§1111.
11.
Ἱπποκράτης Ἀβδηριτῶν τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν.
Hippocrates to the council and the people of the Abderites, greeting.
Ὁ πολίτης ὑμέων Ἀμελησαγόρης ἦλθεν ἐς Κῶ, καὶ ἔτυχε τότ’ ἐοῦσα τῆς ῥάβδου ἡ ἀνάληψις ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρῃ καὶ ἐτήσιος ἑορτὴ, ὡς ἴστε, πανήγυρις ἡμῖν καὶ πομπὴ πολυτελὴς ἐς κυπάρισσον, ἣν ἔθος ἀνάγειν τοῖς τῷ θεῷ προσήκουσιν.
Your citizen Amelesagoras came to Cos, and it happened then, on that day, to be the taking up of the staff, and an annual festival, as you know, a public assembly for us and a costly procession to the cypress tree, which it is the custom for those who belong to the god to lead.
Ἐπεὶ δὲ σπουδάζειν ἐῴκει καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων καὶ ἐκ τῆς πρσσόψιος ὃ Ἀμελησαγόρης, πεισθεὶς, ὅπερ ἦν, ἐπείγειν τὸ πρῆγμα, ἀνέγνων τε ὑμέων τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, καὶ ἐθαύμασά ὅτε περὶ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ὡς εἷς ἄνθρωπος ἡ πόλις θορυβεῖσθε.
But since Amelesagoras seemed to be in earnest both from his words and from his appearance, being convinced, as was indeed the case, that the matter was urgent, I read your letter, and I wondered that the city was in an uproar over one man as if it were a single person.
Μακάριοί γε δῆμοι ὁκόσοι ἴσασι τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας ἐρύματα ἑωυτῶν, καὶ οὐ τοὺς πύργους οὐδὲ τὰ τείχεα, ἀλλὰ σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν σοφὰς γνώμας.
Happy indeed are the peoples who know that good men are their fortresses, and not towers or walls, but the wise judgments of wise men.
Ἐγὼ δὲ πειθόμενος τέχνας μὲν εἶναι θεῶν χάριτας, ἀνθρώπους δὲ ἔργα φύσιος, καὶ μὴ νεμεσήσητε, ἄνδρες Ἀβδηρῖται, οὐχ ὑμᾶς δοκέω, ἀλλὰ φύσιν αὐτὴν καλέειν με ἀνασώσασθαι ποίημα ἑωυτῆς, κινδυνεῦον ὑπὸ νόσου διαπεσεῖν.
And I, believing that arts are the favors of the gods, but men are the works of nature—do not be angry, men of Abdera—do not think that it is you, but nature herself that is calling me to rescue her own creation, which is in danger of falling to pieces under disease.
Ὥστε πρὸ ὑμέων ἐγὼ νῦν φύσει καὶ θεοῖς ὑπακούων σπεύδω νοσέοντα Δημόκριτον ἰήσασθαι, εἴπερ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο νοῦσος ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀπάτῃ συσκιάζεσθε, ὅπερ εὔχομαι· καὶ γένοιτο πλέον τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν εὐνοίας τεκμήριον καὶ πρὸς ὑπόνοιαν ταραχθῆναι.
Therefore, even before you, obeying nature and the gods, I hasten to heal the sick Democritus, if indeed this is a disease; but I pray that you are not overshadowed by a delusion, which is what I hope; and may your being troubled even by a suspicion turn out to be a greater proof of your goodwill.
Ἀργύριον δὲ μοι ἐρχομένῳ οὔτ’ ἂν φύσις οὔτ’ ἂν θεὸς ὑπόσχοιτο, ὥστε μηδ’ ὑμεῖς, ἀνέρες Ἀβδηρῖται, βιάζεσθε, ἀλλ’ ἐᾶτε ἐλευθέρης τέχνης ἐλεύθερα καὶ τὰ ἔργα.
Neither nature nor a god would promise money to me as I come, so do not you, men of Abdera, force it upon me, but let the works of a free art be free as well.
Οἱ δὲ μισθαρνεῦντες δουλεύειν ἀναγκάζουσι τὰς ἐπιστήμας, ὥσπερ ἐξανδραποδίζοντες αὐτὰς ἐκ τῆς προτέρης παῤῥησίης· εἶθ’ ὡς εἰκὸς καὶ ψεύσαιντο ἂν ὡς περὶ μεγάλης νούσου, καὶ ἀρνηθεῖεν ἂν ὡς περὶ σμικρῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔλθοιεν ὑποσχόμενοι, καὶ πάλιν ἔλθοιεν μὴ κληθέντες.
