succeeded in executing for his friend; and yet, while
people try to foster trees for the sake of their fruit, the
greater portion of mankind are heedless and neglectful of
that most productive possession which is called a friend. If
we were in need of a good friend, how should we proceed
to look for one? Should we not seek for a person who can
govern his appetite, his inclination to wine or sensuality, and
abstain from immoderate sleep and idleness ? for one who
is overcome by such propensities would be unable to do his
duty either to himself or his friend. We should endeavor to
make our friend a person who is proof against the seductions
of bodily pleasures, is upright and fair in his dealings, and
emulous not to be outdone in serving those who serve him,
so that he is of advantage to those who associate with him.
We must consult the gods, whether they recommend us to
make one our friend. Do you think it possible for a bad


276 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
person to attach to himself good men as friends ? Friend-
ship, insinuating itself through all hindrances, unites together
the honorable and good ; for such characters, through affec-
tion for virtue, prefer the enjoyment of a moderate compe-
tency without strife to the attainment of unlimited power
by means of war. By laying aside all avaricious feelings, too,
they cannot only be satisfied with their lawful share of the
common property, but can even assist one another. They
can settle their differences, not only without mutual offence,
but even to their mutual benefit. They can prevent their
anger from going so far as to cause them repentance; and
envy they entirely banish by sharing their own property with
their friends, and considering that of their friends as their
own.
It would be well for each of us to examine himself, to con-
sider of what value he is in the estimation of his friends; and
to try to be of as much value to them as possible, in order
that his friends may be less likely to desert him. Good slaves
I do not often see sold at all, or good friends abandoned.
XENOPHON.
SEPTEMBER 7
HERE reverence does not dwell with affection,
friendship is bereaved of her most graceful orna-
ment. It is an error to imagine that the laws of
friendship justify any privilege of licentiousness and sin.
Nature has given affection in the heart of man, not to pro-
duce confederates in vice, but companions in virtue. Solitary
virtue is incapable of rising to the same height as when she
is associated with another. They who persuade themselves
that they have a true friend, when virtue is left out of the
connection, will find themselves utterly deceived when some
great misfortune gives them occasion to make the experi-
ment. Among the different objects of human pursuits,
friendship is the only one whose value is unanimously and
without exception acknowledged. Even virtue herself is not


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277
universally held in esteem, for many persons look upon her
as a mere affectation and ostentatious display. Some whose
moderate desires are satisfied with humble means and lowly
roofs look upon riches with contempt. Many look upon
public offices as the most frivolous of all human vanities.
And of those many objects which divide the interests of
mankind, what some desire, others despise; but with re-
spect to friendship, there are not two different opinions; the
active and the ambitious, the retired and the contemplative,
or even the followers of sensual pleasures, all agree that
without friendship, life can have no true enjoyment. For she
twines herself, I know not by what irresistible charm,
around the hearts of every rank and class of men, and
mingles in all the ways and affairs of human life. If we
could be transported by some divinity into solitude, sur-
rounded with every luxury, but shut off from every human
creature, there is not a person in the world of so unsocial
or so hard a nature, that he could find any enjoyment under
such forlorn conditions. Human nature is incapable of soli-
tary satisfactions; man, like climbing plants, is led by an
instinctive impulse to lean upon his kind, and he finds his
happiest and most secure support in the arms of a faithful
friend.
CICERO.
SEPTEMBER 8
7 HEN real infirmities fail us, knowledge lends us
hers. How many has mere force of imagination
made sick! Compare the life of a man subjected
to such imaginations to that of a laborer that suffers himself
to be led of his natural appetite, measuring things only by
the present sense without knowledge and without prognostic.
Lycas, being otherwise of very regular manners, living qui.
etly and contentedly in his family, and not failing in any
office of his duty, either towards his own or strangers, and
very carefully preserving himself from hurtful things, became,


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nevertheless, by some distemper in his brain, possessed with
a conceit that he was perpetually in the theatre, a spectator
of the finest sights and the best comedies in the world; and
being cured by the physicians of his frenzy, was hardly pre-
vented from endeavoring by suit to compel them to restore
him again to his pleasing imagination.
Thrasylaus made himself believe that all the ships that
weighed anchor from the port of Piræus, and that came
into the haven, only made their voyage for his profit; con-
gratulating them upon their successful navigation, and re-
ceiving them with the greatest joy; and when his brother,
Crito, caused him to be restored to his better understanding,
he infinitely regretted that sort of condition wherein he had
lived with so much delight, and free from all anxiety of mind.
'T is according to the old Greek verse, that “There is a
great deal of convenience in not being over-wise.”
We do not become others for dying. I always interpret
the death by the life preceding. I do not much pity the
dead, and should envy them rather, but I pity the dying.
The force of Plato's arguments concerning the immortality
of the soul set some of his disciples to seek a premature
grave, that they might the sooner enjoy the things he had
made them hope for.
MONTAIGNE.
SEPTEMBER 9
'WO trades cannot be combined ; you cannot bestow
your care both upon externals and your own ruling
faculty. If you would have the former, let the latter
alone ; or you will succeed in neither, while you are drawn
in different ways by the two. On the other hand, if you
would have the latter, let the former alone. “The oil will
be spilled, the furniture will be spoiled ; " but still I shall
be free from passion. “There will be a fire when I am
out of the way, and the books will be destroyed;" but still
I shall make a right use of the phenomena of existence.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 279
“But I shall have nothing to eat.” If I am so unlucky,
dying is a safe harbor. That is the harbor for all, — death;
that is the refuge; and for that reason there is nothing
difficult in life. You may go out of doors when you please,
and be troubled with smoke no longer. Why, then, are you
anxious ? Why break your rest? Why do you not calculate
where your good and evil lies, and say, “They are both in
my own person; nor can any deprive me of the one, nor
mislead me against my will in the other.” Why, then, do
not I lay myself down and sleep? What is my own is safe!
As the sun waits not for prayers or incantations to be
prevailed on to rise, but immediately shines forth and is
received with universal salutation, so neither do you wait
for applauses and shouts and praises, in order to do good,
but be a voluntary benefactor, and you will be beloved like
the sun.
If you always remember that God stands by as a witness
of whatever you do, either in soul or body, you will never
err either in your prayers or actions, and you will have God
abiding with you.
CTETUS.
SEPTEMBER 10
TS it not delightful to have friends coming from distant
quarters ?
I daily examine myself on three points: whether, in
transacting business for others, I may have been not faith-
ful; whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been
not sincere; whether I may have not mastered and prac-
ticed the instructions of my teacher. A youth, when at
home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders.
He should be earnest and truthful. He should overflow in
love to all, and cultivate the friendship of the good.
Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have
no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do
not fear to abandon them. Have no depraved thoughts.


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If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as con-
tinually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.
The superior man is catholic and not partisan. The mean
man is a partisan and not catholic.
Learning without thought is labor lost ; thought without
learning is perilous. When you know a thing, to hold that
you know it ; and when you do not know a thing, to allow
that you do not know it :- this is knowledge.
Advance the upright and set aside the crooked, and the
people will submit. Advance the crooked and set aside the
upright, then the people will not submit.
I have not seen one who loves virtue as he loves beauty.
Let the superior man never fail reverentially to order
his own conduct, and let him be respectful to others and
observant of propriety : then all within the four seas will
be his brothers.
The Master said, When a number of persons are to-
gether for a whole day without their conversation turning
on righteousness, and when they are fond of carrying out
the suggestions of a small shrewdness :— this is indeed a
hard case.
The superior man in everything considers righteousness
to be essential. He performs it according to the rules of
propriety. He brings it forth in humility. He completes it
with sincerity. The superior man is distressed by his want
of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him.
He contemplated and studied the illustrious decrees of
heaven. The superior man, while there is anything he has
not studied, or while in what he has studied there is any-
thing he cannot understand, will not intermit his labor. If
there be anything which he has not practised, and his prac-
tice fails in earnestness, he will not intermit his labor. If
another man succeed by one effort, he will use a hundred
efforts. If another man succeed by ten efforts, he will use
a thousand.
What needs no display is virtue.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 281
Among the appliances to transform the people, sounds
and appearances are but trivial influences.
CONFUCIUS.
SEPTEMBER 11
To the gods Socrates simply prayed that they would
give him good things, as believing that the gods
knew best what things are good; and those who
prayed for gold, or silver, or dominion, or anything of that
kind, he considered to utter no other sort of requests than if
they were to pray that they might play at dice, or fight, or do
anything else of which it is quite uncertain what the result
will be. When he offered small sacrifices from his small
means, he thought that he was not at all inferior in merit to
those who offered numerous and great sacrifices from ample
and abundant means : for he said it would not become the
gods to delight in large rather than in small sacrifices;
since, if such were the case, the offerings of the bad would
oftentimes be more acceptable to them than those of the
good; nor would life be of any account in the eyes of men,
if oblations from the bad were better received by the gods
than oblations from the good; but he thought that the gods
had most pleasure in the offerings of the most pious.
If anything appeared to be intimated to him from the gods,
he could no more have been persuaded to act contrary to such
intimation than any one could have persuaded him to take
for his guide on a journey a blind man; and he condemned
the folly of others who act contrary to what is signified by the
gods through anxiety to avoid the ill opinion of men. As for
himself, he undervalued everything human in comparison with
counsel from the gods. He took only so much food as he
could eat with a relish, and to this end he came to his meals
so disposed that the appetite for his meat was the sauce to it.
He used to say in jest, that he thought Circe transformed
men into swine by entertaining them with abundance of lux-
uries, but that Ulysses, through being temperate and forbear-


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THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
ing to partake of delicacies to excess, was in consequence not
changed into a swine.
TOPHON.
SEPTEMBER 12
OU will confer the greatest benefits on your city, not
by raising its roofs, but by exalting its souls. For it
is better that great souls should live in small habita-
tions than that abject slaves should burrow in great houses.
For cities are made good habitations by the sentiments of
those who live in them, not by wood or stone.
Nature has given man one tongue, but two ears, that we
may hear twice as much as we speak.
Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the views which
they take of things. The terror of death consists in our notion
of death. Demand not that events should happen as you
wish ; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you
will go on well.
Is there no difference between a man and a stork ? Does
not the difference lie in rationality of action, in social in-
stincts, fidelity, honor, prudence, judgment? Where, then,
is the real good or evil of man? Just where this difference
lies. If this distinguishing trait is preserved and remains
well fortified, and neither honor, fidelity, nor judgment is
destroyed, then he himself is likewise saved ; but when any
one of these is lost or demolished, he himself is lost also.
Paris, they say, was undone because the Greeks invaded Troy
and laid it waste, and his family were slain in battle. By no
means. His true undoing was when he lost modesty, faith,
honor, virtue. When was Achilles undone, — when Patro-
clus died ? By no means. But when he gave himself up to
rage; when he wept over a girl. This is human undoing,
this is the siege, this the overthrow, when right principles
are ruined and destroyed.
EPICTETUS.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 285
yielding; and from him I learned how to receive from friends
what are esteemed favors without being either humbled by
them, or letting them pass unnoticed.
From Sextus I learned a benevolent disposition, and the
example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the
idea of living conformably to nature; and gravity without
affectation; and to look carefully after the interests of friends;
and to tolerate ignorant persons. He had the power of
accommodating himself to all, and he had the faculty both
of discovering and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical
way, the principles necessary for life; and he could express
approbation without noisy display, and he possessed much
knowledge without ostentation.
From Alexander, the grammarian, I learned to refrain
from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide
those who uttered any barbarous or solecistic or strange-
sounding expression ; but dexterously to introduce the very
expression which ought to have been used, and in the way
of answer or giving confirmation, or joining in an inquiry
about the thing itself, not about the word, or by some other
fit suggestion.
From Fronto (a rhetorician) I learned to observe what
envy and duplicity and hypocrisy are in a tyrant, and that
generally those among us who are called Patricians are rather
deficient in paternal affection.
From Alexander, the Platonic, I learned not frequently
nor without necessity to say to any one, or to write in a letter,
that I have no leisure; nor continually to excuse the neglect
of duties required by our relation to those with whom we live,
by alleging urgent occupations.
From Catullus (another Stoic) I learned not to be indif-
ferent when a friend finds fault, even if he should find fault
without reason, and to be ready to speak well of teachers;
and to love my children truly.
MARCUS AURELIUS.


