Auctoritate Socraticorum quando quis de suo
The True Object of Praise
True praise belongs to the cultivation of the soul, which is a gift from God rather than a human achievement.
It is commended, and when praise belongs to another. And although those pipers of vanity are always insisting on the subversion of others, they are either rarer or less inclined to offer praise for what is most truly a person's own. For then everyone is most truly commended for what is their own, when the tongue of the speaker turns to the praises of wisdom. Everything else is foreign; what is a person's own is what they truly understand. It is their own, I say, yet it doesn't come from themselves but from Him whose gift it is—whatever in a person deserves praise. This isn't my own argument, but one that all wise people celebrate, and which is easy to find in the book titled 'On the God of Socrates'. I have taken care to include his words because of the elegance of their meaning and the graceful charm of their expression, so that the things written here might be more readily believed, once it is established that they flowed from the purest fountain of the ancients. Apuleius says, therefore: 'I wonder at nothing so much as the fact that, although everyone desires to live well and knows that one cannot live by anything other than the soul, and that it is impossible to live well unless the soul is cultivated, people still do not cultivate their own souls.'
The Neglect of the Soul
It is a paradox that people diligently care for their physical limbs and skills but neglect the essential cultivation of their own souls.
If you want to see clearly, you have to take care of your eyes; if you want to run fast, you have to take care of your feet; and if you really want to box, you have to strengthen your arms. It’s the same with every other part of the body—each one gets the care it needs for its specific purpose. Since everyone can see this so clearly, I can’t stop thinking about it—and, frankly, I find it amazing that people don't also cultivate their own souls with reason. Living this way is necessary for everyone, unlike skills like painting or singing, which any good person could ignore without any shame, disgrace, or effort. I don't know, are you a flute player? I can sing, but I'm not ashamed that I'm not a professional flute player. I don't know how to paint with colors like Apelles, but I'm not ashamed that I'm not a painter. It's the same with all other arts; if I were to go through them all, you might not know them, and you wouldn't be ashamed of it. But tell me, please: would you ever dare to say, 'I don't know how to live well like Socrates, Plato, or Pythagoras, and I'm not ashamed that I don't know how to live well'? You would never dare say that.
The Vanity of External Riches
Wealth and material possessions are empty if the master of the house remains unrefined and destitute in spirit.
It’s especially strange that people neglect to learn the very things they don’t want to be ignorant of, while simultaneously rejecting both the discipline and the ignorance of that same art. If you were to audit their daily accounts, you’d find they’ve spent a fortune on many things, yet they have nothing to show for it in themselves—that is, in the worship of their own demon, a worship that is nothing more than a sacrament of philosophy. They certainly build lavish villas, decorate their homes with great wealth, and assemble huge households. Yet in all this abundance of possessions, there is nothing shameful except the master himself. And rightly so; for they possess in abundance the things they diligently cultivate, yet they themselves remain filthy, unlearned, and unrefined. You might discover the things they’ve squandered their inheritances on—pleasant, elaborate, ornate villas; houses built to rival cities and decorated like temples; numerous, pampered households; and lavish furnishings. Everything is abundant, opulent, and adorned, except for the master himself. Like Tantalus in the midst of his riches, he alone is needy, destitute, and poor. He doesn’t chase after fleeting, flowing water to quench the thirst of a deceptive stream, but he hungers and thirsts for true beatitude—that is, for the second life and the most fortunate wisdom. Indeed, he doesn't understand that the wealthy are accustomed to being judged just as we buy horses. For when buying horses, we don't consider the trappings, nor do we inspect the polish of the harness or contemplate the riches of a decorated neck—whether necklaces of various treasures hang from gold, silver, and gems, whether ornaments full of art surround the head and neck, whether the bridle is hidden or the saddle is painted, or whether individual parts are gilded. Instead, once all these trappings are removed and set aside, we contemplate the horse itself, naked, and its body and spirit alone, so that it may be handsome in appearance, vigorous for running, and strong for carrying. First, we look at the body: whether it has a sharp head, a short belly, a fleshy back, and a chest that swells with honest muscle; furthermore, whether the spine is double along the loins (for I want it to carry me not only quickly, but also very smoothly).
Judging the Person, Not the Trappings
We must strip away the external markers of fortune—nobility, wealth, and physical beauty—to evaluate the person themselves.
