Plain
Seneca — The Senator

When Antigonus was besieging some Greeks in a small fort, the defenders made fun of how he looked. They mocked his short height and broken nose, confident that their strong position made them safe. Antigonus replied, "I'm delighted and expect good luck, because I have a Silenus in my camp." After he starved these clever jokers into surrender, he drafted the men who could fight and sold the rest as slaves at auction. He said he wouldn't have done this if it weren't better for people with such vicious tongues to be under a master's control.

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Facing Hardship Human Nature
Seneca — The Senator Original

as that of his countrymen; thus when he was besieging some Greeks in a little fort, and they, despising their enemy through their confidence in the strength of their position, cut many jokes upon the ugliness of Antigonus, at one time mocking him for his shortness of stature, at another for his broken nose, he answered, “I rejoice, and expect some good fortune because I have a Silenus in my camp.” After he had conquered these witty folk by hunger, his treatment of them was to form regiments of those who were fit for service, and sell the rest by public auction; nor would he, said he, have done this had it not been better that men who had such evil tongues should be under the control of a master.

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Seneca — The Senator

Antigonus could hear everything his soldiers said — there was only a thin piece of cloth between him and them. He quietly lifted it and said, "Move a little farther away, or the king might hear you." Another night, he heard some soldiers cursing him for leading them down a terrible road into deep mud. He went to the ones having the worst trouble and helped them out without letting them know who he was. Then he said, "Now curse Antigonus, whose fault it is that you got stuck in this mess. But bless the man who just pulled you out of it." This same Antigonus took his enemies' insults just as good-naturedly

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Human Nature Doing The Right Thing
Seneca — The Senator Original

Antigonus heard all they said, as was likely, since there was only a piece of cloth between the speakers and the listener, who gently raised it, and said “Go a little further off, for fear the king should hear you.” He also on one night, hearing some of his soldiers invoking everything that was evil upon their king for having brought them along that road and into that impassable mud, went to those who were in the greatest difficulties, and having extricated them without their knowing who was their helper, said, “Now curse Antigonus, by whose fault you have fallen into this trouble, but bless the man who has brought you out of this slough.” This same Antigonus bore the abuse of his enemies as good-naturedly

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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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