Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [3] and so, in requital for being called a trumpet, he used to say that Diogenes was like the wasps, the buzz of whose wings is slight but the sting very sharp. Therefore he took delight in the outspokenness of Diogenes, just as horsemen, when they get a horse that is high-strung and yet courageous and willing to work, do not object to the difficult temper of the animal, but dislike and have no use for the lazy and slow.

  [4] ἐνίοτε μὲν οὖν ἐπέτεινεν αὐτόν, ἐνίοτε δὲ ἐπειρᾶτο ἀνιέναι, ὥσπερ οἱ χορδοστρόφοι τὰ νεῦρα τείνουσι, προσέχοντες μὴ ῥαγῇ.ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπέθανεν ὁ Ἀντισθένης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδένα ἡγεῖτο συνουσίας ἄξιον, μετέβη εἰς Κόρινθον, κἀκεῖ διῆγεν οὔτε οἰκίαν μισθωσάμενος οὔτε παρὰ ξένῳ τινὶ καταγόμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῷ Κρανείῳ

  [4] Sometimes, therefore, he used to key Diogenes up, while at other times he tried to relax his tension, just as those who twist strings for musical instruments stretch the strings, taking care, however, not to break them.

  After Antisthenes’ death he moved to Corinth, since he considered none of the others worth associating with, and there he lived without renting a house or staying with a friend, but camping out in the Craneion.

  [5] θυραυλῶν. ἑώρα γὰρ ὅτι πλεῖστοι ἄνθρωποι ἐκεῖ συνίασιδιὰ τοὺς λιμένας καὶ τὰς ἑταίρας, καὶ ὅτι ἡ πόλις ὥσπερ ἐν τριόδῳ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἔκειτο. δεῖν οὖν τὸν φρόνιμον ἄνδρα, ὥσπερ τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἰατρόν, ὅπου πλεῖστοι κάμνουσιν, ἐκεῖσε ἰέναι βοηθήσοντα, οὕτως ὅπου πλεῖστοί εἰσιν ἄφρονες, ἐκεῖ μάλιστα ἐπιδημεῖν,

  [5] For he observed that large numbers gathered at Corinth on account of the harbours and the hetaerae, and because the city was situated as it were at the cross-roads of Greece. Accordingly, just as the good physician should go and offer his services where the sick are most numerous, so, said he, the man of wisdom should take up his abode where fools are thickest in order to convict them of their folly and reprove them.

  [6] ἐξελέγχοντα καὶ κολάζοντα τὴν ἄνοιαν αὐτῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἧκεν ὁ τῶνἸσθμίων χρόνος καὶ πάντες ἦσαν ἐν Ἰσθμῷ, κατέβη καὶ αὐτός. εἰώθει γὰρ ἐπισκοπεῖν ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσι τὰς σπουδὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας καὶ ὧν ἕνεκα ἀδημονοῦσι καὶ ἐπὶ τίσι μέγα φρονοῦσι.

  [6] So, when the time for the Isthmian games arrived, and everybody was at Isthmus, he went down also. For it was his custom at the great assemblies to make a study of the pursuits and ambitions of men, of their reasons for being abroad, and of the things on which they prided themselves.

  [7] παρέσχε δὲ καὶ αὑτὸν τῷ βουλομένῳ ἐντυγχάνειν, [p. 97] καὶ ἔλεγε θαυμάζειν ὅτι εἰ μὲν ἔφη ὀδόντας ἰᾶσθαι, πάντες ἂν αὐτῷ προσῇσαν οἱ δεόμενοι ὀδόντα ἐξελέσθαι, καὶ νὴ Δία εἰ ὑπέσχετο ὀφθαλμοὺς θεραπεύειν, πάντες ἂν οἱ ὀφθαλμιῶντες αὑτοὺς ἐπεδείκνυον: ὁμοίως δέ, εἰ σπληνὸς ἢ ποδάγρας ἢ κορύζης εἰδέναι φάρμακον:

  [7] He gave his time also to any who wished to interview him, remarking that he was surprised by the fact that had he claimed to be a physician for the teeth, everybody would flock to him who needed to have a tooth pulled; yes, and by heavens, had he professed to treat the eyes, all who were suffering from sore eyes would present themselves, and similarly, if he had claimed to know of a medicine for diseases of the spleen or for gout or for running of the nose;

  [8] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔφη παύσειν τοὺς πεισομένους αὐτῷ ἀγνοίας καὶ πονηρίας καὶ ἀκολασίας, οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ προσεῖχεν οὐδὲ ἐκέλευεν ἰᾶσθαι αὑτόν, οὐδ᾽ ἂν εἰ πολὺ προσλήψεσθαι ἀργύριον ἔμελλεν, ὡς ἧ̣̣̓τον ὑπὸ τούτων ἢ ἐκεῖνοι ἐνοχλούμενος ἢ χαλεπώτερον ἀνθρώπῳ σπληνὸς ἀνέχεσθαι οἰδοῦντος καὶ διεφθαρμένου ὀδόντος ἢ ψυχῆς ἄφρονος καὶ ἀμαθοῦς καὶ δειλῆς καὶ θρασείας καὶ φιληδόνου καὶ ἀνελευθέρου καὶ ὀργίλης καὶ λυπηρᾶς καὶ πανούργου καὶ πάντα τρόπον διεφθαρμένης.