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289
SEPTEMBER 16
WHOSE who prided themselves on their wealth, and
thought that they required no education, but im-
agined that their riches would suffice to effect what-
ever they desired, and to gain them honor from mankind, he
tried to reduce to reason by saying that the man was a fool
who thought that he could distinguish the good and the evil
in life without instruction, and that he also was a fool who,
though he could not distinguish, thought that he would
procure whatever he wished and effect whatever was for
his interest by means of his wealth. He also said that the
man was void of sense who, not being qualified to procure
what was for his good, fancied that he would be prosperous
in this world, and that everything necessary for his comfort
was fully or at least sufficiently provided for him ; and that
he was equally void of sense who, though he knew nothing,
thought that he would seem good for something because of
his riches, and though evidently despicable would gain esteem
through their influences.
Concerning celestial matters in general, he dissuaded every
man from becoming a speculator how the divine power con-
tinues to manage them, for he did not think that such points
were discoverable by man, nor did he believe that those acted
dutifully towards the gods who inquired into things which
they did not wish to make known. He observed, too, that a
man who was anxious about such investigations was in danger
of losing his senses, not less than Anaxagoras, who prided
himself highly on explaining the plans of the gods, lost his.
XENOPHON.
SEPTEMBER 17
ULERS of kingdoms may not neglect to be careful.
If they deviate to a mean selfishness, they will be a
disgrace to the empire. Before the sovereigns of the
Yin dynasty had lost the hearts of the people, they could


288
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
appear before God. Take warning from the house of Yin.
The great decree is not easily preserved. This shows that
by gaining the people the kingdom is gained, and by los-
ing the people the kingdom is lost. The ruler will first take
pains about his own virtue. Possessing virtue will give him
the people. Possessing the people will give him the territory.
Possessing the territory will give him its wealth. Possessing
the wealth he will have resources for expenditure. Virtue
is the root : wealth is the result. If he make the root his
secondary object, and the result his primary, he will only
wrangle with his people and teach them rapine. Hence the
accumulation of wealth is the way to scatter the people ;
and the letting it be scattered among them is the way to
collect the people. And hence, the ruler's words going forth
contrary to right will come back to him in the same way,
and wealth gotten by improper ways will take its departure
by the same.
Let the producers be many, and the consumers few. Let
there be activity in the production and economy in the ex-
penditure. Then the wealth will always be sufficient. The
virtuous ruler by means of his wealth makes himself more
distinguished. The vicious ruler accumulates wealth at the
expense of his life. In a state pecuniary gain is not to be
considered to be prosperity, but its prosperity will be found
in righteousness. The Master said, In archery we have some-
thing like the way of the superior man. When the archer
misses the centre of the target, he turns round and seeks for
the cause of his failure in himself.
CONFUCIUS.
SEPTEMBER 18
QKILFUL physicians are those who, besides knowing
their art, have from their youth upwards had the
greatest experience of disease ; they had better not be
in robust health, and should have had all manner of diseases
in their own persons. For the body, as I conceive, is not the


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 289
instrument with which they cure the body; in that case we
would not allow them ever to be sickly : but they cure the
body with the mind, and the mind which is or has become
sick can cure nothing.
The honorable mind which is to form a healthy judgment
ought rather to have had no experience or contamination of
evil habits when young, and this is the reason why in youth
good men often appear to be simple and are easily practised
upon by the evil, because they have no samples of evil in
their own souls. He is good whose soul is good : now your
cunning and suspicious character, who has committed many
crimes, when he is among men who are like himself is won-
derful in his precautions against others, because he judges
of them by himself; but when he gets into the company of
men of virtue, who have the experience of age, he appears
to be a fool again, owing to his unreasonable suspicion ; he
cannot recognize an honest man, because he has nothing in
himself at all parallel to judge from ; at the same time, as
the bad are the more numerous than the good, and he meets
with them oftener, he thinks himself, and others think him,
rather wise than foolish. Vice cannot know virtue, but a
virtuous nature, educated by time, will acquire a knowledge
both of virtue and vice : the virtuous, and not the vicious
man has wisdom.
The simple and moderate desires which follow reason,
and are under the guidance of mind and true opinion, are
confined to a few, being those who are the best born and the
best educated.
PLATO.
SEPTEMBER 19
ET not your laughter be loud, frequent, or abundant.
Avoid public and vulgar entertainments; but if ever
an occasion calls you to them, keep your attention
on the stretch, that you may not imperceptibly slide into
vulgarity. For be assured that if a person be ever so pure


290
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himself, yet if his companion be corrupted, he who con-
verses with him will be corrupted likewise. Provide things
relating to the body no farther than absolute need requires ;
as meat, drink, clothing, house, retinue. Cut off everything
that looks towards show and luxury. In society, avoid a
frequent and excessive mention of your own actions and
dangers. Avoid likewise an endeavor to excite laughter.
For this may readily slide you into vulgarity, and besides,
may be apt to lower you in the esteem of your acquaintance.
Approaches to indecent discourse are dangerous. There-
fore, when anything of this sort happens, use the first op-
portunity to rebuke him who makes advances that way, or,
at least, by silence and blushing and a serious look, show
yourself displeased by such talk.
It is a mark of want of intellect to spend much time in
things relating to the body; and to be immoderate in exer-
cises, in eating and drinking, and in the discharge of other
animal functions. These things should be done incidentally,
and our main strength be applied to our reason.
In every feast remember there are two guests to be
entertained, the body and the soul ; and that what you give
the body you presently lose, but what you give the soul
remains forever.
EPICTETUS.
SEPTEMBER 20
OU seem to think that happiness consists in luxury
and extravagance; but I think that to want nothing
is to resemble the gods, and that to want as little as
possible is to make the nearest approach to the gods; that
the divine nature is perfection, and that to be nearest to the
divine nature is to be nearest perfection. Those that sell
their wisdom for money to any that will buy, men call
Sophists, or, as it were, prostitutes of wisdom; but whoever
makes a friend of a person whom he knows to be deserving,
by teaching him all the good that he knows, we consider


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291
him to act the part which becomes an honorable and good
citizen. The treasures, too, of the wise men of old, which
they have left written in books, I turn over and peruse in
company with my friends, and if we find anything good
in them, we remark it, and think it a great gain if we thus
become more attached to one another.
In which of two ways should I better promote the man-
agement of affairs, — if I myself engage in them alone, or if
I make it my care that as many as possible may be qualified
to engage in them?
The shortest, safest, and best way is to strive to be really
good in that in which you wish to be thought good. What-
ever are called virtues among mankind you will find on con-
sideration capable of being increased by study and exercises.
XENOPHON.
SEPTEMBER 21
ERCULES, when he was advancing from boyhood
to manhood, a period at which the young, becom-
ing their own masters, begin to give intimations
whether they will enter on “life by the path of virtue or that
of vice, went forth into a solitary place, and sat down, per-
plexed as to which of these two paths he should pursue.
Two female figures of lofty stature seemed to advance
toward him, the one of an engaging and graceful mien, gifted
by nature with elegance of form, modesty of look, and sobri-
ety of demeanor, and clad in a white robe; the other fed to
plumpness and softness, but assisted by art in her com-
plexion so as to seem fairer and rosier than she really was,
and in her gesture so as to seem taller than her natural
height; she had her eyes wide open, and a robe through
which her beauty would readily show itself; she frequently
contemplated her figure, and looked about to see if any one
else was observing her; and she frequently glanced back at
her shadow. As they approached nearer to Hercules, she
whom I first described came forward at the same pace; but


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 293
therefore, to be propitious to you, you must worship the
gods; if you seek to be beloved by your friends, you must
serve your friends; if you desire to be honored by any city,
you must benefit that city; if you long to be admired by all
Greece for your merit, you must endeavor to be of advan-
tage to all Greece."
XENOPHON.
SEPTEMBER 22
F you are anxious that the earth should yield you abun-
dance of fruit, you must cultivate the earth; or if you
- wish to be vigorous in body, you must accustom your
body to obey your mind, and exercise it with toil and exer-
tion."
Here Vice said, “Do you see, Hercules, by how difficult
and tedious a road this woman conducts you to gratification,
while I shall lead you, by an easy and short path, to perfect
happiness?”
“Wretched being,” rejoined Virtue, “ of what good are
you in possession ? Or what real pleasure do you experience
when you are unwilling to do anything for the attainment
of it? You do not even wait for the natural desire of grati-
fication, but fill yourself with all manner of dainties before
you are hungry ; buying costly wines that you may drink
with pleasure, and running about seeking snow in summer;
while in order to sleep with pleasure, you prepare not only
soft beds, but couches with rockers, for you do not desire to
sleep in consequence of labor, but in consequence of having
nothing to do.
“Though you are one of the immortals, you are cast out
from the society of the gods, and despised by the good among
mankind; the sweetest of all sounds, the praises of yourself,
you have never heard, nor have you ever seen the most
pleasing of all sights, for you have never beheld one merito-
rious work of your own hand. Who would believe you when
you give your word for anything? Or who would assist you


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THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
when in need of anything? Or who that has proper feeling
would venture to join your company of revellers? for while
they are young they grow impotent in body, and when they
are older they are impotent in mind ; they live without
labor, and in fatness through their youth, and pass labori-
ously and in wretchedness through old age, ashamed of what
they have done, oppressed with what they have to do, having
run through their pleasures in early years, and laid up afflic-
tions for the close of life.
“But I am the companion of the gods; I associate with
virtuous men; no honorable deed, divine or human, is done
without me; I am honored most of all by the deities, and
by those among men to whom it belongs to honor me, being
a welcome coöperator with artisans, a faithful household
guardian to masters, a benevolent assistant to servants, a
benign promoter of the labors of peace, a constant auxiliary
to the efforts of war, an excellent sharer in friendship.
“My friends have a sweet and untroubled enjoyment of
meat and drink, for they refrain from them till they feel an
appetite. They have also sweeter sleep than the idle; and
are neither annoyed if they lose a portion of it, nor neglect
to do their duties for the sake of it. The young are pleased
with praises from the old ; the old are delighted with hon-
ors from the young. They remember their former acts with
pleasure, and rejoice to perform their present occupations
with success; being, through my influence, dear to the gods,
beloved by their friends, and honored by their country. And
when the destined end of life comes, they do not lie in oblivion
and dishonor, but, celebrated with songs of praise, flourish
forever in the memory of mankind. By such a course of
conduct, O Hercules, son of noble parents, you may secure
the most exalted happiness.
"It becomes you, therefore, reflecting on these admoni-
tions, to endeavor to think of what concerns the future
period of your life.”
XENOPHON.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
295
SEPTEMBER 23
HIS, O men of Athens, is the truth, and the whole
truth : I have concealed nothing, I have dissembled
nothing. And yet, I know that this plainness of
speech makes them hate me; and what is their hatred but a
proof that I am speaking the truth?
A man who is good for anything ought not to calculate
the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider
whether, in doing anything, he is doing right or wrong, acting
the part of a good man or of a bad.
This fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and
not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the un-
known, since no one knows whether death, which they in
their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the
greatest good. And whereas I know but little of the world
below, I do not suppose that I know ; but I do know that
injustice and disobedience to a better, whether God or man,
is evil and dishonorable, and I will never fear or avoid a
possible good rather than a certain evil.
I do nothing but go about persuading you all, young and
old alike, not to take thought for your persons or your
properties, but first and chiefly to care about the greatest
improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given
by money, but that from virtue comes money, and every
other good of man, public as well as private.
Entire ignorance is not so terrible or extreme an evil, and
is far from being the greatest of all; too much cleverness,
and too much learning, accompanied with an ill bringing up,
are far more fatal.
Must not they be utterly unfortunate whose souls are
compelled to pass through life always hungering ?
Man is a troublesome piece of goods.
Youth is always able to improve.
My awe in naming the gods is always beyond all human
feeling and expression.


296 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
I have thought, and I believe, that there is a God who has
answered my prayer.
· Let us begin by asking whether all this which they call
the universe is left to the guidance of an irrational and
random chance, or, on the contrary, as our fathers have
declared, ordered and governed by a marvellous intelligence
and wisdom.
PLATO.
SEPTEMBER 24
NTISTHENES said, that men should furnish them-
selves only with such things as would swim, and might
with the owner escape the storm. Bishop Paulinus,
having lost all he had, prayed, “O Lord, keep me from being
sensible of this loss, for thou knowest they have yet touched
nothing of that which is mine.” The riches that made him
rich, and the goods that made him good, were still entire.
Who is there that does not voluntarily exchange health, re-
pose, and life itself for reputation and glory, — the most use-
less, frivolous, and false coin that passes current among us?
Socrates values as he ought bodily pleasure ; but he pre-
fers that of the soul, as having more force, constancy, facility,
variety, and dignity. This goes by no means alone, but only
it goes first; temperance in him is the moderatrix, not the
adversary of pleasure. Nothing is hard for me to digest in
the life of Socrates but his ecstasies and communication with
dæmons, nothing so human in Plato as that for which they
say he was called divine. The fairest lives, in my opinion, are
those which regularly accommodate themselves to the com-
mon and human model, without miracle, without extrava-
gance. Grandeur of soul consists not so much in mounting
and in proceeding forward, as in knowing how to govern and
circumscribe itself. There is nothing so handsome and lawful
as well and duly to play the man; no science so hard as well
to know how to live this life; and of all the infirmities we have,
't is the most savage to despise our being.


