§4τί γὰρ ὤνησε Σόλων Ἀθηναίους ἀπαλλάξας τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς· σώμασιν ὀφείλειν;
For what did Solon benefit the Athenians by freeing them from borrowing on the security of their bodies?
δουλεύουσι γὰρ ἅπασι τοῖς ἀφανισταῖς, μᾶλλον δʼ οὐδʼ αὐτοῖς· τί γὰρ ἦν τὸ δεινόν; ἀλλὰ δούλοις ὑβρισταῖς καὶ βαρβάροις καὶ ἀγρίοις, ὥσπερ οὓς ὁ Πλάτων φησὶ καθʼ Ἅιδου διαπύρους κολαστὰς καὶ δημοκοίνους ἐφεστάναι τοῖς ἠσεβηκόσι.
For they are slaves to all the moneylenders, or rather not even to them themselves (for what would have been the terror in that?), but to insolent, barbarian, and savage slaves, just like those whom Plato says stand over the impious in Hades as fiery punishers and public executioners.
καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι τὴν ἀγορὰν ἀσεβῶν χώραν ἀποδείξαντες τοῖς ἀθλίοις χρεώσταις γυπῶν δίκην ἔσθουσι καὶ ὑποκείρουσιν αὐτοὺς
δέρτρον ἔσω δύνοντες,ʼ
τοὺς δʼ ὥσπερ Ταντάλους ἐφεστῶτες εἴργουσι γεύσασθαι τῶν ἰδίων τρυγῶντας καὶ συγκομίζοντας.
And indeed, these men, having turned the marketplace into a land of the impious, devour and shear the wretched debtors like vultures, "entering into their inner skin," and standing over others, they prevent them from tasting their own possessions, though they gather the vintage and harvest them, just like so many Tantaluses.
ὡς δὲ Δαρεῖος ἐπὶ τὰς Ἀθήνας ἔπεμψε Δᾶτιν καὶ Ἀρταφέρνην ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἁλύσεις ἔχοντας καὶ δεσμὰ κατὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, παραπλησίως οὗτοι τῶν χειρογράφων καὶ συμβολαίων ὥσπερ πεδῶν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα κομίζοντες ἀγγεῖα μεστὰ τὰς πόλεις ἐπιπορεύονται καὶ διελαύνουσι, σπείροντες οὐχ ἥμερον καρπὸν ὡς ὁ Τριπτόλεμος, ἀλλʼ ὀφλημάτων ῥίζας πολυπόνους καὶ πολυτόκους καὶ δυσεκλείπτους τιθέντες, αἳ κύκλῳ νεμόμεναι καὶ περιβλαστάνουσαι κάμπτουσι καὶ ἄγχουσι τὰς πόλεις.
And just as Darius sent Datis and Artaphernes against Athens holding in their hands chains and fetters for the captives, in like manner these men, carrying caskets full of hand-written bonds and contracts as if they were shackles, march through and overrun Greece, sowing not a cultivated crop like Triptolemus, but planting painful, highly productive, and hard-to-eradicate roots of debt which, spreading and sprouting all around, bend and strangle the cities.
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ λαγὼς λέγουσι τίκτειν ἅμα καὶ τρέφειν ἕτερα καὶ ἐπικυΐσκεσθαι πάλιν, τὰ δὲ τῶν μαστιγιῶν τούτων καὶ βαρβάρων χρέα πρὶν ἢ συλλαβεῖν τίκτει· διδόντες γὰρ εὐθὺς ἀπαιτοῦσι καὶ τιθέντες αἴρουσι καὶ δανείζουσιν ὃ λαμβάνουσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ δανεῖσαι.
For they say that hares give birth and at the same time nourish others and conceive again, but the debts of these scoundrels and barbarians give birth even before conceiving; for as soon as they give they demand, and as soon as they deposit they take away, and they lend out what they receive for the sake of lending.
