Synesius of Cyrene→Alethius, (brother of Florentius)|c. 406 AD|Synesius of Cyrene
property economics
Letter 113: On Going to War
[1] To his Brother
How now? Shall we watch these foul fiends braving death so readily for the sake of others' property, that they may not have to give up to the owners what they may have plundered? And shall we be sparing of ourselves, and cling to our lives, when the question is one of defending our country, our altars, our laws, and our property, all the possessions that we have enjoyed for so many years? [2] At this rate we shall no longer look like men. For my part, just as I am, I must go against these barbarians . I must make trial to see what these enemies are who stop at nothing, what sort of people they are who dare to laugh the Romans to scorn, even though faring as they do now. A dromedary with the mange, says the proverb, can shoulder the burden of many asses. [3] Quite apart from all this, I see that in such cases all those who do not think of anything except saving their lives, generally succumb, whereas those who are ready to make the sacrifice escape the danger. I shall be among these. I shall fight as if I were at the point of death, and I have no doubt at all that I shall survive. I am a Lacedaemonian by descent, and I remember the letter which the magistrates addressed to Leonidas . "Let them fight as if doomed to die, and they will not die." note [Leonidas was the Spartan king who fought at Thermopylae . Synesius' reference is a bit odd, as Leonidas was killed in action.]
Letter 113: On Going to War
[1] To his Brother
How now? Shall we watch these foul fiends braving death so readily for the sake of others' property, that they may not have to give up to the owners what they may have plundered? And shall we be sparing of ourselves, and cling to our lives, when the question is one of defending our country, our altars, our laws, and our property, all the possessions that we have enjoyed for so many years? [2] At this rate we shall no longer look like men. For my part, just as I am, I must go against these barbarians . I must make trial to see what these enemies are who stop at nothing, what sort of people they are who dare to laugh the Romans to scorn, even though faring as they do now. A dromedary with the mange, says the proverb, can shoulder the burden of many asses. [3] Quite apart from all this, I see that in such cases all those who do not think of anything except saving their lives, generally succumb, whereas those who are ready to make the sacrifice escape the danger. I shall be among these. I shall fight as if I were at the point of death, and I have no doubt at all that I shall survive. I am a Lacedaemonian by descent, and I remember the letter which the magistrates addressed to Leonidas . "Let them fight as if doomed to die, and they will not die." note [Leonidas was the Spartan king who fought at Thermopylae . Synesius' reference is a bit odd, as Leonidas was killed in action.]
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Letter 113: On Going to War
[1] To his Brother
How now? Shall we watch these foul fiends braving death so readily for the sake of others' property, that they may not have to give up to the owners what they may have plundered? And shall we be sparing of ourselves, and cling to our lives, when the question is one of defending our country, our altars, our laws, and our property, all the possessions that we have enjoyed for so many years? [2] At this rate we shall no longer look like men. For my part, just as I am, I must go against these barbarians . I must make trial to see what these enemies are who stop at nothing, what sort of people they are who dare to laugh the Romans to scorn, even though faring as they do now. A dromedary with the mange, says the proverb, can shoulder the burden of many asses. [3] Quite apart from all this, I see that in such cases all those who do not think of anything except saving their lives, generally succumb, whereas those who are ready to make the sacrifice escape the danger. I shall be among these. I shall fight as if I were at the point of death, and I have no doubt at all that I shall survive. I am a Lacedaemonian by descent, and I remember the letter which the magistrates addressed to Leonidas . "Let them fight as if doomed to die, and they will not die." note [Leonidas was the Spartan king who fought at Thermopylae . Synesius' reference is a bit odd, as Leonidas was killed in action.]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.