15.1 Μέμνησο ὅτι ὡς ἐν συμποσίῳ σε δεῖ ἀναστρέφεσθαι. περιφερόμενον γέγονέ τι κατὰ σέ· ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα κοσμίως μετάλαβε. παρέρχεται· μὴ κάτεχε. οὔπω ἥκει· μὴ ἐπίβαλλε πόρρω τὴν ὄρεξιν, ἀλλὰ περίμενε μέχρις ἂν γένηται κατὰ σέ. οὕτω πρὸς τέκνα, οὕτω πρὸς γυναῖκα, οὕτω πρὸς ἀρχάς, οὕτω πρὸς πλοῦτον· καὶ ἔσῃ ποτὲ ἄξιος τῶν θεῶν συμπότης. ἂν δὲ καὶ παρατεθέντων σοι μὴ λάβῃς ἀλλ' ὑπερίδῃς, τότε οὐ μόνον συμπότης τῶν θεῶν ἔσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνάρχων. οὕτω γὰρ ποιῶν Διογένης καὶ Ἡράκλειτος καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοι ἀξίως θεῖοί τε ἦσαν καὶ ἐλέγοντο.
notes
Act As You Do at a Symposium
Epictetus compares how one should act in life to the way that a good guest would behave at a party. Cf. Diss. 2.4.10.
ἀναστρέφεσθαι: > ἀναστρέφω, pres. pass. infin., “behave”
περιφερόμενον … σέ: “Something that is being carried around is before you,” i.e., someone (presumably a servant) has brought some hors d’oeuvres to you. γέγονε: > γίνομαι, 3 sg. perf. act. ind.
παρέρχεται: “it passes by,” i.e. you miss the passing tray of food.
μὴ ἐπίβαλλε πόρρω τὴν ὄρεξιν: “don’t thrust your appetite forward.” ὄρεξις is a philosophical term meaning “desire,” properly directed only at virtue. Here it is used concretely of the appetite for food, but with an awareness of its philosophical application.
μέχρις ἂν: “until” + subj. (G. 631; S. 2399)
ἔσῃ: > εἰμί, 2 sg. fut. mid. ind.
παρατεθέντων: > παρατίθημι, aor. pass. part. gen. n. pl.; it is the partitive genitive object of λάβῃς: “of the things placed before you.”
οὐ μόνον ... ἀλλὰ καὶ: not only ... but also
οὕτω ... ποιῶν: “by acting like this.”
Διογένης: on Diogenes of Sinope, see the Introduction, Predecessors.
Ἡράκλειτος: Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535 – c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic philosopher. Many Stoics believed Heraclitus anticipated Stoic doctrines. See A.A. Long, Stoic Studies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1996), ch.2: “Heraclitus and Stoicism.”
vocabulary
συμπόσιον, -ου, τό, a drinking-party, banquet
ἀναστρέφω, ἀναστρέψω, ἀνέστρεψα, to turn upside down; (pass.) to behave or conduct oneself
περιφέρω, περιοίσω, περιήνεγκα, to carry round
ἐκτείνω, ἐκτενῶ, ἐξέτεινα, to stretch out
κοσμίως, (adv.) moderately
μεταλαμβάνω, μεταλήψομαι, μετέλαβον, to take a share of, partake of a thing
κατέχω, καθέξω, κατέσχον, to hold back, restrain
οὔπω, not yet
ἐπιβάλλω, ἐπιβαλῶ, ἐπέβαλον, to throw, cast
πόρρω, forward, further (a later form of πρόσω)
ὄρεξις, -εως, ἡ, desire
περιμένω, περιμενῶ, περέμεινα, to wait for, await
πλοῦτος, -ου, ὁ, wealth
συμπότης, -ου, ὁ, a fellow-drinker, guest
παρατίθημι, παραθήσω, παρέθηκα, to place beside, to set before
ὑπεροράω, ὑπερόψομαι, ὑπερεῖδον, to overlook, despise
συνάρχω, συνάρξω, συνῆρξα, to rule jointly with