Letter 1638: Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
From oneself one judges others, as Zosimus the worst of men has made clear. All mortals, so to speak, cast their votes about others based on their own character. For the just man believes many to be just, and the temperate man believes others to be temperate; the robber sees robbers, and the murderer sees murderers. Let no one therefore be amazed if Zosimus, who has surpassed all the celebrated criminals in wickedness, judges all others to be wicked. To Zosimus. The temperate man believes others temperate, and the robber sees robbers, and the murderer sees murderers. Do not therefore be amazed that Zosimus, who has eclipsed all who are renowned for their transgressions, votes from his own experience that all people are wicked.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ἐκ εε φιΐεγιε ἀἐ αἰϊὶς ἡμάδίεαι!, μι Ζοεῖηιιδ ρεεείηεμε αἴτος φκυσμα ππαίυε ἐε:ε ςεπεεϑαϊῖ. (ΥἹἱάε ἐρίε!. .) Ομβηθ, πιογίδϊεβ υἱ [ ἀϊοδπι), ἀ6 ἱρβὶ, διιῖ ἀθ ἐσ δὲ ᾿υάΐουμι. Ουΐ δοἷπι Ἰαϑίυς , γε ψι05 Πάντες, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἄνθρωπο: ἐχ τῶν χαϑ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς χαὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὰς ψήφους ἐχφέρουσιν, Ἄογοάϊι ἰυδιοβ, οἱ ἰσιπρογδηβ ἰδιηρεγδηίος αἰΐος : οἷς δ Ὁ γοῦν δίχαιος διχαίους εἶναι πιστεύει πολλοὺς, χαὶ Εἰ ἰδῖγο, οἵἴβίογοβς [ἰδίγοηθβ, οἱ ποπιϊοϊ δ, ποιηϊοὶ « 1π 2ἱ, Νὺ]! ἰἰδαυδ πηΐγατί, οἱἰϑὶ Ζοβίιηυβ, αυὶ ἐπίογοϑβ ΟΠ1Π65 Πρ ΓΟὈ ( ΟΟΙΘΌΓΘβ βιιρογανὶι, οχΣ ᾿πΠρΓοθο5 :Εβιἰπηοῖ, ὮΧΧΧΙ, --- ΖΟΘΙΜΟ. ὁ σώφρων σώφρονας, χαὶ ὁ λῃστῆς ληττάζ᾽ χαὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος ἀνδροφόνους. Μὴ τοίνυν θαύμαζε, εἰ χὴὶ Ζώσιμος, ὁ πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ παρανομίαις βεθοῃμέ- νους ἀποχρύψας, ἐχ τῶν χαθ᾽ ἑαυτὸν πάντας πονὴ- νοὺς εἶναι ψηφίζεται.
Related Letters
Whoever, having seen the ineffable and surpassing beauty of self-control, was not conquered by its attraction — let...
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
I know what you call my reputation: not a thousand or ten thousand or twice that many people, but Acacius the orator...
The demands of the priestly life are real, Athanasios — I will not pretend otherwise.
Flatterers are not friends — they are parasites who feed on your vanity and disappear when your power fades.