§1ἐν πολλοῖς μέν, ὦ Δημόνικε, πολὺ διεστώσας εὑρήσομεν τάς τε τῶν σπουδαίων γνώμας καὶ τὰς τῶν φαύλων διανοίας· πολὺ δὲ μεγίστην διαφορὰν εἰλήφασιν ἐν ταῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους συνηθείαις·
In many things, O Demonicus, we shall find that the minds of the good and the thoughts of the worthless are far apart; but they have received by far the greatest difference in their associations with one another.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς φίλους παρόντας μόνον τιμῶσιν, οἱ δὲ καὶ μακρὰν ἀπόντας ἀγαπῶσι· καὶ τὰς μὲν τῶν φαύλων συνηθείας ὀλίγος χρόνος διέλυσε, τὰς δὲ τῶν σπουδαίων φιλίας οὐδʼ ἂν ὁ πᾶς αἰὼν ἐξαλείψειεν.
For the latter honor their friends only when they are present, while the former love them even when they are far away; and while a short time dissolves the associations of the worthless, not even all eternity could erase the friendships of the good.
§2ἡγούμενος οὖν πρέπειν τοὺς δόξης ὀρεγομένους καὶ παιδείας ἀντιποιουμένους τῶν σπουδαίων ἀλλὰ μὴ τῶν φαύλων εἶναι μιμητάς, ἀπέσταλκά σοι τόνδε τὸν λόγον δῶρον, τεκμήριον μὲν τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὐνοίας, σημεῖον δὲ τῆς πρὸς Ἱππόνικον συνηθείας· πρέπει γὰρ τοὺς παῖδας, ὥσπερ τῆς οὐσίας, οὕτω καὶ τῆς φιλίας τῆς πατρικῆς κληρονομεῖν.
Thinking, therefore, that those who aim at glory and lay claim to education ought to be imitators of the good and not of the worthless, I have sent you this speech as a gift, a token of my goodwill toward you and a sign of my intimacy with Hipponicus; for it is fitting that children should inherit their father's friendship just as they do his property.
§3ὁρῶ δὲ καὶ τὴν τύχην ἡμῖν συλλαμβάνουσαν καὶ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν συναγωνιζόμενον· σὺ μὲν γὰρ παιδείας ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἐγὼ δὲ παιδεύειν ἄλλους ἐπιχειρῶ, καὶ σοὶ μὲν ἀκμὴ φιλοσοφεῖν, ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς φιλοσοφοῦντας ἐπανορθῶ.
And I see that fortune is helping us and the present opportunity is cooperating with us; for you desire education, and I attempt to educate others, and for you it is the prime time to philosophize, while I direct those who do so.
ὅσοι μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν φίλους τοὺς προτρεπτικοὺς λόγους συγγράφουσι, καλὸν μὲν ἔργον ἐπιχειροῦσιν, §4οὐ μὴν περί γε τὸ κράτιστον τῆς φιλοσοφίας διατρίβουσιν·
Now, those who compose hortatory speeches for their own friends attempt a noble task, yet they do not spend their time on the best part of philosophy.
ὅσοι δὲ τοῖς νεωτέροις εἰσηγοῦνται μὴ διʼ ὧν τὴν δεινότητα τὴν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἀσκήσουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὅπως τὰ τῶν τρόπων ἤθη σπουδαῖοι πεφυκέναι δόξουσι, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἐκείνων τοὺς ἀκούοντας ὠφελοῦσιν, ὅσον οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ λόγον παρακαλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ τὸν τρόπον αὐτῶν ἐπανορθοῦσι.
But those who suggest to the young, not the means by which they will practice cleverness in speech, but how they will seem to be excellent in the character of their habits, benefit their hearers by so much more than the former, as the former exhort them to speech, while the latter correct their character.
§5διόπερ ἡμεῖς οὐ παράκλησιν εὑρόντες ἀλλὰ παραίνεσιν γράψαντες, μέλλομέν σοι συμβουλεύειν ὧν χρὴ τοὺς νεωτέρους ὀρέγεσθαι καὶ τίνων ἔργων ἀπέχεσθαι καὶ ποίοις τισὶν ἀνθρώποις ὁμιλεῖν καὶ πῶς τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον οἰκονομεῖν.
