§1ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὁ τοῦτʼ εἰπὼν λαθεῖν ἠθέλησεν αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτʼ εἶπεν, ἵνα μὴ λάθῃ, ὥς τι φρονῶν περιττότερον· ἐκ τῆς εἰς ἀδοξίαν προτροπῆς δόξαν ἄδικον ποριζόμενος· "μισῶ σοφιστήν, ὅστις οὐχ αὑτῷ σοφός·
But not even he who said this wished to remain unnoticed; for he said this very thing in order that he might not remain unnoticed, as though he were thinking something rather extraordinary, procuring for himself an unjust reputation from his exhortation to obscurity.\n"I hate a wise man who is not wise for himself."\nFor they say that those around Philoxenus the son of Eryxis, and Gnathon the Sicilian, who were excited about dainties, used to blow their noses into the side-dishes, so that by disgusting their fellow-diners they might themselves alone glut themselves with what was served.
"
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ περὶ Φιλόξενον τὸν Ἐρύξιδος καὶ Γνάθωνα τὸν Σικελιώτην ἐπτοημένους περὶ τὰ ὄψα λέγουσιν ἐναπομύττεσθαι ταῖς παροψίσιν, ὅπως τοὺς συνεσθίοντας διατρέψαντες αὐτοὶ μόνοι τῶν παρακειμένων ἐμφορηθῶσιν οἱ δʼ ἀκράτως φιλόδοξοι καὶ κατακόρως διαβάλλουσιν ἑτέροις τὴν δόξαν ὥσπερ ἀντερασταῖς, ἵνα τυγχάνωσιν αὐτῆς ἀνανταγωνίστως καὶ ταὐτὰ τοῖς ἐρέσσουσι ποιοῦσιν·
And those who are immoderately and insatiably ambitious disparage reputation to others as if to rival lovers, so that they may obtain it without competition, and they do the same as those who row.
ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, πρὸς τὴν πρύμναν ἀφορῶντες τῆς νεώς, τῇ κατὰ πρῷραν ὁρμῇ συνεργοῦσιν, ὡς ἂν ἐκ τῆς ἀνακοπῆς περίρροια καταλαμβάνουσα συνεπωθῇ τὸ πορθμεῖον, οὕτως οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα παραγγέλματα διδόντες ὥσπερ ἀπεστραμμένοι τὴν δόξαν διώκουσιν.
For just as those, looking back toward the stern of the ship, assist the impulse toward the prow—as the backwash, overtaking them from the obstruction, helps to push the boat along—so those who give such precepts, as if turned away, pursue reputation.
ἐπεὶ τί λέγειν ἔδει τοῦτο;
Since why was it necessary to say this?
τί δὲ γράφειν καὶ γράψαντα ἐκδιδόναι πρὸς τὸν μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνον, εἰ λαθεῖν ἐβούλετο τοὺς ὄντας ὁ μηδὲ τοὺς ἐσομένους; §2ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἐῶμεν·
And why to write and, having written, to publish it for the time hereafter, if he wished to remain unnoticed by those who are now, not to mention those who are to be?\n But let us leave this aside.
αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα πῶς οὐ πονηρόν, λάθε βιώσας;
Yet how is the thing itself not wicked, "live in obscurity"?
ὡς τυμβωρυχήσας;
As though you had robbed a grave?
ἀλλʼ αἰσχρόν ἐστι τὸ ζῆν, ἵνʼ ἀγνοῶμεν πάντες;
Or is living shameful, so that we should all be ignorant of one another?
ἐγὼ δʼ ἂν εἴποιμι, μηδὲ κακῶς βιώσας λάθε, ἀλλὰ γνώσθητι σωφρονίσθητι μετανόησον εἴτʼ ἀρετὴν ἔχεις, μὴ γένῃ ἄχρηστος εἴτε κακίαν, μὴ μείνῃς ἀθεράπευτος.
But I would say, do not even live in obscurity if you have lived badly, but be known, be disciplined, repent; and if you have virtue, do not become useless, or if vice, do not remain uncured.
μᾶλλον δὲ διελοῦ καὶ διόρισον, τίνι τοῦτο προστάττεις·
Rather, divide and distinguish to whom you command this.
εἰ μὲν ἀμαθεῖ καὶ πονηρῷ καὶ ἀγνώμονι, οὐδὲν διαφέρεις τοῦ λέγοντος, λάθε καὶ πυρέττων, λάθε φρενιτίζων, μὴ γνῷ σε ὁ ἰατρός· ἴθι ῥίψας ποι κατὰ σκότου σεαυτόν, ἀγνοούμενος ὁμοῦ τοῖς πάθεσι· καὶ σὺ ἴθι τῇ κακίᾳ νόσον ἀνήκεστον νοσῶν καὶ ὀλέθριον, ἀποκρύπτων τοὺς φθόνους, τὰς δεισιδαιμονίας, ὥσπερ τινὰς σφυγμούς, δεδιὼς παρασχεῖν τοῖς νουθετεῖν καὶ ἰᾶσθαι δυναμένοις.