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benevolence, and the people not loving righteousness. The
superior man cultivates a friendly harmony without being
weak. How firm is he in his energy. He stands erect in the
middle, without inclining to either side. When good prin-
ciples prevail in the government of his country, he does not
change from what he was in retirement. When bad prin-
ciples prevail in the country, he maintains his course to death
without changing
The superior man accords with the course of the mean.
Though he may be all unknown, unregarded by the world,
he feels no regret. It is only the sage who is able for this.
The Master said, Without recognizing the ordinances of
heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man.
CONFUCIUS.
SEPTEMBER 26
S when you see a viper, or an asp, or a scorpion in a
box of ivory or gold, you do not love it, or think it
happy because of the magnificence of the material
in which it is enclosed, but you shun and detest it, because
it is of a pernicious nature; so likewise when you see vice
lodged in the midst of wealth and the swelling pride of for-
tune, be not struck by the splendor of the material with which
it is surrounded, but despise the bare alloy of its manners.
Riches are not among the number of things which are good :
prodigality is of the number of those which are evil ; modesty
of those which are good. Now modesty invites to frugality
and the acquisition of things that are good ; but riches in-
vite to prodigality and seduce from modesty. It is difficult,
therefore, for a rich person to be modest, or a modest person
rich. If you seek truth, you will not seek merely victory at
all hazards; and when you have found truth, you will have
a security against being conquered. You will commit the
fewest faults in judging, if you are faultless in your own life.
Choose the best life ; for habit will make it, pleasant.
Choose rather to leave your children well instructed than


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 299
rich. For the hopes of the wise are better than the riches
of the ignorant. Riches ought to be used as the means to
some end, and not lavished on every occasion. When we are
children, our parents deliver us to the care of a tutor, who
is continually to watch over us, that we get no hurt. When
we are become men, God delivers us to the guardianship of
an implanted conscience. We ought by no means, then, to
despise this guardian ; for it will both displease God and we
shall be enemies to our own conscience.
EPICTETUS.
SEPTEMBER 27
E who does wrong does wrong against himself. He
who acts unjustly acts unjustly to himself, because
he makes himself bad. He often acts unjustly who
does not do a certain thing, not only he who does a certain
thing. He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil
and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected.
No longer talk about the kind of man that a good man ought
to be, but be such. A man ought to be seen by the gods
neither dissatisfied with anything nor complaining. The
voice ought to be plainly written on the forehead. Such as
a man's character is, he immediately shows it in his eyes, just
as he who is beloved forth with reads everything in the eyes
of lovers. Nothing is more disgraceful than a wolfish friend-
ship. Avoid this most of all. The good and simple and be-
nevolent show all these things in the eyes, and there is no
mistaking. A man must learn a good deal to enable him
to pass a correct judgment on another man's acts. Thou
shouldst consider it among the most absurd of things for a
man not to speak from his real thoughts. I have often won-
dered how it is that every man loves himself more than all
the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion
of himself than on the opinion of others. What a power man
has to do nothing except what God will approve, and to
accept all that God may give him! A man cannot lose either


300
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
the past or the present; for what a man has not, how can
any one take this from him? The longest liver and he who
will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the
only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that
this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot
lose a thing if he has it not.
Remember that all is opinion.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
SEPTEMBER 28
IKE those who take colts amid noises and cries to see
if they are of a timid nature, so must we take our
youth amid terrors of some kind, and again pass them
into pleasures, and try them more thoroughly than gold is
tried in the fire, in order to discover whether they are armed
against all enchantments, and of a noble bearing always, good
guardians of themselves and of the music they have learned,
and retain under all circumstances a rhythmical and harmo-
nious nature, such as will be most serviceable to the man
himself and to the state ; and he who, at every age, as boy
and youth and in mature life, has come out of the trial vic-
torious and pure shall be appointed a ruler and guardian
of the state; he shall be honored in life and death, and shall
receive sepulture and other memorials of honor, the greatest
that we have to give.
Citizens, you are brothers, yet God has framed you differ-
ently. Some of you have the power of command, and these
he has composed of gold, wherefore also they have the great-
est honor; others of silver, to be auxiliaries; others, who are
to be husbandmen and craftsmen, he has made of brass and
iron: and the species will generally be preserved in the chil-
dren. But as you are of the same original family, a golden
parent will sometimes have a silver son, or a silver parent a
golden son. And God proclaims to the rulers, as a first prin-
ciple, that before all they should watch over their offspring,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 301
and see what elements mingle in their nature; for if the son
of a golden or silver parent has an admixture of brass or iron,
then nature orders a transposition of ranks, and the eye of
the ruler must not be pitiful towards his child because he has
to descend in the scale and become a husbandman or artisan,
just as there may be others sprung from the artisan class
who are raised to honor, and become guardians and auxil-
iaries.
PLATO.
SEPTEMBER 29
W ITH how great facility do we pass from waking to
V sleeping, and with how little concern do we lose
the knowledge of light and of ourselves ? Per-
haps the faculty of sleeping would seem useless and contrary
to nature, since it deprives us of all action and sense, were it
not that by it nature instructs us that she has equally made
us to die as to live, and from life presents us the eternal es-
tate she reserves for us after it, to accustom us to it, and to
take from us the fear of it. The approaches are what we have
to fear, and these may fall within the limits of experience;
many things seem greater by imagination than they are in
effect. I have passed a good part of my age in perfect and
entire health ; not only entire, but moreover sprightly and
wanton. This state so full of verdure, jollity, and vigor made
the consideration of sickness so horrible to me that, when I
came to experience it, I found the attacks faint and easy, in
comparison of what I had feared. The force of my imagina-
tion enhances near one half of the essence and reality of the
thing. I hope that when I come to die I shall find the same,
and that I shall not find it worth the pains I take, — so much
preparation and so much assistance as I call in to undergo
the stroke.
To speak less of a man's self than what one really is, is
folly, not modesty.
If one is charmed with his own knowledge, whilst he looks


302 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
only on those below him, let him but turn his eye upward
toward past ages, and his pride will be abated, when he shall
there find so many wits that trample him under foot. If he
enter into a flattering vanity of his personal valor, let him
but recollect the lives of Scipio and Epaminondas, and he
will be cured of his self opinion.
No particular quality can make any man proud that will
at the same time put the so many weak and imperfect ones
he has in him in the other scale, and the nothingness of
human condition to balance the weight.
MONTAIGNE.
SEPTEMBER 30
HAT the Great Learning teaches is — to illus-
trate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people;
and to rest in the highest excellence.
The ancients, who desired to illustrate illustrious virtue
throughout the empire, first ordered well their own states.
Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their
families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first culti-
vated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they
first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts,
they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing
to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the
utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay
in the investigation of things. Things being investigated,
knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being com-
plete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sin-
cere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being
rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being
cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families be-
ing regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their
states being rightly governed, the whole empire was made
tranquil and happy.
The Master said, In hearing litigations I am like any
other body. What is necessary is to cause the people to have


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 305
unto thy soul; discretion shall watch over thee, understand-
ing shall keep thee : to deliver thee from the way of evil,
from the men that speak froward things; who forsake the
paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who
rejoice to do evil, who are crooked in their ways, and perverse
in their paths.
PROVERBS.
OCTOBER 3
OE unto you that desire the day of the Lord !
wherefore would ye have the day of the Lord ? it
is darkness and not light, as if a man did flee from
a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned
his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the
day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very
dark, and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea,
though ye offer me your burnt offerings and meat offerings, I
will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings
of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy
songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let
judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty
stream. Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in
the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel ? Yea, ye have
borne Siccuth your king and Chiun your images, the star
of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I
cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the
Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send
a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for
water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of
Israel among all the nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve,
yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Shall two walk together except they have agreed ?
THE MINOR PROPHETS.


306
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
OCTOBER 4
D ITY is reputed a vice amongst the Stoics, who will
T that we succor the afflicted, but not that we should
be so affected with their sufferings as to suffer or
sympathize with them. Man, in sooth, is a marvellous, vain,
fickle, and unstable subject, and on whom it is very hard to
form any certain or uniform judgment. The violence and
impression of an excessive grief must, of necessity, astonish
the soul, and wholly deprive her of her ordinary functions ;
as it happens to every one of us, who, upon any sudden
alarm of very ill news, find ourselves surprised, stupefied,
and in a manner deprived of all power of motion, till the
soul, beginning to vent itself in sighs and tears, seems a
little to free and disengage itself from the oppression, and
to obtain some room to work itself out at greater liberty.
“I had rather have to lament my fortune than be ashamed
of my victory."
The soul that has no established limits to circumscribe it
loses itself.
A strong memory is commonly coupled with infirm judg-
ment,
There is nothing wherein the strength and breeding of a
horse are so much seen as in a round, graceful, and sudden
stop. I see some, even among those who talk pertinently
enough, who would, but cannot, stop short in their career;
for whilst they are seeking out a handsome period to.con-
clude with, they go on talking at random, and are so per-
plexed and entangled in their own eloquence that they know
not what they say, but go on staggering amidst unmeaning
sentences, as men stagger and totter on their feet from
weakness. But above all, old men who yet retain the memory
of things past, and forget how often they have told them,
are the most dangerous company.
MONTAIGNE.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
307
OCTOBER 5
THAT which I do I know not: for not what I would,
that do I practise; but what I hate, that I do; for
to will is present with me, but to do that which is
good is not. For the good which I would I do not : but
the evil which I would not, that I practise. For I delight in
the law of God after the inward man: but I see a different
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which
is in my members. O wretched man that I am ! who shall
deliver me out of the body of this death? The law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of
sin and of death. For they that are after the flesh do mind
the things of the Aesh; but they that are after the spirit the
things of the spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death;
but the mind of the spirit is life and peace. But ye are not
in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God
dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his. So then, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye
must die ; but if by the spirit ye mortify the deeds of the
body, ye shall live.
I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the
wise and to the foolish. The wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who hold down the truth in unrighteousness. Let us also re-
joice in our tribulations : knowing that tribulation worketh
patience, and patience probation, and probation hope, and
hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath
been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit
which was given unto us.
Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should
obey the lusts thereof; neither present your members unto
sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present your-
selves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members


308 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
as instruments of righteousness unto God. Know ye not,
that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedi-
ence, his servants ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness ? But now being
made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.
Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers.
Behold the goodness and severity of God. O the depth of
the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
tracing out! For of him, and through him, and unto him
are all things. To him be the glory forever.
THE EPISTLES.
OCTOBER 6
F you suppose that there is no consciousness, but a sleep
like the sleep of him who is undisturbed even by the
sight of dreams, death will be an unspeakable gain. If
death is like this, I say that to die is gain, for eternity is
then only a single night. But if death is the journey to
another place, and there all the dead are, what good, O my
friends and judges, can be greater than this? If indeed,
when the pilgrim arrives in the world below, he is delivered
from the professors of justice in this world, and finds the
true judges who are said to give judgment there, and other
sons of God who were righteous in their life, that pilgrimage
will be worth making. What would not a man give if he
might converse with Orpheus, and Musæus, and Hesiod,
and Homer? If this be true, let me die again and again.
Above all I shall be able to continue my search into true
and false knowledge : as in this world, so also in that; I
shall find out who is wise, and who pretends to be wise and
is not. What would not a man give, O judges, to be able to
examine the leader of the great Trojan expedition ; or Odys-
seus, or Sisyphus, or numberless others, men and women
too! What infinite delight would there be in conversing


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 309
with them, and asking them questions. For in that world
they do not put a man to death for this ; certainly not. For
besides being happier in that world than in this, they will
be immortal.
Wherefore, O judges, be of good cheer about death, and
know this of a truth — that no evil can happen to a good
man, either in life or after death.
The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways —
I to die and you to live. Which is better, God only knows.
Plato.
OCTOBER 7
GIVE thanks unto the Lord; for he is good : for his
mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the
Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand
of the adversary; and gathered them out of the lands, from
the east and from the west, from the north and from the
south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way;
they found no city of habitation. Hungry and thirsty, their
soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their
trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. He led
them also by a straight way, that they might go to a city of
habitation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his good-
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men !
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul he
filleth with good. Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow
of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they
rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the coun-
sel of the Most High : therefore he brought down their
heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to
help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and
he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out
of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands
in sunder. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his good-
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men !
For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of


310 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
iron in sunder. Fools because of their transgression, and
because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Then they cry unto
the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their
distresses. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his good-
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men !
And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare
his works with singing. They that go down to the sea in
ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works
of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he command-
eth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves
thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again
to the depths; their soul melteth away because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and
are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their
trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He
maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet ; so he bringeth
them unto the haven where they would be. Oh that men
would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonder-
ful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also
in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the seat of
the elders.
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and watersprings
into a thirsty ground ; a fruitful land into a salt desert, for
the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turneth a
wilderness into a pool of water, and a dry land into water-
springs. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that
they may prepare a city of habitation; and sow fields, and
plant vineyards, and get them fruits of increase. Again,
they are minished and bowed down through oppression,
trouble, and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes,
and causeth them to wander in the waste, where there is
no way. Yet setteth he the needy on high from affliction,
and maketh him families like a flock. The upright shall see
it and be glad ; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso
is wise shall give heed to these things, and they shall con-
sider the mercies of the Lord.


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Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name
give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. They
that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Though he goeth on his
way weeping, bearing forth the seed, he shall come again
with joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
PSALMS.
OCTOBER 8
WISE and good man, mindful who he is, and whence
he came, and by whom he was produced, is atten-
tive only how he may fill his post regularly and
dutifully before God.
If you are at Rome, do not represent to yourself the man-
ner of living at Athens; but consider only how you ought
to live where you are.
How great a thing is it to be able to say to yourself :
“What others are now solemnly arguing in the schools,
and can state in paradoxes, this I put in practice.” Seek
not good from without: seek it within yourself, or you will
never find it.
Does any good man fear that food should fail him? It
does not fail the blind : it does not fail the lame. Shall it
fail a good man? Is God so negligent of his own institu-
tions, of his servants, of his witnesses, whom alone he uses
for examples to the uninstructed, to show that he exists, and
that he administers the universe rightly, and doth not neg-
lect human affairs, and that no evil can happen to a good
man, either living or dead ? For I came when it seemed
good to him, and, again, when it seems good to him, I de-
part ; and in life it was my business to praise God within
myself, and to every auditor, and to the world. Doth he
grant me but few things? Doth he refuse me affluence ? It
is not his pleasure that I should live luxuriously; for he did
not grant that even to Hercules, his own son.
When Ulysses was shipwrecked and cast away, did his
helpless condition at all deject him? Did it break his spirit ?


