Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [91] λοιπὸν οὖν τῶν δύο θάτερον, ἢ τῷ σφόδρα εἶναί τινας μεγάλους καὶ κατ᾽ ἀλήθειαν [p. 246] ἥρωας οὐκ ᾤοντο δεῖν ἐπιγράφειν, ὡς ἂν ἅπασι γνωρίμους ὄντας, ἡγούμενοι διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς τότε οὔσης δόξης εἰς ἅπαντα καὶ τὸν αὖθις χρόνον παραμενεῖν τὸ ὄνομα: ἢ τινων ἡμιθέων ἢ καὶ θεῶν ὄντας ὕστερον ἀγνοηθῆναι διὰ τὸν χρόνον. τοὺς γὰρ θεοὺς ἐπιγράφειν οὐκ ἔστιν ἔθος: ὡς ἔγωγε οὐκ ἀπελπίζω καὶ τῶν ἄλλων

  [91] There remains, consequently, one of two possible reasons: in the case of some, since they were very great men indeed and in very truth heroes, it was considered unnecessary to add an inscription, in the thought that the statues would be recognized by everybody and because it was believed that, on account of the surpassing glory then attaching to these men, their names would remain for all future time; or else because the persons honoured, being the sons of certain demi-gods or even of gods, had later through lapse of time been forgotten. For it is not the custom to put inscriptions on the statues of the gods, so that I rather expect that some of the others, too, are in this class.

  [92] τινὰς εἶναι τοιούτους. ἐν γοῦν Θήβαις Ἀλκαῖος ἀνάκειταί τις, ὅν Ἡρακλέα φασὶν εἶναι, πρότερον οὕτω καλούμενον: καὶ παρ᾽ Ἀθηναίοις Ἑλευσινίου μύστου παιδὸς εἰκὼν οὐκ ἔχουσα ἐπιγραφήν: κἀκεῖνον εἶναι λέγουσιν Ἡρακλέα. καὶ παρ᾽ ἑτέροις οἶδα πολλοὺς τοὺς μὲν ἡμιθέων, τοὺς δὲ ἡρώων ἀνδριάντας, οἷον Ἀχιλλέως,Σαρπηδόνος, Θησέως, διὰ τοῦτο ἀρχῆθεν οὐκ ἐπιγραφέντας: καὶ Μέμνονος ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κολοσσὸν εἶναι λέγουσιν. ἀλλ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐνίων μὲν ἡ δόξα παρέμεινε καὶ διεφύλαξε τὴν φήμην ὁ χρόνος: οὐ μὴν

  [92] In Thebes, for example, a certain Alcaeus has a statue which they say is a Heracles and was formerly so called; and among the Athenians there is an image of a boy who was an initiate in the mysteries at Eleusis and it bears no inscription; he, too, they say, is a Heracles. And in various other places I know of many statues, some of which represent demi-gods and others heroes, as, for example, Achilles, Sarpedon, Theseus, which for this reason had not been inscribed from the first; and they say there is in Egypt a colossal statue of Memnon similarly uninscribed. But in the case of some of them their glory has remained and time has guarded their fame; but for some reason this did not happen in the case of all of them.

  [93] ἐπὶ πάντων συνηνέχθη δι᾽ ἣν δήποτ᾽ οὖν αἰτίαν. οὐκοῦν καὶ παρ᾽ ὑμῖν οὐκ ἀδύνατον εἶναί τινας τοιούτους. οἷον οὖν ἐστιν Ἡρακλέουσἢ Τληπολέμου φέρ᾽ εἰπεῖν ἢ τῶν Ἡλίου παίδων τινὸς ἀνδριάντα διδόναι τῷ δεῖνι, χρηστῷ μὲν ἀνδρὶ καὶ τιμῆς ἀξίῳ: πάντες γὰρ ἔστωσαν, οὕς ἡ πόλις θεραπεύει, τοιοῦτοι, καὶ δεῖ γε εὔχεσθαι πάντας εἶναι χρηστούς, μάλιστα δὲ τοὺς ἡγουμένους: ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐκείνοις ὅμοιοι: πόθεν; οὐδ᾽ ἂν αὐτοὶ φήσαιεν ὀλίγον αὐτῶν ἐλάττουσὑπάρχειν, ἀλλὰ κἂν φοβηθεῖεν εἰπεῖν τι τοιοῦτον. ἆρ᾽ ὑμῖν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων δοκεῖ μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τούτων ἀρχομένους, λέγω δὲ τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων τὰς ἐπιγραφάς, τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπὶ πάντας μεταφέρειν, ἢ σφόδρα εἶναι τῶν τοιούτων φειστέον;

  [93] Therefore, among you also it is not impossible that there are some like these. So you might, for instance, be giving a statue of Heracles, or, let us say, of Tlepolemus, or of one of the children of Helius, to So-and-so, no doubt an excellent man and deserving of honour. For even supposing all are such whose favour the city seeks to win — and we may well pray that they may all be good men, and especially your rulers — yet they are not the equals of those great men of the past. How could they be? Not even the men themselves would maintain that they are only a little inferior to them; nay, they would actually be afraid to make any such claim. Does it seem to you from the arguments which have been advanced that you should choose to begin with those statues — I mean with those which have no inscription — and extend the practice to all, or that you should very decidedly spare all of that kind?