If to an ignorant, wicked, and foolish person, you differ in no way from one who says: "remain unnoticed even when feverish, remain unnoticed when delirious, lest the physician know you; go, throw yourself somewhere into the dark, being ignored together with your sufferings." And you, go, suffering from an incurable and destructive disease of vice, hiding your envies, your superstitions, like some pulse-beats, fearing to present them to those who are able to admonish and cure.
οἱ δὲ σφόδρα παλαιοὶ καὶ τοὺς νοσοῦντας φανερῶς προῆγον· τούτων δʼ ἕκαστος εἴ τι πρόσφορον ἔχοι, παθὼν αὐτὸς ἢ παθόντα θεραπεύσας, ἔφραζε τῷ δεομένῳ·
But the very ancient people even brought the sick out into the open; and if any of them had anything useful, having suffered it himself or cured one who suffered, he told it to the one in need.
καὶ τέχνην οὕτω φασὶν ἐκ πείρας συνερανιζομένην μεγάλην γενέσθαι.
And they say that in this way medicine, being collected from experience, became great.
ἔδει δὴ καὶ τοὺς νοσώδεις βίους καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς πᾶσιν ἀπογυμνοῦν καὶ ἅπτεσθαι καὶ λέγειν ἑκάστων ἐπισκοποῦντα τὰς διαθέσεις
ὀργίζῃ;
So it was necessary also to expose diseased lives and the things of the soul to all, and to touch and speak, examining the dispositions of each:\n"Are you angry?
τοῦτο φύλαξαι·
Guard against this.
ζηλοτυπεῖς;
Are you jealous?
ἐκεῖνο ποίησον·
Do that.
ἐρᾷς;
Are you in love?
κἀγώ ποτʼ ἠράσθην ἀλλὰ μετενόησα
νῦν δʼ ἀρνούμενοι, ἀποκρυπτόμενοι, περιστέλλοντες, ἐμβαθύνουσι τὴν κακίαν ἑαυτοῖς. §3καὶ μὴν εἴ γε τοῖς χρηστοῖς λανθάνειν καὶ ἀγνοεῖσθαι παραινεῖς, Ἐπαμεινώνδᾳ λέγεις
μὴ στρατήγει
καὶ Λυκούργῳ
μὴ νομοθέτει
καὶ Θρασυβούλῳ
μὴ τυραννοκτόνει
καὶ Πυθαγόρᾳ
μὴ παίδευε
καὶ Σωκράτει
μὴ διαλέγου· καὶ σεαυτῷ πρῶτον Ἐπίκουρε, μὴ γράφε τοῖς ἐν Ἀσίᾳ φίλοις μηδὲ τοῖς ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου ξενολόγει μηδὲ τοὺς Λαμψακηνῶν ἐφήβους δορυφόρει· μηδὲ διάπεμπε βίβλους, πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις ἐπιδεικνύμενος τὴν σοφίαν, μηδὲ διατάσσου περὶ ταφῆς.
I too was once in love, but I repented."\nBut now, by denying, hiding, and wrapping up, they deepen their vice within themselves.\n And indeed, if you advise the good to remain unnoticed and to be unknown, you are telling Epaminondas:\n"Do not be a general,"\n and Lycurgus:\n"Do not legislate,"\nand Thrasybulus:\n"Do not kill the tyrant,"\nand Pythagoras:\n"Do not educate,"\nand Socrates:\n"Do not converse."\nAnd first of all to yourself, Epicurus: "Do not write to your friends in Asia, nor enlist those from Egypt, nor protect the youths of Lampsacus; nor send books around, displaying your wisdom to all men and women, nor make arrangements about your burial." For what are the common tables?
τί γὰρ αἱ κοιναὶ τράπεζαι; τί δʼ αἱ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων καὶ καλῶν σύνοδοι;
And what the gatherings of companions and fair people?
τί δʼ αἱ τοσαῦται μυριάδες στίχων ἐπὶ Μητρόδωρον, ἐπʼ Ἀριστόβουλον, ἐπὶ Χαιρέδημον γραφόμεναι καὶ συντασσόμεναι φιλοπόνως;
And what the so many tens of thousands of lines written and compiled with industry on Metrodorus, on Aristobulus, on Chaeredemus?
ἵνα μηδʼ ἀποθανόντες λάθωσιν, ἢ ἵνʼ ἀμνηστίαν νομοθετῇς ἀρετῇ καὶ ἀπραξίαν τέχνῃ καὶ σιωπὴν φιλοσοφίᾳ καὶ λήθην εὐπραγίᾳ;
Is it so that not even when dead they may remain unnoticed, or is it that you may legislate oblivion for virtue, inactivity for art, silence for philosophy, and forgetfulness for success?