ly in perfect
tranquillity; and I affirm that tranquillity is nothing else than the
good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to thyself this retreat,
and renew thyself; and let thy principles be brief and fundamental,
which, as soon as thou shalt recur to them, will be sufficient to
cleanse the soul completely, and to send thee back free from all
discontent with the things to which thou returnest. For with what art
thou discontented? With the badness of men? Recall to thy mind this
conclusion, that rational animals exist for one another, and that to
endure is a part of justice, and that men do wrong involuntarily; and
consider how many already, after mutual enmity, suspicion, hatred, and
fighting, have been stretched dead, reduced to ashes; and be quiet at
last.--But perhaps thou art dissatisfied with that which is assigned to
thee out of the universe.--Recall to thy recollection this alternative;
either there is providence or atoms [fortuitous concurrence of things];
or remember the arguments by which it has been proved that the world is
a kind of political community [and be quiet at last].--But perhaps
corporeal things will still fasten upon thee.--Consider then further
that the mind mingles not with the breath, whether moving gently or
violently, when it has once drawn itself apart and discovered its own
power, and think also of all that thou hast heard and assented to about
pain and pleasure [and be quiet at last].--But perhaps the desire of the
thing called fame will torment thee.--See how soon everything is
forgotten, and look at the chaos of infinite time on each side of [the
present], and the emptiness of applause, and the changeableness and want
of judgment in those who pretend to give praise, and the narrowness of
the space within which it is circumscribed [and be quiet at last]. For
the whole earth is a point, and how small a nook in it is this thy
dwelling, and how few are there in it, and what kind of people are they
who will praise thee.

This then remains: Remember to retire into this little territory of thy
own,[A] and above all do not distract or strain thyself, but be free,
and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a
mortal. But among the things readiest to thy hand to which thou shalt
turn, let there be these, which are two. One is that things do not touch
the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our
perturbations come only from the opinion which is within