[3] because there is no beautiful man?
Dio. Yes indeed we ought, at least as the Persians regarded beauty; but no one of the Greeks so regarded it, except one of the Thirty. Or do you not know the story about that Critias, who was a member of the Thirty? He said that the most beautiful figure among males was the effeminate, but among the females, on the other hand, the opposite. Therefore the Athenians were justified in choosing him as lawgiver that he might alter the old laws, for in fact he left not one of them unchanged.
Int. Very well! But how did the Persians regard beauty?
[4] — Δ. Οὐ γὰρ φανερόν, ὅτε εὐνούχους ἐποίουν τοὺς καλούς, ὅπως αὐτοῖς ὡς κάλλιστοι ὦσιν; τοσοῦτον διαφέρειν ᾤοντο πρὸς κάλλος τὸ θῆλυ. σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ πάντες οἱ βάρβαροι, ᾗπερ τὰ ἄλλα ζῷα, διὰ τὸ μόνον τὰ ἀφροδίσια ἐννοεῖν. ὡς οὖν λέγεται Δαίδαλος ποιῆσαι τὸν ταῦρον ἐξαπατῶν, περιτεῖναι τῷ ξύλῳ δέρμα βοός, κἀκεῖνοι γυναικὸς εἶδος περιτιθέασι τοῖς ἄρρεσιν, ἄλλως δὲ
[4] Dio. Why, does it need any explanation, seeing that they made eunuchs of the beautiful males in order that they might have them as beautiful as possible? So greatly superior in beauty did they think the female to be. And practically all the barbarians treated them in the same way, just as they did the animals — because the only thing they thought of was the lust of the flesh. Then, just as Daedalus is said to have acted when he deceived the bull by stretching a cow’s hide over a framework of wood, so they try to put a feminine appearance on the males, being incapable of loving them in any other way.
[5] οὐκ ἐπίστανται ἐρᾶν. ἴσως δὲ καὶ ἡ τροφὴ αἰτία τοῖς Πέρσαις, τὸ μέχρι πολλοῦ τρέφεσθαι ὑπό τε γυναικῶν καὶ εὐνούχων τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, παῖδας δὲ μετὰ παίδων καὶ μειράκια μετὰ μειρακίων μὴ πάνυ συνεῖναι μηδὲ γυμνοῦσθαι ἐν παλαίστραις καὶ γυμνασίοις. ὅθεν ἐγὼ οἶμαι ξυμβῆναι αὐτοῖς τὸ ταῖς μητράσι μίγνυσθαι: ὥσπερ οἱ πῶλοι, ἐπειδὰν ἁδρότεροι ὄντες ἀκολουθῶσιν ἔτι
[5] But perhaps in the case of the Persians the way the boys are reared is the cause, I mean that for a long time they are brought up by women and the older eunuchs, and that young boys do not associate much with other young boys, nor the striplings with others of their own age, and that they do not go naked in the wrestling schools and gymnasia. This is the reason why, in my opinion, cases have occurred where they had intercourse with their mothers; just as colts, when they still follow their dams although fairly well grown, try to cover them.
[6] ταῖς μητράσιν, ἐπιβαίνειν ζητοῦσιν. τὸ μέντοι τῆς τροφῆς καὶ ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσι τὴν ἰσχύν. κάλλιον μὲν γὰρ δὴ πολὺ ἵππος ὄνου, οἱ δέ γε ὄνοι οὐκ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἵππων διὰ τὴν φύσιν, εἰ μὴ ὃς ἂν ᾖ τεθραμμένος ἵππου γάλακτι: ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἵππος πωλευθεὶς ὑπὸ ὄνου τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχει. ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία παράνομόν τί ἐστι. Νέρωνα γοῦν πάντες ἐπιστάμεθα ἐφ̓ ἡμῶν [p. 268] ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἐξέτεμε τὸν ἐρώμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μετωνόμασε γυναικεῖον, τῆς αὑτοῦ ἐρωμένης καὶ γυναικός, ἧς ἐκεῖνος ἐπιθυμήσας ἔγημεν, ἀναφανδὸν εἴρξας τὴν πρόσθεν, ἐφ̓ ᾗ τὴν
[6] Moreover, the influence of their nurture is shown in the following case also. A horse is certainly far more beautiful than an ass, but yet the asses, because they are of a different breed, feel no passion for mares, except when they have been raised on mare’s milk; and similarly, a horse that has been suckled by an ass is affected in the same way.
In human beings unlimited power also is a lawless sort of thing. Take Nero for instance: we all know how in our own time that he not only castrated the youth whom he loved, but also changed his name for a woman’s, that of the girl whom he loved and his subsequent wife, for whom he conceived a passion and wedded after openly incarcerating his former wife, to whom he was already married when he became Emperor.
