Plutarch, De cohibenda ira, ed. William W. Goodwin, 14

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[14]

FUNDANUS.

Neither ought any, even in their playing and jesting, to give way to their anger, for it turns good-will into hatred; nor when they are disputing, for it turns a desire of knowing truth into a love of contention; nor when they sit in judgment, for it adds violence to authority; nor when they are teaching, for it dulls the learner, and breeds in him a hatred of all learning; nor if they be in prosperity, for it increases envy; nor if in adversity, for it makes them to be unpitied, if they are morose and apt to quarrel with those who commiserate them, as Priam did:—

Be gone, ye upbraiding scoundrels, haven’t ye at home

Enough, that to help bear my grief ye come?

On the other hand, good temper doth remedy some things, put an ornament upon others, and sweeten others; and it wholly overcomes all anger and moroseness by gentleness. As may be seen in that excellent example of Euclid, who, when his brother had said in a quarrel, Let me perish if I be not avenged of you, replied, And let me perish if I do not persuade you into a better mind; and by so saying he straightway diverted him from his purpose, and changed his mind. And Polemon, being reviled by one that loved precious stones well and was even sick with the love of costly signets, answered nothing, but noticed one of the signets which the man wore, and looked wistfully upon it. Whereat the man being pleased said: Not so, Polemon, but look upon it in the sunshine, and it will appear much better to you. And Aristippus, when there happened to be a falling out between him and Aeschines, and one said to him, O Aristippus, what is now become of the friendship that was between you two? answered, It is asleep, but I will go and awaken it. Then coming to Aeschines, he said to him, What? dost thou take me to be so utterly wretched and incurable as not to be worth thy admonition? No wonder, said Aeschines, if thou, by nature so excelling me in every thing, didst here also discern before me what was right and fitting to be done.

A woman’s, nay a little child’s soft hand,

With gentle stroking easier doth command,

And make the bristling boar to couch and fall,

Than any boisterous wrestler of them all.

But we that can tame wild beasts and make them gentle, carrying young wolves and the whelps of lions in our arms, do in a fit of anger cast our own children, friends, and companions out of our embraces; and we let loose our wrath like a wild beast upon our servants and fellow-citizens. And we but poorly disguise our rage when we give it the specious name of zeal against wickedness; and it is with this, I suppose, as with other passions and diseases of the soul,—although we call one forethought, another liberality, another piety, we cannot so acquit and clear ourselves of any of them.

De cohibenda ira. Plutarch. ed. William W. Goodwin. Boston. 1874.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Concerning the cure of anger: a dialogue (English) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. I. Goodwin, William W., editor; Dillgham, William, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.)

Editions (1)

Περὶ ἀοπγησίας Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol III. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1891.) — 14 focus

[14]

ΦΟΥΝΔ.

δεῖ δὲ μήτε παίζοντας αὐτῇ διδόναι τόπον, ἔχθραν γὰρ ἐπάγει τῇ φιλοφροσύνῃ· μήτε κοινολογουμένους, φιλονεικίαν γὰρ ἐκ φιλολογίας ἀπεργάζεται· μήτε δικάζοντας, ὕβριν γὰρ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ προστίθησι· 462c μήτε παιδεύοντας, ἀθυμίαν γὰρ ἐμποιεῖ καὶ 15 μισολογίαν μήτʼ εὐτυχοῦντας, αὔξει γὰρ τὸν φθόνον· μήτε δυστυχοῦντας, ἀφαιρεῖ γὰρ τὸν ἔλεον, ὅταν δυσκολαίνωσι καὶ μάχωνται τοῖς συναχθομένοις· ὡς ὁ Πρίαμος

ἔρρετε, λωβητῆρες, ἐλεγχέες· οὔ νυ καὶ ὑμῖν¹ 20

ἔστι² γόος, ὅτι μʼ ἤλθετε κηδήσοντες;