For those who work for hire force knowledge to be a slave, as if selling it into slavery from its former freedom of speech; then, as is natural, they might lie about a great disease, and deny a small one, and they would not come though they promised, and again would come uninvited.
Οἰκτρός γε ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος, ὅτι δι’ ὅλου αὐτοῦ ὡς πνεῦμα χειμέριον ἡ ἀφόρητος φιλαργυρίη διαδέδυκεν, ἐφ’ ἣν εἴθε μᾶλλον ἄπαντες ἰητροὶ ξυνῄεσαν ἐλθόντες ἀποθεραπεῦσαι χαλεπωτέρην μανίης νοῦσον, ὅτι καὶ μακαρίζεται νοῦσος ἐοῦσα καὶ κακοῦσα.
Pitiful indeed is the life of men, because through the whole of it, like a winter wind, unbearable avarice has crept in, against which I wish all physicians had rather joined together to cure a disease more difficult than madness, since it is a disease and does harm, yet is called blessed.
Οἶμαι δὲ ἔγωγε καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς νουσήματα πάντα μανίας εἶναι σφοδρὰς ἐμποιούσας δόξας τινὰς καὶ φαντασίας τῷ λογισμῷ, ὧν ὁ δι’ ἀρετῆς ἀποκαθαρθεὶς ὑγιάζεται.
And I think that all diseases of the soul are violent madnesses, producing certain opinions and fantasies in the reason, from which the one who is purified through virtue is made healthy.
Ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ πλουτέειν ἐξ ἅπαντος ἐβουλόμην, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀβδηρῖται, οὐκ ἂν εἵνεκα δέκα ταλάντων διέβαινον πρὸς ὑμέας, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὸν μέγαν ἂν ἠρχόμην Περσέων βασιλέα, ἔνθα πόλιες ὅλαι προσῄεσαν τῆς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εὐδαιμονίης γεγεμισμέναι· ἰῴμην δ’ ἂν τὸν ἐκεῖ λοιμὸν ἀνιὼν, ἀλλ’ ἀπηρνησάμην ἐχθρὴν Ἑλλάδι χώρην ἐλευθερῶσαι κακῆς νούσου, κᾀγὼ τό γε ἐπ’ ἐμοὶ καταναυμαχῶν τοὺς βαρβάρους· εἶχον δ’ ἂν αἰσχύνην τὸν παρὰ βασιλέως πλοῦτον καὶ πατρίδος ἐχθρὴν περιουσίην, περιεκείμην δ’ ἂν αὐτὰ, ὡς ἑλέπολις τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑπάρχων.
But if I wished to be rich by all means, men of Abdera, I would not have crossed over to you for the sake of ten talents, but I would have gone to the great King of the Persians, where whole cities came, laden with human happiness; and I would have cured the plague there, going up country, but I refused to deliver a land hostile to Greece from an evil disease, I myself fighting the barbarians to the best of my power; for I would have felt shame at the wealth from the King and the abundance hostile to my homeland, and I would have worn them like a siege engine against Greece.
Οὐκ ἔστι πλοῦτος τὸ πανταχόθεν χρηματίζεσθαι· μεγάλα γὰρ ἱερὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐστὶν ὑπὸ δικαιοσύνης οὐ κρυπτόμενα, ἀλλ’ ἐμφανέα ἐόντα· ἢ οὐκ οἴεσθε ἴσον ἁμάρτημα εἶναι σώζειν πολεμίους καὶ φίλους ἰᾶσθαι μισθοῦ;
To make money from everywhere is not wealth; for the great sanctuaries of virtue are not hidden by justice, but are manifest; or do you not think it is an equal sin to save enemies and to heal friends for a fee?
ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὧδε ἔχει τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὦ δῆμε, οὐ καρποῦμαι νούσους, οὐδὲ δι’ εὐχῆς ἤκουσα τὴν Δημοκρίτεω παράκρουσιν, ὃς, εἴτε ὑγιαίνει, φίλος ἔσται, εἴτε νοσέει, θεραπευθεὶς, πλέον ὑπάρξει.
But our way is not so, O people; I do not harvest diseases, nor did I hear of Democritus' distraction with a wish, who, if he is healthy, will be a friend, and if he is sick, will be even more so when cured.
Πυνθάνομαι δὲ αὐτὸν ἐμβριθέα καὶ στεῤῥὸν τὰ ἤθεα, καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρης πόλιος ἐόντα κόσμον.
I hear that he is grave and firm in his character, and an ornament of your city.
Ἔῤῥωσθε.
Farewell.