A Roman divorced from his wife, being highly blamed by his friends, who demanded, "Was she not chaste? Was she not fair? Was she not fruitful? Holding out his shoe, asked them whether it was not new and well made. "Yet," added he, "none of you can tell where it pinches me."

ὡς ἀνὴρ Ῥωμαῖος ἀπεπέμπετο γυναῖκα, τῶν δὲ φίλων νουθετούντων αὐτόν, ‘οὐχὶ σώφρων; οὐκ εὔμορφος; οὐχὶ παιδοποιός;’ προτείνας τὸ ὑπόδημα ῾κάλτιον αὐτὸ Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσιν᾽ εἶπεν ‘οὐκ εὐπρεπὴς οὗτος; οὐ νεουργής; ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἂν εἰδείη τις ὑμῶν καθ᾽ ὅ τι θλίβεται μέρος οὑμὸς πούς.’

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Original Citation

Plutarch. "Aemilius Paulus." Βίοι Παράλληλοι [Parallel Lives]. c. 2nd century.

Current Citation

Plutarch. "Aemilius." Roman Lives: A Selection of Eight Roman Lives, translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford University Press, 2009.