Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [21] ὁ μὲν οὖν ἕτερος ἡμῶν οὐδεπώποτε εἰς πόλιν κατέβη, πεντήκοντα ἔτη γεγονώς: ἐγὼ δὲ δὶς μόνον, ἅπαξ μὲν ἔτι παῖς μετὰ τοῦ πατρός, ὁπηνίκα τὴν ἀγέλην εἴχομεν. ὕστερον δὲ ἧκέ τις ἀργύριον αἰτῶν, ὥσπερ ἔχοντάς τι, κελεύων ἀκολουθεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν. ἡμῖν δὲ ἀργύριον μὲν οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπωμοσάμην μὴ ἔχειν: εἰ δὲ μή,

  [21] “Now the other one of us has never yet been to town, though he is fifty years old, and I only twice — once when I was still a boy, with my father, when we had the cattle; and later on a man came demanding money, under the impression that we had some, and bade us follow him to the city. Now we had no money and swore on oath that we had not, adding that otherwise we would have given it.

  [22] δεδωκέναι ἄν. ἐξενίσαμεν δὲ αὐτὸν ὡς ἠδυνάμεθα κάλλιστα καὶ δύο ἐλάφεια δέρματα ἐδώκαμεν: κἀγὼ ἠκολούθησα εἰς τὴν πόλιν. ἔφη γὰρ ἀνάγκην εἶναι τὸν ἕτερον ἐλθεῖν καὶ διδάξαι περὶ τούτων. εἶδον οὖν, οἷα καὶ πρότερον, οἰκίας πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας καὶ τεῖχος ἔξωθεν καρτερὸν καὶ οἰκήματά τινα ὑψηλὰ καὶ τετράγωνα [p. 194] ἐν τῷ τείχει, τοὺς πύργους καὶ πλοῖα πολλὰ ὁρμοῦντα ὥσπερ ἐν λίμνῃ ἐν τῷ λιμένι κατὰ πολλὴν ἡσυχίαν.

  [22] We entertained him as best we could and gave him two deerskins, and I followed him to the city, for he said it was necessary for one of us to go and explain this matter.

  “Now, as on my former trip, I saw many large houses and a strong surrounding wall with a number of lofty square structures on the wall and many boats lying in complete calm at anchor in a lake as it were.

  [23] τοῦτο δὲ ἐνθάδε οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδαμοῦ, ὅπου κατηνέχθης: καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αἱ νῆες ἀπόλλυνται. ταῦτα οὖν ἑώρων καὶ πολὺν ὄχλον ἐν ταὐτῷ συνειργμένον καὶ θόρυβον ἀμήχανον καὶ κραυγήν: ὥστε ἐμοὶ ἐδόκουν πάντεσμάχεσθαι ἀλλήλοις. ἄγει οὖν με πρός τινας ἄρχοντας, καὶ εἶπε γελῶν, Οὗτός ἐστιν ἐφ᾽ ὅν με ἐπέμψατε. ἔχει δὲ οὐδὲν εἰ μή γε τὴν κόμην καὶ σκηνὴν μάλα ἰσχυρᾶν ξύλων.

  [23] There is nothing like that anywhere here where you put in, and that is why the ships are wrecked. Now that is what I saw, and a big crowd herded in together and a tremendous uproar and shouting, so that I thought they were all fighting with one another. Well, he brought me before certain magistrates and said with a laugh, ‘This is the man you sent me for. He has nothing but his long hair and a hut of very strong timber.’

  [24] οἱ δὲ ἄρχοντες εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἐβάδιζον, κἀγὼ σὺν αὐτοῖς. τὸ δὲ θέατρόν ἐστιν ὥσπερ φάραγξ κοῖλον, πλὴν οὐ μακρὸν ἑκατέρωθεν, ἀλλὰ στρογγύλον ἐξἡμίσους, οὐκ αὐτόματον, ἀλλ᾽ ᾠκοδομημένον λίθοις. ἴσως δέ μου καταγελᾷς, ὅτι σοι διηγοῦμαι σαφῶς εἰδότι ταῦτα. πρᾶτον μὲν οὖν πολύν τινα χρόνον ἄλλα τινὰ ἔπραττεν ὁ ὄχλος, καὶ ἐβόων ποτὲ μὲν πρᾴως καὶ ἱλαροὶ πάντες, ἐπαινοῦντές τινας, ποτὲ δὲ σφόδρα καὶ ὀργίλως.

  [24] Then the officials went into the theatre and I with them. The theatre is hollow like a ravine, except that it is not long in two directions but semi-circular, and not natural but built of stone. But perhaps you are laughing at me for telling you what you know perfectly well.

  “Now at first the crowd deliberated on other matters for a considerable while, and they kept up a shouting, at one time in gentle fashion and all of them in cheerful mood, as they applauded certain speakers, but at other times with vehemence and in wrath.

