VI. ΟΥΟΛΣΕΙΟΣ. οὕτω δὴ ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς οὗτος, ἀνὴρ γεγονὼς ἐπιφανέστατος φύσεώς τε ἅμα δυνάμει καὶ φιλοπονίᾳ, ταύταις δὲ διὰ παντὸς ἐπὶ πλεονεξίᾳ χρησάμενος ὥστε καὶ ἐπικινδύνως τῇ πόλει ἀπ ̓ αὐτῶν ἰσχῦσαι ἐν ᾧ πολλοὶ πολλὰ ἐκίνουν τε καὶ ἐνεωτέ ριζον. τούτοις μέντοι τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι διεπράξατο τῶν μεγίστων πραγμάτων κύριος γενέσθαι, οὐ μόνον τῶν τῆς πόλεως ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἁπάσης οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἦν τῶν δυναστείαν που ἐχόντων ὅτῳ οὐ ξυνέβη ἐκείνῳ τι ἐπικοινώσασθαι. ἦν δὲ τὰ ἄλλα γένει ἄδοξος οὕτω καὶ φαῦλος ὥστε μηδένα ποτὲ ἐρημότερον ὑπάρξαι τῶν ὠφελησόντων· διὸ δὴ καὶ μά λιστα ἐπιμελὲς αὐτῷ ἐγένετο μηδενὶ τῶν δυνατῶν ἀπαρέσκειν' εἶχε δὲ οὐδ ̓ οὕτως ἀσφαλὴς εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς πανταχόθεν τότε δύναμιν περιποιουμένους. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐπράσσετο, τοῖς μὴ τυχοῦσι τῶν δεήσεων τὰ πλεῖστα ἀπηχθάνετο· ἐξ ὧν δὴ τὸ μὲν πικρὸν αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν ἀλλ ̓ ἢ παρωξύνετο, ἓν δὲ ἀπέβη ἀγαθόν, ὅτι μᾶλλον ἐσπούδαζε δίκαιος εἶναι· οἷος καὶ ἐδόκει γενέσθαι τὰς δημοσίας δίκας δικάζων· οὐδενὶ γὰρ εὐνοῶν οὕτω τῷ λόγῳ ἤδη ἐπείθετο. ἀπάταις δὲ ἐχρῆτο οὐ πολλαῖς ὡς ἀνὴρ εὐφυής, ἅτε τὰ πολλὰ τῶν πραγμάτων εὐλαβῶς οὕτω διατιθέμενος ὥστε πλέον ἔχειν πίστιν ἀποδοὺς ἢ ψευσάμενος. ἡ δὲ λέξις τῶν ἐπιστολῶν εὔπορος μᾶλλον ἢ εὔγλωσσος, ἀεὶ δ ̓ ἐπίκαιρος. τὸ δ ̓ οὖν κεφάλαιον εἰ ἀληθές ἐστι τὸ man did ever rise with fewer vertues, it is true that few that ever fell from so high a place had lesser crimes objected against him. . HERBERT OF CHERBURY. VII. EVILS COUNTERACT EACH OTHER. In the material world, we see all disorders cured by their own excesses: a sultry calm fails not to produce a storm, which dissipates the noxious vapours, and restores a purer air; the fiercest tempest, exhausted by its own violence, at length subsides; and an intense sun-shine, whilst it parches up the thirsty earth, exhales clouds, which quickly water it with refreshing showers. Just so in the moral world, all our passions and vices, by their excesses, defeat themselves: excessive rage renders men impotent to execute the mischiefs which they threaten; repeated treacheries make them unable to deceive, because no one will trust them; and extreme profligacy, by the diseases which it occasions, destroys the appetites, and works an unwilling reformation. As in the natural world, the elements are restrained in their most destructive effects by their mutual opposition; so in the moral, are the vices of mankind prevented from being totally subversive of society by their continually counteracting each other: profusion restores to the public the wealth which avarice has detained from it for a time; τοῦ Πολυδώρου, μηδένα πώποτε ἀπ ̓ ἐλασσόνων ἀρετῶν αὐξηθῆναι, ἀληθὲς μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὀλίγων δὴ τοσαύτης τιμῆς ἐκπεσόντων ἐλάσσω κακὰ κατηγορήθη. VII. R. C. J. ΚΑΚΩΙ ΚΑΚΟΝ ΕΠΑΝΟΡΘΟΥΤΑΙ. τῶν μὲν δὴ ὁρατῶν τὰ νοσοῦντα αὐτὰ αὑτὰ ἰᾶται ἑκάστοτε σφοδρὰ γιγνόμενα φιλεῖ γὰρ ἐκ νηνεμίας μὲν πνιγηρᾶς χειμὼν ἀποβαίνειν ὁ διασκεδῶν τὰ νοσώδη τοῦ ἀέρος καὶ ὑγιεινότερον παρέξων αὖθις· τυφὼς δὲ κἂν πάνυ λάβρος τις ᾖ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ ἀποκαμὼν τὸ ἰσχυρὸν τελευτῶν ἐκοιμίσθη γῆν δὲ διψηρὰν ἅμα ξηραίνουσα ἡ ἄκρατος εἵλη νεφέλας ἀποτίκτει, αἱ δ ̓ ὑετοῖς αὐτὴν ψυχροῖς ἔβρεξαν εὐθύς. ἔχει δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἠθικῶν ὡσαύτως· ὅσαι γὰρ ἐπιθυμητικαὶ καὶ πονηραὶ τῶν πράξεων αὐταὶ περὶ αὑτὰς σφάλλονται καθ ̓ ὑπερβολὴν γιγνόμεναι ἥ τε γὰρ σφοδρὰ ὀργὴ ἀδυνάτους ποιεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἷς ἀπειλοῦσι κακὰ ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ προδοσίαι προδοσίαις ἐπιγενόμεναι τὸ ἐξαπατῶν ὑφαιροῦσι μηδενὸς ἔτι πιστεύοντος· ἡ δὲ πολλὴ ἀκολασία ἐπειδὴ νόσους ἐμποιοῦσα τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἀπόλλυσιν ἄκοντά τινα μετεῤῥύθμισεν εἰς ἐγκράτειαν. τῶν δὲ αἰσθητῶν ὥσπερ ἐναντιούμενα ἀλλήλοις τὰ φυσικὰ κατέχεται μὴ τὰ μέγιστα βλάπτειν, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἠθικῶν αἱ πονηραὶ πράξεις ἀντιῤῥόπως ἔχουσαι ἀλλήλαις κ λύονται μὴ καὶ διαλῦσαι παράπαν τὸ πολιτικόν. αὐτίκα γὰρ ὧν μὲν χρημάτων ὁ φιλάργυρος ἐπὶ χρόνον ἀπεστέρει τοὺς πλείστους ταῦτα ἀποτίνει envy clips the towering wings of ambition; and even revenge, by its terrors, prevents many injuries and oppressions: the treachery of the thief discovers his accomplices; and the villainy of the assassin puts an end to the cruelty of a tyrant. SOAME JENYNS. VIII. CHARACTER MORE POWERFUL THAN CIRCUMSTANCE. Experience testifies that natural advantages scarcely ever do for a community, no more than fortune and station do for an individual, anything like what it lies in their nature or in their capacity to do. Neither now nor in former ages have the nations possessing the best climate and soil been either the richest or the most powerful; but (in so far as regards the mass of the people) generally among the poorest, though, in the midst of poverty, probably on the whole the most enjoying. Human life in those countries can be supported on so little, that the poor seldom suffer from anxiety, and in climates in which mere existence is a pleasure, the luxury which they prefer is that of repose. Energy at the call of passion they possess in abundance, but not that which is manifested in sustained and persevering labour and as they seldom concern themselves enough about remote ὁ ἄσωτος, φιλοτιμίας δὲ τῆς ἄγαν ὑψηλῆς συντέμνει τὰς πτέρυγας ὁ φθόνος· καὶ μὴν καὶ τὸ ἀνταδικεῖν φοβερὸν ὂν πολλούς γ ̓ ἀποσοβεῖ τοῦ μὴ ἀδικεῖν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν· καὶ κακουργῶν μὲν ὁ κλέπτης ἐμήνυσε τοὺς συνειδότας, πανουργῶν δ ̓ ὁ φονεὺς τὸν ὑβριστὴν τῆς ὠμότητος κατέπαυσεν. R. C. J. VIII. ΗΘΟΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΩΙ ΔΑΙΜΩΝ. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ ἡ ἐμπειρία ὅτι τὰ φύσει ὑπάρχοντα ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀγαθὰ οὐδέποτε ὡς εἰπεῖν τοσαύτην οὐδὲ παραπλησίαν ἔργῳ παρέχει ὠφέλειαν ὅσην πέφυκέ τε καὶ δύναται παρέχειν· ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ τινὶ ὁ πλοῦτος καὶ ἡ εὐγένεια· οἱ γὰρ μά λιστα μὲν εὐδαιμονοῦντες πρὸς ὡρῶν εὐκρασίαν, γῆν δὲ ἔχοντες ἀρίστην, οὗτοι οὔτε νῦν οὔτε πάλαι ποτὲ γεγόνασιν οὔτε τῶν πλουσιωτάτων οὔτε τῶν δυνατωτάτων· τῶν πενεστάτων μὲν οὖν οἵ γε πλεῖστοι αὐτῶν ἑκάστοτε, ὄντες μέντοι μετὰ τούτου, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα διαγόντων. ἀρκούσης γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις τόποις τῆς ἀναγκαιοτάτης τροφῆς ὥστε ἀποζῆν οὐ πολλὰ δεῖ μεριμνᾶν τοὺς πένητας· ὅπου δὲ διὰ τὴν τοῦ αἰθέρος κρᾶσιν αὐτὸ τὸ ζῆν ἡδύ ἐστι, ἐνταῦθα ἥδιστον παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς τὸ ἡσυχάζειν. προθυμίαν γὰρ τὴν μὲν ὀργῇ ὑπακουσομένην ἔχουσιν ἄφθονον, τὴν δὲ καρτερεῖν πεφυκυῖαν καὶ πόνῳ προσταλαιπωρεῖν οὔ· εἰωθότων δὲ τὰ μὴ παρὰ πόδας ῥᾳθυμότερον |