Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [3] Now to the princes I did not agree to undertake the venture, knowing well the malice of that man, since ’twas I myself caused him to be marooned, that day when by ill fortune he was stung by a fierce and deadly viper. Thus I could not hope to find persuasion such that he should ever feel a kindly feeling toward me; nay, I thought he’d slay me out of hand. But after, Athena urging me in dreams, as is her wont, boldly to go and fetch the man — for she herself would change my form and voice, that I might meet him safe from detection — so did I pluck up courage, and am here.

  [4] αὐτῷ ξυγγενόμενον: οὕτω δὴ ἀφῖγμαι θαρρήσας. πυνθάνομαι δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν Φρυγῶν πρέσβεις ἀπεστάλθαι κρύφα, ἐάν πως δύνωνται τὸν Φιλοκτήτην πείσαντες δώροις ἅμα καὶ διὰ τὴν ἔχθραν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀναλαβεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ τόξα. τοιούτου προκειμένου ἄθλου πῶς οὐ πάντα χρὴ ἄνδρα γίγνεσθαι πρόθυμον; ὡς διαμαρτάνοντι τῆς πράξεως ταύτης πάντα τὰ πρότερον

  [4] But word has come that envoys from the Phrygians too have secretly been sent, if haply they may win Philoctetes by means of bribes, and through his hatred of us Greeks as well, and so take back to Troy him and his bow. With such a prize before him, why should not any man grow keen? For, should one fail in this endeavour, all previous achievements, it seems, have been but labour lost.

  [5] εἰργασμένα μάτην πεπονῆσθαι ἔοικεν. παπαῖ: πρόσεισιν ὁ ἀνήρ. αὐτὸς ὅδε ὁ Ποίαντος παῖς, οὐκ ἄδηλος τῇ ξυμφορᾷ, μόλις καὶ χαλεπῶς προβαίνων. ὢ τοῦ χαλεποῦ καὶ δεινοῦ ὁράματος: οὕτως τό τε γὰρ εἶδος ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου φοβερὸν ἥ τε στολὴ ἀήθης: δοραὶ θηρίων καλύπτουσιν αὐτόν. ἀλλὰ σὺ ἄμυνον, ὦ δεσποινα Ἀθηνᾶ, καὶ μὴ μάτην φανῇς ἡμῖν ὑποσχομένη τὴν σωτηρίαν. ῾Φιλοκτήτης.᾿

  [5] (Aside) Hah! the man draws nigh. ’Tis he himself, the son of Poeas, as is plain from his affliction, toiling along with labour and in pain. Oh what a grievous, awful spectacle! Aye, his person is frightful, thanks to his disease, his garb unwonted too — skins of wild beasts cover his nakedness. Come, Mistress Athena, be thou mine aid, nor show thyself to have promised me safety all in vain!

  [6] Τί δὴ βουλόμενος, ὅστις εἶ ποτε σύ, ἢ τίνα τόλμαν λαβών, πότερον ἁρπαγῆς χάριν ἥκεις ἐπὶ τήνδε τὴν ἄπορον στέγην ἢ κατάσκοπος τῆς ἡμετέρας δυστυχίας; — Ο. Οὔ τοί γε ὁρᾷς ἄνδρα ὑβριστήν. — Ο. Οὐ μὴν εἰωθώς γε πρότερον δεῦρο ἥκεις. — Ο. Οὐ γὰρ εἰωθώς: εἴη δὲ καὶ νῦν ἐν καιρῷ ἀφῖχθαι. — Φ. Πολλὴν ἔοικας φράζειν ἀλογίαν τῆς δεῦρο ὁδοῦ. — Ο. Εὖ τοίνυν ἴσθι οὐ χωρὶς αἰτίας με ἥκοντα καὶ σοί γε οὐκ ἀλλότριον φανησόμενον. —

  [6] Philoctetes. What is thy purpose, whoe’er thou art, by what audacity inspired hast thou come to this my poor retreat — to pillage, or to spy upon my evil fortune?

