§1Ἱππόμαχος ὁ ἀλείπτης, ἐπαινούντων τινῶν ἄνθρωπον εὐμήκη καὶ μακρὰς ἔχοντα χεῖρας ὡς πυκτικόν,
εἴπερ
ἔφη
καθελεῖν ἔδει τὸν στέφανον κρεμάμενον
τοῦτʼ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν πρὸς τοὺς τὰ καλὰ χωρία καὶ τὰς μεγάλας οἰκίας καὶ τὸ πολὺ ἀργύριον ὑπερεκπεπληγμένους καὶ μακαρίζοντας,
εἴ γʼ ἔδει πωλουμένην πρίασθαι τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν
καίτοι πολλοὺς ἂν εἴποι τις, ὅτι μᾶλλον ἐθέλουσι πλουτεῖν καὶ κακοδαιμονοῦντες μακάριοι γενέσθαι δόντες ἀργύριον, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστι γε χρημάτων ὤνιον ἀλυπία, μεγαλοφροσύνη, εὐστάθεια, θαρραλεότης, αὐτάρκεια·
Hippomachus the trainer, when some were praising a tall man who had long arms as a boxer, said, "Yes, if he had to reach down the crown hanging up." This can be said to those who are amazed at and count blessed beautiful estates, large houses, and much money, "Yes, if happiness had to be bought when put up for sale." Yet one might say that many prefer to be wealthy and, though miserable, to become happy by giving money. But freedom from pain, high-mindedness, stability, courage, and self-sufficiency are not purchaseable with money.
τῷ πλουτεῖν οὐκ ἔνεστι τὸ πλούτου καταφρονεῖν οὐδὲ τῷ τὰ περιττὰ κεκτῆσθαι τὸ μὴ δεῖσθαι τῶν περιττῶν.
In being rich there is no despising of wealth, nor in possessing superfluous things is there the not-needing of superfluous things.
§2τίνος οὖν ἀπαλλάττει τῶν ἄλλων κακῶν ὁ πλοῦτος, εἰ μηδὲ φιλοπλουτίας;
From what other evils, then, does wealth deliver us, if not even from the love of wealth?
ἀλλὰ ποτῷ μὲν ἔσβεσαν τὴν τοῦ ποτοῦ ὄρεξιν καὶ τροφὴ τὴν τῆς τροφῆς ἐπιθυμίαν ἠκέσαντο·
But by drinking they quench the desire for drink, and food cures the appetite for food.
κἀκεῖνος ὁ λέγων
"δὸς χλαῖναν Ἱππώνακτι, κάρτα γὰρ ῥιγῶ,"
πλειόνων ἐπιφερομένων δυσανασχετεῖ καὶ διωθεῖται·
And that poet who says: "Give a cloak to Hipponax, for I am very cold," if more are brought to him, is displeased and rejects them.
φιλαργυρίαν δʼ οὐ σβέννυσιν ἀργύριον οὐδὲ χρυσίον οὐδὲ πλεονεξία παύεται κτωμένη τὸ πλέον.
But money and gold do not quench the love of money, nor does greed cease from acquiring more.
ἀλλʼ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν πλοῦτον ὥσπερ ἰατρὸν ἀλαζόνα
"τὸ φάρμακόν σου τὴν νόσον μείζω ποιεῖ· "
ἄρτου δεομένους καὶ οἴκου καὶ σκέπης μετρίας καὶ τοῦ τυχόντος ὄψου παραλαβὼν ἐμπέπληκεν ἐπιθυμίας χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ ἐλέφαντος καὶ σμαράγδων καὶ κυνῶν καὶ ἵππων, εἰς χαλεπὰ καὶ σπάνια καὶ δυσπόριστα καὶ ἄχρηστα μεταθεὶς ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν ὄρεξιν.
Rather, one may say to wealth, as to a boastful physician: "Your medicine makes the disease greater." Having taken those who need bread, a house, moderate shelter, and some ordinary relish, it fills them with desires for gold, silver, ivory, emeralds, dogs, and horses, transferring their appetite from necessary things to difficult, rare, hard-to-get, and useless things.
ἐπεὶ τῶν γʼ ἀρκούντων οὐδεὶς πένης ἐστίν· οὐδὲ δεδάνεισται πώποτʼ ἄνθρωπος ἀργύριον, ἵνʼ ἄλφιτα πρίηται ἢ τυρὸν ἢ ἄρτον ἢ ἐλαίας·
Since of sufficient things, no one is poor; nor has any human ever borrowed money to buy barley-meal, cheese, bread, or olives.
ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν οἰκία πολυτελὴς χρεωφειλέτην πεποίηκε, τὸν δʼ ὁμοροῦν ἐλαιόφυτον, τὸν δὲ σιτῶνες ἀμπελῶνες, ἄλλον ἡμίονοι Γαλατικαὶ, ἄλλον ἵπποι ζυγοφόροι
"κείνʼ ὄχεα κροτέοντες"
ἐνσεσείκασιν εἰς βάραθρον συμβολαίων καὶ τόκων καὶ ὑποθηκῶν.
But a luxurious house has made one man a debtor, a neighboring olive-grove another, other men cornfields or vineyards, another Galatian mules, another yoke-bearing horses "clattering those chariots," have shaken them into the pit of contracts, interest, and mortgages.
