Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [3] δήμου δὲ τὸ καλῶς ἀκοῦσαι. νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνετε τὸ Ἀθηναίων ποτὲ ἁμάρτημα. τοῦ γὰρ Ἀπόλλωνος εἰπόντος, εἰ θέλουσιν ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει γενέσθαι, τὸ κάλλιστον ἐμβάλλειν τοῖς ὠσὶ τῶν παίδων, οἱ δὲ τρήσαντες τὸ ἕτερον χρυσίον ἐνέβαλον, οὐ συνέντες τοῦ θεοῦ. τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ κόραις μᾶλλον ἔπρεπε καὶ παισὶ Λυδῶν ἢ Φρυγῶν: Ἑλλήνων δὲ παισί, καὶ ταῦτα θεοῦ προστάξαντος, οὐκ ἄλλο ἥρμοζεν ἢ παιδεία καὶ λόγος, ὧν οἱ τυχόντες εἰκότως ἄν ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ γίγνονται καὶ σωτῆρες τῶν πόλεων.

  [3] For nowadays, you know, you make the mistake which the Athenians once made. I mean, when Apollo said that, if they wished to have good men as citizens, they should put that which was best into the ears of their boys, they pierced one of the ears of each and inserted a bit of gold, not understanding what the god intended. In fact such an ornament was suitable rather for girls and for sons of Lydians and Phrygians, whereas for sons of Greeks, especially since a god had given the command, nothing else was suitable but education and reason, for it is natural that those who get these blessings should prove to be good men and saviours of the state.

  [4] ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν κακῶς ἐχρήσαντο τοῖς ὠσὶ τῶν παίδων, ὑμεῖς δὲ τοῖς αὑτῶν κάκιον. δήμου γάρ ἐστιν ἀκοὴ τὸ θέατρον: εἰς τοῦτο δὲ καλὸν μὲν ἢ τίμιον οὐδὲν ὑμῖν ἢ σπανίως ποτὲ εἰσέρχεται: κρουμάτων δὲ ἀεὶ μεστόν ἐστι καὶ θορύβου καὶ βωμολοχίας καὶ σκωμμάτων οὐδὲν ἐοικότων χρυσῷ. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν ὀρθῶς ἔφην ἀπορεῖν ὑμᾶς σπουδῆς. οὔτε γὰρ αὐτοὶ σπουδαῖοί ἐστε οὔτε οἱ ὑμέτεροι συνήθεις καὶ πολλάκις εἰς ὑμᾶς εἰσιόντες, [p. 268]

  μῖμοί τ᾽ ὀρχησταί τε χοροιτυπίῃσιν ἄριστοι,

  ἵππων τ᾽ ὠκυπόδων ἐπιβήτορες, οἵ τε τάχιστα

  ἤγειραν μέγα νεῖκος ἀπαιδεύτοισι θεαταῖς,

  νηπιάχοις, ξυνὸν δὲ κακὸν πολέεσσι φέρουσιν.

  [4] The Athenians, as we see, made a bad use of the ears of their sons, but you are making a worse use of your own. For the organ of hearing of a people is the theatre, and into your theatre there enters nothing beautiful or honourable, or very rarely; but it is always full of the strumming of the lyre and of uproar, buffoonery, and scurrility, things that bear no resemblance to gold. For that reason, therefore, I was right in saying that you lack seriousness; for neither are you yourselves serious, nor are they serious with whom you are familiar, and who often come before you in the guise of

  Both mimes and dancers plying nimble feet,

  And men astride swift steeds, most apt to stir

  Dire strife amid spectators crude — the fools! —

  And bring a general ruin to multitudes.

  [5] τοῦτο γὰρ ἀεὶ ὁρᾶτε καὶ περὶ τοιαῦτά ἐστε, ἀφ᾽ ὧν νοῦν μὲν ἢφρόνησιν ἢ δικαίαν διάθεσιν ἢ πρὸς θεοὺς εὐσέβειαν οὐκ ἔστι κτήσασθαι, ἔριν δὲ ἀμαθῆ καὶ φιλοτιμίαν ἄμετρον καὶ κενὴν λύπην καὶ χαρὰν ἀνόητον καὶ λοιδορίαν καὶ δαπάνην. λέγω δὲ ταῦτα οὐκ ἀποτρέπων οὐδὲ καταλύειν κελεύων τὰς τοιαύτας ψυχαγωγίας καὶ ἀπάτας τῆς πόλεως: μαινοίμην γὰρ ἄν: ἀλλ᾽ ἀξιῶνὑμᾶς, ὥσπερ τούτοις ἑτοίμως καὶ συνεχῶς αὑτοὺς παρέχετε, οὕτω καὶ λόγου χρηστοῦ ποτε ἀκοῦσαι καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ συμφέροντι δέξασθαι παρρησίαν:

