Paradox 2
Original Latin
Paradoxon II
ὅτι αὐτάρκης ἡ ἀρετὴ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν
[In quo virtus sit, ei nihil deesse ad beate vivendum.]
SECTION 16
Chapter 1
nec vero ego M. Regulum aerumnosum nec infelicem nec miserum umquam putavi; non enim magnitudo animi cruciabatur eius a Poenis, non gravitas, non fides, non constantia, non ulla virtus, non denique animus ipse, qui tot virtutum praesidio tantoque comitatu, cum corpus eius caperetur, capi certe ipse non potuit. C. vero Marium vidimus, qui mihi secundis rebus unus ex fortunatis hominibus, adversis unus ex summis viris videbatur, quo beatius esse mortali nihil potest.
SECTION 17
nescis, insane, nescis, quantas viris virtus habeat; nomen tantum virtutis usurpas, quid ipsa valeat ignoras: nemo potest non beatissimus esse, qui est totus aptus ex sese quique in se uno sua ponit omnia. cui spes omnis et ratio et cogitatio pendet ex fortuna, huic nihil potest esse certi, nihil quod exploratum habeat permansurum sibi unum diem; eum tu hominem terreto, si quem eris nanctus, istis mortis aut exsilii minis: mihi vero quicquid acciderit in tam ingrata civitate, ne recusanti quidem evenerit, non modo [non] repugnanti. quid enim ego laboravi aut quid egi aut in quo evigilarunt curae et cogitationes meae, si quidem nihil peperi tale, nihil consecutus sum, ut eo statu essem, quem neque fortunae temeritas neque inimicorum labefactaret iniuria? mortemne mihi minitaris,
SECTION 18
ut omnino ab hominibus, an exsilium, ut ab inprobis demigrandum sit? mors terribilis iis, quorum cum vita omnia exstinguuntur, non iis, quorum laus emori non potest; exsilium autem illis, quibus quasi circumscriptus est habitandi locus, non iis, qui omnem orbem terrarum unam urbem esse ducunt. te miseriae, te aerumnae premunt omnes, qui te beatum, qui florentem putas; te lubidines torquent; tu dies noctisque cruciaris, cui nec sat est quod est et id ipsum ne non diuturnum sit futurum times; te conscientiae stimulant maleficiorum tuorum; te metus exanimant iudiciorum atque legum; quocumque adspexisti, ut furiae sic tuae tibi occurrunt iniuriae, quae te suspirare libere non sinunt.
SECTION 19
quam ob rem ut inprobo et stulto et inerti nemini bene esse potest, sic bonus vir et sapiens et fortis miser esse nemo potest; nec vero, cuius virtus moresque laudandi sunt, eius non laudanda vita est, neque porro fugienda vita est quae laudanda est, esset autem fugienda, si esset misera. quam ob rem quicquid est laudabile, idem et beatum et florens et expetendum videri decet.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation directly from the Latin, with Latin-source model review. Baiter (1864); Perseus digital text, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Paradox II
Virtue is sufficient for happiness.
[Whoever possesses virtue lacks nothing needed for a happy life.]
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Chapter 1
Yet I have never considered Marcus Regulus afflicted, unfortunate, or miserable. It was not his greatness of spirit that the Carthaginians tortured, nor his dignity, his trustworthiness, his steadfastness, or any virtue of his; nor, finally, his soul itself. Protected and attended by so many virtues, his soul certainly could not be taken captive when his body was. And we ourselves saw Gaius Marius, who in prosperity seemed to me one among the fortunate, but in adversity one among the greatest of men—and no mortal can enjoy greater happiness than that.
