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to be beautified. But you also indict me for silence, uttering absolutely nothing to us. For you would have found us saying more, and you would not have mentioned to us Cothocides, who mocked the sophists for the plight of the flutes. Farewell, and your child, and your wife. And do not be harsh upon your son Alexander, forcing his young age too much. 125 To Gessius the iatrosophist How bitter are the counsels of fortune against us and sufficient for a plot of a dreadful tragedy. We have not yet ceased from the most pitiable tomb of children, and suddenly she drags away the mother—to her perhaps acting according to her pleasure, if she has added her to her dearest children, but for us joining sufferings to sufferings and working a heavier tomb upon a tomb—and has deprived, alas, the little children, still dependent on their mother's breast, of their mother. These are indeed sufferings worthy of tears and beyond the stage, and such as to confirm the myth that an unfortunate woman became a stone from a human being. For she was, it seems, Phrygian and a barbarian, and had not fortified her soul beforehand against the blow of fortune with the medicines of philosophy. As indeed the story of that great Anaxagoras, when someone announced to him the untimely death of his son, he said at once, as one who had been prepared for a long time and who suffered nothing great from the news, "1I knew that I had begotten a mortal"2. And I think, judging by what he said, that if someone had reported that his wife also lay dead beside her child, he would certainly have added, "1I knew that I was living with a mortal too"2. Therefore I praise the first men who invented tragedy, because, having understood that fortune throws human affairs into confusion up and down. they devised the stage for us, anticipating our own misfortunes very well with the troubles of others. For what terrible thing is there among us, that time has not already shown? And what new thing could happen that is not referred to a similar image? But if we wish to appear superior to fortune, we shall run for refuge to the harbor of our accustomed philosophy, considering who we are and from where we have come, and what then are the principles of our affairs, and how that which is bound must by all means be loosed whenever it seems good to the one who bound it, and we must lay aside the mask which the poet of the great drama has placed upon us. For this is truly the exhortation "know thyself." This is your task, O wisest one, who, as I think, constantly unrolls the principles of providence and offers yourself as an example of endurance to those uninitiated in wisdom. Therefore let us return to ourselves, saying, "1But what can I do"2 and "1God brings all things to fulfillment"2. For by considering these things you will both do things worthy of yourself and prepare the divine being to look upon our affairs someday with favorable eyes. 126 To John I have received your letter, dear and truly full of charm, which blames the daimonion Socratically for our long silence, and which me, lying on the ground and unable to look up to the height of virtue—for what else than a sophist, as you yourself would jest?