The Consolation of Philosophy

of, or in progress toward, or in the attainment of virtue, every fortune, whatever it may be, is good, but for those remaining in wickedness, it is the worst.¹¹ This, I said, is true, even if no one dares to confess it. Wherefore, she said, a wise man should not be troubled as often as he is brought into the contest of fortune: just as it does not befit a brave man to be indignant as often as the clamor of war sounds. For for both—for the latter, the difficulty itself is the material for propagating glory, and for the former, it is the material for confirming wisdom. From which virtue is also named,ᶠ because, relying on its own strength, it is not overcome by adversities. For you have not come, placed in the progress of virtue, to dissolveʰ in delights and witherⁱ in pleasure: but you are engaging in an overly sharp battle with all fortune.ᵏ So that neither sadness suppresses you, nor pleasantness corrupts you, occupy the middle ground with firm strengths.ˡ Whatever however¹⁴ subsists below, or proceeds beyond, has the contempt of happiness, but does not have the reward of labor. For it is situated in your own hand,ᵐ what kind of fortune you prefer to form for yourselves. For every fortune that seems harsh either exercises, or corrects, or punishes.¹⁶

ᶠ Virtue is named from strength. ᵍ Progressed. ʰ To abound. ⁱ To rot. ᵏ Engaging. ˡ Hold the mediocrity in which virtue resides.

m. coërcet Delph. Hack.—11 omnem pessimam edd. eædem.—12 Uterque Thuan. Reg. et Vict. secundus: conformandæ.—13 Hunc locum sic expressum exhibent edd. Delph. et Hack. venistis, prælium... conseritis, ne vos... corrumpat: firmis, &c.—14 'Thuan. uterque et Reg. quicquid aut: bene.' Vallin.—15 Edd. Delph. et Hack. omittunt voculam est.—16 'Nisi aut exercet, aut corrigit, punit. Sic omnes libri: Planudes quoque: Victorini vero, verbo auctiores: nisi aut exercet, aut corrigit, aut damnat, punit: sed male.' Vallin.

...or adverse, as is evident from what has been said, is a good existing outside the will of man. This fortune, therefore, is so good that, unless through the bad will or vice of those who abuse it, it is never bad: wherefore when the wicked, insofar as they 'persevere in their wickedness,' always abuse their prosperous fortune, for that reason Philosophy concludes that 'all' fortune of the wicked 'is the worst:' but the fortune of the righteous is always good: because 'every fortune, which seems harsh to the righteous, punishes them if it does not exercise or correct them:' nor do these righteous ones reach eternal happiness except through fortune which seems harsh to them: since—