Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [139] Now at this point we must assuredly remember that this adultery committed with outcasts, so evident in our midst and becoming so brazen and unchecked, is to a very great extent paving the way to hidden and secret assaults upon the chastity of women and boys of good family, such crimes being only too boldly committed when modesty is openly trampled upon, and that it was not invented, as some think, to afford security and abstinence from these crimes.

  [140] καὶ ἀποχῆς ἐκείνων εὑρῆσθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. τάχ᾽ οὖν λέγοι τις ἂν ἀγροικότερον οὕτω πως: ὦ σοφοὶ νομοθέται καὶ ἄρχοντες οἱ παραδεξάμενοι τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, ὡς δή τι θαυμαστὸν εὑρηκότες ταῖς πόλεσιν ὑμεῖς σωφροσύνης φάρμακον, ὅπως ὑμῖν μὴ τὰ φανερὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἄκλειστα οἰκήματα τὰς κεκλειμένασοἰκίας καὶ τοὺς ἔνδοθεν θαλάμους ἀναπετάσῃ, καὶ τοὺς ἔξω καὶ φανερῶς ἀσελγαίνοντας ἀπὸ μικρᾶς δαπάνης ἐπὶ τὰς ἐλευθέρας καὶ σεμνὰς τρέψῃ γυναῖκας μετὰ πολλῶν χρημάτων τε καὶ δώρων, τὸ σφόδρα εὔωνον καὶ μετ᾽ ἐξουσίας οὐκέτι στέργοντας, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ κεκωλυμένον ἐν φόβῳ τε καὶ πολλοῖς ἀναλώμασι διώκοντας.

  [140] Perhaps now someone may say, rather rudely, something like this: “O you wise rulers and lawgivers, who tolerated such practices in the beginning and imagined you had actually discovered some wondrous elixir to produce chastity in our cities, your motive being to keep these open and unbarred brothels from contaminating your barred homes and inner chambers, and keep men who practise their excesses abroad and openly at little cost from turning to your free-born and respected wives with their many bribes and gifts!” For men do grow weary of what is excessively cheap and freely permitted, but pursue in fear and at great expense what is forbidden simply because it is forbidden.

  [141] ὄψεσθε δὲ αὐτό, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ἀκριβέστερον, ἐὰν σκοπῆτε: παρ᾽ οἷς γὰρ καὶ τὰ τῶν μοιχειῶν μεγαλοπρεπέστερόν πως παραπέμπεται, πολλῆς καὶ σφόδρα φιλανθρώπου τῆς εὐγνωμοσύνης τυγχάνοντα, τὰ μὲν πολλὰ ὑπὸ χρηστότητος οὐκ αἰσθανομένων τῶν ἀνδρῶν, τὰ δέ τινα οὐχ ὁμολογούντων εἰδέναι, ξένους δὲ καὶ φίλους καὶ ξυγγενεῖστοὺς μοιχοὺς καλουμένους ἀνεχομένων, καὶ αὐτῶν ἐνίοτε φιλοφρονουμένων καὶ παρακαλούντων ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ θυσίαις ἐπὶ τὰς ἑστιάσεις, ὡς ἂν οἶμαι τοὺς οἰκειοτάτους,

  [141] I think you will see this more clearly if you just consider. For where men condone even the matter of adultery in a somewhat magnificent fashion and the practice of it finds great and most charitable consideration, where husbands in their simplicity do not notice most things and do not admit knowledge of some things but suffer the adulterers to be called guests and friends and kinsmen, at times even entertaining these themselves and inviting them to their tables at festivals and sacrifices as, I imagine, they might invite their bosom friends,

  [142] ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς σφόδρα ἐκδήλοις καὶ φανεροῖς μετρίας τὰς ὀργὰς ποιουμένων: παρ᾽ οἷς, φημί, ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως ἐπιεικῶς ἐξάγεται τὰ περὶ τὰς γυναῖκας,[p. 217] οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν παρθένων ἐκεῖ θαρρῆσαι ῥᾴδιον τῆς κορείας οὐδὲ τὸν ὑμέναιον ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ δικαίως ᾀδόμενον ἐν τοῖς παρθενικοῖς γάμοις πιστεῦσαί ποτε.

  [142] and display but moderate anger at actions that are most glaring and open — where, I say, these intrigues of the married women are carried on with such an air of respectability, in that community it will not be easy to feel quite sure of the maidenhood of the unmarried girls or ever to be confident that the words of the wedding song sung at the marriage of the girls are truthful and honest.

