Letter 814: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
I have come to sing what is called a recantation. For I missed the mark — or, to speak more truly, I misjudged your character — not finding you to be such as I imagined when I undertook to compose your encomium. But this is not my fault, but the fault of your change for the worse. For I, since I both trust those who praise and wish to spur on those who are praised to greater things, thought it right to compose your encomium. But you, taking the praise as an excuse for relaxation rather than as an incentive to virtue, have given me cause for this recantation. For the one who is praised and then grows worse thereby shows that praise was wasted upon him, like precious ointment poured upon stones. I had hoped that my words would serve as wings to lift you higher; instead, they became weights that dragged you lower. Therefore I now unsay what I formerly said, and in place of the encomium I offer this rebuke: return to the virtue you once displayed, or at least stop pretending to possess what you have discarded. For hypocrisy is worse than open wickedness, since the hypocrite deceives not only others but also himself. Therefore, when the fault of the one who was praised becomes manifest, the blame falls not upon the praiser but upon the one praised, who had the opportunity for virtue and squandered it. The mirror is not at fault if the face it reflects is ugly; the sunlight is not to blame if it reveals the dust and stains that darkness had concealed. The praise I offered you was offered in good faith, based on what I then knew of your character. That you have since proved unworthy of it is your burden, not mine. But the door of repentance remains open, and if you should choose to walk through it, I would be the first to sing your encomium once again — this time with the confidence that it would not be recanted.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ἤλδω τὴν καλουμένην παλινῳξίαν. Ἥμαρτον γὰρ σχοποῦ, ἣ, τόγε ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, γνώμης, μὴ εὑρών σε τοιοῦτον οἷον νομίζων ἐγχωμιάζειν ἐπ- δχείρουν. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τῆς σῆς μεταδολῆς τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω νευσάσης ἐστὶν ἔγχλημα. