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For this reason you shudder at death, and you say that you are then most of all to be pitied, when you are prosperous. But he will then find his greatest rest, when he grows old, as one hastening to come into a harbor, and having a youth always flourishing, but never hastening to old age. But you wished your son to enjoy such a luxury for which he would have repented ten thousand times, and grieved when he became old. But may it never be that even your enemies should ever revel in such things. And why do I speak of old age? For in one day the things of that pleasure are extinguished; or rather not in a day, nor in an hour, but even in a small and momentary instant. For what is pleasure? Is it not to feast the belly, and to set out Sybaritic tables, and to associate with beautiful women like pigs wallowing in the mire?

10. But not this yet; but let us for now examine pleasure, whether it is not something cold and worthless, and, if you will, first that which seems the sweetest, the pleasure of luxury. Show me, then, the time of this pleasure, and what part of a day it could occupy you? So little, that it cannot even be properly seen. For as soon as one is sated, he has also quenched the pleasure, and even before satiety it passes more quickly than a stream, vanishing at the very throat, and not even deigning to go down with the food; for as soon as it has passed the tongue, it has destroyed its strength. And I am silent about the other evils, and how great a storm arises from this luxury; for not only is he who does not live luxuriously more pleased, but he is also lighter, and will be in a better state than he who is rent asunder by satiety; for 'Sleep of health,' it says, 'is in a moderate belly.' What need to speak of the diseases, the disgusts, the calamities, the vain expenses? How many accusations, how many plots, how many insults from these symposia spring up? But is it pleasant to consort with harlots? And what pleasure could there be with so much shame? But for now, let us not even examine this here, nor the battles from lovers, nor the wars from rival lovers, nor the accusations; but let there be someone enjoying that licentiousness with full license, and let him have no rival lover, nor be despised by his beloved, and let him spend his money as if from springs, although it is nowhere possible for all these things to happen, but he who is not going to have a rival lover must destroy all his substance, conquering all others in his ambition, and he who does not wish to be in want must in turn be despised and spat upon by the harlot. But let none of these things be so, but let everything proceed for him according to his mind; where can you show us the pleasure from these things? For it does not appear even in the very moment of intercourse, but he who has completed the union has also extinguished the pleasure, while he who is in the act of intercourse is not in pleasure, but in 47.347 tumult and confusion and frenzy and madness and great turmoil and agitation. But the pleasure with us is not such; may it not be so; but it always keeps the soul untroubled, and brings no tumult, nor turmoil, but a certain pure and sincere and glorious joy that has no end, much more powerful and more intense than yours. For that this pleasure is sweeter, fear is sufficient to make one abstain from yours; for if a king sends down letters threatening death, the greater part of mankind will desist from this pleasure; but from that one, even if someone imposes ten thousand deaths, he will not persuade one to despise it, but will rather be laughed at; so much more tyrannical and sweeter is this than that, and would not even admit a comparison with it. Do not then envy the boy, passing from flowing goods, or rather, from things that do not even exist, to things that are and remain, nor mourn for him who is worthy to be called blessed, but rather if anyone is not such, being carried along in this present life as in a strait. And the main point is this; for even if you are an unbeliever and a Greek, yet you would accept this argument. You certainly hear of Cocytus and Pyriphlegethon rivers, and the water of Styx, and Tartarus as far distant from the earth as it is from heaven, and many punishments

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διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὴν τελευτὴν φρίττετε, καὶ πάντων ἐλεεινοτέρους εἶναί φατε τότε μάλιστα, ὅταν εὐδοκιμῆτε. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ τότε ἀναπαύσεται μάλιστα, ὅταν γηράσῃ, ἅτε εἰς λιμένα ἐπειγόμενος ἐλθεῖν, καὶ νεότητα μὲν ἔχων ἀεὶ ἀκμάζουσαν, εἰς γῆρας δὲ οὐδέποτε ἐπείγουσαν. Σὺ δὲ τοιαύτην τρυφὴν τὸν υἱὸν ἐβούλου τρυφᾷν, δι' ἣν ἂν μετενόησε μυριάκις, καὶ ἤλγησεν ἐν γήρᾳ γενόμενος. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο μηδὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοὺς ὑμετέρους τοιαῦτα τρυφῆσαί ποτε. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸ γῆρας; ἐν γὰρ ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ σβέννυται τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐκείνης· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, οὐδὲ ἐν ὥρᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν μικρᾷ καὶ ἀκαριαίᾳ ῥοπῇ. Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἡδονή; οὐ τὸ γαστρίζεσθαι, καὶ συβαριτικὰς παρατίθεσθαι τραπέζας, καὶ γυναιξὶν ὡραίαις συγγίνεσθαι καθάπερ τινὰς χοίρους ἐν βορβόρῳ κυλινδουμένους;

