§37ἆρ’ οὐχὶ τοῖς ἐνεργοῦσι καὶ δρῶσι;
Is it not to those who act and do?
κατορθοῦντες μὲν γὰρ ἔπαινον, ψόγον δ’ ἔμπαλιν καρποῦνται διαμαρτάνοντες.
For when they succeed, they reap praise, but on the contrary, they reap blame when they fail.
οἱ δ’ ἄνευ τοῦ τι ποιεῖν ἐπιστήμονες αὐτὸ μόνον, ἀκίνδυνον γέρας εἰληφότες ἡσυχίαν ἠρεμοῦσιν.
But those who are knowledgeable without doing anything, merely possessing it, remain quiet in peace, having received a danger-free reward.
§38ὁ αὐτὸς τοίνυν λόγος ἐφαρμόττει καὶ τοῖς κατ’ ἀφροσύνην καὶ συνόλως τοῖς κατ’ ἀρετήν τε καὶ κακίαν· οἱ φρόνιμοί τε καὶ σώφρονες καὶ ἀνδρεῖοι καὶ δίκαιοι τὰς ψυχὰς μυρίοι γεγόνασι φύσεως μὲν εὐμοιρίᾳ, νομίμοις δ’ ὑφηγήσεσι, πόνοις δ’ ἀηττήτοις καὶ ἀοκνοτάτοις χρησάμενοι, τὸ δὲ κάλλος τῶν ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις ἀγαλμάτων οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἐπιδείξασθαι διὰ πενίαν ἢ ἀδοξίαν ἢ νόσον σώματος ἢ τὰς ἄλλας κῆρας ὅσαι τὸν ἀνθρώπινον περιπολοῦσι βίον.
Therefore, the same reasoning applies also to those who act according to folly, and in general to those who act according to virtue and vice; there have been countless people who are wise, temperate, courageous, and just in their souls, having made use of a good natural disposition, lawful guidance, and undefeated and most untiring labors, yet they were unable to display the beauty of the statues in their minds because of poverty, obscurity, physical illness, or the other plagues that patrol human life.
§39οὐκοῦν οὗτοι μὲν ὥσπερ δεδεμένα καὶ καθειργμένα ἐκτήσαντο ἀγαθά, ἕτεροι δ’ εἰσὶν οἳ λελυμένοις καὶ ἀφέτοις καὶ ἐλευθέροις ἐχρήσαντο πᾶσι τὰς εἰς ἐπίδειξιν ὕλας ἀφθονωτάτας προσλαβόντες· §40ὁ μὲν φρόνιμος ἰδίων τε καὶ κοινῶν προστασίαν πραγμάτων, οἷς σύνεσιν καὶ εὐβουλίαν ἐνεπιδείξεται· ὁ δὲ σώφρων τὸν εἰς ἀσωτίαν δεινὸν ἐπᾶραι καὶ παρακαλέσαι τυφλὸν πλοῦτον, ἵνα βλέποντα ἀποδείξῃ· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἀρχήν, δι’ ἧς τὸ κατ’ ἀξίαν ἀπονέμειν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὄντων ἀκωλύτως δυνατὸς ἔσται· ὁ δ’ ἀσκητὴς εὐσεβείας ἱερωσύνην καὶ χωρίων ἱερῶν καὶ τῆς ἐν τούτοις ἁγιστείας ἐπιμέλειαν.
These, then, possessed their goods as if bound and imprisoned, whereas there are others who used all things in a loosed, released, and free state, having obtained most abundant materials for display; the wise man, for instance, a leadership of private and public affairs, in which he will display his understanding and good counsel; and the temperate man, blind wealth, which is apt to stir up and incite to prodigality, in order to show it seeing; the just man, an office through which he will be able without hindrance to distribute to each existing thing according to its worth; and the practitioner of piety, a priesthood and the care of sacred places and of the holy rites in them.
§41ἄνευ δὲ τούτων ἀρεταὶ μέν εἰσιν, ἀκίνητοι δὲ ἀρεταὶ καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἄγουσαι, καθάπερ ὁ τεθησαυρισμένος ἐν ἀφανέσι γῆς μυχοῖς ἄργυρός τε καὶ χρυσὸς οὐδὲν χρήσιμος.
But without these, virtues indeed exist, yet they are inactive virtues and keeping quiet, just as silver and gold treasured up in unseen recesses of the earth are of no use.
§42πάλιν τοίνυν κατὰ τὰ ἐναντία μυρίους ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀνάνδρους, ἀκολάστους, ἄφρονας, ἀδίκους, ἀσεβεῖς ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις ὑπάρχοντας, τὸ δὲ κακίας ἑκάστης αἶσχος ἀδυνατοῦντας ἐπιδείκνυσθαι δι’ ἀκαιρίαν τῶν εἰς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν καιρῶν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ τοῦ δύνασθαι πολλὴ καὶ μεγάλη κατασκήψῃ φορά, γῆν καὶ θάλατταν ἄχρι τερμάτων ἀμυθήτων ἀναπιμπλάντας κακῶν καὶ μηδέν, μὴ μικρὸν μὴ μέγα, ἀζήμιον ἐῶντας, ἀλλὰ ῥύμῃ μιᾷ ἀνατρέποντάς τε καὶ φθείροντας· §43ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ πυρὸς ἡ δύναμις ἀπουσίᾳ μὲν ὕλης ἡσυχάζει, παρουσίᾳ δὲ ἀνακαίεται, οὕτως καὶ ὅσαι πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἢ κακίαν ψυχῆς δυνάμεις ἀφορῶσι, σβέννυνται μὲν ἀκαιρίαις, καθάπερ §44ἔφην, καιρῶν, τυχηραῖς δ’ εὐπορίαις ἀναφλέγονται.
Again, then, conversely, one can see countless people who are cowardly, licentious, foolish, unjust, and impious in their minds, yet unable to display the shame of each vice because of the lack of opportunities for sinning; but when a great and powerful rush of ability falls upon them, they fill land and sea with unspeakable evils to their furthest boundaries, and leaving nothing, either small or great, undamaged, but overthrowing and destroying everything with a single rush; For just as the power of fire keeps quiet in the absence of fuel, but is kindled in its presence, so also all the powers of the soul that look toward virtue or vice are extinguished by the lack of opportunities, as I said, of opportunities, but are kindled by fortunate abundance.
τίνος δὴ ταῦθ’ εἵνεκα εἶπον ἢ τοῦ διδάξαι χάριν, ὅτι ὁ μὲν υἱὸς τοῦ Νῶε Χὰμ ἠρεμούσης κακίας ἐστὶν ὄνομα, ὁ δὲ υἱωνὸς ἤδη καὶ κινουμένης;
Indeed, for what reason did I say these things, if not for the sake of teaching that Noah's son Ham is the name of quiet vice, while his grandson is the name of vice that is already in motion?
ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ θέρμη μὲν Χάμ, σάλος δὲ Χαναάν. §45θέρμη δὲ ἐν μὲν σώματι πυρετὸν ἐμφαίνει, κακίαν δὲ ἐν ψυχαῖς· ὡς γάρ, οἶμαι, καταβολὴ πυρετοῦ νόσος ἐστὶν οὐ μέρους ἀλλ’ ὅλου σώματος, οὕτως ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρρώστημά ἐστι κακία.
For Ham is interpreted as "heat," and Canaan as "commotion." And heat in a body indicates a fever, but in souls, vice; for just as, I suppose, an attack of fever is a disease not of a part but of the whole body, so vice is an illness of the whole soul.
ἀλλ’ ὁτὲ μὲν ἠρεμεῖ, ὁτὲ δὲ κινεῖται· τὴν δὲ κίνησιν αὐτῆς ὀνομάζει σάλον, §46ὃς Ἑβραίων γλώττῃ Χαναὰν καλεῖται.
But at one time it is at rest, and at another time it is in motion; and its motion he calls commotion, which in the tongue of the Hebrews is called Canaan.
νομοθετῶν δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐπιτίμιον ὁρίζει κατὰ ἀδίκων ἠρεμούντων, ἀλλὰ δὴ κινουμένων καὶ τοῖς κατὰ ἀδικίαν ἔργοις χρωμένων, καθάπερ οὐδὲ τῶν δακετῶν οὐδὲν ἀνὴρ μέτριος κτείνειν ἂν ἐθελήσαι μὴ μέλλον δάκνειν· λόγῳ γὰρ ὑπεξαιρετέον ψυχῆς ὠμότητα φύσει [καὶ] κατὰ πάντων φονῶσαν.
And no lawgiver defines a penalty against the unjust who remain quiet, but rather against those who are in motion and employ deeds of injustice, just as no moderate man would wish to kill any of the biting beasts if it were not about to bite; for it is by reason that we must remove the cruelty of a soul that is by nature bloodthirsty against all.
§47εἰκότως οὖν ὁ δίκαιος τὰς ἀρὰς τῷ υἱωνῷ Χαναὰν δόξει τίθεσθαι· δόξει δὲ εἶπον, ὅτι δυνάμει τῷ υἱῷ Χὰμ δι’ ἐκείνου καταρᾶται· κινηθεὶς γὰρ πρὸς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν Χὰμ αὐτὸς γίνεται Χαναάν.
Reasonably, then, the righteous man will seem to lay the curses upon his grandson Canaan; and I said "will seem," because in effect he curses his son Ham through him; for Ham, having been moved to sin, himself becomes Canaan.
ἓν γὰρ τὸ ὑποκείμενον κακία, ἧς τὸ μὲν ἐν σχέσει, τὸ δὲ ἐν κινήσει θεωρεῖται· πρεσβύτερον δὲ κινήσεως σχέσις, ὡς ἐγγόνου λόγον ἔχειν τὸ κινούμενον πρὸς τὸ ἰσχόμενον· §48παρὸ καὶ τοῦ Χὰμ υἱὸς ὁ Χαναὰν φυσικῶς ἀναγράφεται, σάλος ἠρεμίας, ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἑτέρωθι λεχθὲν ἐπαληθεύῃ τὸ „ἀποδιδοὺς ἀνομίας πατέρων ἐπὶ υἱούς, ἐπὶ τρίτους καὶ ἐπὶ τετάρτους„ (Exod. 20, 5)· ἐπὶ γὰρ τὰ ἀποτελέσματα καὶ ὡς ἂν ἔγγονα τῶν λογισμῶν στείχουσιν αἱ τιμωρίαι, κατ’ αὐτοὺς ἐκείνων, εἰ μηδεμία προσγένοιτο πρᾶξις ἐπίληπτος, ἀποδιδρασκόντων τὰ ἐγκλήματα.
For the underlying subject is one, namely vice, of which the one aspect is viewed in state, the other in motion; and state is prior to motion, so that what is moved stands in the relation of a descendant to what is held back; wherefore Canaan is naturally recorded as the son of Ham, commotion [as the son] of rest, so that what is said elsewhere may also be verified: "visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generations" (Exod. 20:5); for the punishments proceed upon the results and, as it were, descendants of thoughts, while the thoughts themselves escape the accusations, if no blameworthy deed is added to them.