I am paying an old debt to another. How should the men of to-day
know that ancient hero, who so resolutely avoided the glory which
pressed upon him, who went into danger with the same look which
other men wear when they have escaped from danger, who never
regarded his own interest as apart from that of the commonwealth?"
"Where," you ask, "or who is he? whence does he come?" "You know
him not; it lies with me to balance the debit and credit account in
such cases as these; I know how much I owe to each man; I repay
some after a long interval, others beforehand, according as my
opportunities and the exigencies of my social system permit." I
shall, therefore, sometimes bestow somewhat upon an ungrateful man,
though not for his own sake.

XXXIII. "What," argues he, "if you do not know whether your man be
ungrateful or grateful--will you wait until you know, or will you
not lose the opportunity of bestowing a benefit? To wait is a long
business--for, as Plato says, it is hard to form an opinion about
the human mind,--not to wait, is rash." To this objector we shall
answer, that we never should wait for absolute knowledge of the
whole case, since the discovery of truth is an arduous task, but
should proceed in the direction in which truth appeared to direct
us. All our actions proceed in this direction: it is thus that we
sow seed, that we sail upon the sea, that we serve in the army,
marry, and bring up children. The result of all these actions is
uncertain, so we take that course from which we believe that good
results may be hoped for. Who can guarantee a harvest to the sower,
a harbour to the sailor, victory to the soldier, a modest wife to
the husband, dutiful children to the father? We proceed in the way
in which reason, not absolute truth, directs us. Wait, do nothing
that will not turn out well, form no opinion until you have