§94.19Deinde cuius curata suffusio est, is non protinus eum visum recepit, aliis quoque potest reddere; malitia liberatus et liberat.
Next, he whose cataract has been cured does not only immediately recover his own sight, but can also restore it to others; one freed from malice also frees others.
Non opus est exhortatione, ne consilio quidem, ut colorum proprietates oculus intellegat, a nigro album etiam nullo monente distinguet.
There is no need of exhortation, nor even of advice, so that the eye may understand the properties of colors; it will distinguish white from black even with no one advising.
Multis contra praeceptis eget animus, ut videat, quid agendum sit in vita; quamquam oculis quoque aegros medicus non tantum curat sed etiam monet.
On the contrary, the mind requires many precepts in order to see what must be done in life; although the physician also not only cures but also advises those sick in their eyes.
" §94.20Non est," inquit, "quod protinus inbecillam aciem committas inprobo lumini; a tenebris primum ad umbrosa procede, deinde plus aude et paulatim claram lucem pati adsuesce.
'There is no reason,' he says, 'why you should immediately commit a weak sight to an intense light; proceed first from darkness to shady places, then dare more and gradually accustom yourself to endure clear light.
Non est quod post cibum studeas, non est quod plenis oculis ac tumentibus imperes; adflatum et vim frigoris in os occurrentis evita"; alia eiusmodi, quae non minus quam medicamenta proficiunt.
There is no reason why you should study after food, no reason why you should overwork full and swollen eyes; avoid the blast and the force of cold meeting your face'; and other things of this kind, which benefit no less than medicines.
Adicit remediis medicina consilium.
Medicine adds advice to remedies.
§94.21"Error," inquit, "est causa peccandi.
'Error,' he says, 'is the cause of sinning.
Hunc nobis praecepta non detrahunt nec expugnant opiniones de bonis ac malis falsas. "Concedo per se efficacia praecepta non esse ad evertendam pravam animi persuasionem; sed non ideo nihil ne aliis quidem adiecta proficiunt.
Precepts do not take this away from us, nor do they vanquish false opinions about goods and evils.' I admit that precepts by themselves are not effective for overturning a depraved conviction of the mind; but they do not therefore fail to benefit, even when added to other things.
Primum memoriam renovant; deinde quae in universo confusius videbantur, in partes divisa diligentius considerantur.
First, they renew the memory; second, those things which seemed rather confused in the whole, when divided into parts, are considered more diligently.
Aut isto modo licet et consolationes dicas supervacuas et exhortationes; atqui non sunt supervacuae, ergo ne monitiones quidem.
Otherwise, in that way you might as well say that consolations and exhortations are superfluous; yet they are not superfluous, therefore neither are admonitions.
§94.22"Stultum est," inquit, "praecipere aegro, quid facere tamquam sanus debeat, cum restituenda sanitas sit, sine qua inrita sunt praecepta. "Quid, quod habent aegri quaedam sanique communia, de quibus admonendi sunt? Tamquam ne avide cibos adpetant, ut lassitudinem vitent.
'It is foolish,' he says, 'to prescribe to a sick person what he ought to do as if he were healthy, since health must be restored, without which precepts are void.' What of the fact that the sick and the healthy have certain things in common, about which they must be admonished? Such as not to desire food greedily, and to avoid fatigue.
Habent quaedam praecepta communia pauper et dives. "
The poor and the rich have certain common precepts.
§94.23Sana," inquit, "avaritiam, et nihil habebis quod admoneas aut pauperem aut divitem, si cupiditas utriusque consedit. "Quid, quod aliud est non concupiscere pecuniam, aliud uti pecunia scire? Cuius avari modum ignorant, etiam non avari usum.
'Cure,' he says, 'avarice, and you will have nothing to admonish either the poor or the rich, if the desire of both has subsided.' What of the fact that it is one thing not to desire money, and another to know how to use money? The avaricious do not know its limit, and even the non-avaricious do not know its use.
"Tolle," inquit, "errores; supervacua praecepta sunt. "Falsum est.
'Remove errors,' he says; 'precepts are superfluous.' This is false.
Puta enim avaritiam relaxatam, puta adstrictam esse luxuriam, temeritati frenos iniectos, ignaviae subditum calcar; etiam remotis vitiis quid et quemadmodum debeamus facere, discendum est.
For suppose avarice is relaxed, suppose luxury is restrained, bridles are cast upon rashness, and a spur is applied to laziness; even when vices are removed, we must learn what we ought to do and how.
§94.24"Nihil," inquit, "efficient monitiones admotae gravibus vitiis. "Ne medicina quidem morbos insanabiles vincit, tamen adhibetur aliis in remedium, aliis in levamentum.
'Admonitions applied to grave vices,' he says, 'will accomplish nothing.' Not even medicine conquers incurable diseases, yet it is applied to some as a remedy, to others as a relief.
Ne ipsa quidem universae philosophiae vis, licet totas in hoc vires suas advocet, duram iam et veterem animis extrahet pestem.
Not even the very power of universal philosophy, though it summon all its forces for this purpose, will extract a hard and old plague from minds.
Sed non ideo nihil sanat, quia non omnia. "
But it does not therefore cure nothing, because it does not cure all.
§94.25Quid prodest," inquit, "aperta monstrare? "Plurimum; interdum enim scimus nec adtendimus.
'What does it profit,' he says, 'to show what is obvious?' Very much; for sometimes we know and do not attend.
Non docet admonitio, sed advertit, sed excitat, sed memoriam continet nec patitur elabi.
Admonition does not teach, but directs attention, but arouses, but retains memory and does not allow it to slip away.
Pleraque ante oculos posita transimus.
We pass over many things placed before our eyes.
Admonere genus adhortandi est.
Admonishing is a kind of exhorting.
Saepe animus etiam aperta dissimulat; ingerenda est itaque illi notitia rerum notissimarum.
Often the mind ignores even obvious things; therefore, the knowledge of most well-known things must be pressed upon it.
Illa hoc loco in Vatinium Calvi repetenda sententia est: "factum esse ambitum scitis, et hoc vos scire omnes sciunt. " §94.26Seis amicitias sancte colendas esse, sed non facis.
That saying of Calvus against Vatinius ought to be repeated in this place: 'You know that bribery was committed, and everyone knows that you know this.' You know that friendships ought to be sacredly cultivated, but you do not do it.
Seis inprobum esse, qui ab uxore pudicitiam exigit, ipse alienarum corruptor uxorum; scis ut illi nil eum adultero, sic tibi nil esse debere cum paelice, et non facis.
You know that he is wicked who demands chastity from his wife, while being himself a corrupter of others' wives; you know that just as she ought to have nothing to do with an adulterer, so you ought to have nothing to do with a mistress, and you do not do it.
Itaque subinde ad memoriam reducendus es; non enim reposita illa esse oportet, sed in promptu.
Therefore, you must be reminded constantly; for those things ought not to be stored away, but ready at hand.
Quaecumque salutaria sunt, saepe agitari debent, saepe versari, ut non tantum nota sint nobis, sed etiam parata.
Whatever things are wholesome ought to be often discussed, often turned over, so that they may not only be known to us, but also ready.
Adice nunc, quod aperta quoque apertiora fieri solent.
Add now that obvious things also are accustomed to become more obvious.