§1## Ἀρριανὸς Λουκίῳ Γελλίῳ χαίρειν.
## Arrian to Lucius Gellius, greeting.
Οὔτε συνέγραψα ἐγὼ τοὺς Ἐπικτήτου λόγους οὕτως ὅπως ἄν τις συγγράψειε τὰ τοιαῦτα οὔτε ἐξήνεγκα εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτός, ὅς γε οὐδὲ συγγράψαι φημι.
I did not compose the discourses of Epictetus in the way that one might write such things, nor did I myself publish them to the world, seeing that I do not even claim to have written them.
§2ὅσα δὲ ἤκουον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ταῦτα αὐτὰ ἐπειράθην αὐτοῖς ὀνόμασιν ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν γραψάμενος ὑπομνήματα εἰς ὕστερον ἐμαυτῷ διαφυλάξαι τῆς ἐκείνου διανοίας καὶ παρρησίας.
But whatever I heard him say, these very things I tried to write down in his own words as far as possible, and preserve them for myself hereafter as memoranda of his mind and openness of speech.
§3ἔστι δὴ τοιαῦτα ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ὁποῖα ἄν τις αὐτόθεν ὁρμηθεὶς εἴποι πρὸς ἕτερον, οὐχ ὁποῖα ἂν ἐπὶ τῷ ὕστερον ἐντυγχάνειν τινὰς αὐτοῖς συγγράφοι.
They are indeed of such a kind as one might naturally say to another on the impulse of the moment, not such as one would compose for others to read later.
τοιαῦτα δʼ ὄντα οὐκ οἴδα ὅπως οὔτε ἑκόντος ἐμοῦ οὔτε εἰδότος ἐξέπεσεν εἰς ἀνθρώπους.
Being of this nature, I do not know how, without either my consent or my knowledge, they got published into the world.
§5ἀλλʼ ἐμοί γε οὐ πολὑς λόγος, εἰ οὐχ ἴκανὸς φανοῦμαι συγγράφειν, Ἐπικτήτῳ τε οὐδʼ ὀλίγος, εἰ καταφρονήσει τις αὐτοῦ τῶν λόγων, ἐπεὶ καὶ λέγων αὐτοὺς οὐδενὸς ἄλλου δῆλος ἦν ἐφιέμενος ὅτι μὴ κινῆσαι τὰς γνώμας τῶν ἀκουόντων πρὸς τὰ βέλτιστα.
But to me indeed it is of no great concern if I shall appear incapable of writing; and to Epictetus it is not of the slightest concern if anyone shall despise his discourses, since when he spoke them he was clearly desiring nothing else than to move the minds of his hearers towards what is best.
§6εἰ μὲν δὴ τοῦτό γε αὐτὸ διαπράττοιντο οἶ λόγοι οὗτοι, ἔχοι‹εν› ἂν οἶμαι ὅπερ χρὴ ἔχειν τοὺς τῶν φιλοσόφων λόγους·
If indeed these discourses should accomplish this very thing, they would have, I think, what the discourses of philosophers ought to have.
§7εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνο ἴστωσαν οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες ὅτι, αὐτὸς ὁπότε ἔλεγεν αὐτούς, ἀνάγκη ἦν τοῦτο πάσχειν τὸν ἀκροώμενον αὐτῶν ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸν παθεῖν ήβούλετο.
But if not, yet let those who read them know this: that when he himself spoke them, it was inevitable for the hearer to feel exactly what he wished him to feel.
§8εἰ δʼ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοὶ ἐφʼ αὐτῶν τοῦτο οὐ διαπράτ τονται, τυχὸν μὲν ἐγὼ αἴτιος, τυχὸν δὲ καὶ ἀνάγκη οὕ τως ἔχειν.
If, however, the words by themselves do not accomplish this, perhaps I am the cause, or perhaps it is inevitable that it should be so.
ἔρρωσο.
Farewell.