§94.46Duae res plurimum roboris animo dant, fides veri et fiducia: utramque admonitio facit.
Two things give the most strength to the mind: faith in truth and confidence; admonition produces both.
Nam et creditur illi et, cum creditum est, magnos animus spiritus concipit ac fiducia impletur.
For it is believed, and when it is believed, the mind conceives great spirits and is filled with confidence.
Ergo admonitio non est supervacua.
Therefore, admonition is not superfluous.
M. Agrippa, vir ingentis animi, qui solus ex iis, quos civilia bella claros potentesque fecerunt, felix in publicum fuit, dicere solebat multum se huic debere sententiae: "Nam concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur. "Hac se aibat et fratrem et amicum optimum factum.
Marcus Agrippa, a man of huge mind, who alone of those whom civil wars made famous and powerful was prosperous for the public, used to say that he owed much to this maxim: "For by concord small things grow, by discord the greatest fall apart." By this he said that he had been made both a very good brother and a very good friend.
§94.47Si eiusmodi sententiae familiariter in animum receptae formant eum, cur non haec pars philosophiae, quae talibus sententiis constat, idem possit? Pars virtutis disciplina constat, pars exercitatione; et discas oportet et quod didicisti agendo confirmes.
If maxims of this kind, familiarly received into the mind, form it, why should not this part of philosophy, which consists of such maxims, be able to do the same? Part of virtue consists in instruction, part in practice; you must both learn and confirm what you have learned by doing.
Quod si est, non tantum scita sapientiae prosunt, sed etiam praecepta, quae adfectus nostros velut edicto coercent et ablegant.
If this is so, not only the decrees of wisdom benefit, but also the precepts, which restrain and banish our passions as if by an edict.
§94.48'' Philosophia,'' inquit,'' dividitur in haec, scientiam et habitum animi.
"Philosophy," he says, "is divided into these: knowledge and the habit of the mind.
Nam qui didicit et facienda ac vitanda percepit, nondum sapiens est, nisi in ea, quae didicit, animus eius transfiguratus est.
For he who has learned and perceived what is to be done and avoided is not yet wise, unless his mind has been transfigured into what he has learned.
Tertia ista pars praecipiendi ex utroque est, et ex decretis et ex habitu.
That third part of giving precepts is from both, from decrees and from habit.
Itaque supervacua est ad implendam virtutem, cui duo illa sufficiunt. " §94.49Isto ergo modo et consolatio supervacua est, nam haec quoque ex utroque est, et adhortatio et suasio et ipsa argumentatio.
Therefore, it is superfluous for completing virtue, for which those two are sufficient." In that way, then, consolation also is superfluous, for this too is from both, as are exhortation, persuasion, and argument itself.
Nam et haec ab habitu animi compositi validique proficiscitur.
For these too proceed from the habit of a well-ordered and strong mind.
Sed quamvis ista ex optimo habitu animi veniant, optimus animi habitus ex his est; et facit illa et ex illis ipse fit.
But although those come from the best habit of the mind, the best habit of the mind comes from these; it produces them, and from them it is itself made.
§94.50Deinde istud, quod dicis, iam perfecti viri est ac summam consecuti felicitatis humanae.
Next, that which you say belongs already to the perfect man and one who has attained the summit of human happiness.
Ad haec autem tarde pervenitur; interim etiam inperfecto sed proficient demonstranda est in rebus agendis via.
But these are reached slowly; in the meantime, even to the imperfect but progressing person, the way must be shown in things to be done.
Hanc forsitan etiam sine admonitione dabit sibi ipsa sapientia, quae iam eo perduxit animum, ut moveri nequeat nisi in rectum.
Wisdom itself, which has already led the mind to the point where it cannot be moved except to the right, will perhaps give this way to itself even without admonition.
Inbecillioribus quidem ingeniis necessarium est aliquem praeire: hoc vitabis, hoc facies. §94.51Praeterea si expectat tempus, quo per se sciat quid optimum factu sit, interim errabit et errando inpedietur, quo minus ad illud perveniat, quo possit se esse contentus.
For weaker minds indeed, it is necessary for someone to go before: "this you will avoid, this you will do." Furthermore, if he waits for the time when he knows by himself what is best to do, in the meantime he will err and by erring be hindered from arriving at that state in which he can be content with himself.
Regi ergo debet, dum incipit posse se regere.
He must, therefore, be ruled while he begins to be able to rule himself.
Pueri ad praescriptum discunt.
Boys learn by a copy-text.
Digiti illorum tenentur et aliena manu per litterarum simulacra ducuntur, deinde imitari iubentur proposita et ad illa reformare chirographum.
Their fingers are held and guided by another's hand through the outlines of letters, then they are ordered to imitate what is set before them and to reform their handwriting to it.
Sic animus noster dum eruditur ad praescriptum, iuvatur.
So our mind, while it is instructed by a copy-text, is helped.
§94.52Haec sunt, per quae probatur hanc philosophiae partem supervacuam non esse.
These are the things by which it is proved that this part of philosophy is not superfluous.
Quaeritur deinde, an ad faciendum sapientem sola sufficiat.
It is asked next whether it alone suffices to make a wise man.
Huic quaestioni suum diem dabimus; interim omissis argumentis nonne apparet opus esse nobis aliquo advocato, qui contra populi praecepta praecipiat?
To this question we will give its own day; in the meantime, setting aside arguments, does it not appear that we need some advocate who may give precepts contrary to the precepts of the people?
§94.53Nulla ad aures nostras vox inpune perfertur; nocent qui optant, nocent qui execrantur.
No voice reaches our ears with impunity; those who wish us well harm us, those who curse us harm us.
Nam et horum inprecatio falsos nobis metus inserit et illorum amor male docet bene optando.
For the curse of the latter implants false fears in us, and the love of the former teaches us badly by wishing us well.
Mittit enim nos ad longinqua bona et incerta et errantia, cum possimus felicitatem domo promere.
For it sends us to distant, uncertain, and wandering goods, when we can produce happiness from home.
§94.54Non licet, inquam, ire recta via.
It is not allowed, I say, to go by the straight path.
Trahunt in pravum parentes, trahunt servi.
Parents drag us into evil, slaves drag us.
Nemo errat uni sibi, sed dementiam spargit in proximos accipitque invicem.
No one errs for himself alone, but scatters his madness among his neighbors and receives it in turn.
Et ideo in singulis vitia populorum sunt, quia illa populus dedit.
And therefore the vices of peoples are in individual men, because the people gave them.
Dum facit quisque peiorem, factus est; didicit deteriora, deinde docuit, effectaque est ingens illa nequitia congesto in unum quod cuique pessimum scitur. 5 Sit ergo aliquis custos et aurem subinde pervellat abigatque rumores et reclamet populis laudantibus.
While each makes someone worse, he is made worse himself; he learned worse things, then taught them, and that huge wickedness has been produced by piling into one what is known to be worst in each. 5 Let there be, therefore, some guardian, and let him twitch our ear from time to time, drive away rumors, and protest against the praising peoples.
§94.55Erras enim, si existimas nobiscum vitia nasci; supervenerunt, ingesta sunt.
For you err if you think that vices are born with us; they have come upon us, they have been poured in.
Itaque monitionibus crebris opiniones, quae nos circumsonant, repellantur.
Therefore, let the opinions that sound around us be repelled by frequent admonitions.