§5ὡς οὖν πολλῶν κακῶν αἴτιον τὸ νόσημα τοῦτʼ ὂν πειρατέον ἀποβιάζεσθαι τῇ ἀσκήσει, πρῶτον ἀρξαμένους ὥσπερ οἱ τἄλλα μελετῶντες ἀπὸ τῶν μικρῶν καὶ μὴ σφόδρα δυσαντιβλέπτων·
Since, therefore, this disease is the cause of many evils, we must try to eliminate it by practice, beginning, just as those who study other arts, with small things and those which are not very difficult to face.
οἷον ἐν δείπνῳ προπίνει τις ἅδην ἔχοντι· μὴ δυσωπηθῇς μηδὲ προσβιάσῃ σαυτόν, ἀλλὰ κατάθου τὸ ποτήριον.
For instance, at a dinner someone offers a toast to one who already has enough; do not be compliant, nor force yourself, but put down the cup.
αὖθις ἕτερος παρακαλεῖ κυβεύειν παρὰ πότον· μὴ δυσωπηθῇς· μηδὲ δείσῃς σκωπτόμενος·
Again, another invites you to play dice while drinking; do not be compliant, nor fear to be laughed at.
ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ Ξενοφάνης, Λάσου τοῦ Ἑρμιονέως μὴ βουλόμενον αὐτῷ συγκυβεύειν δειλὸν ἀποκαλοῦντος, ὡμολόγει καὶ πάνυ δειλὸς εἶναι πρὸς τὰ αἰσχρὰ καὶ ἄτολμος.
Rather, just as Xenophanes, when Lasus of Hermione called him a coward because he did not wish to play dice with him, confessed that he was indeed very cowardly and spiritless towards shameful things.
πάλιν ἀδολέσχῳ συνήντηκας ἐπιλαμβανομένῳ· καὶ περιπλεκομένῳ· μὴ δυσωπηθῇς ἀλλὰ διακόψας ἐπείγου καὶ πέραινε τὸ προκείμενον.
Again, you have met an chatterbox who holds you back and clings to you; do not be compliant, but break off, make haste, and finish the business before you.
αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται φυγαὶ καὶ διακρούσεις, ἐν ἐλαφραῖς μέμψεσι τὴν μελέτην ἔχουσαι τοῦ ἀδυσωπήτου, προεθίζουσιν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα.
For such escapes and evasions, having their practice of being uncompliant in light matters of blame, accustom us beforehand to greater things.
καὶ τὸ τοῦ Δημοσθένους ἐνταῦθα καλῶς ἔχει διαμνημονεύειν· τῶν γὰρ Ἀθηναίων ὡρμημένων Ἁρπάλῳ βοηθεῖν καὶ κορυσσομένων ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον, ἐξαίφνης ἐπεφάνη Φιλόξενος ὁ τῶν ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ πραγμάτων Ἀλεξάνδρου στρατηγός.
And it is well to remember the saying of Demosthenes here: for when the Athenians were eager to help Harpalus and were arming themselves against Alexander, Philoxenus, the general of Alexander’s affairs on the coast, suddenly appeared.
ἐκπλαγέντος δὲ τοῦ δήμου καὶ σιωπῶντος διὰ τὸν φόβον, ὁ Δημοσθένης
τί ποιήσουσιν
ἔφη
τὸν ἥλιον ἰδόντες οἱ μὴ δυνάμενοι πρὸς τὸν λύχνον ἀντιβλέπειν; τί γὰρ ποιήσεις ἐν πράγμασι μεγάλοις, βασιλέως ἐντυγχάνοντος ἢ δήμου δυσωποῦντος, εἰ ποτήριον ἀπώσασθαι μὴ δύνασαι προπίνοντος συνήθους μηδʼ ἀδολέσχου λαβὴν διαφυγεῖν, ἀλλὰ παρέχεις ἐμπεριπατεῖν φλυάρῳ σαυτόν, οὐκ εὐτονῶν εἰπεῖν
ὄψομαί σʼ αὖθις, νῦν δʼ οὐ σχολάζω
;
When the assembly was struck with terror and silent from fear, Demosthenes said: "What will they do when they see the sun, who cannot look upon the lamp?" For what will you do in great matters, when a king meets you or an assembly makes you compliant, if you cannot push away a cup when a companion offers a toast, nor escape the grip of an chatterbox, but deliver yourself up to be walked over by a trifler, not having the strength to say: "I will see you another time, but now I am busy"?
