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we are carried, nor because of the bronze-gilded gold do we slander the unadulterated, nor because of the counterfeit purple dye do we mock the genuine, nor on account of unskilled painters do we accuse the skilled, nor because of wicked men do we hate the virtuous, nor if we find some unskillful physician, do we then forbid the medical art, but both of painters and of physicians, and indeed of shoemakers and of bronze-smiths and of goldsmiths we admire the best, but those who do not practice the art with precision we are accustomed to mock; but the arts themselves, even if we find no one who is skilled, we do not tolerate 12.83 to be slandered. For it is most absurd because of those who are blind in their eyes to find fault with the sense of sight itself as useless, and because of those whose tongue is tied to accuse the organs of speech as unnecessary, and because of stopped-up ears to call the sense of hearing superfluous. 12.84 So, therefore, it is truly dreadful and unjust on account of those who transgress the laws to accuse both the laws themselves and those who have been zealous to keep them. For not even if some carpenter should correctly align the measuring line, but incorrectly using the adze should corrupt the marks of the ink, either by removing what is inside beyond it or by leaving excess on the outside, is the measuring line to be blamed, which shows what is straight; for the fault is surely the 12.85 carpenter's ignorance. Therefore the laws hold the place of a certain measuring line and rule and square; and of those who use them some direct their own life in the best way, but others, choosing the easiest things instead of the best, step outside of their straightness. Therefore, these are to be accused, but the laws are to be praised. 12.86 For not even if an excellent physician should prescribe to a sick person to partake of some things, but to not partake of others at all, and then that man, caring little for the medical instructions, should prefer pleasure to the cure and by eating or drinking the forbidden things should increase the disease, should we blame the physician as treacherous. For indeed from the sick man's lack of self-control, not from the advisor's foresight, the disease was increased. 12.87 Therefore, having considered these things and whatever is similar to them, praise the lawgiver of the saving laws, and of the laws themselves admire what is beneficial and useful for life; and becoming like certain spectators of praiseworthy contests, proclaim some as their guardians, but against those who have transgressed do not cast an equal 12.88 vote. For not all transgress with the same purpose. For indeed we humans commit many faults even against our judgment; and these the laws themselves call involuntary. For indeed someone having thrown a stone at a dog or something else, missed it, but killed a man; for such sufferings indeed 12.89 Herodotus also sings of. And often someone holding an axe and cutting wood unwillingly hurled the iron head at someone passing by. To these and such as these, as being involuntary, the laws grant pardon. And voluntary acts also have no small difference. For it is not the same for someone provoked by some wrath and anger to strike his neighbor and send him to his death, not having planned this nor having struck with this intent, as it is to bring about death from plotting and ambush and forethought; for the one was from a lack of control of anger, but the other from extreme wickedness; and the one was not wholly, but the other wholly of the 12.90 will. So also not all men fall into the sins of sensual pleasure in the same way; but some, while hardly looking curiously at beautiful bodies are ensnared, and somewhere they even see them suddenly and are enslaved by the passion, with reason departing from its leadership; but others make it their life to feast their eyes on such a sight. 12.91 And some do not even enjoy food or drink without fear, but are nevertheless defeated while wrestling, since they do not wish to wrestle skillfully; but others are gluttonous and live luxuriously and devise every form of indulgence and stir up their other appetites with all sorts of contrivances, and are indeed vexed when they are extinguished.

