Quaesitum atque tractatum, quam ob causam Sallustius avaritiam dixerit non animum modo virilem, sed corpus quoque ipsum effeminare.
1 Hieme iam decedente apud balneas Titias in area subcalido sole cum Favorino philosopho ambulabamus, atque ibi inter ambulandum legebatur Catilina Sallustii, quem in manu amici conspectum legi iusserat.
2 Cumque haec verba ex eo libro lecta essent: "Avaritia pecuniae studium habet, quam nemo sapiens concupivit; ea quasi venenis malis inbuta corpus animumque virilem effeminat, semper infinita et insatiabilis est, neque copia neque inopia minuitur",
tum Favorinus me aspiciens "quo" inquit "pacto corpus hominis avaritia effeminat? 3 quid enim istuc sit, quod animum virilem ab ea effeminari dixit, videor ferme assequi; set quonam modo corpus quoque hominis effeminet, nondum reperio."
4 "Et ego" inquam "longe iamdiu in eo ipse quaerendo fui ac, nisi tu occupasses, ultro te hoc rogassem."
5 Vix ego haec dixeram cunctabundus, atque inibi quispiam de sectatoribus Favorini, qui videbatur esse in litteris veterator, "Valerium" inquit "Probum audivi hoc dicere: usum esse Sallustium circumlocutione quadam poetica et, cum dicere vellet hominem avaritia corrumpi, corpus et animum dixisse, quae duae res hominem demonstrarent; namque homo ex animo et corpore est."
6 "Numquam," inquit Favorinus "quod equidem scio, tam inportuna tamque audaci argutia fuit noster Probus, ut Sallustium, vel subtilissimum brevitatis artificem, periphrasis poetarum facere diceret."
7 Erat tum nobiscum in eodem ambulacro homo quispiam sane doctus. 8 Is quoque a Favorino rogatus, ecquid haberet super ea re dicere, huiuscemodi verbis usus est: 9 "Quorum" inquit "avaritia mentem tenuit et corrupit quique sese quaerundae undique pecuniae dediderunt, eos plerosque tali genere vitae occupatos videmus, ut sicuti alia in his omnia prae pecunia, ita labor quoque virilis exercendique corporis studium relictui sit. 10 Negotiis enim se plerumque umbraticis et sellulariis quaestibus intentos habent, in quibus omnis eorum vigor animi corporisque elanguescit et, quod Sallustius ait, "effeminatur"."
11 Tum Favorinus legi denuo verba eadem Sallustii iubet atque, ubi lecta sunt, "quid igitur" inquit "dicimus, quod multos videre est pecuniae cupidos et eosdem tamen corpore esse vegeto ac valenti?"
12 Tum ille ita respondit non hercle inscite. "Quisquis" inquit "est pecuniae cupiens et corpore tamen est bene habito ac strenuo, aliarum quoque rerum vel studio vel exercitio eum teneri necessum est atque in sese colendo non aeque esse parcum. 13 Nam si avaritia sola summa omnes hominis partes affectionesque occupet et si ad incuriam usque corporis grassetur, ut per illam unam neque virtutis neque virium neque corporis neque animi cura adsit, tum denique id vere dici potest effeminando esse et animo et corpori, qui neque sese neque aliud curent, nisi pecuniam."
14 Tum Favorinus: "aut hoc," inquit "quod
dixisti, probabile est, aut Sallustius odio avaritiae plus, quam oportuit, eam
criminatus est."
A Discussion on Sallust’s Quote
that Greed “Effeminates” Both a Man’s Soul and his Body
1) At the end of
winter, when we were strolling outside of the Titian baths with Favorinus the philosopher,
he saw that his friend had a copy of Sallust’s Catiline and asked that
he read it aloud.
2) He got to the following
passage: “Greed has a lust for money, which no wise man desires; greed, dripping
with poison, effeminates both a man’s body and mind. It is never-ending and
unquenchable, and it never goes away, regardless of wealth or poverty.”
Turning to me,
Favorinus asked, “how can greed ‘effeminate’ a person’s body? 3) I understand
what he says about greed turning a man’s mind womanly, but I don’t know how it
can change a person’s body.”
4) “Yeah, I’ve thought about that as well for a
while, and I would have asked the same thing myself, if you hadn’t brought it
up.”
5) As soon as I
spoke this, one of Favorinus’ more erudite followers replied, “I heard Valerius Probus say that Sallust used
a certain poetic rhetorical device here. Since he wanted to say that a person was
corrupted by vice, he said “body and soul,” which are the two things that make up
a person, for a person is a body and a soul.”
6) Favorinus
replied, “I have never known our Probus to be as foolish as to think that
Sallust, the most concise author, would use poetic embellishments.”
At this point
another learned scholar from the courtyard entered the conversation. 8) Favorinus also asked him what he thought
of this quote. He replied, 9) “Greed
controls and corrupts their minds and they dedicate their entire being to
seeking out more money. We see many examples of this kind of person whose entire
lives are so dedicated to greed that every ounce of their energy is devoted to getting
more money, and they neglect exercising their body as well as other things to
keep them strong. All of this indoor, sedentary business takes up all of their
time, and so the strength of their body and mind goes numb, or ‘effeminate,’ as
Sallust says.”
11) Then Favorinus
asked for the Sallust quote to be repeated, and then said, “What then, can we
say about the many people who are greedy for money, but have strong and healthy
bodies?”
12) Then he
responded “Geez, I don’t know. I guess whoever has a greed for money as well as
a strong body must also have an equal desire to maintain their healthy body.
For if greed alone is a person's prime motivator, to the point that it
makes a person careless about their health, and all they care about is money,
then that must be what is means to “effeminate” a mind and body."
Then Favorinus
replied “Either what you say is correct, or Sallust was heavy-handed in his
hatred of greed.”
AULUS
GELLIUS |
MAP: |
Name: Aulus Gellius Date: 2nd. c. CE Works:
Attic Nights |
REGION UNKNOWN |
BIO: |
Timeline: |
Aulus Gellius lived during the 2nd
century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes
about literature, history, and grammar.
From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus
and Fronto. |
SILVER AGE LATIN |
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