§17.1Proice omnia ista, si sapis, immo ut sapias, et ad bonam mentem magno cursu ac totis viribus tende.
Cast away all those things, if you are wise, or rather that you may be wise, and strive toward a good mind with great speed and all your strength.
Si quid est, quo teneris, aut expedi aut incide.
If there is anything by which you are held back, either untie it or cut it.
"Moratur," inquis, "me res familiaris; sic illam disponere volo, ut sufficere nihil agenti possit, ne aut paupertas mihi oneri sit aut ego alicui. " §17.2Cum hoc dicis, non videris vim ac potentiam eius, de quo cogitas, boni nosse.
"My family property," you say, "delays me; I wish to arrange it in such a way that it can be sufficient for me doing nothing, so that neither poverty may be a burden to me, nor I to anyone." When you say this, you do not seem to know the force and power of that good of which you are thinking.
Et summam quidem rei pervides, quantum philosophia prosit, partes autem nondum satis subtiliter dispicis, necdum scis, quantum ubique nos adiuvet, quemadmodum et in maximis, ut Ciceronis utar verbo, opituletur et in minima descendat.
And indeed, you see the sum of the matter, how much philosophy profits, but you do not yet discern the parts with sufficient subtlety, nor do you yet know how much it helps us everywhere, how both in the greatest matters, to use Cicero's word, it assists, and descends to the smallest.
Mihi crede, advoca illam in consilium; suadebit tibi, ne ad calculos sedeas.
Believe me, call her into counsel; she will persuade you not to sit down to calculations.
§17.3Nempe hoc quaeris et hoc ista dilatione vis consequi, ne tibi paupertas timenda sit; quid si adpetenda est? Multis ad philosophandum obstitere divitiae; paupertas expedita est, secura est.
Surely this is what you seek and this is what you wish to attain by that delay of yours, that you may not have to fear poverty; what if it is to be sought after? Riches have stood in the way of many for practicing philosophy; poverty is unencumbered and secure.
Cum classicum cecinit, scit non se peti; cum aqua conclamata est, quomodo exeat, non quid efferat, quaerit; si navigandum est, non strepitat portus nec unius comitatu inquieta sunt litora.
When the trumpet has sounded, the poor man knows that he is not being sought; when the cry of fire is raised, he asks how he may get out, not what he may carry out; if he must sail, the harbor does not rattle, nor are the shores restless with the retinue of one man.
Non circumstat illum turba servorum, ad quos pascendos transmarinarum regionum est optanda fertilitas.
A crowd of slaves does not stand around him, for whose feeding the fertility of regions across the sea must be hoped for.
§17.4Facile est pascere paucos ventres et bene institutos et nihil aliud desiderantes quam inpleri.
It is easy to feed a few bellies, and those well-trained, desiring nothing else than to be filled.
Parvo fames constat, magno fastidium.
Hunger costs little, fastidiousness much.
Paupertas contenta est desideriis instantibus satis facere.
Poverty is content to satisfy immediate desires.
Quid est ergo, quare hanc recuses contubernalem, cuius mores sanus dives imitatur? si vis vacare animo, aut pauper sis oportet aut pauperi similis.
What is there, then, why you should refuse this companion, whose habits a sane rich man imitates? If you wish to have free time for your mind, you must either be poor or like a poor man.
§17.5Non potest studium salutare fieri sine frugalitatis cura; frugalitas autem paupertas voluntaria est.
A salutary study cannot be made without care for frugality; and frugality is voluntary poverty.
Tolle itaque istas excusationes: "Nondum habeo, quantum satis est; si ad illam summam pervenero, tunc me totum philosophiae dabo. "Atqui nihil prius quam hoc parandum est, quod tu differs et post cetera paras; ab hoc incipiendum est.
Take away, therefore, those excuses: "I do not yet have as much as is enough; if I reach that sum, then I will give myself entirely to philosophy." And yet nothing is to be prepared before this, which you put off and prepare after other things; we must begin from this.
"Parare," inquis, "unde vivam volo. "Simul et para et disce; si quid te vetat bene vivere, bene mori non vetat.
"I wish," you say, "to prepare whence I may live." Prepare and learn at the same time; if anything forbids you to live well, it does not forbid you to die well.
§17.6Non est quod nos paupertas a philosophia revocet, ne egestas quidem.
There is no reason why poverty should recall us from philosophy, nor even penury.
Toleranda est enim ad hoc properantibus vel fames.
For even hunger must be endured by those hastening to this.
Quam toleravere quidam in obsidionibus, et quod aliud erat illis patientiae praemium quam in arbitrium non cadere victoris? Quanto hic maius est quod promittitur: perpetua libertas, nullius nec hominis nec dei timor.
