Book 5, Chapter 34
Original Latin
97 Atque his similia ad victum etiam transferuntur, extenuaturque magnificentia et sumptus epularum, quod parvo cultu natura contenta sit. etenim quis hoc non videt, desideriis omnia ista condiri? Darius in fuga cum aquam turbidam et cadaveribus inquinatam bibisset, negavit umquam se bibisse iucundius. numquam videlicet sitiens biberat. nec esuriens Ptolomaeus ederat; cui cum peragranti Aegyptum comitibus non consecutis cibarius in casa panis datus esset, nihil visum est illo pane iucundius. Socraten ferunt, cum usque ad vesperum contentius ambularet quaesitumque esset ex eo, quare id faceret, respondisse se, quo melius cenaret, obsonare ambulando famem.
98 quid? victum Lacedaemoniorum in philitiis nonne videmus? ubi cum tyrannus cenavisset Dionysius, negavit se iure illo nigro, quod cenae caput erat, delectatum. tum is qui illa coxerat: ‘minime mirum; condimenta enim defuerunt.’ ‘quae tandem?’ inquit ille. ‘labor in venatu, sudor, cursus ad Eurotam, fames, sitis. his enim rebus Lacedaemoniorum epulae condiuntur.’ atque hoc non ex hominum more solum, sed etiam ex bestiis intellegi potest, quae, ut quicquid obiectum est, quod modo a natura non sit alienum, eo contentae non quaerunt amplius.
99 civitates quaedam universae more doctae parsimonia delectantur, ut de Lacedaemoniis paulo ante diximus. Persarum a Xenophonte victus exponitur, quos negat ad panem adhibere quicquam praeter nasturcium. quamquam, si quaedam etiam suaviora natura desideret, quam multa ex terra arboribusque gignuntur cum copia facili, tum suavitate praestanti! adde siccitatem, quae consequitur hanc continentiam in victu, adde integritatem valetudinis; confer sudantis ructantis refertos epulis tamquam opimos boves:
100 tum intelleges, qui voluptatem maxime sequantur, eos minime consequi, iucunditatemque victus esse in desiderio, non in satietate.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
97 “Similar principles are also applied to food, and the splendor and expense of banquets are made little of, since nature is content with simple fare. Who does not see that appetite seasons all such things? When Darius, in flight, drank water muddied and fouled by corpses, he said he had never drunk anything more pleasant. Evidently he had never drunk when thirsty. Nor had Ptolemy ever eaten when hungry: when he was traveling through Egypt and his companions had not caught up with him, he was given coarse bread in a cottage, and nothing seemed more delicious than that bread. Socrates, they say, once kept walking briskly until evening; when someone asked why he was doing so, he replied that he was buying hunger with his walking, to make his dinner taste better.
98 “And what of the Spartans’ diet at their common messes? Do we not see what it is? When the tyrant Dionysius dined there, he said he had not enjoyed the black broth, the principal dish of the meal. The cook replied, ‘No wonder: the seasonings were missing.’ ‘What seasonings?’ he asked. ‘The exertion of hunting, sweat, running by the Eurotas, hunger, thirst. These are the things that season the Spartans’ feasts.’ We can understand this not only from human custom but also from the beasts: whatever is thrown to them, provided it is not contrary to their nature, satisfies them, and they seek no more.
99 “Some entire communities, taught by custom, delight in frugality, as we said just now of the Spartans. Xenophon describes the Persian diet, saying that they eat nothing with their bread except cress. Yet even if nature desires something sweeter, how many things grow from the earth and the trees, both readily abundant and wonderfully delicious! Add the lean vigor that follows this restraint in eating; add sound health. Compare people sweating, belching, stuffed with banquets like fattened oxen:
100 “Then you will understand that those who pursue pleasure most obtain it least, and that the delight of eating lies in appetite, not in repletion.”
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.
97 “Similar points apply to food, too. Lavish, expensive banquets are played down, since nature is satisfied with a modest way of life. Doesn’t everyone see that the seasoning for all those things is our appetite for them? When Darius was fleeing, he drank muddy water polluted with dead bodies. He said he’d never had a more enjoyable drink. Clearly he’d never drunk when he was thirsty before. Ptolemy had never eaten when he was hungry either. While he was traveling through Egypt, his companions fell behind, and he was given coarse bread in a hut. Nothing seemed more delicious to him than that bread. They say that Socrates was walking quite vigorously right up to evening, and someone asked why he was doing it. He replied that he was shopping for an appetite by walking, so he’d enjoy his dinner more.
98 “And don’t we see how the Spartans eat at their common meals? The tyrant Dionysius dined there and said he hadn’t enjoyed the black broth that was the dinner’s main dish. The cook said, ‘No wonder. The seasonings were missing.’ ‘What seasonings?’ he asked. ‘Hard work hunting, sweat, a run to the Eurotas, hunger, thirst. Those are the seasonings for Spartan dinners.’ We can understand this not only from human habits but also from animals. Whatever is thrown to them, as long as it’s not contrary to their nature, satisfies them. They don’t look for anything more.
99 “Some whole communities, trained by custom, take pleasure in frugality, as I said a little earlier about the Spartans. Xenophon describes the Persians’ diet. He says they eat nothing with their bread except cress. Still, even if nature does want something a bit tastier, think how many things grow out of the earth and on trees, easy to get in abundance and wonderfully sweet! Add the lean condition that follows this restraint in eating. Add sound health. Compare people who are sweating and belching, stuffed with banquets like fattened oxen.
100 “Then you’ll understand that the people who pursue pleasure most get the least of it. Enjoying food depends on wanting it, not being full of it.”
About this section
Book 5, 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 182 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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