On the Moral Philosophy of Epicurus, Observation 13

Various sayings about the Wise Man.

...he spoke concerning sexual intercourse; namely, that it is a "small epilepsy." This is because Stobaeus Johannes Stobaeus was a fifth-century compiler of extracts from Greek authors. refers this to Eryximachus, and Macrobius refers it to Hippocrates. I pass over these things, but among those points that could be brought forward to confirm this saying, nothing could be more In the precepts on health, 6. Epidemics section 4. commendable than what Plutarch says was excellently stated (partly following Hippocrates): that the most healthful things are original: τροφῆς ἀκοιλίαν, καὶ πόνων ἀοκνίην, καὶ σπέρματος ἑοῦς συντήρησιν eating without reaching satiety, being diligent in labor, and preserving the substance of the seed.

He will not take a wife, nor father children; unless some circumstance requires it.

Paragraph 20. And he will not marry, nor will he procreate, original: Καὶ μηδὲ γαμήσειν, μηδὲ τεκνοποιήσειν in place of, And indeed he will not marry, nor will he procreate. original: Καὶ μὴν οὐ γαμήσειν, οὐ τεκνοποιήσειν Thus, indeed, Casaubon Isaac Casaubon was a renowned Renaissance classical scholar. does not without reason believe, since this saying follows from the one above; and the latter part of it, which is a kind of exception, suggests it should be read no other way. Add to this that Epictetus, for this reason, mocks Epicurus more than once. He says, for In Arrian, Book 3, chapter 7. example: You imagine an Epicurean city; I will not marry, nor will I have a wife; for one must not marry, nor must one procreate children. original: ὃ γὰρ γαμητέον, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ παιδοποιητέον And again: But you, Epicurus, why do you dissuade the Wise Man from teknotrophia raising children? Theodoret, however, Book 1, chapter 23. 2. Stromata. makes Epicurus a companion of Democritus in this matter, while he rebukes both for commanding one to original: παραιτεῖσθαι τὸν γάμον, καὶ τὴν παιδογονίαν refuse marriage and the fathering of children. This is the very thing that Clement teaches, when after he said Democritus original: παραιτεῖσθαι γάμον, καὶ παιδοποιΐαν, διὰ τὰς πολλὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀηδίας τε, καὶ ἀσχολίας ἀπὸ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτέρων repudiates marriage and the procreation of children because of the many annoyances perceived from them, and because of the distraction from more necessary things; he adds that Epicurus agrees with him, as do all those who original: ἐν ἡδονῇ, καὶ ἀοχλησίᾳ, ὅτι ᾖ καὶ ἀλυπίᾳ τἀγαθὸν τιθέν) place the Good in pleasure and the absence of disturbance and pain. Furthermore, Epictetus attacks the reason given by Democritus in the case of Epicurus as well. For to those words, "What do you fear?" he adds: Namely this, lest you fall into troubles because of these things. original: μὴ διὰ ταῦτα εἰς λύπας ἐμπέσῃς And immediately: But Epicurus knows that as soon as a child is born, it is no longer in our power not to love it or care for it. original: ὅτι ἂν ἅπαξ γένῃ) παιδίον, οὐκέτι ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἐστι μὴ στέργειν, μηδὲ φροντίζειν ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ And again: He dares to say, he says, the reason why we should not have children, that it does not come from lack of enjoyment of offspring, nor from pain, but that a human can enjoy them. original: ὅτι προϐαίνειν μὴ ἐκ ἀπολαύσεως τὸ ἀπὸ ἐκγόνου, οὐδὲ λύπης, ἀνθρώπῳ δ’ ἀπολαύειν Since neither a sheep nor a wolf deserts its own offspring, a human is even less able to desert them; nor can he fail to be affected, original: ἰδὼν παιδίον αὐτοῦ κλαῖον, ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν πεπτωκός seeing his little boy wailing and fallen upon the ground. It is very strange that these things and more are so exaggerated (but certainly with Stoic passion) by that excellent man, especially since he himself

was unmarried and followed a sect whose founder, Zeno, neither took a wife nor fathered On page 79. children. Thus, when Demonax gave advice to Epictetus himself that he should both take a wife and have children, he very wittily said: Give me, then, O Epictetus, one of your own daughters; original: ἐκεῖν’, ὦ Ἐπίκτητε, δός μοι μίαν τῶν σαυτοῦ θυγατέρων which is indeed found in Lucian. Meanwhile, I say nothing of Plato, of Thales, and of so many other Wise Men and great men who, by neither marrying nor fathering children, proved the saying of Epicurus in actual practice. For also among us, those who are considered to be wise above others even dedicate themselves to celibacy by solemn vows, which is not necessary to mention here. Let it suffice, since it is known to everyone from what troubles they exempt themselves who abstain from marriage, that Epicurus advised nothing else than this: if anyone wished to decline many kinds of troubles and therefore acted wisely, he should live free from marriage. Epictetus, however, attacks him as if he wanted this to be persuaded not to a few certain students of wisdom, but to all, or to men of any condition; or as if there were a danger that the human race would fail because of a lack of those seeking marriage and procreating children. Most importantly, when Epicurus judges in the latter part of the saying that a circumstance can occur such that the Wise Man might both marry and have children; he anticipates whatever can be most strongly objected, lest they should seem not to be wise who, while entering into marriage, look out for themselves, their family, or the Republic.
I have, moreover, restored in this part "will father children" original: τεκνοποιήσειν instead of "will be turned away," original: διατραπήσεσθαι both so that there would be complete agreement with the earlier part, and because the act of consulting the aversion to marriage, which would be meant by the word "turned away," seemed to have been provided for in the earlier part.

He will not spend the night in heavy drinking.

Paragraph 25. Nor will he pass the night in drunkenness. original: Οὐδὲ νυκτερεύσειν ἐν μέθῃ I read "spend the night" original: νυκτερεύσειν instead of "certainly not observe," original: μὴν τηρήσειν because otherwise there would be no sense that could be drawn from it; and Epicurus could have been referring to those dinners which were sometimes prolonged through the night original: διὰ νυκτός, or, as Athenaeus has it from Aristophanes, original: δι’ ὅλης νυκτός through the whole night. This even refers to the banquet of Plato, in which Socrates himself is led in Book 7. to spend the whole night (and indeed with a cup that could be called a well). I should not remain silent, however, that this saying can be seen to cohere with the one above and related ones, insofar as it is almost an inseparable warning about fleeing Venus and wine:

Neither by the love of Venus, nor of wine should you be captured,
The same can look toward laws similar to those,
which Athenaeus records Xenocrates and Aristotle to have prescribed Book 5. for the banquets of Philosophers. Naturally, Epicurus also established certain banquet gatherings, as is understood from his will; and although his followers...