§5τίς οὖν ἡ φυγή;
What, then, is the escape?
περισπασμός, ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ μεθολκὴ τῆς πολυπραγμοσύνης μάλιστα μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω καὶ τὰ ἡδίω τρέψαντι τὴν ψυχήν.
Distraction, as has been said, and drawing away of meddlesomeness, especially by turning one's soul toward better and more pleasant things.
τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ πολυπραγμόνει τὰ ἐν γῇ τὰ ἐν ἀέρι τὰ ἐν θαλάττῃ.
Pry into the things in heaven, the things on earth, the things in the air, the things in the sea.
μικρῶν πέφυκας ἢ μεγάλων φιλοθεάμων εἰ μεγάλων, ἥλιον πολυπραγμόνει ποῦ κάτεισι καὶ πόθεν ἄνεισι· ζήτει τὰς ἐν σελήνῃ καθάπερ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ μεταβολάς, ποῦ τοσοῦτον κατανάλωσε φῶς πόθεν αὖθις, ἐκτήσατο, πῶς
"
ἐξ ἀδήλου πρῶτον ἔρχεται νέα
πρόσωπα καλλύνουσα καὶ πληρουμένη· χὤταν περ αὑτῆς εὐπρεπεστάτη φανῇ,
πάλιν διαρρεῖ κἀπὶ μηδὲν ἔρχεται. "
καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀπόρρητʼ ἐστὶ φύσεως, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἄχθεται τοῖς ἐλέγχουσιν.
Are you by nature a lover of spectacles of small things or of great? If of great, pry into the sun—where it goes down and whence it rises; seek the changes in the moon just as in a human being, where it has consumed so much light and whence it has acquired it again, and how 'out of the unseen she first comes new, beautifying her face and being filled; and whenever she appears most fair of herself, again she melts away and comes to nothing.' And these are secrets of nature, but she is not annoyed with those who examine them.
ἀλλὰ τῶν μεγάλων ἀπέγνωκας;
But have you despaired of great things?
πολυπραγμόνει τὰ μικρότερα, πῶς τῶν φυτῶν τὰ μὲν ἀεὶ τέθηλε καὶ χλοάζει καὶ ἀγάλλεται παντὶ καιρῷ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδεικνύμενα πλοῦτον, τὰ δὲ νῦν μέν ἐστιν ὅμοια τούτοις, νῦν δʼ ὥσπερ ἀνοικονόμητος ἄνθρωπος ἐκχέαντʼ ἀθρόως τὴν περιουσίαν γυμνὰ καὶ πτωχὰ καταλείπεται· διὰ τί δὲ τὰ μὲν προμήκεις τὰ δὲ γωνιώδεις τὰ δὲ στρογγύλους καὶ περιφερεῖς ἐκδίδωσι καρπούς.
Pry into smaller things: how some of the plants always bloom and are green and exult in every season, displaying their own wealth, while others at one time are like these, but at another time, like an unthrifty man who has poured out his abundance all at once, are left naked and poor; and why some produce long fruits, others angular, and others round and spherical fruits.
ἴσως δὲ ταῦτʼ οὐ πολυπραγμονήσεις, ὅτι τούτοις οὐδὲν κακὸν ἔστιν.
But perhaps you will not pry into these things, because there is nothing bad in them.
ἀλλʼ εἰ δεῖ πάντως τὸ περίεργον ἐν φαύλοις τισὶν ὥσπερ ἑρπετὸν ἐν θανασίμοις ὕλαις ἀεὶ νέμεσθαι καὶ διατρίβειν, ἐπὶ τὰς ἱστορίας ἀγάγωμεν αὐτὸ καὶ παραβάλωμεν ἀφθονίαν κακῶν καὶ περιουσίαν· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἔνεισι
"πεσήματʼ ἀνδρῶν κἀπολακτισμοὶ βίων· "
φθοραὶ γυναικῶν, ἐπιθέσεις οἰκετῶν, διαβολαὶ φίλων, παρασκευαὶ φαρμάκων, φθόνοι, ζηλοτυπίαι, ναυάγιʼ οἴκων, ἐκπτώσεις ἡγεμονιῶν ἐμπίπλασο καὶ τέρπε σαυτόν, ἐνοχλῶν μηδενὶ τῶν συνόντων μηδὲ λυπῶν.
But if it is absolutely necessary for curiosity, like a reptile in deadly woods, always to feed and dwell on some base things, let us lead it to history and offer it an abundance and surplus of ills; for therein are 'downfalls of men and kickings-out of lives,' ruin of women, assaults of servants, slanders of friends, preparations of poisons, envies, jealousies, shipwrecks of households, overthrows of empires. Fill yourself and delight yourself, while annoying or grieving none of those who live with you.
§6ἀλλʼ ἔοικεν ἡ πολυπραγμοσύνη μὴ χαίρειν ἑώλοις κακοῖς ἀλλὰ θερμοῖς καὶ προσφάτοις· καὶ καινὰς τραγῳδίας ἡδέως θεᾶσθαι, τοῖς δὲ κωμικοῖς καὶ ἱλαρωτέροις πράγμασιν οὐ μάλα προθύμως ὁμιλεῖν.
