8.  Things hoped for that fail of realization are wont to grieve some persons more than the loss of things never expected at all.  They regard the latter as far from them and so pursue them less, as if they belonged to others, whereas the former they approach closely, and grieve for them as if deprived of rightful possessions. (Mai, p. 558.)

9.  Expectation of danger, without danger, puts the person expecting in the position of having made things secure beforehand through imagining some coming unpleasantness. (Mai, p. 560, from Antonius Melissa.)

10.  To be elated by good fortune is like running the stadium race on a slippery course. (Mai, ib., also from Antonius.)

11.  The same author [i.e., Dio the Roman] said:  “Is it not an outrage to trouble the gods, when we ourselves are not willing to do what the gods deem to be in our power?” (Mai, p. 561, from the Anthology of Arsenius.)

12.  The same said:  “It is much better to win some success and be envied than to fail and be pitied.” (Mai, ib., from Arsenius.)

13.  The same said:  “It is impossible for any one who acts contrary to right principles to derive any benefit from them.” (Mai, p. 562.)

[Sidenote:  FRAG.  CVIII] [Sidenote:  B.C. 70 (a.u. 684)] The Cretans sent an embassy to the Romans, hoping to renew the old truce and furthermore to obtain some kindness for their preservation of the quaestor and his fellow soldiers.  But they, rather imbued with anger at their failure to overcome the Cretans than grateful to the enemy for not having destroyed them, made no reasonable answer and demanded back from them all the captives and deserters.  They demanded hostages and large sums of money, required the largest ships and the chief men to be given up, and would not wait for an answer from the envoys’ country but sent out one of the consuls immediately to take possession of those things and make war upon them if they failed to give,—­as proved to be the case.  For the men who at the outset, before any such demand was made and before they had conquered, had refused to make terms would naturally not endure after their victory the imposition of exorbitant demands of such a character.  The Romans knowing this clearly and suspecting further that the envoys would try to corrupt some persons with money, so as to hinder the expedition, voted in the senate that no one should lend them anything. (Ursinus, p. 388.)