XV. Be not deceived; for thou shalt never live to read thy
moral commentaries, nor the acts of the famous Romans and Grecians;
nor those excerpta from several books; all which thou hadst
provided and laid up for thyself against thine old age.
Hasten therefore to an end, and giving over all vain hopes,
help thyself in time if thou carest for thyself, as thou
oughtest to do. XVI. To steal, to sow, to buy, to be at rest,
to see what is to be done (which is not seen by the eyes,
but by another kind of sight:) what these words mean,
and how many ways to be understood, they do not understand.
The body, the soul, the understanding. As the senses naturally
belong to the body, and the desires and affections to the soul,
so do the dogmata to the understanding.

XVII. To be capable of fancies and imaginations, is common to man
and beast. To be violently drawn and moved by the lusts and desires
of the soul, is proper to wild beasts and monsters, such as Phalaris
and Nero were. To follow reason for ordinary duties and actions is
common to them also, who believe not that there be any gods, and for
their advantage would make no conscience to betray their own country;
and who when once the doors be shut upon them, dare do anything.
If therefore all things else be common to these likewise, it follows,
that for a man to like and embrace all things that happen and are
destinated unto him, and not to trouble and molest that spirit which is
seated in the temple of his own breast, with a multitude of vain fancies
and imaginations, but to keep him propitious and to obey him as a god,
never either speaking anything contrary to truth, or doing anything
contrary to justice, is the only true property of a good man.
And such a one, though no man should believe that he liveth as he doth,