I know, replied he, that in fact these persecutions never, in any age, proceeded from calm reason, or from experience of the pernicious consequences of philosophy; but arose entirely from passion and prejudice. But what if I should advance farther, and assert, that if Epicurus had been accused before the people, by any of the sycophants or informers of those days, he could easily have defended his cause, and proved his principles of philosophy to be as salutary as those of his adversaries, who endeavoured, with such zeal, to expose him to the public hatred and jealousy?
-Badakit nik-ihardetsi zuen-jazarraldi hauek ez datozela inoiz etorri, ezein garaitan ere, patxadazko arrazoitik edo filosofiaren ondorio kaltegarriei buruzko esperientziatik, baizik grina eta aurriritzietatik sortzen direla erabat. Baina zer deritzozu aurrerago joan eta zera esango banu, sykophante delako orduko informatzaile haiek salatu izan balute Epikuro herriaren aurrean, errazago baino ez zuela bere kausa defendatuko, eta jendearen gorroto eta errezelupean jartzen halako ahaleginez saiatzen zitzaizkion arerioenak bezain zindoak zirela bere filosofi printzipioak demostratuko?