Oxyrhynchus Papyrus

1095. [Isocrates] Ad Demonicum. Find an explanation of the colors displayed in the Greek text here.
25.6 x 8.5 cm.	Fourth century.
This is a leaf from a papyrus book, complete at the top and bottom but broken at the side, so that about half the letters in each line are lost. It is inscribed in a clear semicursive hand of medium size, and probably of the fourth century. Stops in three positions occur, apparently added by the original scribe, to whom a rough breathing in l. 47 also seems to be due ; but a few accents are differentiated by a rather darker coloured ink than that of the text, which is of a brownish shade. Isocrates papyri have not as a rule been distinguished for good qualities (cf. e.g. 844), and in particular their chief representative for the Ad Demonicum, P. Berlin 8935, which is attributed to the second century, displays an extraordinary divergence of tradition. 1095 follows the normal type of text and is on the whole a creditable witness. As might be anticipated, there are occasional coincidences with the deteriores (ll. 3-4, 17), but agreements with the superior group of MSS., of which the chief is the Codex Urbinas (Γ) predominate. In the collation appended below, which is based on E. Drerup's edition, I do not include unsupported readings of the eccentric Berlin papyrus. Another papyrus at Strassburg is available for comparison only at § 45.
Recto. 40 σιν άσκει μεγιστον γαρ εν ελαχιστωι νους αγαθος εν ανθρωπου σωματι πει ρω το μεν σωμα ειναι φιλοπονος την δε ψυχην φιλοσοφος ινα τωι μεν επιτε ι λειν δυνη τα δοξαντα τηι δε προραν επι ι 41 στη τα συμφεροντα παν ο τι αν μελληις ερειν. προτερον επισκοπει τηι γνωμηι πολλοις γαρ η γλωττα προτρεχει της δια νοιας· νομιζε μηδεν ειναι των αν θρωπίνων βεβαιον ουτω γαρ ουτ ευτυχων εσει περιχαρης ουδε δυστυχων περιλυπος 42 δυο ποιοῦ καιρους του λεγειν η περι ων οι σθα σαφως η περι ων αναγκαιον ειπειν εν τουτοις γαρ μονοις ο λογος της σιγης κρειττων· εν δε τοις αλλοις αμεινον σι γαν η λεγειν. χαιρε μεν επι τοις συμβαι νουσι τον αγαθων και λυπου μετριως ε πι τοις γινομενοις των κακων γινου δε τοις αλλοις μηδ εν ετεροις ων καταδη λος· ατοπον γαρ την μεν ουσιαν εν ταις οικιας αποκρυπτειν την δε διανοιαν 43 φανεραν εχοντα περιπατειν μαλλον ευλαβου ψογον η κινδυνον δει γαρ ειναι φοβεραν τοις μεν φαυλοις την του βιου τελευτην· τοις δε σπουδαιοις την εν τωι ζην αδοξιαν· μαλιστα μεν πειρω ζην κατα την ασφαλιαν εαν δε ποτε σοι συμβηι κινδυνευειν ζητει την εκ του πολεμου σωτηριαν μετα καλης δοξης αλλα μη με τ᾽ αισχρὰς φημης. το μεν γαρ τελευτησαι παντων η πεπρωμενη κατεκρινε το δε καλως αποθανειν ιδιον τοις σπουδαιοις 44 απενειμε. και μη θαυμασηις ει πολλα των /ˉˉειρημενων ου πρεπει σοι προς την νυν	Verso. παρουσαν ηλικιαν ουδε γαρ εμε τουτο διε λαθεν αλλα προειλομην δια της αυτης πρα γματειας αμα του τε παροντος βιου συμβου λιαν εξενεγκειν και του μελλοντος χρονου παραγγελμα καταλιπειν· την μεν γαρ του των χρειαν ραδιως ειδήσεις· τον δε με τ ευνοιας συμβουλευοντα χαλεπως ευρη σεις οπως συν μη παρ ετέρου τα λοιπα ζητηις αλλ εντευθεν ωσπερ εκ ταμειου προφερηις ωιηθην δειν μηδεν παρα 45 λιπειν ων εχω σοι συμβουλευειν πολ λην δ αν τοις θεοις χαριν σχοιην ει μη διαμαρτοιμι της δοξης ης εχων περι σου τυγχανω των μεν γαρ αλλων τους πλειστους ευρησομεν ωσπερ των σιτιων τοις ηδιστοις μαλλον η τοις υγιεινοτατοις χαιροντας ουτω και των φιλων τοις συν εξαμαρτανουσι πλησιαζοντας· αλλ ου τοις νουθετουσι σε δε νομιζω τουναντι ον τουτων εγνωκεναι τεκμηριωι χρω μενος τηι περι την αλλην παιδειαν φι λοπονιαι τον γαρ αυτωι τα βελτιστα πρατ [ τειν επιταττοντα τουτον εικος και των αλλων τους επι την αρετην παρακαλουν 46 τας αποδεχεσθαι μαλιστα δ αν παροξυν [ θειης ορεχθηναι των καλων εργων ει καταμαθοις οτι και τας ηδονας εκ του των μαλιστα γηνσιως εχομεν· εν μεν γαρ τωι ραθυμειν και τας πλησμονας α γαπαν ευθυς αι λυπαι ταις ηδοναις παρα πεπηγασι το δε περι την αρετην φιλοπο νειν και σωφρονως τον εαυτου βιον οι κονομειν αει τας τερψεις ειλικρινεῖς
