Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [90] ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ ξυμπάσῃ κακίᾳ. ἔχω γε μὴν εἰπεῖν καὶ περὶ τῶν Φαιάκων καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων φιλανθρωπίας, εἴ τῳ δοκοῦσιν οὗτοι οὐκ ἀγεννῶς οὐδ᾽ ἀναξίως τοῦ πλούτου προσενεχθῆναι τῷ Ὀδυσσεῖ, μεθ᾽ οἵας μάλιστα διανοίας καὶ δι᾽ ἃς αἰτίας προυτράπησανἀφθόνως καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς χαρίζεσθαι. ἀλλὰ γὰρ πολὺ πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν καὶ τὰ νῦν ὑπὲρ τούτων εἰρημένα.

  [90] Furthermore, I could state in regard to the Phaeacians also and their generosity, in case anyone imagines that their behaviour towards Odysseus was neither ungenerous nor unworthy of their wealth, just what motives and reasons induced them to be so open-handed and splendid in their generosity. But what I have said so far about this matter is more than sufficient.

  [91] δῆλόν γε μὴν ὡς ὁ πλοῦτος οὔτε πρὸς ξένους οὔτε ἄλλως μέγα τι συμβάλλεται τοῖς κεκτημένοις, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον γλίσχρους καὶ φειδωλοὺς ὡς τὸ πολὺ μᾶλλον τῆς πενίας ἀποτελεῖν πέφυκεν. οὐδὲγάρ, εἴ τις αὖ τῶν πλουσίων, εἷς που τάχα ἐν μυρίοις, δαψιλὴς καὶ μεγαλόφρων τὸν τρόπον εὑρεθείη, τοῦτο ἱκανῶς δείκνυσι τὸ μὴ οὐχὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς χείρους περὶ ταῦτα γίγνεσθαι τῶν ἀπορωτέρων.

  [91] It is certainly clear that wealth does no great service to its owners as regards the entertainment of strangers or otherwise. On the contrary, it is more likely to make them stingy and parsimonious, generally speaking, than poverty is. Even if some man of wealth may be found — one perhaps in a million — who is liberal and magnanimous in character, this by no means conclusively proves that the majority do not become worse in this regard than those whose means are limited.

  [92] ἀνδρὶ δὲ πένητι μὴ φαύλῳ τὴν φύσιν ἀρκεῖ τὰ παρόντα καὶ τὸ σῶμα μετρίως ἀσθενήσαντι, τοιούτου ποτὲ νοσήματος ξυμβάντοσοἷάπερ εἴωθε γίγνεσθαι τοῖς οὐκ ἀργοῖς ἑκάστοτε ἐμπιμπλαμένοις, ἀνακτήσασθαι, καὶ ξένοις ἐλθοῦσι δοῦναι προσφιλῆ ξένια, χωρὶς ὑποψίας παρ᾽ ἑκόντων διδόμενα ἀλύπως, οὐκ ἴσως ἀργυροῦς κρατῆρας ἢ ποικίλους πέπλους ἢ τέθριππον,

  [92] A poor man, if he be of strong character, finds the little that he has sufficient both to enable him to regain his health when his body has been attacked by an illness not too severe — when, for example, he is visited by the sort of malady that usually attacks hard-working people whenever they overeat — and also to give acceptable gifts to strangers when they come — gifts willingly given that do not arouse the recipient’s suspicion or give him offence —

  [93] τὰ Ἑλένης καὶ Μενέλεω Τηλεμάχῳ δῶρα. οὐδὲ γὰρ τοιούτους ὑποδέχοιντ̓ἄν, ὡς εἰκός, ξένους, σατράπας ἢ βασιλέας, εἰ μή γε πάνυ σώφρονας καὶ ἀγαθούς, οἷς οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς μετὰ φιλίας γιγνόμενον. [p. 207] ἀκολάστους δὲ καὶ τυραννικοὺς οὔτ᾽ ἂν οἶμαι δύναιντο θεραπεύειν ἱκανῶς ξένους οὔτ᾽ ἂν ἴσως προσδέοιντο τοιαύτης ξενίας.

