Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [20] I fancy he would rather be praised by Philammon for musical skill or by any one then living who was acquainted with the art of singing to the cithara, than by absolutely all the beasts and birds together; nay, even if the swans had uttered cries of praise and had accompanied him with their notes, he would not have given them a moment’s notice, because they did not possess skill, or even knowledge, about the art of making melody.

  Very good; what then? In the matter of health would the man of sound judgement desire to win the testimony and commendation of a single individual who is a skilled physician and conversant with care of the body, or, instead, that of countless thousands who have no understanding, who, as likely as not, on seeing him bloated with disease and swollen and ulcerous, would congratulate him as they would Pulydamas the Thessalian and Glaucus the Carystian, supposing him to be in prime condition?

  [21] Γλαῦκον τὸν Καρύστιον ἡγούμενοι διαφέρειν εὐεξίᾳ; ἀλλὰ εἰς μὲν αὔλησιν καὶ κιθαρῳδίαν καὶ τὸ περιεῖναι παλαίοντα ἢ πυκτεύοντα τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων οὐδαμῶς ὁ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ἔπαινος ἥδιστος τοῖς εἰδόσι καὶ πλείστης σπουδῆς ἄξιος: εἰς δὲ φρόνησιν καὶ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ξύμπασαν ἀρετὴν ἱκανὸς εὐφρᾶναι τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντα καὶ ἀποπληρῶσαι τὴν διάνοιαν ὁ τῶν ἠλιθίων καὶ τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων;

  [21] Well, if as regards flute-playing and singing to the cithara and pre-eminence as a wrestler or a boxer the praise of experts above all others is sweetest to the ears of connoisseurs and worth the most serious attention, as regards wisdom and justice and virtue as a whole is the praise of fools and nobodies sufficient to cheer the heart of the man of sense and to satisfy his intelligence?

  Int. By no means.

  [22] — Οὐδαμῶς. — Δ. Καὶ πότερον οἴει τὸν ἔμπειρον τῆς τεκτονικῆς τέχνης, εὐθύ τι ἐργάσασθαι βουλόμενον, ἑνὶ προσαρμόσαντα κανόνι καὶ μιᾷ στάθμῃ σταθμησάμενον ἥδιον ἔχειν καὶ πεποιθέναι περὶ τῆς ὀρθότητος μᾶλλον ἢ πολλοῖς τε καὶ ἀνωμάλοις ξύλοις ἀπευθύνοντα καὶ καταμετροῦντα; φέρε πρὸς Διός, ἆρα ἀκήκοας ζωγράφου χαρίεντος ἔργον, γραφήν τινα προθέντος εἰς τὸ

  [22] Dio. Again, do you think that he who is acquainted with the joiner’s art, when he wants a piece of furniture to be made true and straight, after he has fitted his work together by applying one straight-edge and one gauge is happier and more confident of the accuracy of his work than if he had done the adjusting and the measuring with several different and uneven strips of wood?

  By Heaven, have you heard about the doings of an accomplished painter who had exhibited in public a painting of a horse, a wonderful work of art and true to life?

  [23] φανερὸν ἵππου θαυμαστήν τε καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἔχουσαν; φασὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν κελεῦσαι παραφυλάττειν τὸν παῖδα τοὺς ὁρῶντας, εἰ ψέγοιεν ἢ ἐπαινοῖεν, καὶ μνημονεύσαντα ἀπαγγεῖλαι πρὸς αὐτόν. τῶν δὲ ἕκαστον ἄλλον ἄλλο τι λέγειν περὶ τῆς γραφῆς καὶ αἰτιᾶσθαι, τὸν μέν τινα οἶμαι τὴν κεφαλήν, τὸν δὲ τὰ ἰσχία, τὸν δὲ περὶ τῶν σκελῶν, ὡς, εἰ τοιαῦτα ἐγεγόνει, πολὺ κάλλιον ἂν εἶχεν. ἀκούσαντα δὲ τὸν γραφέα τοῦ παιδός, ἐργασάμενον ἄλλην γραφὴν κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν δόξαν καὶ ἐπίνοιαν, κελεῦσαι θεῖναι παρὰ τὴν πρότερον. εἶναι οὖν πολὺ τὸ διαφέρον: τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἀκριβέστατα ἔχειν, τὴν δὲ αἴσχιστα καὶ γελοιότατα καὶ πᾶσι μᾶλλον ἢ ἵππῳ

  [23] They say, you remember, that he ordered his servant to observe those who looked at it, to see if they found fault with it or praised it, and to remember what they said and report back to him. The story goes on to relate that every man of them had something different to say about the painting and criticized it, one, I imagine, finding fault with the head, another with the haunches, another with the legs, to the effect that, if these parts had been done so and so, the work would be much better. And when the painter heard what his servant had to report, he made another painting, which conformed with the judgement and conception of the crowd, and he gave orders to place it beside the earlier one. Now the difference between the two was great; for the one was quite true to life, while the other was extremely ugly and ludicrous and resembled anything at all rather than a horse.