  [143] ἢ οὐκ ἀνάγκη πολλὰ ἐοικότα ξυμβαίνειν αὐτόθι τοῖς παλαιοῖς μύθοις, δίχα γε τῆς τῶν πατέρων ὀργῆς καὶ πολυπραγμοσύνης, ἀλλὰ πολλῶν μιμουμένων τοὺς τῶν θεῶν ἔρωτας λεγομένους, χρυσοῦ τε πολλοῦ διαρρέοντος διὰ τῶν ὀρόφων καὶ πάνυ ῥᾳδίως, ἅτε οὐ χαλκῶν ὄντων οὐδὲ λιθίνων τῶν οἰκημάτων,

  [143] Is it not inevitable that in these cities many things occur which are like the old legends? — omitting, of course, the angry and meddlesome fathers — that a great many persons copy the storied amours of the gods and gold pours down in showers through the roofs (and with little difficulty, since the chambers are not of brass or stone),

  [144] καὶ νὴ Δία ἀργύρου στάζοντος οὐ κατ᾽ ὀλίγον οὐδ᾽ εἰς τοὺς τῶν παρθένων κόλπους μόνον, ἀλλ᾽ εἴς τε μητέρων καὶ τροφῶν καὶ παιδαγωγῶν, καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν καὶ καλῶν δώρων τῶν μὲν κρύφα εἰσιόντων διὰ τῶν στεγῶν, ἔστι δ᾽ ὧν φανερῶς κατ᾽

  [144] and yes, by heavens, that silver trickles in no small stream nor into the laps of the maidens alone, but into those of mothers also and nurses and tutors — to say nothing of many other handsome gifts which sometimes enter stealthily through the roof and sometimes openly no doubt at the very bedside!

  [145] αὐτάς που τὰς κλισίας; τί δ᾽; ἐν ποταμοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ κρηνῶν οὐκ εἰκὸς ὅμοια πολλὰ γενέσθαι τοῖς πρότερον λεγομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν ποιητῶν; πλὴν ἴσως γε οὐ δημόσια γιγνόμενα οὐδ᾽ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, κατ᾽ οἰκίας δὲ οὕτως εὐδαίμονας κήπων τε καὶ προαστείων πολυτελεῖς ἐπαύλεις ἔν τισι νυμφῶσι κατεσκευασμένοις καὶ θαυμαστοῖς ἄλσεσιν,ἅτε οὐ περὶ πενιχρὰς οὐδὲ πενήτων βασιλέων οἵας ὑδροφορεῖν τε καὶ παίζειν παρὰ τοῖς ποταμοῖς, ψυχρὰ λουτρὰ λουομένας καὶ ἐν αἰγιαλοῖς ἀναπεπταμένοις, ἀλλὰ μακαρίας καὶ μακαρίων γονέων, ἐν βασιλικαῖς καταγωγαῖς ἴδια πάντα ταῦτα ἐχούσαις,

  [145] Is it not likely, too, that much occurs in rivers and beside springs which is like those happenings of ancient times that the poets describe? Only perhaps they do not occur in the open publicly, but in homes of truly great felicity, at costly lodges in parks and city suburbs, in luxurious artificial bowers and in splendid groves; for it is not a question of poor daughters of penniless kings, the kind that carry water and play on beaches beside the rivers, bathing in cool water, or on wide-spreading beaches of the sea; no, they are the wealthy daughters of wealthy parents in princely establishments that possess all these things in private far surpassing anything in public splendour and magnificence.

  [146] πολὺ κρείττονα καὶ μεγαλοπρεπέστερα τῶν κοινῶν. ἀλλ᾽ ἴσως γε οὐδὲν ἧττον ἔμελλον ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει παῖδας προσδοκᾶν ἐσομένους, οἷον Ὅμηρος εἴρηκεν Εὔδωρον, υἱὸν Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Πολυδώρας, ὑποκοριζόμενος αὐτὸν οἶμαι κατὰ
τὴν γένεσιν,

  παρθένιος, τὸν ἔτικτε χορῷ καλὴ Πολυδώρη.

  [146] But perhaps they would nevertheless be expecting children to be born in that city, children of the kind that Homer refers to when he mentions Eudorus, son of Hermes and Polydora, and makes use of an euphemism, as I see it, in referring to his birth:

  “Virgin’s son whom bore Polydora, fair in the chorus.”

  [147] σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔτυχόν τινες ταύτης τῆς ἐπωνυμίας τῶν οὕτως γενομένων, Παρθενίαι κληθέντες συχνοί: ὥστ᾽, [p. 218] εἰ μὴ διεφθείροντο οἱ πλείους τῶν ἐν ταῖς οὕτως τρυφώσαις πόλεσι γιγνομένων, ἅτε οὐδαμῶς οἶμαι δαιμονίου τυγχάνοντες ἐπιμελείας,

  [147] I suspect that at Sparta as well some boys of a similar paternity received this appellation, since quite a number are called Parthenians. Consequently, if the majority born in such immoral cities did not perish through utter lack, I imagine, of divine protection, then nothing would save the world from being overrun by demigods.