  [93] perhaps not silver bowls, or embroidered robes, or a four-horse chariot, which were the gifts of Helen and Menelaus to Telemachus. For the poor man would be unlikely to have such guests to welcome as satraps or kings, for instance, unless they were very temperate and good men in whose eyes no gift is inadequate which is prompted by affection. But guests that are dissolute and tyrannical they would neither be able, I suppose, to serve acceptably nor, perhaps, would they care to extend such hospitality.

  [94] οὐδὲ γὰρ τῷ Μενέλεῳ δήπουθεν ἀπέβη πρὸς τὸ λῷον, ὅτι ἠδύνατο δέξασθαι τὸν πλουσιώτατον ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ξένον, ἄλλος δὲ οὐδεὶς ἱκανὸς ἦν ἐν τῆ Σπάρτῃ τὸν Πριάμου τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸν ὑποδέξασθαι.

  [94] For it surely did not turn out any better for Menelaus that he was able to receive the wealthiest prince of Asia as a guest and that nobody else in Sparta was equal to entertaining the son of King Priam.

  [95] τοιγάρτοι ἐρημώσας αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ πρὸς τοῖς χρήμασι τὴν γυναῖκα προσλαβών, τὴν δὲ θυγατέρα ὀρφανὴν τῆς μητρὸς ἐάσας, ᾤχετο ἀποπλέων. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ Μενέλαος χρόνον μὲν πολὺν ἐφθείρετο πανταχόσε τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ὀδυρόμενος τὰς αὑτοῦ συμφοράς, δεόμενος ἑκάστου τῶν βασιλέων ἐπαμῦναι. ἠναγκάσθη δὲ ἱκετεῦσαι καὶ τὸν ἀδελφόν, ὅπως ἐπιδῷ τὴν θυγατέρα σφαγησομένην ἐν Αὐλίδι.

  [95] For, mark you, that prince despoiled his home, appropriated his wife as well as his treasures, left the daughter motherless, and sailed away. And after that Menelaus wasted a great deal of time travelling all over Greece bewailing his misfortunes and begging every king in turn to help him. He was forced also to implore his brother to give his daughter to be sacrificed at Aulis.

  [96] δέκα δὲ ἔτη καθῆστο πολεμῶν ἐν Τροίᾳ, πάλιν ἐκεῖ κολακεύων τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ἀδελφός: εἰ δὲ μή, ὠργίζοντο καὶ ῾̣̣̓πείλουν ἑκάστοτε ἀποπλεύσεσθαι: καὶ πολλοὺς πόνους καὶ κινδύνους ἀμηχάνους ὑπομένων, ὕστερον δὲ ἠλᾶτο καὶ οὐχ οἷός τ᾽ ἦν δίχα μυρίων κακῶν οἴκαδ᾽

  [96] Then for ten years he sat fighting in Troy-land, where again both he and his brother kept cajoling the leaders of the army. When this was not done, the soldiers would grow angry and on every occasion would threaten to sail for home. Besides, he endured many hardships and dire perils, after which he wandered about and was able to reach his home only after infinite trouble.

  [97] ἀφικέσθαι. ἆρ᾽ οὖν οὐ σφόδρα ἄξιον ἄγασθαι τοῦ πλούτου κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ τῷ ὄντι ζηλωτὸν ὑπολαβεῖν , ὅ φησιν αὐτοῦ μέγιστον εἶναι ἀγαθόν, τὸ δοῦναι ξένοις, καὶ ἐάν ποτέ τινες ἔλθωσι τρυφῶντες ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν , μὴ ἀδύνατον γενέσθαι παρασχεῖν κατάλυσιν καὶ προθεῖναι ξένια, οἷς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι μάλιστα ἥδοιντο;

  [97] Is it not, then, most unfitting to admire wealth as the poet does and regard it as really worth seeking? He says that its greatest good lies in giving to guests and, when any who are used to luxury come of the one’s house, being in a position to offer them lodging and set such tokens of hospitality before them as would please them most.

