§90.31"Anacharsis," inquit, "invenit rotam figuli, cuius circuitu vasa formantur. "Deinde quia apud Homerum invenitur figuli rota, malunt videri versus falsos esse quam fabulam.
"Anacharsis," he says, "invented the potter's wheel, by whose rotation vessels are shaped." Then, because the potter's wheel is found in Homer, they prefer that the verses should seem to be false rather than the story.
Ego nec Anacharsim auctorem huius rei fuisse contendo et, si fuit, sapiens quidem hoc invenit, sed non tamquam sapiens, sicut multa sapientes faciunt, qua homines sunt, non qua sapientes.
I neither contend that Anacharsis was the author of this thing, and, if he was, a wise man indeed invented it, but not as a wise man, just as wise men do many things in so far as they are men, not in so far as they are wise.
Puta velocissimum esse sapientem; cursu omnes anteibit, qua velox est, non qua sapiens.
Suppose the wise man to be very swift; he will surpass all in running in so far as he is swift, not in so far as he is wise.
Cuperem Posidonio aliquem vitrearium ostendere, qui spiritu vitrum in habitus plurimos format, qui vix diligenti manu effingerentur.
I should like to show Posidonius some glass-maker, who by his breath shapes glass into very many forms which could scarcely be fashioned by a careful hand.
Haec inventa sunt, postquam sapientiam invenire desîmus.
These things were invented after we ceased to find wisdom.
known in preMycenean times, and was a very ancient invention to the oldest Epic poets. "Seneca is right.
"known in pre-Mycenean times, and was a very ancient invention to the oldest Epic poets." Seneca is right.
§90.32"Democritus," inquit, "invenisse dicitur fornicem, ut lapidum curvatura paulatim inclinatorum medio saxo alligaretur. "Hoc dicam falsum esse; necesse est enim ante Democritum et pontes et portas fuisse, quarum fere summa curvantur.
"Democritus," he says, "is said to have invented the arch, so that the curvature of stones gradually sloping might be bound together by the middle stone." I would say this is false; for it is necessary that before Democritus there were both bridges and gates, of which generally the tops are curved.
§90.33Excidit porro vobis eundem Democritum invenisse, quemadmodum ebur molliretur, quemadmodum decoctus calculus in zmaragdum converteretur, qua hodieque coctum inventi lapides in hoc utiles colorantur.
Furthermore, it has escaped your memory that the same Democritus invented how ivory might be softened, how a boiled pebble might be turned into an emerald, by which method even today stones found useful for this purpose are colored by being boiled.
Ista sapiens licet invenerit, non qua sapiens erat, invenit; multa enim facit, quae ab inprudentissimis aut aeque fieri videmus aut peritius atque exercitatius.
Although a wise man may have invented these things, he did not invent them in so far as he was wise; for he does many things which we see performed by the most ignorant people either equally well or even more skillfully and with more practice.
§90.34Quid sapiens investigaverit, quid in lucem protraxerit, quaeris? Primum verum naturamque, quam non ut cetera animalia oculis secutus est tardis ad divina.
Do you ask what the wise man has investigated, what he has brought to light? First, truth and nature, which he followed not as other animals do with eyes that are slow to perceive divine things.
Deinde vitae legem, quam ad universa derexit, nec nosse tantum sed sequi deos docuit et accidentia non aliter excipere quam imperata.
Next, the law of life, which he directed toward the universe, and he taught not only to know but to follow the gods, and to receive accidental events no otherwise than as commands.
Vetuit parere opinionibus falsis et quanti quidque esset, vera aestimatione perpendit.
He forbade obeying false opinions, and weighed how much each thing was worth by a true estimation.
Damnavit mixtas paenitentia voluptates et bona semper placitum laudavit et palam fecit felicissimum esse cui felicitate non opus est, potentissimum esse qui se habet in potestate.
He condemned pleasures mixed with repentance, and praised goods that are always pleasing, and made it clear that he is happiest who has no need of happiness, and he is most powerful who has himself in his own power.
§90.35Non de ea philosophia loquor, quae civem extra patriam posuit, extra mundum deos, quae virtutem donavit voluptati, sed de illa, quae nullum bonum putat nisi quod honestum est, quae nec hominis nec fortunae muneribus deleniri potest, cuius hoc pretium est, non posse pretio capi.
I do not speak of that philosophy which placed the citizen outside his country, the gods outside the world, and which surrendered virtue to pleasure, but of that which thinks no good exists except what is honorable, which cannot be enticed by the gifts of either man or fortune, whose prize is this: not to be able to be bought by any price.
Hanc philosophiam fuisse illo rudi saeculo, quo adhuc artificia deerant et ipso usu discebantur utilia, non credo.
I do not believe that this philosophy existed in that rude age when arts were still lacking and useful things were learned by mere experience.
§90.36Secutast fortunata tempora,cum in medio iacerent beneficia naturae promiscue utenda, antequam avaritia atque luxuria dissociavere mortales et ad rapinam ex consortio discurrere.
It followed those happy times when the benefits of nature lay open to all, to be used in common, before avarice and luxury divided mortals and made them run from fellowship to plunder.
Non erant illi sapientes viri, etiam si faciebant facienda sapientibus.
Those men were not wise, even if they did what ought to be done by wise men.
§90.37Statum quidem generis humani non alium quisquam suspexerit magis, nec si cui permittat deus terrena formare et dare gentibus mores, aliud probaverit quam quod apud illos fuisse memoratur, apud quos Nulli subigebant arva coloni, Ne signare quidem aut partiri limite campum Fas erat; in medium quaerebant, ipsaque tellus Omnia liberius nullo poscente ferebat.
Indeed, no one would look up to any other state of the human race more, nor, if God should permit someone to shape earthly things and give customs to nations, would he approve anything else than what is recalled to have existed among those people, among whom: No tillers subdued the fields, it was not even lawful to mark out or divide the plain with a boundary; they sought for a common store, and the earth itself bore all things more freely when no one demanded them.
§90.38Quid hominum illo genere felicius? In commune rerum natura fruebantur;
What could be happier than that race of men?
sufficiebat illa ut parens ita tutela omnium, haec erat publicarum opum secura possessio.
They enjoyed nature in common; she was sufficient, as a parent so as a guardian of all, and this was the secure possession of public wealth.
Quidni ego illud locupletissimum mortalium genus dixerim, in quo pauperem invenire non posses?
Inrupit in res optime positas avaritia et, dum seducere aliquid cupit atque in suum vertere, omnia fecit aliena et in angustum se ex inmenso redegit.
Why should I not call that the richest race of mortals, in which you could not find a poor man? Avarice broke into things excellently established, and, while she desired to set something aside and turn it to her own use, she made all things alien, and reduced herself from immense wealth to narrow straits.
Avaritia paupertatem intulit et multa concupiscendo omnia amisit.
Avarice brought in poverty, and by desiring many things, she lost all.