his judgment sees aright, while his conduct, so far as continence goes, is weak; while the intellectual vision and the conduct of him whose case is the opposite are opposite. — Diogenes: How can this be right, when you have said before that nothing exists except knowledge, ignorance, and the recompense of each? Now you have acknowledged the exietence of knowledge, ignorance, continence, lust, and other things. — Aristotle: Do you not see that running water and ice resemble each other? Similar to this is the resemblance of lust to ignorance, and the rest are like this too. Being similar in operation they become one in name. — Diogenes: How do I know that ignorance is to lust as running water to ice? — Aristotle: Do you not see that both hurt the intellect, just as running water and ice neither tolerate heat? — Diogenes: This subject is over. Now tell me: Which science is the most proper for me. to pursue? — Aristotle: Since the pursuit of philosophy is the best of the pursuits of this world, and the recompense therefor is the greatest of the recompenses of the next world, philosophy is the best science that you can pursue. — Diogenes: Is there. any other knowledge besides philosophy or not? — Aristotle: The vulgar herd have a sort of knowledge and science and truth and honesty and generosity and other wasted virtues, which are as different from wisdom as the form of an· animal is from a picture or sketch on a wall. — Diogenes: Why do you call those virtues of the vulgar herd wasted? — Aristotle: On account of the ignorance of the vulgar with regard to them. — Diogenes: How so? — Aristotle: Because the vulgar wise man brings bis knowledge into play there where it will not increase his gain, and their merciful man spares him who is worthy of exemplary punishment, and their veracious man brings his veracity into play when it pleases him, though the truth be obscene, and their liberal man is liberal to the unworthy, and their faithful man keeps bis promises to people’s ruin, and their hearer hears to no purpose. Beyond a doubt these good qualities are wasted in them, and no more resemble the virtues of the wise than a painting on
