Vatican Saying 51
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Translation
Analysis
This Saying is probably rather an excerpt from a letter of Epicurus to a student/friend of his, perhaps a younger man he may have corresponded with on a semi-regular basis.
Epicurus begins with a casual mention of hearsay: from what he has heard, the recipient of the letter seems to have a particularly strong sex-drive. The Sage's advice is given obliquely at first, not with an outright prohibition: if nothing bad comes of it, sex is nothing to worry about.
First and foremost, one must make sure not to violate any laws. Knowing how concerned Epicurus was about the fundamental, foundational concept of "natural" law, i.e. "neither to harm, nor to be harmed", he of course advises strongly against any action that might break the law.
Epicurus then outlines an extensive, virtually all-inclusive array of worse-case scenarios that can unfold, if one is to give in to the allure of sex:
Beyond written, formal laws, one must not offend those well established morals that define a society and the citizen's role within it. Always cautious and in favor of lathe biosas, Epicurus surely believed that it is best not to shock, but to go quietly along with public morals.
The recipient of Epicurus' letter is advised not to upset, not to sadden those close to him: marital infidelity will probably upset one's spouse; youthful promiscuity, one's parents. By advocating that one should effectively yield to the moral views of one's familial environment, Epicurus takes a truly conservative position in this matter.
One must not harm one's own body. While there is scant hard evidence of venereal diseases in antiquity, they surely must have existed in some form or other. This particular bit of advice is of course something of perennial value.
One must also not waste the means by which one provides for necessities. Considering that young Athenian gentlemen routinely spent entire fortunes on heterai, it is easy to see the danger of squandering one's wealth on sexual services.
In conclusion (and with a touch of humor), Epicurus suggests that, if his interlocutor is sure to be running none of those risks, let him then go ahead and follow his sexual desire unabashedly-- no idle moralizing from Epicurus! Yet he hastens to add that it is very difficult to imagine how this can ever be the case, that sex may in fact not involve those very real dangers he outlined earlier.
Epicurus closes the letter (or excerpt) with a wry remark, sounding somewhat like folk-wisdom: sex never did anyone any good; it is best that one makes sure it does him no harm, either.
