§79τὸ δ’ ἐν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ πεπτωκὸς τῆς δύσεως καὶ ἀνατολῆς καὶ τροπῆς καὶ ἐκλείψεως καὶ ὅσα συγγενῆ τούτοις μηθὲν ἔτι πρὸς τὸ μακάριον τῆς γνώσεως συντείνειν, ἀλλ’ ὁμοίως τοὺς φόβους ἔχειν τοὺς ταῦτα κατειδότας, τίνες δ’ αἱ φύσεις ἀγνοοῦντας καὶ τίνες αἱ κυριώταται αἰτίαι, καὶ εἰ μὴ προσῄδεσαν ταῦτα·
The knowledge of settings, risings, solstices, eclipses, and things akin to these, which falls under detailed records, no longer contributes anything to the happiness of knowledge.
τάχα δὲ καὶ πλείους, ὅταν τὸ θάμβος ἐκ τῆς τούτων προσκατανοήσεως μὴ δύνηται τὴν λύσιν λαμβάνειν κατὰ τὴν περὶ τῶν κυριωτάτων οἰκονομίαν.
Instead, those who have observed these phenomena but are ignorant of what their natures are and what the primary causes are, experience fears just as much as if they did not know these things at all; and perhaps even greater fears, when the wonder arising from the further observation of these things cannot find a solution in accordance with the arrangement regarding the primary matters.
διὸ δὴ καὶ πλείους αἰτίας εὑρίσκομεν τροπῶν καὶ δύσεων καὶ ἀνατολῶν καὶ ἐκλείψεων καὶ τῶν τοιουτοτρόπων ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ μέρος γινομένοις,
This is why we find multiple causes for solstices, settings, risings, eclipses, and the like, just as we do in the case of particular occurrences in our own experience.
§80καὶ οὐ δεῖ νομίζειν τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων χρείαν ἀκρίβειαν μὴ ἀπειληφέναι, ὅση πρὸς τὸ ἀτάραχον καὶ μακάριον ἡμῶν συντείνει.
And we must not believe that our inquiry into these matters has not attained the degree of precision necessary to contribute to our tranquility and happiness.
ὥστε παραθεωροῦντας ποσαχῶς παρ’ ἡμῖν τὸ ὅμοιον γίνεται, αἰτιολογητέον ὑπέρ τε τῶν μετεώρων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ ἀδήλου, καταφρονοῦντας τῶν οὔτε 〈τὸ〉 μοναχῶς ἔχον ἢ γινόμενον γνωριζόντων οὔτε τὸ πλεοναχῶς συμβαῖνον, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀποστημάτων φαντασίαν παριδόντων, ἔτι τε ἀγνοούντων καὶ ἐν ποίοις οὐκ ἔστιν ἀταρακτῆσαι 〈καὶ ἐν ποίοις ὁμοίως ἀταρακτῆσαι〉.
Therefore, by comparing in how many ways similar things happen among us, we must explain the causes of heavenly phenomena and everything that is non-evident, despising those who do not recognize either what exists or happens in a single way or what occurs in multiple ways, neglecting the appearance that comes from great distances, and furthermore being ignorant of in what circumstances it is impossible to attain tranquility and in what circumstances it is likewise possible to do so.
ἂν οὖν οἰώμεθα καὶ ὡδί πως ἐνδεχόμενον αὐτὸ γίνεσθαι [καὶ ἐν ποίοις ὁμοίως ἀταρακτῆσαι], αὐτὸ τὸ ὅτι πλεοναχῶς γίνεται γνωρίζοντες, ὥσπερ κἂν ὅτι ὡδί πως γίνεται εἰδῶμεν, ἀταρακτήσομεν.
If, then, we think that a phenomenon can happen in this way too, recognizing the very fact that it happens in multiple ways, we shall be tranquil just as if we knew that it happens in this particular way.
