Ah, Cancel Me With Death

~ sententiaeantiquae

Aristotle, Categories VII, 8a

“If you cancel what is perceived, then you also cancel the perception. But the cancelling of perception does not cancel the thing that is perceived.”

τὸ μὲν γὰρ αἰσθητὸν ἀναιρεθὲν συναναιρεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν, ἡ δὲ αἴσθησις τὸ αἰσθητὸν οὐ συναναιρεῖ

Cicero, Philippic 2.88

“Did the death of Caesar also cancel your belief about the auspices?”

Num etiam tuum de auspiciis iudicium interitus Caesaris sustulit?

Plutarch, Comparison of Philopoemen and Titus. 382

“…because of his anger, he was ready to cancel gratitude.”

ὁ δὲ θυμῷ λῦσαι χάριν ἕτοιμος

Cicero, Philippic 1. 21

“Is this a law or the cancellation of all laws?”

Haec utrum tandem lex est an legum omnium dissolutio?

Plato, Apology 36

“This guy, then, proposes to cancel me with death. Ok.. What should I propose instead of this, Athenians? Is it clear what I deserve? What is it? What do I deserve to suffer or to pay because I didn’t learn to live a quiet life and didn’t care about the things most people do, like making money, keeping up my household, leading armies, playing politics, taking public office and playing around in the clubs and factions of the city when I thought that I was too moderate, really, to stay safe if I did any of this?

So , I didn’t go to do the kinds of things I’d be useful for you and myself doing, but instead I approached people in private to provide them the greatest help, as I see it, and that’s where I went  trying to persuade each of you not to focus on your private possessions before thinking about how you make yourself as best and as thoughtful a person as possible, and not to think about the city’s interests before examining the city and taking care of it in the same way.

What kind of reward have I earned when I am this kind of person? Something good.”

     Τιμᾶται δ’ οὖν μοι ὁ ἀνὴρ θανάτου. εἶεν· ἐγὼ δὲ δὴ τίνος ὑμῖν ἀντιτιμήσομαι, ὦ ἄνδρες ᾿Αθηναῖοι; ἢ δῆλον ὅτι τῆς ἀξίας; τί οὖν; τί ἄξιός εἰμι παθεῖν ἢ ἀποτεῖσαι, ὅτι μαθὼν ἐν τῷ βίῳ οὐχ ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, ἀλλ’ ἀμελήσας ὧνπερ οἱ πολλοί, χρηματισμοῦ τε καὶ οἰκονομίας καὶ στρατηγιῶν  καὶ δημηγοριῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχῶν καὶ συνωμοσιῶν καὶ στάσεων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει γιγνομένων, ἡγησάμενος ἐμαυτὸν τῷ ὄντι ἐπιεικέστερον εἶναι ἢ ὥστε εἰς ταῦτ’ ἰόντα σῴζεσθαι, ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὐκ ᾖα οἷ ἐλθὼν μήτε ὑμῖν μήτε ἐμαυτῷ ἔμελλον μηδὲν ὄφελος εἶναι, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστον ἰὼν εὐεργετεῖν τὴν μεγίστην εὐεργεσίαν, ὡς ἐγώ φημι, ἐνταῦθα ᾖα, ἐπιχειρῶν ἕκαστον ὑμῶν πείθειν μὴ πρότερον μήτε τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μηδενὸς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι πρὶν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιμεληθείη ὅπως ὡς βέλτιστος καὶ φρονιμώτατος ἔσοιτο, μήτε τῶν τῆς πόλεως, πρὶν αὐτῆς τῆς πόλεως, τῶν τε ἄλλων οὕτω κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐπιμελεῖσθαι—τί οὖν εἰμι ἄξιος παθεῖν τοιοῦτος ὤν; ἀγαθόν τι…

 

 

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Original translations of famous words from Ancient Greece and Rome

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