In the same way, when you're observing people, don't value those external things; instead, look deeply at the person himself. Expect him to be poor, just like my Socrates. By 'external things,' I mean what parents have provided and what fortune has bestowed; I don't mix any of that—no nobility, no lineage, no long family history, no enviable wealth—into the praises of my Socrates. For all these things, as I say, are external. It's a glory to Sato Prothaonius that he was the kind of man his grandson wouldn't be ashamed of. Therefore, you may count all such things as external. Is he noble? You're praising his parents. Is he wealthy? I don't trust in fortune. I consider these things more important. Is he strong? He'll be worn down by sickness; is he quick? He'll grow old. Is he handsome? Wait a little while, and he won't be; but he is well-versed in good arts, highly educated, and, as far as is possible for a human, wise and sound in judgment. At long last, you're praising the man himself.
Wisdom as the Ultimate Possession
Wisdom is the only possession that does not fade with age or fortune, serving as the constant guide through life's trials.
For this is not something inherited from a father, nor is it left to the whims of chance, nor is it a temporary favor, nor is it something that fades with the body, nor is it subject to the changes of age. My Socrates possessed all these things, which is why he scorned the pursuit of everything else. Why, then, don't you also throw yourself into the study of wisdom, or at least hurry to do so, so that you don't hear anything foreign in your own praises? Instead, ensure that whoever wishes to honor you praises you just as Accius praises Ulysses in the opening of his tragedy Philoctetes: 'Renowned man, born of a small homeland, powerful in your famous name and noble heart, leader of the Achaean fleets, a grave avenger to the Dardanian peoples, son of Laertes.' Finally, he mentions his father. But you've heard all the praises of that man. Laertes, Anticlea, Arcesius, or Acrisius claim none of this for themselves. As you can see, this entire possession of praise belongs solely to Ulysses. Homer teaches you nothing different about this same Ulysses, for he always wanted wisdom to be his companion—which, in the poetic tradition, he called Minerva. With this same companion, he endured every horror and overcame every adversity. For with her as his guide, he entered the Cyclops' cave but came back out; he saw the cattle of the Sun but refrained from them; he went down to the underworld but ascended again. With that same wisdom as his companion, he sailed past Scylla without being snatched away, was caught by Charybdis but not held, drank Circe’s potion but was not changed, approached the Lotus-eaters but did not stay, and heard the Sirens but did not go to them.
Read the original Latin
commendatur, et quando sit aliena laudatio. Et, licet ii tibicines uanitatis aliorum supplantationi semper insistant, in commendatione illius quod maxime suum cuiusque est aut rarius aucupantur aut minus. Tunc enim quisque maxime et de suo commendatur, cum ad sapientiae laudes lingua praedicantis accedit. Cetera namque omnia aliena sunt; suum est cuiusque quod sapit. Suum, inquam, non tamen a se sed ab eo cuius munus est, quicquid laudem meretur in homine. Et hic quidem non meus est sermo sed quem omnium sapientum cetus concelebrat et quem in libro qui inscribitur De Deo Socratis facile est inuenire. Cuius uerba propter elegantiam sensuum et orationis lepidam uenustatem curaui inserere, ut his quae scribuntur promptius adhibeatur fides, cum de a purissimo fonte maiorum eadem profluxisse constiterit. Ait itaque Apuleius: Nichil aeque miror quam, cum omnes et cupiant optime uiuere et sciant non alia re uiui quam animo nec fieri posse quin, ut optime uiuas, animus colendus sit, tamen homines animum suum non colant.
At, si quis uelit acriter cemere, oculi curandi sunt quibus cemitur; si uelis pemiciter currere, pedes curandi sunt quibus curritur; itidem si pugillare ualde uelis, brachia uegetanda sunt quibus pugillatur; similiter in omnibus ceteris membris sua cuique cura pro studio est. Quod cum facile omnes perspiciant, nequeo satis mecum reputare et, proinde ut res est, admirari cur non etiam animum suum ratione excolant. Quae quidem ratio uiuendi omnibus aeque necessaria est, non ratio pingendi nec ratio psallendi, quas quiuis bonus sine ulla animi uituperatione, sine turpitudine, sine labore contempserit. Nescio ut Sibimenias tibii? canere, sed non pudet me tibicinem non esse. Nescio ut Appelles coloribus pingere, sed non pudet me non esse significum. Et idem in ceteris artibus, si omnes persequar, licet tibi nescire nec pudet. Enimuero dic sodes: Nescio bene uiuere ut Socrates, ut Plato, ut Pitagoras uixemnt, nec pudet me nescire bene uiuere; numquam hoc dicere audebis.