  [24] ἐοικέναι. δῆλον οὖν ὡς εἰ σφόδρα προσδεήσεται τοῦ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἐπαίνου, τῆς αὑτοῦ γνώμης ἡγούμενος κυριώτερον τὸν ἐκείνων ψόγον τε καὶ ἔπαινον, οὕτως ἕκαστα πράξει καὶ προθυμήσεται [p. 214] τοιοῦτον παρέχειν ἑαυτὸν ὁποῖον ἀξιοῦσιν οἱ πολλοί. καὶ δῆλον ὅτι ἔσται ταχὺ μάλα ἐοικὼς ἀντ̓ ἐκείνου τοῦ πρότερον ἵππου, τοῦ φαύλως καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς εἰργασμένου τέχνην, τῷ θαυμαστῷ καὶ πολυτέχνῳ δημιουργήματι, μηδὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους ἀρέσκοντι τοὺς δημιουργούς, ὑπὸ τῆς ἁπάντων ἐπινοίας καὶ δημιουργίας

  [24] Clearly, therefore, if a person is going to be exceedingly anxious to win the praise of the crowd as well, believing that its praise or censure has more weight than his own judgement, his every act and wish will be aimed to show himself the sort of person that the crowd expects. And manifestly he will presently be very like, not that first horse, which was executed with sincerity and in harmony with one man’s conception of his art, but like that amazing product of multiple workmanship, not pleasing even to those men themselves, its creators, having been put together by the conception and workmanship of all the world!

  [25] συγκείμενος: καθάπερ ὁ μῦθός φησι τὴν Πανδώραν οὐχ ὑφ̓ ἑνὸς τῶν θεῶν πεπλασμένην, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ ὑπὸ πάντων, ἄλλο ἄλλου δωρουμένου καὶ προστιθέντος, οὐδαμῶς σοφὸν οὐδ̓ ἐπ̓ ἀγαθῷ τὸ πλάσμα γενόμενον, παντοδαπὸν δὲ καὶ ποικίλον τοῖς λαβοῦσιν ἀποβῆναι κακόν. ὅπου δὲ θεῶν ὄχλος καὶ δῆμος κοινῇ δημιουργῶν καὶ ἐργαζόμενος οὐχ οἷός τε ἐγένετο καλῶς τε καὶ ἀμέμπτως ἐργάσασθαι, τί ἂν φαίη τις τὸν ὑπό γε ἀνθρωπίνης δόξης πλαττόμενον καὶ δημιουργούμενον βίον τε καὶ ἄνδρα; δῆλον οὖν ὡς εἴ τις ἔφυ τῷ ὄντι φρόνιμος, οὐδὲν ἂν προσέχοι τῷ λόγῳ τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲ θεραπεύοι τὸν παῤ ἐκείνων ἔπαινον ἐξ ἅπαντος, ὥστε οὐδὲ μέγα οὐδὲ τίμιον οὐδὲ ἀγαθόν, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, τοῦτόν ποτε ἡγήσεται. μὴ νομίζων δὲ ἀγαθὸν βασκαίνειν ἐπ̓ αὐτῷ τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἀδύνατος.

  [25] Just so the myth says of Pandora, that she was fashioned, not by a single one among the gods, but jointly by them all, one contributing one gift and adding it to the whole, another another, the form thus fashioned proving to be by no means wise or
destined for a good end either, but, as it turned out, a heterogeneous and complicated plague to those who got her. But when a multitude of gods, yes, a democratic rabble, jointly creating and labouring at their task, proved unable by all their labour to turn out an excellent and faultless work, what would one say of that which is fashioned and created by human opinion, be it a way of life or a man? Evidently, then, if one is by nature really prudent, he would pay no heed at all to the talk of the masses, nor would he court their praise by any and every means, and consequently he will never regard this praise as important or valuable or, if I may say so, good. But not regarding it as a good, he will be incapable of viewing with malice on that account those who have it.

