Book 3, Chapter 34
Original Latin
sunt enim certa, quae de paupertate certa, quae de vita inhonorata et ingloria dici soleant; separatim certae scholae sunt de exilio, de interitu patriae, de servitute, de debilitate, de caecitate, de omni casu, in quo nomen poni solet calamitatis. haec Graeci in singulas scholas et in singulos libros dispertiunt; opus enim quaerunt (quamquam plenae disputationes delectationis sunt);
82 et tamen, ut medici toto corpore curando minimae etiam parti, si condoluit, medentur, sic philosophia cum universam aegritudinem sustulit, <sustulit> etiam, si quis error alicunde extitit, si paupertas momordit, si ignominia pupugit, si quid tenebrarum obfudit exilium, aut eorum quae modo dixi si quid extitit. etsi singularum rerum sunt propriae consolationes, de quibus audies tu quidem, cum voles. sed ad eundem fontem revertendum est, aegritudinem omnem procul abesse a sapiente, quod inanis sit, quod frustra suscipiatur, quod non natura exoriatur, sed iudicio, sed opinione, sed quadam invitatione ad dolendum, cum id decreverimus ita fieri oportere.
83 Hoc detracto, quod totum est voluntarium, aegritudo erit sublata illa maerens, morsus tamen et contractiuncula quaedam animi relinquetur. hanc dicant sane naturalem, dum aegritudinis nomen absit grave taetrum funestum, quod cum sapientia esse atque, ut ita dicam, habitare nullo modo possit. At quae stirpes sunt aegritudinis, quam multae, quam amarae! quae ipso trunco everso omnes eligendae sunt et, si necesse erit, singulis disputationibus. superest enim nobis hoc, cuicuimodi est, otium. sed ratio una omnium est aegritudinum, plura nomina. nam et invidere aegritudinis est et aemulari et obtrectare et misereri et angi, lugere, maerere, aerumna adfici, lamentari, sollicitari, dolere, in molestia esse, adflictari, desperare.
84 Haec omnia definiunt Stoici, eaque verba quae dixi singularum rerum sunt, non, ut videntur, easdem res significant, sed aliquid differunt; quod alio loco fortasse tractabimus. haec sunt illae fibrae stirpium, quas initio dixi, persequendae et omnes eligendae, ne umquam ulla possit existere. magnum opus et difficile, quis negat? quid autem praeclarum non idem arduum? sed tamen id se effecturam philosophia profitetur, nos modo curationem eius recipiamus.
Verum haec quidem hactenus, cetera, quotienscumque voletis, et hoc loco et aliis parata vobis erunt.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“For there are established things commonly said about poverty, and established things about a life without office or glory. There are separate, established lectures on exile, the destruction of one’s country, slavery, disability, blindness, and every misfortune commonly given the name of calamity. The Greeks divide these into individual lectures and individual books, for they are looking for work—though their discussions are full of delight.
82 “Yet just as physicians, by treating the whole body, heal even its smallest part if it is in pain, so philosophy, once it has removed distress as a whole, <has removed it> also when some error has arisen from any source: if poverty has bitten, disgrace has stung, exile has cast some darkness over us, or any of the things I just mentioned has occurred. Still, particular circumstances have their particular consolations, which you may hear whenever you wish. But we must return to the same source: all distress is far removed from the wise person, because it is empty, undertaken in vain, and arises not from nature but from judgment, from opinion, from a kind of invitation to grieve, once we have decided that this is what ought to be done.
83 “When this wholly voluntary element has been removed, that mourning distress will be taken away. A sting, however, and a certain slight contraction of the soul will remain. Let them call this natural, provided the oppressive, hideous, deadly name of distress is absent—a thing that cannot possibly coexist or, so to speak, dwell with wisdom. But the roots of distress—how numerous, how bitter they are! Once the trunk itself is overthrown, all of them must be picked out, if necessary through separate discussions. For we have this leisure left to us, such as it is. Yet all kinds of distress have one underlying character, though many names. For distress includes envy, rivalry, disparagement, pity, anguish, mourning, grief, hardship, lamentation, anxiety, pain, trouble, affliction, and despair.
84 “The Stoics define all these, and the words I have used refer to distinct things; they do not, as they seem to, signify the same things, but differ in some respect. Perhaps we shall treat this elsewhere. These are those fibers of the roots I spoke of at the beginning, which must all be traced and picked out, so that none can ever spring up again. A great and difficult task—who denies it? Yet what splendid thing is not also arduous? Still, philosophy professes that she will accomplish it, provided only that we accept her treatment.
“But enough of this for now. The rest will be ready for you whenever you wish, both here and elsewhere.”
Plain English translation
Complete independent machine-assisted translation directly from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Poverty has its standard arguments; so does living without honors and fame. Exile gets a discussion of its own, as do the ruin of one’s homeland, enslavement, infirmity, blindness, and every other occurrence that goes by the name of calamity. Greek writers allocate a separate discussion and a separate book to each. They want work to do—though these discussions are full of pleasure.
82 “Still, doctors treat even the smallest part of the body when it hurts by treating the whole body. In the same way, when philosophy has removed distress as a whole, it has also removed any error that might have appeared from some particular source: if poverty has bitten, if disgrace has stung, if exile has spread darkness, or if any of the things I just mentioned has occurred. Each situation does have its own particular consolations, and you can hear about them whenever you want. But we must return to the same starting point: all distress is far removed from a wise person. It’s empty, it’s taken on pointlessly, and it doesn’t arise from nature. It arises from judgment, from belief, from a kind of invitation to feel pain, when we’ve decided that’s what ought to happen.
83 “Remove that element, which is entirely voluntary, and mournful distress will be gone. A bite and a small contraction of the mind will remain. Let them call that natural, as long as it doesn’t bear that heavy, dreadful, deathly name ‘distress.’ That can’t possibly exist with wisdom or, so to speak, live in the same house. But what roots distress has—how many, and how bitter! Once the trunk itself has been overturned, we must pick out all of them, in separate discussions if necessary. After all, we still have this leisure, such as it is. But every kind of distress has one underlying explanation and many names. Distress includes envy, jealous rivalry, resentfulness, pity, anguish, grieving, mourning, suffering hardship, lamenting, anxiety, sorrow, being troubled, self-torment, and despair.
84 “The Stoics define all these. The words I’ve listed each refer to something distinct. They don’t mean the same things, as they appear to, but differ in some way. Perhaps we’ll discuss that elsewhere. These are those fibers of the roots I mentioned at the beginning. We must trace them and pick them all out so none can ever grow again. It’s a big, difficult job—who denies it? But what splendid achievement isn’t also hard? Still, philosophy promises to accomplish it, if we only accept its treatment.
“Enough of this subject now. Whenever you wish, we’ll have the other subjects ready for you, in this place or in others.”
About this section
Book 3, Chapter 34 is part of Tusculan Disputations 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 chapter 110 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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