[7] βασιλείαν εἰλήφει. — Καὶ τί ἦν τὸ ὄνομα τῇ γυναικί, ὃ τῷ εὐνούχῳ ἔθετο; — Δ. Τί δὲ σοὶ τοῦτο; πάντως γὰρ οὐ Ῥοδογούνη ἐλέγετο. ἀλλ̓ ἐκεῖνός γε καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τρίχας διεκέκριτο, καὶ παιδίσκαι ἠκολούθουν, ὁπότε βαδίζοι, καὶ ἀμπείχετο ἐσθῆτα γυναικείαν καὶ τά γε ἄλλα οὕτως ἠναγκάζετο ποιεῖν: τέλος δὲ προυτέθησαν μεγάλαι καὶ τιμαὶ καὶ χρήματα ἄπειρα τὸ πλῆθος, ὅστις
[7] Int. And what was the woman’s name which he gave to the eunuch?
Dio. What concern of yours is that? At any rate she was not called Rhodogunê. But that youth of Nero’s actually wore his hair parted, young women attended him whenever he went for a walk, he wore women’s clothes, and was forced to do everything else a woman does in the same way. And, to cap the climax, great honours and boundless sums of money were actually offered to anyone who should make him his wife.
Int. Well, then, did they actually promise to do so?
[8] αὐτὸν γυναῖκα ποιήσειεν. — Ἦ οὖν καὶ ὑπέσχοντο; Δ. Τί δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλον ἐκείνῳ ὑποσχέσθαι τοσαῦτα διδόντι; ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ διδόντος ὅση ἐστίν; ὅπου γε καὶ ὁπόταν βασιλέα ἀποδεῖξαι δέῃ, τὸν πλουσιώτατον αἱροῦνται καὶ παῤ οὗ ἂν ἐλπίσωσιν ὡς πλεῖστον ἀργύριον λήψεσθαι, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα οὐδὲν φροντίζουσιν ὁποῖος ἂν ᾖ, κἂν μέλλῃ πάντας διατεμεῖν παραλαβὼν τὴν ἀρχήν, τούς τε ἄλλους ἅπαντας καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς εἰληφότας τὰ χρήματα, καὶ ἔτι πάντων αὐτοὺς καὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀφαιρήσεσθαι.
[8] Dio. Why should they not have promised that man who offered so much? Or do you not know how great the might of the giver is? For example, wherever and whenever it is necessary to appoint an Emperor, they choose the wealthiest man, any one from whom they hope to get the most money; but as to the other qualifications, they do not care what sort of man he is, even if he sooner or later is to geld them all after taking over the government — everybody including the men who have received the money, and, besides, intends to deprive them of every blessed thing they have.
[9] τούτῳ δὴ μάλιστα περιῆν ὁ Νέρων, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀντέλεγεν αὐτῷ περὶ οὐδενὸς ὅ,τι εἴποι οὐδ̓ ἀδύνατον ἔφη εἶναι ὃ κελεύσειεν, ὥστε οὐδ̓ εἰ πέτεσθαι κελεύοι τινά, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ὑπέσχετο αὐτῷ, καὶ συχνὸν χρόνον ἐτρέφετο ἔνδον παῤ αὐτῷ ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, ὡς πτησόμενος. μόνος γὰρ δὴ οὐδένα τρόπον ἐφείδετο χρημάτων, οὔτε διδοὺς οὔτε λαμβάνων. διὰ μόνην μέντοι ταύτην τὴν ὕβριν καὶ ἀπέθανε τὴν εἰς τὸν εὐνοῦχον. ὀργισθεὶς γὰρ ἐξήνεγκ�
�ν αὐτοῦ τὰ βουλεύματα τοῖς περὶ αὐτόν: καὶ οὕτως ἀπέστησαν ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἠνάγκασαν ὅτῳ ποτὲ τρόπῳ ἀπολέσθαι αὐτόν:
[9] This, indeed, was especially true of Nero, and no one contradicted him in anything, whatever he said, or affirmed that anything he commanded was impossible to perform, so that even if he ordered anyone to fly, the man promised that too and for a considerable time he would be maintained in the imperial household in the belief that he would fly. For Nero was the only man who was utterly regardless of money both in giving and in taking. It was solely on account of this wantonness of his, however, that he lost his life — I mean the way he treated the eunuch. For the latter in anger disclosed the Emperor’s designs to his retinue; and so they revolted from him and compelled him to make away with himself as best he could. Indeed the truth about this has not come out even yet;
[10] οὐδέπω γὰρ καὶ νῦν τοῦτό γε δῆλόν ἐστιν: ἐπεὶ τῶν γε ἄλλων ἕνεκεν οὐδὲν ἐκώλυεν αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον, ὅν γε καὶ νῦν ἔτι πάντες ἐπιθυμοῦσι ζῆν. οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι καὶ οἴονται, καίπερ τρόπον τινὰ οὐχ ἅπαξ αὐτοῦ τεθνηκότος, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις μετὰ τῶν σφόδρα οἰηθέντων αὐτὸν ζῆν. — Σὺ μὲν ἀεὶ λόγους [p. 269] ἀνευρίσκεις, ὥστε διασύρειν τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ νῦν ἐξ οὐδενός, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἦλθες. ὃ δὲ ἐβουλόμην ἐρέσθαι, οὐκ εἴασας.