—it elevates to philosophy itself with its praises, or rather, it cajoles the ear, so that, having been deceived by praises that are not at all fitting, it might gently endure the accusation against rhetoric and bear these customary twitterings, the "1image of a particle of politics"2 and "1to associate with common people"2 and whatever words those who are joking are wont to say; for I would not say, out of respect for philosophy and Plato, of those who are envious. And you yourself, I think, O wisest one, while thinking the opposite about the art, for the sake of jests, it seems, you bring a charge, as they say, over the shadow of a donkey, wheeling in Thrasymachus and Polus for us and whatever else the graces of Plato have fashioned. But stop at last, my good sir, from speaking ill of the greatest of matters. But if not ... but I reserve the threat for a better time. 127 To Diodorus Having read your letters, I came to the memory of an old happiness, forming in my mind that Nile and the enjoyment of your presence there, and it came upon me to weep for the turn of fortune, as it revolves up and down. Now it brings people together in ways one would not expect, and now again it separates those whom it brought together against expectation. But they contrived something wise against it

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ὡραΐζεσθαι. ἀλλὰ καὶ σιωπῆς με γράφῃ, μηδὲν ἡμῖν τὸ παράπαν φθεγγόμενος. ἦ γὰρ ἂν πλείω λέγοντας εὗρες, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἡμῖν τὸν Κοθωκίδην ἔφης τὸ τῶν αὐλῶν πάθος τοῖς σοφισταῖς ἐπισκώπτοντα. ἔρρωσο, καὶ τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἡ γυνή. καὶ τῷ παιδὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ μὴ βαρὺς ἐπίκεισο, νέαν ἡλικίαν ἐπὶ πολὺ βιαζόμενος. 125 Γεσσίωι ἰατροσοφιστῆι Ὡς πικρὰ τὰ καθ' ἡμῶν τῆς τύχης βουλεύματα καὶ πρὸς δεινῆς ἀρκοῦντα τραγῳδίας ὑπόθεσιν. οὔπω παίδων οἰκτίστου τάφου πεπαύμεθα, καὶ τὴν τεκοῦσαν ἐξαίφνης ἐφέλκεταιἐκείνῃ μὲν ἴσως δρῶσα καθ' ἡδονήν, εἰ παισὶ φιλτάτοις προσέθηκεν, ἡμῖν δὲ πάθη συνάπτουσα πάθεσι καὶ τάφῳ τάφον ἐργαζομένη βαρύτερονκαὶ τῆς μητρὸς ἀπεστέρησεν, οἴμοι, παιδάρια ἔτι τῆς μητρῴας ἐξηρτημένα θηλῆς. δακρύων ὄντως ταῦτα καὶ σκηνῆς ἐπέκεινα πάθη, καὶ οἷα βεβαιῶσαι μῦθον ὡς γυνὴ δυστυχὴς ἐξ ἀνθρώπου λίθος ἐγένετο. ἦν γάρ, ὡς ἔοικε, Φρυγία καὶ βάρβαρος, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῆς τύχης πῶμα τοῖς ἐκ φιλοσοφίας φαρμάκοις οὐ προκατείληπτο τὴν ψυχήν. οἷα δὴ τὸν μέγαν ἐκεῖνον Ἀναξαγόραν λόγος, προσαγγείλαντος αὐτῷ τινὸς τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν ἄωρον τελευτήν, εἰπεῖν εὐθέως ὡς δὴ παρεσκευασμένον ἐκ πολ λοῦ καὶ μηδὲν μέγα παθόντα πρὸς τῆς ἀκοῆς, ὡς "1ᾔδειν κἀγὼ θνητὸν γεν νήσας"2. καὶ οἶμαί γε τοῖς εἰρημένοις τεκμαιρόμενος, ὡς, εἰ καὶ τὸ γύναιόν τις ἀπήγγειλεν ἐπὶ τῷ παιδὶ κεῖσθαι, πάντως ἂν προσέθηκεν ὡς "1ᾔδειν καὶ θνητῇ συνοικῶν"2. ὅθεν ἐπαινῶ τοὺς πρώτους τραγῳδίαν εὑρόντας, ὅτι καταμαθόντες τὴν τύχην ἄνω καὶ κάτω κυκᾶν τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγ ματα. τὴν σκηνὴν ἡμῖν ἐπενόησαν, ἀλλοτρίοις εὖ μάλα κακοῖς τὰς τῶν οἰκείων προκαταλαμβάνοντες συμφοράς. τί γὰρ δεινὸν ἐν ἡμῖν, ὃ μὴ φθάσας ὁ χρόνος ἀπέδειξε; τί δ' ἂν γένοιτο καινόν, ὃ μὴ πρὸς εἰκόνα παραπλησίαν ἀνάγεται; ἀλλ' εἴ γε φίλον ἡμῖν τῆς τύχης ὀφθῆναι κρείττοσι, πρὸς τὸν τῆς συνήθους φιλοσοφίας ὅρμον ὑποδραμούμεθα, τίνες τέ ἐσμεν σκοποῦντες καὶ πόθεν ἀφίγμεθα, καὶ τίνες ἄρα τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων οἱ λόγοι, καὶ ὡς δεθέντας λυθῆναι δεῖ πάντως, ὁπηνίκα δόξει τῷ δήσαντι, καὶ ἀποθέσθαι τὸ προσωπεῖον, ὅπερ ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου δράματος περιτέθεικε ποιητής. τοῦτο γὰρ ὄντως ἡ τοῦ σαυτὸν γνῶθι παραίνεσις. τοῦτο σὸν ἔργον, ὦ σοφώτατε, καὶ τοὺς τῆς προνοίας ὡς οἶμαι λόγους συνεχῶς ἀνελίττοντος καὶ τοῖς σοφίας ἀμυήτοις καρτερίας σαυτὸν παρεχομένου παράδειγμα. ὅθεν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπανέλθωμεν, τὸ "1ἀλλὰ τί κεν ῥέξαιμι"2 λέγοντες, καὶ τὸ "1θεὸς διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ"2. ταῦτα γὰρ σκοπῶν σαυτοῦ τε δράσεις ἄξια καὶ τὸ θεῖον παρασκευάσεις εὐμενέσι ποτὲ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν ὀφθαλμοῖς. 126 Ἰωάννηι ∆έδεγμαί σου τὴν φίλην καὶ γέμουσαν ὄντως ἀφροδίτης ἐπιστολήν, τῆς μὲν μακρᾶς σιωπῆς σωκρατικῶς αἰτιωμένην ἡμῖν τὸ δαιμόνιον, τὸν δὲ χαμαὶ κείμενον ἐμὲ καὶ πρὸς ὕψος ἀρετῆς ἀναβλέπειν οὐκ ἔχοντακαὶ τί γὰρ ἕτερον ἢ σοφιστήν, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπισκώψειας; εἰς αὐτὴν φιλοσοφίαν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις ἀνάγουσαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἀκοὴν ὑποσυρομένην, ὅπως κλαπεῖσα τοῖς μηδὲν προσήκουσιν ἐπαίνοις, ἀνάσχοιτο πράως κατηγορουμένης ῥητο ρικῆς καὶ φέροι τὰ συνήθη ταῦτα δὴ τερετίσματα, τὸ "1πολιτικῆς μορίου εἴδωλον"2 καὶ τὸ "1δήμοις ὁμιλεῖν"2 καὶ ὅσα δὴ παιζόντων ἐθέλουσι λόγοι· οὐ γὰρ εἴποιμι, φθονούντων αἰδοῖ, φιλοσοφίας καὶ Πλάτωνος. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ οἶμαι περὶ τῆς τέχνης, ὦ σοφώτατε, τἀναντία φρονῶν σκωμμάτων ὡς ἔοικε χάριν ὄνου φασὶ σκιὰν ἐγκαλεῖς, Θρασυμάχους ἡμῖν καὶ Πώλους ἐπεισκυκλῶν καὶ ὅσα δὴ Πλάτωνος ἀνεπλάσαντο χάριτες. ἀλλὰ παῦσαι λοιπόν, ὦ λῷστε, τὰ μέγιστα τῶν πραγμάτων ἀγορεύων κακῶς. εἰ δὲ μή ... ἀλλ' εἰς ἀμείνω καιρὸν ἐπέχω τὴν ἀπειλήν. 127 ∆ιοδώρωι Τοῖς ὑμετέροις γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν παλαιᾶς εὐδαιμονίας ἀφικόμην εἰς μνήμην, τὸν Νεῖλον ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῷ τῆς ὑμετέρας θέας ἀπόλαυσιν τῇ διανοίᾳ τυπούμενος, καί μοι δακρύειν ἐπῆλθε τὴν τῆς τύχης ῥοπὴν ὡς ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρεφομένην. νῦν μὲν συνάγει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ἐλπίσειε, νῦν δὲ πάλιν διίστησιν οὓς παρ' ἐλπίδα συνήγαγεν. ἀλλὰ σοφόν τι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐμηχανήσαντο