De principis temperantia

De principis temperantia

Temperance is like a seasoning for all virtues, enhancing every action we undertake. Indeed, as Tullius says, the adornment of all life and the calming of all disturbances is a principal effect; its main purpose is to temper and control anger. "For," as Ambrose says, "anger should be restrained, or if it cannot be contained, it should be held back." Resist the temptation to avoid it. The Office is important. . The reference is apparently to Tusc. This passage is not a quotation. However, the passage is not a quotation. "If you can, give; if you can't, then it's written: 'Give place to the one who can.'" "Hence the poet says: 'Conquer your anger, which you can overcome.'" "Also, Gaius Caesar in his speech for Catiline said: 'To no one of mortals.'" . . Cutil. . "Injury seems small to them." . . . What is called anger among others is known in authority as pride and cruelty. Behold, how beautiful is the dissuasion from anger of such a great prince, of whom no one has risen more powerful on earth. A prince should never be angry or act without mercy, especially when it comes to punishment. . . . A leader should never be angry or act without mercy, especially when it comes to punishment. A noble leader should strive to imitate the nobility of a lion. Hence the poet says: "A noble man knows how to spare those who are prostrate in anger, so you too should do the same, whoever rules in the world." Yet Tullius writes in his book on the Tusculans about this very thing. The Peripatetics say that anger is a form of courage, but they deny that someone can be a citizen if they do not know how to be angry. Furthermore, you should know this was said because, in a certain way of speaking, actions of anger are said to arise either from the rigor of justice or from the rationale of vengeance. Therefore, it is sometimes attributed to the divine nature that anger, at times, and fury, at other times, are part of the same type of discourse. They call this figure 'human suffering.' In this regard, Seneca describes the double effect of anger with these words: "The fury of anger overwhelms and drains good health, and it disrupts the path of truth and the state of a well-ordered mind"; and elsewhere, "Temperance brings good health." Therefore, it is necessary to temper anger, not just for the sake of modesty, but also for the sake of health. In addition, Ambrose says, "Let our discussions be without anger, sweetness without bitterness, correction without harshness, and admonition without offense." As Plutarch beautifully describes anger in the correction of a child, "If a child born of a teacher offers complaints or groans or cries, he is to be chastised with serious and reproachful words after a beating, and after a little while, gently and lightly, he is to be corrected: 'Because I strike you, do you think I am angry with you?" Am I being corrected because of my desire, or because of my appearance, or because of my voice, or even because of my words, as if I were caught up in a frenzy of anger? I don’t think my eyes are fierce, nor is my face troubled; I don’t cry out in a wild way, nor do I have a red face. 'I boil with rage and froth, not out of shame or pain,' I say, 'I do not burn with fever, nor do I see anything clear.' These are all signs of anger if you don't recognize them. Seneca also wrote to Lucilius: "The heart beats with the impulses of anger, the body trembles, the tongue stutters, the face flushes, the eyes become inflamed, and one does not recognize oneself at all." Anger indeed tightens the brow, brings a frown to the eyes, stirs up the spirit, inflames the face, rushes out words, arms the hands, and quickens the steps. When anger is present in a leader, as Solomon testifies, it should be like the roar of a lion; a leader must not be quick to anger, lest the world feel it. Let not the mind of a ruler be easily stirred to anger, nor let it pour out wrath frequently and without cause, like a child who carelessly throws things around and then picks them up again; let it also not be the case that he seeks to satisfy his anger through frequent violence and bloodshed. A prince's mind should never be disturbed by anger, or only very rarely; and then only when there is a clear cause and the need for retribution is evident, while maintaining a sense of modesty. Just as a teacher suppresses childish excesses and doesn't allow them to escalate, and just as a doctor addresses ailments without being disturbed, so a righteous prince must deal with vices. Therefore, Pythagoras said: "All things that should be avoided must be cut off in every way, and the languor of the body, the sloth of the mind, the luxury of the heart, the discord of the city, and the strife at home must be eliminated from all things that lead to intemperance." Additionally, Tullius in his third book of the Tusculan Questions states: "The source of all disturbances is intemperance." . . This is maintained by the judgment of the mind. Therefore, not only does temperance restrain harmful impulses and all illicit movements of the mind, as well as harmful luxuries and desires, but it is also undoubtedly proven to be a kind of seasoning for other virtues and a binding force; indeed, without this virtue, no other can truly stand, and if it is omitted, no one can strive for other virtues without frustration.