[10] for so far as the rest of his subjects were concerned, there was nothing to prevent his continuing to be Emperor for all time, seeing that even now everybody wishes he were still alive. And the great majority do believe that he is, although in a certain sense he has died not once but often along with those who had been firmly convinced that he was still alive.
Int. You are everlastingly hunting up reasons for ridiculing what your fellow-men do and think, and now with scarcely a shadow of a pretext you have got round to this topic. Consequently you have given me no chance to ask a question I wanted to ask.
[11] — Δ. Ἴσως γάρ μου καταφρονεῖς καὶ ἡγῇ με ληρεῖν, ὅτι οὐ περὶ Κύρου καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδου λέγω, ὥσπερ οἱ σοφοὶ, ἔτι καὶ νῦν, ἀλλὰ Νέρωνος καὶ τοιούτων πραγμάτων νεωτέρων τε καὶ ἀδόξων ὧν μνημονεύω. τούτου δὲ αἴτιον τὸ μὴ πάνυ φιλεῖν τοὺς τραγῳδοὺς μηδὲ ζηλοῦν: ἐπεὶ οἶδα ὅτι αἰσχρόν ἐστιν ἐν τραγῳδίᾳ τοὺς νῦν ὄντας ὀνομάζειν, ἀλλ̓ ἀρχαίου τινὸς δεῖ πράγματος καὶ οὐδὲ πάνυ πιστοῦ. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἔμπροσθεν οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο τοὺς τότε ὄντας ὀνομάζειν καὶ λέγοντες καὶ γράφοντες: οἱ δὲ νῦν ἐκείνους ἐξ ἅπαντος
[11] Dio. Oh yes, I suppose you look down on me and think that I am drivelling because I am not talking about Cyrus and Alcibiades, as the wise-acres do, even at this late date, but about Nero and subjects of that kind, more recent and inglorious, which I can remember. The reason for this is that I do not much care for the writers of Tragedy nor try to emulate them; for I know that it is a disgrace to mention people of the present day in a tragedy, but that it is some ancient event which I should have touched upon and one not very credible either. Yet men of former times certainly were not ashamed to name people of their own day whether in speaking or in writing; but those of the present day strive to name the ancients on any pretext.
[12] ὀνομάζειν ζητοῦσιν. ᾗτινι δὲ τῇ σοφίᾳ πράττουσιν αὐτὸ ἐγώ σοι ἐρῶ — καὶ μὴ πάντα φλυαρεῖν με φῇς: ἀλλ̓ ἴσως πολλοῦ δέω — πάντως γάρ τινι τῶν βιβλιοπωλῶν προσέσχηκας. — Διὰ τί δὴ τοῦτό με ἐρωτᾷς; — Δ. Ὅτι εἰδότες τὰ ἀρχαῖα τῶν βιβλίων σπουδαζόμενα, ὡς ἄμεινον γεγραμμένα καὶ ἐν κρείττοσι βυβλίοις, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαυλότατα τῶν νῦν καταθέντες εἰς σῖτον, ὅπως τό γε χρῶμα ὅμοια γένηται τοῖς παλαιοῖς, καὶ προσδιαφθείροντες ἀποδίδονται
[12] I shall tell you what wisdom they show in doing this — and don’t you declare everything I say is nonsense; perhaps, however, it is anything but nonsense — for surely you have noticed what some of our booksellers do?
Int. Just what is your reason for asking me this?
Dio. Because they, knowing that old books are in demand since better written and on better paper, bury the worst specimens of our day in grain in order that they may take on the same colour as the old ones, and after ruining the books into the bargain they sell them as old. But what was it that you have been wanting all this while to ask me?
