Letter 1538: Far better, most wise one, is a victory untainted by any defeat than to conquer after a fall.
It is best, O wisest one, to win a victory without a fight, and never to be overcome. But if it happens that you are overcome at first, you must strive for the subsequent victory. It is far better never to fall than to fall and rise again; but falling and rising is infinitely better than falling and remaining down. The first condition belongs to angels, who never sin; the second belongs to the saints, who sin but repent; the third belongs to the damned, who sin and persist in their sin without repentance. Therefore if you find yourself among the fallen, do not remain among them but rise quickly and fight again, knowing that the final judgment is determined not by individual battles but by the outcome of the whole war. Many a soldier who lost the first engagement won the last, and many who began in defeat ended in triumph. The race is not to the swift but to the persevering, and the crown is given not to those who started well but to those who finished well. The Church in our time stands in need of men who combine learning with humility, eloquence with sincerity, authority with gentleness, and zeal with patience. Such men are rare, but they are not impossible, for the grace of God can produce in any willing soul the combination of qualities that nature alone could never achieve. What we cannot do by our own strength, God can do through us, if we place ourselves unreservedly at his disposal and submit our wills entirely to his guidance. Let us therefore pray without ceasing for the renewal of the Church and the reform of its ministry, knowing that prayer is the most powerful instrument of change available to us.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ῥυϊηεμηι . υἱποῦγε, πέο μπημαηι εἰροτατὶ; γτουχὶηλμηι, οἰεὶ ἐπί ἴἰο ἐμροταίμε εἰ, υἱποέτο. δὲ ρΥἱδεμῆι αεεεηαὶ ποφιεαὶ, εἰμἀεπάμηι ροδιογίοτὶ. ((οπ . ἐρῖδι. .) Ῥγφϑίαϊὶ, δδρίηι βδίπιθ, ρυγϑηὶ ἃ οἰδθ πδηῃοϊβοὶ γἱεϊογίατ, φυλὴν υὐΐ νἱοῖυς Υἱοιϊογία ροίγὶ. ΠΠ᾿υὦ Πολλῷ μὲν χρεῖττον, ὦ σοφώτατε, τὸ χαθαρὰν ἥττης ἔχειν τὴν νίχην, τοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν νιχῆσαι, οἰἷπὶ τοι ἢηΐ οοἰιφγοδὶ, διϊΔ πιο Ὀγὶποὶρίυπὶ πᾶθεὶ ᾧ Τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἰ καὶ τῷ τέλει συνάπτεται, ἀλλ᾽ ἔχει Ργοοηα ἀΐκηθπι : γΟΓῸ ᾿ἰοθὲ ἴῃ ἤμπθ οὐϊίηραὶ, ἰδιηθῆ οἰδάα δ ἰηἶδο Δοοορίδ οὐδευγαίυν. Ῥεγΐυ8 ἰ14- αυοὸ ἰἰΠα ὦ πιο 65ι, δἱ υσϑγὸ οἤσυρφεγὶ!, βοουηάσπι δὶϊ πιδποϑίαυθ βοουπάιϊπι. ΜΕ] 6δῖ δπὶπὶ ρΓι ἰυ1ὴ ΠηϑίυγΑΓΘ, αὐλη ἰπ (ΟΠΠ᾿οία οοουσπίθογο. Νοαυδ ἰδηίυπὶ ἃ Ὀγίογο τἱποῖ ταν, φυδπίυπι ἃ υἱεἰπ δυρ6 Γ8- ἐυγ. ἢος ἰχίυν 5δι15, οἰδὶ βοὴ υἱ ῥτγϊμνιιπι, ἰδυἀ8- ἰδπιθη. [ γϑρὸ εἰ συ! , οἱ ΟΝ ΓΟ- Ργο δ ἀδηἀϊ πιαίογίδιηῃ θγο . ΕΙΧΥ͂ΙΙ. --- ΤΙΜΌΟΤΗΕΟ. καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναχηρύττουσαν " τὸ δὲ εἰ χαὶ τῷ τέ- λει συμδαίνει, τῇ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀμαυροῦται ἧττῃ. ἤΑμειῖνον μὲν οὖν τὸ πρότερον" εἰ δὲ διαφεύγοι, δεύ- τερον ἔστω τὸ δεύτερον. ΓἌμεινον γὰρ τοῦ μεῖναι ἐν τῇ ἥττῃ τὸ ἀναμαχέσασθαι ταύτην. Οὐ τοσοῦτον γὰρ τοῦ πρώτου ἀπολείπεται, ὅσῳ τοῦ τελευταίον ὑπερ" ἐχει" μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ μὲν, εἰ χαὶ μὴ ὡς ὁ πρότερος, ὅμως δ᾽ οὖν ἀναχηρύττεται" ἐχεῖνος δὲ καταγέλαστός ἐστι, χαὶ χωμῳδίας ἅπασι πρόχειται ὑπόθεσις. ῬΞΗ'΄. -- ΤΙΜΟΘΕΩ. θα γτὶπεῖρὶ πεοεεεατία. ϑοίοη ἀἰςεϑαιῖ, ἀμοϑες τεπιριιδίϊσαπα σοπιϊπετὶ, ργπεῖο εἰ ραπα. ((ἷο. Ἐρίει. αὐ Βτωιϊκα.) [πιρογ πίοπ) ἀδοδὶ, υἱὐ πὴ αηὐυΐάσοπι ν]ἀοίυτ, οἱ ΔΙΏΔΌΪ πὶ Θἱ ΘΓ ] πὶ : υἱ Τοοῖδ ἀζοηῖο8 - βέύδηιϊι, ροοοδηίοβ ΘΟ ΓΔ ρϑυθδιῖ. ΑἸτόγυ Ϊ ΠῚ Δίί6το ἱμροῦὶΐ νογὶι8 δδὶ δγου ΐα, 4υ8π ἱπορατγίυηι. δὶ ᾳυΐάδηι ΟοἸηπ68 δυνά γἱγίυαι! δδεοηὶ ἀδάϊι!, Ορυδ δηδεοὶ σομΐίδιθ ; δἱ δυίοπι υἱι δ ἀϊει!, προῖὰ Οὔ Θ5β6ηΐ οὐογοθηῃάΐ. Θυδηο ἰφίιυγ "οηὶ δι δίᾳυθ πι δυνά ποὸ ᾿ηρογθηιΐθυ8 ράᾶγθι!ῖ, πἰγ- ΓΘ, 4υὶ πηρεογαὶῖ, ἰηάϊξοι ἀπιογὰ ἸΠι0Υ : 8εὶ- ᾿ϊεθὶ υἱ ἰοΠΠροΓδηῖο τηοάογαιΐ "οηϊίαιο ΘΟὨ Γ᾿ Γ- ΒΙΘΩΪΌΓ,, ρΘυδίηΐ ΘΟΠΙΡΆ ἃ ροοοϑησΐ ᾿ἰ θ᾽ ΐἱπ6 606Γ- ΘΟϑηι0Γ. Τὸν ἄρχοντα, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοχεῖ, χρὴ χαὶ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι χαὶ φοδερόν (). Ἵν᾽ οἱ μὲν εὖ βιοῦντες θαῤ- ῥοΐεν, οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες ὀχνοῖεν " θάτερον γὰρ θα- τέρου χωρὶς ἀναρχία μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἣ ἀρχή. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν πάντες οἱ ὑπήχοοι φιλάρετοι, ἀγαθότητος: ἦν χρεία μόνης" εἰ δὲ φιλαμαρτήμονες, φόθον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ χαὶ ἀγαθοὺς χαὶ πονηροὺς εἶναι ἀνάγχη ἐν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις, ἀμφότερα μεταχειριστέον τῷ ἄρχοντι ἵν᾽ ἡ μὲν ἀγαθότης στηρίζῃ τοὺς σιφρονας, ὁ δὲ φόδος προαναστέλλῃ τῶν χαχίστων τὰ πταί- σματα. Υ̓ΔΒΙ ΠΕΟΤΊΟΝΕΒΘ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ. () Ργο χατανοῶν Δ Ὸ οοἀ. αὶ. οἱ ΑἸι. οοἀά. βογίδνι χαταιονῶν. ὟοΓ5. ὕ οἱ . 6ρ. ργὸ ἀποτο- μώτατα ἰἰἰδηὶ τΕύοὶ χαὶ τὴν ὁμοιότητα. ΡΟΒδΞΙΝ. () Καὶ ἀγαῦ ν καὶ φοδερόν'. δυϊάδλκ, αυὶ ᾿ιΔ Θρ᾿ϑιοἴπι αἴδγι ἰη Ἰωάν. ᾽Δντιοχ., δέχαιον εἶναι δεῖ" 5α(ἱ νογίοῦ αιΐοδηὶ οοιἱ. ἰοςιἷο, 4υΐ- ἄδιη Δαπιρέϊα. δοψιίίυγ δ; ἀγαθότητος εἱ ἀγα- θότης. ΘΟΠΟΥΤ. ΡΞΘ΄. -- ΑΠΌΛΛΩΝΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ, ἘΡΙΒΤΟΙΑΆΒΜ . Υ΄ -- ΕΡΙΘΤ. ΟΙΧΧ, ΟΙΧΙΧ., --- ΑΡΘΌΒΘΝΙΟ᾽ ΕΡΙΒΟΟΡΟ. Ποναἴμν μἱ υἱτιμιῖ οἰμάδαὶ εἰπε οεἰθμ αἰ ΐοπε ; οεἰεπία!ἰο ἐπἷπι οὐΐμπι, ἀμηνας [πϑοότεπὶ σοποίδαί ; πος υἱγίμε εοἴϊ ἱπείαν απ ἰαἰετέ μοίεει. (Ὡομ[ἐΓ. ἀγσρον. Νύσεοπ., εαρ. , ἰἰϑ. θὲ υἱγσὲπίι. Εἰ καί τινες τῶν σοὶ συνδιατριψάντων σόέσαι μου τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ἐπιστεῖλαί σοι ὁρμὴν πειρώμενοι ἔφασαν, ὡς τοὺς μὲν χολαχεύοντας ἄγαν τιμᾷς, τῶν δὲ συμ- βουλενόντων χαταφρονεῖς. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐμὲ οὐχ ἄν τις πείσειεν, ὡς οἷόν τε () τοσοῦτον χαὶ τῇ φρονήσει καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις διενεγχεῖν, ἣν μὴ τις τῶν μὲν μαθη- τῆς, τῶν δὲ ἀχροατὴς, τῶν δὲ εὑρετὴς τυγχάνῃ. Διὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπέστειλα " εἰ δὲ παῤῥησιαστιχώτερον, ἣ οἱ πεπλησιαχότες () σοι γράφω, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο θορηδηθῇς " ἀλλὰ δι᾽ αὐτό με τοῦτο ἀπόδεξαι,, ὅτι τὸ πρέπον ἐμοὶ πρὸ τοῦ συμφέροντος εἱλόμην. Ὃ τι οὖν Ειδὶ δογυπὶ αὐυἱάδπι, αυΐ ἰδουπὶ δυηὶ γψογϑϑιΐ, ἀΐχογυηὶ γοῖρβα ἰάδθπὶ ὀχροειὶ, γαϑιΐσυΐ που πὶ δὰ ( βου! θοηἀΐ προίαπι, φυοά πἰηνϊο Δ6β6ηδἴογαβ ΠΟΠΟΓΘὺς ΔΙ οἾΔ45, ΘΠ Ὁ γογοὸ βϑδηυπ) ἀδηί68 Ομ ΘΠ) η88 : ΠΘΠΙΟ ἰδπιθη πλἰ!Πΐ (Δς ] ραγβυδϑογῖι [ΠΠ05 Ρ05356 νοὶ Ρριυάσηιίϑ ναὶ οροῦῖρθυ8 ἰδηιυπὶ γδί
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