necessity imposed on all.

29. Severally on the occasion of everything that thou doest, pause and
ask thyself if death is a dreadful thing because it deprives thee of
this.

30. When thou art offended at any man's fault, forthwith turn to thyself
and reflect in what like manner thou dost err thyself; for example, in
thinking that money is a good thing, or pleasure, or a bit of reputation,
and the like. For by attending to this thou wilt quickly forget thy
anger, if this consideration also is added, that the man is compelled:
for what else could he do? or, if thou art able, take away from him the
compulsion.

31. When thou hast seen Satyron the Socratic, think of either Eutyches or
Hymen, and when thou hast seen Euphrates, think of Eutychion or Silvanus,
and when thou hast seen Alciphron think of Tropaeophorus, and when thou
hast seen Xenophon, think of Crito or Severus, and when thou hast looked
on thyself, think of any other Caesar, and in the case of every one do in
like manner. Then let this thought be in thy mind, Where then are those
men? Nowhere, or nobody knows where. For thus continuously thou wilt look
at human things as smoke and nothing at all; especially if thou
reflectest at the same time that what has once changed will never exist
again in the infinite duration of time. But thou, in what a brief space
of time is thy existence? And why art thou not content to pass through
this short time in an orderly way? What matter and opportunity [for thy
activity] art thou avoiding? For what else are all these things, except
exercises for the reason, when it has viewed carefully and by examination
into their nature the things which happen in life? Persevere then until
thou shalt have made these things thy own, as the stomach which is