καὶ οἱ πολλάκις ἢ λεληθότες ἢ μὴ ἐζη(9)μιωμένοι, καὶ οἱ πολλάκις ἀποτετυχηκότες
(εἰσὶ γάρ τινες (10) καὶ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς, οἷοι ἀνα(11)μάχεσθαι).
καὶ οἷς ἂν παραχρῆμα ᾖ τὸ ἡδύ, τὸ δὲ λυπηρὸν (12) ὕστερον, ἢ τὸ κέρδος, ἡ δὲ ζημία ὕστερον·
οἱ γὰρ ἀκρατεῖς (13) τοιοῦτοι, ἔστιν δὲ ἀκρασία περὶ πάντα ὅσων ὀρέγονται.
καὶ οἷς (14) ἂν τοὐναντίον τὸ μὲν λυπηρὸν ἤδη ᾖ ἢ ἡ ζημία, τὸ δὲ ἡδὺ (15) καὶ <τὸ> ὠφέλιμον ὕστερα καὶ χρονιώτερα· οἱ γὰρ ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ (16) φρονιμώτεροι τὰ τοιαῦτα διώκουσιν.
καὶ οἷς ἂν ἐνδέχηται διὰ (17) τύχην δόξαι πρᾶξαι ἢ δι’ ἀνάγκην ἢ διὰ φύσιν ἢ δι’ ἔθος, (18) καὶ ὅλως ἁμαρτεῖν ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀδικεῖν.
καὶ οἷς ἂν ᾖ τοῦ ἐπι(19)εικοῦς τυχεῖν.
καὶ ὅσοι ἂν ἐνδεεῖς ὦσιν· διχῶς δέ εἰσιν ἐνδεεῖς· ἢ (20) γὰρ ὡς ἀναγκαίου, ὥσπερ οἱ πένητες, ἢ ὡς ὑπερβολῆς, ὥσπερ οἱ (21) πλούσιοι.
καὶ οἱ σφόδρα εὐδοκιμοῦντες καὶ οἱ σφόδρα ἀδοξοῦν(22)τες, οἱ μὲν ὡς οὐ δόξοντες, οἱ δ’ ὡς οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἀδοξοῦντες.
You may be encouraged by having often escaped detection or punishment already; or by having often tried and failed;
for in crime, as in war, there are men who will always refuse to give up the struggle.
You may get your pleasure on the spot and the pain later, or the gain on the spot and the loss later.
That is what appeals to weak—willed persons — and weakness of will may be shown with regard to all the objects of desire.
It may on the contrary appeal to you as it does appeal to self—controlled and sensible people — that the pain and loss are immediate, while the pleasure and profit come later and last longer.
You may feel able to make it appear that your crime was due to chance, or to necessity, or to natural causes, or to habit: in fact, to put it generally, as if you had failed to do right rather than actually done wrong.
You may be able to trust other people to judge you equitably.
You may be stimulated by being in want: which may mean that you want necessaries, as poor people do, or that you want luxuries, as rich people do.
You may be encouraged by having a particularly good reputation, because that will save you from being suspected: or by having a particularly bad one, because nothing you are likely to do will make it worse.
