Letter 129: A distinguished man — upright in character and splendid in life (I will pass over his high office, for that is only...
To be caught in matters in which one ought not to have been engaged is painful for those who are not entirely insensible. To be judged is painful for the more dignified. But to be merely suspected is the greatest misfortune for those who have ascended to the summit of virtue. Guard your reputation, then, not for the sake of vanity but for the sake of your witness, since the suspicion that falls upon a good man wounds not only him but all who looked to him for example.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
CXXIX. - THEΟΠΟΜΠΟ.
Tὸ μὲν ἐφ’ οἷς οὐ προσῆκεν, τοῖς μὴ λίαν ἀναλ-Β γήτως διακειμένοις, ἁλῶναι ἀλγεινόν· τὸ δὲ κριθῆ-ναι, τοῖς σεμνοτέροις. Τὸ δὲ ὑποπτευθῆναι, τοῖς εἰς ἄχρον ἀναβεβηκόσιν ἀρετῆς μεγίστην έχει ἔχει συμφοράν.
ΡΜϚ΄. – ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΩ
Κρατεῖν ὀφείλειν, ὅταν βλάπτωσι οἱ θυμοί.
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