ἡ δʼ εὐκολία τοῖς μὲν βοηθεῖ τὰ δʼ ἐπικοσμεῖ τὰ δὲ συνηδύνει, περιγίγνεται δὲ τῇ πραότητι καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ δυσκολίας ἁπάσης· ὥσπερ Εὐκλείδης, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ διαφορᾶς εἰπόντος ἀπολοίμην, 25 εἰ μή σε τιμωρησαίμην· ἐγὼ δέ φήσας ἀπολοίμην, 462d εἰ μή σε πείσαιμι διέτρεψε παραχρῆμα καὶ μετέθηκε. πολέμων δέ, λοιδοροῦντος αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπου φιλολίθου καὶ περὶ σφραγίδια πολυτελῆ νοσοῦντος, ἀπεκρίνατο μὲν οὐδὲν τῶν σφραγιδίων δʼ ἑνὶ προσεῖχε τὸν νοῦν καὶ κατεμάνθανεν· ἡσθεὶς οὖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος μὴ οὕτως εἶπεν ὦ Πολέμων, ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ 5 αὐγὰς θεῶ, καὶ πολύ σοι βέλτιον φανεῖται ὁ δʼ Ἀρίστιππος, ὀργῆς αὐτῷ πρὸς Αἰσχίνην γενομένης καί τινος εἰπόντος ὦ Ἀρίστιππε, ποῦ ὑμῶν ἡ φιλία; καθεύδει φησὶν ἐγὼ δʼ αὐτὴν ἐγερῶ· καὶ τῷ Αἰσχίνῃ προσελθὼν εἶπεν οὕτω σοι δοκῶ παντάπασιν 10 ἀτυχής τις εἶναι καὶ ἀνήκεστος, ὥστε μὴ 462e νουθεσίας τυχεῖν; ὁ δʼ Αἰσχίνης οὐδέν ἔφη θαυμαστόν, εἰ πρὸς πάντα μου τῇ φύσει διαφέρων κἀνταῦθα τὸ δέον πρότερος συνεῖδες.

καὶ γὰρ κάπρον φριξαύχενʼ οὐ μόνον γυνή,³ 15

παῖς δʼ ἂν νεογνὸς χειρὶ προσκνήθων νέᾳ

κλίναι⁴ παλαιστοῦ παντὸς εὐμαρέστερον.

ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς ἀγριαίνοντα τιθασεύομεν ζῷα καὶ πραΰνομεν, λυκιδεῖς καὶ σκύμνους λεόντων ἐν ταῖς ἀγκάλαις 462f περιφέροντες, εἶτα τέκνα καὶ φίλους καὶ συνήθεις 20 ἐκβάλλομεν ὑπʼ ὀργῆς· οἰκέταις δὲ καὶ πολίταις τὸν θυμὸν ὥσπερ θηρίον ἐφίεμεν οὐ καλῶς ὑποκοριζόμενοι μισοπονηρίαν, ἀλλʼ⁵ ὥσπερ, οἶμαι, τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ νοσημάτων τὸ μὲν πρόνοιαν τὸ δʼ ἐλευθεριότητα τὸ δʼ εὐσέβειαν καλοῦντες 25 οὐδενὸς ἀπαλλαγῆναι δυνάμεθα.

Translations (1)

On the Control of Anger Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. VI. Helmbold, William Clark, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 14 focus

[14]

FUNDANUS.

Surely we should allow no place to anger even in jest, for that brings enmity in where friendliness was; nor in learned discussions, for that turns love of learning into strife; nor when rendering judgement, for that adds insolence to authority; nor in teaching, for that engenders discouragement and hatred of learning; nor in prosperity, for that increases envy; nor in adversity, for that drives away compassion when men become irritable and quarrel with those who sympathize with them, as Priam¹ did:

Be gone, you wretched, shameful men! Have you

No cause for grief at home that you have come

To trouble me?

But a cheerful disposition in some circumstances is helpful, others it adorns, and still others it helps to sweeten; by its gentleness it overcomes both anger and all moroseness. Thus Eucleides,² when his brother said to him after a quarrel, Damned if I don’t get even with you! answered, But as for me, may I be damned if I don’t convince you! and so at once turned him from his purpose and won him over. And Polemon, when a man who was fond of precious stones and quite mad about expensive seal-rings reviled him, made no answer, but fixed his gaze on one of the seal-rings and eyed it closely. The man, accordingly, was pleased and said to him, Do not look at it in this light, Polemon, but under the sun’s rays, and it will appear to you far more beautiful. Aristippus, again, when anger had arisen between him and Aeschines and someone said, Where now, Aristippus, is the friendship of you two? replied, It is asleep, but I shall awaken it; and, going to Aeschines, he said, Do I appear to you so utterly unfortunate and incurable as not to receive correction from you? And Aeschines replied, No wonder if you, who are naturally superior to me in all things, should in this matter also have discerned before I did the right thing to do.

For not a woman only, even a child,

Tickling the bristly boar with tender hand,

May throw him easier than a wrestler might.³

But we who tame wild beasts and make them gentle and carry about in our arms young wolves and lions’ cubs,⁴ then under the impulse of rage cast off children, friends, and companions and let loose our wrath, like some wild beast, on servants and fellow-citizens - we, I say, do not well to use a cozening word for our anger by calling it righteous indignation,⁵ but it is with anger, I believe, as with the other passions and diseases of the soul: we can rid ourselves of none of them by calling one foresight, another liberality, another piety.

Notes on the current edition

Concerning the cure of anger: a dialogue

1. Il. XXIV. 239.

Plutarch De cohibenda ira 14

ed. William W. Goodwin

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