§16ὥστε τούτων ἑκάστου σπέρματα τῶν παθῶν ἀνακεκραμένα δεδεγμένης ἡμῶν τῆς γενέσεως καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλὴν ἀνωμαλίαν ἐχούσης, εὔχεται μὲν ὁ νοῦν ἔχων τὰ βελτίονα προσδοκᾷ δὲ καὶ θάτερα, χρῆται δʼ ἀμφοτέροις τὸ ἄγαν ἀφαιρῶν οὐ γὰρ μόνον
ὁ τῆς αὔριον ἣκιστα δεόμενος
ὥς φησιν Ἐπίκουρος·
Thus, since our birth has received the mixed seeds of each of these passions, and for this reason possesses much unevenness, the man of sense prays for the better things but expects the other as well, and makes use of both by removing what is excessive.
ἥδιστα πρόσεισι πρὸς τὴν αὔριον· ἀλλὰ καὶ πλοῦτος εὐφραίνει καὶ δόξα καὶ δύναμις καὶ ἀρχή, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἣκιστα τἀναντία ταρβοῦντας.
For not only does "he who least needs tomorrow," as Epicurus says, "go to meet tomorrow most pleasantly," but also wealth, reputation, power, and office bring joy, and especially to those who least fear their opposites.
ἡ γὰρ σφοδρὰ, περὶ ἕκαστον ἐπιθυμία σφοδρότατον φόβον ἐμποιοῦσα τοῦ μὴ παραμένειν; ἀσθενῆ τὴν χάριν ποιεῖ καὶ ἀβέβαιον ὥσπερ φλόγα καταπνεομένην.
For the intense desire for each of these things, by instilling a most intense fear that it will not remain, makes the pleasure weak and unstable, like a flame blown upon.
ᾧ δὲ δίδωσι πρὸς τὴν τύχην ἀδεῶς καὶ ἀτρόμως εἰπεῖν ὁ λογισμὸς
"ἡδὺ μὲν ἄν τι φέρῃς, ὀλίγον δʼ ἄχος ἂν ἀπολείπῃς,"
τοῦτον ἥδιστα ποιεῖ χρῆσθαι τοῖς παροῦσι τὸ θαρραλέον καὶ μὴ δεδιὸς αὐτῶν τὴν ἀποβολὴν ὡς ἀφόρητον.
But for the one to whom reason grants to say to Fortune fearlessly and without trembling, "Pleasant is it if you bring anything, but little is the grief if you leave it behind," the bold spirit, which does not fear their loss as unbearable, makes him use present things most pleasantly.
ἔξεστι γὰρ τὴν Ἀναξαγόρου διάθεσιν, ἀφʼ ἧς ἐπὶ τῇ τελευτῇ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀνεφώνησεν
ᾔδειν θνητὸν γεννήσας,
μὴ θαυμάζοντας μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ μιμουμένους ἐπιλέγειν ἑκάστῳ τῶν τυχηρῶν
οἶδα τὸν πλοῦτον ἐφήμερον ἔχων καὶ οὐ βέβαιον· οἶδα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφελέσθαι δυναμένους τοὺς δεδωκότας· οἶδα τὴν γυναῖκα χρηστὴν γυναῖκα δʼ οὖσαν καὶ τὸν φίλον ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, φύσει εὐμετάβολον ζῷον
ὡς ὁ Πλάτων εἶπεν. αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται παρασκευαὶ καὶ διαθέσεις, ἐάν τι συμβῇ τῶν ἀβουλήτων μὲν οὐκ ἀπροσδοκήτων δέ, μὴ δεχόμεναι τὸ
οὐκ ἂν ᾤμην
καὶ τὸ
ἄλλʼ ἤλπιζον
καὶ τὸ
ταῦτʼ οὐ προσεδόκων,
οἷον πηδήματα καρδίας καὶ σφυγμοὺς ἀφαιροῦσι καὶ ταχὺ πάλιν τὸ μανιῶδες καὶ ταραττόμενον ἱδρύουσιν.
For we may, not only admiring but also imitating the disposition of Anaxagoras, from which he cried out at the death of his child, "I knew I had begotten a mortal," add to each of the gifts of fortune: "I know that I possess wealth which is fleeting and not secure;" "I know that those who gave me office are able to take it away;" "I know that my wife is excellent, but still a woman, and my friend is a human being, a creature naturally mutable, as Plato said." For such preparations and dispositions, if anything of what is unwanted but not unexpected should happen, by not admitting "I should not have thought it," "I hoped otherwise," and "I did not expect this," remove, as it were, the leaps of the heart and the throbbings, and quickly settle down again what is frantic and agitated.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Καρνεάδης ἐπὶ πραγμάτων μεγάλων ὑπεμίμνησκεν, ὅτι πᾶν καὶ ὅλον ἐστὶν εἰς λύπην καὶ ἀθυμίαν τὸ ἀπροσδόκητον.
Carneades, therefore, used to remind people in great matters that the unexpected is the whole and entire cause of grief and dejection.
ἡ γὰρ Μακεδόνων βασιλεία τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας πολλοστημόριον ἦν· ἀλλὰ Περσεὺς μὲν ἀποβαλὼν Μακεδονίαν αὐτός τε κατεθρήνει τὸν ἑαυτοῦ δαίμονα καὶ πᾶσιν ἐδόκει δυστυχέστατος ἀνθρώπων γεγονέναι καὶ βαρυποτμότατος·
For the Macedonian kingdom was but a fraction of the Roman empire; yet Perseus, having lost Macedonia, both lamented his own fortune and seemed to all to have become the most unfortunate and ill-fated of men.
ὁ δὲ τούτου κρατήσας Αἰμίλιος ἑτέρῳ παραδιδοὺς τὴν ὁμοῦ τι γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἄρχουσαν δύναμιν ἐστεφανοῦτο καὶ ἔθυεν, εὐδαιμονιζόμενος εἰκότως.
But Aemilius, who conquered him, when delivering up to another the power that ruled almost all land and sea, wore a wreath and offered sacrifice, being reasonably congratulated as happy.
οὗτος μὲν γὰρ ᾔδει λαμβάνων ἀρχὴν ἀποδοθησομένην, ἐκεῖνος δʼ ἀπέβαλε μὴ προσδοκήσας.
For the former knew when he received the office that it was to be given back, whereas the latter lost it because he did not expect to do so.
εὖ δὲ καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς οἷόν ἐστι τὸ, παρὰ προσδοκίαν ἐδίδαξεν· ὁ γὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς τοῦ μὲν κυνὸς θανόντος ἐξεδάκρυσε, τῇ δὲ γυναικὶ κλαιούσῃ παρακαθήμενος οὐδὲν ἔπαθε τοιοῦτον· ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ ἀφῖκτο τῷ λογισμῷ τὸ πάθος ὑποχείριον ἔχων καὶ προκατειλημμένον, εἰς δʼ ἐκεῖνο μὴ προσδοκήσας ἀλλʼ ἐξαίφνης διὰ τὸ παράδοξον ἐνέπεσε.
And well too did the poet teach what sort of thing the unexpected is; for Odysseus wept when his dog died, but when sitting beside his weeping wife he experienced no such thing; for in the latter case he had come with his emotion under the control of his reason and pre-occupied, whereas into the former he fell without expecting it, but suddenly because of its being contrary to expectation.