  Od. Believe me, no man of violence dost thou see.

  Phil. Yet surely not of thy former wont hast thou come here.

  Od. Aye, not former wont; yet may it prove that coming even now is opportune.

  Phil. Methinks thou dost betray much lack of reason in thy coming here.

  Od. Then rest assured, not lacking reason have I come, and to thee at least no stranger shall I prove.

  [7] Φ. Πόθεν δή; τοῦτο γὰρ πρῶτον εἰκός με εἰδέναι. — Ο. Ἀλλ̓ εἰμὶ Ἀργεῖος τῶν ἐπὶ Τροίαν πλευσάντων. — Φ. Πόθεν; εἰπὲ πάλιν, ὡς εἰδῶ σαφέστερον. — Ο. Οὐκοῦν ἔτι δεύτερον ἀκούεις: τῶν ἐπ̓ Ἴλιον στρατευσάντων Ἀχαιῶν εἶναί φημι. — Φ. Καλῶς [p. 133] δῆτα ἔφησθα ἐμὸς εἶναι φίλος, ὁπότε γε τῶν ἐμοὶ πολεμιωτάτων Ἀργείων πέφηνας. τούτων δὴ τῆς ἀδικίας αὐτίκα μάλα ὑφέξεις δίκην. — Ο. Ἀλλ̓ ὢ πρὸς θεῶν ἐπίσχες ἀφεῖναι τὸ βέλος. — Φ. Οὐ δυνατόν, εἴπερ Ἕλλην ὢν τυγχάνεις, τὸ μὴ ἀπολωλέναι σε

  [7] Phil. How so? This first of all ’tis fair that I should know.

  Od. Well, I’m an Argive, one of those who sailed for Troy.

  Phil. How can that be? Repeat thy words, that I may more clearly know.

  Od. Then dost thou hear it yet a second time: of those Achaeans who advanced on Troy I claim to be.

  Phil. Faith, thou didst well in claiming to be friend of mine, seeing thou art revealed among my bitterest foes, the Argives! So for their injustice shalt thou this very instant pay the penalty.

  Od. Nay, by the gods, forbear to loose thy shaft!

  Phil. It cannot be, if haply thou art Greek in truth, that thou shouldst fail to die this very day.

  [8] ἐν τῇδε τῇ ἡμέρᾳ. — Ο. Ἀλλὰ πέπονθά γε ὑπ̓ αὐτῶν τοιαῦτα, ἐξ ὧν δικαίως σοὶ μὲν ἂν φίλος εἴην, ἐκείνων δὲ ἐχθρός. — Φ. Καὶ τί δὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὃ πέπονθας οὕτως χαλεπόν; — Ο. Φυγάδα με ἤλασεν Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐκ τοῦ στρατοῦ. — Φ. Τί δὲ ἔδρας, ἐφ̓ ὅτῳ τῆσδε τῆς δίκης ἔτυχες; — Ο. Οἶμαί σε γιγνώσκειν τὸν Ναυπλίου παῖδα Παλαμήδην. — Φ. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων οὐδὲ ὀλίγου ἄξιος συνέπλει οὔτε τῷ στρατῷ οὔτε τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν. — Ο. Τὸν δὴ τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα ὁ κοινὸς τῶν Ἑλλήνων λυμεὼν διέφθειρεν. — Φ. Πότερον ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ μάχῃ κρατήσας ἢ μετὰ δόλου τινός; — Ο. Προδοσίαν ἐπενεγκὼν τοῦ στρατοῦ τοῖς Πριαμίδαις. — Φ. Ἦν δὲ κατ̓ ἀλήθειαν οὕτως ἔχον ἢ πέπονθε κατεψευσμένος; — Ο. Πῶς δ̓

  [8] Od. Nay, I have suffered at their hands such things that I should rightly be a friend to thee, to them a foe.

  Phil. And what is this thou hast suffered so terrible?

