Letter 186: Philosophy is an excellent thing, if only for this, that it even heals its disciples at small cost; for, in philosophy, the same thing is both dainty and healthy fare. I am told that you have recovered your failing appetite by pickled cabbage. Formerly I used to dislike it, both on account of the proverb, and because it reminded me of the pover...
Philosophy is an excellent thing, if only for this: it heals its students cheaply. In philosophy, the same dish is both a delicacy and good medicine.
I am told that you have restored your failing appetite with pickled cabbage. I used to look down on the stuff -- partly because of the proverb [a Greek proverb about cabbage being a sign of poverty], and partly because it reminded me of the poverty that came with it. But now I am forced to change my mind. I laugh at the proverb when I see that cabbage is such a fine nursemaid of men, and has restored our governor to the vigor of youth.
From now on I shall think nothing compares to cabbage -- not Homer's lotus, not even that ambrosia, whatever it was, that fed the gods on Olympus.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
[Πρός: Ἀντιπάτρῳ ἡγεμόνι]
Ὡς καλὴ ἡ φιλοσοφία, τά τε ἄλλα, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲ ἰατρεύεσθαι πολυτελῶς τοῖς τροφίμοις αὐτῆς ἐπιτρέπει· ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ὄψον ἐστὶ παρʼ αὐτῇ καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν ἀρκεῖ. τὰς γάρ τοι ὀρέξεις ἀποκαμούσας, ὡς ἐπυθόμην, κράμβαις ἐν ὄξει ταριχευθείσαις ἀνεκαλέσω· ἃς ἐγὼ πρότερον μὲν ἐδυσχέραινον καὶ διὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, καὶ ὅτι ὑπόμνημα ἦσαν τῆς συντρόφου πενίας.
Νῦν δέ μοι δοκῶ καὶ ἐμαυτὸν μεταπείσειν, καὶ τῆς παροιμίας καταγελάσεσθαι, ὁρῶν αὐτὴν οὕτως ἀγαθὴν κουροτρόφον, ἣ τὸν ἄρχοντα ἡμῶν εἰς ἀκμὴν ἐπανήγαγε. καὶ οὐδὲν εἶναι τοῦ λοιποῦ κατʼ αὐτὴν ἡγήσομαι, οὐχ ὅπως τὸν Ὁμηρικὸν λωτόν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὴν ἀμβροσίαν ἐκείνην, ἥτις ποτʼ ἄρα ἦν, ἡ τοὺς Ὀλυμπίους χορτάζουσα.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from New Advent / NPNF.
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