Epictetus · Complete work
Chapter 25
Chapter 25 of 53. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[25.1] Προετιμήθη σού τις ἐν ἑστιάσει ἢ ἐν προσαγορεύσει ἢ ἐν τῷ παραληφθῆναι εἰς συμβουλίαν; εἰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ ταῦτά ἐστι, χαίρειν σε δεῖ, ὅτι ἔτυχεν αὐτῶν ἐκεῖνος· εἰ δὲ κακά, μὴ ἄχθου, ὅτι σὺ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔτυχες· μέμνησο δέ, ὅτι οὐ δύνασαι μὴ ταὐτὰ ποιῶν πρὸς τὸ τυγχάνειν τῶν οὐκ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν τῶν ἴσων ἀξιοῦσθαι.
[25.2] πῶς γὰρ ἴσον ἔχειν δύναται ὁ μὴ φοιτῶν ἐπὶ θύρας τινὸς τῷ φοιτῶντι; ὁ μὴ παραπέμπων τῷ παραπέμποντι; ὁ μὴ ἐπαινῶν τῷ ἐπαινοῦντι, ἄδικος οὖν ἔσῃ καὶ ἄπληστος, εἰ μὴ προϊέμενος ταῦτα, ἀνθʼ ὧν ἐκεῖνα πιπράσκεται, προῖκα αὐτὰ βουλήσῃ λαμβάνειν.
[25.3] ἀλλὰ πόσου πιπράσκονται θρίδακες; ὀβολοῦ, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ. ἂν οὖν τις προέμενος τὸν ὀβολὸν λάβῃ θρίδακας, σὺ δὲ μὴ προέμενος μὴ λάβῃς, μὴ οἴου ἔλαττον ἔχειν τοῦ λαβόντος. ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἔχει θρίδακας, οὕτω σὺ τὸν ὀβολόν, ὃν οὐκ ἔδωκας.
[25.4] τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ ἐνταῦθα. οὐ παρεκλήθης ἐφʼ ἑστίασίν τινος; οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκας τῷ καλοῦντι, ὅσου πωλεῖ τὸ δεῖπνον. ἐπαίνου δʼ αὐτὸ πωλεῖ, θεραπείας πωλεῖ. δὸς οὖν τὸ διάφορον, εἰ σοι λυσιτελεῖ, ὅσου πωλεῖται. εἰ δὲ κἀκεῖνα θέλεις μὴ προΐεσθαι καὶ ταῦτα λαμβάνειν, ἄπληστος εἶ καὶ ἀβέλτερος.
[25.5] οὐδὲν οὖν ἔχεις ἀντὶ τοῦ δείπνου; ἔχεις μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ ἐπαινέσαι τοῦτον, ὃν οὐκ ἤθελες, τὸ μὴ ἀνασχέσθαι αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς εἰσόδου.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections for fidelity, Stoic precision, clarity, structure, and cadence.
[25.1] Has someone been preferred to you at a banquet, in being greeted, or in being invited to give counsel? If these things are good, you ought to rejoice that he has obtained them; but if they are bad, do not be distressed that you have not obtained them. And remember that if you do not do the same things others do to obtain what is not up to us, you cannot claim an equal share of it.
[25.2] For how can the person who does not frequent someone’s door have an equal share with the person who does? Or the person who does not escort him with the person who does? Or the person who does not praise him with the person who does? You will therefore be unjust and greedy if, without paying the price for which those things are sold, you wish to receive them free of charge.
[25.3] But how much do lettuces sell for? An obol, perhaps. If someone pays the obol and receives the lettuces, while you do not pay it and do not receive them, do not imagine that you have less than the person who received them. For just as he has the lettuces, so you have the obol you did not give.
[25.4] It is the same in this case. You were not invited to someone’s banquet? That is because you did not pay the host the price for which he sells his dinner. He sells it for praise; he sells it for obsequious attention. Pay the price, then, if it is to your advantage, for which it is sold. But if you wish both to withhold the payment and to receive the goods, you are greedy and foolish.
[25.5] Have you nothing, then, in place of the dinner? Indeed you have: you did not praise the man you did not wish to praise, and you did not have to endure the treatment handed out at his door.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections.
[25.1] Has someone been preferred over you at a dinner, in being greeted, or in being invited to give advice? If these things are good, you should be glad that the other person received them. But if they are bad, do not be upset that you did not receive them. And remember that if you do not do the same things others do to obtain things that are not up to us, you cannot expect to be considered equally deserving of them.
[25.2] For how can someone who does not regularly visit a person’s door receive as much as someone who does? How can someone who does not escort him receive as much as someone who does? Or someone who does not praise him as much as someone who does? You will therefore be unjust and greedy if, without paying the price for which these things are sold, you want to receive them for nothing.
[25.3] How much does lettuce sell for? An obol, perhaps. So if someone pays the obol and receives the lettuce, while you do not pay it and do not receive any, do not think that you have less than the person who received it. For just as he has the lettuce, you have the obol that you did not give.
[25.4] The same applies here. You were not invited to someone’s dinner? That is because you did not pay the host the price for which he sells the meal. He sells it for praise; he sells it for personal attention. So pay the price for which it is sold, if doing so is to your advantage. But if you want both to keep the payment and to receive what it buys, you are greedy and foolish.
[25.5] Then do you have nothing in place of the dinner? Certainly you do: you did not have to praise the man you did not want to praise, or put up with what goes on at his door.