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ἀεὶ τῆς τύχης μέγα
δυνάμενον, καὶ ὅτι τῷ γενέσθαι τι μικρὸν ἢ
μὴ γενέσθαι τι πολλάκις ὑπῆρξεν ἐνίοις τυχεῖν ἢ διαμαρτεῖν τῶν μεγίστων,
μικρᾶς Τύχης ἱερὸν ἱδρύσατο, προσέχειν διδάσκων τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ μὴ
καταφρονεῖν διὰ μικρότητα τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων.
‘διὰ τί λύχνον οὐκ ἐσβέννυσαν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸν
ὑφ᾽ 1 ἑαυτοῦ περιεώρων μαραινόμενον’ πότερον ὡς συγγενὲς καὶ ἀδελφικὸν
σεβόμενοι τοῦ ἀσβέστου καὶ ἀθανάτου πυρός, ἢ καὶ τοῦτο σύμβολόν ἐστι
τοῦ μὴ δεῖν τὸ ἔμψυχον, ἂν μὴ βλάπτῃ, διαφθείρειν μηδ᾽ ἀναιρεῖν, ὡς
ζῴῳ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐοικότος; καὶ γὰρ τροφῆς
δεῖται καὶ αὐτοκίνητόν ἐστιν καὶ σβεννύμενον φωνὴν ἀφίησιν ὥσπερ
φονευόμενον. ἢ διδάσκει τὸ [p. 296] ἔθος ἡμᾶς, ὅτι δεῖ μήτε
πῦρ μήθ᾽ ὕδωρ μήτ᾽ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων αὐτοὺς ἄδην ἔχοντας
διαφθείρειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐᾶν χρῆσθαι τοὺς δεομένους καὶ ἀπολείπειν ἑτέροις,
ὅταν αὐτοὶ μηκέτι χρείαν ἔχωμεν;
Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1889. 2.
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