Epictetus · Complete work
Chapter 32
Chapter 32 of 53. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[32.1] ὅταν μαντικῇ προσίῃς, μέμνησο, ὅτι, τί μὲν ἀποβήσεται, οὐκ οἶδας, ἀλλὰ ἥκεις ὡς παρὰ τοῦ μάντεως αὐτὸ πευσόμενος, ὁποῖον δέ τι ἐστίν, ἐλήλυθας εἰδώς, εἴπερ εἶ φιλόσοφος. εἰ γάρ ἐστί τι τῶν οὐκ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη μήτε ἀγαθὸν αὐτὸ εἶναι μήτε κακόν.
[32.2] μὴ φέρε οὖν πρὸς τὸν μάντιν ὄρεξιν ἢ ἔκκλισιν μηδὲ τρέμων αὐτῷ πρόσει, ἀλλὰ διεγνωκώς, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἀποβησόμενον ἀδιάφορον καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς σέ, ὁποῖον δʼ ἂν ᾖ, ἔσται αὐτῷ χρήσασθαι καλῶς καὶ τοῦτο οὐθεὶς κωλύσει. θαῤῥῶν οὖν ὡς ἐπὶ συμβούλους ἔρχου τοὺς θεούς· καὶ λοιπόν, ὅταν τί σοι συμβουλευθῇ, μέμνησο τίνας συμβούλους παρέλαβες καὶ τίνων παρακούσεις ἀπειθήσας.
[32.3] ἔρχου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ μαντεύεσθαι, καθάπερ ἠξίου Σωκράτης, ἐφʼ ὧν ἡ πᾶσα σκέψις τὴν ἀναφορὰν εἰς τὴν ἔκβασιν ἔχει καὶ οὔτε ἐκ λόγου οὔτε ἐκ τέχνης τινὸς ἄλλης ἀφορμαὶ δίδονται πρὸς τὸ συνιδεῖν τὸ προκείμενον· ὥστε, ὅταν δεήσῃ συγκινδυνεῦσαι φίλῳ ἢ πατρίδι, μὴ μαντεύεσθαι, εἰ συγκινδυνευτέον. καὶ γὰρ ἂν προείπῃ σοι ὁ μάντις φαῦλα γεγονέναι τὰ ἱερά, δῆλον ὅτι θάνατος σημαίνεται ἢ πήρωσις μέρους τινὸς τοῦ σώματος ἢ φυγή· ἀλλʼ αἱρεῖ ὁ λόγος καὶ σὺν τούτοις παρίστασθαι τῷ φίλῳ καὶ τῇ πατρίδι συγκινδυνεύειν. τοιγαροῦν τῷ μείζονι μάντει πρόσεχε, τῷ Πυθίῳ, ὃς ἐξέβαλε τοῦ ναοῦ τὸν οὐ βοηθήσαντα ἀναιρουμένῳ τῷ φίλῳ.
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.
[32.1] Whenever you resort to divination, remember that you do not know what the outcome will be, but have come to learn it from the diviner; yet you came already knowing what kind of thing it is, if indeed you are a philosopher. For if it is among the things not under our control, it must necessarily be neither good nor evil.
[32.2] Therefore do not bring desire or aversion with you to the diviner, nor approach him trembling, but with the settled judgment that every possible outcome is indifferent and nothing to you, and that whatever its nature may be, you will be able to make good use of it, and no one will prevent you. Go confidently, then, to the gods as to counselors; and afterward, when some counsel has been given you, remember whose counsel you have sought and whose command you will disregard if you disobey.
[32.3] Resort to divination, as Socrates thought proper, only in matters where the whole inquiry turns upon the outcome and where neither reason nor any other art supplies the means of discerning what lies before you. Thus, when you must share the danger of a friend or your country, do not seek an oracle to learn whether you should share that danger. For even if the diviner warns you that the sacrificial signs are unfavorable, it is plain that death is foretold, or the maiming of some part of the body, or exile; yet reason chooses, even at that price, to stand by your friend and share your country’s danger. Attend, therefore, to the greater diviner, the Pythian god, who cast out of his temple the man who had failed to help his friend when he was being murdered.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections.
[32.1] When you consult divination, remember that you do not know what will happen, but have come to learn it from the diviner; yet you came already knowing what kind of thing it is, if you are indeed a philosopher. For if it is one of the things that are not up to us, it must necessarily be neither good nor evil.
[32.2] So do not bring desire or aversion with you to the diviner, and do not approach him trembling. Instead, understand that everything that may happen is indifferent and nothing to you, and that, whatever it may be, you will be able to make good use of it, and no one will prevent you from doing so. Therefore go confidently to the gods as your advisers; and afterward, when some counsel has been given to you, remember whom you have taken as your advisers and whose counsel you will disregard if you disobey.
[32.3] Go to consult divination, as Socrates thought proper, only about matters in which the whole question depends on the outcome, and in which neither reason nor any other skill provides a basis for discerning what is at issue. Therefore, when you must share a friend’s or your country’s danger, do not consult divination about whether you should share the danger. For even if the diviner tells you that the sacrificial signs are unfavorable, it is clear that this indicates death, the loss of some part of the body, or exile. But reason chooses, even at that cost, to stand by your friend and share your country’s danger. Therefore heed the greater diviner, the Pythian god, who drove from his temple the man who had not helped his friend when that friend was being murdered.