  [98] λέγομεν δὲ ταῦτα μεμνημένοι τῶν ποιητῶν , οὐκ ἄλλως ἀντιπαρεξάγοντες ἐκείνοις οὐδὲ τῆς δόξης ζηλοτυποῦντες, ἣν ἀπὸ τῶν ποιημάτων ἐκτήσαντο ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ: οὐ τούτων ἕνεκα, φιλοτιμούμενοι ἐξελέγχειν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ ἐκείνοις μάλιστα εὑρήσειν ἡγούμενοι τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάνο�
�αν, ἃ δὴ καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐδόκει περί τε πλούτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἃ θαυμάζουσι, καὶ τί μέγιστον οἴονταί σφισι γενέσθαι ἂν ἀφ᾽ ἑκάστου τῶν τοιούτων.

  [98] And in advancing these views we cite the poets, not to gainsay them idly nor because we are envious for their reputation for wisdom that they have won by their poems; no, it is not for these reasons we covet the honour of showing them to be wrong, but because we think that it is in them especially that we shall find the thought and feeling of men generally, just what the many think about wealth and the other objects of their admiration, and what they consider would be the greatest good derived from each of them.

  [99] δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι μὴ συμφωνοῦντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ποιήματος μηδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔχοντος οὐκ ἂν οὕτω σφόδρα ἐφίλουν οὐδὲ ἐπῄνουν ὡς σοφούς τε καὶ ἀγαθοὺς γενέσθαι καὶ τἀληθῆ λέγοντας.

  [99] For it is evident that men would not love the poets so passionately nor extol them as wise and good and exponents of the truth if the poetry did not echo their own sentiments nor express their own views.

  [100] ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἕκαστον ἀπολαμβάνοντα ἐλέγχειν τοῦ πλήθους, οὐδ᾽ ἀνερωτᾶν [p. 208] ἅπαντας ἐν μέρει, τί γὰρ σύ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, δέδοικας τὴν πενίαν οὕτως πάνυ, τὸν δὲ πλοῦτον ὑπερτιμᾷς, τί δ᾽ αὖ σὺ ἐλπίζεις κερδανεῖν μέγιστον, ἂν τύχῃς πλουτήσας ἢ νὴ Δία ἔμπορος γενόμενος ἢ καὶ βασιλεύσας; ῾ἀμήχανον γὰρ δὴ τὸ τοιοῦτον καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἀνυστόν᾽ οὕτως οὖν ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας αὐτῶν καὶ συνηγόρους,τοὺς ποιητάς, ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἴμεν,

  [100] Since, then, it is not possible to take each member of the multitude aside and show him his error or to cross-question everybody in turn by saying, “How is it, sir, that you fear poverty so exceedingly and exalt riches so highly?” and again, “What great profit do you expect to win if you happen to have amassed wealth or, let us say, to have turned merchant or even become a king?” Such a procedure would involve infinite trouble and is altogether impracticable.

  [101] ὡς ἐκεῖ φανερὰς καὶ μέτροις κατακεκλειμένας εὑρήσοντες τὰς τῶν πολλῶν δόξας: καὶ δῆτα οὐ πάνυ μοι δοκοῦμεν ἀποτυγχάνειν.

  [101] Therefore, because we must, let us go to their prophets and spokesmen, the poets, with the conviction that we shall find among them the beliefs of the many clearly put and enshrined in verse; and in truth I do not think that we fall very far short of our object in so doing.