  [94] καίτοι τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχαιότητος ὅμοιόν ἐστινὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις λέγοι μηδὲ τοὺς τυμβωρυχοῦντας τοὺς σφόδρα παλαιοὺς τάφους μηδὲν ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅτι μηδεὶς αὐτοῖς προσήκει μηδὲ ἴσμεν οἵτινές εἰσιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν τάφος οὐκ ἔστι σημεῖον ἀρετῆς, ἀλλ᾽ εὐπορίας, οὐδὲ ἔχομεν εἰπεῖν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι κειμένους ὡς ἦσαν ἀγαθοί, πλὴν εἰ μή γε δημοσίᾳ τις φαίνοιτοτεθαμμένος ὅπερ οἶμαι τρόπον τινὰ τούτοις συμβέβηκεν. ἡ δὲ εἰκὼν δι᾽ ἀνδραγαθίαν δίδοται καὶ διὰ τὸ δόξαι τινὰ πρότερον [p. 247] γενναῖον ῾ὅτι γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἐστάθη τούτων ἁλοὺς κλέπτων οὐδὲ μοιχεύων οὐκ ἄδηλόν ἐστιν᾽ οὐδέ γε ἐπὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς οἷόν τε ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις.

  [94] And yet, after all, this plea of ignorance and of antiquity is about the same as if a person should say that those who rifle the very old tombs do no wrong, on the ground that no one of the dead is related to them and we do not even know who they are. No, the tomb is rather an indication, not of its occupant’s excellence, but of his affluence; nor can we say of those who rest in sepulchres that they were good men, except where there is evidence in a particular case that the person had received burial by the state, just as I suppose happened to those men in a sense. But the statue is given for distinguished achievement and because a man was in his day regarded as noble. For that no one of these men was given a statue who had been convicted of theft or adultery is perfectly clear; nor was the award made for ordinary performances, but for the very greatest possible deeds.

  [95] ὅτι τοίνυν καὶ θείας τινὸς δυνάμεως καὶ προνοίας, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, οἱ τοιοῦτοι μετέχουσιν ἐπ᾽ ἀνδριάντος τι βούλομαι γεγονὸς εἰπεῖν. Θεαγένης ἦν Θάσιος ἀθλητής: οὗτος ἐδόκει ῥώμῃ διενεγκεῖν τῶν καθ᾽ αὑτόν, καὶ δὴ σὺν ἑτέροις πολλοῖς καὶ τὸν Ὀλυμπίασι τρὶς εἰλήφει στέφανον. ὡς δ᾽ ἐπαύσατο καὶ ἧκεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα, λοιπὸν τοῦ σώματος παρακμάσαντος ἦν ἀνὴρ οὐδενὸς χείρων περὶ τὰ κοινά, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς οἷόν τε ἄριστος. ἐντεῦθεν, ὅπερ εἰκός,

  [95] Again, because men such as these also share in a sort of divine power and purpose, one might say, I wish to tell of an incident that happened in the case of a statue. Theagenes was a Thasian athlete. He was thought to surpass in physical strength the men of his own day, and in addition to many other triumphs had won the victor’s crown three times at Olympia. And when he gave up competing and returned to his native city, thenceforth, t
hough his body was past its prime, he was a man inferior to none in the affairs of his country, but was, so far as a man may be, a most excellent citizen. For that reason, probably, he incurred the enmity of one of the politicians.