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 313
mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with
a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me; while
they continually say unto me, Where is thy God ?
Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? And why art thou
disquieted within me? Hope thou in God : for I shall yet
praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my
God.
Psalms.
OCTOBER 10
HY do I fight against God ? He who gave takes
away. Why, then, do I resist? From whence had
I these things when I came into the world ?
Who made the sun ? Who the fruits ? Who the seasons ?
Who are you, and for what purpose did you come? Was it
not he who brought you here? Was it not he who showed
you the light ? Depart like a grateful and modest person :
make room for others. Correct your principles. Permit no-
thing to cleave to you that is not your own, nothing to grow
to you that may give you agony when it is torn away.
A wise and good person neither quarrels with any one
himself, nor as far as possible suffers another to do so.
The life of Socrates affords us an example of this, too, as well
as of other things; since he not only everywhere avoided
quarrelling himself, but did not even suffer others to quarrel.
The inhabitants of a fortified city laugh at the besiegers.
Our wall is secure. Nothing but its principles render the
human soul so. And will we not fortify, then, the only cita-
del that is granted us; and withdrawing ourselves from
what is mortal and servile, diligently improve what is im-
mortal and by nature free?
Who has lived so long with you, as you have with your-
self? Who is so likely to have faith in you, in order to be
convinced by you, as yourself? Who is more truly a well-
wisher or a friend to you than yourself ?
As soon as you are up in the morning, consider what you


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315
thrust from them made shipwreck concerning the faith.
That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness
and gravity; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Saviour ; who willeth that all men should be saved,
and come to the knowledge of the truth.
THE EPISTLES.
OCTOBER 12
T AKE Socrates, who had a wife and children, but
held them not as his own; had a country, friends,
relations, but held them only so long as it was
proper, and in the manner that was proper, submitting all
these to the law and to the obedience due to it. Hence,
when it was proper to fight, he was the first to go out, and
exposed himself to danger without the least reserve; but
when he was sent to do what he esteemed a base action,
he did not even deliberate about it; though he knew that
perhaps he might die for it. But what did that signify to
him? For it was something else that he wanted to preserve,
not his mere flesh; but his fidelity, his honor, free from
attack or subjection. And afterwards, when he was to make
a defence for his life, does he behave like one having chil-
dren, or a wife? No, but like a single man. And how does
he behave when required to drink the poison ? He consid-
ers what is becoming, and neither sees nor regards any.
thing else. “For I am not desirous,” he says, “ to preserve
this pitiful body, but that part which is improved and pre-
served by justice, and impaired and destroyed by injustice.”
And now the remembrance of the death of Socrates is not
less, but even more useful to the world than that of the
things which he did and said when alive.
Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is
desired, but by controlling the desire. Choose whether you
will be loved by those who formerly loved you, and be like
your former self; or be better, and not meet with the same
treatment. If you do not drink with those with whom you


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used to drink, you cannot appear equally agreeable to them.
Choose, then, whether you would be a drunkard, and agree.
able to them, or sober, and disagreeable to them. You
cannot act both Thersites and Agamemnon. If you would
be Thersites, you must be humpbacked and bold; if Aga-
memnon, great and noble, and faithful to those who are
under your care.
EPICTETUS.
OCTOBER 13
'HE fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:
but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction;
my son, hear the instruction of thy father, and for.
sake not the law of thy mother : for they shall be a chaplet
of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son,
if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come
with us, we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill
our houses with spoil; thou shalt cast thy lot among us;
we will all have one purse : refrain thy foot from their path :
for their feet run to evil. For in vain is the net spread, in
the eyes of any bird ; and these lay wait for their own blood,
they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of
every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life
of the owners thereof.
Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; she uttereth her voice
in the broad places ; she crieth in the chief place of con-
course ; at the entering in of the gates, in the city, she
uttereth her words; how long, ye simple ones, will ye love
simplicity? And scorners delight them in scorning, and
fools hate knowledge ?
Because I have called, and ye refused ; I have stretched
out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at
naught all my counsel; and would none of my reproof.
PROVERBS.


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He took a reasonable care of his body's health, not as one
who was greatly attached to life, nor yet out of regard to
personal appearance, but so that, through his own atten-
tion, he very seldom stood in need of the physician's art.
He was most ready to give way without envy to those who
possessed any particular gift, and he gave them his help.
He was not fond of change, but he loved to stay in the same
place, and to employ himself about the same things, and
he came fresh and vigorous to his usual occupations. His
secrets were not many, but very few and very rare. He was
a man who looked to what ought to be done, not to the
reputation which is got by men's acts. There was in him
nothing harsh, nor implacable, nor violent, but he examined
all things severally, as if he had abundance of time, and
without confusion, and in an orderly way, vigorously and
consistently. And that might be applied to him which is
recorded of Socrates, that he was able both to abstain from,
and to enjoy, those things which many are too weak to
abstain from, and cannot enjoy without excess. But to be
strong enough both to bear the one and to be sober in the
other is the mark of a man who has a perfect and invinci-
ble soul.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
OCTOBER 15
HEREFORE thou art without excuse, Oman,
whosoever thou art that judgest : for wherein thou
judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for
thou that judgest doth practise the same things. And we
know that the judgment of God is according to truth
against them that practise such things. And reckonest thou
this, O man, who judgest them that practise such things, and
doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of
God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and for-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 319
bearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardness
and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the
day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God; who will render to every man according to his works :
to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and
honor and incorruption, eternal life: but unto them that
are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteous-
ness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish,
upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first,
and also of the Greek; but glory and honor and peace to
every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek; for there is no respect of persons with God.
For not the hearers of a law are just before God, but the
doers of a law shall be justified. But if thou bearest the
name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in
God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that
are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and art confi-
dent that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of
them that are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a
teacher of babes, having in the law the form of know-
ledge and of the truth; thou therefore that teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself ? thou that preachest a man
should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that sayest a man
should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?
thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob temples ? thou who
gloriest in the law, through thy transgression of the law
dishonorest thou God? For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward
in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the
letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
THE EPISTLES.


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321
I
benevolent as cheerfully to undergo so many pains and
miseries of body for the common good of mankind ? Yes,
he did love them ; but how? As became a minister of
Zeus; at once caring for men and obedient to God. Hence
the whole earth, not any particular place, was his country.
And when he was taken captive, he did not long for Athens
and his friends and acquaintances there, but made himself
acquainted with the pirates and endeavored to reform them ;
and when he was at last sold into captivity, he lived at
Corinth just as before at Athens, and if he had gone to the
Perrhebeans, he would have been exactly the same. Thus
is freedom acquired. He, therefore, of whom neither plea-
sure, nor pain, nor fame, nor riches, can get the better ; and
he who is able whenever he thinks to abandon his whole
body with contempt and depart, whose slave can he ever
be? To whom is he subject ?
EPICTETUS.
OCTOBER 17
HAT is meant by “The making the whole empire
peaceful and happy depends on the government
of his state" is this: when the sovereign behaves
to his aged as the aged should be behaved to, the people be-
come filial ; when a sovereign behaves to his elders as elders
should be behaved to, the people learn brotherly submission ;
when the sovereign treats compassionately the young and
helpless, the people do the same. Thus the ruler has a prin-
ciple with which, as with a measuring square, he may regulate
his conduct.
What a man dislikes in his superiors, let him not display
in the treatment of his inferiors; what he dislikes in in-
feriors, let him not display in the service of his superiors;
what he hates in those who are before him, let him not there-
with precede those who are behind him ; what he hates in
those who are behind him, let him not therewith follow those
who are before him; what he hates to receive on the right,


322
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let him not bestow on the left; what he hates to receive on
the left, let him not bestow on the right : this is what is
called “the principle with which, as with a measuring square,
to regulate one's conduct.”
How much to be rejoiced in are these princes, the parents
of the people! When a prince loves what the people love,
and hates what the people hate, then is he what is called the
parent of the people.
The superior man undergoes three changes. Looked at
from a distance, he appears stern; when approached, he is
mild ; when he is heard to speak, his language is firm and
decided.
What are meant by the five excellent things? The Master
said, When the person in authority is beneficent without
great expenditure; when he lays tasks on the people with-
out their repining; when he pursues what he desires without
being covetous; when he maintains a dignified care without
being proud; when he is majestic without being fierce.
CONFUCIUS.
OCTOBER 18
Y own belief is, not that the good body improves the
1 soul, but that the good soul improves the body.
Then, if we have educated the mind, the minuter
care of the body may properly be committed to the mind.
Simplicity in music was the parent of temperance in the soul,
and simplicity in gymnastic of health in the body. In former
days, the guild of Asclepius did not practise our present
system of medicine, which may be said to educate disease.
Herodicus, being of a sickly constitution, by a happy combina-
tion of training and doctoring found out a way of torturing
first and principally himself, and secondly the rest of the
world, by the invention of lingering death: for he had a
mortal disease, which he perpetually tended, and as recovery
was out of the question, he passed his entire life as a vale-
tudinarian: he could do nothing but attend upon himself, and


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
325
sheep, a good action for a piece of money, a due compos-
ure of mind for a dull jest, or modesty for indecent talk.
By continually remembering this, you will preserve your
character such as it ought to be. There needs but little,
merely a small deviation from reason, to destroy and overset
all. Take heed to the appearances of things. Keep yourself
watchful over them. It is an inconsiderable matter that you
have to guard ; but modesty, fidelity, controversy, docility,
innocence, fearlessness, serenity, -in short, freedom. For
what will you sell these ? Suppose I have decency, and
another the office of tribune : I have modesty, and he the
prætorship. I am free, and the friend of God, so as to obey
him willingly; and I must not value anything else, neither
body, nor possessions, nor fame. For it is not his will that
I should value them. If it had been his pleasure, he would
have placed in them my good, which now he has not done,
therefore I cannot transgress his commands.
EPICTETUS.
OCTOBER 21
'HE first law that ever God gave to man was a law of
pure obedience; it was a commandment naked and
simple, wherein man had nothing to inquire after,
nor to dispute ; forasmuch as to obey is the proper office
of a rational soul, acknowledging a heavenly superior and
benefactor. It seems, in truth, that nature, for the conso-
lation of our miserable and wretched state, has only given
us presumption for our inheritance. .
“There is nothing,” says Cicero, “so charming as the
employment of letters ; of letters, by means whereof
the infinity of things, the immense grandeur of nature,
the heavens even in this world, the earth, and the seas are
discovered to us; 't is they that have taught us religion,
moderation, and the grandeur of courage, and that have res-
cued our souls from darkness, to make them see all things
high, low, first, last, and middling; 't is they that furnish us


326 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
wherewith to live happily and well, and conduct us to pass
over our lives without displeasure, and without offence."
Does not this man seem to speak of the condition of the
ever living and almighty God? But as to effects, a thousand
little country women have lived lives more equal, more
sweet and constant, than his. Philosophy, when she has
said all she can, refers us at last to the example of a gladi-
ator, wrestler, or muleteer, in which sort of people we com-
monly observe much less apprehension of death, sense of
pain, and other inconveniences, and more of endurance,
than ever knowledge furnished any one withal that was not
born and bred to hardships. That which is told us of those
of Brazil, that they never die but of old age, is attributed
to the serenity and tranquillity of the air they live in ; but
I rather attribute it to the serenity and tranquillity of their
souls, free from all passion, thought, or employment, ex-
tended or unpleasing, — a people that pass over their lives
in a wonderful simplicity and ignorance, without letters,
without law, without king, or any manner of religion.
MONTAIGNE.
OCTOBER 22
HERE is no one in any rule who, in as far as he is a
ruler, considers or enjoins that which is for his own
interest, but always that which is for the interest of
his subject and of his art; to that he looks, and that alone
he considers in everything which he says and does.
Observe also that when they come into office, there is the
just man, neglecting his affairs and perhaps suffering other
losses, but he will not compensate himself out of the pub-
lic purse because he is just; moreover he is hated by his
friends and relations for refusing to serve them in unlawful
ways. He who refuses to rule is liable to be ruled by one
who is worse than himself, than which no punishment can
be greater. And the fear of this induces the good to take
office, not because they would, but because they cannot


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
327
help, nor under the idea that they are going to have any
benefit or enjoyment themselves, but as a necessity, and
because they are not able to commit the task of ruling to
any one who is better than themselves, or indeed as good.
For the probability is that if a city were composed entirely
of good men, then to avoid office would be as much an object
of ambition as to obtain office is at present; then we should
have plain proof that the true ruler is not meant by nature
to regard his own interest, but that of his subject.
From injustice spring divisions and hatreds and fightings,
as from justice, harmony and friendship. When we speak
of gangs of evil-doers acting together, this is not strictly
true, for if they had been perfectly unjust, they would have
laid hands upon one another; but there must evidently
have been some remnant of justice in them, or they would
have injured one another as well as their victims, and then
they would have been unable to act together; they were
but semi-villainous, for had they been whole villains, wholly
unjust, they would have been wholly incapable of action.
Gyges, according to the tradition, was a shepherd and
servant of the king of Lydia, and, while he was in the field,
there was a storm and earthquake which made an opening
in the earth at the place where he was feeding his flock.
He was amazed at the sight, and descended into the open-
ing, where, among other marvels, he beheld a hollow brazen
horse, having doors, at which he, stooping and looking in,
saw a dead body, of stature, as appeared to him, more than
human, and having nothing on but a gold ring ; this he took
from the finger of the dead and reascended out of the open-
ing. Now the shepherds met together, according to custom,
that they might send their monthly report concerning the
flock to the king; and into their assembly he came, having
the ring on his finger; and as he was sitting among them, he
chanced to turn the collet of the ring towards the inner
side of the hand, when instantly he became invisible, and
the others began to speak to him as if he were no longer


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there. He was astonished at this, and again touching the
ring, he turned the collet outwards and reappeared ; there-
upon he made trials of the ring, and always with the same
result: when he turned the collet inwards, he became in-
visible; when outwards, he reappeared.
PLATO.
OCTOBER 23
IT is our duty to foster, to shield, and to preserve the
common fellowship and connection of the whole human
race. Any avocation which serves to promote the wel-
fare of the community and the safety of society is preferable
to pursuits tending only to speculation and the acquisition of
knowledge. Of all the subjects discussed by the wise none
is, forsooth, more important than the distinct proposition that
we are born for righteousness, and that right is established
not by opinion but by nature. This will be obvious to those
who fully comprehend the mutual connection and relation of
men; for there exists no single thing that is so similar, nay,
so equal, to any other thing as we are all among ourselves;
therefore any definition of man holds good for all alike. We
are born for mutual intercourse, and for the association and
connection of the human race. Men obey this heavenly eco-
nomy and Divine intelligence and the all-powerful God in
a manner that this entire world must be considered as one
large community of gods and men.
CICERO.
Every one should live in this conviction : I am not born
for one corner of the earth; my country is the whole of this
world. Man, a social being, and born for the general welfare,
should regard the world as one home for all men.
SENECA.
Dost thou behold yonder endless ether encompassing the
earth around with its moist arms? Those are the boundaries


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 329
of our home and country, and there is neither a stranger nor
a foreigner in any place, since everywhere are found the same
fire, water, and air, the same ruling and dispensing powers,
the same sun, and moon, and morning star; one law governs
all; under one direction are the northern and the southern
climes, and there is one king and lord, God, who holds in his
hands the beginning, middle, and end of the universe, accom-
panied by eternal justice; which all men by nature practise
towards all men, as towards their fellow-citizens.
PLUTARCH.
If the intellectual faculty is common to all, then reason,
in respect of which we are rational beings, must be common
likewise, and if so, the guiding principle of our actions is also
common. If this is so, we have all a common law; hence we
are fellow-citizens, and belong to the same state, and con-
sequently the world is, as it were, one commonwealth. My
nature is rational and social; therefore as Antoninus, I have
Rome for my city and country, but as a man the world; hence
that only can be advantageous to me which is useful to all
communities.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
As sacred edifices are abodes for religious devotions, so
are men's hearts, as it were, temples filled with a holy spirit
for the exercise of friendship and charity.
VALERIUS MAXIMUS.
The whole world has well been called a temple of God :
let every one who is introduced into this temple know that
he should live like a priest.
MACROBIUS.


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0
OCTOBER 24
F the harmonies I know nothing, but I want to have
one warlike, which will sound the word or note which
a brave man utters in the hour of danger and stern
resolve, or when his cause is failing and he is going to wounds
or death, or is overtaken by some other evil, and at every
such crisis meets fortune with calmness and endurance; and
another which may be used by him in times of peace and
freedom of action, when there is no pressure of necessity, -
expression of entreaty or persuasion, of prayer to God, or
instruction of man, or again, of willingness to listen to per-
suasion, or entreaty, or advice; and which represents him
when he has accomplished his aim, not carried away by suc-
cess, but acting moderately and wisely, and acquiescing in
the event. These two harmonies I ask you to have, — the
strain of necessity and the strain of freedom, the strain of
the unfortunate and the strain of the fortunate, the strain
of courage and the strain of temperance. Let our artists be
those who are gifted to discern the true nature of beauty and
grace; then will our youth dwell in a land of health, amid
fair sights and sounds; and beauty, the effluence of fair
works, will meet the sense like a breeze, and insensibly draw
the soul, even in childhood, into harmony with the beauty of
reason.
Neither we nor our guardians whom we have to educate
can ever become musical until we know the essential forms
of temperance, courage, liberality, magnificence, as well as
the cognate and contrary forms, in all their combinations,
and can recognize them and their images wherever they are
found : and when a beautiful soul harmonizes with a beautiful
form, and the two are cast in one mould, that will be the
fairest of sights to him who has the eye to contemplate the
vision.
PLATO.


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
331
OCTOBER 25
'HOSE who are given up to a fondness for drinking,
and those who have fallen in love, are less able to
attend to what they ought to do, and to refrain from
what they ought not to do; for many who can be frugal in
their expenses before they fall in love are, after falling in
love, unable to continue so; and, when they have exhausted
their resources, they no longer abstain from means of gain,
from which they previously shrank, as thinking them dis-
honorable.
Alcibiades being honored by the people, and easily obtain-
ing the preëminence among them, became like the wrestlers
in the gymnastic games, who, when they are fairly superior
to others, neglect their exercises : so he grew neglectful of
self-control.
Socrates observed that it seemed surprising to him if a
man, becoming herdsman of a number of cattle, and render-
ing the cattle fewer and in worse condition, should not con-
fess that he was a bad herdsman; and still more surprising if a
man, becoming governor of a city, and rendering the people
fewer and in worse condition, should not feel ashamed, and
be conscious of being a bad governor of the city. “Every-
thing,” said Pericles, “which one man obliges another to do
without gaining his consent, whether he enact it in writing
or not, seems to me to be force rather than law.” Socrates
said that he thought he who confined another for ignorance
might justly be confined by those who knew what he did not
know. He maintained that to be busy was useful and bene-
ficial for a man, and that to be unemployed was noxious and
ill for him ; that to work was a good, and to be idle an evil ;
but that those only who do something good really work and
are useful workmen. But those who gamble or do anything
bad and pernicious, he called idle.
XENOPHON.


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333
OCTOBER 27
'HE way of truth is one and simple ; that of particular
profit, and the commodity of affairs with which a
man is interested, is double, unequal, and casual.
The Lacedæmonians said, “You may impose as heavy
and ruinous taxes upon us as you please; but to command
us to do shameful and dishonest things, you will lose your
time, for it is to no purpose.” The kings of Egypt made
their judges solemnly swear " that they would not do any-
thing contrary to their consciences, though ever so much
commanded to it by the kings themselves.” Even to the
vilest dispositions, it is the sweetest thing imaginable, hav-
ing once got their ends in a vicious action, immediately to
tag to it, with all imaginable security, some show of virtue
and justice, by way of compensation and conscientious re-
morse.
What fear has once made me willing to do, I am bound
to do when I am no more in fear; and though that fear only
prevailed with my tongue, without forcing my will, yet I am
bound to keep my word.
There is no virtue which does not rejoice a well-descended
nature; there is a kind of I know not what congratulation
in well-doing that gives us inward satisfaction, and a certain
generous exaltation that accompanies a good conscience;
a soul daringly vicious may perhaps arm itself with security;
but it cannot supply itself with this complacency and satis-
faction. It is no small satisfaction to a man to see himself
preserved from the contagion of so depraved an age, and
to say to himself, “ Whoever could penetrate into my soul
would not there find me guilty either of the affliction or ruin
of any one; or of revenge, or envy, or any offence against
the public laws, or of innovation, or trouble, or failure of my
word.” These testimonies of a good conscience please, and
this natural rejoicing is very beneficial to us and the only
reward that we can never fail of.


334 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
The virtue of the soul does not consist in flying high, but
walking orderly; its grandeur does not exercise itself in
grandeur, but in mediocrity. As vicious souls are often in-
cited by some strange impulse to do well, so are virtuous
souls to do ill; they are therefore to be judged by their
settled state when they are at home, if ever they be so, or
at least when they are most near repose, and in their native
station.
MONTAIGNE.
OCTOBER 28
D E not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth
in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is the cause
that the former days were better than these? for
thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is
as good as an inheritance. Wisdom is a defence, but the
excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life
of him that hath it. In the day of prosperity be joyful, and
in the day of adversity consider : God hath even made the
one side by side with the other, to the end that man should
not find out anything that shall be after him. There is a
righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there
is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing.
Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself over-
wise : why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not over-
much wicked, neither be thou foolish. Why shouldest thou
die before thy time? There is no man that hath power over
the spirit to retain the spirit, neither hath he power over the
day of death ; and there is no discharge in that war. There
is a vanity which is done upon the earth: that there be
righteous men, unto whom it happeneth according to the
work of the wicked ; again, there be wicked men, to whom
it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said
this also is vanity.
ECCLESIASTES.


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335
OCTOBER 29
'HE people of Thrace make use of the fox when they
wish to pass over the ice of some frozen river, and
turn him out before them to that purpose; when
we see him lay his ear upon the bank of the river, down to
the ice, to listen if from a more remote or nearer distance he
can hear the voice of the water's current, and, according
as he finds by that the ice to be of a less or greater thick-
ness, to retire or advance, — have we not reason to believe
thence that the same rational thoughts passed through his
head that we should have upon the like occasions; and that
it is a ratiocination and consequence, drawn from natural
sense, that that which makes a noise runs, that that which
runs is not frozen, what is not frozen is liquid, and that which
is liquid yields to impression ?
The oxen that served in the royal gardens of Susa to
water them and turn certain great wheels to draw water for
that purpose, to which buckets were fastened, being ordered
every one to draw a hundred turns a day, they were so accus-
tomed to this number that it was impossible by any force to
make them draw one turn more; but, their task being per-
formed, they would suddenly stop and stand still.
In that elegant and admirable contexture of their build-
ings, can birds rather make choice of a square figure than a
round, of an obtuse than a right angle, without knowing their
properties and effects? Do they bring water, and then clay,
without knowing that the hardness of the latter grows softer
by being wetted ? Do they mat their palace with moss or
down without foreseeing that their tender young will lie more
safe and easy? Do they secure themselves from the wet and
rainy winds, and place their lodgings against the east, without
knowing the different qualities of the winds, and considering
that one is more wholesome than another? Why does the
spider make her web tighter in one place and slacker in
another; why now make one sort of knot and then another,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
337
fect. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where
moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves break through
and steal : but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves
do not break through nor steal : for where thy treasure is,
there will thy heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye:
if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full
of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall
be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness, how great is the darkness !
THE GOSPELS.
OCTOBER 31
OD created man to be immortal, and made him an
T image of his own everlastingness. The souls of the
righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment
shall touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to
have died, and their departure was accounted to be their hurt;
and their journeying away from us to be their ruin : but they
are in peace. For even if in the sight of men they be pun-
ished, their hope is full of immortality; and having borne a
little chastening, they will receive great good, because God
made trial of them, and found them worthy of himself. They
that trust on him shall understand truth, and the faithful
shall abide with him in love; because grace and mercy are
to his children. For in the memory of virtue is immortal-
ity, because it is recognized both before God and before men.
When it is present, men imitate it, and they long after it
when it is departed. And throughout all time it marcheth
crowned in triumph, victorious in the strife for the prizes
that are undefiled.
Wisdom of SOLOMON.


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NOVEMBER 1
ROM Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus, and called to him
the elders of the church. And when they were come
to him, he said unto them, Ye yourselves know, from
the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I
was with you all the time, serving the Lord with all lowli-
ness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell
me by the plots of the Jews : how that I shrank not from
declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teach-
ing you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both
to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound
in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that
shall befall me there : save that the Holy Spirit testifieth
unto me in every city, saying that bonds and affictions abide
me. But I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto my-
self, so that I might accomplish my course and the ministry
which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel
of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all,
among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see
my face no more. Wherefore I testify unto you this day,
that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I shrank not
from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God. I know
that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among
you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after them. Wherefore watch ye, remembering that
by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every
one night and day with tears. And now I commend you to
God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you
up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are
sanctified. I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Ye
yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my neces-
sities and to them that were with me. In all things I gave
you an example, how that so laboring ye ought to help the


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 339
weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how
he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed
with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck
and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the word which
he had spoken, that they should behold his face no more.
Acts.
NOVEMBER 2
W E must be at once cautious and courageous : cour-
ageous against the inevitable, and cautious when
events are within our own control.
Thus said Socrates to one who put him in mind to prepare
himself for his trial : “Do you not think that I have been
preparing myself for this very thing my whole life long?”
By what kind of preparation ? “I have attended to my own
work.” What mean you ? “I have done nothing unjust,
either in public or in private life.”
When you have once made yourself to externals, be a slave
wholly; do not struggle, and be alternately willing and un-
willing, but be simply and thoroughly the one or the other :
free or a slave ; instructed or ignorant ; a game-cock or a
craven ; either bear to be beaten till you die, or give out at
once; do not be soundly beaten first, and then give out at
last.
It is absurd to call upon me for specific advice. Ask me
rather to teach you to accommodate yourself to whatever
may be the event. Remember the general rule, and you will
need no special suggestions.
Diogenes answered one who desired letters of recommen-
dation from him : “At first sight he will know you to be a
man; and whether you are a good or a bad man, if he has
any skill in distinguishing, he will know likewise; and if he
has not, he will never know it, though I should write a thou-
sand times. Just as if you were a piece of coin and should
desire to be recommended to any person as good, in order


340 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
to be tried : if it be to an assayer, he will know your value,
for you will recommend yourself.”
EPICTETUS.
NOVEMBER 3
HEN the Son of man shall come in his glory, and
all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the
throne of his glory : and before him shall be gath-
ered all the nations : and he shall separate them one from
another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats :
and he shall set the sheep on the right hand, but the goats
on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was
an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave
me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and
ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in
prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous an-
swer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and
fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw
we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed
thee? And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came
unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of
these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. Then
shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from
me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the
devil and his angels : for I was an hungred, and ye gave me
no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a
stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed
me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then
shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he an-
swer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
did it no unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me.