  [102] τοῦτο δὲ σύνηθες δήπου καὶ τοῖς σοφωτέροις, ὃ νῦν ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν: ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτοῖς τούτοις τοῖς ἔπεσιν ἀντείρηκε τῶν πάνυ φιλοσόφων τις, ὃν οὐδείς, ἐμοὶδοκεῖν, φαίη ἄν ποτε φιλονικοῦντα τούτοις τε ἀντειρηκέναι καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ Σοφοκλέους εἰς τὸν πλοῦτον εἰρημένοις, ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐπ᾽ ὀλίγον, τοῖς δὲ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους ἐπὶ πλέον, οὐ μήν, ὥσπερ νῦν ἡμεῖς, διὰ μακρῶν, ἅτε οὐ παραχρῆμα κατὰ πολλὴν ἐξουσίαν διεξιών, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν βίβλοις γράφων.

  [102] And our present procedure, I believe, is the usual one even with men wiser than myself. Indeed, one very great philosopher has expressly contradicted the sentiments contained in these same lines of Euripides, and he is a man whom I think no one would ever accuse of contradicting them and Sophocles’ words about wealth in any spirit of captiousness. He objects briefly in the former instance but in more detail in the case of Sophocles, and yet not at great length as we are now doing, since he was not discussing the question ex tempore with an orator’s full privilege but was writing in a book.

  [103] γεωργικοῦ μὲν δὴ πέρι καὶ κυνηγετικοῦ τε καὶ ποιμενικοῦ βίου τάδε πλείω διατριβὴν ἴσως παρασχόντα τοῦ μετρίου λελέχθω, προθυμουμένων ἡμῶν ἁμῃγέπῃ δεῖξαι πενίαν ὡς οὐκ ἄπορον χρῆμα βίου καὶ ζωῆς πρεπούσης ἀνδράσιν ἐλευθέροις αὐτουργεῖν ἐθέλουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ κρείττω πολὺ καὶ συμφορώτερα ἔργα καὶ πράξεισἄγον καὶ μᾶλλον κατὰ φύσιν ἢ ἐφ᾽ οἷα ὁ πλοῦτος εἴωθε τοὺς πολλοὺς προτρέπειν.

  [103] Now so much for the life of the farmer, the hunter, and the shepherd. Perhaps I have spent more time on this theme than I should have done, but I desired to show in some way or other that poverty is no hopeless impediment to a life and existence befitting free men who are willing to work with their hands, but leads them on to deeds and actions that are far better and more useful and more in accordance with nature than those to which riches are wont to attract most men.

  [104] εἶεν δή, περὶ τῶν ἐν ἄστει καὶ κατὰ πόλιν πενήτων σκεπτέον ἂν εἴη τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν ἐργασιῶν, πῶς ἂν μάλιστα διάγοντες καὶ ποἶ ἄττα μεταχειριζόμενοι δυνήσονται μὴ κακῶς ζῆν μηδὲ φαυλότερον τῶν δανειζόντων ἐπὶ τόκοις συχνοῖς,εὖ μάλ᾽ ἐπισταμένων τὸν ἡμερῶν τε καὶ μηνῶν ἀριθμόν, καὶ τῶν συνοικίας τε μεγάλας καὶ ναῦς κεκτημένων καὶ ἀνδράποδα πολλά:

  [104] Well then, it would now be our duty to consider the life and occupations of poor men who live in the capital or some other city, and see by what routine of life and what pursuits they will be able to live a really good life, one not inferior to that of men who lend out money at excessive rates of interest and understand very well the calculation of days and months, nor to that of those who own large tenement houses and ships and slaves in great numbers!