  [96] εἰς ἔχθραν τινὶ προῆλθε τῶν πολιτευομένων. ὁ δὲ ζῶντι μὲν ἐφθόνει μόνον, τελευτήσαντος δὲ πρᾶγμα πάντων ἀνοητότατον καὶ ἀσεβέστατον ἐποίει: τὸν γὰρ ἀνδριάντα αὐτοῦ τὸν ἑστῶτα ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλει νύκτωρ ἐμαστίγου. τοιγαροῦν εἴτε ἀπὸ τύχης εἴτε δαιμονίου τινὸς νεμεσήσαντος αὐτῷ κινηθείς ποτε ἐκ τῆς βάσεως ἠκολούθησεν ἅμα τῇ μάστιγι καὶ κτείνει τὸν ἄνδρα. νόμου δὲ ὄντος καταποντίζειν κρίναντας, ἐάν τι τῶν ἀψύχων ἐμπεσὸν ἀποκτείνῃ τινά, οἱ τοῦ τεθνεῶτος προσήκοντες αἱροῦσι δίκῃ τὸν ἀνδριάντα καὶ κατεπόντωσαν.

  [96] And although while he lived, the other man merely envied him, yet after the death of Theagenes the other committed a most senseless and impious act; for under cover of night he would scourge the man’s statue, which had been erected in the centre of the city. Consequently, whether by accident or because some divinity was incensed at him, the statue at one time moved from its base and, following the lash back, slew the man. And since there was a law which required, in case any inanimate object should fall upon a person and cause his death, that they should first give it a trial and then sink it in the sea, the relatives of the dead man got judgment against the statue and sank it in the sea.

  [97] λοιμοῦ δὲ συμβάντος, ὥς φασι, χαλεπωτάτου, καὶ τῶν Θασίων οὐδενὶ τρόπῳ λῆξαι δυναμένων τῆς νόσου, καὶ τελευταῖον χρωμένων, τοὺς φυγάδας αὐτοῖς ἀνεῖπε κατάγειν ὁ θεός. ὡς δὲ πλέον οὐδὲν ἦν ἁπάντων κατεληλυθότων, χρωμένοις αὖθις λέγεται τὴν Πυθίαν οὕτως ἀνειπεῖν:

  Θεαγένους δ᾽ ἐλάθεσθε ἐνὶ ψαμάθοισι πεσόντος:

  κεῖθ᾽ ὑμῖν ὁ πρὶν μυριάεθλος ἀνήρ.

  ᾧ καὶ δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ πρῶτον οὐχὶ τῶν φυγάδων ἕνεκα τοῦτο ἐχρήσθη καὶ τὸ συμβὰν οὐχ δι᾽ ἄλλην τινὰ αἰτίαν ἐγένετο.

  [97] And then, when a most grievous pestilence broke out, so they say, and the people of Thasos, being unable in any way to get rid of the plague, finally consulted the oracle, the god announced to them that they should “restore the exiles.” When all who were in exile had returned and no improvement came, and the Thasians consulted the god again, the story is that the Pythian priestess gave them the following reply:

  “Him that did fall in the ocean’s deep sands you now have forgotten,

  Even Theagenes staunch, victor in myriad games.”

  These lines make it evident both that the oracle was not delivered in the first place for the exiles’ sake but for Theagenes’, and also that what afterwards happened had been due to no other cause.

  [98] καὶ μηδεὶς ἐκεῖνο ὑπολάβῃ: τί οὖν; ἡμεῖς τοὺς ἀνδριάντας ἀφανίζομεν ἢ ῥιπτοῦμεν; ἀλλ᾽ ἀτιμάζετε ἐκείνους ὧν εἰσι καὶ ἀφαιρεῖσθε τοὺς ἔχοντας, ὅπερ καὶ τότε δεινὸν ἔδοξε τῷ θεῷ: ἐπεὶ τοῦ χαλκοῦ [p. 248] οὐκ εἰκὸς ἦν φροντίσαι αὐτόν. μὴ τοίνυν τοῦ Θασίου μὲν ἡγεῖσθε ὑβρισθέντος οὕτως ἀγανακτῆσαι τὸ δαιμόνιον, τῶν δὲ παρ᾽ ὑμῖν τετιμημένων μηδένα θεοφιλῆ εἶναι μηδὲ ἥρωα.

  [98] And let no one interrupt and say:

  “What of it? Do we make away with our statues or throw them aside?”

  No, but you are dishonouring the men whose statues they are and you are robbing their rightful owners, just as the god felt on the occasion to which we refer, since it is not reasonable to suppose that it was the image of bronze about which he was troubled. Do not, therefore, think that, although the god was so indignant at the insult shown to the Thasian, no one of those who have been honoured in your city is dear to Heaven or that none is a hero.