  [5] That indeed is the nature of what you regularly see, and you are devoted to interests from which it is impossible to gain intelligence or prudence or a proper disposition or reverence toward the gods, but only stupid contention, unbridled ambition, vain grief, senseless joy, and raillery and extravagance.

  In saying these things I am not trying to divert you from such entertainments and pastimes of your people or bidding you put an end to them — I should be mad to attempt that — but I am asking, that just as you devote yourselves readily and constantly to that sort of thing, so you should at length listen to an honest speech and welcome a frankness whose aim is your own welfare.

  [6] ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ὧν μικρῷ πρότερον ἐμνήσθην, οὐ πάντως εὑρήσομεν ἁμαρτάνοντας: ἀλλὰ τοῦτό γε ἐκεῖνοι καὶ πάνυ καλῶς ἐποίουν, ὅτι τοῖς ποιηταῖς ἐπέτρεπον μὴμόνον τοὺς κατ᾽ ἄνδρα ἐλέγχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινῇ τὴν πόλιν, εἴ τι μὴ καλῶς ἔπραττον: ὥστε σὺν πολλοῖς ἑτέροις καὶ τοιαῦτα ἐν ταῖς κωμῳδίαις λέγεσθαι:

  δῆμος πυκνίτης, δύσκολον γερόντιον,

  ὑπόκωφον,

  καὶ

  τί δ᾽ ἔστ᾽ Ἀθηναίοισι πρᾶγμ᾽ ἀπώμοτον;

  καὶ ταῦτα ἤκουον ἑορτάζοντες καὶ δημοκρατούμενοι, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῶν σφετέρων πολιτῶν, εἴ τινα ἤθελον πρὸς ὀργὴν ἀπολέσαι τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων, κύριοι καθεστηκότες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνωνἄρχοντες, καὶ ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς, εἰ ἐβούλοντο, μηδὲν ἀηδὲς ἀκούειν.

  [6] Why even the Athenians, to whom I referred a moment ago, we shall find to have been not always in error. On the contrary, at least this custom of theirs was very much to their credit — that they gave their poets licence to take to task, not merely persons individually, but even the state at large, in case the people were doing something unseemly. Accordingly, among many other illustrations that might be cited, we find in their comedies utterances such as these:

  Old Demos of Pnyxtown, testy little old man,

  A bit inclined to deafness,

  and

  What deed is there that Athens would abjure?

  And, moreover, they listened to these sayings while holding high festival, even during the democratic regime, at a time when they were not only in complete control of their own citizens, in case they desired in a fit of anger to destroy anyone who used such language, but also when they exercised authority over the other Greeks as well, so that they might have avoided listening to anything disagreeable, had they so desired.

  [7] ὑμῖν δὲ οὔτε χορός ἐστι τοιοῦτος οὔτε ποιητὴς οὔτε ἄλλος οὐδείς, ὃς ὑμῖν ὀνειδιεῖ μετ᾽ εὐνοίας καὶ φανερὰ ποιήσει τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἀρρωστήματα. τοιγαροῦν ὅταν ποτὲ φαίνηται τὸ πρᾶγμα, προθύμως δέχεσθαι δεῖ καὶ τότε νομίζειν ἑορτὴν ἄγειν, ἀλλὰ μὴ βαρύνεσθαι,κἂν ἄρα, δυσωπεῖσθαι ἐξειπεῖν, πηνίκα παύσεται; καὶ [p. 269] πότε εἴσεισι θαυματοποιὸς ἢ λῆρος ἢ τοιοῦτος ἕτερος; ἐκεῖνο μὲν γάρ, ὅπερ εἶπον, ἀεὶ ὑμῖν πάρεστι, καὶ οὐ δέος μήποτε ἐπιλίπῃ: τῶν δὲ τοιούτων λόγων, δι᾽ οὓς ἄνθρωποι εὐδα
ιμονοῦσι καὶ κρείττους καὶ σωφρονέστεροι γίγνονται καὶ βέλτιον οἰκεῖν δύνανται τὰς πόλεις, οὐ πολλάκις ἀκηκόατε: οὐ βούλομαι γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ἀνήκοοί ἐστε.

