Moral Letters to Lucilius Section 8

Idem Satellius illum hortari coepit, ut luctaretur, hominem aegrum, pallidum, gracilem. Cum Sabinus respondisset: Et quomodo possum? Vix vivo. Noli, obsecro te, inquit, istuc dicere; non vides, quam multos servos valentissimos habeas? Bona mens nec commodatur nec emitur. Et puto, si venalis esset, non haberet emptorem. At mala cotidie emitur.

Le même Satellius lui conseillait de s’exercer à la lutte, lui maladif, pâle, tout grêle : « Et le moyen ? objecta Sabinus ; à peine ai-je le souffle. - Ne dites point cela, je vous prie ; voyez tous ces robustes valets : leur vigueur n’est-elle pas à vous ? »

Le bon sens ne se prête, ni ne s’achète ; et, je pense, il serait à vendre qu’il n’aurait point d’acheteur.

This same Satellius began to advise Sabinus to take wrestling lessons, - sickly, pale, and thin as he was, Sabinus answered: “How can I? I can scarcely stay alive now.” “Don’t say that, I implore you,” replied the other, “consider how many perfectly healthy slaves you have!” No man is able to borrow or buy a sound mind; in fact, as it seems to me, even though sound minds were for sale, they would not find buyers. Depraved minds, however, are bought and sold every day.