§1τὴν γενομένην μοι σχολὴν περὶ τοῦ ἀκούειν, ὦ Νίκανδρε, ἀπέσταλκά σοι γράψας, ὅπως εἰδῇς τοῦ πείθοντος ὀρθῶς ἀκούειν, ὅτε τῶν προσταττόντων ἀπήλλαξαι τὸ ἀνδρεῖον ἀνειληφὼς ἱμάτιον.
The leisure that occurred to me for listening, O Nicander, I have written down and sent to you, so that you may know how to listen rightly to the one who persuades, now that you have been released from those who command and have assumed the manly cloak.
ἀναρχία μὲν γάρ, ἣν ἔνιοι τῶν νέων ἐλευθερίαν ἀπαιδευσίᾳ νομίζουσι, χαλεπωτέρους ἐκείνων τῶν ἐν παισὶ διδασκάλων καὶ παιδαγωγῶν δεσπότας ἐφίστησι τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ὥσπερ ἐκ δεσμῶν λυθείσας· καὶ καθάπερ Ἡρόδοτός φησιν ἅμα τῷ χιτῶνι συνεκδύεσθαι τὴν αἰδῶ τὰς γυναῖκας, οὕτως ἔνιοι τῶν νέων ἅμα τῷ τὸ παιδικὸν ἱμάτιον ἀποθέσθαι συναποθέμενοι τὸ αἰδεῖσθαι καὶ φοβεῖσθαι καὶ λύσαντες τὴν κατασχηματίζουσαν αὐτοὺς περιβολὴν εὐθὺς ἐμπίπλανται τῆς ἀναγωγίας.
For anarchy, which some of the youth through lack of education consider to be freedom, sets up their desires, as if released from bonds, as masters more harsh than those teachers and pedagogues of their childhood; and just as Herodotus says that women, together with their tunic, strip off their modesty, so some of the youth, as soon as they put off the cloak of childhood, strip off at the same time their respect and fear, and having undone the clothing that gave them shape, they are immediately filled with undisciplined behavior.
σὺ δὲ πολλάκις ἀκηκοὼς ὅτι ταὐτόν ἐστι τὸ ἕπεσθαι θεῷ καὶ τὸ πείθεσθαι λόγῳ, νόμιζε τὴν εἰς ἄνδρας ἐκ παίδων ἀγωγὴν οὐκ ἀρχῆς εἶναι τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσιν ἀποβολήν, ἀλλὰ μεταβολὴν ἄρχοντος, ἀντὶ μισθωτοῦ τινος ἢ ἀργυρωνήτου θεῖον ἡγεμόνα τοῦ βίου λαμβάνουσι τὸν λόγον, ᾧ τοὺς ἑπομένους ἄξιόν ἐστι μόνους ἐλευθέρους νομίζειν.
But you, having often heard that to follow God and to obey reason are the same thing, must believe that for those who are sensible, the transition from childhood to manhood is not the loss of rule, but a change of ruler, as they receive reason as the divine guide of life instead of some hired person or slave bought with money; those who follow reason are the only ones we should consider truly free.
μόνοι γὰρ ἃ δεῖ βούλεσθαι μαθόντες, ὡς βούλονται ζῶσι· ταῖς δʼ ἀπαιδεύτοις καὶ παραλόγοις ὁρμαῖς καὶ πράξεσιν ἀγεννὲς ἔνεστι καὶ μικρὸν ἐν πολλῷ τῷ μετανοοῦντι τὸ ἑκούσιον.
For they alone, having learned to wish for what they ought, live as they wish; but in uneducated and irrational impulses and actions, there is something nobleless and small, with much regret, in their voluntary deeds.
§2ἐπεὶ δʼ ὥσπερ τῶν ἐγγραφομένων εἰς τὰς πολιτείας οἱ μὲν ἀλλοδαποὶ καὶ ξένοι κομιδῇ πολλὰ μέμφονται καὶ δυσκολαίνουσι τῶν γιγνομένων, οἱ δʼ ἐκ μετοίκων σύντροφοι καὶ συνήθεις τῶν νόμων ὄντες οὐ χαλεπῶς προσδέχονται τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα καὶ στέργουσιν, οὕτω σε δεῖ πολὺν χρόνον ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ παρατρεφόμενον καὶ πᾶν μάθημα καὶ ἄκουσμα παιδικὸν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἐθισθέντα προσφέρεσθαι λόγῳ φιλοσόφῳ μεμιγμένον, εὐμενῆ καὶ οἰκεῖον ἥκειν εἰς φιλοσοφίαν, ἣ μόνη τὸν ἀνδρεῖον καὶ τέλειον ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐκ λόγου τοῖς νέοις περιτίθησι κόσμον.
And since, just as among those registered in citizenships, the foreigners and strangers complain and are quite displeased with many of the occurrences, whereas those who are of resident alien origin, having been brought up together and being familiar with the laws, accept what is imposed upon them without difficulty and cherish it, so must you, having been nurtured for a long time in philosophy and having been accustomed from the beginning to receive every childhood lesson and lecture mixed with philosophical reason, come to philosophy with a friendly and familiar disposition, which alone truly imparts to youth the manly and perfect ornament from reason.
Οὐκ ἂν ἀηδῶς οἶμαί σε προακοῦσαι περὶ τῆς ἀκουστικῆς αἰσθήσεως, ἣν ὁ Θεόφραστος παθητικωτάτην εἶναί φησι πασῶν.
I believe you would not listen with displeasure beforehand about the sense of hearing, which Theophrastus says is the most susceptible to affection of all.
οὔτε γὰρ ὁρατὸν οὐδὲν οὔτε γευστὸν οὔτε ἁπτὸν ἐκστάσεις ἐπιφέρει καὶ ταραχὰς καὶ πτοίας τηλικαύτας ἡλίκαι καταλαμβάνουσι τὴν ψυχὴν κτύπων τινῶν καὶ πατάγων καὶ ἤχων τῇ ἀκοῇ προσπεσόντων.
For neither anything visible, nor tastable, nor touchable brings about such distractions, disturbances, and terrors as those which seize the soul when certain noises, crashes, and sounds strike the ear.
ἔστι δὲ λογικωτέρα μᾶλλον ἢ παθητικωτέρα.
Yet it is more rational than susceptible to affection.
τῇ μὲν γὰρ κακίᾳ πολλὰ χωρία καὶ μέρη τοῦ σώματος παρέχει διʼ αὐτῶν ἐνδῦσαν ἅψασθαι τῆς ψυχῆς, τῇ δʼ ἀρετῇ μία λαβὴ τὰ ὦτα τῶν νέων ἐστίν, ἂν ᾖ καθαρὰ καὶ ἄθρυπτα κολακείᾳ καὶ λόγοις ἄθικτα φαύλοις ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς φυλάττηται.
For while it provides many areas and parts of the body for vice to enter through them and touch the soul, for virtue there is only one hold, the ears of the young, if they are kept clean and unbroken by flattery and untouched by corrupting words from the beginning.
διὸ καὶ Ξενοκράτης τοῖς παισὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀθληταῖς ἐκέλευε περιάπτειν ἀμφωτίδας, ὡς ἐκείνων μὲν τὰ ὦτα ταῖς πληγαῖς, τούτων δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ ἤθη διαστρεφομένων, οὐκ ἀνηκοΐαν οὐδὲ κωφότητα προμνώμενος, ἀλλὰ τῶν λόγων τοὺς φαύλους φυλάττεσθαι παραινῶν, πρὶν ἑτέρους χρηστούς, ὥσπερ φύλακας ἐντραφέντας ὑπὸ φιλοσοφίας τῷ ἤθει, τὴν μάλιστα κινουμένην αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναπειθομένην χώραν κατασχεῖν.
Therefore Xenocrates also advised athletes to fit ear-guards on children rather than on themselves, since the ears of the former are distorted by blows, but the characters of the latter are distorted by words; he was not recommending inattention or deafness, but advising them to guard against corrupt words until other good words, nurtured like guardians by philosophy in their character, should occupy the place of the soul that is most easily moved and persuaded.
καὶ Βίας ὁ παλαιὸς Ἀμάσιδι, κελευσθεὶς τὸ χρηστότατον ὁμοῦ καὶ φαυλότατον ἐκπέμψαι κρέας τοῦ ἱερείου, τὴν γλῶτταν ἐξελὼν ἀπέπεμψεν, ὡς καὶ βλάβας καὶ ὠφελείας τοῦ λέγειν ἔχοντος μεγίστας.
And Bias of old, when ordered by Amasis to send back the portion of the sacrificial victim that was at once the best and the worst, cut out the tongue and sent it, on the ground that speech holds both the greatest harms and the greatest benefits.
οἵ τε πολλοὶ τὰ μικρὰ παιδία καταφιλοῦντες αὐτοὶ τε τῶν ὤτων ἅπτονται κἀκεῖνα τοῦτο ποιεῖν κελεύουσιν, αἰνιττόμενοι μετὰ παιδιᾶς ὅτι δεῖ φιλεῖν μάλιστα τοὺς διὰ τῶν ὤτων ὠφελοῦντας.
And the majority of people, when kissing small children, themselves touch their ears and bid the children do the same, hinting in play that one ought to love most of all those who benefit them through their ears.
ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε πάσης ἀκροάσεως ἀπειργόμενος ὁ νέος καὶ λόγου μηδενὸς γευόμενος οὐ μόνον ἄκαρπος ὅλως καὶ ἀβλαστὴς διαμένει πρὸς ἀρετήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διαστρέφοιτʼ ἂν πρὸς κακίαν, ὥσπερ ἐκ χώρας ἀκινήτου καὶ ἀργῆς ἄγρια πολλὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναδιδούς, δῆλόν ἐστι.
For it is clear that if a youth is barred from all listening and tastes no discourse, he not only remains completely fruitless and barren toward virtue, but would also be distorted toward vice, bringing forth many wild things from his soul, just as from an inactive and idle land.
τὰς γὰρ ἐφʼ ἡδονὴν ὁρμὰς καὶ πρὸς πόνον ὑποψίας οὐ θυραίους οὐδʼ ὑπὸ λόγων ἐπεισάκτους, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ αὐτόχθονας οὔσας μυρίων παθῶν καὶ νοσημάτων πηγάς ἂν ἐᾷ τις ἀφέτους ᾗ πεφύκασι χωρεῖν καὶ μὴ λόγοις χρηστοῖς ἀφαιρῶν ἢ παρατρέπων καταρτύῃ τὴν φύσιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὃ τῶν θηρίων οὐκ ἂν ἡμερώτερον ἀνθρώπου φανείη.
For if one leaves unrestrained the impulses toward pleasure and the suspicions toward pain—which are not foreign or imported by words, but are, as it were, indigenous springs of countless passions and diseases—and does not tame nature by removing or diverting them with good words, there is nothing among wild beasts that would not appear tamer than man.