§81Ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ὅλως ἅπασιν ἐκεῖνο δεῖ κατανοεῖν, ὅτι τάραχος ὁ κυριώτατος ταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις ψυχαῖς γίνεται ἐν τῷ ταὐτὰ μακάριά τε δοξάζειν 〈εἶναι〉 καὶ ἄφθαρτα καὶ ὑπεναντίας ἔχειν τούτοις ἅμα βουλήσεις καὶ πράξεις καὶ αἰτίας, καὶ ἐν τῷ αἰώνιόν τι δεινὸν ἢ προσδοκᾶν ἢ ὑποπτεύειν κατὰ τοὺς μύθους, εἴτε καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἀναισθησίαν τὴν ἐν τῷ τεθνάναι φοβουμένους ὥσπερ οὖσαν κατ’ αὐτούς, καὶ ἐν τῷ μὴ δόξαις ταῦτα πάσχειν ἀλλ’ ἀλόγῳ γέ τινι παραστάσει, ὅθεν μὴ ὁρίζοντας τὸ δεινὸν τὴν ἴσην ἢ καὶ ἐπιτεταμένην ταραχὴν λαμβάνειν τῷ εἰ καὶ ἐδόξαζον ταῦτα·
In addition to all these things, we must understand that the most important disturbance in human souls arises from the fact that they believe the same entities to be both happy and incorruptible, while at the same time holding wishes, actions, and motives contrary to these qualities; and from the fact that they either expect or suspect some eternal terror according to myths, or even fear the very lack of sensation in death as if it existed for them; and from the fact that they suffer these things not because of deliberate opinions but because of some irrational state of mind, so that, not defining what is dreaded, they experience an equal or even intensified disturbance than if they actually held these opinions.
§82ἡ δὲ ἀταραξία τῷ τούτων πάντων ἀπολελύσθαι καὶ συνεχῆ μνήμην 11 ἔχειν τῶν ὅλων καὶ κυριωτάτων.
But tranquility consists in being released from all these things and in keeping a continuous memory of the whole and the most important principles.
Ὅθεν τοῖς. πάθεσι προσεκτέον τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ ταῖς αἰσθήσεσι, κατὰ μὲν τὸ κοινὸν ταῖς κοιναῖς, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἴδιον ταῖς ἰδίαις, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ παρούσῃ καθ’ ἕκαστον τῶν κριτηρίων ἐναργείᾳ.
Therefore, we must pay attention to present feelings and sensations—to the common ones in common matters, and to the individual ones in individual matters—and to all present vividness according to each of the criteria.
ἂν γὰρ τούτοις προσέχωμεν, τὸ ὅθεν ὁ τάραχος καὶ ὁ φόβος ἐγίνετο ἐξαιτιολογήσομεν ὀρθῶς καὶ ἀπολύσομεν, ὑπέρ τε μετεώρων αἰτιολογοῦντες καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν ἀεὶ παρεμπιπτόντων, ὅσα φοβεῖ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐσχάτως.
For if we attend to these, we shall correctly explain the source of the disturbance and fear and release ourselves from them, accounting for heavenly phenomena and the remaining things that always intrude and terrify other people to the extreme.
Ταῦτά σοι, ὦ Ἡρόδοτε, ἔστι κεφαλαιωδέστατα ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ὅλων φύσεως ἐπιτετμημένα·
These, Herodotus, are the most essential principles concerning the nature of the universe, summarized for you.
§83ὥστ’ ἐὰν γένηται οὗτος ὁ λόγος δυνατὸς κατασχεθεὶς μετ’ ἀκριβείας, οἶμαι, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντα βαδίσῃ τις τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἀκριβωμάτων, ἀσύμβλητον αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀνθρώπους ἁδρότητα λήψεσθαι.
So, if this discourse is firmly grasped with precision, I believe that, even if one does not proceed to all the detailed refinements, one will acquire an incomparable strength compared to other men.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ καθαρὰ ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ ποιήσει πολλὰ τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἐξακριβουμένων κατὰ τὴν ὅλην πραγματείαν ἡμῖν, καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα ἐν μνήμῃ τιθέμενα συνεχῶς βοηθήσει.
For it will of itself make clear many of the details that are refined in our whole system, and keeping these very things in memory will continuously be of help.
τοιαῦτα γάρ ἐστιν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς κατὰ μέρος ἤδη ἐξακριβοῦντας ἱκανῶς ἢ καὶ τελείως, εἰς τὰς τοιαύτας ἀναλύοντας ἐπιβολὰς τὰς πλείστας τῶν περιοδειῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ὅλης φύσεως ποιεῖσθαι· ὅσοι δὲ μὴ παντελῶς αὐτῶν τῶν ἀποτελουμένων εἰσίν, ἐκ τούτων καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἄνευ φθόγγων τρόπον τὴν ἅμα νοήματι περίοδον τῶν κυριωτάτων πρὸς γαληνισμὸν ποιοῦνται.
For they are of such a nature that even those who are already sufficiently or fully refining the details can make most of their mental circuits concerning the whole of nature by reducing them to such basic concepts; and those who are not yet fully among the accomplished can, based on these, make their mental circuit of the most important principles along with thought, in a wordless manner, leading to tranquility.