§6καὶ μὴν οὐδʼ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἐπαίνους τοῦ ἀδυσωπήτου μελέτη καὶ ἄσκησις ἐν μικροῖς καὶ ἐλαφροῖς ἄχρηστός ἐστιν.
And indeed, the practice and training of being uncompliant towards praises in small and light matters is not useless.
οἷον ἐν συμποσίῳ φίλου κιθαρῳδὸς ᾄδει κακῶς ἢ πολλοῦ κωμῳδὸς ἐωνημένος ἐπιτρίβει Μένανδρον, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ κροτοῦσι καὶ θαυμάζουσιν· · οὐδὲν οἶμαι χαλεπὸν οὐδὲ δύσκολον ἀκούειν σιωπῇ καὶ μὴ παρὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ἀνελευθέρως ἐπαινεῖν.
For instance, at a friend's symposium a citharode sings badly, or a comic actor purchased at a high price spoils Menander, while the crowd applaud and marvel; I think it is not at all difficult or hard to listen in silence and not to praise slavishly against one's real opinion.
ἐὰν γὰρ ἐν τούτοις μὴ κρατῇς σαυτοῦ, τί ποιήσεις φίλου ποίημα φαῦλον ἀναγιγνώσκοντος ἢ λόγον ἐπιδεικνυμένου γεγραμμένον ἀβελτέρως καὶ γελοίως;
For if in these things you do not master yourself, what will you do when a friend reads a bad poem or displays an address written foolishly and ridiculously?
ἐπαινέσεις δηλονότι καὶ συνεπιθορυβήσεις τοῖς κολακεύουσι.
You will praise, of course, and join in the applause of the flatterers.
πῶς οὖν ἐν πράγμασιν ἁμαρτάνοντος ἐπιλήψῃ;
How then will you correct him when he errs in conduct?
πῶς δὲ περὶ ἀρχὴν ἢ γάμον ἢ πολιτείαν ἀγνωμονοῦντα νουθετήσεις;
And how will you admonish him when he acts unwisely concerning office, marriage, or state affairs?
ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ τὸ τοῦ Περικλέους ἀποδέχομαι, πρὸς τὸν ἀξιοῦντα μαρτυρίαν ψευδῆ μαρτυρῆσαι φίλον, προσῆν καὶ ὅρκος, εἰπόντος
μέχρι τοῦ βωμοῦ φίλος εἰμί· λίαν γὰρ ἐγγὺς ἦλθεν.
For I do not even accept the saying of Pericles, who, when a friend asked him to bear false witness, which also involved an oath, said: "I am a friend as far as the altar"; for he came too near.
ὁ δὲ πόρρωθεν ἑαυτὸν ἐθίσας μήτε λέγοντος ἐπαινεῖν παρὰ γνώμην μήτε ᾅδοντος κροτεῖν μήτε σκώπτοντος ἀφυῶς ἐπιγελᾶν, οὐκ ἐάσει μέχρι τούτου προελθεῖν οὐδʼ εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν ἐν ἐκείνοις ἀδυσώπητον
ὄμοσον ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ μαρτύρησον καὶ ἀπόφηναι παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον. §7οὕτω δὲ δεῖ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς αἰτοῦντας ἀργύριον ἀνταίρειν, προεθιζόμενον ἐν τοῖς μήτε μεγάλοις μήτε δυσπαραιτήτοις.
But he who has accustomed himself from afar neither to praise a speaker against his judgment, nor to applaud a singer, nor to laugh at a tasteless jester, will not allow things to go so far, nor will he say to the man who is uncompliant in those matters: "Swear for me, and bear false witness, and declare against what is just." And so also one must resist those who ask for money, training oneself beforehand in matters that are neither great nor hard to refuse.