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ, ἐπειδήπερ χαὶ πιστεύω τοῖς ἐγχωμιάζουσι, καὶ τοὺς ἐπαινουμένους συγχροτῶ (ἔχω γάρ τινα ῥοπὴν πρὸς τὸ χαλόν), πεπίστευκα τοῖς σε ἐπαινέσασι. Βού- λομαι γὰρ πάντας εὐδοχίμους εἶναι " αὐτὸς δὲ μετα- δληθεὶς σαυτὸν, οὐκ ἐμὲ ἤλεγξας. ᾿Αλλ᾽ εἰ μὲν ἀπ- εγίνωσχον, οὐχ ἂν ταῦτ᾽ ἔγραφον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀρίστην μεταδολὴν προσδοχῶ, χαὶ γράφω, καὶ προτρέπω, ὥστε εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀρετὴν σαυτὸν ἐπαναγαγεῖν. ΠῸΠ ᾿ξο βογίρεγειῃ. Αυοπίδπι δαϊόηι ορίϊπδην τηυϊδιοηθι Θχϑροοῖθ, ἰύοϊτοο δοῦν, ἰθ46 πιοιθυ, υἱ δά τοίογομι Υἱγιυίδιη ἰοἰρδυπ) ΓοίοΓδξ. Χ1]] . --- ΤΗΕΟΡΟΜΡΟ. Ατὶαπὶς εἰ Ευποπιϊαπῖδ. Ὀὶνίποθ πίη γα ἢΐ ῆ06 ργορτίυπι 68ι, δί4υ δοίογἾ . Ουᾶγα 4υὶ ΕἸ] υμ ροδίογίογειη Ῥαῖγο, ὃχ δεπιρίΐογῃα ΟΠ , ᾿νάπεὶ!, εἷς ΠΠππιὼ4 ἰρδυιι 4υοὐ κυθοιδλη απ) ᾿ΠΠ8πὶ οὐμηΐ ἰὰ0 μυτὶ . ἰδίῃ, φυδιίυπ ἰπ ρ80 65ι, δυδῦὶ!. Νδι οἱ ἢι- ΠΙΘΓῸ Οἱ ἰἀροῦθ δι ΠΟΥ : π6486 ἃηπίε οἱ Ροδί, πδ6ὲ ργίπηυην ἃ βθεοιίαιν δι ηΐ εἰ. Βιδηΐην εἱ οὐ μΐ θ6., ἰἰὰ εἰἰδιη [κἷ58. ποιμἐε . ΓΘδ οομ δε ἰδηχυλπ ποιῖὶ8 αὐἱυυ πάη χρυ πυηίυΓ, Ὠθ ὺς δά οδπὶ δύΐυ8 ρο16ι. Ξ.". -- ΘΕΟΠΟΜΠΩ. Περὶ ᾿Αρειαγνῶν καὶ Εὐνομιαγνῶν. Οὐδὲν οὕτω τῆς θείας φύσεως ἴδιον, ὡς τὸ ἀΐδιον. Θ᾽ τοίνυν μεταγενέστερον τὸν Υἱὸν λέγων τοῦ Πα" τρὺς, ἐξ οὗ ἀνάρχως ἐξέλαμψεν, οὗτος αὐτὸ τὸ χα- ραχτηρίζον τὴν ἀχήρατον οὐσίαν, τό γε αὑτοῦ μέρος, ἀναιρεῖ. Καὶ ἀριθμοῦ γὰρ καὶ χρόνου ἐστὶν ἀνωτέρα᾽ χαὶ τοῦ πρὸ χαὶ μετὰ οὐχ ἀνέχεται, οὐδὲ τὸ πρῶ- τὸν χαὶ δεύτερον προσίεται" ἀπρόσιτος γάρ ἔστιν ὥσπερ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι, καὶ τούτοις τοῖς ὀνόμασι, δι᾿ ὧν τὰ κτίσματα χαραχτηρίζεται. ΨΔ', --- ΠΑΥΛΩ. Ἐπυθόμην ὡς σὺ μὲν σοφῶς ποιῶν, ἐχὼν δέδωχας τοῦ λαθεῖν ἐξουσίαν. Ὁ δὲ βέλτιστος Χαιρήμων ὑπὸ ᾿Αμμωνίου μὲν χαθαιρεθείς, παρὰ δὲ Εὐσεδίου οὐχ οἶδ᾽ ὅπως χειροτονηθεὶς, δόξας μὴ πεφωρᾶσθαι οὐχ ἡρυθρίασεν " ἀλλὰ χαὶ φλναρίαις τὴν σὴν ἠμείψατο φιλοσοφίαν. Μὴ τοίνυν δυσχεράνῃς, εἰ ἄνθρωπος μήτ᾽ ἀρετῆς φροντίζων, μήτε φόδον θεῖον ἐν στέρνοις ἔχων, χατὰ τῆς σῆς ἐπιειχείας ὥπλισε τὴν γλῶτταν, ἀλλὰ προσδόχα χαὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου στέφανον. ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΒῸΜ . ΠῚ. -- ΕΡΙΘΤ. ΓΧΧΥῚ.ὄ ΠΧΙΥ. -- ΡΑΌΠ,Ὸ, Τὸ αᾳυϊάδαι ρτγυάοηιὶ σοη81 υἱδηίοπι, οοπδαϊίο, υἱ Ομειγοιιοηΐβ Παρὶεἰυπι ἴῃ οὔδουγο ἰΔιθγαὶ, Ῥοιἐδιδίοπι ἱραὶ [δςΐς56 ἐμ ]]6χὶ. Αἱ οριΐπνι8 Υἱγ, “ ΑἸπεοθηΐο αυϊάδπι Ἔχ ιοιογαιυ5, Εὐ86 δι." ιἰὁπὶ διά δεῖο φυοθηϑα ράοί0 οΓι , εὐ ἰ μνὸ ἀδριθῃθηϑιπ) ΔγθίιΓαῖυ , Π0η πιο Π0η ΘΓι!