  [99] οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐκ ἂν καὶ πρὸς ἔχθραν ὑπ᾽ ἐνίων τοῦτο γένοιτο, ἐὰν ἄρα τύχῃ τις τῶν στρατηγούντων μισῶν τινα τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ. τὸ γοῦν τοῦ Θεαγένους ἀκηκόατε ὡς συνέβη διὰ τὸν φθόνον καὶ τὴν ζηλοτυπίαν τὴν ἐκ τῆς πολιτείας. καὶ γὰρ εὶ νῦν ἐπὶ μόνοις τοῖς παλαιοῖς αὐτό φασι ποιεῖν, χρόνου γε προϊόντος, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ πάντων ἀεὶ συμβαίνει τῶν φαύλων ἐθῶν, ἀνάγκη καὶ τοῦτ᾽ ἐπὶ πλέον προελθεῖν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ᾽ αἰτιάσασθαι οἷόν τε, ἐπ̓αὐτῷ γε ὅλου τοῦ πράγματος ὄντος. νὴ Δί᾽ , ἀλλὰ κωλύσουσιν οἱ προσήκοντες. ἐὰν οὖν ἀπόντες ἢ ἀγνοήσαντες τύχωσιν, ὅταν γνῶσι, τί ποιήσομεν; ἆρά γε δεήσει τοῦτον ἐκχαράττειν πάλιν, ὃν ἂν φθάνῃ τις ἐπιγράψας;

  [99] Neither can we be so sure, moreover, that such treatment might not be brought about by some persons through hatred, I mean if it so happens that one of your chief magistrates has a grudge against any of his predecessors. You have heard how the Theagenes incident, at any rate, grew out of political envy and jealousy. For even if they urge that now they follow this practice only in the case of the old statues, yet as time goes on, just as ever happens in the case of all bad habits, this one too will of necessity grow worse and worse. The reason is that it is utterly impossible to call the culprit to account because the whole business from first to last lies in his hands.

  “Yes, by heavens,” you say, “but the kinsmen will certainly put a stop to it.”

  Well then, if the kinsmen happen to be absent or to have had no knowledge of the matter, what do we propose to do when they do learn of it? Will it be necessary to chisel out again the man’s name which someone has been in a hurry to insert?

  [100] πάνυ τοίνυν ὄντος ἀτόπου τοῦ γιγνομένου, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀσεβοῦς,ἧττον ἂν δεινὸν ἦν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τοιαύτην πρόφασιν συνέβαινε, δι᾽ οἵαν τινές φασιν, ὡς ἀπολογούμενοι περὶ τῆς πόλεως. τὸ γὰρ δι᾽ ἀργύριον πράττειν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἄλλως αἰσχρῶν ἅπαντες αἴσχιον ἡγοῦνται τοῦ καθ᾽ ἑτέραν τινὰ αἰτίαν. ὅταν οὖν προβαλλόμενοι τὴν δαπάνην καὶ τὸ δεῖν ἀναλίσκειν εἰ ποιήσεσθε ἑτέρους ἀνδριάντας,ἀξιῶσι παραπέμπειν τὸ πρᾶγμα, δῆλον ὅτι μεῖζον τὸ ὄνειδος κατασκευάζουσιν, εἰ χρημάτων ἕνεκα δόξετε ἀδικεῖν, καὶ ταῦτα πλουτοῦντες, ὡς οὐδένες ἄλλοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων.

  [100] Again, since this practice is quite improper, or impious rather, it would be less of an outrage if it were not done under the pretext which some offer by way of excusing the city. For everybody considers it a greater disgrace to do for money anything whatsoever that is in other respects disgraceful, than to do it for any other reason. So when they put forward as a plea the cost and th
e necessity of going to heavy expense if you shall ever undertake to make another lot of statues, and thus seek to condone the practice, it is clear that they make the reproach all the worse, since men are going to think that you are doing a wrong thing for the sake of money, and that too although you are rich, richer than the people of any other Hellenic state.

  [101] καίτοι τί δήποτε ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν προγόνων ὑμῶν οὐθὲν ἐγίγνετο τοιοῦτον, οὐκ ἐχόντων αὐτῶν πλείονα ἢ νῦν ἔχετε ὑμεῖς; ὅτ̣̣̔̓γὰροὔθ᾽ ἡ νῆσος χείρων γέγονε καὶ τὴν Καρίαν καρποῦσθε καὶ μέρος τι τῆς Λυκίας καὶ πόλεις ὑποφόρους κέκτησθε, καὶ χρήματα ἀεὶ πολλὰ ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἀνατίθεται τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τῶν πρότερον οὐδεὶς ἀφῄρηται, μηθένα νομίζετε ἀγνοεῖν.

  [101] And yet why, pray, did not something like this happen in the time of your ancestors, seeing that they had no more wealth than you now possess? For you must not suppose that anyone is unaware that your island has not deteriorated, that you draw revenue from Caria and a part of Lycia and possess tribute-paying cities, that large sums of money are continually being entrusted to your commonwealth by many men, and that none of the earlier depositors has withdrawn anything.