§1Τὰ περὶ μέθης καὶ τῆς ἑπομένης αὐτῇ γυμνότητος εἰρημένα τῷ νομοθέτῃ διεξεληλυθότες πρότερον ἀρξώμεθα τοῖς λεχθεῖσι τὸν ἑξῆς προσαρμόττειν λόγον·
Having previously gone through what was said by the lawgiver concerning drunkenness and the nakedness that follows it, let us now begin to adapt the succeeding discourse to what has been said.
περίεστι τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς χρησμοῖς ἀκόλουθα τάδε· „ἐξένηψε δὲ Νῶε ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου καὶ ἔγνω ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ νεώτερος„ (Gen. 9,24).
Now, there remains in the oracles this consequence: "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him" (Gen. 9:24).
§2τὸ νήφειν οὐ μόνον ψυχαῖς ἀλλὰ καὶ σώμασιν ὠφελιμώτατον ἀνωμολόγηται·
Soberness is acknowledged to be most beneficial not only to souls but also to bodies.
τάς τε γὰρ ἐξ ἀμέτρου πλησμονῆς γινομένας νόσους ἀπωθεῖται καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις πρὸς ἄκρας ὀξύτητας ἀκονᾷ καὶ ὅλα μέντοι τὰ σώματα οὐκ ἐᾷ βαρυνόμενα πίπτειν, ἀλλ’ ἐξαίρει καὶ ἐπικουφίζει καὶ πρὸς τὰς οἰκείους ἐνεργείας ἀνακαλεῖ πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσιν ἑτοιμότητα ἐντίκτον·
For it repels the diseases arising from immoderate fullness, and sharpens the senses to the utmost acuteness, and indeed does not allow the whole bodies to fall down heavy, but raises and lightens them, and recalls them to their proper activities, instilling readiness in all their parts.
καὶ συνόλως ὅσων δημιουργὸς κακῶν ἡ μέθη, τοσούτων ἔμπαλιν ἀγαθῶν τὸ νηφάλιον.
And in short, as many evils as drunkenness is the author of, of so many goods, on the contrary, is soberness.
§3ὁπότ’ οὖν καὶ σώμασιν, οἷς ἡ οἴνου πόσις οἰκεῖον, λυσιτελέστατον τὸ νήφειν, οὐ πολὺ μᾶλλον ψυχαῖς, ὧν φθαρτὴ τροφὴ πᾶσα ἀλλότριον;
Since, then, even for bodies, to which the drinking of wine is natural, soberness is most advantageous, is it not much more so for souls, to whom all corruptible food is alien?
νηφούσης γὰρ διανοίας τί τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις μεγαλειότερον;
For when the mind is sober, what among human affairs is greater?
τίς δόξα;
What glory?
τίς πλοῦτος;
What wealth?
τίς δυναστεία;
What power?
τίς ἰσχύς;
What strength?
τί τῶν πάντων ὅσα θαυμάζεται;
What of all the things that are admired?
φέρε μόνον τὸ ψυχῆς ὄμμα ὅλον ἰσχῦσαι δι’ ὅλων διοιχθῆναι καὶ μηδὲν οἷα ὑπὸ ῥεύματος συγχυθῆναι μέρος ἢ καταμῦσαι·
Let only the eye of the soul have strength to be opened entirely through all things, and let no part be clouded as if by a discharge, or closed.
τότε γὰρ μάλιστα ὀξυωπῆσαν, σύνεσιν καὶ φρόνησιν αὐτὴν ἐμβλέπον, τοῖς νοητοῖς ἀγάλμασιν ἐντεύξεται, ὧν ἡ θέα ψυχαγωγοῦσα πρὸς οὐδὲν ἔτι τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἀπονεύειν ἐάσει.
For then, being most sharp-sighted, looking upon understanding and wisdom itself, it will meet with the intelligible images, the sight of which, charming the soul, will no longer allow it to turn aside to any of the sensible things.
καὶ τί θαυμάζομεν, §4εἰ τῷ νηφαλίῳ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ βλέποντι ὀξυωπέστατα τῶν γένεσιν λαχόντων μηδέν ἐστιν ἰσότιμον;
And why do we wonder, if nothing among those things which have obtained existence is of equal value to the sober and most sharp-sighted state of the soul?
καὶ γὰρ οἱ τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμοὶ καὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν φῶς περιττῶς πρὸς ἡμῶν πάντων τετίμηται· πολλοὶ γοῦν τῶν τὰς ὄψεις ἀποβαλόντων καὶ τὸ ζῆν ἑκουσίως προσαπέβαλον κουφότερον κακὸν πηρώσεως θάνατον εἶναι δικάσαντες ἑαυτοῖς.
For indeed the eyes of the body and the sensible light are exceedingly honored by all of us; at least, many of those who have lost their sight have voluntarily thrown away their life as well, judging death to be a lighter evil for themselves than blindness.
§5ὅσῳ τοίνυν ψυχὴ σώματος κρείττων, τοσούτῳ καὶ νοῦς ὀφθαλμῶν ἀμείνων·
Therefore, as much as the soul is better than the body, so much also is the mind better than the eyes.
