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let him not cut, nor cast down seeds, nor watch for a favorable season of the year, nor endure the frost, and continuous rain, and hardship, and toils for a measured year, let him not touch a sickle, nor reap a harvest, let him not thresh the ears of corn, let him not plant, nor tend to plants, having simply cast off all care for agriculture, let him sit at home, and sleep all the time; if it is fated and spun for him, good things will come to his house automatically; but if Clotho turns the spindle to the contrary, even if he toils ten thousand times, there will be no end for him of his toils and sweats. For what reason, then, do you not advise doing these things, if indeed you truly believe in fate? for what reason do you not advise it, so that you might truly learn by deed the good things of fate? Do you want to show me what is truly fated? Abolish agriculture, take away seafaring, cast out all the arts of living, and let neither a builder, nor a coppersmith, nor a weaver, nor anyone else of those who contribute to our life, practice his own art, and then you will see well what sort of wages fate pays, then you will perceive it well, then you will see its unalterable nature. And why do I speak of the arts which sustain our life? Let the arts be, and do not abolish a single one, but with all remaining in their proper order, let each man be anxious for nothing of his own, nor care for the things of his household, but let him commit all things concerning himself to fate to manage, and then he will know its benefit, when, being tortured and scourged, he is asked for his taxes, and having nothing, he takes refuge in her defense, but no one pays him any mind. How long are we to be children in our minds? until when will we not cease talking nonsense 50.767? until when will we not acknowledge the common Master? If fate makes men base and good, for what reason do you advise your child, for what reason do you admonish him? All is random and in vain. If it makes men rich and poor, do not send him to schools, do not provide him money, do not do a single thing of those which are able to increase his substance, but commit the things concerning him to fate. But you do not endure it. Do you see how, while distrusting her power in lesser things, you trust in her in greater things? For if fate truly exists, allow the child to associate with wicked men, and to be corrupted with the corrupt; if it is fated and spun for him, he will also be useful to you. For indeed, he says, it truly is. For what reason, then, do you cause trouble for yourself and for another? And why do I speak for the sake of children, when you would not endure to do this even in the case of slaves, but you threaten and frighten, and set every means in motion, so that your slave might become good, and you do not trust in his birth? And for what reason do you punish one who has become bad? for the sin was not his, but of his compelling birth. And for what reason do you praise one who has become good? for the good deed is not his, but of his birth; or rather, no one will be either good or bad. For one who of himself does neither of these things, but receives the necessity from elsewhere, will be neither this nor that. For what reason, then, do we praise men? And for what reason do we blame them? For what reason do we curse, for what reason do we pray with others? Do you see into how much absurdity the argument of fate has led us? No one is temperate, no one is licentious, no one is greedy, no one is just; both virtue and vice have been destroyed, and we have been brought into this present life in vain, or rather not in vain, but even for evil. For how is it not absurd to be pushed by the necessity of birth into wickedness, and again by this very violence to pay the ultimate penalty, when we ought to be pitied, when we ought to be counted wretched, and we are hated, and we are punished, when we ought to be honored? He who is wronged and suffers violence ought not to be punished, but to be honored; but we are both wronged, and punishment

