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And yet in your case the opposite can be seen. For not only do they not praise you for your wealth, but the many even hate and turn away from you and envy you and plot against you; but this man, since he is rich with the true wealth, is for this reason most admired, and for this reason he is not envied nor plotted against. But then, who is better disposed for health? Is it not he who has that, who just like the wild animals is healthy and vigorous, since he enjoys pure air and healthful springs and flowers and meadows and sincere fragrance, while this one, lying as if in the mire, is both more delicate and more prone to sickness? And if in health the first prize is with this one, clearly it is also so in pleasure. For whom do you think lives more luxuriously, the one reclining on deep grass, beside a clear spring, under the shade of abundant trees, and feasting his eye on the view, and having a soul purer than the sky, and sitting far from disturbance and noise, or the one shut up in a little house? For surely marbles are not purer than the air, nor is the shade from the roof more pleasant than that from the trees, nor a mosaic more beautiful than a floor adorned with various flowers. And of these very things you, the wealthy, are witnesses, who, if it were possible to have trees in your upper rooms, and the comfort from the meadows, would have rather chosen it than your golden roofs and marvelous walls. At any rate, whenever you desire to give yourselves over to rest from many labors, leaving these things, you go to those. But perhaps you lament for glory, for that much and great glory, that appears nowhere 47.339 here? For comparing the palace with the desert, and the hopes from there with those from here, you think your son has fallen from heaven itself. Therefore, you must first learn this, that neither does the desert make one dishonored, nor the palace make one illustrious and conspicuous, and before coming to arguments I will rid you of this suspicion by examples, examples not from us, but from you. Perhaps you hear of Dionysius the tyrant of Sicily, and you also hear of Plato the son of Ariston? Who then, tell me, has become more illustrious? and who is sung of and is on the lips of the many? Is it not the philosopher more than the tyrant? And yet the one ruled all of Sicily, and lived in luxury, and continued living with much wealth and bodyguards and the other pomp; but the other spent his time in the garden of the Academy, watering and planting and eating olives, and setting a frugal table, and being outside of all that pomp. And this is not yet the wonder, but that even having become a slave, and being sold according to the tyrant's will, he was so far from appearing more dishonored than him on account of these things, that he appeared venerable even to the tyrant himself because of this. Such a thing is virtue; not only through what it does, but also through what it suffers wrongly, not allowing itself, but also those who inflict the suffering, to be hidden and escape notice. And what of his teacher Socrates? how much more illustrious was he than Archelaus? And yet the one was a king, and lived in great wealth; but the other spent his time in the Lyceum, and had nothing more than one cloak, and he was seen wearing only this in winter and summer and in all the seasons of the year; and he lived always barefoot, and he endured the whole day without eating, and ate only bread, and this was both relish and food for him; and he did not even set this table from his own means, but receiving it from others, he thus lived in extreme poverty; and he was so much more illustrious than the king, that when that man often invited him, he was unwilling to leave the Lyceum and go to his wealth. And from the reputation that now prevails, the former things are also apparent. For the names of these men are known to many, but of those men to no one. But the man of Sinope, this other philosopher, was so much wealthier than these and countless other such kings, and that while living in rags, so that Philip of Macedon, leading an army against the Persians, leaving everything, on seeing him went away, and asked in person,