Ἀρχέλαος μὲν γὰρ ὁ τῶν Μακεδόνων βασιλεὺς παρὰ δεῖπνον αἰτηθεὶς ἔκπωμα χρυσοῦν ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπου μηδὲν ἡγουμένου καλὸν ἢ τὸ λαμβάνειν, ἐκέλευσεν Εὐριπίδῃ τὸν παῖδα δοῦναι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκεῖνον ἀποβλέψας
σὺ μὲν
εἶπεν αἰτεῖν ἐπιτήδειος εἶ καὶ μὴ λαμβάνων, οὗτος δὲ λαμβάνειν καὶ μὴ αἰτῶν ἄριστα τοῦ διδόναι καὶ χαρίζεσθαι κύριον ποιῶν τὸ κρῖνον ἀλλὰ μὴ τὸ δυσωπούμενον.
For Archelaus, the king of the Macedonians, when asked for a golden cup at dinner by a man who thought nothing good except receiving, ordered his servant to give it to Euripides, and looking at that man, said: "You indeed are fit to ask and not to receive, but this man is fit to receive even without asking," making the judging faculty, and not the compliant one, supreme in giving and granting.
ἡμεῖς δὲ πολλάκις ἀνθρώπους ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ οἰκείους καὶ δεομένους περιορῶντες ἑτέροις αἰτοῦσιν ἐνδελεχῶς καὶ ἰταμῶς ἐδώκαμεν, οὐ δοῦναι θελήσαντες ἀλλʼ ἀρνήσασθαι μὴ δυνηθέντες.
But we often ignore decent and close friends who are in need, and give to others who ask incessantly and impudently, not because we wished to give, but because we were unable to refuse.
ὥσπερ Ἀντίγονος ὁ γέρων ὑπὸ Βίαντος ἐνοχληθεὶς πολλάκις
δότʼ
εἶπε
Βίαντι τάλαντον καὶ ἀνάγκῃ· καίτοι μάλιστα τῶν βασιλέων ἐμμελὴς ἦν καὶ πιθανὸς ἀποτρίβεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα.
Just as the old Antigonus, when importuned many times by Bias, said: "Give a talent to Bias, and necessity also"; though he was of all kings the most elegant and persuasive in brushing off such requests.
κυνικοῦ γάρ ποτε δραχμὴν αἰτήσαντος αὐτόν
ἀλλʼ οὐ βασιλικόν
ἔφη
τὸ δόμα· τοῦ δʼ ὑποτυχόντος
δὸς οὖν μοι τάλαντον
ἀπήντησεν
ἀλλʼ οὐ κυνικὸν τὸ λῆμμα
Διογένης μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἀνδριάντας ᾔτει περιιὼν ἐν Κεραμεικῷ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς θαυμάζοντας ἔλεγεν ἀποτυγχάνειν μελετᾶν ἡμῖν δὲ πρῶτον ἐμμελετητέον ἐστὶ τοῖς φαύλοις καὶ γυμναστέον περὶ τὰ μικρά, πρὸς τὸ ἀρνεῖσθαι τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν οὐ προσηκόντως ληψομένοις· ὡς ἂν μείζοσιν ἀποτεύξεσιν ἐπικουρεῖν ἔχωμεν.
For once, when a Cynic asked him for a drachma, he said: "But the gift is not kingly"; and when the other replied: "Then give me a talent," he countered: "But the taking is not Cynic." Diogenes, indeed, went about asking the statues in the Cerameicus, and said to those who wondered at him that he was practicing how to fail. But we must first practice on trivial things and train ourselves in small matters, in order to refuse those who ask for what they ought not to receive, so that we may have support in greater refusals.
οὐδεὶς γάρ ὡς ὁ Δημοσθένης φησὶν
εἰς ἃ μὴ δεῖ καταναλώσας τὰ παρόντα τῶν μὴ παρόντων εὐπορήσει πρὸς ἃ δεῖ.
For no one, as Demosthenes says, having spent what is present on what is not necessary, will have abundance of what is not present for what is necessary.
γίγνεται δʼ ἡμῖν πολλαπλάσιον τὸ αἰσχρόν, ὅταν ἐλλίπωμεν πρὸς τὰ καλά, πλεονάσαντες τοῖς περιττοῖς.
And our shame becomes manifold when we fail in what is honorable by exceeding in what is superfluous.