est enim hic gurges de sutoribus fabularum, de concinnatoribus criminum, de sinistrarum opinionum duplicatoribus, loquax ipse nec dicax ridiculusque nec laetus arrogansque nec constans curiosusque nec perspicax atque indecenter adfectato lepore plus rusticus; tempora praesentia colens, praeterita carpens, futura fastidiens; beneficii, si rogaturus est, importunus petendi derogator negati, aemulator accepti callidus reformandi, querulus flagitati garrulus restituti; at si rogandus, simulator parati dissimulator petiti, venditator praestiti publicator occulti, calumniator morati infitiator soluti;
For he is a very cesspool fed by the concocters of gossip, the inventors of scandal, and the magnifiers of sinister imputations; he is a chatterer without wit, a buffoon without humour, assertive but not consistent, inquisitive but not discerning, and all the more awkward for his unseemly affectation of elegance. He is a devotee of the present, a carper at the past, and a scorner of the future. If he has occasion to ask a favour, he is a shameless beggar; if it is refused he belittles it, if it is granted he would do better; he is cunning in amending the terms, grumbles when repayment is demanded, and when he makes restitution talks a great deal about it. If, on the other hand, he is the person to be asked, he is good at ignoring the request and also at pretending he has supplied the need; he is wont to advertise any favour that he bestows, to make secret transactions public, to revile the slow payer and deny the receipt of payment.
final_alignments\Sidonius_Letters_Book3.json