εἶθʼ ὥσπερ οἱ πίνοντες μετὰ τὸ μὴ διψῆν ἢ ἐσθίοντες μετὰ τὸ μὴ πεινῆν καὶ ὅσα διψῶντες ἢ πεινῶντες ἔλαβον προσεξεμοῦσιν, οὕτως οἱ τῶν ἀχρήστων ἐφιέμενοι καὶ περιττῶν οὐδὲ τῶν ἀναγκαίων κρατοῦσιν.
Then, just as those who drink without being thirsty, or eat without being hungry, vomit up even what they took when thirsty or hungry, so those who desire useless and superfluous things do not retain even the necessary ones.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν τοιοῦτοι.
These men then are of this sort.
§3τοὺς δὲ μηδὲν ἀποβάλλοντας ἔχοντας δὲ πολλὰ πλειόνων δʼ ἀεὶ δεομένους ἔτι μᾶλλον θαυμάσειεν ἄν τις τοῦ Ἀριστίππου μεμνημένος ἐκεῖνος γὰρ εἰώθει λέγειν, ὅτι πολλὰ μέν τις ἐσθίων πολλὰ δὲ πίνων πληρούμενος δὲ μηδέποτε, πρὸς τοὺς ἰατροὺς βαδίζει καὶ πυνθάνεται τί τὸ πάθος καί τίς ἡ διάθεσις καὶ πῶς ἂν ἀπαλλαγείη· εἰ δέ τις ἔχων πέντε κλίνας δέκα ζητεῖ, καὶ κεκτημένος δέκα τραπέζας ἑτέρας συνωνεῖται τοσαύτας, καὶ χωρίων πολλῶν παρόντων καὶ ἀργυρίου, οὐ γίγνεται μεστὸς ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλα συντέταται καὶ ἀγρυπνεῖ καὶ ἀπλήρωτός ἐστι.
Those who throw away nothing, but possess many things, and always need more, one might wonder at even more, remembering Aristippus. For he was accustomed to say that if someone, eating much and drinking much, but never being filled, should go to physicians and ask what his ailment is, and what his condition, and how he might be cured; but if someone having five couches seeks ten, and possessing ten tables buys as many more, and, though many estates and money are present, is not satisfied but is intent on others, and lies awake, and is insatiable.
πάντων, οὗτος οὐκ οἴεται δεῖσθαι τοῦ θεραπεύσοντος καὶ δείξοντος ἀφʼ ἧς αἰτίας τοῦτο πέπονθε.
In all things, this man does not think he needs someone to cure him and to show from what cause he suffers this.
καίτοι τῶν διψώντων τὸν μὲν οὐ πεπωκότα προσδοκήσειεν ἄν τις ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι πιόντα τοῦ διψῆν, τὸν δὲ πίνοντα συνεχῶς καὶ μὴ παυόμενον οὐ πληρώσεως ἀλλὰ καθάρσεως οἰόμεθα δεῖσθαι· καὶ κελεύομεν ἐμεῖν, ὡς οὐχ ὑπʼ ἐνδείας ὀχλούμενον ἀλλά τινος δριμύτητος ἢ θερμότητος αὐτῷ παρὰ φύσιν ἐνούσης·
Yet of those who are thirsty, one would expect the one who has not drunk to be cured of his thirst by drinking, but the one who drinks continuously and does not stop, we think needs not filling but purging; and we bid him vomit, as being troubled not by lack but by some acridity or heat contrary to nature inside him.
οὐκοῦν καὶ τῶν ποριζόντων ὁ μὲν ἐνδεὴς· καὶ ἄπορος παύσεται ἴσως ἑστίαν κτησάμενος ἢ θησαυρὸν εὑρὼν, ἢ φίλου βοηθήσαντος ἐκτίσας καὶ ἀπαλλαγεὶς τοῦ δανειστοῦ·
Therefore, also of those who acquire, the needy and poor man will perhaps cease when he has obtained a hearth, or found a treasure, or paid off and got rid of his creditor with the help of a friend.
τὸν δὲ πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν ἔχοντα καὶ πλειόνων ὀρεγόμενον οὐ χρυσίον ἐστὶν οὐδʼ ἀργύριον τὸ θεραπεῦον οὐδʼ ἵπποι καὶ πρόβατα καὶ βόες, ἀλλʼ ἐκβολῆς δεῖται καὶ καθαρμοῦ.
But the one who has more than enough, and desires more, it is not gold or silver that cures him, nor horses, sheep, and cattle, but he needs casting out and purging.
πενία γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλʼ ἀπληστία τὸ πάθος αὐτοῦ καὶ φιλοπλουτία, διὰ κρίσιν φαύλην καὶ ἀλόγιστον ἐνοῦσα· ἣν ἂν μή τις ἐξέληται τῆς ψυχῆς ὥσπερ ἕλμιγγα πλατεῖαν, οὐ παύσονται δεόμενοι τῶν περιττῶν, τουτέστιν ἐπιθυμοῦντες ὧν οὐ δέονται.
For his ailment is not poverty but insatiability and love of wealth, arising from a bad and irrational judgment; and unless someone extracts this from his soul like a tapeworm, they will not cease to need superfluous things, that is, to desire what they do not need.