Letter 1531: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The procrastination of amendment at last becomes a fraud. Let all who are experienced in the conduct of affairs know that they ought to look carefully into the real nature of things. For those who through laziness postpone the correction of their faults deceive first themselves and then others. The person who says "tomorrow I will repent" has already decided, in his heart, not to repent at all. For tomorrow never comes — it is always today, and today is the only day in which repentance is possible. The one who postpones his conversion is like a debtor who keeps promising to pay next month: each promise makes the next one less credible, until at last no one believes him, least of all himself. The present moment is the only moment we possess; the past is beyond recall and the future is not guaranteed. Therefore act now, while the day of grace lasts, before the night comes in which no man can work.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
. ἸΒΙΌΟΕΙ ΡΕΙΌΒΙΟΤ ἊΣ ΡΚ΄. --- ὙΠΑΤΙ͂Ο ΠΟΛΙΤΕΥΟΜΈΝΩ. Ῥγτοογαδίἑπαίιο ἐπιεπαἰϊοπὶς ἰαπάεηι θεὶ ἔγταηι ρτουοεαὶ. Νογθηΐ, Ορίπονγ, ΟπΊηῈ8 4υΐ ἰῃ γτοθυβ ξεγθη- ὁΐβ8 εὐποιδθυπαϊ δυηϊ, οὐραγθ ργορίιϑ ἱπβρίςθγα δδγυπὶ ΓΟΡῸ ΠῚ Π)Ο]εβι[. Ουἱ δαἷπὶ ΡῈ ἱφηδνίδπι νυ] γίυι ἰπ)υτγίαπι ἰδοἰυη!, ρα Π88 δἰ δὲ ἀγαθββιηῖ, 4ιι88, η4008 Δρργο οι ἀδγίη!, ἃν, ΧΡΓΔΥ ΟΡ υἱοἰβουηίυγ. θυοά νοτὸ ἰη ἀεἸΐςία υἱἰοη68 οοηδι ραΓαίῷ 5ίηί, . πἰ5] ροηϊδηι δοοοάδί πηϑϊοίηα, Νοώ ἀΠ - Υἴυπ, φυξαᾳυδ ἰα δοάοιηΐβ δοοϊογιηῖ, δρογία οἷδ- "8η1. ῬγῸ 4υ οἴ8] οιποίδιϊο δἰς ργοσγαβιϊ πϑίΐο ᾳυφύδλπι, ΠΟη ἰδπίθὴ ἰη ἤμδη) ἀϊ ΠΡΟ, τοὶ ἴδ αυΐϊύεπι, ποη ρΘηΐτυ5 ἰδ ρορηᾶ ] Γ. ΟΧΧΙ. - ΟΡΗΕΙ10 ΟΚΑΜΜΑΤΙΟΟ. Ὅτι μὲν οἱ ἀναδαλλόμενοι πρᾶξαι τὰ δέοντα, ἰδεῖν ἐγγύθεν βούλονται τὰ δεινά. (Οἱ γὰρ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν εἰς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐξυθρίζοντες, τὰς τιμωρίας ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ἔλχουσι, διψώσας μετελθεῖν τοὺς ἁλόντας,) οἶμαι πάντας εἰδέναι ὅτι δὲ εἰς χολάσεις περιστή σονται τὰ πλημμελήματα, ἂν μὴ μετανοίᾳ θεραπευθῶσι, καὶ ὁ καταχλυσμὸς, χαὶ τὰ ἐπὶ Σοδομιτῶν συμόάντα διαῤῥήδην βοᾷ, Ἐφ᾽ ὧν, εἰ χαὶ μέλλησίς τις γέγονεν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ εἰς τέλος ἀχίνητος ἔμεινεν, ἢ μόλις μὲν, πάντως δὲ χινουμένη δίχη. ΡΚΑ', --- ΩΦΕΛΙΩ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΊΚΩ. δε Τιαοροηῖτα οταίξοπε (). Ουπ) του [υηάἀυηίιγ τογῦα, οἱ ἰπροτίυπα ἢϊ ογϑιΐο, ὨΟη ργορίογοα δάἀπηίγαπμάδ οβϑὶ, οὔπὶ Ὀγθ- Υἱβ φυϊάθηι ῥγοϊϊχί ἰδία, ἰοπχὰ γοΓῸ [ βοηβίθιιβ, ἃς Ἄεοπη)ρθηάΐο, φυϑιίιπι 68ὶ οοηίΐθη5, ἰοςΐ 0ρ- Ῥογίυηϊδι6 πιοχΐίηια δηϊπιδία υἱυϊἀΐου ἀρρᾶγοί. ΟΧΧΙΙ. -.-- ΜΑΒΤΙΝΙ͂ΑΝΟ, ΖΟΘΙΜΟ, ΜΑΒΟΝΙ, ΕὔΘΤΑΤΗΙΟ. Οὐχ ὅταν πολὺς ὁ λόγος ῥέῃ, χαὶ ἔξω τῶν χαιρῶν φέρηται, θαυμαστός ἐστιν" ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν βραχὺς μὲν ἧ τῷ μήχει, πολὺς δὲ τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασι, καὶ ἐν τῷ συν- τόμῳ τὸ ἀπαράλειπτον ἔχων, ὑπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ μάλιστα Ψυχωθεὶς, ζωτιχώτερος φαίνηται. ῬΚΙ,. --- ΜΑΡΤΙΝΊΑΝΩ, ΖΩΣΙΜΩ, ΜΑΡΩΝΙ, ΕΥ̓́ΣΤΑΘΙΩ. Ἐορτοιομαϊι ἱρεοτεηι ἱμπρμασηίοπι θη ἰαηι. ΘυδηἋο ποη δοϊυπὶ ποη ρῃἀεῖ γ08 μϑίΓαγα, ἈΘΙΠῸ , ἰηαπιίδ ἰΔθΟΓΔΠ , σοπη , νογΌ τὴ οἰ) φίογίαῦὶ δυάδι ὶδ ( , αυῷ ΟὈδβουγανὶ 8ς ἰορὶ Ἐπειδὴ οὐ τῷ μόνον διαπράξασθαι ταῦτα, ἃ μη- δεὶς πώποτε ἄλλος τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰσχίστοις βεδοημέ- νων, αἰσχύνην ὠφλήχατε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἐναδρύνεσθαι ο᾽δὶ ὡφυιπὶ, ἰὰ ΟΠΠΏ6Π) ξυρδγδδίϊβ διηθηιίδη ; Ο ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἐγχαλύπτεσθαι δίχαιον, πᾶσαν ὑπερηχοντί- ἰθείγοο δὰ νοϑ ᾿νδο ἀϊχὶ ψμγϑοῦ οηάα. [Π δηΐη ἰδπίο ἀειογίογοβ θϑιϊβ, φυο ᾳυφ ἱρβὶ χυϊάδηη οοπι- Ἰηἰδογυηΐ ογἰ πλΐπ8, ἰΘσογίηὶ γ0ὺ8 οΟηΐγα ἰῃ ᾿Ϊ8 ΔγΓο- ΕλΠΙΟΓ γ08 ͵δοῖδι . ΘυΠλη 1πὶ γ6ΓῸ πηδϊογυπ) ᾿ἰἰοτγυηὶ Γοίογυμί, αυοά εἰ νο ν᾽ ἀδδηίυγ ἀ6! γάγα, αυΐ Ποηοδία ἀδοφαηϊ, οἱ ἰγυεϊἀ6ι , 4ἱ γο5 δι ποπθῃί. ἡυδ ουτη [ , νοἷβ τοὶ οίαπι ρϑίγο- εἰπίαπι ἢ ΘΟΠΙ Γ4110 ἢ οσαυξ νοηΐα γο 4υὰ ἢ Εαυϊάδη) ἤθη ἢᾶ060 ἀΐξογο. ΑΧΧΙΙ.. -- ΤΗΟΜ4. σατε μανίαν" δίκαιον ᾧῳήθην τοῦτο χαράξαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς τὸ γράμμα. Τοσούτῳ γὰρ ἐχείνων ἐστὲ, ὥς φασι, χείρους, ὅσον ἐχεῖνοι ἔπραττον μὲν, ἔχρυπτον δέ " ὑμεῖς δὲ χαὶ ἐγχαλλωπίζεσθε. Τὸν ὃὲ χολοφῶνα τῶν χαχῶν ἐχείνων εἶναί φασιν, ὅτι χαὶ μαίνεσθαι ὑμῖν δοχοῦσιν οἱ χοσμίως ζῶντες, καὶ παραπαΐειν οὗ παραινοῦτες. Ποία οὖν ὑμῖν λελείψεται ἀπολογία ; τίς ἔλεος, ποία συγγνώμη; Οὐχ ἔχω λέγειν.
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