Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/309

 Rh and cry you down; Nay, tho' a brace of Lions should quarter upon your Carcass, and tear you Limb from Limb. For pray how can any thing of this, reach up to your Mind, and ruffle her serenity ? How can it prevent your passing a right Judgment upon your Circumstances, and making the best use of them ? And thus your Reason may repel the Attack, and argue thus against the Object of Terror.

"Look ye ! You are not so Fierce as you are Painted ; Nature has made you one thing, and common mistake another. To be plain, I expected to engage you, and now you are come. I'le turn you to some account or other. For 'tis my way, to make every thing serve for something."

In short, you may work any Accident into an instance of Virtue; into a performance of some Duty, either to God, or Man: By consequence we need not be surpriz'd, or over-set by any Rencounter. For to take things rightly, there's nothing new in them , or difficult to deal with.

LXX. He that's come to the top of Wisdom, and Practice, spends every Day as if it were his last; And is never guilty of over-driving, Sluggishness, or Insincerity.

LXXI. Tho' the God's are immortal, and have their patience tryed through so Rh