Letter 1542: I greatly admire ancient Sparta — a city adorned with honor, whose mothers forbade ornament so that the men they...
If the one who teaches does not practice what he teaches, he is like a signpost that points the way to a city it never enters. You, O distinguished scholar, possess the learning to know the right and the eloquence to commend it to others, yet your conduct falls short of your knowledge. This is a common failing among the educated: they mistake understanding for obedience, as though knowing the good were the same as doing it. But the philosophers themselves taught that knowledge without practice is barren, and the Apostle confirmed it when he said: "Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers." Therefore let your actions keep pace with your words, and your life confirm your teaching, so that those who hear you may not only be instructed but also persuaded — not by the force of your arguments but by the example of your conduct.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Οοπίτα πὲπιέμης πεμ ἑόγμηι ογπαίμηι. (οη[. ερὶδῖ. , ἰδ. , δὲ διρ. ορίεί. .) ΜΙηϊῆοθ αδαυΐϊόδαι ἰδαυάο νοϑίδγεπιὶ ϑραγίδηοσυπιὶ ὦ Λίαν ἄγαμαι τὴν παλαιὰν Λαχεδαίμονα,, χοσμεῖ- ὉΡΌθπι Ποποδιΐβ πηδίγοηΐβ ογηαίυπιὶ ἰηἰοΓἀϊοΘη (ΘΠ, 4υθ δοογιἷβ ἰπρυτίδαυθ [ΘΠ πιδρἷ8 δΟΠΥΘηἶγΓΘ, 4υς ἰδαυδθοῦ ἃς ται δοίθδοθηιθυ5 ᾿υχυγίδ ὁ0Γ- τυριὶα ἰοπάδηϊ, Ἔχ δι π ῶθαιὶ. θυ Θηΐπ) ΟΓΠΘΐ ρυδΐολφυο ὡρρᾶγοϑὶ, ογηϑίι αἰ πηῖ0 πιογθυπὶ οπἰθηιδι δυυῆ). Ουοά δβᾶοτ ἀδημπηιίδη8 ϑεγίριυγα δυδάεϊ ποῦ οἱ πρλγχαῦὶ εἶθ, νοὶ ργοιίοβᾶ νϑβίθ, Ὀοη οροτῖθυ5 ῥ᾽ εἰδίοπιν οοἰδηῖθ8 ὀχογηαγίὶ ", [ἃ δὶ ρῈῦ ἱπδρίεἰδίυν, ἀΐοο, πηοη , Ἰαρί ὀυπι [υἱρότγοιη, οἱ ἰη- δυγο8, ουπὶ ἀείογην! πιυϊοτὶ ἰυπὸ ρυ]ΟἸΓ88 ΟὔΘ886. [ π οπΐ πὶ γοργαμοπάυηι, μᾶς γοΓῸ δυθγίυηϊ. Ἐορτομοηάυπι αυΐϊάαπι, ἰυτγρίοτοπ! οδίθπάθησο ; δϑδυοσυηϊ γογῸ ἃ ρυϊοιγῖδ, οπὶ ἀδ Ν Ἰοφυὶ ποϊϊοηι, ὧς οτηδῖα πἰιηΐο ἰδδη γογὺϑ ἰδοίυηϊ. ΠΟΙ. -- ΕΠΑΡΗ͂ΙΟ ἘΡΙΒΟΟΡΟ. σθαι ἀπαγορεύσασαν ταῖς σώφροσι τῶν γυναιχῶν" ἑταίραις γὰρ πρέπειν τοῦτ᾽ ἐνόμισε, ταῖς καὶ πάγας καὶ δίχτυα ἐπὶ θήρᾳ τῶν ἀχολάστων νέων ἐπινοού- σαις. Ἧ γὰρ χοσμία χαὶ σώφρων εἶναι δοχοῦσα, εἰ τοῦτο δράσειε, τὴν οἰχείαν ἐχπομπεύει νόσον. “Δ περ ἀποχηρύττουσα ἡ θεία Γραφὴ παραινεῖ, μὴ χρυσῷ χαὶ μαργαρίταις, ἣ ἐσθῆτι πολυτελεῖ, ἀλλ᾽ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς χοσμεῖσθαι τὰς τῆς θεοσεδείας ἐφιεμένας. Εἰ δὲ χρὴ χαὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα χαθ᾽ ἑαυτὸ σχοπκῆσαι, φημὶ ( ), ὅτι ὅρμοι, χαὶ αὐγαὶ λίθων, χαὶ περι- δέῤῥαια χαὶ ταῖς δυσειδέσι, χαὶ ταῖς ἄγαν ὡραίαις ἀντιπράττουσι" τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἐλέγχοναι, τῶν δὲ ἀπ- ἀγουσι" τὰς μὲν ἐλέγχουσι, χαχίονας ἐπιδειχνυμένας " τῶν δὲ ἀπάγουσιν. ᾿Αφέμενοι γὰρ τοῦ περὶ αὑτῶν Ὁ φράσαι, περὶ τῶν χοσμίων διαλέγονται.
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