[13] ὡς παλαιά. ἀλλὰ τί ἦν, ὃ πάλαι δὴ ἐρέσθαι σπεύδεις; — Περὶ τοῦδε τοῦ νεανίσκου, ὅστις τέ ἐστι καὶ οὗτινος υἱός: ὡς ἐγὼ οὐδένα πώποτε οὕτως ἐξεπλάγην. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἡλικία παῖδα αὐτὸν ἐνδείκνυσιν ἑκκαίδεκα ἴσως ἢ ἑπτακαίδεκα ἐτῶν: τὸ δὲ μέγεθος οὐδενὸς ἧττον τῶν ἀνδρῶν: ἡ δὲ αἰδὼς τοσαύτη ὥστε καὶ τὸν προσιόντα αἰδεῖσθαι εὐθὺς ποιεῖ. καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ πλέον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον ὁρᾶν, εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποβλέψειεν ἀπὸ τύχης. οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτως ἀναιδὴς οὐδὲ λίθινός ἐστιν ὅστις ὑπομενεῖ καὶ ἀντιστήσεται ὁρῶν αὐτόν, ἀλλ̓ εὐθὺς ἀνάγκη τραπῆναι καὶ μεταβαλέσθαι τὼ ὀφθαλμώ. τοῦτο δὲ ἐγὼ τὸ πάθος πάνυ θαυμάζω, ὅτι τὸ κάλλος, ἐὰν μετὰ αἰδοῦς ᾖ, καὶ τοὺς ἀναιδεῖς τρέπει τε
[13] Int. It is about this young man here. Who is he and to whom does he belong? I declare that I have never been so struck with admiration for anyone. For while his appearance shows him to be a boy of sixteen perhaps, or seventeen years, he is as tall as any man; and then his modesty is such that he makes anyone approaching feel abashed at once. And it is impossible to gaze longer at his face unless he himself should chance to look away. For no one is so shameless or made of stone as to hold his ground and stand looking at him face to face, but one must at once turn away and drop one’s eyes. And this effect surprises me very much — that beauty when combined with modesty makes even brazen-faced men turn away and forces them to feel abashed.
[14] καὶ ἀναγκάζει αἰδεῖσθαι. — Δ. Ἴσως γὰρ οὐ προσενόησας τὸ ἐν [p. 270] τοῖς ὕδασι γιγνόμενον. — Τί δή; — Δ. Ότι τοῦ ἡλίου ἐπιλάμψαντος εἰς τὸ κατ̓ εὐθὺ μάλιστα ἀντιλάμπει. καὶ ἴσως ἑώρακας ἐν τοῖς τοίχοις τὸ κινούμενον καὶ περιτρέχον φῶς, οὐκ ὂν ἀληθινόν, ἀλλ̓ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν αὐγῆς τοῦ ἡλίου γεγονὸς πρὸς τὸ μάλιστα κατ̓ εὐθύ. τοιοῦτον οὖν τι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθινῆς αἰδοῦς ἀντιλάμπει τε καὶ ποιεῖ δοκεῖν αἰδεῖσθαι τοὺς ὁρῶντας: ἔπειτ̓ εὐθὺς ἀπελθόντες ἀναιδεῖς εἰσιν. — Ὡς ἔμοιγε καὶ ὁ παιδοτρίβης
[14] Dio. Yes, fo
r perhaps you have not noticed what occurs in the water.
Int. What is that?
Dio. That when the sun is shining straight down, the reflection is strongest. And perhaps you have seen on walls a moving and dancing light, not a real light, but the reflection of the sun’s light in the water — in contrast to the most direct reflection. Now there is a somewhat similar reflection from true modesty, which makes the beholders appear to be abashed. Then as soon as they go away, they are once more unashamed.
Int. Just as I thought that even the gymnastic trainer, hardened as he is, seemed in the youth’s presence to be, as it were, dumbfounded as well as entranced.
[15] ἐδόκει καὶ αὐτὸς οἷον ἐνθουσιῶν τε καὶ ἐκπεπληγμένος. — Δ. Οὐκοῦν ἔτι μᾶλλον θαυμάσεις, ἐπειδάν πύθῃ ὅτι οὗτος τοιοῦτος ὢν οὐδενὸς υἱός ἐστιν. — Πῶς λέγεις μηδενὸς εἶναι αὐτόν; — Δ. Οὕτως ὅπως σὺ ἐπύθου ὅτου ἐστίν. οἶμαι γὰρ ἐρωτᾶν σε ὅτου υἱός ἐστιν. — Ἀλλ̓ ἦ τῶν Σπαρτῶν ἐστιν εἷς; — Δ. Πρέποι μὲν ἂν τῷ μεγέθει αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ, εἴ γε ἐπιεικεῖς ἦσαν καὶ φιλάνθρωποι τὰς φύσεις, ὥσπερ ὅδε, ἀλλὰ μὴ παντελῶς σκληροὶ καὶ ἄγριοι τῆς γῆς τὰ τέκνα: ἐπεὶ τό γε σῶμα οὐ φαύλως εἰκάζεις Βοιωτίῳ μᾶλλον εἰκάζων αὐτὸ ἢ Λακωνικῷ τε καὶ Ἀττικῷ. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ Ἑλληνικὸν ἄκρως ἐστὶν οὐ δεῖ δήπου ἀμφιγνοῆσαι. —
Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom Page 247