  [148] οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυε πάντα μεστὰ ἡρώων εἶναι. νῦν δὲ οἱ μὲν ἀπόλλυνται παραχρῆμα: ὅσοι δ᾽ ἂν καὶ φανῶσι, κρύφα ἐν δούλου σχήματι μένουσιν ἄχρι γήρως, ἅτε οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς δυναμένωντῶν σπειράντων προσωφελεῖν.

  [148] But as it is, some die at birth, while those that do survive live on to old age in obscurity in the status of slaves, since those who gave them being can give them no further support.

  Now then, in a city where the girls’ condition is as bad as we have described,

  [149] εἶεν δή, παρ᾽ οἷς ἂν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὰς κόρας οὕτως ἁπλῶς ἔχῃ, τί χρὴ προσδοκᾶν τοὺς κόρους, ποίας τινὸς παιδείας καὶ ἀγωγῆς τυγχάνειν; ἔσθ᾽ ὅπως ἂν ἀπόσχοιτο τῆς τῶν ἀρρένων λώβης καὶ φθορᾶς τό γε ἀκόλαστον γένος, τοῦτον ἱκανὸν καὶ σαφῆ ποιησάμενον ὅρον τὸν τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ̓οὐκ ἂν ἐμπιμπλάμενον πάντα τρόπον τῆς περὶ γυναῖκας ἀκρασίας διακορὲς γενόμενον τῆς ἡδονῆς ταύτης ζητοίη ἑτέραν μείζω καὶ παρανομωτέραν ὕβριν;

  [149] what are we to expect the boys to be? What education and training should we expect them to receive? Is there any possibility that this lecherous class would refrain from dishonouring and corrupting the males, making their clear and sufficient limit that set by nature? Or will it not, while it satisfies its lust for women in every conceivable way, find itself grown weary of this pleasure, and then seek some other worse and more lawless form of wantonness?

  [150] ὡς τά γε γυναικῶν, αὐτῶν σχεδόν τι τῶν ἐλευθέρων καὶ παρθένων, ἐφάνη ῥᾴδια καὶ οὐδεὶς πόνος θηρῶντι μετὰ πλούτου τὴν τοιάνδε θήραν: οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τὰς πάνυ σεμνὰς καὶσεμνῶν τῷ ὄντι γυναῖκας καὶ θυγατέρας ὅστις ἂν ἴῃ σὺν τῇ τοῦ Διὸς μηχανῇ, χρυσὸν μετὰ χεῖρας φέρων, οὐ μήποτε ἀποτυγχάνῃ.

  [150] Yes, the seduction of women — especially, one might almost say, of the freeborn and virgins — has been found easy and no task for a man who pursues that kind of game with money; and even against the highly respected wives and daughters of men really respected, the libertine who attacks with the device of Zeus and brings gold in his hands will never fail.

  [151] ἀλλ᾽ αὐτά που τὰ λοιπὰ δῆλα παρὰ πολλοῖς γιγνόμενα. ὁ γὰρ ἄπληστος τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιθυμιῶν, ὅταν μηδὲν εὑρίσκῃ σπάνιον μηδὲ ἀντιτεῖνον ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ γένει, καταφρονήσας τοῦ ῥᾳδίου καὶ ἀτιμάσας τὴν ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶν Ἀφροδίτην ὡς ἕτοιμον δή τινα καὶ τῷ ὄντι θῆλυν παντελῶς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνδρωνῖτιν μεταβήσεται, τοὺς ἄρξοντας αὐτίκα μάλα καὶ δικάσοντας καὶ στρατηγήσοντας ἐπιθυμῶν καταισχύνειν,

  [151] But the further developments, I presume, are perfectly evident, since we see so many illustrations. The man whose appetite is insatiate in such things, when he finds there is no scarcity, no resistance, in this field, will have contempt for the easy conquest and scorn for a woman’s love, as a thing too readily given — in fact, too utterly feminine — and will turn his assault against the male quarters, eager to befoul the youth who will very soon be magistrates and judges and generals,

  [152] ὡς ἐνθάδε που τὸ χαλεπὸν καὶ δυσπόριστον εὑρήσων τῶν ἡδονῶν εἶδος, τοῖς ἄγαν φιλοπόταις καὶ οἰνόφλυξι[p. 219] ταὐτὸ πεπονθὼς πάθος: ὁ̣̣̓ πολλάκις μετὰ πολλὴν ἀκρατοποσίαν καὶ συνεχῆ οὐκ ἐθέλοντες πιεῖν αὐχμὸν ἐξεπίτηδες μηχανῶνται διά τε ἱδρώτων καὶ σιτίων ἁλμυρῶν καὶ δριμέων προσφορᾶς.