But meddlesomeness seems not to rejoice in stale ills, but in hot and fresh ones; and gladly to watch new tragedies, but not very eagerly to associate with comic and more cheerful matters.
διὸ γάμον μέν τινος ἢ θυσίαν ἢ προπομπὴν διεξιόντος ἀμελὴς ὁ πολυπράγμων καὶ ῥᾴθυμος ἀκροατής ἐστι, καὶ προακηκοέναι τὰ πλεῖστά φησι καὶ κελεύει ταῦτα συντέμνειν καὶ παρέρχεσθαι τὸν διηγούμενον· ἂν δʼ ἢ φθοράν τις παρθένου παρακαθήμενος ἢ μοιχείαν γυναικὸς ἢ δίκης παρασκευὴν ἢ στάσιν ἀδελφῶν διηγῆται, οὔτε νυστάζει οὔτʼ ἀσχολεῖται,
"ἄλλα τε δίζηται ἐπέων παρὰ τʼ οὔατα βάλλει. "
καὶ τὸ
"
οἴμοι, τὸ κακὸν τῆς εὐτυχίας
ὡς μᾶλλον ἐς οὖς φέρεται θνητῶν
"
ἐπὶ τῶν πολυπραγμόνων ἐστὶν ἀληθῶς εἰρημένον.
Therefore, when someone relates a wedding or a sacrifice or a procession, the meddlesome person is a careless and indifferent listener, and claims to have heard most of it before, and bids the narrator to cut it short and pass over these things; but if someone sitting nearby relates the seduction of a virgin or a wife's adultery or the preparation of a lawsuit or a discord of brothers, he neither slumbers nor is too busy, but 'seeks other words, and pricks up his ears.' And the saying: 'Alas, how much more does ill, rather than prosperity, find its way to the ears of mortals!' is truly spoken of the meddlesome.
ὡς γὰρ αἱ σικύαι τὸ χείριστον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς ἕλκουσιν, οὕτω τὰ τῶν πολυπραγμόνων ὦτα τοὺς φαυλοτάτους λόγους ἐπισπᾶται· μᾶλλον δʼ, ὥσπερ αἱ πόλεις ἔχουσί τινας πύλας ἀποφράδας καὶ σκυθρωπάς, διʼ ὧν ἐξάγουσι τοὺς θανατουμένους καὶ τὰ λύματα καὶ τοὺς καθαρμοὺς ἐκβάλλουσιν, εὐαγὲς δʼ οὐδὲν οὐδʼ ἱερὸν εἴσεισι οὐδʼ ἔξεισι διʼ αὐτῶν· οὕτω καὶ τὰ τῶν πολυπραγμόνων ὦτα χρηστὸν οὐδὲν οὐδʼ ἀστεῖον ἀλλʼ οἱ φονικοὶ λόγοι διέρχονται καὶ τρίβουσιν, ἐκθύσιμα καὶ μιαρὰ διηγήματα παρακομίζοντες· "
ἀεὶ δʼ ἀοιδῶν μοῦνος ἐν στέγαις ἐμαῖς
κωκυτὸς ἐμπέπτωκεν· "
αὕτη τοῖς πολυπράγμοσι μοῦσα καὶ σειρὴν μία, τοῦθʼ ἥδιστον ἀκουσμάτων αὐτοῖς.
For just as cupping-glasses draw the worst from the flesh, so the ears of the meddlesome draw to themselves the most worthless reports; or rather, just as cities have certain ominous and gloomy gates, through which they lead out those condemned to death, and cast out filth and refuse of purifications, and nothing pure or sacred enters or leaves through them; so also through the ears of the meddlesome nothing useful or elegant passes, but murderous talk passes through and rubs, bringing along abominable and defiling narratives; and 'ever within my roof, alone of songs, wailing has fallen;' this is the only Muse and Siren for the meddlesome, this is the most pleasant of sounds for them.
ἔστι γὰρ ἡ πολυπραγμοσύνη φιλοπευστία τῶν ἐν ἀποκρύψει καὶ λανθανόντων οὐδεὶς δʼ ἀγαθὸν ἀποκρύπτει κεκτημένος, ὅπου καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα προσποιοῦνται.
For meddlesomeness is a fondness for inquiring into things hidden and concealed; but no one who possesses anything good hides it, seeing that people pretend to have even what they do not have.
κακῶν οὖν ἱστορίας ὁ πολυπράγμων ὀρεγόμενος, ἐπιχαιρεκακίας συνέχεται. πάθει, φθόνου καὶ βασκανίας ἀδελφῷ.
Therefore, in grasping for histories of ills, the meddlesome person is gripped by the passion of malice (joy in others' misfortunes), a brother of envy and spite.
φθόνος μὲν γάρ ἐστι; λύπη ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἐπιχαιρεκακία δʼ ἡδονὴ ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς· ἀμφότερα δʼ ἐκ πάθους ἀνημέρου καὶ θηριώδους γεγένηται, τῆς κακοηθείας.
For envy is grief at others' goods, and malice is pleasure in others' ills; and both have arisen from a wild and savage passion, namely, ill-nature.