two he set below the neck in a place befitting their functions, where it is their part to obey the commands of the directing soul. Doubtless our creator, fearing to mix the heavenly with the mortal, placed the different souls in different parts and kept their dwelling-places distinct. Near to the heart whence springs our blood there is within the breast a place where fiery anger lurks, eager to hurt and uncontrolled. This cavity swells when heated by rage and contracts when cooled by fear. Then, since anger swept everything away with it and in its fury gave the limbs no rest, Prometheus invented the lungs to aid the body and applied their humidity to the raging of anger to soothe our wrath-swollen flesh. Lust, that asks for everything and gives nought, was driven down into the liver and of necessity occupied the lowest room. Like a beast, opening its capacious jaws, lust can never be full fed nor satisfied; it is a prey now to the cruel lash of sleepless avarice, now to the fiery goads of love; is swayed now by joy, now by misery, and is no sooner fed than fain to be fed again, returning with more insistence than the oft-beheaded hydra.
“Can any assuage this tumult he will assure an inviolable sanctuary for a spotless soul. Thou mayest hold sway o’er farthest India, be obeyed by Mede, unwarlike Arab or Chinese, yet, if thou fearest, hast evil desires, art swayed by anger, thou wilt bear the yoke of slavery; within thyself thou wilt be a slave to tyrannical rule. When thou canst be king over thyself then shalt thou hold rightful rule over the world. The easier way often trod leads to worse; liberty begets licence and, when uncontrolled, leads to vice. Then is a chaste
asperius, cum prompta Venus; tum durius irae 265 consulitur, cum poena patet. sed comprime motus nec tibi quid liceat, sed quid fecisse decebit occurrat, mentemque domet respectus honesti. “Hoc te praeterea crebro sermone monebo, ut te totius medio telluris in ore 270 vivere cognoscas, cunctis tua gentibus esse facta palam nec posse dari regalibus usquam secretum vitiis; nam lux altissima fati occultum nihil esse sinit, latebrasque per omnes intrat et abstrusos explorat fama recessus. 275 “Sis pius in primis; nam cum vincamur in omni munere, sola deos aequat clementia nobis. neu dubie suspectus agas neu falsus amicis rumorumve avidus: qui talia curat, inanes horrebit strepitus nulla non anxius hora. 280 non sic excubiae, non circumstantia pila quam tutatur amor. non extorquebis amari; hoc alterna fides, hoc simplex gratia donat. nonne vides, operum quod se pulcherrimus ipse mundus amore liget, nec vi conexa per aevum 285 conspirent elementa sibi? quod limite Phoebus contentus medio, contentus litore pontus et, qui perpetuo terras ambitque vehitque, nec premat incumbens oneri nec cesserit aër? qui terret, plus ipse timet; sors ista tyrannis 290 convenit; invideant claris fortesque trucident,