§6Ῥούφου ἐκ τοῦ Ἐπικτήτου περὶ φιλίας.
From Rufus, from Epictetus, On friendship.
ἀλλὰ παντὸς μᾶλλον τῆς μὲν φύσεως ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἔργον συνδῆσαι καὶ συναρμόσαι τὴν ὁρμὴν τῇ τοῦ προσήκοντος καὶ ὠφελίμου φαντασίᾳ.
But above all, it is the work of nature to bind and fit the impulse to the impression of what is fitting and useful.
§7τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
Of the same author.
τὸ δὲ οἴεσθαι εὐκαταφρονήτους τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔσεσθαι, ἐὰν μὴ τοὺς πρώτους ἐχθροὺς παντὶ τρόπῳ βλάψωμεν, σφόδρα ἀγεννῶν καὶ ἀνοήτων ἀνθρώπων.
But to think that we shall be contemptible to others, unless we harm our first enemies in every way, is the characteristic of extremely ignoble and foolish men.
φαμὲν γὰρ τὸν εὐκαταφρόνητον νοεῖσθαι μὲν καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀδύνατον εἶναι βλάψαι· ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον νοεῖται κατὰ τὸ ἀδύνατον εἶναι ὠφελεῖν.
For we say that the contemptible person is indeed understood by his being unable to harm, but much more is he understood by his being unable to benefit.
§8Ῥούφου ἐκ τῶν Ἐπικτήτου περὶ φιλίας.
From Rufus, from Epictetus, On friendship.
ὅτι τοιαύτη ἡ τοῦ κόσμου φύσις καὶ ἦν καὶ ἔστι καὶ ἔσται καὶ οὐχ οἷόν τε ἄλλως γίγνεσθαι τὰ γιγνόμενα ἢ ὡς νῦν ἔχει· καὶ ὅτι ταύτης τῆς τροπῆς καὶ τῆς μεταβολῆς οὐ μόνον οἱ ἄνθρωποι μετειλήφασι καὶ τἆλλα ζῷα τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ θεῖα καὶ νὴ Δίʼ αὐτὰ τὰ τέτταρα στοιχεῖα ἄνω καὶ κάτω τρέπεται καὶ μεταβάλλει καὶ γῆ τε ὕδωρ γίνεται καὶ ὕδωρ ἀήρ, οὗτος δὲ πάλιν εἰς αἰθέρα μεταβάλλει· καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς τρόπος τῆς μεταβολῆς ἄνωθεν κάτω.
That the nature of the cosmos was and is and will be such, and it is not possible for things that happen to happen otherwise than as they now are; and that not only humans and the other animals upon earth have shared in this turning and change, but also divine things, and, by Zeus, the four elements themselves are turned and changed up and down, and earth becomes water, and water air, and this in turn changes into aether, and the same way of change is from above to below.
ἐὰν πρὸς ταῦτά τις ἐπιχειρῇ ῥέπειν τὸν νοῦν καὶ πείθειν ἑαυτὸν ἑκόντα δέχεσθαι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα, πάνυ μετρίως καὶ μουσικῶς διαβιώσεται τὸν βίον.
If anyone attempts to incline his mind to these things and persuade himself to accept necessity willingly, he will live his life very moderately and harmoniously.
§10ἄνευ τοῦ πράττειν, μέχρι τοῦ λέγειν
ἄνθρωπε, ποῦ βάλλεις;
Without acting, as far as speaking. Man, where are you throwing them?
σκέψαι, εἰ κεκάθαρται τὸ ἀγγεῖον.
Consider whether the vessel has been cleansed.
ἂν γὰρ εἰς τὴν οἴησιν αὐτὰ βάλῃς, ἀπώλετο· ἢν σαπῇ, οὖρον ἢ ὄξος ἐγένετο ἢ εἴ τι τούτων χεῖρον.
For if you throw them into your conceit, they are lost; if they rot, they become urine or vinegar, or if there is anything worse than these.
κυνικώτερον
ἀνέχου
et
ἀπέχου.
In a more Cynic way: Bear et (and) Forbear.
§11ἐκ τῶν Ἀρριανοῦ προτρεπτικῶν ὁμιλιῶν.
From Arrian's exhortatory discourses.
ἀλλὰ δὴ Σωκράτης Ἀρχελάου μεταπεμπομένου αὐτὸν ὡς ποιήσοντος πλούσιον ἐκέλευσεν ἀπαγγεῖλαι αὐτῷ διότι
Ἀθήνησι τέσσαρές εἰσι χοίνικες τῶν ἀλφίτων ὀβολοῦ ὤνιοι καὶ κρῆναι ὕδατος ῥέουσιν.
