Part VIII.

Court, no man faith, the King himfelf is prefer¬ red to Dignity, but thole who are in fome Ho- ■ nour, next and fecond to him in Rank : fo when we Ipeak of life, we call not thofe things which are in the firft place, the preferred or promoted, but thofe which are in the fecond and lb like- wife in the rejebfed. Now forafinuch as good hath the firft place, it follows, that what is pre¬ ferred, is neither good nor ill. No good is reck¬ oned a mongft the preferred, bccaufe that hath the greateft effimation j but the preferred having the fecond effimation, approacheth fomewhat to the nature of good. It is called preferred, not that it conduceth to Beatitude, but in refpeft of the reje£fed. We define it thus : An Indifferent zmth mean effimation-., for it could not be, that nothing fhould be left in mean things, that is according to, or contrary to nature, neither be- ing lefr, that nothing fliould be placed in them, which is fufficiently effimable, this being grant¬ ed, that there is not fomethiiig preferred. Right¬ ly therefore this diftin£lion is made, and may more fully be explained by thisfimily. As if we fhould fuppofe our ultimate end, to be fo to caff the Die that it may chance right, the Die that fhall be fo caff as to fall right, muff have fome- thing prepofed and preferred towards its end ^ and on the other fide the contrary ^ yet the pre- pofition of the Die, nothing conduceth to that endj fo thofe which are preferred, relate indeed to the end, but nothing pertain to the power and nature thereof
/ Lctert. Stob. f the preferred, fome are in the 5(3///, as in¬
genuity, art, progreffion, and the like ^ fome in the Body, as Life,Health,Strength, Ability, Sound- nefs. Beauty fome external, as Riches, Ho¬ nour, Nobility, and the like.
g Laert. Stob. g In like manner of the rejetled, fome are in the Soul, as Habitude, Ignorance^ fome in the Bo¬ dy, as Death, Sicknefs, Infirmity, Maim, Defor¬ mity. Some external, as Poverty, Difhonour and Meannefs.
Likewife of the Neuter, fome are in the Soul, as Imagination, Affent; fome in the Body, as whitenefs, blacknefs-, fome external, which hav¬ ing no effimation orufe,areof little value.
Thofe which aie preferred in the Soul, con¬ duce more to living according to Nature, and are of more worth than thofe of the Body,or the ex¬ ternal, as to have a good difpofition of mind, is
• ' better than to have a good difpofition of Body.
h Stob. Again, of the preferred, fome are preferred
foi themfelves, as ingenuity, countenance, Rate, notion, and the like^ fome for others, bccaufe they eftea fomething, as Riches, and Nobility 3 fome both for themf elves and others, as health Ifrength, foundnefs, ability : for themfelves, as being according to Nature; for others, as af¬ fording no fmall benefit.
i Cjc.de fin. 3. ^ As concerning Reputation, Chryfip-
pus Diogenes that being feparated
from utility, we fhould not fb much as ffretch out our finger for it. But thofe who followed them, not able to withftand Carneades, affirmed Reputation to be preferred fbr it felf, and that it was proper for an ingenuous man freely educa- ^d,to defire to be well fpoken of by his Parents, Kindred, and good men, and that for the thing It fell, not for the ufe thereof; adding, that as we provide for Children, though to be born after
our death ; fo we muft provide for future Repu¬ tation after death, even for its own fake fepara¬ ted from all ufe. ^
^^nner of the rejebled,- Home zichstob rejeffed ybr themfelves, ibme for others, fome ‘^othfer themfelves and others.^ tvhich appears by
the Rule of Contraries. ^
CHAP. XIIL of ASions and Offices.
OF thoft Afilions which proceed from appe¬ tite, fome 'dicOffices, fome p)\tter Offices, lome neuter. ’
a Office is that which is preferred, and hath a ^ Lmt. Gc. good reafbn for the doing thereof^ as being con* defin. 3. venient to life ; or, as others. Office is whatfo- ever Reafon requireth to be done, as to honour our Brethren, Parents, Country, to relieve our Friends. Zeno firft gave it this name, Do KccSnuoy,
Office, TO ijKHv. It is an aftion conform- diflates of nature, and extends even to Plants, and irrational living creatures, for Of¬ fices may even be obferved in thofe.
Rrdtter-office is an aflion, which reafbn ac¬ quired! that we do not, as,to negleft our Parents, to contemn our Brethren, to difagree with our Friends, to defpife our Country, and the like.
ih cuter are thofe Abtions which Reafbn neither mquireth nor fbrbiddeth, as the taking up of a Straw.
b Of Offices, fome are perfeff, called Stob.
Reffitudes, aflions done according to Vir¬ tue; as, to do wifely, to do juftly ; others not- reffitudes,iQ:ions which have not a perfeH office but a mediate; as to Marry, to go an Embaflie! to Difcourfe, and the like.
Of ReUitudes, R)V[)Q2lIQ in things requi/ite, o- thers not : Of the firft kind are, to be wife, tem¬ perate, and the like: Of the fecond, thofe which are not requifite to the being fuch. In like manner are proeter offices.
Again, of Offices, fome are ordinary,^s,to have a care of our felves, of our limbs, and the like :
Some ext raordinary, ^s,to maim our felves throw
away our goods. Accordingly is it of preeter- offices. ^
*Again, of fome are continual, as, to live vertuoully : fome intermiffive, as, to quefti- on, anfwer, walk, and the like. Accordingly it is of preeter offices.
c Office is a mean thing, placed neither a-c C/c. mongft the good,nor their contraries ; for,there is fomething in this approvable,fo as a right reafon may be given for it, as done approvably. That which is fo done is office. And forafmuch as in thofe things which are neither Virtues nor Vices there is fomething which may be of ufe it is not to be taken away. Again, it is manifeft, that a wife man doth fomething in thefe mean things, he thgefore, when he doth it, judgeth that ftis his office fo to do ; but, a wife man is never de- ■ pived in judgment, therefore there is an office in mean things. Again, we fee there is fomething which we calla thing rightly done, or ReHi- tude,but that is a perfeff office; therefore there is an mchoat office ; as, if it be aRcflitude juffly to jeftore a depofitum ; to reftore a depofitum
muft
0
I
ZENO.