[77-78,40] βούλεται μὲν οὖν καὶ προθυμεῖται καθ´ ὅσον οἷός τέ ἐστι βοηθεῖν ἅπασιν· ἡττᾶται δ´ ἑτέρων ἐνίοτε ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ οὐδὲν ἢ μικρὸν ἰσχύει παντελῶς. λοιπὸν δὲ τὴν αὑτοῦ διάνοιαν καθαίρει τῷ λόγῳ καὶ πειρᾶται παρέχειν ἀδούλευτον, πολὺ μᾶλλον περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας μαχόμενος ἡδοναῖς τε καὶ δόξαις καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἅπασι μετ´ ὀλίγων τῶν βουλομένων ἢ Λακεδαιμόνιοί ποτε τὰ στενὰ καταλαβόντες ἐμάχοντο πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας, ὀλίγοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες, τρεῖς ἐφεξῆς νύκτας τε καὶ ἡμέρας, μέχρι κυκλωθέντες δι´ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς προδοσίαν ἐν ταὐτῷ μένοντες κατεκόπησαν· {οἳ τὴν Σπάρτην ἐνόμιζον ἐλευθέραν διαφυλάττειν ἀτείχιστον οὖσαν·} (77-78,41) τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἀσκῶν καὶ συνεθίζων κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν πονεῖν, οὐκ ἐᾷ θρύπτεσθαι λουτροῖς τε καὶ ἀλείμμασι καὶ μύροις, μέχρι ἂν γένηται μαλακώτερον καὶ σαθρότερον, ὥσπερ κακὸν σκεῦος. ταῦτα δὲ ὁρῶντες ἔνιοι δι´ εὐήθειαν αὐτὸν ἐπιτηδεύειν καὶ ἀφροσύνην φασί, τὸ πλουτεῖν ἐάσαντα καὶ τὸ τιμᾶσθαι καὶ τὸ διὰ παντὸς ἥδεσθαι, καὶ καταφρονοῦσι καὶ μαίνεσθαι νομίζουσι καὶ ἀτιμάζουσιν. (77-78,42) ὁ δὲ οὐκ ὀργίζεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς οὐδ´ ἔχει χαλεπῶς, ἀλλ´ ἔστιν οἶμαι καὶ πατρὸς εὐνούστερος ἑκάστῳ καὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ φίλων, καὶ δὴ καὶ τοὺς πολίτας τοὺς αὑτοῦ καὶ φίλους καὶ συγγενεῖς αἰδούμενος μέν, οὐκ ἀποκρυπτόμενος δὲ νουθετεῖ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὅσον τῶν ἄλλων οἰκειοτέρους τε καὶ ἀναγκαιοτέρους νενόμικεν, ὡς οἷόν τε ἐπιτείνας τοὺς λόγους καὶ σφοδροτέραν τὴν νουθεσίαν καὶ παρακέλευσιν ποιούμενος, αὑτῷ τε κἀκείνοις. (77-78,43) οὐδὲ γὰρ ἰατρός, ὅτῳ ἀνάγκη πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ἢ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παῖδας ἰᾶσθαι νοσοῦντας ἢ καὶ αὑτὸν διὰ σπάνιν τε καὶ ἐρημίαν ἄλλων ἰατρῶν, εἰ δέοι τέμνειν ἢ καίειν, ὅτι φιλεῖ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὸν πατέρα αἰσχύνεται καὶ τὴν μητέρα, διὰ τοῦτο ἀμβλυτέρῳ τῷ σιδήρῳ τέμοι ἂν καὶ χλιαρωτέρῳ τῷ πυρὶ καίοι, τοὐναντίον δὲ ὡς οἷόν τε ἰσχύοντι καὶ ἀκμαίῳ. (77-78,44) τὸν γοῦν Ἡρακλέα φασίν, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐδύνατο ἰάσασθαι τὸ σῶμα ὑπὸ νόσου δεινῆς κατεχόμενον, τοὺς υἱοὺς καλέσαι πρώτους κελεύοντα ὑποπρῆσαι λαμπροτάτῳ πυρί· τῶν δὲ ὀκνούντων καὶ ἀποστρεφομένων, λοιδορεῖν αὐτοὺς ὡς μαλακούς τε καὶ ἀναξίους αὑτοῦ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ μᾶλλον ἐοικότας, λέγοντα, ὡς ὁ ποιητής φησι, ποῖ μεταστρέφεσθ´, ὦ κακοὶ καὶ ἀνάξιοι τῆς ἐμῆς σπορᾶς, Αἰτωλίδος ἀγάλματα μητρός; (77-78,45) οὐκοῦν αὑτῷ πρώτῳ χρὴ καὶ τοῖς φιλτάτοις καὶ ἐγγυτάτω μετὰ πλείστης παρρησίας τε καὶ ἐλευθερίας προσφέρεσθαι, μηδὲν ἀποκνοῦντα μηδὲ ὑφιέμενον ἐν τοῖς λόγοις. πολὺ γὰρ χεῖρον {καὶ} διεφθαρμένου σώματος καὶ νοσοῦντος ψυχὴ διεφθαρμένη, μὰ Δία οὐχ ὑπὸ φαρμάκων χριστῶν ἢ ποτῶν οὐδὲ ὑπὸ ἰοῦ τινος διεσθίοντος, ἀλλ´ ὑπό τε ἀγνοίας καὶ πονηρίας καὶ ὕβρεως καὶ φθόνου δὴ καὶ λύπης καὶ μυρίων ἐπιθυμιῶν. τοῦτο τὸ νόσημα καὶ τὸ πάθος χαλεπώτερον ἐκείνου καὶ πολὺ μείζονος καὶ λαμπροτέρου δεόμενον ἐμπρησμοῦ· ἐφ´ ἣν ἴασιν καὶ ἀπόλυσιν χρὴ παρακαλεῖν ἀπροφασίστως καὶ πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ ξυγγενῆ καὶ ἀλλότριον καὶ πολίτην καὶ ξένον.

