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ταῦτ᾽ εἰπόντος τοῦ Θέωνος, ἐδόκει καταπαῦσαι τὸν περίπατον, καὶ καθάπερ εἰώθειμεν ἐπὶ τῶν βάθρων καθεζόμενοι πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἦμεν σιωπῇ χρόνον οὐ πολύν. ὁ γὰρ Ζεύξιππος ἀπὸ τῶν
εἰρημένων ἐννοήσας ‘τίς’ ἔφη ‘τὰ λειπόμενα τῷ λόγῳ προσαποδίδωσι; καὶ γὰρ οὔπω τὸ προσῆκον ἔχει τέλος, ἃ αὐτὸς ἄρτι μαντικῆς μνησθεὶς καὶ
προνοίας ὑποβέβληκε: ταῦτα γὰρ οὐχ ἥκιστά φασιν
οἱ ἄνδρες ἡδονὴν καὶ γαλήνην καὶ θάρσος αὐτοῖς
παρασκευάζειν εἰς τὸν βίον: ὥστε δεῖ τι λεχθῆναι καὶ περὶ τούτων’ ὑπολαβὼν δ᾽ ὁ Ἀριστόδημος ‘ἀλλὰ περὶ ἡδονῆς; μὲν εἴρηται σχεδόν’ εἶπεν ‘ὡς εὐτυχῶν καὶ κατορθῶν ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν φόβον ἀφαιρεῖ
τινα καὶ δεισιδαιμονίαν, εὐφροσύνην δὲ καὶ
χαρὰν ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν οὐκ ἐνδίδωσιν ἀλλ᾽ οὕτως
ἔχειν ποιεῖ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τῷ μὴ ταράττεσθαι μηδὲ
[p. 403]
χαίρειν, ὡς πρὸς τοὺς Ὑρκανοὺς ἢ Σκύθας ἔχομεν,
οὔτε χρηστὸν οὐδὲν οὔτε φαῦλον ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν
προσδοκῶντες. εἰ δὲ δεῖ προσθεῖναί τι τοῖς εἰρημένοις,
ἐκεῖνό μοι δοκῶ λήψεσθαι παρ᾽ αὐτῶν πρῶτον,
ὅτι τοῖς ἀναιροῦσι λύπας καὶ δάκρυα καὶ στεναγμοὺς
ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν φίλων τελευταῖς μάχονται καὶ λέγουσι ‘τὴν εἰς τὸ ἀπαθὲς καθεστῶσαν ἀλυπίαν
ὑφ᾽ ἑτέρου κακοῦ μείζονος ὑπάρχειν, ὠμότητος ἢ δοξοκοπίας ἀκράτου καὶ λύσσης: διὸ πάσχειν τι
βέλτιον εἶναι καὶ λυπεῖσθαι καὶ νὴ Δία λιπαίνειν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ τήκεσθαι,’ καὶ ὅσα δὴ παθαινόμενοι
καὶ γράφοντες ὑγροί τινες εἶναι καὶ φιλικοὶ δοκοῦσι. ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν ἄλλοις τε πολλοῖς Ἐπίκουρος
εἴρηκε καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἡγησιάνακτος τελευτῆς πρὸς
Σωσίθεον τὸν πατέρα γράφων καὶ Πύρσωνα τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ τεθνηκότος: ἔναγχος γὰρ κατὰ τύχην τὰς ἐπιστολὰς διῆλθον αὐτοῦ. καὶ λέγω μιμούμενος,
ὡς οὐχ ἧττόν ἐστι κακὸν ἀθεότης; ὠμότητος καὶ
δοξοκοπίας, εἰς ἣν ἄγουσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ τὴν χάριν ἐκ
τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀναιροῦντες. βέλτιον γὰρ
ἐνυπάρχειν τι καὶ συγκεκρᾶσθαι τῇ περὶ θεῶν δόξῃ κοινὸν αἰδοῦς καὶ φόβου πάθος, ἢ τοῦτο φεύγοντας
μήτε ἐλπίδα μήτε χάριν ἑαυτοῖς μήτε θάρσος ἀγαθῶν παρόντων μήτε τινὰ δυστυχοῦσιν ἀποστροφὴν πρὸς
τὸ θεῖον ἀπολείπεσθαι.’
[p. 404]
Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1895. 6.
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