39.1 Μέτρον κτήσεως τὸ σῶμα ἑκάστῳ, ὡς ὁ ποὺς ὑποδήματος. ἐὰν μὲν ἐπὶ τούτου στῇς, φυλάξεις τὸ μέτρον· ἐὰν δὲ ὑπερβῇς, ὡς κατὰ κρημνοῦ λοιπὸν ἀνάγκη φέρεσθαι· καθάπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὑποδήματος, ἐὰν ὑπὲρ τὸν πόδα ὑπερβῇς, γίνεται κατάχρυσον ὑπόδημα, εἶτα πορφυροῦν, εἶτα κεντητόν· τοῦ γὰρ ἅπαξ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον ὅρος οὐδείς ἐστιν.
notes
Moderation in Material Possessions
If you go beyond the appropriate needs of the body you will not be able to stop accumulating.
μέτρον κτήσεως: “the measure of possessing,” i.e., “the appropriate size of one’s possessions.” Supply ἐστί.
ὡς ὁ ποὺς: supply μέτρον ἐστί.
ἐὰν ... στῇς: “if you stand upon this,” i.e., “if you abide by this principle”
ὡς: “as it were”
λοιπόν: supply χρόνον, “for the remaining time,” i.e., “in the end,” “inevitably”
ἐπὶ τοῦ ὑποδήματος: “when it comes to one’s shoes,” (LSJ ἐπί A.I.2.f, + gen. with verbs of perceiving, observing, judging, etc. = “in the case of”)
τοῦ … τὸ μέτρον: genitive after ὅρος, “of (the thing) once beyond appropriate limit,” i.e., “once you go beyond the appropriate limit.”
vocabulary
μέτρον, -ου, τό, a measure, moderation
κτῆσις, -εως, ἡ, possession, property
ὑπόδημα, -ατος, τό, a sandal, shoe
ὑπερβαίνω, ὑπερβήσομαι, ὑπερέβην, to go beyond, overstep, transgress
κρημνός, -οῦ, ὁ, cliff
καθάπερ, (adv.) just as, as if
κατάχρυσος, -ον, gilded
πορφύρεος, -η, -ον, dark red, purple or crimson
κεντητός, -ή, -όν, embroidered
ἅπαξ, (adv.) once
ὅρος,-ου, ὁ, limit