- Source
- Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, R. D., editor. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1925.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.8-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0004.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.2.41-5.2.44
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- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-09-26
This section records Theophrastus's dying charge to his pupils, his death and public funeral in Athens, and the initial portion of the extensive catalogue of his philosophical works.
ἡμεῖς γὰρ ὁπότʼ ἀρχόμεθα ζῆν, τότʼ ἀποθνήσκομεν. οὐδὲν οὖν ἀλυσιτελέστερόν ἐστι φιλοδοξίας. ἀλλʼ εὐτυχεῖτε καὶ ἤτοι τὸν λόγον ἄφετε—πολὺς γὰρ ὁ πόνος—ἢ καλῶς αὐτοῦ πρόστητε1· μεγάλη γὰρ ἡ δόξα. τὸ δὲ κενὸν τοῦ βίου πλέον τοῦ συμφέροντος. ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκέτʼ ἐκποιεῖ2 βουλεύεσθαι τί πρακτέον, ὑμεῖς δʼ ἐπισκέψασθε τί ποιητέον. ταῦτα, φασίν, εἰπὼν ἀπέπνευσε· καὶ αὐτόν, ὡς ὁ λόγος, Ἀθηναῖοι πανδημεὶ παρέπεμψαν ποσί, τὸν ἄνδρα τιμήσαντες. Φαβωρῖνος δέ φησι γηράσαντα αὐτὸν ἐν φορείῳ περιφέρεσθαι· καὶ τοῦτο λέγειν Ἕρμιππον, παρατιθέμενον ἱστορεῖν Ἀρκεσίλαον3 τὸν Πιταναῖον ἐν οἷς ἔφασκε πρὸς Λακύδην τὸν Κυρηναῖον.
"For just as we begin to live, at that very moment we die. Nothing, therefore, is more unprofitable than the love of fame. But may you prosper, and either abandon discourse—for the toil is great—or champion it nobly; for great is the glory. Yet the emptiness of life is greater than what is profitable. However, it is no longer open to me to deliberate on what is to be done, but you must consider what you ought to do." Having said these things, they say, he expired; and the Athenians, as the report goes, escorted him on foot en masse, honoring the man. But Favorinus says that in his old age he was carried about in a litter, and that Hermippus states this, citing Arcesilaus of Pitane as recounting it in his remarks to Lacydes of Cyrene.
Καταλέλοιπε δὲ βιβλία καὶ αὐτὸς ὅτι μάλιστα πάμπλειστα, ἃ καὶ αὐτὰ ἄξιον ἡγησάμην ὑπογράψαι διὰ τὸ πάσης ἀρετῆς πεπληρῶσθαι. ἔστι δὲ τάδε· Ἀναλυτικῶν προτέρων α′ β′ γ′. Ἀναλυτικῶν ὑστέρων α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′ ζ′. Περὶ ἀναλύσεως συλλογισμῶν α′. Ἀναλυτικῶν ἐπιτομὴ α′. Ἀνηγμένων τόπων α′ β′. Ἀγωνιστικὸν τῆς περὶ τοὺς ἐρωτικοὺς λόγους θεωρίας Περὶ αἰσθήσεων α′. Πρὸς Ἀναξαγόραν α′. Περὶ τῶν Ἀναξαγόρου α′. Περὶ τῶν Ἀναξιμένους α′. Περὶ τῶν Ἀρχελάου α′. Περὶ ἁλῶν, νίτρου, στυπτηρίας α′. Περὶ τῶν λιθουμένων α′ β′. Περὶ τῶν ἀτόμων γραμμῶν α′. Ἀκροάσεως α′ β′. Περὶ ἀνέμων α′. Ἀρετῶν διαφοραὶ α′. Περὶ βασιλείας α′. Περὶ παιδείας βασιλέως α′. Περὶ βίων α′ β′ γ′.
He himself has also left behind a very great number of books, which I deemed worthy of listing as they are filled with every excellence. They are as follows: Prior Analytics, 3 books. Posterior Analytics, 7 books. On the Analysis of Syllogisms, 1 book. Epitome of Analytics, 1 book. Reduced Topics, 2 books. Polemical Discussion of the Theory of Erotic Discourses. On the Senses, 1 book. Against Anaxagoras, 1 book. On the Doctrines of Anaxagoras, 1 book. On the Doctrines of Anaximenes, 1 book. On the Doctrines of Archelaus, 1 book. On Salts, Nitre, and Alum, 1 book. On Petrifactions, 2 books. On Indivisible Lines, 1 book. Lectures on Physics, 2 books. On Winds, 1 book. Differences of Virtues, 1 book. On Kingship, 1 book. On the Education of a King, 1 book. On Lives, 3 books.
