Recording of the Discourses and Their Unintended Publication — Arrian, Epistle to Lucius Gellius 1–8, Greek & English

§1

Ἀρριανὸς Λουκίῳ Γελλίῳ χαίρειν. Οὔτε συνέγραψα ἐγὼ τοὺς Ἐπικτήτου λόγους οὕτως ὅπως ἄν τις συγγράψειε τὰ τοιαῦτα οὔτε ἐξήνεγκα εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτός, ὅς γε οὐδὲ συγγράψαι φημι.¹

Arrian to Lucius Gellius, greeting. I did not compose the discourses of Epictetus in the way that one might write such things, nor did I myself publish them to the world, seeing that I do not even claim to have written them.

§2

ὅσα δὲ ἤκουον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ταῦτα αὐτὰ ἐπειράθην αὐτοῖς ὀνόμασιν ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν γραψάμενος ὑπομνήματα εἰς ὕστερον ἐμαυτῷ διαφυλάξαι τῆς ἐκείνου διανοίας καὶ παρρησίας.

But whatever I heard him say, these very things I tried to write down in his own words as far as possible, and preserve them for myself hereafter as memoranda of his mind and openness of speech.

§3

ἔστι δὴ τοιαῦτα ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ὁποῖα ἄν τις αὐτόθεν ὁρμηθεὶς εἴποι πρὸς ἕτερον, οὐχ ὁποῖα ἂν ἐπὶ τῷ ὕστερον ἐντυγχάνειν τινὰς αὐτοῖς² συγγράφοι. τοιαῦτα δʼ ὄντα οὐκ οἴδα ὅπως οὔτε ἑκόντος ἐμοῦ οὔτε εἰδότος ἐξέπεσεν εἰς ἀνθρώπους.

They are indeed of such a kind as one might naturally say to another on the impulse of the moment, not such as one would compose for others to read later. Being of this nature, I do not know how, without either my consent or my knowledge, they got published into the world.

§5

ἀλλʼ ἐμοί γε οὐ πολὑς λόγος, εἰ οὐχ ἴκανὸς φανοῦμαι συγγράφειν, Ἐπικτήτῳ τε οὐδʼ ὀλίγος, εἰ καταφρονήσει τις αὐτοῦ τῶν λόγων, ἐπεὶ καὶ λέγων αὐτοὺς οὐδενὸς ἄλλου δῆλος ἦν ἐφιέμενος ὅτι μὴ κινῆσαι³ τὰς γνώμας τῶν ἀκουόντων πρὸς τὰ βέλτιστα.

But to me indeed it is of no great concern if I shall appear incapable of writing; and to Epictetus it is not of the slightest concern if anyone shall despise his discourses, since when he spoke them he was clearly desiring nothing else than to move the minds of his hearers towards what is best.

§6

εἰ μὲν δὴ τοῦτό γε αὐτὸ διαπράττοιντο οἶ λόγοι οὗτοι, ἔχοι‹εν› ἂν οἶμαι ὅπερ χρὴ ἔχειν τοὺς τῶν φιλοσόφων λόγους·

If indeed these discourses should accomplish this very thing, they would have, I think, what the discourses of philosophers ought to have.

§7

εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνο ἴστωσαν οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες ὅτι, αὐτὸς ὁπότε ἔλεγεν αὐτούς, ἀνάγκη ἦν τοῦτο πάσχειν τὸν ἀκροώμενον αὐτῶν ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸν παθεῖν ήβούλετο.

But if not, yet let those who read them know this: that when he himself spoke them, it was inevitable for the hearer to feel exactly what he wished him to feel.

§8

εἰ δʼ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοὶ ἐφʼ αὐτῶν τοῦτο οὐ διαπράτ τονται, τυχὸν μὲν ἐγὼ αἴτιος, τυχὸν δὲ καὶ ἀνάγκη οὕ τως ἔχειν. ἔρρωσο.

If, however, the words by themselves do not accomplish this, perhaps I am the cause, or perhaps it is inevitable that it should be so. Farewell.

Syntax notes3 items

1ὅς γε οὐδὲ συγγράψαι φημι
The relative pronoun ὅς is accompanied by the intensive particle γε, adding a causal explanation ('inasmuch as I...', 'since I...') to the preceding clause. The infinitive συγγράψαι functions as the complement of φημί; since its subject is identical to the subject of the governing verb, the subject accusative of the infinitive is omitted.
3ἐπὶ τῷ ὕστερον ἐντυγχάνειν τινὰς αὐτοῖς
The preposition ἐπί governs the dative articular infinitive (τῷ ἐντυγχάνειν) to express purpose or intended condition ('with a view to people reading them later'). τινάς is the subject accusative of the infinitive, and αὐτοῖς is the dative object governed by the compound verb ἐντυγχάνω.
5δῆλος ἦν ἐφιέμενος ὅτι μὴ κινῆσαι
The adjective δῆλος with the participle ἐφιέμενος forms a personal construction ('he was clearly desiring...'). ὅτι μή is an idiomatic phrase meaning 'except' or 'unless'; combined with the preceding negative genitive οὐδενὸς ἄλλου, it expresses the limitation 'desiring nothing other than to move...'. The infinitive κινῆσαι serves as the object of the participle ἐφιέμενος.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0074.tlg008.humanitext-grc1:1-8