Therefore, we, having written not an exhortation but a counsel, intend to advise you on what things the young ought to strive for, what actions to abstain from, with what sort of men to associate, and how to manage their own life.
ὅσοι γὰρ τοῦ βίου ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν ἐπορεύθησαν, οὗτοι μόνοι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐφικέσθαι γνησίως ἠδυνήθησαν, ἧς οὐδὲν κτῆμα σεμνότερον οὐδὲ βεβαιότερόν ἐστι.
For those who have traveled this path of life, they alone have been able to attain virtue genuinely, than which there is no possession more noble or more secure.
§6κάλλος μὲν γὰρ ἢ χρόνος ἀνήλωσεν ἢ νόσος ἐμάρανε· πλοῦτος δὲ κακίας μᾶλλον ἢ καλοκαγαθίας ὑπηρέτης ἐστίν, ἐξουσίαν μὲν τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ παρασκευάζων, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς ἡδονὰς τοὺς νέους παρακαλῶν· ῥώμη δὲ μετὰ μὲν φρονήσεως ὠφέλησεν, ἄνευ δὲ ταύτης πλείω τοὺς ἔχοντας ἔβλαψε, καὶ τὰ μὲν σώματα τῶν ἀσκούντων ἐκόσμησε, ταῖς δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελείαις ἐπεσκότησεν.
For beauty is either consumed by time or withered by disease; and wealth is a servant of vice rather than of virtue, providing license for laziness and inciting the young to pleasures; and strength with wisdom is beneficial, but without it, it harms those who possess it more, and though it adorns the bodies of those who exercise, it casts a shadow over the cares of the soul.
§7ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς κτῆσις, οἷς ἂν ἀκιβδήλως ταῖς διανοίαις συναυξηθῇ, μόνη μὲν συγγηράσκει, πλούτου δὲ κρείττων, χρησιμωτέρα δὲ εὐγενείας ἐστί, τὰ μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀδύνατα δυνατὰ καθιστᾶσα, τὰ δὲ τῷ πλήθει φοβερὰ θαρσαλέως ὑπομένουσα, καὶ τὸν μὲν ὄκνον ψόγον, τὸν δὲ πόνον ἔπαινον ἡγουμένη.
But the possession of virtue, for those in whose minds it grows sincerely together, alone grows old with them, is better than wealth, and more useful than noble birth, rendering possible what is impossible for others, bravely enduring what is terrifying to the multitude, and regarding hesitation as blame and labor as praise.
§8ῥᾴδιον δὲ τοῦτο καταμαθεῖν ἐστιν ἔκ τε τῶν Ἡρακλέους ἄθλων καὶ τῶν Θησέως ἔργων, οἷς ἡ τῶν τρόπων ἀρετὴ τηλικοῦτον εὐδοξίας χαρακτῆρα τοῖς ἔργοις ἐπέβαλεν, ὥστε μηδὲ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον δύνασθαι λήθην ἐμποιῆσαι τῶν ἐκείνοις πεπραγμένων.
And it is easy to understand this both from the labors of Heracles and from the deeds of Theseus, on whose works the virtue of their character impressed such a stamp of glory that not even all time can bring about forgetfulness of what was achieved by them.
§9οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς προαιρέσεις ἀναμνησθεὶς οἰκεῖον καὶ καλὸν ἕξεις παράδειγμα τῶν ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ σοι λεγομένων.
Moreover, if you remember your father’s choices, you will have a personal and noble example of what is being said by me.
οὐ γὰρ ὀλιγωρῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐδὲ ῥᾳθυμῶν διετέλεσε τὸν βίον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν σῶμα τοῖς πόνοις ἐγύμναζε, τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ τοὺς κινδύνους ὑπέμενεν.
For he did not pass his life neglecting virtue or being lazy, but trained his body with labors and endured dangers with his soul.
οὐδὲ τὸν πλοῦτον παρακαίρως ἠγάπα, ἀλλʼ ἀπέλαυε μὲν τῶν παρόντων ἀγαθῶν ὡς θνητός, ἐπεμελεῖτο δὲ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὡς ἀθάνατος.
Nor did he love wealth unseasonably, but enjoyed his present goods as a mortal, yet cared for his possessions as an immortal.