  [25] ἦν δὲ τοῦτο χαλεπὸν τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτᾶν:καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εὐθὺς ἐξέπληττον οἷς ἀνέκραγον ὥστε οἱ μὲν αἰτῶν περιτρέχοντες ἐδέοντο, οἱ δὲ τὰ ἱμάτια ἐρρίπτουν ὑπὸ τοῦ φόβου. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἅπαξ ὀλίγου κατέπεσον ὑπὸ τῆς κραυγῆς,

  [25] This wrath of theirs was something terrible, and they at once frightened the men against whom they raised their voices, so that some of them ran about begging for mercy, while others threw off their cloaks for fear. I too myself was once almost knocked over by the shouting, as though a tidal wave or thunder-storm had suddenly broken over me.

  [26] ὥσπερ κλύδωνος ἐξαίφνης ἢ βροντῆς ἐπιρραγείσης. ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἄνθρωποι παριόντες, οἱ δ᾽ ἐκ μέσων ἀνιστάμενοι, διελέγοντο πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος, οἱ μὲν ὀλίγα ῥήματα, οἱ δὲ πολλοὺς λόγους. καὶ τᾶν μὲν ἤκουον πολύν τινα χρόνον, τοῖς δὲ ἐχαλέπαινον εὐθὺς φθεγξαμένοις καὶ οὐδὲ γρύζειν ἐπέτρεπον. ἐπεὶ δὲ καθέστασάν ποτε καὶ ἡσυχία ἐγένετο, παρήγαγον κἀμέ.

  [26] And other men would come forward, or stand up where they were, and address the multitude, sometimes using a few words, at other times making long speeches. To some of these they would listen for quite a long time, but at others they were angry as soon as they opened their mouths, and they would not let them so much as cheep.

  “But when they finally settled down and there was quiet, they brought me forward.

  [27] καὶ εἶπέ τις, Οὗτός ἐστιν, ὦ ἄνδρες, τῶν καρπουμένων τὴν δημοσίαν γῆν πολλὰ ἔτηοὐ μόνον αὐτός, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ πρότερον, καὶ κατανέμουσι τὰ ἡμέτερα ὄρη καὶ γεωργοῦσι καὶ θηρεύουσι καὶ οἰκίας ἐνῳκοδομήκασι καὶ ἀμπέλους ἐμπεφυτεύκασι πολλὰς καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ ἔχουσιν ἀγαθά, οὔτε τιμὴν καταβαλόντες οὐδενὶ τῆς γῆς οὔτε δωρεὰν παρὰ τοῦ δήμου λαβόντες.

  [27] And some cried out, ‘This man, sirs, is one of the fellows who have been enjoying the use of our public land for many years, and not only he but his father before him. They graze their cattle on our mountains, farm and hunt, have built many houses, have set out vines, and enjoy many other advantages without paying rent to anybody for the land or ever having received it from the people as a gift.

  [28] ὑπὲρ τίνος γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἔλαβον;[p. 195] ἔχοντες δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ πλουτοῦντες οὔτε λειτουργίαν πώποτε ἐλειτούργησαν οὐδεμίαν οὔτε μοῖράν τινα ὑποτελοῦσι τᾶν γιγνομένων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀτελεῖς καὶ ἀλειτούργητοι διατελοῦσιν, ὥσπερ εὐεργέται τῆς πόλεως. οἶμαι δέ, ἔφη, μηδὲ ἐληλυθέναι πώποτε αὐτοὺς ἐνθάδε.

  [28] For what, pray, would they ever have received it? And though they occupy what is ours and are wealthy, yet they have never performed any public service, nor do they pay any tax on what they make, but live free from taxes and public services as though they were benefactors of the city. Yes, and I believe,’ he continued, ‘that they have never come here before.’

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nbsp; [29] κἀγὼ ἀνένευσα. ὁ δὲ ὄχλος ἐγέλασεν, ὡς εἶδε. καὶ ὁ λέγων ἐκεῖνος ὠργίσθη ἐπὶ τῷ γέλωτι καί μοι ἐλοιδορεῖτο. ἔπειτα ἐπιστρέψας, Εἰ οὖν, ἔφη, δοκεῖ ταῦτα οὕτως, οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιμεν ἅπαντες τὰ κοινὰ διαρπάσαντες, οἱ μὲν τὰ χρήματα τῆς πόλεως, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ νῦν ποιοῦσί τινες, οἱ δὲ τὴν χώραν κατανειμάμενοι μὴ πείσαντες ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν ἐπιτρέψητε τοῖς θηρίοις τούτοις προῖκα ἔχειν πλέον ἢ χίλια πλέθρα γῆς τῆς ἀρίστης, ὅθεν ὑμῖν ἔστι τρεῖς χοίνικας Ἀττικὰς σίτου λαμβάνειν κατ᾽ ἄνδρα.

