§7.1Quid tibi vitandum praecipue existimes, quaeris? Turbam.
Do you ask what you should think is especially to be avoided by you? The crowd.
Nondum illi tuto committeris.
You are not yet safely entrusted to it.
Ego certe confitebor inbecillitatem meam: numquam mores, quos extuli, refero.
I certainly will confess my weakness: I never bring back the character which I carried out.
Aliquid ex eo, quod conposui, turbatur; aliquid ex iis, quae fugavi, redit.
Something of that which I have settled is disturbed; something of those things which I have put to flight returns.
Quod aegris evenit, quos longa inbecillitas usque eo adfecit, ut nusquam sine offensa proferantur, hoc accidit nobis, quorum animi ex longo morbo reficiuntur.
What happens to the sick, whom a long weakness has affected to such an extent that they are carried out nowhere without injury, this happens to us, whose minds are recovering from a long illness.
§7.2Inimica est multorum conversatio; nemo non aliquod nobis vitium aut commendat aut inprimit aut nescientibus adlinit.
The conversation of many is harmful; there is no one who does not either recommend some vice to us, or imprint it, or smear it on us unawares.
Utique quo maior est populus, cui miscemur, hoc periculi plus est.
Especially, by how much larger the people is with whom we mix, by so much more of danger there is.
Nihil vero tam damnosum bonis moribus quam in aliquo spectaculo desidere.
Indeed, nothing is so damaging to good character as to sit idle in some spectacle.
Tunc enim per voluptatem facilius vitia subrepunt.
For then, through pleasure, vices creep in more easily.
§7.3Quid me existimas dicere? Avarior redeo, ambitiosior, luxuriosior, immo vero crudelior et inhumanior, quia inter homines fui.
What do you think I am saying? I return more greedy, more ambitious, more self-indulgent, nay indeed more cruel and inhumane, because I have been among men.
Casu in meridianum spectaculum incidi lusus expectans et sales et aliquid laxamenti, quo hominum oculi ab humano cruore adquiescunt; contra est.
By chance I fell in with a midday spectacle, expecting plays and wit and some relaxation by which the eyes of men might rest from human blood; it is the contrary.
Quicquid ante pugnatum est, misericordia fuit.
Whatever was fought before was mercy.
Nunc omissis nugis mera homicidia sunt.
Now, trifles having been omitted, there are pure homicides.
Nihil habent quo tegantur, ad ictum totis corporibus expositi numquam frustra manum mittunt.
They have nothing with which they may be covered, exposed with their whole bodies to the blow, they never send out their hand in vain.
§7.4Hoc plerique ordinariis paribus et postulaticiis praeferunt.
Most people prefer this to the ordinary pairs and those demanded by request.
Quidni praeferant? Non galea, non scuto repellitur ferrum.
Why should they not prefer it? The sword is not repelled by helmet or by shield.
Quo munimenta? Quo artes? Omnia ista mortis morae sunt.
To what purpose are defensive armor? To what purpose are skills? All those things are delays of death.
Mane leonibus et ursis homines, meridie spectatoribus suis obiciuntur.
In the morning men are thrown to lions and bears, at midday to their own spectators.
Interfectores interfecturis iubent obici et victorem in aliam detinent caedem.
They order the killers to be thrown to those who are about to kill, and they retain the victor for another slaughter.
Exitus pugnantium mors est; ferro et igne res geritur.
The outcome of those who fight is death; the business is carried on with sword and fire.
Haec fiunt, dum vacat harena. "
These things are done while the arena is empty.
§7.5Sed latrocinium fecit aliquis, occidit hominem.
"But someone committed a robbery, he killed a man." What of it then?
"Quid ergo? Quia occidit ille, meruit ut hoc pateretur;
Because he killed, he deserved to suffer this; but you, miserable one, what did you deserve, that you should watch this?
tu quid meruisti miser, ut hoc spectes? "Occide, verbera, ure! Quare tam timide incurrit in ferrum? Quare parum audacter occidit? Quare parum libenter moritur? Plagis agatur in vulnera, mutuos ictus nudis et obviis pectoribus excipiant. "Intermissum est spectaculum: "interim iugulentur homines, ne nihil agatur.
"Kill, flog, burn! Why does he run onto the sword so timidly? Why does he kill with too little boldness? Why does he die too unwillingly? Let him be driven into wounds by blows, let them receive mutual strokes with naked and opposing breasts." The spectacle is interrupted: "meanwhile let men be slaughtered, lest nothing be done." Come, do you not even understand this, that bad examples rebound upon those who set them?
"
Age, ne hoc quidem intellegitis, mala exempla in eos redundare, qui faciunt? Agite dis inmortalibus gratias, quod eum docetis esse crudelem, qui non potest discere.
