§4ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰ τεκτόνων δήπου πράγματα θνητῶν ἐστι, καὶ τὰ χαλκοτύπων καὶ οἰκοδόμων καὶ ἀνδριαντοποιῶν, ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν αὐτομάτως οὐδʼ ὡς ἔτυχε κατορθούμενον ὁρῶμεν.
But surely the affairs of carpenters are also indeed human affairs, as are those of coppersmiths, builders, and sculptors, in which we see nothing accomplished spontaneously or by chance.
ὅτι γὰρ τούτοις βραχεῖά τις παρεμπίπτει τύχη, τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα καὶ μέγιστα τῶν ἔργων αἱ τέχναι συντελοῦσι διʼ αὑτῶν, καὶ οὗτος ὑποδεδήλωκε
"
βᾶτʼ εἰς ὁδὸν δὴ πᾶς ὁ χειρῶναξ λεώς,
οἳ τὴν Διὸς γοργῶπιν Ἐργάνην στατοῖς
λίκνοισι προστρέπεσθε. "
τὴν γὰρ Ἐργάνην αἱ τέχναι πάρεδρον οὐ τὴν Τύχην ἔχουσι.
For, that a certain small fortune falls in with these, but the arts themselves accomplish the most and greatest of their works, even this poet has indicated: "Go onto the road indeed, all you artisan folk, who worship Zeus's grim-eyed Ergane with standing winnowing-fans." For the arts have Ergane as assessor, not Fortune.
Νεάλκη μέντοι φασὶν ἵππον ζωγραφοῦντα τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις κατορθοῦν εἴδεσι καὶ χρώμασι, τοῦ δʼ ἀφροῦ τὴν περὶ τῷ χαλινῷ κοπτομένην χαυνότητα καὶ τὸ συνεκπῖπτον ἆσθμα κατορθοῦντα γράφειν τε πολλάκις καὶ ἐξαλείφειν, τέλος δʼ ὑπʼ ὀργῆς προσβαλεῖν τῷ πίνακι τὸν σπόγγον ὥσπερ εἶχε τῶν φαρμάκων ἀνάπλεων, τὸν δὲ προσπεσόντα θαυμαστῶς ἐναπομάξαι καὶ ποιῆσαι τὸ δέον.
Nealces, however, they say, when painting a horse, succeeded in the other shapes and colors, but failing to achieve successfully the frothy texture beaten about the bit and the panting breath escaping with it, painted and wiped it out many times; but at last, out of anger, he threw at the panel his sponge, just as it was, full of colors, and this falling on it, wonderfully imprinted it and produced the desired effect.
τοῦτʼ ἔντεχνον τύχης μόνον ἱστορεῖται.
This is recorded as the only "artful" success of fortune.
κανόσι καὶ σταθμοῖς καὶ μέτροις καὶ ἀριθμοῖς πανταχοῦ χρῶνται, ἵνα μηδαμοῦ τὸ εἰκῆ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τοῖς ἔργοις ἐγγένηται.
Everywhere they use rulers, weights, measures, and numbers, so that nowhere may what is random and by chance arise in their works.
καὶ μὴν αἱ τέχναι μικραί τινες εἶναι λέγονται φρονήσεις, μᾶλλον δʼ ἀπορροαὶ φρονήσεως καὶ ἀποτρίμματα ἐνδιεσπαρμένα ταῖς χρείαις ταῖς περὶ τὸν βίον, ὥσπερ αἰνίττεται τὸ πῦρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Προμηθέως μερισθὲν ἄλλο ἄλλῃ διασπαρῆναι.
And indeed, the arts are said to be certain small wisdoms, or rather, offshoots of wisdom and scrapings dispersed among the needs of life, just as it is enigmatically said that fire was divided by Prometheus and scattered here and there.
καὶ γὰρ τῆς φρονήσεως μόρια καὶ σπάσματα μικρὰ θραυομένης καὶ κατακερματιζομένης εἰς τάξεις κεχώρηκε.
For indeed, small parts and fragments of wisdom, as it is broken up and crumbled, have gone into their respective classes.
§5θαυμαστὸν οὖν ἐστι πῶς αἱ μὲν τέχναι τῆς τύχης οὐ δέονται πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον τέλος, ἡ δὲ πασῶν μεγίστη καὶ τελειοτάτη τέχνη καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης εὐφημίας καὶ δικαιώσεως οὐδέν ἐστιν.
Is it not then wonderful how, while the arts do not need fortune for their proper end, yet the greatest and most perfect art of all, and the summit of human reputation and rectitude, is considered to be nothing?
ἀλλʼ ἐπιτάσει μὲν καὶ ἀνέσει χορδῶν εὐβουλία τίς ἔνεστιν ἣν μουσικὴν καλοῦσι, καὶ περὶ ἄρτυσιν ὄψων ἣν μαγειρικὴν ὀνομάζομεν, καὶ περὶ πλύσιν ἱματίων ἣν γναφικήν, τούς τε παῖδας καὶ ὑποδεῖσθαι καὶ περιβάλλεσθαι διδάσκομεν καὶ τῇ δεξιᾷ λαμβάνειν τοῦ ὄψου τῇ δʼ ἀριστερᾷ κρατεῖν τὸν ἄρτον, ὡς οὐδὲ τούτων γιγνομένων ἀπὸ τύχης ἀλλʼ ἐπιστάσεως καὶ προσοχῆς δεομένων τὰ δὲ μέγιστα καὶ κυριώτατα πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν οὐ παρακαλεῖ τὴν φρόνησιν, οὐδὲ μετέχει τοῦ κατὰ λόγον καὶ πρόνοιαν;
But while in the tightening and loosening of strings there is a certain good counsel which they call music, and concerning the seasoning of dishes which we name cookery, and concerning the washing of clothes which we call fulling, and we teach our children both to put on shoes and to clothe themselves and to take food with the right hand and hold bread with the left, as though not even these things happen by fortune but require supervision and attention, does the greatest and most sovereign thing for happiness not call upon wisdom, nor share in reason and foresight?