§5λέγεται μὲν παρὰ Μεσσηνίοις
"
ἔστι Πύλος πρὸ Πύλοιο, Πύλος γε μὲν ἔστι καὶ ἄλλος
"
λεχθήσεται δὲ πρὸς τοὺς δανειστάς
"
ἔστι τόκος πρὸ τόκοιο, τόκος γε μὲν ἔστι καὶ ἄλλος. "
εἶτα τῶν φυσικῶν δήπου καταγελῶσι, λεγόντων μηδὲν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος γενέσθαι· παρὰ τούτοις γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ μηκέτʼ ὄντος μηδʼ ὑφεστῶτος γεννᾶται τόκος·
Among the Messenians it is said: "There is a Pylos before Pylos, and indeed there is yet another Pylos." But to the moneylenders it will be said: "There is interest before interest, and indeed there is yet another interest." Then they surely mock the natural philosophers, who say that nothing comes from nothing; for among these men, interest is begotten from what no longer exists nor has any substance.
καὶ τὸ τελωνεῖν ὄνειδος ἡγοῦνται, τοῦ νόμου διδόντος· αὐτοὶ γὰρ παρανόμως δανείζουσι τελωνοῦντες, μᾶλλον δʼ, εἰ δεῖ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ἐν τῷ δανείζειν χρεωκοποῦντες· ὁ γὰρ οὗ γράφει λαμβάνων ἔλαττον χρεωκοπεῖται.
And they consider tax-farming a disgrace, though the law permits it; for they themselves collect taxes illegally by lending, or rather, if the truth must be told, they commit fraud in the very act of lending; for he who receives less than the amount he signs for is being defrauded.
καίτοι Πέρσαι γε τὸ ψεύδεσθαι δεύτερον ἡγοῦνται τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, πρῶτον δὲ τὸ ὀφείλειν· ὅτι καὶ τὸ ψεύδεσθαι τοῖς ὀφείλουσι συμβαίνει πολλάκις·
And yet the Persians consider lying to be the second of sins, and first of all, owing a debt; because lying also often happens to those who owe.
ψεύδονται δὲ μᾶλλον οἱ δανείζοντες καὶ ῥᾳδιουργοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐφημερίσι, γράφοντες ὅτι τῷ δεῖνι τοσοῦτον διδόασιν, ἔλαττον διδόντες·
But those who lend tell more lies and commit fraud in their own ledgers, writing that they are giving so much to so-and-so, when they are giving less.
καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος αἰτίαν ἔχει πλεονεξίαν, οὐκ ἀνάγκην οὐδʼ ἀπορίαν, ἀλλʼ ἀπληστίαν, ἧς ἀναπόλαυστόν ἐστιν αὐτοῖς τὸ τέλος καὶ ἀνωφελὲς ὀλέθριον δὲ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις.
And their lie has as its cause greed, not necessity or want, but insatiability, whose end is unenjoyable to them and useless, but ruinous to those who are wronged.
οὔτε γὰρ ἀγροὺς οὓς ἀφαιροῦνται τῶν χρεωστῶν γεωργοῦσιν, οὔτʼ οἰκίας αὐτῶν, ἐκβαλόντες ἐκείνους, οἰκοῦσιν, οὔτε τραπέζας παρατίθενται οὔτʼ ἐσθῆτας ἐκείνων· ἀλλὰ πρῶτός τις ἀπόλωλε, καὶ δεύτερος κυνηγετεῖται ὑπʼ ἐκείνου δελεαζόμενος.
For they neither cultivate the fields which they take away from their debtors, nor do they inhabit their houses after throwing them out, nor do they set their tables or wear their clothes; but first one man is ruined, and then a second is hunted down, being enticed by him.
νέμεται γὰρ ὡς πῦρ τὸ ἄγριον αὐξόμενον ὀλέθρῳ καὶ φθορᾷ τῶν ἐμπεσόντων, ἄλλον ἐξ ἄλλου καταναλίσκον ὁ δὲ τοῦτο ῥιπίζων καὶ τρέφων ἐπὶ πολλοὺς δανειστὴς οὐδὲν ἔχει πλέον ἢ διὰ χρόνου λαβὼν ἀναγνῶναι πόσους πέπρακε καὶ πόσους ἐκβέβληκε καὶ πόθεν που κυλινδόμενον καὶ σωρευόμενον διαβέβηκε τὸ ἀργύριον.