  Od. Odysseus drove me an exile from the camp.

  Phil. What hadst thou done to meet with such a doom?

  Od. Methinks thou knowest Palamedes son of Nauplius.

  Phil. In truth no common man was he who sailed with us, nor little worth to men and generals.

  Od. Aye, such the man the common spoiler of the Greeks destroyed.

  Phil. O’ercoming him in open fight, or with some guile?

  Od. Charging betrayal of the camp to Priam’s sons.

  Phil. But was it so in fact, or has he met with calumny?

  Od. Could aught at all that scoundrel did be just?

  [9] ἂν δικαίως γένοιτο τῶν ὑπ̓ ἐκείνου γιγνομένων ὁτιοῦν; — Φ. Ὦ μηδενὸς ἀποσχόμενος τῶν χαλεπωτάτων, λόγῳ τε καὶ ἔργῳ πανουργότατε ἀνθρώπων Ὀδυσσεῦ, οἷον αὖ τοῦτον ἄνδρα ἀνῄρηκας, ὃς οὐδὲν ἧττον ὠφέλιμος ἦν τοῖς ξυμμάχοις ἤπερ οἶμαι σύ, τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ σοφώτατα ἀνευρίσκων καὶ συντιθείς: ὥσπερ ἀμέλει κἀμὲ ἐξέθηκας, ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας τε καὶ νίκ�
�ς περιπεσόντα τῇδε τῇ ξυμφορᾷ, δεικνύντα τὸν Χρύσης βωμόν, οὗ θύσαντες κρατήσειν ἔμελλον τῶν πολεμίων: εἰ δὲ μή, μάτην ἐγίγνετο ἡ στρατεία. ἀλλὰ

  [9] Phil. Oh thou who hast refrained from naught most cruel, thou utter villain both word and deed, Odysseus, once more how fine the man thou hast destroyed, of no less value to the allied host than thou, methinks, inventing and devising the best and sagest plans! Just so in fact didst thou make me a castaway, when for the salvation and the victory of us all I met with this disaster, because I showed them Chrysê’s altar, where they must first make sacrifice if they would overcome the foe; else, I declared, our expedition was being made in vain. Yet what hast thou to do with Palamedes’ lot?

  [10] τί δή σοι προσῆκον τῆς Παλαμήδους τύχης; — Ο. Εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐκείνου φίλους ἦλθε τὸ κακὸν καὶ πάντες ἀπολώλασιν, ὅστις μὴ φυγεῖν ἠδυνήθη. οὕτω δὲ κἀγὼ τὴς παροιχομένης νυκτὸς διαπλεύσας μόνος δεῦρο ἐσώθην. σχεδὸν μὲν οὖν ἐν ὅσῃ ἔγωγε χρείᾳ καθέστηκας αὐτός. εἰ δ̓ οὖν ἔχεις τινὰ μηχανήν, ξυμπροθυμηθεὶς ἡμῖν περὶ τὸν οἴκαδε ἀπόπλουν ἡμᾶς τε εὖ πεποιηκὼς ἔσῃ καὶ ἅμα ἄγγελον ἀποπέμψεις πρὸς τοὺς σεαυτοῦ οἴκαδε

  [10] Od. Know well, the cursed feud was visited on all his friends, and all have perished, save such as could take to flight. Thus I too during the night just sped, sailing across alone, found refuge here. So I myself am placed in much the same necessity as thyself. If, then, thou hast some scheme, by adding thy eagerness to mine touching my voyage home, thou wilt have done a kindly deed toward me and wilt besides send home to thy own friends him who will bear the story of thy present ills.