ἀλλὰ γῆν μὲν οὐδεὶς ὕδατι δεύσας ἀφῆκεν, ὡς ἀπὸ τύχης καὶ αὐτομάτως πλίνθων ἐσομένων, οὐδʼ ἔρια καὶ σκύτη κτησάμενος κάθηται τῇ τύχῃ προσευχόμενος ἱμάτιον αὐτῷ καὶ ὑποδήματα γενέσθαι·
But no one, having mixed earth with water, leaves it as though bricks will come about by fortune and spontaneously; nor having acquired wool and leather does he sit praying to fortune that a cloak and shoes may be made for him.
χρυσίον δὲ πολὺ συμφορήσας καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ πλῆθος ἀνδραπόδων καὶ πολυθύρους αὐλὰς περιβαλόμενος καὶ κλίνας προσθέμενος πολυτελεῖς καὶ τραπέζας οἴεται ταῦτα φρονήσεως αὐτῷ μὴ παραγενομένης εὐδαιμονίαν ἔσεσθαι καὶ βίον ἄλυπον καὶ μακάριον καὶ ἀμετάβλητον;
But having gathered much gold and silver and a multitude of slaves, and surrounded himself with courtyards of many doors, and added expensive couches and tables, does he think that, without wisdom being present with him, these things will be happiness and a life free from pain, blessed, and unchangeable?
ἠρώτα τις Ἰφικράτην τὸν στρατηγόν, ὥσπερ ἐξελέγχων, τίς ἐστιν; οὔτε γὰρ ὁπλίτης οὔτε τοξότης οὔτε πελταστής. κἀκεῖνος
ὁ τούτοις
ἔφη
πᾶσιν ἐπιτάττων καὶ χρώμενος. §6Οὐ χρυσίον ἡ φρόνησίς ἐστιν οὐδʼ ἀργύριον οὐδὲ δόξα οὐδὲ πλοῦτος οὐδʼ ὑγίεια οὐδʼ ἰσχὺς οὐδὲ κάλλος.
Someone asked Iphicrates the general, as if to test him, who he was; "for you are neither a hoplite, nor an archer, nor a peltast." And he said, "The one who commands and makes use of all of these." Wisdom is not gold nor silver, nor glory, nor wealth, nor health, nor strength, nor beauty.
τί οὖν ἐστι;
What then is it?
τὸ πᾶσι τούτοις καλῶς χρῆσθαι δυνάμενον καὶ διʼ ὃ τούτων ἕκαστον ἡδὺ γίγνεται καὶ ἔνδοξον καὶ ὠφέλιμον ἄνευ δὲ τούτου δύσχρηστα καὶ ἄκαρπα καὶ βλαβερά, καὶ· βαρύνει καὶ καταισχύνει τὸν κεκτημένον.
It is that which is able to use all these things well, and through which each of these becomes pleasant, glorious, and useful; but without this, they are difficult to use, fruitless, and harmful, and they weigh down and disgrace the possessor.
ἦ που καλῶς ὁ Ἡσιόδου Προμηθεὺς τῷ Ἐπιμηθεῖ παρακελεύεται
"
μή ποτε δῶρα
δέξασθαι πὰρ Ζηνὸς Ὀλυμπίου ἀλλʼ ἀποπέμπειν
"
τὰ τυχηρὰ λέγων καὶ τὰ ἐκτός, ὡς εἰ παρεκελεύετο μὴ συρίζειν ἄμουσον ὄντα μηδʼ ἀναγιγνώσκειν ἀγράμματον μηδʼ ἱππεύειν ἄνιππον, οὕτω παρακελευόμενος αὐτῷ μὴ ἄρχειν ἀνόητον ὄντα μηδὲ πλουτεῖν ἀνελεύθερον μηδὲ γαμεῖν κρατούμενον ὑπὸ γυναικός.
Surely indeed Hesiod’s Prometheus beautifully commands Epimetheus "never to accept gifts from Olympian Zeus, but to send them back," meaning things of fortune and external things; just as if he were advising one who is unmusical not to play the pipe, or one who is illiterate not to read, or one who cannot ride not to ride a horse, so he advises him not to rule if he is foolish, nor to be rich if he is illiberal, nor to marry if he is ruled by a woman.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον
τὸ εὖ πράσσειν παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀφορμὴ τοῦ κακῶς φρονεῖν τοῖς ἀνοήτοις γίγνεται,
ὡς Δημοσθένης εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ εὐτυχεῖν παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀφορμὴ τοῦ κακῶς πράττειν τοῖς μὴ φρονοῦσιν.
For not only does "prosperity beyond desert become an occasion of foolish thinking for the senseless," as Demosthenes said, but good fortune beyond desert becomes an occasion of faring ill for those who lack wisdom.