  [29] I shook my head, and the crowd laughed when they saw. This laughing enraged the speaker and he abused me roundly. Then turning toward the audience once more, he said, ‘Well, then, if these doings meet with your approval, we had all better lose no time in looting the public property, some of us taking the city’s money, just as certain individuals are even now doing, no doubt, and others squatting upon the land without your consent, if you are going to let these backwoodsmen hold without payment more than 250 acres of the best land, from which you might get three Attic measures of grain per head.’

  [30] ἐγὼ δὲ ἀκούσας ἐγέλασα ὅσον ἐδυνάμην μέγιστον. τὸ δὲ πλῆθος οὐκέτ᾽ ἐγέλων, ὥσπερ πρότερον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐθορύβουν. ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ῥήτωρ ἐχαλέπαινε, καὶ δεινὸν ἐμβλέψας εἰς ἐμὲ εἶπεν, ὁρᾶτε τὴν εἰρωνείαν καὶ τὴν ὕβριν τοῦ καθάρματος, ὡς καταγελᾷ πάνυ θρασέως; ὃν ἀπάγειν ὀλίγου δέω καὶ τὸν κοινωνὸν αὐτοῦ — πυνθάνομαι γὰρ δύο εἶναι τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν κατειληφότων ἅπασαν

  [30] “When I heard this, I laughed as loud as I could. The crowd, however, did not laugh as before but became very noisy, while the fellow grew angry, and giving me a fierce look, said, ‘Do you see the deceitfulness and impudence of the scamp and how insolently he mocks me? I have a mind to have him and his partner dragged off to prison; for I understand that there are two ringleaders of this gang that has seized practically all the land in the mountains.

  [31] σχεδὸν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι χώραν — οἶμαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς μηδὲ τῶν ναυαγίων ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν ἑκάστοτε ἐκπιπτόντων, ὑπὲρ αὐτὰς σχεδόν τι τὰς Καφηρίδας οἰκοῦντας. πόθεν γὰρ οὕτως πολυτελεῖς ἀγρούς, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅλας κώμας κατεσκευάσαντο καὶ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος βοσκημάτων καὶ ζεύγη καὶ ἀνδράποδα;

  [31] Yes, and I do not believe they keep their hands off the wrecks that are cast up from time to time, living as they do almost above the rocks above Cape Caphereus. Where, otherwise, did they get such valuable fields, nay, rather, entire villages, and such numbers of cattle and draught animals and slaves?

  [32] καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ ἴσως ὁρᾶτε αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐξωμίδα ὡς φαύλη, καὶ τὸ δέρμα, ὃ ἐλήλυθε δεῦρο ἐναψάμενος τῆς ὑμετέρας ἕνεκεν ἀπάτης, ὡς πτωχὸς δῆλον ὅτι καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχων. ἐγὼ μὲν γάρ, ἔφη, βλέπων αὐτὸν μικροῦ δέδοικα, ὥσπερ οἶμαι τὸν Ναύπλιον ὁρῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Καφηρέως ἥκοντα. καὶ γὰρ οἶμαι πυρσεύειν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄκρων τοῖς πλέουσιν, ὅπως ἐκπίπτωσιν εἰς τὰς πέτρας.

  [32] Perhaps, too, you note how poor his blouse is and the skin he put on to come here in order to deceive you with the notion that he is evidently a beggar and has nothing. For my part, said he, when I look at him, I am almost frightened, as I fancy I should be if I saw Nauplius come from Caphereus. I believe he flashes mariners a signal from the heights so as to decoy them on to the rocks.’

  [33] ταῦτα δὲ ἐκείνου λέγοντος καὶ πολλὰ πρὸς τούτοις, ὁ μὲν ὄχλος ἠγριοῦτο: ἐγὼ δὲ ἠπόρουν καὶ ἐδεδοίκειν μή τί με ἐργάσωνται κακόν. παρελθὼν δὲ ἄλλος τις, ὡς ἐφαίνετο, ἐπιεικὴς ἄνθρωπος ἀπό [p. 196] τε τῶν λόγων οὓς εἶπε καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σχήματος πρῶτον μὲν ἠξίου σιωπῆσαι τὸ πλῆθος: καὶ ἐσιώπησαν: ἔπειτα εἶπε τῇ φωνῇ πρᾴως ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦσιν οἱ τὴν ἀργὸν τῆς χώρας ἐργαζόμενοι καὶ κατασκευάζοντες,

  [33] While he said this and much more besides, the crowd grew ugly, while I was sore perplexed and afraid they might do me some mischief.

  “Then another person came forward, a good kindly man, to judge from the words he spoke and from his appearance. He first asked the people to be silent, and they became silent, and then in a quiet tone he said that they who tilled the country’s idle land and got it into shape did no wrong, but, on the contrary, deserved commendation.