  [11] τῶν σοὶ προσόντων κακῶν. — Ἀλλ̓, ὦ δύστηνε, πρὸς τοιοῦτον [p. 134] ἕτερον ἥκεις ξύμμαχον, αὐτόν τε ἄπορον καὶ ἔρημον φίλων ἐπὶ τῆσδε τῆς ἀκτῆς ἐρριμμένον, γλίσχρως καὶ μόλις ἀπὸ τῶνδε τῶν τόξων πορίζοντα καὶ τροφὴν καὶ ἐσθῆτα, ὡς ὁρᾷς. ἣ γὰρ ἦν ἡμῖν ἐσθὴς πρότερον, ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου ἀνάλωται. εἰ δὲ δὴ τοῦδ̓ ἐθελήσεις κοινωνεῖν τοῦ βίου μεθ̓ ἡμῶν ἐνθάδε, ἕως ἂν ἑτέρα σοι παραπέσῃ σωτηρία ποθέν, οὐκ ἂν φθονοῖμεν. δυσχερῆ γε μὴν τἄνδον ὁράματα, ὦ ξένε, τελαμῶνές τε ἀνάπλεοι καὶ ἄλλα σημεῖα τῆς νόσου: αὐτός τε οὐχ ἡδὺς ξυγγενέσθαι, ὅταν ἡ ὀδύνη προσπέσῃ. καίτοι λελώφηκε τῷ χρόνῳ τὸ πολὺ τῆς νόσου, κατ̓ ἀρχὰς δὲ οὐδαμῶς ἀνεκτὸς ἦν.

  [11] Phil. Nay, wretched creature, thou art come for aid to such another as thou art, helpless himself and lacking friends besides, an outcast on this shore, in niggard fashion and with toil providing with this bow both food and clothing, as thou dost see. For what raiment I had before time hath consumed. But if thou wilt share with me here this life of mine until some second chance of safety falls thy way, I’d grudge it not. Distressing, truly, what thou wilt see indoors, my friend — wrappings polluted with an ulcer’s filth and other tokens of my malady — and I myself am far from being pleasant company when the pain comes on me. And yet the worst of my disease time hath assuaged, though at the start it was in no wise bearable.

  THE SIXTIETH DISCOURSE: NESSUS OR DEÏANEIRA

  ΝΕΣΣΟΣ Η ΔΗΙΑΝΕΙΡΑ.

  THE SIXTIETH DISCOURSE: NESSUS OR DEÏANEIRA

  Dio’s purpose in this little dialogue is apparently to display his dexterity in reconstructing Greek myth rather than to impart ethical instruction. A somewhat similar tour de force presents itself in the Trojan Discourse (Or. 11). Such exercises constituted a well-known feature of sophistic training and are not to be confused with the effort to rid ancient mythology of its grosser elements, an effort at least as old as Pindar.

  In the present instance the myth in question seems not to have been popular. Though it may have figured in the cyclic epic, The Taking of Oechalia, there is no proof that it did. The only ancient Greek writers known to have dealt with the tale of Nessus and Deïaneira are the two named in the opening paragraph of our dialogue — Archilochus and Sophocles. All that is known of the version of Archilochus is contained in this brief reference and in two meagre scholia on Apollonius Rhodius and the Iliad respectively. The Sophoclean version is contained in his Trachiniae. There the murdered Nessus wreaks a posthumous vengeance upon his murderer in the manner here outlined by Dio. The dramatist puts into the mouth of Deïaneira herself the account of the attempt upon her honour (Trachiniae 555-577).

  The anonymous interlocutor in Dio’s dialogue is a colourless individual, whose function seems to be, first of all, to afford Dio an opportunity to display his dexterity, and finally to pay “certain philosophers” the doubtful compliment of comparison with coroplasts. The natural inference from that comparison is that Dio himself has attained the standing of a philosopher; but the interlocutor does not say so in plain terms and there is little in the Discourse that smacks of philosophy. In general it seems more suited to Dio’s sophistic period.