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341
And these shall go away into eternal punishment; but the
righteous into eternal life.
THE GOSPELS.
NOVEMBER 4
FTER a tongue has once got the knack of lying, 't is
not to be imagined how impossible almost it is to
reclaim it. How much less sociable is false speak-
ing than silence? The reverse of truth has a hundred thou-
sand shapes, and a field indefinite, without bound or limit.
“Look, you who think the gods have no care of human
things, what do you say to so many persons preserved from
death by their especial favor?” “Why, I say that their
pictures are not here who were cast away, which were by
much the greater number.”
I love to follow formalities, but not to be so servilely tied
to their observation that my whole life should be enslaved
to ceremonies; of which there are some that, provided a
man omits them out of discretion, and not for want of
breeding, it will be every wbit as handsome in him. I have
seen some people rude by being over-civil, and troublesome
by their courtesy; though, these excesses excepted, the
knowledge of courtesy and good manners is a very neces-
sary study. It is, like grace and beauty, that which begets
liking and an inclination to love one another at the first
sight, and in the very beginning of an acquaintance and
familiarity; and consequently, that which first opens the
door for us to better ourselves by the example of others, if
there be anything in the society worth notice.
'Tis a great calamity to have a mind anxious about things
to come. Once out of being, we have no more any manner
of communication with what is in being. “An honest and
wise man will acknowledge that only to be a true victory
which is obtained without violation of faith, or blemish upon
honor."
MONTAIGNE.


342
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
NOVEMBER 5
UT of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice : let thine ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord,
shouldest work iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ? I wait
for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul looketh for the Lord, more than watchmen look for
the morning; yea, more than watchmen for the morning. O
Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy,
and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall re-
deem Israel from all his iniquities. Lord, my heart is not
haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself
in great matters, or in things too wonderful for me. Surely
I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child
with his mother, my soul is with me like a weaned child. O
Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever-
more. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the
head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ;
that came down upon the skirt of his garments ; like the
dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the mountains of
Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even
life forevermore.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good : for his
mercy endureth forever. O give thanks unto the God of
gods : for his mercy endureth forever. O give thanks unto
the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth forever. To him
who alone doeth great wonders : for his mercy endureth
forever. To him that by understanding made the hea-
vens: for his mercy endureth forever. To him that spread
forth the earth above the waters : for his mercy endureth
forever. To him that made great lights: for his mercy
endureth forever : the sun to rule by day : for his mercy en-
dureth forever : the moon and stars to rule by night : for his
mercy endureth forever. Who remembered us in our low


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thrust itself between buying and selling. To a heart that is
provoked, add not more trouble. Strive for the truth unto
death, and the Lord God shall fight for thee.
LESIASTICUS.
NOVEMBER 7.
GOOD fortune is good disposition of the soul, good
emotions, good actions.
The best way of avenging thyself is not to become
like the wrong-doer.
He is injured who abides in his error and ignorance; I
seek the truth, by which no man was ever injured.
I do my duty; other things trouble me not.
Keep thyself simple, good, pure, serious, free from affec-
tation, a friend of justice, a worshiper of the gods, kind,
affectionate, strenuous in all proper acts. Reverence the
gods, and help men. Short is life.
We are all working together to one end, some with
knowledge and design, and others without knowing what
they do.
When thou wishest to delight thyself, think of the virtues
of those who live with thee: the activity of one, the modesty
of another, the liberality of a third, and some other good
quality of a fourth. For nothing delights so much as the
examples of the virtues.
That which is not good for the swarm, neither is it good
for the bee.
There is one universe made up of all things, one God
who pervades all things, and one law, and one truth.
Whatever any one does or says, I must be good, just as if
the gold or the emerald or the purple were always saying,
I must be emerald and keep my color.
Retire into thyself. The rational principle which rules has
this nature, that it is content with itself when it does what
is just, and so secures tranquillity.
Consider that as the heaps of sand piled on one another


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 345
hide the former sands, so in life the events which go before
are soon covered by those which come after.
Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will
ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.
Pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting, if thou bearest
in mind that it has its limits, and if thou addest nothing to
it in imagination.
MARCUS AURELIUS.
A
vers
NOVEMBER 8
WHOLESOME tongue is a tree of life; but per-
verseness therein is a breaking of the spirit. The
sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the
Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. A merry
heart maketh a cheerful countenance : but by sorrow of
heart the spirit is broken. Better is little with the fear of
the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better
is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and
hatred therewith. The way of the sluggard is as an hedge
of thorns : but the path of the upright is made an highway.
A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth : and a word
in due season, how good is it! To the wise the way of life
goeth upward, that he may depart from the grave beneath.
The preparations of the heart belong to man; but the
answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Commit thy works
unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. When
a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies
to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteous-
ness than great revenues with injustice. A man's heart
deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. It is an
abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne
is established by righteousness. How much better is it to
get wisdom than gold! yea, to get understanding is rather
to be chosen than silver. Pride goeth before destruction,
and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better is it to be of a
lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the spoil with the


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 347
that fulfil his word, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts : ye ministers of his that do
his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all ye his works, in all places of
his dominion : bless the Lord, O my soul.
PSALMS.
NOVEMBER 10
M OCRATES, thinking it expedient that temperance
should be observed by him who would succeed in any-
thing honorable, first made it evident to those who
conversed with him that he practised this virtue beyond all
other men, and then, by his discourse, he exhorted his fol-
lowers above everything to the observance of temperance.
The intemperate, he said, endure the very worst of slavery.
Even to those pleasures to which alone intemperance seems
to lead men, it cannot lead them, but temperance produces
greater pleasure than anything else. Because intemperance,
by not allowing men to withstand hunger, thirst, or want of
sleep, hinders them from having any due enjoyment in acts
most necessary and habitual ; but temperance, which alone
enables men to endure these privations, alone enables them
to find delight in these acts. From learning what is honor-
able and good, and from the study of those accomplishments
by which a man may ably govern himself, judiciously regu-
late his household, become useful to his friends and the state,
and gain the mastery over his enemies, from which studies
arise not only the greatest advantages, but also the greatest
pleasures, the temperate have enjoyment while they practise
them, but the intemperate have no share in any of them.
To the temperate alone it belongs to consider what is best
in human pursuits, to distinguish those pursuits, according
to experience and reason into their several classes, and then
to choose the good and refrain from the evil.
Do not be regardless of the affairs of your country, if any
department of then can be improved by your means. It is
indeed strange that those who desire to play on the lyre, or


348
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
on the flute, should endeavor to practise, as constantly as
possible, that in which they desire to excel, but of those who
wish to become able to speak and act in affairs of gov-
ernment, more think that they will be suddenly qualified
to achieve their object without preparation or study, and by
their own unassisted efforts. Yet these pursuits are mani-
festly more difficult of attainment than those, and those who
pursue the one are required to submit to longer and more
diligent study than those who pursue the other. The talent
of governing states is a most exalted art, for it is the art of
kings, and is called the royal art, but have you ever consid-
ered whether it is possible for a man who is not just to be
eminent in that art ?
XENOPHON.
NOVEMBER 11
DEATH, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to
a man that is at peace in his possessions, unto the
man that hath nothing to disturb him, and hath
prosperity in all things. O Death, acceptable is thy sentence
unto a man that is needy, and that faileth in strength, that
is in extreme old age, and is distracted about all things, and
is perverse, and hath lost patience. A good life hath its num-
ber of days; and a good name continueth forever.
Look upon the rainbow, and praise him that made it ; ex-
ceeding beautiful is the brightness thereof. It compasseth
the heaven round about with a circle of glory: the hands of
the Most High have stretched it.
Woe unto fearful hearts, and faint hands, and to the sinner
that goeth two ways. Woe unto you that have lost your
patience; and what will ye do when the Lord shall visit
you?
Let us now praise famous men. The Lord manifested in
them great glory, even his mighty power from the beginning.
Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, and were men
renowned for their power, giving counsel by their under-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 349
standing, leaders of the people by their counsels, and by
their understanding men of learning for the people. Wise
were their words in their instruction. All these were hon-
ored in their generations, and were a glory in their days.
There be of them that have left a name behind them, to
declare their praises. And some there be which have no
memorial ; who are perished as though they had not been,
and are become as though they had not been born, and their
children after them. But these were men of mercy, whose
righteous deeds have not been forgotten, and their glory
shall not be blotted out. Their bodies were buried in peace;
and their name liveth to all generations. Peoples will declare
their wisdom, and the congregation telleth out their praise.
ECCLESIASTICUS.
NOVEMBER 12
IT is indeed acknowledged that no man, of all that are
remembered, ever endured death with greater glory ;
for Socrates was obliged to live thirty days after his
sentence, and during that time he was seen by all his friends
living in no other way than at any preceding period; and
throughout all the former part of his life he had been admired
beyond all men for the cheerfulness and tranquillity with
which he lived. He said that he had gone through life doing
nothing but considering what was just and what unjust,
doing what was just, and abstaining from what was unjust,
which he conceived to be the best meditation for his defence,
“Do you think it strange," he inquired, "that it should
seem better to the divinity that I should now close my life?
Do you not know that, down to the present time, I would
not admit to any man that he has lived either better or with
more pleasure than myself? for I consider that those live
best who study best to become as good as possible ; and that
those live with most pleasure who feel the most assurance
that they are daily growing better and better. If I shall live
a longer period, perhaps I shall be destined to sustain the


354 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
and given to repair indiscretion seem to me more scandal-
ous than the indiscretion itself. For my part I commend a
gliding, quiet, and silent life. I am descended from a family
that has lived without lustre or tumult, and time out of
mind particularly ambitious of the character of truth and
honesty. Our people nowadays are so bred up to bustle and
ostentation, that goodness, moderation, affability, and such
quiet and obscure qualities are no more regarded.
Let us learn to be no more greedy of honor than we are
capable of it.
A man grows familiar with all strange things by time and
custom ; but the more I frequent and the better I know my-
self, the more does my own deformity astonish me, and the
less I understand myself. Socrates has done human nature
a great kindness in showing it how much it can do of itself.
We need little learning to teach us how to live at our ease,
and Socrates tells us that it is in us, with the way how to
find it, and the manner how to use it.
The extremest sort of injustice, according to Plato, is
where that which is unjust is reputed just.
MONTAIGNE.
NOVEMBER 16
HEN I see any one anxious, I say, What does this
man mean? Unless he wanted something or
other not in his own power, how could he still be
anxious ? A musician, for instance, feels no anxiety while
he is singing by himself, but when he appears upon the stage
he does, even if his voice be ever so good, or he plays ever so
well. For what he wishes is not only to sing well, but like-
wise to gain applause. But this is not in his power. Where
his skill lies, there is his courage. If, then, the things inde-
pendent of our will are neither good nor evil, and all things,
that do depend on will are in our own power, and can neither
be taken away from us nor given to us unless we please,
what room is there left for anxiety? But we are anxious


358
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
NOVEMBER 19
ACOB went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward
Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tar-
ried there all night, because the sun was set ; and he
took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his
head, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed,
and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it
reached to heaven : and behold the angels of God ascending
and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above
it, and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father,
and the God of Isaac : the land whereon thou liest, to thee
will I give it, and to thy seed ; and thy seed shall be as the
dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west,
and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in
thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee
whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into
this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that
which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out
of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place;
and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How
dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of
God, and this is the gate of heaven.
GENESIS.
The angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of
fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold,
the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed.
And Moses said, I will turn aside, now, and see this great
sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw
that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the
midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said,
Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither : put off thy
shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou stand-
est is holy ground. Moses said unto God, Behold when I


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 361
out all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundations
of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure : yea, all of them
shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change
them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same,
and thy years shall have no end. They that trust in the Lord
are as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth
forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so
the Lord is round about his people, from this time forth, and
forevermore. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and
to them that are upright in their hearts.
PSALMS.
NOVEMBER 22
ET a man be of good cheer about his soul, who has
cast away the pleasures and ornaments of the body
as alien to him, and rather hurtful in their effects, and
has followed after the pleasures of knowledge in this life; who
has adorned the soul in her own proper jewels, which are
temperance, and justice, and courage, and nobility, and truth,
- in these arrayed, she is ready to go on her journey to the
world below when her time comes.
Is not the road to Athens made for conversation ? If there
were only some way of contriving that a state or an army
should be made up of lovers and their loves, they would be
the very best governors of their own city, abstaining from
all dishonor and emulating one another in honor; and when
fighting at one another's side, although a mere handful, they
would overcome all men. As to the artists, do we not know
that he only of them whom love inspires has the light of
fame? — he whom love touches not walks in darkness.
In general, when you make a feast, invite not your friend,
but the beggar and the empty soul, for they will love you,
and attend you, and be the most grateful.
When opinion conquers, and by the help of reason leads
us to the best, the conquering principle is called temperance;


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM : 365
thither unto a cave and lodged there; and, behold, the word
of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What
doest thou here, Elijah ? And he said, I have been very
jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts ; for the children of
Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars,
and slain thy prophets with the sword : and I, even I only am
left: and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said,
Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And,
behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind
rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the
Lord: but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind
an earthquake : but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
and after the earthquake a fire: but the Lord was not in
the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
I. KINGS.
NOVEMBER 26
T is very possible to be a divine man, and to be recog-
nized as such by no one. Always bear this in mind, and
another thing too, that very little indeed is necessary
for living a happy life.
The perfection of moral character consists in this, in pass-
ing every day as the last, and in being neither violently
excited, nor torpid, nor playing the hypocrite. It is a ridicu-
lous thing for a man not to fly from his own badness, which
is indeed possible, but to fly from other men's badness, which
is impossible.
Thou hast had experience of many wanderings without
having found happiness anywhere, not in syllogisms, nor in
wealth, nor in reputation, nor in enjoyment, nor anywhere.
Where is it, then? In doing what man's nature requires ;
the belief that there is nothing good for man which does not
make him just, temperate, manly, free. All things are change;
yet we need not fear anything new.
Repentance is a kind of self-reproof for having neglected
something useful. Remember that to change thy opinion