[Recto:] [40] '. . . [intellect]; for the greatest thing in the small compass is a sound mind in a human body. Strive with all your body to be a lover of toil, and with your soul to be a lover of wisdom, in order that with the one you may have the strength to carry out your resolves, and with the other the intelligence to foresee what is for your good. [41] Always when you are about to say anything, first weigh it in your mind; for with many the tongue outruns the thought. Let there be but two occasions for speech --when the subject is one which you thoroughly know and when it one on which you are compelled to speak. On these occasions alone is speech better than silence; on all others, it is better to be silent than to speak. [42] Consider that nothing in human life is stable; for then you will not exult overmuch in prosperity, nor grieve overmuch in adversity. Rejoice over the good things which come to you, but grieve in moderation over the evils which befall you, and in either case do not expose your heart to others; for it were strange to hide away one's treasure in the house, and yet walk about laying bare one's feelings to the world. [43] Be more careful in guarding against censure than against danger; for the wicked may well dread the end of life, but good men should dread ignominy during life. Strive by all means to live in security, but if ever it falls to your lot to face the dangers of battle, seek to preserve your life, but with honour and not with disgrace; for death is the sentence which fate has passed on all mankind, but to die nobly is the special honour with nature has reserved for the good. [Verso:] [44] Do not be surprised that many things which I have said do not apply to your at your present age. For I also have not overlooked this fact, but I have deliberately chosen to employ this one treatise, not only to convey to you advice for your life now, but also to leave with you precepts for the years to come; for you will then readily perceive the application of my precepts, but you will not easily find a man who will give you friendly counsel. In order, therefore, that you may not seek the rest from another source, but that you may draw from this as from a treasure-house, I thought that I ought not to omit any of the counsels which I have to give you. [45] And I shall be most grateful to the gods if I am not disappointed in the opinion which I have of you. For, while we find that the great majority of other men seek the society of those friends who join them in their follies and not of those to admonish them, just as they prefer the most pleasant to the most whole some, you, I think, are minded otherwise as I judge from the industry you display in your general education. For when one sets for himself the highest standard of conduct, it is probable that in his relation to others he will approve only of those who exhort him to virtue. [46] But most of all you would be spurred on to strive for noble deeds if you should realize that it is from them most of all that we also derive pleasure in the true sense. For while the result of indolence and love of surfeit is that pain follows on the heels of pleasure, on the other hand, devoted toil in the pursuit of virtue, and self-control in the order of ones life always yield delights . . . [that are pure and more abiding.]' (Source: Isocrates, Isocrates with an English translation by George Norlin, Loeb Classical Library (London: Heinemann, 1923)
3-4. το μ[ε]ν σωμα: so ΛΠΣΥ P. Berl.; τῷ μὲν σώματι Γ. Drerup, with Blass, writes τῷ σώματι μέν. την δε ψυχην: so ΠΣΥ ; τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ Γ. φιλοπ. . . . ψυχην om. P. Berl. 5. επι]στηι: ἐπιστήσῃ ΣΥ. 7. [ε]ρειν: so probably the papyrus, not [λε]γειν with ΛΠ P. Berl. 9-11. The sentence νομιζ[ε] . . . περιλυπος stands in this position in all MSS. and is retained there by Drerup. H. Wolf transposed it and ll. 12-16 δυο . . .λεγειν, an arrangement adopted by subsequent editors. 11. ουδε: l. ουτε. 12. π]οιου καιρ[ο]υς: καιροὺς ποιοῦ Υ Stobaeus. 17. κ[αι λυπου: so Λ; λυποῦ δὲ Γ, &c. The remains of the κ are slight, but they are inconsistent with λ. 30. The grave accent on αισχρας should have been a circumflex. 31. παντων: πάντοτε Σ, πάντως Υ Stobaeus. 32. To add η φυσις (ΠΣΥ Stobaeus) after σπουδαιοις would clearly overload the line, and these two words were no doubt omitted as in Γ P. Berl. They are retained by Blass and other editors, but not by Drerup. 33. The angular paragraphus below this line marks a new section. 40-1. μ[ετ ευνοιας συμβουλευ]οντα: σοι συμβ. μετ᾽ εὐν. ΛΠ, συμβουλευσοντα μετ ευν. P. Berl. 42. παρ ετ́ερου τα λοιπ[α: so Γ ; τὺ λοιπὰ μὴ παρ᾽ ἑτ. ΛΠ and P. Berl. (ετερων). 44-5. It is possible that αν preceded εχω as in ΛΠΣΥ ; the syllable λι may have stood in l. 44. 47. ης: ην ΛΠ. 55. παιδειαν so Γ P. Berl., P. Arg. σου παιδείαν ΛΠΣΥ. 57. τω[ν αλλων: τους αλλους P. Arg. 61. εκ: τὰς ἐκ Λ. The supplement at the beginning of this line is rather longer than would be expected, but, as it includes four iotas and two omicrons, may be passed. 66. εαυτου: the scribe first wrote εαυτων. ἑαυτοῦ ΛΠ Stobaeus, αὑτοῦ Γ.