Sed imprimis mirandum est quod ea quae minime uolunt nescire, discere tamen negligunt, et eiusdem artis simul disciplinam et ignorantiam detrectant. Igitur cotidiana eomm era dispungas, et inuenies in rationibus multa prodige profusa et in semet nichil, in sui dico demonis cultum, qui cultus non aliud quam philosophiae sacramentum est. Plane quidem uillas opipare extmunt et domos ditissime exomant et familias numerosissime comparant. Sed in iatis omnibus, in tanta affluentia rerum nichil est praeterquam dominus ipse pudendum. Nec iniuria; cumulata enim habent quae sedulo percolunt, ipsi autem sordidi indocti incultique circumeunt. Igitur illas species, in quas patrimonia sua profuderunt, amenissimas et extructissimas et ornatissimas deprehendas, uillas emulas urbium conditas, domos uice templorum exomatas, familias numerosissimas et calamistratas, opiparam supellectilem, omnia affluentia, omnia opulentia, omnia ornata praeter ipsum dominum qui solus Tantali uice in suis diuitiis inops egens pauper non quidem fluentem illum fugitiuum captat et fallacis undae sitim sed uerae beatitudinis, id est secundae uitae et prudentiae fortunatissimae, sitit et esurit. Quippe non intelligit aeque diuites spectari solere ut equos mercamur. Neque enim in emendis equis faleras consideramus et baltei polimina inspicimus et ornatissimae ceruicis diuitias contemplamur, si ex auro et argento et gemmis monilia uariae gazae dependent, si plena artis ornamenta capiti et coUo circumiacent, si frena celata, si epiphia fucata, si singula aurata sunt; sed istis omnibus exuuiis amolitis et a amotis equum ipsum nudum et solum corpus eius et animum contemplamur, ut sit ad speciem honestus, ad cursuram uegetus et ad uecturam ualidus; iam primum in corpore si sit argutum caput, breuis aluus, obesaque terga, luxuriatque thoris animosum pectus honestis; praeterea si duplex agitur per lumbos spina (uolo enim non modo perniciter, uerum etiam permolliter peruehat).
Similiter igitur et in hominibus contemplandis noli illa aliena estimare sed ipsum hominem penitus considera; ipsum, ut meum Socratem, pauperem expecta. Aliena autem uoco quae parentes pepererunt et quae fortuna largita est, quorum nichil laudibus Socratis mei admisceo; nullam generositatem, nullam prosapiam, nullos longos natales, nullas inuidiosas diuitias. Haec enim cuncta, ut dico, aliena sunt. Sato Prothaonio gloria est qui talis fuit ut eius nepotem non puderet. Igitur omnia similiter aliena numeres licebit. Generosus est? parentes laudas. Diues est?
non credo fortunae. Magis ista dinumero. Validus est? egritudine fatigabitur, Pernix est? abit in senectutem. Formosus est? expecta paulisper et non erit At enim bonis artibus doctus et adprime est eruditus et, quantum licet homini, sapiens et boni consultus. Tandem aliquando ipsum uirum laudas.
Hoc enim nec a patre hereditarium est nec casu pendulum nec a suffragio anniculum nec a corpore caducum nec ab etate mutabile. Haec omnia meus Socrates habuit et ideo cetera habere contempsit. Quin igitur et tu ad studium sapientiae ingeris uel propera saltem ut nichil alienum audias in laudibus tuis, sed ut qui te uolet nobilitare aeque laudet ut Actius Vlixem laudat in Philoctheta primo eiusdem tragediae suae principio: Inclite, parua praedite patria, nomine celebri claroque potens pectore, Achiuis classibus auctor, grauis Dardaniis gentibus ultor, Lahertiade. Nouissime patrem memorat. Ceterum omnes laudes eius uiri audisti. Nichil inde nec Lahertes sibi nec Anticlia nec Arcisius uel Acrisius uendicat. Haec tota, ut uides, laudis huius propria Vlixi possessio est. Nec aliud te in eodem Vlixe Homerus docet, qui semper ei comitem uoluit esse prudentiam, quam poetico ritu Mineruam nuncupauit.
Igifcur hac eadem eomitante omnia horrenda subiit, omnia aduersa superauit. Quippe ea adiutrice Ciclopis specus introiit sed egressus est, Solis boues uidit sed abstinuit, ad inferos demeauit sed ascendit; eadem sapientia comitante Scillam praetemauigauit nec ereptus est, Caribdi conseptus est nec retentus, Circes poculum bibit nec mutatus est, ad Lothophagos accessit nec remansit, Sirenas audiit nec accessit.
Policraticus companion
Study the argument weekly; pray the tradition daily
Pair the outline with the Chosen Portion app, which serves short daily portions from the same royal devotional tradition — free on iOS.
John of Salisbury argued that rulers must keep the law of God before their eyes daily; Chosen Portion gives modern readers that same daily discipline in five minutes a morning.
- 8 weeks, one book per week, with the 3-4 key chapters flagged in each
- Discussion questions usable for a reading group from week one
- A daily 5-minute companion portion in the app alongside your weekly study