about someone who you cannot control and who cannot control you. the first is humiliation and disgrace and is not a virtue. the opinion is for someone who fears what is more severe than what he can bear which is abandonment and distancing. the second is virtue and righteousness which is true patience and it is what the virtuous are described with. the third is divided into two parts either the rudeness is from someone who did not do it except by mistake and slapstick and knows the ugliness of what he did and regrets it so patience with him is virtue and an obligation and it is true patience. as for someone who does not know his own worth and thinks that he has a right to extend it so he does not regret what he did before so patience with him is humiliation for the patient and corruption for the one who is patient with him because it increases its spread and competing with him is foolishness. the correct thing is to inform him that it was possible for him to take revenge on him and that he only left it out of contempt for him and to protect himself from his recourse and nothing more should be added to that. as for the rudeness of the base the only response to it is punishment alone.
عن من لا تقدر عليه ولا يقدر عليك. فالأول ذل ومهانة وليس من الفضائل، والرأي لمن خشي ما هو أشد مما يصبر عليه، المتاركة والمباعدة، والثاني فضل وبر وهو الحلم على الحقيقة، وهو الذي يوصف به الفضلاء، والثالث ينقسم قسمين إما أن يكون الجفاء ممن لم يقع منه إلا على سبيل الغلطة والوهلة ويعلم قبح ما أتى به ويندم عليه، فالصبر عليه فضل وفرض، وهو حلم على الحقيقة، وأما من كان لا يدري مقدار نفسه ويظن أن لها حقا يستطيل به، فلا يندم على ما سلف منه، فالصبر عليه ذل للصابر وإفساد للمصبور عليه، لأنه يزيد استشراء، والمقارضة له سخف، والصواب إعلامه بأنه كان ممكنا أن ينتصر منه، وأنه إنما ترك ذلك استرذالا له فقط، وصيانة عن مراجعته، ولا يزاد على ذلك. وأما جفاء السفلة فليس جوابه الا النكال وحده.