Dream of Scipio and Stoic Paradoxes

Numa Pompilius, or whether the drinking cups and clay vessels were less pleasing to the immortal gods, which we judge to be the delicate bowls of others. I omit the rest. For all parts are connected among themselves, except for the proud Brutus. If anyone asks what he did in liberating the fatherland, or if anyone asks the other associates of the same counsel what they experienced, what they followed. Does anyone exist for whom pleasure, for whom riches, for whom, in short, anything other than the duty of a brave and great man was set before them? What thing led Porsenna to his death? What impelled the bold man without any hope of his own safety? What force held Cocles alone on the bridge against all the enemy's forces? What force moved father Decius, who devoted his son and sent him into the armed forces of the enemy? What of the self-restraint of C. Fabricius? What of the simplicity of his diet? D., when he followed the triple path. What of the two bulwarks of the Punic war, Cn. and Publius Scipio, who thought the arrival of the Carthaginians must be blocked by their own bodies? What of Africanus the younger, what of the elder? What of Cato, who was killed among these crates? What of countless others? For we abound in domestic examples. Do we think they thought anything in life was to be sought for themselves, except that which seemed to be praiseworthy and distinguished? Let the mockers of this speech and opinion therefore come, and let them judge even for themselves whether they would prefer to be similar to any of these who abound in marble houses and glittering gold, who abound in statues, in paintings, in engraved gold and silver, and in Corinthian works, or to Fabricius, who had none of these things, and wanted to have nothing. And these things, which are transferred now here and now there, are easily accustomed to be brought to the point where they deny they are good things. Yet they hold fast and defend accurately that pleasure is the highest good. Which voice, indeed, seems to me to be that of cattle, not of men. You, when to you, whether it be a god or nature—so to speak—of things

Numa Pompilius, or whether the drinking cups and clay vessels were less pleasing to the immortal gods, which we judge to be the delicate bowls of others. I omit the rest. For all parts are connected among themselves, except for the proud Brutus. If anyone asks what he did in liberating the fatherland, or if anyone asks the other associates of the same counsel what they experienced, what they followed. Does anyone exist for whom pleasure, for whom riches, for whom, in short, anything other than the duty of a brave and great man was set before them? What thing led Porsenna to his death? What impelled the bold man without any hope of his own safety? What force held Cocles alone on the bridge against all the enemy's forces? What force moved father Decius, who devoted his son and sent him into the armed forces of the enemy? What of the self-restraint of C. Fabricius? What of the simplicity of his diet? D., when he followed the triple path. What of the two bulwarks of the Punic war, Cn. and Publius Scipio, who thought the arrival of the Carthaginians must be blocked by their own bodies? What of Africanus the younger, what of the elder? What of Cato, who was killed among these crates? What of countless others? For we abound in domestic examples. Do we think they thought anything in life was to be sought for themselves, except that which seemed to be praiseworthy and distinguished? Let the mockers of this speech and opinion therefore come, and let them judge even for themselves whether they would prefer to be similar to any of these who abound in marble houses and glittering gold, who abound in statues, in paintings, in engraved gold and silver, and in Corinthian works, or to Fabricius, who had none of these things, and wanted to have nothing. And these things, which are transferred now here and now there, are easily accustomed to be brought to the point where they deny they are good things. Yet they hold fast and defend accurately that pleasure is the highest good. Which voice, indeed, seems to me to be that of cattle, not of men. You, when to you, whether it be a god or nature—so to speak—of things