SECTION 17
You do not know, madman, you do not know how great the power of virtue is. You merely use its name; you have no understanding of its strength. No one can fail to be supremely happy whose whole being rests upon himself and who places everything that is his in himself alone. But someone whose every hope, plan, and thought depends upon fortune can have nothing certain, nothing he can confidently expect to remain his for a single day. Find such a man, if you can, and frighten him with those threats of death or exile. As for me, whatever may befall me in so ungrateful a state will find me not even objecting, much less resisting. For what have I labored for, what have I accomplished, over what have my anxious thoughts kept watch, if I have produced and achieved nothing that places me beyond the power of fortune’s recklessness or my enemies’ injustice to shake? Do you threaten me with death,
SECTION 18
so that I must leave the company of human beings altogether, or with exile, so that I must leave the company of the wicked? Death is terrible to those for whom everything is extinguished along with life, not to those whose glory cannot die. Exile is terrible to those whose dwelling place is confined, as it were, within fixed boundaries, not to those who regard the whole world as a single city. It is you whom every misery, every affliction oppresses—you who think yourself happy and flourishing. Your desires torment you. You are tortured day and night: what you have is not enough, and you fear that even that will not last. Awareness of your crimes goads you; fear of the courts and the laws drains your spirit. Wherever you look, your own wrongdoings confront you like Furies and will not let you draw an untroubled breath.
SECTION 19
Therefore, just as no wicked, foolish, or cowardly person can fare well, so no good, wise, and courageous man can be miserable. Surely, if a man’s virtue and character deserve praise, his life deserves praise as well. Nor can a life deserving praise be a life to shun; yet it would be one to shun if it were miserable. We should therefore regard whatever deserves praise as also happy, flourishing, and worthy of desire.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation, independently made directly from the Latin, with Latin-source model review. Baiter (1864); Perseus digital text, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Paradox II
Virtue by itself provides happiness.
[Having virtue means having everything needed to live happily.]
SECTION 16
Chapter 1
I've never regarded Marcus Regulus as a wretched, unlucky, or unhappy man. When the Carthaginians tortured him, they weren't torturing his great spirit, his dignity, his loyalty, his firmness, or any of his virtues. They weren't torturing his very soul. With all those virtues guarding it and attending it, his soul couldn't possibly be taken prisoner along with his body. We also saw Gaius Marius. In good times I thought him one of the lucky ones; in bad times, one of the greatest men. There's no greater happiness available to a mortal.
SECTION 17
You madman, you have no idea—no idea—what strength virtue has. You use its name without knowing what it can do. A person who draws all his support from himself and keeps everything that is his within himself cannot help being utterly happy. But if chance determines all a person's hopes, calculations, and thoughts, he has nothing secure. He can't be sure anything will stay his for a day. Find a man like that and try frightening him with death or banishment. Whatever happens to me in this ungrateful community, I won't even protest, let alone fight against it. Otherwise what was all my work for? What have I achieved? What did my worries and thoughts keep me awake for, if I haven't gained anything that puts me in a position where neither reckless fortune nor attacks from my enemies can shake me? Are you threatening to make me die,
SECTION 18
so I have to leave human company altogether? Or to banish me, so I have to leave bad people's company? Death scares people whose lives end with nothing left, not people whose achievements will always be praised. Banishment scares people who think their home has set boundaries, not people who take the entire world for one city. You think you're happy and doing wonderfully. Yet every kind of misery and trouble weighs you down. Your cravings torment you; you suffer through the nights and days. Your present possessions aren't enough, and you're afraid even those won't last. The knowledge of your crimes keeps pricking at you. Fear of trials and laws leaves you terrified. Turn where you like: your own injustices come at you like avenging Furies, never letting you draw an easy breath.
SECTION 19
A bad, foolish, spineless person cannot have a good life. In the same way, a good person who has wisdom and courage cannot be miserable. If a man's virtue and character merit praise, so must his life. A life worth praising isn't a life to run away from. If it were miserable, though, we ought to run away from it. So whatever merits praise should also count as happy, thriving, and desirable.
About this section
Paradox 2 is part of Stoic Paradoxes by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 3 of 7 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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