I have discovered the original text of Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare (if I can trust the source). Here is the last sentence which I take to be the moral of the story: Ὅτι πολλαὶ φύσεις ἀνθρώπων εὐφυεῖς εἰσιν, ἀλλ’ ἐκ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἀπώλοντο, ἐκ δὲ νήψεως καὶ σπουδῆς καὶ μακροθυμίας τινὲς καὶ φύσεως ἀργῆς περιεγένοντο. One English translation that I found offers this: “The story shows that many people have good natural abilities which are ruined by idleness; on the other hand, sobriety, zeal and perseverance can prevail over indolence.” I think the translator has misunderstood ἀργῆς. He takes it to mean “idle, slothful.” In the lexicon there are two entries for this adjective. I suppose they are homographs. I think it is the other ἀργός “shining, bright” and by extension “swift-footed.” I interpret the adjective as modifying the noun φύσις “natural ability.” What do you think?
No, it’s a slothful nature.
Thank you. Now that I think of it, I see that that makes sense in the context. Some have overcome their slothful nature.