§10.33.1Τί ἐστι τὸ ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς ὕλης δυνάμενον κατὰ τὸ ὑγιέστατον πραχθῆναι ἢ ῥηθῆναι;
What is that which is able to be done or said in this material in the healthiest way?
ὅ τι γὰρ ἂν τοῦτο ᾖ, ἔξεστιν αὐτὸ πρᾶξαι ἢ εἰπεῖν καὶ μὴ προφασίζου ὡς κωλυόμενος.
For whatever this may be, it is permitted to do or to say it, and do not make excuses that you are hindered.
Οὐ πρότερον παύσῃ στένων πρὶν ἢ τοῦτο πάθῃς, ὅτι οἷόν ἐστι τοῖς ἡδυπαθοῦσιν ἡ τρυφή; τοιοῦτό σοι τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς ὑποβαλλομένης καὶ ὑποπιπτούσης ὕλης ποιεῖν τὰ οἰκεῖα τῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευῇ·
You will not cease from groaning until you experience this: that what luxury is to those who live luxuriously, such to you is the doing of things proper to the constitution of man upon the material which is supplied and falls in your way.
ἀπόλαυσιν γὰρ δεῖ ὑπολαμβάνειν πᾶν ὃ ἔξεστι κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν ἐνεργεῖν.
For we must conceive it as enjoyment to active-exercise everything which is permitted according to one's own nature.
§10.33.2πανταχοῦ δὲ ἔξεστι.
And this is permitted everywhere.
τῷ μὲν οὖν κυλίνδρῳ οὐ πανταχοῦ δίδοται φέρεσθαι τὴν ἰδίαν κίνησιν οὐδὲ τῷ ὕδατι οὐδὲ πυρὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὅσα ὑπὸ φύσεως ἢ ψυχῆς ἀλόγου διοικεῖται· τὰ γὰρ διείργοντα καὶ ἐνιστάμενα πολλά·
Now, to the cylinder it is not granted to move everywhere with its own proper motion, nor to water, nor to fire, nor to all other things which are governed by nature or by an irrational soul; for there are many things which intercept and stand in the way.
νοῦς δὲ καὶ λόγος διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ἀντιπίπτοντος οὕτως πορεύεσθαι δύναται ὡς πέφυκε καὶ ὡς θέλει.
But mind and reason are able to go through every opposing thing, just as they are by nature formed and as they wish.
§10.33.3ταύτην τὴν ῥᾳστώνην πρὸ ὀμμάτων τιθέμενος, καθ’ ἣν ἐνεχθήσεται ὁ λόγος διὰ πάντων ὡς πῦρ ἄνω, ὡς λίθος κάτω, ὡς κύλινδρος κατὰ πρανοῦς, μηκέτι μηδὲν ἐπιζήτει·
Placing before your eyes this easiness, according to which reason will be carried through all things, as fire upward, as a stone downward, as a cylinder down a slope, seek nothing further.
τὰ γὰρ λοιπὰ ἐγκόμματα ἤτοι τοῦ σωματίου ἐστὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ, ἢ χωρὶς ὑπολήψεως καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ τοῦ λόγου ἐνδόσεως οὐ θραύει οὐδὲ ποιεῖ κακὸν οὐδ’ ὁτιοῦν.
For the remaining obstacles are either of the dead body, or, without opinion and the assent of reason itself, they do not crush nor do any harm whatsoever.
§10.33.4ἐπεί τοι καὶ ὁ πάσχων αὐτὸς κακὸς ἂν εὐθὺς ἐγίνετο·
For otherwise, even the sufferer itself would immediately have become bad.
ἐπὶ γοῦν τῶν ἄλλων κατασκευασμάτων πάντων, ὅ τι ἂν κακόν τινι αὐτῶν συμβῇ, παρὰ τοῦτο χεῖρον γίνεται αὐτὸ τὸ πάσχον, ἐνταῦθα δέ, εἰ δεῖ εἰπεῖν, καὶ κρείττων γίνεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐπαινετώτερος, ὀρθῶς χρώμενος τοῖς προσπίπτουσιν.
At least in the case of all other constitutions, whatever bad happens to any of them, the suffering thing itself becomes worse by this; but here, if one may say so, a human being even becomes better and more praiseworthy by making a right use of what falls upon him.
ὅλως δὲ μέμνησο ὅτι τὸν φύσει πολίτην οὐδὲν βλάπτει ὃ πόλιν οὐ βλάπτει, οὐδέ γε πόλιν βλάπτει ὃ νόμον οὐ βλάπτει·
On the whole, remember that nothing harms the citizen by nature which does not harm the city, nor indeed does that harm the city which does not harm the law.
τούτων δὲ τῶν καλουμένων ἀκληρημάτων οὐδὲν βλάπτει νόμον.
But of these things called misfortunes, none harms the law.
ὃ τοίνυν νόμον οὐ βλάπτει, οὔτε πόλιν οὔτε πολίτην.
What therefore does not harm the law, harms neither city nor citizen.