Περὶ γήρως α′. Περὶ τῆς Δημοκρίτου ἀστρολογίας α′. Τῆς μεταρσιολεσχίας α′. Περὶ τῶν εἰδώλων α′. Περὶ χυμῶν, χροῶν, σαρκῶν α′. Περὶ τοῦ διακόσμου α′. Περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων α′. Τῶν Διογένους συναγωγὴ α′. Διορισμῶν α′ β′ γ′. Ἐρωτικὸς α′. Άλλο περὶ ἔρωτος α′. Περὶ εὐδαιμονίας α′. Περὶ εἰδῶν α′ β′. Περὶ ἐπιλήψεως α′. Περὶ ἐνθουσιασμοῦ α′. Περὶ Ἐμπεδοκλέους α′. Ἐπιχειρημάτων α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′ ζ′ η′ θ′ ι′ ια′ ιβ′ ιγ′ ιδ′ ιε′ ις′ ιζ′ ιη′. Ἐνστάσεων α′ β′ γ′. Περὶ ἑκουσίου α′. Ἐπιτομὴ τῆς Πλάτωνος Πολιτείας α′ β′. Περὶ ἑτεροφωνίας ζῴων τῶν ὁμογενῶν α′. Περὶ τῶν ἀθρόων φαινομένων α′. Περὶ δακέτων καὶ βλητικῶν α′. Περὶ τῶν ζῴων ὅσα λέγεται φθονεῖν α′. Περὶ τῶν ἐν ξηρῷ διαμενόντων α′.
On Old Age, 1 book. On the Astronomy of Democritus, 1 book. On Discussion of Celestial Phenomena, 1 book. On Images, 1 book. On Humors, Colors, and Flesh, 1 book. On the World-Order, 1 book. On Men, 1 book. Collection of the Doctrines of Diogenes, 1 book. On Definitions, 3 books. A Dialogue on Love, 1 book. Another on Love, 1 book. On Happiness, 1 book. On Forms, 2 books. On Epilepsy, 1 book. On Divine Inspiration, 1 book. On Empedocles, 1 book. On Arguments, 18 books. On Objections, 3 books. On the Voluntary, 1 book. Epitome of Plato's Republic, 2 books. On the Differences of Voice in Animals of the Same Genus, 1 book. On Sudden Phenomena, 1 book. On Animals that Bite and Strike, 1 book. On Animals Said to be Envious, 1 book. On Animals that Live on Dry Land, 1 book.
Περὶ τῶν τὰς χρόας μεταβαλλόντων α′. Περὶ τῶν φωλευόντων α′. Περὶ ζῴων α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′ ζ′. Περὶ ἡδονῆς ὡς Ἀριστοτέλης α′. Περὶ ἡδονῆς ἄλλο α′. Θέσεις κδ′. Περὶ θερμοῦ καὶ ψυχροῦ α′. Περὶ ἰλίγγων καὶ σκοτωσεων α′. Περὶ ἱδρώτων α′. Περὶ καταφάσεως καὶ ἀποφάσεως α′. Καλλισθένης ἢ περὶ πένθους α′. Περὶ κόπων α. Περὶ κινήσεως α′ β′ γ′. Περὶ λίθων α′. Περὶ λοιμῶν α′. Περὶ λιποψυχίας α′. Μεγαρικὸς α′. Περὶ μελαγχολίας α′. Περὶ μετάλλων α′ β′. Περὶ μέλιτος α′. Περὶ τῶν Μητροδώρου συναγωγῆς α′. Μεταρσιολογικῶν α′ β′. Περὶ μέθης α′. Νόμων κατὰ στοιχεῖον κδ′. Νόμων ἐπιτομῆς α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′ ζ′ η′ θ′ ι′.
On Animals that Change Their Colors, 1 book. On Hibernating Animals, 1 book. On Animals, 7 books. On Pleasure according to Aristotle, 1 book. Another on Pleasure, 1 book. Theses, 24 books. On Hot and Cold, 1 book. On Dizziness and Vertigo, 1 book. On Sweats, 1 book. On Affirmation and Negation, 1 book. Callisthenes, or On Grief, 1 book. On Fatigue, 1 book. On Motion, 3 books. On Stones, 1 book. On Pestilences, 1 book. On Fainting, 1 book. The Megarian, 1 book. On Melancholy, 1 book. On Minerals, 2 books. On Honey, 1 book. On the Collection of Metrodorus's Doctrines, 1 book. Meteorology, 2 books. On Drunkenness, 1 book. Laws Alphabetically Arranged, 24 books. Epitome of Laws, 10 books.
- 5.2.41αὐτοῦ πρόστητε
Aorist active subjunctive second-person plural of προΐστημι, functioning as an exhortation/command parallel to the preceding imperative ἄφετε within the correlative construction ἤτοι... ἤ ('either... or'). It governs the genitive pronoun αὐτοῦ (referring to τὸν λόγον), with the sense of 'stand at the head of', 'champion', or 'preside over'.
- 5.2.41οὐκέτʼ ἐκποιεῖ
The impersonal verb ἐκποιεῖ takes a dative of person (ἐμοί) and a complementary infinitive (βουλεύεσθαι), meaning 'it is open to / permitted / possible for someone'. Combined with the negative οὐκέτι, it conveys that deliberation is no longer possible for the dying philosopher.
- 5.2.41παρατιθέμενον ἱστορεῖν Ἀρκεσίλαον
A nested indirect discourse construction. Ἕρμιππον serves as the accusative subject of the infinitive λέγειν (dependent on φησι), and the middle participle παρατιθέμενον ('citing' / 'alleging') modifies Ἕρμιππον. In turn, παρατιθέμενον governs the accusative-and-infinitive construction ἱστορεῖν Ἀρκεσίλαον ('that Arcesilaus recounts').