Letter 1612: Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
Not everyone who has learned many skills or arts, even if he be the most naturally gifted of all people, will bring each of them to perfection. For the time that ought to be spent on the practice and study of the first art is consumed in taking up another. He has the advantage of knowing many things, but is outdone in turn by each of those who have mastered a single art to perfection. Therefore do not yourself desire to know everything, for from this comes the result of knowing nothing with precision about any particular subject. Rather, looking toward a single goal, direct there the eye of your mind. For in this way you will master the matter.
To the same. On the need for dignified speech when reproving.
One must keep the tongue reverent and dignified. Yet since those who have been shipwrecked to the very depths of wickedness must be hauled up, and since it would be utterly absurd for one who wishes to raise up others to fall down himself, a person would be justified, insofar as he is able, in veiling the shamefulness of the deeds with the dignity of his language — lest in wishing to rebuke those people he defile his own tongue, and lest in wanting to cleanse another of defilement he himself become defiled. But if you should say that it is not possible to speak with dignity and yet also strike the conscience of the hearer, I would reply that the one who scorns a measured rebuke will disregard an immoderate and naked one all the more. For if the gentleness of the speaker and the dignity of his language do not help, a bare recitation of the offender's deeds will certainly not help either.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
πὶ τασαπάμηι ατίὶ. (ΘΗΡΥ. εἰμι ἐς ορὶει. .) θΘυΐ οἴπηῖμὸ πε 98εἰ η1148 ἀΓί65 ἀϊΐοὶ!, [5ὶ οαμἶθον ᾿οπ ἔην ἰηφεπὶ δἰ δδίπιυϑ, πα πιαυδιῃ- ἀπὲ ὀάγα δι διιπιθὴ ὀχαςία (ἰἰἰο πιὰ ποη ἐγιοίλι,, οὐ πηυϊΐυπι ἰοδιηρμοῦῖδ, 400ι] Θχογοὶο οἱ εἰγα υγίογθ . ᾿προη ἀσυαὶ,, ἰῃ Δ᾽ γίυ8 ι ῬΘΟΙΡΘΡΔΙΟη6 ΦΟΙΒΌΠΉΔΙΌΓ : ] ἴῃ αιη)βίοιῃ αιοιῦ Οὐ πάντως ὁ παλλὰς ἐπιστήμας ἣ τέχνας μεμα- θηχὼς, οὐδ᾽ ἂν πάντων ἀνθρώπων εὐφνέστατος ἧ, ἑχάστην αὐτῶν εἰς ἄχρον ἀχριδοῖ, τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ ὀφείλοντος εἰς τὴν ἄσχησιν χαὶ τὴν μελέτην τῆς πρώτης τέχνης ἀναλωθῆναι, εἰς ἄλλης τέχνης ἀνάληψιν δαπανωμένον " ἀλλὰ πλεονεχτεῖ μὲν τῷ ΥΑΒΙΑ ΓΚΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ-. (Ὁ9) [μιν ἴσως αἱ χαὶ ἰάθη ἱμεορυμὶ ἄν. ῬΟΡ5ΙΝ. ἘΕΡΙΘΤΟΙΓΑΠΟΌΜ . 0Υ- -- ἘΡΙ5Τ. ΟΡΠΙΥ. πολλὰς εἰδέναι, ἀντιπλεονεχτεῖται δὲ παρ᾽ ἑχάστου Α πιυ δΒεϊοϊ, οἠμηΐδ :] βυρογίο ἃ Υἱη σαι, ΓΤ τῶν μίαν τέχνην εἰς ἄχρον ἡσχηχότων. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδ᾽ αὐτὸς πάντα εἰδέναι θέλε. Ἐχ γὰρ τούτου τὸ μηδὲν ἀχριδῶς εἰδέναι περὶ ἕχαστον γίγνεται (). ᾿Αλλὰ πρὸς ἕνα βλέπων σχοπὸν, ἐχεῖ τεῖνον τὸ ὄμμα τῆς διανοίας. Οὕτω γὰρ περιέσῃ τοῦ πράγ- ματος. ΥΝΙ". --- Τῷ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ. ἐοηῖγα ἀσρνῖ ἢ γ ὑποχιοαὰθ δογυμ,, Δ ϑυπινυη Θχοοϊιογιηι. Νἧἕὰ ἰφίτυγ οἰ] Δ δεῖγο νὸ- ᾿ἰ5 " χ ᾿ιοὺ δηΐηὶ οΠ]οϊ τα δοσυταῖο ἴῃ δι ρι οορηοβοὶ : δ6ιἱ υπ ΒρΡΘΟΙΔη8 50Ο011 ., ἢ ΠΙ . δοίοῃη αἰτίχε. δῖο διΐηὶ τοῦ οχρυβη . οἱ ὁθη- ΒΡ]ΌοΓΙ5. ᾿ ΟΡΙΠ]. --- ΕἸΌΕΜ. Αἰΐεμα μεζεαία υδγθοιινία ρογειτίφεπαα, πὸ αἰϊος ρεναπιατνδ 'ρε6 ἰϊπγιανι σοπίαιμῖπος. (γι ὼς ορῖει. ; εἰ ἐμ [τὰ .) Εὔφημον μὲν ἔχειν χρὴ χαὶ σεμνὴν τὴν γλῶτ- ταν" ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν τῆς χαχίας τὸν πυθ- μένα νεναναγηχότας ἀνιμᾶσθαι χρὴ, ἀτοπώτατον δὲ δοκεῖ τὸν ἄλλους ἀναστῆσαι βουλόμενον, αὑτὸν καταπίπτειν. Ὡς ἂν οἷός τε τυγχάνει, δίχα:ος ἂν εἴη περιστέλλειν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων αἱσχρότητα τῇ τῶν λέξεων σεμνότητι " ἵνα μὴ ἐπιστύψαι ἐχεί- νους βουλόμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γλῶτταν χκαταῤῥυπαίνοι" μηδὲ ἀπαλλάξαι μολυσμοῦ ἐθέλων, αὐτὸς μολύνοιτο. ΕἸ δὲ φαίης ὅτι οὐ δυνατόν ἐστι χαὶ σεμνὸν εἰ- πεῖν (), χαὶ καθάψασθαι τοῦ ἀχούοντος᾽ φαίην, ὅτι ὁ τοῦ μετρίου ἐλέγχου χαταφρονῶν, οὗτος χαὶ τοῦ ἀμέτρου καὶ γυμνοῦ πλέον ὀλιγωρήσειεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ πραότης τοῦ λέγοντος, χαὶ ἡ τῆς λέξεως σεμνότης οὐχ ὠφελεῖ, σχολῇ γε γυμνὴ τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῷ ἡ προφορὰ ὠφελήσει.
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