- Ρυΐ,, 9ε ὦ οἰϊδπὶ δβοίτυν ᾿θυπὶ Ὧ6 βδδρί6Π οΟμ δἰ απ] υφδοῖνυδ ὙΘΓῸΪΒ ΓΘΠΙΘΠ ΓΑΙ . Τὰ Ὑ6ΓῸ ") ᾿Ι0ς ἰηαΐψηο δί4ι6 δοοῦθο δι ὶϊπιο [δγαβθ, ΒΟ ΠῚ ΠΘΟ " . πὶ υἱγίυἷ8 οὐ Γῶπὶ φΟΓΘηΐθπ), πος πδίυπιὶ ἴῃ ργοογα σον αΐυπὶ [Δ 6ηίθπ), [πἰφυδπι δύνογθυθ ἴυδὼ! ἰδηἰ ἰδία πὶ [] Π ᾶῖ6 πὶ Δγη88866. ὕδγθ 4υοᾳι6 ΠοΟΙηΐ σογο δε) Θχβρθοῖδ. ΞΕ’. --- ΝΕΙΛΩ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΏ. Ἢ ἀλήθεια πάσας τὰς τέχνας χαὶ τὰς ἐπιστή- Β μᾶς χοσμεῖ " εἰ δ᾽ αὐτὴ ἀπείη, οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσι χο- σμιότητος ὥραν. Φιλοσοφία μὲν γὰρ ἡ παρ᾽ Ἕλλησι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπαγγελλομένη ζητεῖν, ταύτης ἐχπό- πτωχε. Ῥητοριχὴ δὲ δεινότητος χαὶ ἁδρότητος μόνον φροντίζει. Γραμματιχὴ δὲ τὴν τῶν λόγων ἐμπειρίαν διδάσχειν αὐχεῖ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν αὗται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ χαλλω- πίζονται, ποθειναὶ ὀφείλουσιν εἶναι τοῖς ἐχέφροσιν. Εἰ δὲ χατ᾿ αὐτῆς ὁπλίζοιντο, ἀτιμάζεσθαί εἰσι δί- χαιαι. Ξ(". --α ΤΏ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ. πὸ τόον " ε« Εἰ ὀφθαλμό ἀϑολ σναν δα μετ Ἄβὴ ᾿ ἘΝ ΧΕ Ὸ σὺν Οὐχ ἔστιν ἄλογος ὁ εὐαγγελιχὸς χρησμὸς, ἀλλὰ νοῦ χαὶ λογισμοῦ μεστός " μεγάλον γὰρ χαὶ δοχοῦν- τος χαὶ ὄντο; τοῦ χρατεῖν ἐπιθυμίας, μεῖζόν ἔστι τὸ προνοεῖν ὅπως μὴ ἁλοίη [τις] τῇ νόσῳ. Τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ χατασχευάζων ὁ Χριστὸς ἔφη ε Πᾶς ὁ βλέ- πῶὼν γυναῖχα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι, ἤδη ἐμοίχενσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ χαρδίᾳ ἑχυτοῦ" » οὐ τὸν ἐχ παρόδου χαὶ ἐξαίφνης ἑωραχότα, χαὶ τρωθέντα, χαὶ ἐξελχύ- σαντα τὸ βέλος, χαὶ τὸ τραῦμα θεραπεύσαντα, μοι- χὸν ἀποφαίνων " οὗ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὁ θεασάμενος, ἀλλ᾽, « Ὁ θεώμενος, » ὁ ἐχ προενθυμήσεως τὸ πάθος ἐπισπασάμενος, χαὶ παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ τρέφων καὶ συν- εχῶς φοιτῶν πρὸς τὴν θεαθεῖσαν, χαὶ περιεργαζό- μεν
Related Letters
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
Why do people bring the Lord's judgment down upon themselves?
Whoever, having seen the ineffable and surpassing beauty of self-control, was not conquered by its attraction — let...
When someone treats you unjustly, Athanasios, the natural response is to respond in kind.