But indeed Socrates, when Archelaus sent for him intending to make him rich, ordered the messenger to report to him: "At Athens, four choenikes of barley meal are on sale for an obol, and springs of water flow.
εἰ γάρ τοι μὴ ἱκανὰ τὰ ὄντα ἐμοί, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τούτοις ἱκανὸς καὶ οὕτω κἀκεῖνα ἐμοί.
For even if what exists is not sufficient for me, yet I am sufficient for these, and so they are also for me.
ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐκ εὐφωνότερον οὐδὲ ἥδιον ὁ Πῶλος τὸν τύραννον Οἰδίποδα ὑπεκρίνετο ἢ τὸν ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ ἀλήτην καὶ πτωχόν;
Or do you not see that Polus acted the tyrant Oedipus no more beautifully in voice nor more pleasantly than the wanderer and beggar at Colonus?
εἶτα χείρων Πώλου ὁ γενναῖος ἀνὴρ φανεῖται, ὡς μὴ πᾶν τὸ περιτεθὲν ἐκ τοῦ δαιμονίου πρόσωπον ὑποκρίνασθαι καλῶς;
Shall then the noble man appear worse than Polus, so as not to act well every character imposed upon him by the deity?
οὐδὲ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα μιμήσεται, ὃς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ῥάκεσιν οὐδὲν μεῖον διέπρεπεν ἢ ἐν τῇ οὔλῃ χλαίνῃ τῇ πορφυρᾷ; §12Ἀρριανοῦ.
Nor will he imitate Odysseus, who even in rags was distinguished in no way less than in his shaggy purple cloak?" Of Arrian.
Μεγαλόθυμοι πρᾴως εἰσί τινες ἡσυχῇ καὶ οἷον ἀοργήτως πράττοντες ὅσα καὶ οἱ σφόδρα τῷ θυμῷ φερόμενοι.
Some men are great-spirited in a gentle way, performing quietly and, as it were, without anger as many things as those who are carried away by violent wrath.
φυλακτέον οὖν καὶ τὸ τούτων ἀβλέπτημα ὡς πολὺ χεῖρον ὂν τοῦ διατεινόμενον ὀργίζεσθαι.
One must, therefore, guard against the blindness of these men too, as being much worse than being angry with tension.
οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ ταχὺ κόρον τῆς τιμωρίας λαμβάνουσιν, οἱ δὲ εἰς μακρὸν παρατείνουσιν ὡς οἱ λεπτῶς πυρέττοντες.
For the latter quickly get enough of punishment, while the former extend it for a long time, like those with a low fever.
§13ἐκ τῶν Ἐπικτήτου ἀπομνημονευμάτων.
From the memoirs of Epictetus.
ἀλλʼ ὁρῶ, φησί τις, τοὺς καλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ λιμῷ καὶ ῥίγει ἀπολλυμένους. — τοὺς δὲ μὴ καλοὺς καὶ μὴ ἀγαθοὺς οὐχ ὁρᾷς τρυφῇ καὶ ἀλαζονείᾳ καὶ ἀπειροκαλίᾳ ἀπολλυμένους; — ἀλλʼ αἰσχρὸν τὸ παρʼ ἄλλου τρέφεσθαι. — καὶ τίς, ὦ κακόδαιμον, αὐτὸς ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τρέφεται ἄλλος γε ἢ ὁ κόσμος;
"But I see," someone says, "the good and excellent perishing by hunger and cold." — But do you not see those who are not good and excellent perishing by luxury, vanity, and bad taste? — "But it is shameful to be nourished by another." — And who, you wretch, is nourished by himself other than the cosmos?
ὅστις γοῦν ἐγκαλεῖ τῇ προνοίᾳ, ὅτι οἱ πονηροὶ οὐ διδόασι δίκην, ὅτι ἰσχυροί εἰσι καὶ πλούσιοι, ὅμοιόν τι δρᾷ ὥσπερ εἰ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπολωλεκότων αὐτῶν ἔλεγε μὴ δεδωκέναι δίκην αὐτούς, ὅτι οἱ ὄνυχες ὑγιεῖς εἶεν.
At all events, whoever finds fault with providence because the wicked do not pay the penalty, in that they are strong and rich, does something similar to as if he said, of those who have lost their eyes, that they have not paid the penalty because their nails are healthy.
ἐγὼ μὲν γάρ φημι πολὺ διαφέρειν μᾶλλον ἀρετὴν † κακίας ἢ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὀνύχων διαφέρουσιν.
For I say that virtue differs from vice much more than eyes differ from nails.