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φόμεθα, οὐδὲ διὰ τὸν ὑπόχαλκον χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν ἀκίβδηλον δια βάλλομεν, οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἐψευσμένην πορφύραν καὶ τὴν ἀληθινὴν σκώπτομεν, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀμαθῶν ἕνεκα ζωγράφων καὶ τῶν ἐντέχνων κατηγοροῦμεν, οὐδὲ διὰ τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τοὺς σπουδαίους μισοῦμεν, οὐδὲ ἤν τινα εὕρωμεν ἀνεπιστήμονα ἰατρόν, ἤδη καὶ τὴν ἰατρικὴν ἀπαγορεύομεν τέχνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ζω γράφων καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν σκυτοτόμων καὶ τῶν χαλκοτύπων καὶ τῶν χρυσοχόων τοὺς μὲν ἀρίστους θαυμάζομεν, τοὺς δὲ τὴν τέχνην οὐκ ἀκριβοῦντας σκώπτειν εἰώθαμεν· τὰς δέ γε τέχνας, κἂν μηδένα ἐπιστήμονα εὕρωμεν, διαβάλλειν οὐκ 12.83 ἀνεχόμεθα. Τῶν γὰρ ἀτοπωτάτων διὰ τοὺς τυφλώττοντας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ὀπτικὴν αἴσθησιν διαψέγειν ὡς ἄχρηστον, καὶ διὰ τοὺς τὴν γλῶτταν πεπεδημένους τῶν τῆς φωνῆς ὀργάνων ὡς οὐκ ἀναγκαίων κατηγορεῖν, καὶ διὰ τὰ βεβυσμένα ὦτα τὴν ἀκουστικὴν αἴσθησιν περιττὴν ὀνομάζειν. 12.84 Οὕτω τοίνυν ἀληθῶς σχέτλιόν τε καὶ ἄδικον τῶν τοὺς νόμους παραβαινόντων εἵνεκα καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν νόμων κατηγορεῖν καὶ τῶν τούτους φυλάττειν ἐσπουδακότων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴ τις τέκτων κατὰ λόγον μὲν εὐθύνοι τὴν στάθμην, παρὰ λόγον δὲ τῷ σκεπάρνῳ χρώμενος διαφθείροι τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ μέλανος, ἢ περαιτέρω ταύ της τῶν ἔνδον ἀφαιρούμενος ἢ περιττὰ ἔξωθεν καταλείπων, τὴν στάθμην αἰτιατέον, ἣ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐπιδείκνυσι· τῆς γάρ τοι τοῦ 12.85 τέκτονος ἀμαθίας ἡ ἁμαρτία. Οὐκοῦν οἱ νόμοι στάθμης τινὸς καὶ κανόνος καὶ γνώμονος ἐπέχουσι τάξιν· τῶν δὲ τούτοις χρω μένων οἱ μὲν ἄριστα τὸν οἰκεῖον διευθύνουσι βίον, οἱ δὲ τὰ ῥᾷστα ἀντὶ τῶν βελτίστων προαιρούμενοι ἔξω τῆς τούτων εὐθύτητος βαίνουσιν. Τοιγάρτοι τούτων μὲν κατηγορητέον, τοὺς δὲ νόμους ἐπαινετέον. 12.86 Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴ τις ἄριστος ἰατρὸς ἐπιτάξοι τῷ κάμνοντι τῶν μὲν μεταλαβεῖν, τῶν δὲ μὴ μετασχεῖν παντελῶς, εἶτα ἐκεῖνος, ὀλίγον τῶν ἰατρικῶν ὑποθηκῶν φροντίσας, τῆς θεραπείας προτιμήσοι τὴν ἡδονὴν καὶ τὰ ἀπειρημένα φαγὼν ἢ πιὼν αὐξήσοι τὴν νόσον, τὸν ἰατρὸν ὡς ἐπίβουλον αἰτιώμεθα. Ἐκ γὰρ δὴ τῆς τοῦ κάμνοντος ἀκρασίας, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ξυμβουλεύσαντος προμηθείας ἡ νόσος ηὐξήθη. 12.87 Ταῦτα τοίνυν ξυλλογισάμενοι καὶ ὅσα τούτοις προσόμοια, τὸν μὲν τῶν σωτηρίων νόμων νομοθέτην ὑμνήσατε, αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν νόμων θαυμάσατε τὸ βιωφελὲς καὶ ὀνήσιμον· καὶ οἷον θεωροί τινες τῶν ἀξιεπαίνων ἀγώνων γινόμενοι, τοὺς μὲν τούτων ἀνακηρύξατε φύλακας, κατὰ δὲ τῶν παραβεβηκότων μὴ τὴν ἴσην 12.88 ἐξενέγκητε ψῆφον. Οὐ γὰρ ἴσῳ γε σκοπῷ παραβαίνουσιν ἅπαντες. Πολλὰ γὰρ δὴ καὶ παρὰ γνώμην πλημμελοῦμεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· καὶ ταῦτα καὶ αὐτοί γε οἱ νόμοι καλοῦσιν ἀκούσια. Καὶ γὰρ δὴ κατὰ κυνός τις ἢ ἄλλου του λίθον ἀκοντίσας, τοῦ μὲν διήμαρτεν, ἄνθρωπον δὲ κατέκτεινε· τοιαῦτα γὰρ δὴ πάθη καὶ Ἡρόδοτος 12.89 ᾄδει. Πολλάκις δέ τις πέλεκυν ἔχων καὶ ξύλα τέμνων κατά τινος παριόντος ἄκων ἠκόντισε τὸν σίδηρον. Τούτοις καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, ὡς ἀκουσίοις, ξυγγνώμην οἱ νόμοι προσνέμουσιν. Καὶ τὰ ἑκούσια δὲ οὐ σμικρὰν ἔχει διαφοράν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴσον ὑπό τινος ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ τινα παροξυνόμενον πατάξαι τὸν πέλας καὶ παραπέμψαι τῷ θανάτῳ, οὐ τοῦτο προβουλευσάμενον οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ γε παίσαντα, καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς καὶ λόχου καὶ προνοίας τυρεῦσαι τὸν θάνατον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἀκρασίας θυμοῦ, τὸ δὲ πονηρίας ἐσχάτης· καὶ τὸ μὲν οὐχ ὅλον, τὸ δὲ ὅλον τῆς 12.90 γνώμης. Οὕτω καὶ ταῖς τῆς ἡδυπαθείας οὐχ ἅπαντες ὁμοίως οἱ ἄνθρωποι περιπίπτουσιν ἁμαρτίαις· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἥκιστα περιεργαζόμενοι τὰ εὐπρεπῆ τῶν σωμάτων περιπείρονται, ἔσθ' ὅπῃ δὲ καὶ ὁρῶσιν ἐξαπίνης καὶ καταδουλοῦνται τῷ πάθει, τοῦ λογισμοῦ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐξισταμένου· οἱ δὲ βίον ἔχουσι τὸ τῇ τοιᾷδε θεωρίᾳ 12.91 τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑστιᾶν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν οὐδὲ σιτίων οὐδὲ ποτῶν ἀπολαύουσιν ἀδεῶς, ἡττῶνται δὲ ὅμως παλαίοντες, ἐπειδὴ παλαίειν ἐπιστημόνως οὐ βούλονται· οἱ δὲ ὑπερμαζῶσι καὶ τρυφῶσι καὶ πᾶν εἶδος ἐπινοοῦσι χλιδῆς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ὀρέξεις διερεθίζουσι παντοδαπαῖς ἐπινοίαις, καὶ μέντοι καὶ σβεννυμένων ἀσχάλλουσιν.