366 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
and to follow him who corrects thy error is as consistent
with freedom as it is to persist in thy error. Receive wealth
or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let it go.
The common nature brings nothing which may not be borne
by thee. Does a man please himself who repents of nearly
everything that he does ?
MARCUS AURELIUS.
NOVEMBER 27
'HE kingdom of heaven is as a man going into an-
other country, who called his own servants and
delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he
gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each
according to his several ability: and he went on his journey.
Straightway he that received the five talents went and
traded with them, and made other five talents. In like man-
ner he also that received the two gained other two. But he
that received the one went away and digged in the earth,
and hid his lord's money. Now after a long time the lord of
those servants cometh and maketh a reckoning with them.
And he that received the five talents came and brought other
five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five tal-
ents : lo, I have gained other five talents. His lord said unto
him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things :
enter thou into the joy of thy lord. And he also that re-
ceived the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst
unto me two talents : lo, I have gained other two talents.
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant ;
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee
over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. And
he also that had received the one talent came and said,
Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where
thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scat-
ter: and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent
in the earth: lo, there thou hast thine own. But his lord


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 367
answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful ser-
vant : thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and
gather where I did not scatter : thou oughtest therefore
to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming
I should have received back mine own with interest. Take
ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto
him that hath the ten talents. For unto every one that hath
shall be given, and he shall have abundance : buť from him
that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away.
THE GOSPELS.
NOVEMBER 28
HE thing in the world I am most afraid of is fear.
I have seen many, by their death, give a good or
an ill repute to their whole life. The principal
concern I have for my own is that I may die handsomely,
that is, patiently, without noise. People go and come, and
dance and gad about, and not a word of death. All this is
very fine while it lasts, but when death does come, surpris-
ing them at unawares, unprepared, then what torments,
what outcries, what madness and despair overwhelm them.
Did you ever see anything so subdued, so changed, and so
confounded? A man must therefore make himself more
early ready for it. Were it an enemy that could be avoided, I
would then advise to borrow arms, even of cowardice itself,
to that effect. But seeing it is not, let us learn bravely to
stand our ground and fight him. Let us disarm him of his
strangeness; let us converse and be familiar with him. The
Egyptians were wont to do after this manner, who, in the
height of their feasting and mirth, caused a dried skeleton
of a man to be brought unto the room to serve for a me-
mento to their guests. The premeditation of death is the
premeditation of liberty; he who has learned to die has forgot
what it is to be a slave. I am at all hours as well prepared as
I am ever like to be, and death, whenever he shall come, can
bring nothing along with him I did not expect long before.


368 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
I am at this instant in such a condition that I am ready to
dislodge, without any manner of regret. Never did any one
prepare to bid adieu to the world more absolutely and
purely, and to shake hands with all manner of interest in it,
than I expect to do. The deadest deaths are the best.
MONTAIGNE.
NOVEMBER 29
HIS is life eternal, that they should know thee the
only true God, and him whom thou didst send,
even Jesus Christ. I glorified thee on the earth,
having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to
do. I have manifested thy name unto the men whom thou
gavest me out of the world : thine they were, and thou
gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word. Now
they know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me
are from thee : for the words which thou gavest me I have
given unto them; and they received them, and knew of a
truth that I came forth from thee, and they believed that
thou didst send me. I pray for them. And I am no more in
the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee.
Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given
me, that they may be one, even as we are. I have given
them thy word ; and the world hated them, because they
are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray
not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Sanctify them in
the truth : thy word is truth. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that be-
lieve on me through their word ; that they may all be one;
even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they
also may be in us; that the world may believe that thou
didst send me. And the glory which thou hast given me I
have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we
are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be per-


370 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
If you have laid aside ill-nature and reviling; if you have
lessened your harshness, indecent language, inconsiderate-
ness, effeminacy; if you are not moved by the same things
as formerly, or in the same manner as formerly, you may
keep a perpetual festival, to-day for success in one affair, to-
morrow for another. How much better a reason for sacrifice
is this than obtaining a consulship or a government! These
things you have from yourself and from the gods. Remem-
ber this, — who it is that gave them, and to whom and for
what purpose. Habituated once to these reasonings, can you
still think that it makes any difference what place God allots
you? Are not the gods everywhere at the same distance ?
Do they not everywhere see equally what is doing?
EPICTETUS.
DECEMBER 1
O nothing without counsel : and when thou hast once
done, repent not.
Whoso feareth the Lord shall not be afraid, and
shall not play the coward; for he is his hope.
The eyes of the Lord are upon them that love him: a
mighty protection and strong stay, a cover from the hot
blast, and a cover from the noonday, a guard from stum-
bling, and a succor from falling.
He that sacrificeth of a thing wrongfully gotten, his offer.
ing is made in mockery.
See that thou appear not in the presence of the Lord
empty.
Who shall trust a man that hath no nest, and lodgeth
wheresoever he findeth himself at nightfall ?
O wicked imagination, whence comest thou rolling in, to
cover the dry land with deceitfulness?
A man's soul is sometime wont to bring him tidings,
more than seven watchmen that sit on high on a watch
tower. And above all this intreat the most High, that he
may direct thy way in truth.


372 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
sessed was his own; but they had all things common.
Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to
obtain the gift of God with money. Thou hast neither part
nor lot in this matter; for thy heart is not right before God.
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord,
if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.
For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the
bond of iniquity.
Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons;
but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh right-
eousness, is acceptable to him.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was
provoked within him, as he beheld the city full of idols.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the de-
vout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them
that met with him. And certain also of the Epicurean and
Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, What
would this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a
setter forth of strange gods ; because he preached Jesus
and the resurrection. And they took hold of him, and
brought him unto the Areopagus, saying, May we know
what this new teaching is, which is spoken by thee? For
thou bringest certain strange things to our ears : we would
know therefore what these things mean. Now all the
Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their
time in nothing else, but either to tell or hear some new
thing. And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and
said, Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive ye are
somewhat religious. For as I passed along, and observed
.the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this
inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye wor-
ship in ignorance, this set I forth unto you. The God
that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord
of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with
hands; neither is he served by men's hands, as though he
needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and


374
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou
dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the
lion and adder, the young lion and the serpent shalt thou
trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me,
therefore will I deliver him : I shall set him on high, be-
cause he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and
I will answer him : I will be with him in trouble: I will de-
liver him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my
salvation.
Psalms.
DECEMBER 4
T HE intemperate man is not injurious to his neighbor
and profitable to himself, like the avaricious, who,
by despoiling others of their property, seem to en-
rich themselves; but, while he is mischievous to others, is
still more mischievous to himself; for it is, indeed, mischiev-
ous in the highest degree to ruin not only his family, but his
body and mind. Is it not the duty of every man to consider
that temperance is the foundation of every virtue, and to
establish the observance of it in his mind before all things?
For who without it can either learn anything good, or suffi-
ciently practise it? Who that is a slave to pleasure is not in
an ill condition, both as to his body and his mind ? Socrates
proved himself more a friend to temperance by his life than
by his words; for he was not only superior to all corporeal
pleasures, but also to those attendant on the acquisition of
money. He said : “Do you not know that those who are
by nature the weakest become, by exercising their bodies,
stronger in those things in which they exercise them than
those who neglect them, and bear the fatigue of exercise with
greater ease? And do you not think that I, who am con-
stantly preparing my body by exercise to endure whatever
may happen to it, bear everything more easily than you who
take no exercise ?”
He that orders and holds together the whole universe, in


376 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
no one can enslave me. Whom, then, can I any longer fear,
– those who guard the chamber ? Lest they should do, -
what, – shut me out? If I am not admitted I would not
wish to go in, for I esteem what God wills to be better than
what I will. To him I yield myself, as a servant and fol-
lower; my pursuits, my desires, my very will must coincide
with his.
When you see another rich, see what you have instead of
riches; for if you have nothing in their stead you are miser-
able. But if you have the advantage of not needing riches,
know that you have something more than he has, and of far
greater value. Do you know of what nature the thirst of
one in a fever is? It is the same with avarice, ambition, lust.
Presently comes jealousy, fear of loss, unbecoming words,
designs, and actions.
Do men lose nothing but money? Is not modesty to be
lost ? Is not decency to be lost? Or can he who loses these
suffer no injury?
Pray what would Hercules have been if he had said,
““ What can be done to prevent a great lion, or a large boar,
or savage men, from coming in my way?” Why, what is
that to you? If a large boar should come in your way, you
will fight a greater combat; if wicked men, you will deliver
the world from wicked men. “But then if I should die by
this means?” You will die as a good man, in the perform-
ance of a gallant action.
EPICTETUS.
DECEMBER 6
FALSE balance is an abomination unto the Lord :
but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh,
then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the per-
verseness of the treacherous shall destroy them. The right-
eousness of the perfect shall make straight his way : but the
wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
377
of the upright shall deliver them; but they that deal treach-
erously shall be taken in their own mischief. The righteous
is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his
stead. With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his
neighbor ; but through knowledge shall the righteous be
delivered. When it goeth well with the righteous, the city
rejoiceth : and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted; but it is
overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. The wicked earn-
eth deceitful wages; but he that soweth righteousness hath
a sure reward. He that is steadfast in righteousness shall
attain unto life; and he that pursueth evil doeth it to his
own death. They that are perverse in heart are an abomi-
nation to the Lord; but such as are perfect in their way are
his delight. Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall
not be unpunished : bụt the seed of the righteous shall be
delivered. The desire of the righteous is only good: but the
expectation of the wicked is arrogance. He that trusteth
in his riches shall fall : but the righteous shall flourish as
the green leaf. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
and he that is wise winneth souls. Behold, the righteous
shall be recompensed in the earth : how much more the
wicked and the sinner! A man shall not be established by
wickedness : but the root of the righteous shall never be
moved. A good man shall obtain favor of the Lord: but
a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
PROVERBS.
DECEMBER 7
Y son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep
my commandments: for length of days, and years
of life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not
mercy and truth forsake thee : bind them about thy neck;
write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou
find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and
man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not


378 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
upon thine own understanding : in all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine
own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil : it shall be
health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honor the
Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine
increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
vats shall overflow with new wine. My son, despise not the
chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his reproof:
for whom the Lord loveth he reproveth ; even as a father
the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that
findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of
silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more pre-
cious than rubies : and none of the things thou canst de-
sire are to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her
right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and
happy is every one that retaineth her.
PROVERBS.
DECEMBER 8
F I were to deny that I regret the death of Scipio, I
might leave the philosophers to justify my conduct,
but I should not be telling the truth. I am indeed
deeply affected by the loss of a friend whose equal no man,
I am sure, ever possessed before, and none will ever meet
again. But I want no external comfort to heal my wound.
have never given way to that false opinion, which adds the
sharpest pang to the grief of so many when they lose their
friends; for I am convinced that in the death of Scipio no-
thing is to be lamented as regards himself; whatever mis-
fortune there is consists in the loss which I have sustained.
But to give way to unrestrained sorrow for my own mis-
fortune is a proof, not of a deep affection for one's friend,


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 379
but of too great a love for one's self. As for Scipio, in every
view the radiance of his days has been bright and glorious.
What addition could a few more years have made to the
happiness of his life? For although old age need not bring
on imbecility, it certainly impairs that vigor which Scipio
still possessed at his decease. I by no means agree to the
teaching of certain philosophers, that death extinguishes
the whole being, and that the soul perishes with the body.
I have more regard for the view of the ancients, or of him
who was declared by the oracle of Apollo to be the wisest
man, who taught that the souls of men are divine, and that
when they leave the body the return to heaven is offered to
them, and easiest to those who have been virtuous and just.
And if it be true that the flight of the soul from the bond-
age of the flesh is easiest in proportion to one's virtue, who
can have had an easier pathway to the gods than Scipio ?
All that I can do is to beg you to regard friendship beyond
all other things a human being can attain, for there is no-
thing else so fitted to us by nature, so perfectly adapted to
us in prosperity or in adversity. But I consider this as the
prime principle: true friendship can exist only between
good men.
CICERO.
DECEMBER 9
E who undergoes trouble willingly is cheered in
| undergoing it with some expectation of good, as
the hunters of wild animals bear fatigue with plea-
sure in the hope of capturing them. Such rewards of toil
are indeed of small worth, but as for those who toil that they
may acquire valuable friends, or that they may subdue their
enemies, or that they may, by becoming vigorous in body
and mind, manage their own household judiciously, and be
of service to their friends and of advantage to their country,
how can you think that they labor for such objects other
than cheerfully, or that they do not live in happiness, es-


380
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
teeming themselves, and being praised and envied by others?
Indolence, and pleasures enjoyed at the moment of desire,
are neither capable of producing a good constitution of
body, nor do they bring to the mind any knowledge worthy
of consideration; but exercises pursued with persevering
labor lead men to the attainment of honorable and valua-
ble objects: as Hesiod says, “Vice it is possible to find in
abundance and with ease ; for the way to it is smooth and
lies very near. But before the temple of virtue the immor-
tal gods have placed labor, and the way to it is long and
steep, and at the commencement rough ; but when the trav-
eller has arrived at the summit, it then becomes easy,
however difficult it was at first.” And another says, “ The
gods for labor sell us all good things," and again, “O
wretched mortal, desire not what is soft, lest you find what
is hard.”
When some one asked Socrates, what object of study
he thought best for a man, he replied, “Good conduct."
The best men, and those most beloved by the gods, he ob-
served, were those who, in agriculture, performed their
agricultural duties well; those who, in medicine, performed
their medical duties well ; those who, in political offices, per-
formed their public duties well; but he who did nothing
well was neither useful for any purpose, nor acceptable to
the gods.
XENOPHON.
DECEMBER 10
OW can ye, being evil, speak good things ? for out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth
good things ; and the evil man out of his evil treasure bring-
eth forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every idle
word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. One