  [105] μήποτε σπάνια ᾖ τὰ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἔργα τοῖς τοιούτοις, ἀφορμῆς τε ἔξωθεν προσδεόμενα, ὅταν οἰκεῖν τε μισθοῦ δἑῃ καὶ τἄλλ᾽ ἔχειν ὠνουμένους, οὐ μόνον ἱμάτια καὶ σκεύη καὶ σῖτον, ἀλλὰ καὶξύλα, τῆς γε καθ᾽ ἡμέραν χρείας ἕνεκα τοῦ πυρός, κἂν φρυγάνων [p. 209]

  [105] For the poor of this type suitable work may perhaps be hard to find in the cities, and will need to be supplemented by outside resources when they have to pay house-rent and buy everything they get, not merely clothes, household belongings, and food, but even the wood to supply the daily need for fire, and even any odd sticks, leaves, or other most trifling thing they need at any time,

  [106] δέῃ ποτὲ ἢ φύλλων ἢ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν τῶν πάνυ φαύλων, δίχα δὲ ὕδατος τὰ ἄλλα σύμπαντα ἀναγκάζωνται λαμβάνειν, τιμὴν κατατιθέντες, ἅτε πάντων κατακλειομένων καὶ μηδενὸς ἐν μέσῳ φαινομένου πλήν γε οἶμαι τῶν ἐπὶ πράσει πολλῶν καὶ τιμίων. τάχα γὰρ φανεῖται χαλεπὸν τοιούτῳ βίῳ διαρκεῖν μηδὲν ἄλλο κτῆμα ἔξω τοῦ σώματος κεκτημένους, ἄλλως τε ὅταν μὴ τὸ τυχὸν ἔργον μηδὲ πάνθ᾽ ὁμοίως συμβουλεύωμεν αὐτοῖς, ὅθεν ἔστι
κερδᾶναι:

  [106] and when they are compelled to pay money for everything but water, since everything is kept under lock and key, and nothing is exposed to the public except, of course, the many expensive things for sale. It will perhaps seem hard for men to subsist under such conditions who have no other possession than their own bodies, especially as we do not advise them to take any kind of work that offers or all kinds indiscriminately from which it is possible to make some money.

  [107] ὥστε ἴσως ἀναγκασθησόμεθα ἐκβαλεῖν ἐκ τῶν πόλεων τῷ λόγῳ τοὺς κομψοὺς πένητας, ἵνα παρέχωμεν τῷ ὄντι καθ᾽ Ὅμηρον τὰς πόλεις εὖ ναιεταώσας, ὑπὸ μόνων τῶν μακαρίων οἰκουμένας, ἐντὸς δὲ τείχους οὐδένα ἐάσομεν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐλεύθερον ἐργάτην. ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοιούτους ἅπαντας τί δράσομεν; ἢ διασπείραντες ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ κατοικιοῦμεν, καθάπερ Ἀθηναίους φασὶ νέμεσθαι καθ᾽ ὅλην τὴν Ἀττικὴν τὸ παλαιόν, καὶ πάλιν ὕστερον τυραννήσαντος Πεισιστράτου;

  [107] So perhaps we shall be forced in our discussion to banish the respectable poor from the cities in order to make our cities in reality cities “well-inhabited,” as Homer calls them, where only the prosperous dwell, and we shall not allow any free labourer, apparently, within the walls. But what shall we do with all these poor people? Shall we scatter them in settlements in the country as the Athenians are said to have been spread all over Attica in early times and again later when Peisistratus became tyrant?

  [108] οὔκουν οὐδὲ ἐκείνοις ἀξύμφορος ἡ τοιαύτη δίαιτα ἐγένετο, οὐδὲ ἀγεννεῖς ἤνεγκε φύσεις πολιτῶν, ἀλλὰ τῷ παντὶ βελτίους καὶ σωφρονεστέρους τῶν ἐν ἄστει τρεφομένων ὕστερον ἐκκλησιαστῶν καὶ δικαστῶν καὶ γραμματέων, ἀργῶν ἅμα καὶ βαναύσων. οὔκουν ὁ κίνδυνος μέγας οὐδὲ χαλεπός, εἰ πάντες οὗτοι καὶ πάντα τρόπον ἄγροικοι ἔσονται: οἶμαι δ᾽ ὅμως αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀπορήσειν οὐδὲ ἐν ἄστει τροφῆς.