For like a wild fire, it spreads, growing by the ruin and destruction of those who fall into it, consuming one after another; and the moneylender who fans and feeds this against many has no advantage other than, after a time, taking his books and reading how many he has sold and how many he has cast out, and from where the money, rolling and accumulating, has crossed over to him.
§6καὶ ταῦτα μὴ μʼ οἴεσθε λέγειν πόλεμον ἐξενηνοχότα πρὸς τοὺς δανειστάς· "
οὐ γὰρ πώποτʼ ἐμὰς βοῦς ἤλασαν οὐδὲ μὲν ἵππους· "
ἀλλʼ ἐνδεικνύμενον τοῖς προχείρως δανειζομένοις, ὅσην ἔχει τὸ πρᾶγμα αἰσχύνην καὶ ἀνελευθερίαν καὶ ὅτι τὸ δανείζεσθαι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀφροσύνης καὶ μαλακίας ἐστίν.
And do not think that I say these things as one who has declared war against moneylenders: "For never at any time did they drive away my cattle, nor indeed my horses;" but I show to those who borrow readily how much shame and servility the matter involves, and that borrowing is a mark of the ultimate folly and softness.
ἔχεις;
Have you resources?
μὴ δανείσῃ, οὐ γὰρ ἀπορεῖς οὐκ ἔχεις;
Do not borrow, for you are not in want. Have you no resources?
μὴ δανείσῃ, οὐ γὰρ ἐκτίσεις.
Do not borrow, for you will not pay back.
κατʼ ἰδίαν δʼ οὕτως ἑκάτερα σκοπῶμεν.
Let us examine each of the two cases individually in this way.
ὁ Κάτων πρός τινα πρεσβύτην πονηρευόμενον
ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τί τῷ γήρᾳ
ἔφη
πολλὰ κακὰ ἔχοντι τὴν ἐκ τῆς πονηρίας αἰσχύνην προστίθης; ʼ
οὐκοῦν καὶ σὺ τῇ πενίᾳ, πολλῶν κακῶν προσόντων, μὴ ἐπισώρευε τὰς ἐκ τοῦ δανείζεσθαι καὶ ὀφείλειν ἀμηχανίας μηδʼ ἀφαιροῦ τῆς πενίας, ᾧ μόνῳ τοῦ πλούτου διαφέρει, τὴν ἀμεριμνίαν.
Cato said to a certain old man who was acting wickedly: "My good man, why do you add the shame of wickedness to old age, which already has many evils?" Therefore, do you also not heap upon poverty, which already has many evils, the helplessness of borrowing and owing, nor strip poverty of the only thing in which it differs from wealth—freedom from anxiety.
ἐπεὶ τὸ τῆς παροιμίας ἔσται γελοῖον
"
οὐ δύναμαι τὴν αἶγα φέρειν, ἐπί μοι θέτε τὸν βοῦν
"
πενίαν φέρειν μὴ δυνάμενος δανειστὴν ἐπιτίθης σεαυτῷ, φορτίον καὶ πλουτοῦντι δύσοιστον.
Otherwise, that saying in the proverb will be ridiculous: "I cannot carry the goat; place the ox upon me." Since you cannot bear poverty, you place a moneylender upon yourself, a burden hard to bear even for a rich man.
πῶς οὖν διατραφῶ; τοῦτʼ ἐρωτᾷς, ἔχων χεῖρας, ἒχων πόδας, ἔχων φωνήν, ἄνθρωπος ὤν, τὸ φιλεῖν ἔστι καὶ φιλεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ χαρίζεσθαι καὶ τὸ εὐχαριστεῖν;
"How then shall I support myself?" you ask, though you have hands, have feet, have a voice, and are a human being, for whom it is possible to love and be loved, and to do favors and to show gratitude?
γράμματα διδάσκων, καὶ παιδαγωγῶν, καὶ θυρωρῶν, πλέων, παραπλέων οὐδέν ἐστι τούτων αἴσχιον οὐδὲ δυσχερέστερον τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι
ἀπόδος
.
By teaching letters, acting as a tutor, keeping a door, sailing, or coasting—none of these is more shameful or harder than hearing the words: "Pay back."