ιʹ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μήπω τοῦτο· τὴν δὲ ἡδονὴν ἐξετάσωμεν τέως, εἰ μὴ ψυχρά τίς ἐστι καὶ εὐτελὴς, καὶ εἰ βούλει, πρώτην τὴν ἡδίω δοκοῦσαν εἶναι τὴν τῆς τρυφῆς. ∆εῖξον οὖν μοιτὸν ταύτης καιρὸν, καὶ πόσον κατέχειν ὑμᾶς δύναιτ' ἂν μέρος ἡμέρας; τοσοῦτον, ὅσον οὐδὲ ὀφθῆναι καλῶς. Ἅμα τε γὰρ ἐνεπλήσθη τις, καὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἔσβεσε, καὶ πρὸ τῆς πλησμονῆς δὲ ῥεύματος θᾶττον παρέρχεται, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀφανιζομένη τὸν λαιμὸν, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς σιτίοις ἀρκοῦσα συγκατελθεῖν· ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ παρῆλθε τὴν γλῶτταν, καὶ συγκατέλυσε τὴν ἰσχύν. Καὶ σιωπῶ τὰ λοιπὰ κακὰ, καὶ ὅσος ἀπὸ ταύτης γίνεται τῆς τρυφῆς ὁ χειμών· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἡδίων ὁ μὴ τρυφήσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ κουφότερος, καὶ ῥᾷον διακείσεται τοῦ διασπασθέντος ὑπὸ τῆς πλησμονῆς· Ὕπνος γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑγιείας ἐν σπλάγχνῳ μετρίῳ. Τί δεῖ λέγειν τὰς νόσους, τὰς ἀηδίας, τὰς συμφορὰς, τὰς δαπάνας τὰς εἰκῆ; ὅσαι αἱ αἰτιάσεις, ὅσαι αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ, ὅσαι αἱ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐπήρειαι τῶν συμποσίων βλαστάνουσιν; ἀλλὰ τὸ πόρναις γυναιξὶν ὁμιλεῖν ἡδύ; Καὶ ποία μετὰ τοσαύτης αἰσχύνης ἡδονὴ γένοιτ' ἄν; Μάλιστα δὲ μηδὲ ἐνταῦθα τοῦτο ἐξετάζωμεν τέως, μηδὲ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ἐραστῶν μάχας, μηδὲ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἀντεραστῶν πολέμους, μηδὲ τὰς κατηγορίας· ἀλλ' ἔστω τις μετ' ἐξουσίας ἀπολαύων τῆς ἀσελγείας ἐκείνης, καὶ μήτε ἀντεραστὴν ἐχέτω, μήτε ὑπεροράσθω παρὰ τῆς ἐρωμένης, τά τε χρήματα ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἀναλισκέτω, καίτοι οὐδαμοῦ ταῦτα συμβεβηκέναι πάντα δυνατὸν, ἀλλὰ δεῖ τὸν μὲν μὴ μέλλοντα ἔχειν ἀντεραστὴν τὴν οὐσίαν καταλῦσαι πᾶσαν, νικῶντα τῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας, τὸν δὲ μὴ βουλόμενον ἀπορεῖν ὑπερορᾶσθαι παρὰ τῆς πόρνης καὶ διαπτύεσθαι πάλιν. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ μηδὲν ἔστω τούτων, ἀλλὰ πάντα αὐτῷ κατὰ νοῦν προχωρείτω· ποῦ τὴν ἐκ τούτων ἡδονὴν ἐπιδεῖξαι ἔχεις ἡμῖν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τῆς μίξεως φαίνεται καιρῷ, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν πληρώσας τὴν συνουσίαν, καὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἔσβεσεν, ὁ δὲ ἐν τῇ μίξει ὢν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡδονῇ, ἀλλ' 47.347 ἐν θορύβῳ καὶ ταραχῇ καὶ οἴστρῳ καὶ μανίᾳ καὶ κλόνῳ πολλῷ καὶ βρασμῷ. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ παρ' ἡμῖν ἡδονὴ τοιαύτη· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ διαπαντὸς ἀχείμαστον τηρεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ θόρυβον οὐδένα, οὐδὲ κλόνον ἐπάγει, καθαρὰν δέ τινα εὐφροσύνην καὶ εἰλικρινῆ καὶ ἔνδοξον καὶ τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσαν, δυνατωτέραν τε πολλῷ καὶ σφοδροτέραν τῆς παρ' ὑμῖν. Ὅτι γὰρ ἡδίων αὕτη ἡ ἡδονὴ, τὴν μὲν ὑμετέραν ἱκανὸς ἀποστῆσαι φόβος· κἂν γὰρ βασιλεὺς γράμματα καταπέμψῃ θάνατον ἀπειλοῦντα, τὸ πλέον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκστήσεται ταύτης τῆς ἡδονῆς· ἐκείνης δὲ, κἂν μυρίους θανάτους τις ἐπιφέρῃ, οὐ πείσει καταφρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γελασθήσεται μᾶλλον· οὕτω τυραννικωτέρα τε αὕτη ἐστὶν ἐκείνης καὶ ἡδίων, καὶ οὐδ' ἂν σύγκρισιν δέξαιτο πρὸς ἐκείνην. Μὴ δὴ βασκήνῃς τῷ παιδὶ, ἀπὸ τῶν ῥεόντων ἀγαθῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ὄντων, ἐπὶ τὰ ὄντα καὶ μένοντα διαβαίνοντι, μηδὲ θρήνει τὸν μακαρίζεσθαι ἄξιον, ἀλλ' εἴ τις μὴ τοιοῦτος καθάπερ ἐν εὐρίπῳ τῷ παρόντι βίῳ φερόμενος. Καὶ τὸ δὴ κεφάλαιον· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἄπιστος σὺ καὶ Ἕλλην, ὅμως κἂν τοῦτον παραδέξῃ τὸν λόγον. Ἀκούεις Κωκυτοὺς πάντως καὶ Πυριφλεγέθοντας ποταμοὺς, καὶ Στυγὸς ὕδωρ, καὶ Τάρταρον τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντα τῆς γῆς, ὅσον αὕτη τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς κολάσεων