§8ἐπεὶ δʼ οὐ χρημάτων μόνον ἡ δυσωπία κακὴ καὶ ἀγνώμων οἰκονόμος ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τὰ μείζονα παραιρεῖται τὸ συμφέρον τοῦ λογισμοῦ· καὶ γὰρ ἰατρὸν νοσοῦντες οὐ παρακαλοῦμεν τὸν ἔμπειρον αἰσχυνόμενοι τὸν συνήθη, καὶ παισὶ διδασκάλους ἀντὶ τῶν χρηστῶν τοὺς παρακαλοῦντας αἱρούμεθα, καὶ δίκην ἔχοντες πολλάκις οὐκ ἐῶμεν εἰπεῖν τὸν ὠφέλιμον καὶ ἀγοραῖον, ἀλλʼ οἰκείου τινὸς ἢ συγγενοῦς υἱῷ χαριζόμενοι παρεδώκαμεν ἐμπανηγυρίσαι· τέλος δὲ πολλοὺς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ τῶν φιλοσοφεῖν λεγομένων, Ἐπικουρείους καὶ Στωικοὺς ὄντας, οὐχ ἑλομένους οὐδὲ κρίναντας ἀλλὰ προσθεμένους δυσωποῦσιν οἰκείοις καὶ φίλοις·
Since being compliant is not only a bad and unreasonable household manager of money, but also in greater matters deprives our reasoning of its advantage; for indeed, when we are sick, we do not call the experienced doctor out of shame before our usual one, and for our children we choose as teachers those who beg us instead of those who are excellent, and when we have a lawsuit, we often do not allow the useful and experienced advocate to speak, but to gratify the son of some close friend or relative we deliver the case to him to make his display; finally, one can see many of even those said to study philosophy, though they are Epicureans or Stoics, not having chosen or judged for themselves, but having attached themselves to close acquaintances and friends who made them compliant.
φέρε δὴ καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα πόρρωθεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτυχοῦσι καὶ μικροῖς γυμνάζωμεν ἑαυτούς, ἐθίζοντες μήτε κουρεῖ μήτε γναφεῖ κατὰ δυσωπίαν χρῆσθαι μηδὲ καταλύειν· ἐν φαύλῳ πανδοκείῳ, βελτίονος παρόντος, ὅτι πολλάκις ὁ πανδοκεὺς ἠσπάσαθʼ ἡμᾶς· ἀλλʼ ἔθους ἕνεκα, κἂν ᾖ παρὰ μικρόν, αἱρεῖσθαι τὸ βέλτιον·
Come then, let us train ourselves against these things also from afar in casual and small matters, accustoming ourselves neither to employ a barber nor a fuller because of compliance, nor to lodge in a poor inn when a better is at hand, just because the innkeeper greeted us many times; but for the sake of habit, even if the difference is very small, to choose the better.
ὥσπερ οἱ Πυθαγορικοὶ παρεφύλαττον ἀεὶ μηδέποτε τῷ δεξιῷ μηρῷ τὸν εὐώνυμον ἐπιτιθέναι, μηδὲ τὸν ἄρτιον ἀντὶ τοῦ περιττοῦ λαβεῖν, τῶν ἄλλων ἐπʼ ἴσης ἐχόντων.
Just as the Pythagoreans always took care never to place the left thigh upon the right, nor to take the even number instead of the odd, when other conditions were equal.
ἐθιστέον δέ, καὶ θυσίαν ποιούμενον ἢ γάμον ἤ τινα ἄλλην τοιαύτην ὑποδοχὴν μὴ τὸν ἀσπασάμενον καλεῖν ἢ προσδραμόντα μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν εὔνουν καὶ χρηστόν·
And one must accustom oneself, even when making a sacrifice or a wedding or any other such entertainment, to invite not the one who greeted us or ran to meet us, but rather the well-disposed and excellent person.
