Fragment 84

μεταβάλλον ἀναπαύεται

κάματός ἐστι τοῖς αὐτοῖς μοχθεῖν καὶ ἄρχεσθαι

It rests by changing.

It is a weariness to labor for the same masters and be ruled by them.

Commentary

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Plotinus quotes these two fragments together in the same context, but it is unclear whether or not they come from the same context in Heraclitus' work. The first is unclear, but I think it refers to the world as a whole; just like the river (fragments 12 and 91), it only has rest and continued identity as it changes. The second seems to be about slaves and masters, not about the world as a whole.

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