Which hunger some have endured in sieges, and what other reward of their endurance was there for them than not to fall into the power of the victor? How much greater is this which is promised here: perpetual liberty, fear of no one, neither man nor god.
Et quidem vel esurienti ad ista veniendum est.
And indeed, even a hungry man must come to these things.
§17.7Perpessi sunt exercitus inopiam omnium rerum, vixerunt herbarum radicibus et dictu foedis tulerunt famem.
Armies have endured the lack of all things, lived on the roots of herbs, and bore hunger with things foul to mention.
Haec omnia passi sunt pro regno, quo magis mireris, alieno.
They suffered all these things for a kingdom, and what is more to be wondered at, another's.
Dubitabit aliquis ferre paupertatem, ut animum furoribus liberet?
Non est ergo prius adquirendum; licet ad philosophiam etiam sine viatico pervenire.
Will anyone hesitate to endure poverty in order to free his mind from madness? Therefore, we must not acquire first; it is permitted to reach philosophy even without travel-money.
§17.8Ita est.
It is so.
Cum omnia habueris, tunc habere et sapientiam voles? Haec erit ultimum vitae instrumentum et, ut ita dicam, additamentum? Tu vero, sive aliquid habes, iam philosophare,—unde enim scis, an iam nimis habeas?—sive nihil, hoc prius quaere quam quicquam. "
When you have all things, then will you wish to have wisdom also? Will this be the last instrument of life and, so to speak, an addition? Rather, if you have anything, practice philosophy now—for whence do you know whether you already have too much?—if nothing, seek this before anything.
§17.9At necessaria deerant. "Primum deesse non poterunt, quia natura minimum petit, naturae autem se sapiens accommodat.
"But necessary things were lacking." First, they cannot be lacking, because nature asks for very little, and the wise man accommodates himself to nature.
Sed si necessitates ultimae inciderunt, iamdudum exibit e vita et molestus sibi esse desinet.
But if extreme necessities have fallen, he will have departed from life long ago and will cease to be troublesome to himself.
Si vero exiguum erit et angustum, quo possit vita produci, id boni consulet nec ultra necessaria sollicitus aut anxius ventri et scapulis suum reddet et occupationes divitum concursationesque ad divitias euntium securus laetusque ridebit ac dicet: "Quid in longum ipse te differs?
But if there is a small and narrow thing by which life can be prolonged, he will take it in good part, and not anxious or worried beyond necessities, he will return to his belly and shoulders their due, and secure and joyful he will laugh at the occupations of the rich and the runnings of those going after riches, and will say: "Why do you put yourself off for a long time?
§17.10Expectabisne fenoris quaestum aut ex merce conpendium aut tabulas beati senis, cum fieri possis statim dives? Repraesentat opes sapientia, quas cuicumque fecit supervacuas, dedit. "Haec ad alios pertinent; tu locupletibus propior es.
Will you wait for the gain of interest, or profit from merchandise, or the will of a wealthy old man, when you can become rich immediately? Wisdom pays riches on the spot, which it gave by making them superfluous to anyone." These things belong to others; you are closer to the wealthy.
Saeculum muta, nimis habes.
Change your standard of age, and you have too much.
Idem est autem omni saeculo, quod sat est.
But what is enough is the same in every age.
§17.11Poteram hoc loco epistulam claudere, nisi te male instituissem.
I could close the letter at this point, if I had not brought you up badly.
Reges Parthorum non potest quisquam salutare sine munere; tibi valedicere non licet gratis.
No one can salute the kings of the Parthians without a gift; it is not permitted to say farewell to you for free.
Quid istic? Ab Epicuro mutuum sumam: "Multis parasse divitias non finis miseriarum fuit, sed mutatio. " §17.12Nec hoc miror.
What of it? I will borrow from Epicurus: "To have acquired riches for many was not the end of miseries, but a change." Nor do I wonder at this.
Non est enim in rebus vitium, sed in ipso animo.
For the fault is not in the things, but in the mind itself.
Illud, quod paupertatem nobis gravem fecerat, et divitias graves fecit.
That which had made poverty heavy for us also made riches heavy.
Quemadmodum nihil refert, utrum aegrum in ligneo lecto an in aureo conloces,—quocumque illum transtuleris, morbum secum suum transferet,—sic nihil refert, utrum aeger animus in divitiis an in paupertate ponatur.
Just as it makes no difference whether you place a sick man on a wooden bed or on a golden one—wherever you move him, he will carry his disease with him—so it makes no difference whether a sick mind is placed in riches or in poverty.
Malum illum suum sequitur.
His own evil follows him.
VALE.
FAREWELL.