  [26] οὔκουν τοιοῦτος ἡμῖν ὁ γενναῖος καὶ σώφρων καὶ κεκολασμένος ἀνήρ, πλούτους τε καὶ ἐπαίνους καὶ στεφάνους Ὀλυμπικούς τε καὶ Πυθικοὺς καὶ γράμματα ἐν στήλαις καὶ μαρτυρίας ἐγγράφους δήμων καὶ βασιλέων διώκων, ὅπως ἂν ᾖ περίβλεπτος καὶ φανερός, ἀλλ̓ εὐσταλής τε καὶ ἄτυφος ὡς οἷόν τε χωρῶν διὰ τοῦ βίου, ταπεινὸς καὶ κεκολασμένος αὐτὸς ὑφ̓ αὑτοῦ καὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ διανοίας, οὐθενὸς ἔξωθεν κόσμου προσδεόμενος οὐδὲ ἐπιθέτου τιμῆς οὐδὲ φαλάρων καὶ πτερῶν, ὥσπερ οἱ κακοὶ μισθοφόροι πτερὰ καὶ λόφους ἀναλαβόντες καὶ Γοργόνας ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσπίδων καὶ τοῖς δορατίοις ψοφοῦντες ἔπειτα φεύγουσιν, εἰ μικρὸς καταλάβοι κίνδυνος.

  [26] Accordingly, so high-minded, sane, and chastened a man as the one we have in mind is not the sort that chases after riches and praise and Olympic or Pythian crowns, nor after letters carved on tablets of stone and written testimonials of communities and kings, with a view to being universally admired and conspicuous; instead, he journeys through life without ostentation and free from arrogance, so far as possible, humble and chastened by himself and by his own conscience, having no need of any extraneous adornment or adventitious honour, nor of trappings and plumes, like your cowardly hireling soldiers, who affect plumes and crests and Gorgons on their shields, who rattle their little lances and then take to their heels if some trifling danger overtakes them.

  [27] οἵους πολλοὺς ἰδεῖν ἔστι τῶν οἰομένων εἶναι μακαρίων, ξεναγούς τινας καὶ δημαγωγοὺς καὶ σοφιστάς, ἐν θεάτροις καὶ παρὰ τοῖς μαθηταῖς καὶ κατὰ σκηνὰς ἐντὸς στρατοπέδου μεγαλαυχουμένους, ὅταν τύχωσιν ὑποπιόντες τῆς μεσημβρίας, [p. 215] Τρώων ἀνθ̓ ἑκατόν τε διηκοσίων τε ἕκαστος στήσεσθαι: τοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς τούτους ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου κατατρέχοντος καὶ διώκοντος προτροπάδην φεύγοντας, ξύμπαντας οὐ φαινομένους ἐκείνου

  [27] Persons of this description are to be seen in large numbers among the would-be great — condottieri of a sort, popular leaders, and sophists, in theatres or before their pupils or among the tents inside a camp, uttering loud boasts on occasions when they chance to be tipsy at mid-day,

  That each will be a match for one, yes, two

  Full companies of Trojan men;

  yet these same persons, if a single human being runs at them and offers to give chase, will be seen to flee in utter rout, the pack of them not showing themselves a match for that lone man.

  [28] ἀξίους. ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδ̓ ἡδονάς τινας σίτων ἢ ἀφροδισίων ἢ γυναικὸς κάλλος ἢ παιδὸς ὥραν τεθαυμακὼς καὶ τούτων ἐπιθυμῶν καὶ μεγάλα ἡγούμενος, εὐδαιμονίζοι ἂν τοὺς τυγχάνοντας αὐτῶν, σατράπας καὶ δυνάστας καὶ νὴ Δία βαναύσους τινὰς καὶ οἰκότριβας, πεπλουτηκότας τοὺς μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης, τοὺς δὲ τὰ τῶν δεσποτῶν ὑφαιρουμένους: αὑτὸν δὲ οἰκτείροι τῆς ἀπορίας τε καὶ ἐρημίας τούτων τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἡγοῖτο οὐ τῶν εὐτυχῶν: διὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐκείνοις φθονοῖ καὶ ἐπιβουλεύοι πάντα τρόπον καὶ

  [28] Nay more; as for certain pleasures of food or drink or fornication, or as for a woman’s beauty or the bloom of a boy, he would not, through having become infatuated with these things and lusting after them and counting them important, deem fortunate those who get them — satraps and princes and, forsooth, vulgarians and flunkies who have become wealthy, the former by the practice of their craft, the latter by filching their masters’s property — nor would he pity himself for his poverty and for his lack of these good things and look upon himself as not one of the fortunate class; nor would he on this account envy the persons whom I have named, plot against them in every way, and pray for their ruin.

