Triptolemus

Now if death be of such a nature, I say that to die is gain, for eternity is then only a single night.

But if death is the journey to another place, and there, as men say, all the dead abide, what good, O my friends and judges, can be greater than this? If indeed, when the pilgrim arrives in the world below, he is delivered from the professors of justice in this world, and finds the true judges who are said to give judgment there, Minos, and Rondamontus, and Aecus, and Triptolemus, and other sons of God, who were righteous in their own life, that pilgrimage will be worth making.

what would not a man give if he might converse with orpheus and musae and hesiod and homer nay if this be true let me die again and again i myself too shall have a wonderful interest in their meeting and conversing with palamedes and ajax the son of telamon and any other ancient hero who has suffered death through an unjust judgment and there will be no small pleasure as i think in comparing my own sufferings with theirs above all i shall then be able to continue my search into true and false knowledge as in this world and also in the next and i shall find out who is wise and who pretends to be wise and is not What would not a man give, O judges, to be able to examine the leader of the great Trojan expedition, or Odysseus, or Cephasus, or numberless others, men and women, too? What infinite delight would there be in conversing with them and asking them questions? In another world they do not put a man to death for asking questions, assuredly not.

For, besides being happier than we are— they will be immortal if what is said is true wherefore o judges be of good cheer about death and know of a certainty that no evil can happen to a good man either in life or after death he and his are not neglected by the gods nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance.

Take my books, and you will learn how true and conformable to nature are the things which make me free from perturbations.

O great good fortune! O the great benefactor who points out the way! To Triptolemus all men have erected temples and altars, because he gave us food by cultivation, but to him who discovered truth and brought it to light and communicated it to all, not the truth which shows us how to live, but to live well.

Who of you for this reason has built an altar, or a temple, or has dedicated a statue, or who worships God for this? Because the gods have given the vine, or wheat, we sacrifice to them, but because they have produced in the human mind that fruit by which they design to show us the truth which relates to happiness, shall we not thank God for this? End of chapter 5 Chapter 6 of A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Enchiridion by Epictetus Translated by George Long, 1800-1879 This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by D.

Scott Warren, Seattle Against the Academics If a man, said Epictetus, opposes evident truths, it is not easy to find arguments by which we shall make him change his opinion.

The hut of Celeus.

Metanira is tending the sick boy, Triptolemus.

Celeus enters with a basket of berries and a load of firewood.

Ceres follows him, looking very sad.

She carries an armful of poppies for Triptolemus.

Wife, I bring you a guest.

I found her sitting on a stone by the roadside, beating her breast and calling her lost daughter.

I have lost mine."

Here and there I wander, seeking rest and finding none.

From Delos I come, fleeing from land to land, bearing my two children, Apollo and Diana.

Now, under the burning sun of Lycia, I faint with thirst and must drink before I can go farther.

From yonder hill I beheld with joy this lake of clear water.

ah wife i fear some poor traveller has lost his way and our rude neighbours instead of giving him food and shelter have set their dogs on him

I wish our neighbors were more hospitable.

The children throw stones at strangers, and the parents praise them for doing so.

Those children will be heartless, unkind men and women by and by.

Now, if death be of such a nature, I say that to die is gain, for eternity is then only a single night.

But if death is the journey to another place, and there, as men say, all the dead abide, what good, O my friends and judges, can be greater than this? IF INDEED, WHEN THE PILGRIM ARRIVES IN THE WORLD BELOW, HE IS DELIVERED FROM THE PROFESSORS OF JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD, AND FINDS THE TRUE JUDGES WHO ARE SAID TO GIVE JUDGMENT THERE, MINOS, AND ROTAMANTHUS, AND ECUS, AND TRIPTOLEMUS, AND OTHER SONS OF GOD WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS IN THEIR OWN LIFE, THAT PILGRIMAGE WILL BE WORTH MAKING.

What would not a man give if he might converse with Orpheus, and Musaeus, and Hesiod, and Homer? Nay, if this be true, let me die again and again.

I myself, too, shall have a wonderful interest in their meeting and conversing with Polymedes, and Ajax the son of Telamon, and any other ancient hero who has suffered death through an unjust judgment.' and there will be no small pleasure, as I think, in comparing my own sufferings with theirs.

Let me not handle it.

Feed me like a child, and pray the gods that it choke me not with golden grains, else I perish with hunger and thirst.

The slave offers bread to the lips of Midas, who tastes, then dashes it to the ground in frenzy.

now may all the gold that was ever mine be ground under foot of man may it be blotted from the earth so bacchus grunting my bone mocked me and now laughs at my distress i would give a mountain of solid gold for one draught of cool water

ah wife i fear some poor traveller has lost his way and our rude neighbours instead of giving him food and shelter have set their dogs on him

I wish our neighbors were more hospitable.

The children throw stones at strangers, and

the parents praise them for doing so.

Well could I nurse a new-born child, holding him in my arms, or keep house, or spread my master's bed in a recess of the well-built chamber, or teach the women their work.

So said the goddess, and straightway the unwed maiden Calidice, goodliest in form of the daughters of Calias, answered her, and said, Mother, what the gods send us we mortals bear perforce although we suffer for they are much stronger than we but now i will teach you clearly telling you the names of men who have great power and honour here and are chief among the people guarding our city's coif of towers by their wisdom and true judgments There is wise Triptolemus, and Dioclus, and Polyxenus, and blameless Eumolpus, and Dolecus, and our own brave father.

All these have wives who manage in the house, and no one of them, so soon as she had seen you, would dishonour you and turn you from the house.

But they will welcome you, for indeed you are godlike.

Now if death be of such a nature, I say that to die is gain; for eternity is then only a single night.

But if death is the journey to another place, and there, as men say, all the dead abide, what good, O my friends and judges, can be greater than this? If indeed when the pilgrim arrives in the world below, he is delivered from the professors of justice in this world, and finds the true judges who are said to give judgment there—Minos and Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus and Triptolemus, and other sons of God who are righteous in their own life—that pilgrimage will be worth making.

What would not a man give if he might converse with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesiod and Homer? Nay, if this be true, let me die again and again.

I myself, too, shall have a wonderful interest in their meeting and conversing with Palamedes, and Ajax the son of Telamon, and any other ancient hero who has suffered death through an unjust judgment; and there will be no small pleasure, as I think, in comparing my own sufferings with theirs.