[77-78,40] Therefore he wishes, yes, is eager, in so far as he can, to aid all men; though sometimes he is defeated by other men and other practices and has little or no power at all. Finally, he purges his own mind by the aid of reason and tries to render it exempt from slavery, fighting in defence of freedom a much more stubborn battle against lusts and opinions and all mankind, aided by the few who wish to help him, than once the Spartans fought when, having seized the pass, they gave battle to all the hordes from Asia, few though those Spartans were, for three nights and days in succession until, having been enveloped through one man's treachery, they stood their ground and were hacked to pieces. 41 Moreover, (p299) he trains his body, inuring it to labour with all his might, not allowing it to become enervated by baths and ointments and perfumes until it becomes too soft and as unsound as a bad vessel. But some who see him say that he follows these practices out of foolishness and stupidity, having neglected the opportunity to be rich, to be honoured, and to life a life of continual pleasure, and they scorn him, think him insane, and esteem him lightly. 42 Yet he is not enraged at them or vexed; on the contrary, I believe he is kinder to each one than even a father or brothers or friends. And in fact, though he shows respect for his own fellow citizens and friends and kinsmen, still he does not hide his thoughts from them — all the more so because he believes them to be closer to him than all others through home ties and relationship — stressing his words as much as possible and increasing the vehemence of his admonition and exhortation for himself and them alike. 43 Take, for example, the physician; if he should find it necessary to treat father or mother or his children when they are ill, or even himself through scarcity or lack of other physicians, in case he should need to employ surgery or cautery, he would not, because he loves his children and respects his father and his mother, for that reason cut with a duller knife or cauterize with milder fire, but, on the contrary, he would use the most potent and vigorous treatment possible. 44 For example, they say of Heracles, that when he was unable to heal his body, which had become the victim of a dread malady, he called his sons first of all and ordered them to set (p301) fire to him with the most brilliant flame; but when they were reluctant and shrank from the ordeal, he abused them as weaklings and unworthy of him and more like their mother, saying, in the words of the poet, "Whither away, ye cravens and disgrace To my engendering, ye likenesses Of her, your mother, whom Aetolia bore"? 45 Therefore toward oneself first of all, and all toward one's nearest and dearest, one must behave with fullest frankness and independence, showing no reluctance or yielding in one's words. For far worse than a corrupt and diseased body is a soul which is corrupt, not, I swear, because of salves or potions or some consuming poison, but rather because of ignorance and depravity and insolence, yes, and jealousy and grief and unnumbered desires. This disease and ailment is more grievous than that of Heracles and requires a far greater and more flaming cautery; and to this healing and release one must summon without demur father or son, kinsman or outsider, citizen or alien.