  [1] Ἔχεις μοι λῦσαι ταύτην τὴν ἀπορίαν, πότερον δικαίως ἐγκαλοῦσιν οἱ μὲν τῷ Ἀρχιλόχῳ, οἱ δὲ τῷ Σοφοκλεῖ περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν Νέσσον καὶ τὴν Δηιάνειραν ἢ οὔ; φασὶ γὰρ οἱ μὲν τὸν Ἀρχίλοχον ληρεῖν, ποιοῦντα τὴν Δηιάνειραν ἐν τῷ βιάζεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Κενταύρου πρὸς τὸν Ἡρακλέα ῥαψῳδοῦσαν, ἀναμιμνῄσκουσαν τῆς τοῦ Ἀχελῴου μνηστείας καὶ τῶν τότε γενομένων: ὥστε πολλὴν σχολὴν εἶναι τῷ Νέσσῳ ὅ,τι ἐβούλετο πρᾶξαι: οἱ δὲ τὸν Σοφοκλέα πρὸ τοῦ καιροῦ πεποιηκέναι τὴν τοξείαν, διαβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἔτι τὸν ποταμόν: οὕτως γὰρ ἂν καὶ τὴν Δηιάνειραν ἀπολέσθαι, ἀφέντος τοῦ Κενταύρου. ἀλλὰ μή, καθάπερ εἴωθας, πολὺ παρὰ τὴν

  The Sixtieth Discourse: Nessus or Deïaneira

  Interlocutor. Can you solve me this problem — whether or not people are warranted in finding fault now with Archilochus and now with Sophocles in their treatment of the story of Nessus and Deïaneira? For some say Archilochus makes nonsense when he represents Deïaneira as chanting a long story to Heracles while an attack upon her honour is being made by the Centaur, thereby reminding him of the love-making of Acheloüs — and of the events which took place on that occasion — in consequence of which Nessus would have ample time to accomplish his purpose; others charge that Sophocles has introduced the shooting of the arrow too soon, while they were still crossing the river; for in those circumstances, they claim, Deïaneira too would have perished, since the dying Centaur would have dropped her in the river. However, do not, as you usually do, speak quite counter to the general belief and give any version rather than what a man would naturally believe.

  [2] δόξαν λέγε καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ ὅ τις ἂν οἰηθείη. — Δ. Ἆῤ οὖν κελεύεις με ταῦτά σοι λέγειν ἅ τις ἂν οἰηθείη ὀρθῶς οἰόμενος ἢ ἅ τις ἂν καὶ μὴ ὀρθῶς; — Ἐγὼ μὲν ἃ ἄν τις ὀρθῶς οἰόμενος. — Δ. Τί οὖν ἃ οἱ πολλοὶ ἄνθρωποι �
�οξάζουσιν; ἆρά γε ἀνάγκη τὸν βουλόμενον ὀρθῶς ἐξηγεῖσθαι παρὰ τὴν δόξαν τῶν πολλῶν λέγειν; — Ἀνάγκη. — Δ. Μὴ οὖν δυσκόλως ἀκολουθήσῃς, ἐὰν [p. 135] τοιοῦτον ῃ τὸ λεγόμενον: σκόπει δέ, εἰ μὴ δεόντως λέγεται. — Λέγε τοίνυν καὶ ἐξηγοῦ, ὅπως σοι δοκεῖ. — Δ. Οὐκοῦν λέγω τὸ νῦν σοι ὅτι ὅλον τὸ ἀγνόημά ἐστι περὶ τὸν μῦθον τὸ ἐπιχειρεῖν τὸν Κένταυρον συγγενέσθαι τῇ Δηιανείρᾳ. — Οὐ γὰρ ἐπεχείρησεν;

  [2] Dio. Then do you bid me tell you those things which a man would believe who believes correctly, or what a man would believe even though not correctly?

  Int. I prefer what one would believe who believes correctly.

  Dio. Then what about beliefs which the masses hold? Must he who desires to interpret correctly speak counter to the belief of the masses?

  Int. He must.

  Dio. Then do not be irritated as you follow the argument, if what is said is of that nature, but rather consider whether it is not suitably expressed.

  Int. Very well, speak and proceed with your exposition as seems good to you.