382
THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
ence. Why is it that those of the truest wisdom meet death
with perfect cheerfulness, while the most foolish and igno-
rant watch its approach with the greatest reluctance and
disquiet? Is it not because the more enlightened the mind
is, and the farther it extends its view, the more clearly it
discerns, as the hour of departure draws near, that it is about
to take its departure into some happier state, and this nar-
row and vulgar souls are too short-sighted to discover? For
my part, I am transported with impatience to see your fathers
whose characters I respected, and whose persons I loved ;
nor is my earnest desire confined to those only whom I have
known, but those also do I ardently wish to visit of whom
I have heard and read much, or about whose virtues I have
myself written. To this glorious assembly I am speedily
advancing, and I would not be turned back in my journey,
even upon the assurance of restored youth. Having well-
nigh finished my race, I have no inclination to return to the
goal. I would not in imitation of some philosophers speak
ill of human life, nor do I regret to have lived, for I think I
have so employed my life as not to have lived in vain ; yet
I look upon my departure, not as being driven from my habi-
tation, but as leaving an inn. O glorious day when I shall
retire from this tumult and crowd, to join the divine assem-
bly of departed spirits! not those only whom I have men-
tioned, but my own Cato, the best of sons and noblest of
men. It was my sad fate to lay his body on the funeral pile,
when I had reason to hope that in the course of nature he
would have performed that office for me, but his soul did
not desert me, but ever looked back upon me in its flight
to that abode whither he was assured I should one day fol-
low him. If I seemed to bear his death with fortitude, it
was not that I did not deeply feel my loss; it was because
I comforted myself with the thought that we should not
long be separated. It is for these reasons, Scipio, that my
old age is not inconvenient, but even agreeable, and sits
lightly upon me. And, if my firm persuasion of the soul's


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 383
immortality should prove a mere delusion, it is a pleasing
delusion, and I will cherish it as long as I live. And if our
expectations of immortality are vain, there comes a time
when death would be an end most earnestly to be desired.
For nature has appointed to the days of man, as to all things,
their proper limit, beyond which they are no longer of any
value. Old age is the last scene in the great drama of life,
and one would not wish to lengthen out his part till he sank
down in utter fatigue.
These are the things I had to say about old age, to which
I hope you may arrive, and prove, by your own experience,
what I told you has been mine.
CICERO.
DECEMBER 12
'HE thoughts of the righteous are just : but the
counsels of the wicked are deceit. The wicked are
overthrown, and are not; but the house of the right-
eous shall stand. A righteous man regardeth the life of
his beast : but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man ;
but the righteous shall come out of trouble. There shall no
mischief happen to the righteous; but the wicked shall be
filled with evil. The righteous is a pride to his neighbor;
but the way of the wicked causeth them to err.
In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway
thereof there is no death. Righteousness guardeth him that
is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the
sinner. The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp
of the wicked shall be put out. Evil pursueth sinners: but
the righteous shall be recompensed with good. A good man
leaveth an inheritance to his children's children ; and the
wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous. The right-
eous eateth to the satisfying of his soul : but the belly of
the wicked shall want. The wicked is thrust down in his
evil-doing ; but the righteous hath hope in his death. Right-


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
389
accountable. Aged men may preserve their faculties, unless
they are suffered to lose their energy and become dull for
want of cultivation. Sophocles in extreme old age still
wrote tragedies. While intent upon his dramatic composi-
tions, he seemed to neglect his family affairs, and his sons
instituted a suit against him in the court, claiming his un-
derstanding was impaired, and that he might be removed
from the management of his estate. When the old bard ap-
peared in the court, he asked permission to read a play he
had just written. It was his “Edipus at Colonus.” When
he had recited it, he asked the judges if the play showed
any symptoms of a failing mind. The judges unanimously
dismissed the complainants' petition.
CICERO.
DECEMBER 18
N this decay of nature which renders one useless, bur-
densome, and troublesome to others, let him take care
not to be useless, burdensome, and troublesome to
himself.
Present continually to your imagination Cato, Phocion,
and Aristides, in whose presence fools themselves will hide
their faults; and make them controllers of all your inten-
tions.
Death, which some repute the most dreadful of all dread-
ful things, who knows but that others call it the only secure
harbor from the storms and tempests of life, the sovereign
good of nature, the sole support of liberty, and the common
and ready remedy for all evils.
That which makes us suffer pain with so much impatience
is the not being accustomed to repose our chiefest content-
ment in the soul, that we do not enough rely upon her who
is the sole and sovereign mistress of our condition.
All moneyed men I take to be covetous.
Not he whom the world believes, but he who believes
himself to be so, is content.


396 THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
period which every man's greatest desire is to attain, and
which no sooner arrives than it becomes the object of his
lamentations. If I have any claim to wisdom, it consists in
this, that I follow nature as the surest guide, and resign
myself with implicit obedience to all her sacred commands;
and it cannot be supposed that after having wisely dis-
tributed to all the preceding periods of life their proper
enjoyments she should, like a careless poet, have neglected
the last act of the human drama, and left it without its suit-
able compensations. There must be in the life of man, as in
the fruits of the earth, some point of maturity beyond which
the marks of decay inevitably appear; and to this condition
of his being every wise and good man will submit with con-
tented and cheerful acquiescence. For to fight against the
universal law of our existence, what is that but to carry on
a war like the giants with the gods themselves. I have had
many opportunities of listening to the complaints of aged
men; and I think they lay their grievances to a wrong
cause. For had they arisen merely from the circumstances
of age, they would have been common to myself and to
every other one of advanced years. But all complaints of
this kind are in the man and not in the age. They whose
desires are properly regulated, and who have nothing peevish
nor morose in their temper and manners, will find old age
easy to be endured, while uncontrolled passions and rude
habits will be offensive, and embitter every period of human
life.
CICERO.
DECEMBER 24
HERE is dishonor in yielding to the evil, or in an
evil manner; but there is honor in yielding to the
good, or in an honorable manner.
Love is the fairest and best in himself, and the cause of
what is fairest and best in all other things. And I have a
mind to say of him in verse that he is the god who


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
397
Gives peace on earth and calms the stormy deep,
Who stills the waves and bids the sufferer sleep.
He makes men to be of one mind at a banquet such as this,
filling them with affection, and emptying them of disaffec-
tion. In sacrifices, banquets, dances, he is our lord, — sup-
plying kindness and banishing unkindness, giving friendship
and forgiving enmity, the joy of the good, the wonder of
the wise, the amazement of the gods; desired by those
who have no part in him, and precious to those who have
the better part in him ; parent of delicacy, luxury, desire,
fondness, softness, grace; careful of the good, uncareful of
the evil. In every word, work, wish, fear, — pilot, helper,
defender, saviour; glory of gods and men, leader best and
brightest; in whose footsteps let every man follow, chant-
ing a hymn, and joining in that fair strain with which love
charms the souls of gods and men.
Socrates' talk is of pack-asses and smiths and cobblers
and curriers, and he is always repeating the same things
in the same words, so that an ignorant man who did not
know him might feel disposed to laugh at him ; but he who
pierces the mask and sees what is within will find that they
are the only words which have a meaning in them, and also
the most divine, abounding in fair examples of virtue, and
of the largest discourse, or, rather, extending to the whole
duty of a good and honorable man.
PLATO.
DECEMBER 25
ARY brought forth her firstborn son, and she
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him
in a manger, because there was no room for them
in the inn. And there were shepherds in the same country
abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their
flock. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM 399
is his name. And his mercy is unto generations and gen-
erations on them that fear him. He hath shewed strength
with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagi-
nation of their heart. He hath put down princes from their
thrones, and hath exalted them of low degree. The hungry
he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he hath vis-
ited and wrought redemption for his people, to grant unto
us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days. Yea and thou, child, shalt be called
the prophet of the most High; for thou shalt go before the
face of the Lord to make ready his ways; to give knowledge
of salvation unto his people in the remission of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day.
spring from on high shall visit us, to shine upon them that
sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet
into the way of peace.
Now lettest thou thy servant depart, O Lord, accord-
ing to thy word, in peace; for mine eyes have seen thy
salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all
peoples : a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory
of thy people Israel. Behold, this child is set for the fall-
ing and rising up of many in Israel ; and for a sign that is
spoken against ; that thoughts out of many hearts may be
revealed
THE GOSPELS.
DECEMBER 27
| WOULD rather that my lyre should be inharmonious,
or that the whole world should be at odds with me and
oppose me, rather than that I myself should be at vari-
ance with myself.
I will tell you a tale of a brave man, Er, a Pamphylian by
birth. He was slain in battle, and ten days afterwards car-
alf


THE BEAUTY OF WISDOM
ian of their lives, and the fulfiller of the choice; this genius
led the souls first to Clotho, and drew them within the
revolution of the spindle impelled by her hand, thus rati-
fying the destiny of each ; and then, when they were fas-
tened, carried them to Atropos, who spun the threads and
made them irreversible; whence, without turning round, they
passed beneath the throne of Necessity; and when they had
all passed, they marched on in a scorching heat to the plain
of Forgetfulness, which was a barren waste, destitute of trees
and verdure ; and then towards evening they encamped by
the river of Negligence, the water of which no vessel can
hold; of this they were all obliged to drink a certain quantity,
and those who were not saved by wisdom drank more than
was necessary; and those who drank, forgot all things. Now
after they had gone to rest, about the middle of the night,
there was a thunderstorm and earthquake, and then in an in-
stant they were driven all manner of ways, like stars shooting
to their birth.
In what manner or by what means he returned to the
body he could not say, only, in the morning, awaking sud-
denly, he saw himself lying on the pyre.
Thus the tale has been saved and has not perished, and
may be our salvation if we are obedient to the word spoken ;
and we shall pass safely over the river of Forgetfulness and
our soul will not be defiled. Wherefore my counsel is, that
we hold fast to the heavenly way and follow after justice and
virtue always, considering that the soul is immortal and able
to endure every sort of good, and every sort of evil. Thus
shall we live dear to one another and to the gods, both while
remaining here and when, like conquerors who go round to
gather gifts, we receive our reward. And it shall be well
with us, both in this life and in the pilgrimage of a thousand
years.
PLATO.





410
INDEX
Fear of the Lord, 26, 44, 167, 363. | Indifference, 130.
Feasts, 361.
Injustice, 299.
Fiction, 102.
Inspiration, 59, 89, 90, 213, 362.
Formalities, 341.
Intellect, the, 157.
Fortune, 154, 344.
Freedom, 22, 170, 315.
Jacob's dream, 358.
Friends and friendship, 5, 12, 14, 81, 94, Jephthah's vow, 233.
136, 159, 167, 169, 187, 193, 194, 211, Jesus Christ, 143.
216, 217, 222, 225, 271, 275, 276, 279, | Job, 139.
285, 290, 291, 299, 362, 378, 384, 387. Joshua's death, 255.
Jotham's parable, 233.
Gadfly, 148.
Joy, 145.
Gambling, 331.
Judges, 333.
General rules, 339.
Judging, 181, 191.
Gideon's fleece, 233.
Judgment, 9, 61, 66, 126, 142, 191, 299,
Gifts, 195.
318.
Gladness, 194.
Justice, 115, 155, 198, 333.
God, 48, 59, 102, 103, 123, 125, 280, 332.
Gods, indebted to the, 183.
King over the trees, 233.
Gods, like the, 152.
Kingdom of God, 144, 156, 181, 186,
Golden Rule, 159, 202, 321.
366.
Goodness, 188, 289, 291, 299, 311. Knowledge, 164, 165.
Goods, 134.
Government, 348, 356.
Labor, 200.
Grief, 3, 306.
Lacedæmonians, 333.
Guests at a feast, 290.
Lame, in superior faculties, 355.
Gyges, 327.
Laughter, 289, 290.
Law, 331,
Habit, 186, 298.
Lawgiver, 202.
Happiness, 5, 127, 212, 290, 355, 365. Lawsuits, 208, 302.
Harmonies, 330.
Lawyers, 32.
Hatred, 184.
Learning, 154, 165, 225, 295, 302.
Healing, 126.
Legislators, 124.
Health, 145.
Leisure, 172.
Heart, the, 3, 52, 65, 145, 194, 363.
Liberty, 197.
Heaven, 77, 192, 287.
Life, 3, 57, 108, 110, 202, 206, 212, 229.
Hercules, labors of, 7, 376; choice of, Literature, 325.
291.
Lot, 223.
Holiness, 213.
Love, 92, 187, 361, 396, 397.
Home, 8.
Lying, 341.
Homer, 59, 90.
Honesty, 56, 84, 146, 343.
Man, 295, 306.
Hope, 362.
Manliness, 296.
House, a grand, 162.
Meanness, 158, 286.
Human nature, 51, 62, 65, 186. Medicine, 154, 207.
Humanity, 125, 328, 329.
Meditation, 13, 67, 220, 297, 314, 344.
Humility, 144.
Memory, 306.
Husbandry, 43, 159.
Men, not number, but goodness of,
13.
Ideal city, 286.
Mercy, 343.
Idleness, 331.
Mind, 322, 362, 386.
Idols, 208.
Miracle, 146, 154, 207, 360.
Ignorance, 295.
Moderation, 12, 13.
Imagination, 277.
Modesty, 5, 298, 301.
Imitation, 332.
Money, 128, 201.
Immortality, 50, 89, 118, 174, 337, 382, Mother, 100.
386.
Music, 213, 322, 330.


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