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τεμνέτω, μηδὲ καταβαλλέτω σπέρματα, μήτε ὥραν ἔτους ἐπιτηρείτω ἐπιτηδείαν, μηδὲ ἀνεχέσθω κρυμοῦ, καὶ διηνεκοῦς ὑετοῦ, καὶ ταλαιπωρίας, καὶ μόχθων πρὸς διαμεμετρημένον τὸ ἔτος, μὴ θηγέτω δρεπάνην, μηδὲ ἀμάτω λήϊον, μὴ τριβέτω ἀστάχυς, μὴ φυτευέτω, μηδὲ θεραπευέτω φυτὰ, πᾶσαν ἁπλῶς τῆς γεωργίας ῥίψας τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, οἴκοι καθεζέσθω, καὶ πάντα καθευδέτω τὸν χρόνον· πάντως ἂν εἱμαρμένον αὐτῷ καὶ κεκλωσμένον ᾖ, αὐτόματα εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἥξει τὰ ἀγαθά· ἐὰν δὲ εἰς τοὐναντίον στρέψῃ τὸν ἄτρακτον ἡ Κλωθὼ, κἂν μυριάκις πονῆται, πέρας οὐδὲν αὐτῷ τῶν πόνων ἔσται καὶ ἱδρώτων. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὔτε παραινεῖτε ταῦτα ποιεῖν, εἴ γε ὄντως εἱμαρμένῃ πιστεύετε; τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ παραινεῖτε, ἵν' ὄντως ἔργῳ μάθητε τὰ τῆς εἱμαρμένης καλά; Βούλει μοι δεῖξαι τί ὄντως εἵμαρται; Κατάλυσον γεωργίαν, ἄνελε ναυτιλίαν, ἔκβαλε πάσας τέχνας βιωτικὰς, καὶ μήτε οἰκοδόμος, μήτε χαλκοτύπος, μήτε ὑφάντης, μήτε ἄλλος τις τῶν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν συντελούντων ζωὴν μεταχειριζέτω τὴν αὐτοῦ τέχνην, καὶ τότε ὄψει καλῶς, οἷα τῆς εἱμαρμένης τὰ ἐπίχειρα, τότε αὐτῆς αἰσθήσῃ καλῶς, τότε αὐτῆς τὸ ἀπερίτρεπτον ὄψει. Καὶ τί λέγω τέχνας, αἳ τὴν ζωὴν συνέχουσι τὴν ἡμετέραν; Ἔστωσαν τέχναι, καὶ μηδὲ μίαν καταλύσῃς, ἀλλὰ πάντων μενόντων ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας τάξεως, ὁ καθ' ἕκαστον μηδὲν μεριμνάτω τῶν αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ φροντιζέτω τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτρεψάτω τῇ εἱμαρμένῃ τὰ κατὰ αὐτὸν οἰκονομῆσαι πάντα, καὶ τότε εἴσεται αὐτῆς τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ὅταν στρεβλούμενος καὶ μαστιζόμενος ἀπαιτῆται μὲν τὰς εἰσφορὰς, μὴ ἔχων δὲ καταφεύγει μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκείνης ἀπολογίαν, προσέχει δὲ αὐτῷ μηδείς. Μέχρι πότε παιδία ἐσμὲν ταῖς φρεσί; μέχρι τίνος οὐ παυσόμεθα ληροῦν 50.767 τες; μέχρι τίνος οὐκ ἐπιγνωσόμεθα τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπότην; Εἰ φαύλους καὶ ἀγαθοὺς εἱμαρμένη ποιεῖ, τίνος ἕνεκεν παραινεῖς τῷ παιδὶ, τίνος ἕνεκεν νουθετεῖς; Πάντα εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην. Εἰ πλουσίους καὶ πένητας ποιεῖ, μὴ πέμψῃς εἰς διδασκαλεῖα, μὴ πορίσῃς χρήματα, μὴ πράξῃς μηδὲ ἓν τῶν δυναμένων αὐτῷ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐξῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἐπίτρεψον τῇ εἱμαρμένῃ τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀνέχῃ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐν τοῖς ἐλάττοσι διαπιστῶν αὐτῆς τὴν δύναμιν, ἐν τοῖς μείζοσιν αὐτῇ πιστεύεις; Εἰ γὰρ ὄντως εἱμαρμένη ἐστὶν, ἄφες τὸν παῖδα καὶ πονηροῖς ἀνδράσι συγγίνεσθαι, καὶ μετὰ διεφθαρμένων διαφθείρεσθαι· πάντως ἂν εἱμαρμένον αὐτῷ καὶ κεκλωσμένον ᾖ, καὶ σοὶ χρησιμεύει. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως, φησὶν, ὄντως ἐστί. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν πράγματα καὶ σαυτῷ παρέχεις καὶ ἑτέρῳ; Καὶ τί λέγω παίδων ἕνεκεν, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ ἐπὶ οἰκετῶν ἀνέξῃ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπειλεῖς καὶ φοβεῖς, καὶ πάντα τρόπον κινεῖς, ὅπως γένηταί σοι καλὸς ὁ οἰκέτης, καὶ οὐ θαῤῥεῖς τῇ γενέσει; Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν κακὸν γενόμενον κολάζεις; οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἁμάρτημα γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ὠθούσης γενέσεως. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καλὸν γενόμενον ἐπαινεῖς; οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἀλλὰ τῆς γενέσεως· μᾶλλον δὲ οὔτε καλὸς, οὔτε κακὸς ἔσται τις. Ὁ γὰρ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ μηδέτερον τούτων ποιῶν, ἀλλ' ἑτέρωθεν τὴν ἀνάγκην δεχόμενος, οὔτε τοῦτο ἔσται, οὔτε ἐκεῖνο. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐπαινοῦμεν ἄνδρας; τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ψέγομεν; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπαρώμεθα, τίνος ἕνεκεν συνευχόμεθα ἑτέροις; Ὁρᾷς εἰς ὅσην ἡμᾶς ἀλογίαν ὁ τῆς εἱμαρμένης ἐξήγαγε λόγος; Οὐδείς ἐστι σώφρων, οὐδείς ἐστιν ἀκόλαστος, οὐδείς ἐστι πλεονέκτης, οὐδείς ἐστι δίκαιος· ἀνῄρηται καὶ ἀρετὴ καὶ κακία, καὶ μάτην εἰς τὸν παρόντα τοῦτον βίον ὑπήχθημεν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ μάτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ κακῷ. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον ὠθεῖσθαι μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τῆς γενέσεως εἰς κακίαν, πάλιν δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς βίας αὐτῆς ταύτης δίκην διδόναι τὴν ἐσχάτην, δέον ἐλεεῖσθαι, δέον ταλανίζεσθαι, καὶ μισούμεθα, καὶ κολαζόμεθα, δέον τιμᾶσθαι; Τὸν ἀδικούμενον καὶ βίαν παθόντα, οὐχὶ κολάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τιμᾶσθαι χρή· ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ ἀδικούμεθα, καὶ τιμωρίαν