  [152] believing that in them he will find a kind of pleasure difficult and hard to procure. His state is like that of men who are addicted to drinking and wine-bibbing, who after long and steady drinking of unmixed wine, often lose their taste for it and create an artificial thirst by the stimulus of sweatings, salted foods, and condiments.

  THE EIGHTH DISCOURSE, ON VIRTUE

  ΔΙΟΓΕΝΗΣ ἢ περὶ ΑΡΕΤΗΣ.

  THE EIGHTH DISCOURSE, ON VIRTUE

  The subject of the eighth Discourse is “The Real Athlete,” and the speech was evidently delivered during Dio’s period of exile. The reference to Diogenes’ exile at the beginning is no accident. When the latter was represented as telling how he endured hunger, thirst, and poverty, and narrating the labours of Heracles, Dio’s audience naturally thought of the speaker himself; and when Eurystheus, who tyrannized over Heracles, they thought of Domitian, who banished Dio.

  [1] Διογένης ὁ Σινωπεὺς ἐκπεσὼν ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος, οὐδενὸς διαφέρων τῶν πάνυ φαύλων Ἀθήναζε ἀφίκετο, καὶ καταλαμβάνει συχνοὺς ἔτι τῶν Σωκράτους ἑταίρων: καὶ γὰρ Πλάτωνα καὶ Ἀρίστιππον καὶ Αἰσχίνην καὶ Ἀντισθένην καὶ τὸν Μεγαρέα Εὐκλείδην: Ξενοφῶν δὲ ἔφευγε διὰ τὴν μετὰ Κύρου στρατείαν. τῶν μὲν οὖν [p. 96] ἄλλων ταχὺ κατεφρόνησεν, Ἀντισθένει δὲ ἐχρῆτο, οὐκ αὐτὸν οὕτως ἐπαινῶν ὡς τοὺς λόγους οὓς ἔλεγεν, ἡγούμενος μόνους εἶναι ἀληθεῖς καὶ μάλιστα δυναμένους ἄνθρωπον ὠφελῆσαι.

  The Eighth Discourse: Diogenes or On Virtue

  When Diogenes was exiled from his native Sinope, he came to Athens, looking like the veriest beggar; and there he found a goodly number still of Socrates’ companions: to wit, Plato, Aristippus, Aeschylus, Antisthenes, and Eucleides of Megara; but Xenophon was in exile on account of his campaign with Cyrus. Now it was not long before he despised them all save Antisthenes, whom he cultivated, not so much from approval of the man himself as of the words he spoke, which he felt to be alone true and best adapted to whether mankind.

  [2] ἐπεὶ αὐτόν γε τὸν Ἀντισθένην παραβάλλων πρὸς τοὺς λόγους ἐνίοτε ἤλεγχεν
ὡς πολὺ μαλακώτερον, καὶ ἔφη αὐτὸν εἶναι σάλπιγγα λοιδορῶν: αὑτοῦ γὰροὐκ ἀκούειν φθεγγομένου μέγιστον. καὶ ὁ Ἀντισθένης ὑπέμενεν αὐτὸν ταῦτα ἀκούων: πάνυ γὰρ ἐθαύμαζε τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὴν φύσιν.

  [2] For when he contrasted the man Antisthenes with his words, he sometimes made this criticism, that the man himself was much weaker; and so in reproach he would call him a trumpet because he could not hear his own self, no matter how much noise he made. Antisthenes tolerated this banter of his since he greatly admired the man’s character;

  [3] ἔλεγεν οὖν ἀμυνόμενος ἀντὶ τῆς σάλπιγγος τοῖς σφηξὶν αὐτὸν ὅμοιον εἶναι. καὶ γὰρ τῶν σφηκῶν εἶναι τὸν μὲν ψόφον τῶν πτερῶν μικρόν, τὸ δὲ κέντρον δριμύτατον. ἔχαιρεν οὖν τῇ παρρησίᾳ τοῦΔιογένους, ὥσπερ οἱ ἱππικοί, ὅταν ἵππον θυμοειδῆ λάβωσιν, ἄλλως δὲ ἀνδρεῖον καὶ φιλόπονον, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἀποδέχονται τὸ χαλεπὸν τοῦ ἵππου: τοὺς δὲ νωθροὺς καὶ βραδεῖς μισοῦσι καὶ ἀποδοκιμάζουσιν.