2504. People like this cause the greatest trouble for those who are laboring for the public weal, whom they despise and consider to be slaves, nor do they begrudge them any joy of life, so that they might carry out their functions with pleasure, but regard them as being far below themselves, as if they were born to servitude, and as if they themselves were born to rule. So they deprive them of all enjoyment, put them in disgrace with their master, who then finally looks on them as vile people and his flatterers as lords whom he greatly esteems. Thus he takes away from his servants all comfort, becoming himself like those flatterers, because he takes them into his circle on account of their flatteries. In short, they create all kinds of trouble for the servants, for the commonwealth, depriving them of all the joy of life, consolation, and hope, destroying the citizens and thereby the state.
2504. (Such men cause the greatest annoyance to those who are industrious [laborant] in the commonwealth, whom they despise, and consider to be servants [slaves]; they leave them nothing of a pleasant life, so that when they perform their duties with pleasantness they regard them as far beneath themselves, born as it were to slavery [servitude], and they themselves born to rule; wherefore they snatch from them all pleasantness, bring them into contempt with their master, who therefore at last regards them as vile men, and mere flatterers, like lords [dominos], whom they esteem of greatest consequence, and so take from his servant all satisfaction [salutium], because he becomes like these [flatterers]; inasmuch as he takes them into [his] society on account of their flatteries. In a word, they contrive [creant] every annoyance to the servants of the commonwealth, and take from them all that is pleasant in life, all comfort and hope, and so destroy citizens, consequently the state.
2504. Tales homines molestiam maximam faciunt iis qui innrepublica laborant, quos contemnunt, et putant servos esse, nec iis relinquunt quicquam vitae jucundae, ut cum jucunditate functiones suas agant, respiciunt eos tanquam longe infra se, natos quasi in servitutem, et ii se natos quasi in dominatum, quare eripiunt iis omnem jucunditatem, [eos] in contemtum apud dominum 1
agunt, qui sic demum eos spectat sicut viles homines, et assentatores modo sicut dominos, quos maxime aestimat 2
, sic omne solatium servis suis eximit, quia fit similis iis, quia in societatem eos adsciscit, ob eorum assentationes; verbo omnem molestiam creant servis, reipublicae, eisque omnem vitam jucundam, solatium,
(2505.) spem, adimunt, sic destruunt cives, proinde civitatem. Tales quoque apud me aliquibus diebus fuerunt, qui sibi vivere [student], non reipublicae, et mihi omnem jucunditatem vitae [erant] adimentes, sibi arrogantes omnia, quod faciebant eo modo, in altera {a}, quod modo ex curiositate audire et percipere vellent, quod legi, et cum ceperint ea, sibi arrogaverint, relinquentes porro me, sic ut cum multa molestia opus agere tenerer: ex quibus mihi manifestatum est, quales sunt qui sibi solum student, et qui sibi solum indulgent, et praeterea nihil curantes [sunt], haec in eorum praesentia scripta 3
. 1748, 3 Julius. Ii nusquam alium usum intendunt, quam pro se; h.e., usus reipublicae 4
iis nullus est, sed sui, quare sunt tales qui non ab usu seu ab amore usus ducuntur.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has dominos
2. The Manuscript has aestimant
3. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has scriptum
4. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has reipub: