Synesius of Cyrene → Joannes
Tradução moderna em inglês
To Joannes.
If you want to live without fear, you should fear the law. But you have always been too proud even to seem afraid of it. At the very least, fear your enemies — and with them, fear the judges, if they are honest. Even if they are corrupt, you should still fear them: once a man with a deeper purse comes along, corrupt judges suddenly develop a passionate commitment to upholding the law.
Texto inglês de origem
Letter 2: An Insult [1] To Joannes To be free from fear one must fear the law, but you have always been ashamed even to seem to fear them. [2] At all events fear your enemies, and with them fear the judges if they are incorruptible. [3] Nay, they are still to be feared even if they are open to bribery; for such ones, if your purse is not of the longest, are full of zeal to defend the laws once they have found a paymaster into the bargain.