  [34] ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐπαίνου δικαίως ἂν τυγχάνοιεν: καὶ δεῖ μὴ τοῖς οἰκοδομοῦσι καὶ φυτεύουσι τὴν δημοσίαν γῆν χαλεπῶς ἔχειν,ἀλλὰ τοῖς καταφθείρουσιν. ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες, σχεδόν τι τὰ δύο μέρη τῆς χώρας ἡμῶν ἔρημά ἐστι δι᾽ ἀμέλειάν τε καὶ ὀλιγανθρωπίαν. κἀγὼ πολλὰ κέκτημαι πλέθρα, ὥσπερ οἶμαι καὶ ἄλλος τις, οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πεδινοῖς, ἃ εἴ τις ἐθέλοι γεωργεῖν, οὐ μόνον ἂν προῖκα δοίην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀργύριον

  [34] They should not be angry at those who built upon public land and planted trees upon it, but at those who injured it. ‘At this moment, sirs,’ he said, ‘almost two-thirds of our land is a wilderness because of neglect and lack of population. I too own many acres, as I imagine some others do, not only in the mountains but also on the plains, and if anybody would till them, I should not only give him the chance for nothing but gladly pay money besides.

  [35] ἡδέως προστελέσαιμι. δῆλον γὰρ ὡς ἐμοὶ πλέονος ἀξία γίγνεται, καὶ ἅμα ἡδὺ ὅραμα χώρα οἰκουμένη καὶ ἐνεργός: ἡ δ᾽ ἔρημος οὐ μόνον ἀνωφελὲς κτῆμα τοῖς ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐλεεινόν τε καὶ δυστυχίαν τινὰ κατηγοροῦν τῶν δεσποτῶν.

  [35] For it is plain that they become more valuable to me, and at the same time the sight of land occupied and under cultivation is a pleasing one, while waste lands are not only a useless possession to those who hold them, but very distressing evidence of some misfortune of their owners.

  [36] ὥστε μοι δοκεῖ μᾶλλον ἑτέρους προτρέπειν, ὅσους ἂν δύνησθε τῶν πολιτῶν, ἐργάζεσθαιτῆς δημοσίας γῆς ἀπολαβόντας, τοὺς μὲν ἀφορμήν τινα ἔχοντας πλείω, τοὺς δὲ πένητας, ὅσην ἂν ἕκαστος ᾖ δυνατός, ἵνα ὑμῖν ἥ τε χώρα ἐνεργὸς ᾖ καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν οἱ θέλοντες δύο τῶν μεγίστων ἀπηλλαγμένοι κακῶν, ἀργίας καὶ πενίας.

  [36] Wherefore, I advise you rather to encourage all the other citizens you can to take some of the pu
blic land and work it, those who have some capital taking more, and the poorer citizens as much as each is able to handle, that your land may be in use, and the citizens who accept may be free from two very great evils, idleness and poverty.

  [37] ἐπὶ δέκα μὲν οὖν ἔτη προῖκα ἐχόντων: μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ταξάμενοι μοῖρανὀλίγην παρεχέτωσαν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν βοσκημάτων μηδέν. ἐὰν δέ τις ξένος γεωργῇ, πέντε ἔτη καὶ οὗτοι μηδὲν ὑποτελούντων, ὕστερον δὲ διπλάσιον ἢ οἱ πολῖται. ὃς δὲ ἂν ἐξεργάσηται τῶν ξένων διακόσια πλέθρα, πολίτην αὐτὸν εἶναι, ἵνα ὡς πλεῖστοι ὦσιν οἱ προθυμούμενοι.

  [37] So let these men have it free for ten years, and after that period let them agree to pay a small portion from their produce but nothing from their cattle. If any alien takes up land, let him likewise pay nothing for the first five years, but after that twice as much as the citizens. And let any alien who shall put fifty acres under cultivation be made a citizen, in order to encourage as many as possible.

  [38] ἐπεὶ νῦν γε καὶ τὰ πρὸ τῶνπυλῶν ἄγρια παντελῶς ἐστι καὶ αἰσχρὰ δεινῶς, ὥσπερ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τῇ βαθυτάτῃ, οὐχ ὡς προάστιον πόλεως: τὰ δέ γε ἐντὸς τείχους σπείρεται τὰ πλεῖστα καὶ κατανέμεται. οὐκοῦν ἄξιον, ἔφη, θαυμάσαι τῶν ῥητόρων, ὅτι τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ Καφηρεῖ φιλεργοῦντας ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῆς Εὐβοίας συκοφαντοῦσι, τοὺς δὲ τὸ γυμνάσιονγεωργοῦντας καὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν κατανέμοντας οὐδὲν οἴονται ποιεῖν [p. 197]