  [8] but when he declared that all who should follow his treatment would be relieved of folly, wickedness, and intemperance, not a man would listen to him or seek to be cured by him, no matter how much richer he might become thereby, as though he were less inconvenienced by these spiritual complaints than by the other kind, or as though it were worse for a man to suffer from an enlarged spleen or a decayed tooth than from a soul that is foolish, ignorant, cowardly, rash, pleasure-loving, illiberal, irascible, unkind, and wicked, in fact utterly corrupt.

  [9] καὶ δὴ καὶ τότε ἦν περὶ τὸν νεὼν τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος ἀκούειν πολλῶν μὲν σοφιστῶν κακοδαιμόνων βοώντων καὶ λοιδορουμένων ἀλλήλοις, καὶ τῶν λεγομένων μαθητῶν ἄλλου ἄλλῳ μαχομένων, πολλῶν δὲ συγγραφέων ἀναγιγνωσκόντων ἀναίσθητα συγγράμματα, πολλῶν δὲ ποιητῶν ποιήματα ᾀδόντων, καὶ τούτους ἐπαινούντων ἑτέρων, πολλῶν δὲ θαυματοποιῶν θαύματα ἐπιδεικνύντων, πολλῶν δὲ τερατοσκόπων τέρατα κρινόντων, μυρίων δὲ ῥητόρων δίκας στρεφόντων, οὐκ ὀλίγων δὲ καπήλων διακαπηλευόντων ὅ,τι τύχοιεν ἕκαστος.

  [9] That was the time, too, when one could hear crowds of wretched sophists around Poseidon’s temple shouting and reviling one another, and their disciples, as they were called, fighting with one another, many writers reading aloud their stupid works, many poets reciting their poems while others applauded them, many jugglers showing their tricks, many fortune-tellers interpreting fortunes, lawyers innumerable perverting judgment, and peddlers not a few peddling whatever they happened to have.

  [10] εὐθὺς οὖν καὶ αὐτῷ τινες προσῆλθον, τῶν μὲν Κορινθίων οὐδείς: οὐδὲ γὰρ ᾤοντο οὐδὲν ὠφεληθήσεσθαι, ὅτι καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἑώρων αὐτὸν ἐν Κορίνθῳ: τῶν δὲ ξένων ἦσαν οἱ προσιόντες, καὶ τούτων ἕκαστος βραχύ τι εἰπὼν ἢ ἀκούσας ἀπῄει, φοβούμενος τὸν ἔλεγχον.

  [10] Naturally a crowd straightway gathered about him too; no Corinthians, however, for they did not think it would be at all worth their while, since they were accustomed to see him every day in Corinth. The crowd that gathered was composed of strangers, and each of these, after speaking or listening for a short time, went his way, fearing his refutation of their views.

  [11] διὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἔφη ὁ Διογένης προσεοικέναι τοῖς κυσὶ τοῖς Λάκωσι: καὶ γὰρ τούτους, ὅταν στῶσιν εἰς τὰς πανηγύρεις, πολλοὺς μὲν εἶναι τοὺς καταψήχοντας καὶ προσπαίζοντας, μηδένα δὲ ὠνεῖσθαι ῥᾳδίως, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπίστασθαι χρῆσθαι. πυθομένου δέ τινος εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἥκοι τὸν ἀγῶνα θεασόμ
ενος, οὐκ, ἔφη, [p. 98] ἀλλ᾽ ἀγωνιούμενος. καὶ ὃς ἐγέλασέ τε καὶ ἤρετο αὐτὸν τίνας ἔχοι τοὺς ἀνταγωνιστάς.

  [11] Just for that reason, said Diogenes, he was like the Laconian dogs; there were plenty of men to pat them and play with them when they were shown at the popular gatherings, but no one was willing to buy any because he did not know how to deal with them.

  And when a certain man asked whether he too came to see the contest, he said, “No, but to take part.” Then when the man laughed and asked him who his competitors were,

  [12] ὁ δὲ ὥσπερ εἰώθει ὑποβλέψας, Τοὺς χαλεπωτάτους, εἶπε, καὶ ἀμαχωτάτους, οἷς οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀντιβλέψαι τῶν Ἑλλήνων, οὐ μέντοι διατρέχοντας ἢ παλαίοντας ἢ διαπηδῶντας οὐδὲ πυκτεύοντας καὶ ἀκοντίζοντας καὶ δισκεύοντας ἀλλὰ τοὺς σωφρονίζοντας.