ὃς εἴπερ ἀπήμων εἴη καὶ ἀζήμιος πρὸς μηδενὸς τῶν μέθην παράφορον ἐργαζομένων ἀδικημάτων ἢ παθῶν πιεσθείς, ὕπνῳ μὲν ἀποτάξεται λήθην καὶ ὄκνον ἐμποιοῦντι τῶν πρακτέων, ἐγρήγορσιν δὲ ἀσπασάμενος πρὸς τὰ θέας ἄξια πάντα ὀξυδορκήσει, μνήμαις μὲν ὑποβαλλούσαις ἐγειρόμενος, πράξεσι δὲ τοῖς γνωσθεῖσιν ἑπομέναις χρώμενος.
If this mind should be unhurt and undamaged, being pressed by none of the injustices or passions which produce misleading drunkenness, it will bid farewell to sleep, which produces forgetfulness and hesitation in what is to be done, and welcoming wakefulness, it will see clearly all things worthy of contemplation, being aroused by memories suggesting them, and employing actions that follow the things known.
§6Τοῦ μὲν δὴ νήφοντος κατάστασίς ἐστι τοιαύτη.
Such indeed is the state of the sober man.
„νεώτερον„ δ’ ὅταν φῇ „υἱόν“, οὐχ ἡλικίας ὄνομα ἀναγράφει, νεωτεροποιίαν δὲ ἀγαπῶντος ἐμφαίνει τρόπου διάθεσιν.
But when he says "younger son," he does not record a name of age, but indicates the disposition of a character that loves revolution.
ἐπεὶ πῶς ἂν ἢ τὰ ἀθέατα κατιδεῖν παρὰ νόμον καὶ δίκην ἐβιάσατο ἢ ἐκλαλῆσαι τὰ ὀφείλοντα ἡσυχάζεσθαι ἢ εἰς τοὐμφανὲς προενεγκεῖν τὰ δυνάμενα οἴκοι συσκιάζεσθαι καὶ τοὺς ψυχῆς ὅρους μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν, εἰ μὴ νεωτέρων πραγμάτων ἥπτετο γελῶν τὰ ἑτέροις συμπίπτοντα, δέον ἐπιστένειν καὶ μὴ χλευάζειν ἐφ’ οἷς εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ εὐλαβούμενον τὸ μέλλον σκυθρωπάζειν;
For how else would he have forced himself either to look upon what ought not to be seen, contrary to law and justice, or to blab out things which ought to be kept silent, or to bring into the open things which were able to be concealed at home and not to transgress the boundaries of the soul, unless he were laying hands on revolutionary matters, laughing at what befell others, when he ought to have lamented and not mocked at things over which it was reasonable for him, being also cautious of the future, to be sad?
§7πολλαχοῦ μέντοι τῆς νομοθεσίας καὶ τοὺς ἡλικίᾳ προήκοντας νέους καὶ τοὺς μηδέπω γεγηρακότας ἔμπαλιν ὀνομάζει πρεσβυτέρους, οὐκ εἰς πολυετίαν ἀφορῶν ἢ βραχὺν καὶ μήκιστον χρόνον, ἀλλ’ εἰς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις κινουμένης εὖ τε καὶ χεῖρον·
Indeed, in many places of the legislation he calls those who are advanced in age "young," and, on the contrary, those who are not yet old "elders," looking not at length of years, or a short and very long time, but at the powers of the soul moving well or worse.
§8τὸν γοῦν Ἰσμαὴλ εἰκοσαετίαν ἤδη που βεβιωκότα σχεδὸν κατὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἐν ἀρεταῖς τέλειον Ἰσαὰκ σύγκρισιν ὀνομάζει παιδίον·
At all events, Ishmael, who had already lived about twenty years, he calls a "child" in comparison with Isaac, who was perfect in virtues.
„ἔλαβε„ γάρ φησιν „ἄρτους καὶ ἀσκὸν ὕδατος καὶ ἔδωκεν Ἄγαρ, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὦμον καὶ τὸ παιδίον“, ἡνίκα αὐτοὺς οἴκοθεν Ἀβραὰμ ἐξέπεμψε, καὶ πάλιν „ἔρριψε τὸ παιδίον ὑποκάτω μιᾶς ἐλάτης„, καὶ „οὐ μὴ ἴδω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ παιδίου„ (Gen. 21, 14 — 16)·
For he says, "He took bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, and put them on her shoulder, and the child," when Abraham sent them away from home; and again, "She cast the child under one of the pines," and "Let me not see the death of the child" (Gen. 21:14-16).
καίτοι πρὸ μὲν τῆς γενέσεως Ἰσαὰκ τρισκαίδεκα γεγονὼς ἐτῶν Ἰσμαὴλ περιτέτμηται (Gen. 17,25), περὶ δὲ τὴν ἑπταέτιν ἡλικίαν παυσαμένου τῆς ἐν γάλακτι τροφῆς ἐκείνου τῷ τὴν ἐν παιδιαῖς ἰσότητα φέρεσθαι νόθος γνησίῳ | φυγαδεύεται σὺν τῇ τεκούσῃ.
And yet, before the birth of Isaac, Ishmael, being thirteen years old, was circumcised (Gen. 17:25), and when the former, at about seven years of age, ceased from his nourishment of milk, the bastard was banished with his mother because of claiming equality in play with the legitimate child.