  [29] εὔχοιτ̓ ἂν ἀπολέσθαι αὐτούς. ἢ καὶ συγχωρήσωμεν τὸν γενναῖον ἄνδρα καὶ μεγαλόφρονα τὸ τῶν κυνῶν τε καὶ ἵππων καὶ ἄλλων θηρίων πεπονθέναι πάθος, ἃ οὐ δύναται κατέχειν ἑτέρων ἐμπιμπλαμένων τε καὶ ὀχευόντων, ἀλλὰ χαλεπαίνει καὶ ἀγανακτεῖ καὶ ὀργίζεται τοῖς ἀπολαύουσι καὶ ἕτοιμα ἐπιπηδᾶν καὶ δάκνειν καὶ κυρίττειν καὶ πάντα τρόπον ἀλλήλοις πολεμεῖν ἔτι περὶ τῶν ἡδονῶν: κἀκεῖνον οὕτως ἔχειν φῶμεν, ὡς ὁμολογοῦντα τούτων εἶναί τι σπουδαῖον καὶ τὸν Σαρδανάπαλλον ἡγούμενον ζηλωτόν, ὃς ἔφη διατελέσαι τὸν βίον εὐωχούμενός τε καὶ ὑβρίζων μετὰ εὐνούχων καὶ γυναικῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ζηλοτυπεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν τῶν τράγων τε

  [29] Or shall we go so far as to acknowledge that our noble, or magnanimous man is in no better ease than dogs and horses and the other beasts, which cannot contain themselves when the other beasts are stuffing their bellies or copulating, but are resentful and indignant and enraged against those which are enjoying themselves, and are ready to pounce upon and bite and butt and to wage all manner of warfare against each other for the enjoyment of these pleasures; shall we say that any of these pleasures is of real importance, and that he regards Sardanapalus as one to be envied, who declared that he spent his life in feasting and in playing the wanton with eunuchs and women, and shall we say that on this account he envies the happiness of goats and asses?

  [30] καὶ ὄνων εὐδαιμονίαν; — Μὴ γὰρ οὐδὲ εὐσεβὲς ᾖ τὰ τοιαῦτα περὶ τοῦ μετρίου καὶ πεπαιδευμένου διανοηθῆναί ποτε ἀνδρός. — Δ. Οὐκοῦν εἰ μήτε διὰ δόξαν μήτε διὰ χρήματα μήτε δἰ ἡδονὰς βρώσεων ἢ πόσεων ἢ μίξεων αὑτὸν ἢ ἄλλον οἴεται μακάριον μηδὲ ὅλως εἶναί τι τῶν τοιούτων περιμάχητον ἢ τίμιον, οὐκ ἂν διαφέροιτο περὶ αὐτῶν οὐδ̓ ἂν φθονήσειεν οὐδενὶ ἐκείνων, οὐ μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ψάμμου τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς ἢ τῶν κυμάτων τοῦ ψόφου

  [30] Int. Why, it would perhaps be even impious ever to entertain such thoughts concerning the temperate man of cultivation.

  Dio. Well then, if neither fame nor wealth nor pleasures of e
ating or drinking or copulation lead him to regard himself or any one else as fortunate or to suppose that any such thing at all is worth fighting over or valuable, he would not wrangle over them or begrudge any one those things any more than he would begrudge those who dwell near the sea either the sand upon the beaches or the roar and reverberation of the waves;

  [31] τε καὶ ἤχου τοῖς πρὸς τῇ θαλάττῃ οἰκοῦσιν: οὐδ̓ εἴ τῳ χρυσίον [p. 216] αὐτόματον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν κόλπον ἐμπλήσειεν, ὥσπερ τῇ Δανάῃ δή ποτε λέγουσιν ἐν οἰκήματι χαλκῷ φυλαττομένῃ χρυσίον ἐξαίφνης ἄνωθεν εἰσρυῆναι διὰ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς, οὐδὲ εἰ χειμάρρους αὐτῷ ποθεν ἐπέλθοι χρυσὸν πολὺν καὶ ἄθρουν καταφέρων, ὥσπερ ἰλύν: καθάπερ οἶμαί φασι Κροίσῳ πρότερον τὸν Πακτωλὸν διὰ μέσων ἀφικνούμενον Σάρδεων ἕτοιμα χρήματα κομίζειν, πλείω φόρον τε καὶ δασμὸν ἢ ξύμπασα Φρυγία καὶ Λυδία καὶ Μαίονές τε καὶ