ὁ γὰρ οὕτως ἐθισθεὶς καὶ ἀσκήσας δυσάλωτος ἔσται, μᾶλλον δʼ ὅλως ἀνεπιχείρητος ἐν τοῖς μείζοσι.
For he who has been thus accustomed and trained will be hard to catch, or rather altogether unassailable in greater matters.
§9περὶ μὲν οὖν ἀσκήσεως ἱκανὰ καὶ ταῦτα·
Now, concerning training, these things are sufficient.
τῶν δὲ χρησίμων ἐπιλογισμῶν πρῶτός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκων, ὅτι πᾶσι μὲν τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀκολουθεῖ καὶ τοῖς νοσήμασιν ἃ φεύγειν διʼ αὐτῶν δοκοῦμεν, ἀδοξίαι φιλοδοξίαις καὶ λῦπαι φιληδονίαις καὶ πόνοι μαλακίαις καὶ φιλονικίαις ἧτται καὶ καταδίκαι·
But of the useful reflections, the first is that which teaches and reminds us that all passions and diseases are followed by those very things which we think we are escaping through them: loss of reputation follows love of reputation, pains follow love of pleasure, labors follow softness, and defeats and convictions follow love of victory.
τῇ δὲ δυσωπίᾳ συμβέβηκεν ἀτεχνῶς φευγούσῃ καπνὸν ἀδοξίας εἰς πῦρ ἐμβάλλειν ἑαυτήν.
And to compliance it has happened, in literally fleeing the smoke of ill repute, to throw itself into the fire.
αἰσχυνόμενοι γὰρ ἀντιλέγειν τοῖς ἀγνωμόνως δυσωποῦσιν ὕστερον δυσωποῦνται τοὺς δικαίως ἐγκαλοῦντας, καὶ δεδιότες μέμψιν ἐλαφρὰν πολλάκις αἰσχύνην ὁμολογουμένην ὑπομένουσι.
For being ashamed to speak against those who make them compliant unreasonably, they are later made compliant before those who accuse them justly, and fearing a light blame, they often undergo an acknowledged disgrace.
καὶ γὰρ αἰτοῦντος ἀργύριον φίλου δυσωπηθέντες ἀντειπεῖν οὐκ ἔχοντες, ἀσχημονοῦσι μετʼ ὀλίγον ἐξελεγχόμενοι καὶ βοηθήσειν ὁμολογήσαντες ἐνίοις δίκην ἔχουσιν, εἶτα τοὺς ἑτέρους διατραπέντες ἀποκρύπτονται καὶ δραπετεύουσι.
For indeed, when a friend asks for money, being compliant and unable to refuse, they are disgraced shortly after when they are exposed; and having agreed to help some who have a lawsuit, they then shrink from the other party, hide themselves, and run away.
πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ περὶ γάμου θυγατρὸς ἢ ἀδελφῆς εἰς ὁμολογίαν ἀλυσιτελῆ κατακλείσασα δυσωπία ψεύδεσθαι πάλιν ἀναγκάζει μετατιθεμένους.
And compliance, having shut up many even concerning the marriage of a daughter or sister into an unprofitable agreement, forces them to lie again when they change their minds.
§10ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἰπών, ὅτι πάντες οἱ τὴν Ἀσίαν κατοικοῦντες ἑνὶ δουλεύουσιν ἀνθρώπῳ διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι μίαν εἰπεῖν τὴν
οὐ
συλλαβήν, οὐκ ἐσπούδασεν ἀλλʼ ἔσκωψε·
For the one who said that all those who inhabit Asia serve one man because they are not able to speak the single syllable 'no' was not serious but jesting.
τοῖς δὲ δυσωπουμένοις, κἂν μηδὲν εἴπωσιν, ἔξεστιν ὀφρῦν ἐπάρασι μόνον ἢ κάτω κύψασι πολλὰς ἀβουλήτους καὶ ἀτόπους ὑπουργίας διαφυγεῖν.