Give thanks to the immortal gods, that you are teaching him to be cruel who cannot learn it.
§7.6Subducendus populo est tener animus et parum tenax recti; facile transitur ad plures.
A tender mind and one too little holding fast to the right must be withdrawn from the people; it easily passes over to the majority.
Socrati et Catoni et Laelio excutere morem suum dissimilis multitudo potuisset; adeo nemo nostrum, qui cum maxime concinnamus ingenium, ferre impetum vitiorum tam magno comitatu venientium potest.
Even Socrates, Cato, and Laelius would have been able to have their character shaken out of them by a dissimilar crowd; so much can none of us, who are just now shaping our character, bear the onset of vices coming with so great a retinue.
§7.7Unum exemplum luxuriae aut avaritiae multum mali facit; convictor delicatus paulatim enervat et emollit, vicinus dives cupiditatem inritat, malignus comes quamvis candido et simplici rubiginem suam adfricuit.
A single example of luxury or of greed does much harm; a delicate companion gradually weakens and softens us, a wealthy neighbor irritates our desire, a malicious companion rubs his rust onto one however clean and simple.
Quid tu accidere his moribus credis, in quos publice factus est impetus? Necesse est aut imiteris aut oderis.
What do you believe happens to these characters, against which an onset has been made publicly? You must either imitate or hate.
§7.8Utrumque autem devitandum est; neve similis malis fias, quia multi sunt, neve inimicus multis, quia dissimiles sunt.
Both, however, must be avoided: neither should you become like the bad because they are many, nor an enemy to many because they are dissimilar.
Recede in te ipsum, quantum potes.
Recede into yourself as much as you can.
Cum his versare, qui te meliorem facturi sunt.
Associate with those who are going to make you better.
Illos admitte, quos tu potes facere meliores.
Admit those whom you can make better.
Mutuo ista fiunt, et homines, dum docent, discunt.
These things are done mutually, and men, while they teach, learn.
§7.9Non est quod te gloria publicandi ingenii producat in medium, ut recitare istis velis aut disputare; quod facere te vellem, si haberes isti populo idoneam mercem; nemo est, qui intellegere te possit.
There is no reason why the glory of publishing your talent should bring you out into the public, so that you wish to recite or dispute to those people; which I should wish you to do if you had merchandise suitable for that people; there is no one who can understand you.
Aliquis fortasse, unus aut alter incidet, et hic ipse formandus tibi erit instituendusque ad intellectum tui.
Someone perhaps, one or another, will fall in with you, and this very person will have to be formed by you and instructed for the understanding of you.
"Cui ergo ista didici? "Non est quod timeas, ne operam perdideris; tibi didicisti.
"For whom then did I learn those things?" There is no reason why you should fear lest you have lost your labor; you learned for yourself.
§7.10Sed ne soli mihi hodie didicerim, communicabo tecum, quae occurrerunt mihi egregie dicta circa eundem fere sensum tria; ex quibus unum haec epistula in debitum solvet, duo in antecessum accipe.
But lest I should have learned today for myself alone, I will share with you three outstanding sayings that have occurred to me concerning almost the same sense; of which this letter will pay one as a debt, accept two in advance.
Democritus ait: "Unus mihi pro populo est, et populus pro uno. " §7.11Bene et ille, quisquis fuit, ambigitur enim de auctore, cum quaereretur ab illo, quo tanta diligentia artis spectaret ad paucissimos perventurae, "Satis sunt," inquit, "mihi pauci, satis est unus, satis est nullus. "Egregie hoc tertium Epicurus, cum uni ex consortibus studiorum suorum scriberet: "Haec," inquit, "ego non multis, sed tibi; satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus. " §7.12Ista, mi Lucili, condenda in animum sunt, ut contemnas voluptatem ex plurium adsensione venientem.
Democritus says: "One is to me as a crowd, and a crowd as one." Well also did he, whoever he was—for there is debate about the author—when it was asked of him why he looked with such great diligence of skill to what would reach very few: "Sufficient," he said, "for me are few, sufficient is one, sufficient is none." Outstandingly Epicurus said this third thing, when he wrote to one of the companions of his studies: "These things," he said, "I write not to many, but to you; for we are a sufficiently large theater to one another." These things, my Lucilius, must be laid up in the mind, so that you may despise the pleasure coming from the approval of the majority.
Multi te laudant.
Many praise you.
Ecquid habes, cur placeas tibi, si is es, quem intellegant multi? Introrsus bona tua spectent.
Do you have any reason why you should be pleased with yourself, if you are the sort of person whom many understand? Let your goods look inward.
VALE.
FAREWELL.