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καίτοι γε ἐφ' ὑμῶν τοὐναντίον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσι διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μισοῦσι καὶ ἀποστρέφονται καὶ βασκαίνουσι δὲ ὑμῖν καὶ ἐπιβουλεύουσιν οἱ πολλοί· οὗτος δὲ ἐπειδὴ πλουτεῖ πλοῦτον τὸν ἀληθῆ, διὰ τοῦτο θαυμάζεται μάλιστα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ φθονεῖται οὐδὲ ἐπιβουλεύεται. Ἀλλ' ἄρα πρὸς ὑγίειαν τίς ἐπιτηδειότερος; οὐχ ὁ μὲν ἐκεῖνον ἔχων καθάπερ τὰ ἄγρια τῶν ζώων εὐσωματεῖ καὶ σφριγᾷ, ἅτε ἀέρος ἀπολαύων καθαροῦ καὶ ναμάτων ὑγιεινῶν καὶ ἀνθῶν καὶ λειμώνων καὶ εὐωδίας εἰλικρινοῦς, οὗτος δὲ ὥσπερ ἐν βορβόρῳ κείμενος, μαλακώτερός τέ ἐστι καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπίνοσος; Εἰ δὲ ἐν ὑγιείᾳ τὰ πρωτεῖα παρὰ τούτῳ, δηλονότι καὶ ἐν ἡδονῇ. Τίνα γὰρ οἴει μᾶλλον τρυφᾷν, τὸν ἐπὶ βαθείας κατακεκλιμένον πόας, παρὰ πηγὴν καθαρὰν, ὑπὸ σκιὰν δένδρων ἀμφιλαφῶν, καὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἑστιῶντα τῇ θέᾳ, καὶ καθαρωτέραν ἔχοντα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ ταραχῆς καὶ θορύβου πόῤῥω καθήμενον, ἢ τὸν ἐν οἰκίσκῳ κατακεκλεισμένον; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦ ἀέρος τὰ μάρμαρα καθαρώτερα, οὐδὲ τῆς σκιᾶς τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀροφῆς ἡδίων, οὐδὲ ἡ ψηφὶς ἐδάφους ἄνθεσι καλλωπιζομένου ποικίλοις. Καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν ὑμεῖς οἱ πλουτοῦντες μάρτυρες, οἷς εἴ γε ἐνῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπερῴων δένδρα ἔχειν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν λειμώνων παραμυθίαν, μᾶλλον ἂν εἵλεσθε τῆς στέγης τῆς χρυσῆς καὶ τῶν τοίχων τῶν θαυμαστῶν. Ὅταν γοῦν ἐκ πολλῶν πόνων πρὸς ἄνεσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἀφεῖναι ἐπιθυμήσητε, ταῦτα ἀφέντες, πρὸς ἐκεῖνα βαδίζετε. Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ δόξης ἴσως θρηνεῖς, τῆς πολλῆς ἐκείνης καὶ μεγάλης, οὐδαμοῦ φαινομένης 47.339 ἐνταῦθα; Τὰ γὰρ βασίλεια τῇ ἐρημίᾳ παραβάλλων, καὶ τὰς ἐλπίδας τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ταῖς ἐντεῦθεν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ οἴει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταπεπτωκέναι τὸν υἱόν. Οὐκοῦν τοῦτο δεῖ πρῶτον μαθεῖν, ὡς οὔτε ἡ ἐρημία ἄτιμον ποιεῖ, οὔτε λαμπρὸν καὶ περιφανῆ τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ πρὶν ἐπὶ λογισμοὺς ἐλθεῖν ἐκ παραδειγμάτων σε ἀπαλλάξω τῆς ὑποψίας, παραδειγμάτων οὐ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων. ∆ιονύσιον ἴσως ἀκούεις τὸν Σικελίας τύραννον, ἀκούεις δὲ καὶ Πλάτωνα τὸν Ἀρίστωνος; Τίς οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, λαμπρότερος γέγονε; τίς δὲ ᾄδεται καὶ ἐν τοῖς τῶν πολλῶν κεῖται στόμασιν; οὐχ ὁ φιλόσοφος τοῦ τυράννου μᾶλλον; Καίτοι ὁ μὲν τῆς τε Σικελίας ἁπάσης ἐκράτει, καὶ ἐν τρυφῇ διῆγε, καὶ μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ πλούτου καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης φαντασίας διετέλεσε ζῶν· ὁ δὲ ἐν τῷ τῆς Ἀκαδημίας κήπῳ διέτριβεν ἄρδων τε καὶ φυτεύων καὶ ἐλαίας ἐσθίων, καὶ εὐτελῆ παρατιθέμενος τράπεζαν, καὶ πάσης ἐκείνης τῆς φαντασίας ἐκτὸς ὤν. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτό πω θαυμαστὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ δοῦλος γενόμενος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τυράννου γνώμην ἀπεμποληθεὶς, τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχεν ἀτιμότερος ἐκείνου φανῆναι διὰ ταῦτα, ὡς καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ τυράννῳ ἐκ τούτου φανῆναι αἰδέσιμος. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἀρετή· οὐ δι' ὧν ἐργάζεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ὧν πάσχει κακῶς, οὐχ ἑαυτὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας οὐκ ἀφιεῖσα κρύπτεσθαι καὶ λανθάνειν. Τί δὲ ὁ τούτου διδάσκαλος Σωκράτης; πόσῳ Ἀρχελάου λαμπρότερος ἦν; Καίτοι ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἦν, καὶ ἐν πολλῷ πλούτῳ διῆγεν· ὁ δὲ ἐν Λυκείῳ διέτριβε, καὶ ἑνὸς ἱματίου πλέον εἶχεν οὐδὲν, καὶ τοῦτο μόνον καὶ χειμῶνος καὶ θέρους καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὥραις τοῦ ἔτους περιβεβλημένος ἐφαίνετο· ἀνυπόδετός τε ἔζη διαπαντὸς, καὶ ἄσιτος ἅπασαν διεκαρτέρει τὴν ἡμέραν, ἄρτον τε ἐσιτεῖτο μόνον, καὶ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτῷ ὄψον καὶ σιτίον· καὶ οὐδὲ ταύτην οἴκοθεν παρετίθετο τὴν τράπεζαν, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἑτέρων λαμβάνων, οὕτως ἐσχάτῃ συνέζη πενίᾳ· καὶ τοσοῦτον ἦν τοῦ βασιλέως λαμπρότερος, ὡς πολλάκις αὐτὸν καλοῦντος ἐκείνου πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, μὴ θελῆσαι τὸ Λύκειον ἀφεῖναι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνου πλοῦτον ἐλθεῖν. Καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης δὲ τῆς κρατούσης νῦν καὶ τὰ πρότερα φαίνεται. Γούτων μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὀνόματα πολλοῖς γνώριμα, ἐκείνων δὲ οὐδενί. Ὁ δὲ Σινωπεὺς πάλιν ἕτερος οὗτος φιλόσοφος τοσούτῳ καὶ τούτων καὶ ἑτέρων μυρίων τοιούτων βασιλέων εὐπορώτερος ἦν, καὶ ταῦτα ῥακίοις συζῶν, ὡς τὸν Φιλίππου τὸν Μακεδόνα στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Πέρσας ἄγοντα, πάντα ἀφέντα, ἰδόντα αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ ἐρέσθαι δι' ἑαυτοῦ,