  [12] he said with that customary glance of his: “The toughest there are and the hardest to beat, men whom no Greek can look straight in the eye; not competitors, however, who sprint, or wrestle or jump, not those that box, throw the spear, and hurl the discus, but those that chasten a man.”

  [13] τίνας μήν; ἤρετο. τοὺς πόνους, ἔφη, μάλα ἰσχυρούς τε καὶ ἀνικήτους ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐμπεπλησμένων καὶ τετυφωμένων καὶ τὰς μὲν ἡμέρας ὅλας ἐσθιόντων, ἐν δὲ ταῖς νυξὶ ῥεγκόντων, ὑπὸ δὲ ἀνδρῶν ἡττωμένους λεπτῶν τε καὶ ἀσάρκων καὶ τῶν σφηκῶν τὰς γαστέρας μᾶλλον ἐντετμημένων.

  [13] “Who are they, pray?” asked the other. “Hardships,” he replied, “very severe and insuperable for gluttonous and folly-stricken men who feast the livelong day and snore at night, but which yield to thin, spare men, whose waists are more pinched in than those of wasps.

  [14] ἢ σὺ οἴει τούτων τι ὄφελοσεἶναι τῶν τὰς μεγάλας κοιλίας ἐχόντων, οὓς ἐχρῆν περιαγαγόντας καὶ περικαθάραντας ἐκβαλεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ καταθύσαντας καὶ κατατεμόντας εὐωχεῖσθαι, καθάπερ οἶμαι τὰ τῶν κητῶν κρέα, τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας, ἕψοντας ἁλσὶ καὶ θαλάσσῃ, τὴν δὲ πιμελὴν τήξαντας, ὥσπερ ἐν Πόντῳ παρ᾽ ἡμῖν τὸ τῶν δελφίνων στέαρ, ἀλείφεσθαι τοὺς

  [14] Or do you think those pot-bellies are good for anything? — creatures whom sensible people ought to lead around, subject to the ceremony of purification, and then thrust beyond the borders, or, rather, kill, quarter, and use as food just as people do with the flesh of large fish, don’t you know, boiling it in brine and melting out the fat, the way our people at home in Pontus do with the lard of pigs when they want to anoint themselves. For I think these men have less soul than hogs.

  [15] δεομένους. οἶμαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῶν ὑῶν ἥττονα ψυχὴν ἔχειν. ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ ὁ γενναῖος ἡγεῖται τοὺς πόνους ἀνταγωνιστὰς μεγίστους, καὶ τούτοις ἀεὶ φιλεῖ μάχεσθαι καὶ τὴν νύκτα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ σελίνου, ὥσπερ αἱ αἶγες, οὐδὲ κοτίνου καὶ πίτυος, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ εὐδαιμονίας καὶ ἀρετῆς παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον, οὐχ ὅταν Ἠλεῖοι προείπωσινἢ Κορίνθιοι ἢ τὸ κοινὸν Θετταλῶν, μηδένα αὐτῶν φοβούμενον μηδὲ εὐχόμενον ἄλλῳ λαχεῖν,

  [15] But the noble man holds his hardships to be his greatest antagonists, and with them he is ever wont to battle day and night, not to win a sprig of parsley as so many goats might do, nor for a bit of wild olive, or of pine, but to win happiness and virtue throughout all the days of his life, and not merely when the Eleans make proclamation, or the Corinthians, or the Thessalian assembly. He is afraid of none of those opponents nor does he pray to draw another antagonist,

  [16] ἀλλὰ προκαλούμενον ἐφεξῆς ἅπαντας, καὶ λιμῷ φιλονεικοῦντα καὶ ψύχει καὶ δίψος ὑπομένοντα, κἂν δέῃ μαστιγούμενον καρτερεῖν καὶ τεμνόμενον καὶ καόμενον μηδὲν μαλακὸν ἐνδιδόντα: πενίαν δὲ καὶ φυγὴν καὶ ἀδοξίαν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦταμηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι δεινὸν αὑτῷ, ἀλλὰ πάνυ κοῦφα, καὶ πολλάκις παίζειν ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν τέλειον, ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες τοῖς ἀστραγάλοις καὶ ταῖς σφαίραις ταῖς ποικίλαις.

  [16] but challenges them one after another, grappling with hunger and cold, withstanding thirst, and disclosing no weakness even though he must endure the lash or give his body to be cut or burned. Hunting, exile, loss of reputation, and the like have no terrors for him; nay, he holds them as mere trifles, and while in their very grip the perfect man is often as sportive as boys with their dice and their coloured balls.

  [17] καὶ γὰρ δοκοῦσι μέν, ἔφη, δεινοὶ καὶ ἀνυπόστατοι πᾶσι τοῖς κακοῖς οἱ ἀνταγωνισταὶ οὗτοι: ἐὰν δέ τις [p. 99] αὐτῶν καταφρονήσῃ καὶ προσίῃ θαρρῶν οὐ χαλεπὸν δειλοὺς καὶ ἀδυνάτους ἄνδρας ἰσχυροὺς κρατῆσαι, μάλιστα τοῖς κυσὶν ὁμοίους, οἳ τοὺς μὲν φεύγοντας ἐπιδιώκουσι καὶ δάκνουσι καὶ διέσπασαν ἔστιν οὓς καταλαβόντες, τοὺς δὲ ἐπιόντας καὶ μαχομένους φοβοῦνται καὶ ἀναχωροῦσι, τελευτῶντες δὲ σαίνουσιν, ἐπειδὰν συνήθεις γένωνται.

  [17] “Of course,” he continued, “these antagonists do seem terrible and invincible to all cravens; but if you treat them with contempt and meet them boldly, you will find them cowardly and unable to master strong men, in this greatly resembling dogs, which pursue and bite people who run away from them, while some they seize and tear to pieces, but fear and slink away from men who face them and show fight, and in the end wag their tails when they come to know them.

  [18] οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ ἄνθρωποι ἐκπεπληγμένοι αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀεί ποτε φεύγοντες κρίνουσιν, οὐδέποτε ἐναντίον βλέποντες. καὶ γὰρ δή, ὥσπερ οἱ πυκτεύειν εἰδότες, ἐὰν μὲν προλάβωσι τὸν ἀνταγωνιστήν, οὐ παίονται τὴν ἀρχήν, πολλάκις δὲ ἀπέβησαν αὐτοὶ καταβαλόντες: ἐὰν δὲ ὑποχωρῶσι φοβούμενοι, τότ᾽ ἰσχυροτάτας πληγὰς λαμβάνουσιν: οὕτως ἐὰν μέν τις τοὺς πόνους δέχηται καταφρονῶν καὶ πλησιάζῃ προθύμως, οὐ πάνυ ἰσχύουσι πρὸς αὐτόν: ἐὰν δὲ ἀφιστῆται καὶ ἀναχωρῇ, τῷ παντὶ μείζους καὶ σφοδρότεροι δοκοῦσι.

  [18] Most people, however, are in mortal terror of these antagonists, always avoiding them by flight and never looking them in the face. And indeed, just as skilful boxers, if they anticipate their opponents, are not hit at all, but often actually end by winning the bout themselves, but if, on the contrary, they give ground through fear, they receive the heaviest blow; in the same way, if we accept our hardships in a spirit of contempt for them and approach them cheerfully, they avail very little against us; but if we hang back and give way, they appear altogether greater and m
ore severe.

  [19] τοῦτο δ᾽ ἂν ἴδοις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρὸς γιγνόμενον: ἐὰν μὲν σφόδρα ἐπιβῇς, ἔσβεσας τὸ πῦρ: ἐὰν δὲ ὑποπτεύων καὶ δεδοικώς, σφόδρα ἐκαύθης: ὥσπερ ἐνίοτε παίζοντες οἱ παῖδες τῇ γλώττῃ τὸ πῦρ σβεννύουσιν. οὗτοι μὲν οὖν οἱ ἀνταγωνισταὶ σχεδὸν ὅμοιοί εἰσι τοῖς παμμάχοις, παίοντές τε καὶ ἄγχοντες καὶ διασπῶντες καὶ ἀποκτιννύντες ἐνίοτε.

  [19] You can see that the same thing applies to fire also: if you attack it most vigorously, you put it out; but if with caution and fear, you get badly burned, just as children do when in sport they sometimes try to put out a fire with their tongues. The adversaries of this class are a good deal like the pancratiasts, who strike, choke, rend, and occasionally kill.

  [20] ἑτέρα δὲ δεινοτέρα μάχη καὶ ἀγών ἐστιν οὐ μικρός, ἀλλὰ πολὺ τούτου μείζων καὶ ἐπικινδυνότερος ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἡδονήν, οὐκ ἄντικρυς βιαζομένην, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξαπατῶσαν καὶ γοητεύουσαν δεινοῖς φαρμάκοις οὐχ οἵαν Ὅμηρός φησιν,

  αὖθις δὲ δριμεῖα μάχη παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐτύχθη.

  [20] “But there is another battle more terrible and a struggle not slight but much greater than this and fraught with greater danger, I mean the fight against pleasure. Nor is it like that battle which Homer speaks of when he says,

  Fiercely then around the ships

  The struggle was renewed.

  With halberds and with trenchant battle-axe

  They fought, with mighty sword and two-edged spear.