But for those who are made compliant, even if they say nothing, it is possible merely by raising an eyebrow or bending their head down to escape many unwanted and absurd services.
τὴν γὰρ σιωπὴν
ὁ μὲν Εὐριπίδης φησὶ
τοῖς σοφοῖς ἀπόκρισιν
εἶναι· κινδυνεύομεν δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτῆς δεῖσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνώμονας· ἐπεὶ τοὺς. χαρίεντας ἔστι καὶ παρηγορῆσαι·
For Euripides says that silence is an answer to the wise; but we run the risk of needing it rather against the unreasonable, since the refined can also be persuaded.
καὶ πρόχειρά γε δεῖ καὶ συχνὰ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἔχειν ἀποφθέγματα καὶ μνημονεύειν πρὸς τοὺς δυσωποῦντας· οἷον τὸ Φωκίωνος πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον
οὐ δύνασαί μοι καὶ φίλῳ χρῆσθαι καὶ κόλακι
καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐπιδοῦναι κελεύοντας αὐτὸν ἐν ἑορτῇ καὶ κροτοῦντας
αἰσχύνομαι
εἶπεν ὑμῖν
μὲν ἐπιδιδοὺς τούτῳ δὲ μὴ ἀποδιδούς
Καλλικλέα δείξας τὸν δανειστήν·
And indeed, one must have at hand and remember many sayings of famous and good men against those who make us compliant; such as that of Phocion to Antipater: 'You cannot use me both as a friend and as a flatterer'; and to the Athenians who bid him contribute at a festival and applauded him, he said: 'I am ashamed to contribute to you and not to pay back to this man,' pointing to Callicles the moneylender.
πενίαν γὰρ οὐχ ὁμολογεῖν αἰσχρὸν
ὡς Θουκυδίδης φησὶν
ἀλλʼ ἔργῳ μὴ διαφεύγειν αἴσχιον
ὁ δʼ ἀβελτερίᾳ καὶ μαλακίᾳ πρὸς τὸν αἰτοῦντα δυσωπούμενος εἰπεῖν
"οὐκ ἔστʼ ἐν ἄντροις λευκός, ὦ ξένʼ, ἄργυρος·
For, as Thucydides says, it is not confessing poverty that is shameful, but not escaping it by work is more shameful.
"
εἶθʼ ὥσπερ ἐνέχυρον προέμενος; τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν,
"αἰδοῦς ἀχαλκεύτοισιν ἔζευκται πέδαις. "
ὁ δὲ Περσαῖος ἀργύριόν τινι τῶν γνωρίμων δανείζων διʼ ἀγορᾶς καὶ τραπέζης ἐποιεῖτο τὸ συμβόλαιον μεμνημένος δηλονότι τοῦ Ἡσιόδου λέγοντος; "καί τε κασιγνήτῳ γελάσας ἐπὶ μάρτυρα θέσθαι. "
θαυμάσαντος δʼ ἐκείνου καὶ εἰπόντος
οὕτως, ὦ Περσαῖε, νομικῶς; ναί
εἶπεν
ἵνα φιλικῶς ἀπολάβω καὶ μὴ νομικῶς ἀπαιτήσω
πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ διὰ δυσωπίαν προέμενοι τὸ πιστόν, ὕστερον ἐχρήσαντο τοῖς νομίμοις μετʼ ἔχθρας.
But he who out of foolishness and weakness is compliant before the asker to say: 'There is no white silver, O guest, in the caves,' and then, having thrown away his promise as if it were a pledge, 'is bound by the unforged fetters of shame.' While Persaeus, when lending money to one of his acquaintances, made the contract through the marketplace and a bank, remembering, of course, Hesiod saying: 'Even smiling at a brother, place a witness.' And when the other wondered and said: 'So lawfully, O Persaeus?' he replied: 'Yes, so that I may receive it back in a friendly manner and not demand it back lawfully.' For many, having in the beginning thrown away security because of compliance, afterwards had recourse to law with enmity.