21. Stoicism and Epicurism have their roots in this distinction, and are to be regarded merely as a new and marked form in which the distinction was propounded and enforced. The Stoic assigns pre-eminence to thought, reason, the spirit. The Epicurean gives the chief place to feeling, sensation, the flesh. When Stoicism is carried to excess, it leads to pride, and asceticism, and pharisaism. When Epicurism is carried to excess, it degenerates into effeminacy and carnality.
22. But we should form a very erroneous estimate of these two schemes if we looked at them merely in their excess. Pride and austerity are the abuses of Stoicism. Effeminacy and sensuality are the vices of Epicurism. By looking to these abuses we certainly obtain some notion of the tendencies of these systems, but we gain no insight into their true principles and essential characteristics.
23. To form a correct estimate, then, of Stoicism and Epicurism we must study them, not as they appear when carried to an extreme, but as they develop themselves when inculcated with propriety and moderation. Let us ask, first of all, in what respect they agree? They agree in holding that happiness, of one kind or another, is the great end of man. With both of them happiness or satisfaction is the summum bonum. They further agree in holding that a life according to nature is the means, and the only means,