  [7] But you have no such critic, neither chorus nor poet nor anyone else, to reprove you in all friendliness and to reveal the weaknesses of your city. Therefore, whenever the thing does at last appear, you should receive it gladly and make a festival of the occasion instead of being vexed; and even if vexed, you should be ashamed to call out, “When will the fellow stop?” or “When is a juggler coming on?” or “Rubbish!” or some such thing. For, as I have said, that sort of entertainment you always have in stock and there is no fear that it will ever fail you; but discourses like this of mine, which make men happier and better and more sober and better able to administer effectively the cities in which they dwell, you have not often heard — for I do not care to say that you would not listen to them.

  [8] καὶ τοῦτο ἴσως οὐ δι᾽ ὑμᾶς: δηλώσετε δέ, ἂν ἀνάσχησθε τήμερον: ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον παρὰ τοὺς καλουμένους φιλοσόφους. οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ὅλως εἰς πλῆθος οὐκ ἴασιν οὐδὲ θέλουσι διακινδυνεύειν, ἀπεγνωκότες ἴσως τὸ βελτίους ἂν ποιῆσαι τοὺς πολλούς: οἱ δ᾽ ἐν τοῖς καλουμένοις ἀκροατηρίοις φωνασκοῦσιν, ἐνσπόνδους λαβόντες ἀκροατὰς καὶ χειροήθεις ἑαυτοῖς.

  [8] And perhaps this situation is not of your making, but you will show whether it is or not if you bear with me today; the fault may lie rather at the door of those who wear the name of philosopher. For some among that company do not appear in public at all and prefer not to make the venture, possibly because they despair of being able to improve the masses; others exercise their voices in what we call lecture-halls, having secured as hearers men who are in league with them and tractable.

  [9] τῶν δὲ Κυνικῶν λεγομένων ἔστι μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει πλῆθος οὐκ ὀλίγον, καὶ καθάπερ ἄλλου τινὸς πράγματος καὶ τούτου φορὰ γέγονε: νόθον μέντοι γε καὶ ἀγεννὲς ἀνθρώπων οὐθέν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐπισταμένων, ἀλλὰ χρείων τροφῆς: οὗτοι δὲ ἔν τε τριόδοις καὶ στενωποῖς καὶ πυλῶσιν ἱερῶν ἀγείρουσι καὶ ἀπατῶσι παιδάρια καὶ ναύτας καὶ τοιοῦτον ὄχλον, σκώμματα καὶ πολλὴν σπερμολογίαν συνείροντες καὶ τὰς ἀγοραίους ταύτας ἀποκρίσεις. τοιγαροῦν ἀγαθὸν μὲν οὐδὲν ἐργάζονται, κακὸν δ᾽ ὡς οἷόν τε τὸ μέγιστον, καταγελᾶν ἐθίζοντες τοὺς ἀνοήτους τῶν φιλοσόφων, ὥσπερ ἂν παῖδάς τις ἐθίζοι διδασκάλων καταφρονεῖν,

  [9] And as for the Cynics, as they are called, it is true that the city contains no small number of that sect, and that, like any other thing, this too has had its crop — persons whose tenets, to be sure, comprise practically nothing spurious or ignoble, yet who must make a living — still these Cynics, posting themselves at street-corners, in alley-ways, and at temple-gates, pass round the hat and play upon the credulity of lads and sailors and crowds of that sort, stringing together rough jokes and much tittle-tattle and that low badinage that smacks of the market-place. Accordingly they achieve no good at all, but rather the worst possible harm, for they accustom thoughtless people to deride philosophers in general, just as one might accustom lads to scorn their teachers, and, when they ought to knock the insolence out of their hearers, these Cynics merely increase it.

  [10] καὶ δέον ἐκκόπτειν τὴν ἀγερωχίαν αὐτῶν οἱ δ᾽ ἔτι αὔξουσιν. τῶν δὲ εἰς ὑμᾶς παρϊόντων ὡς πεπαιδευμένων οἱ μὲν ἐπιδεικτικοὺς λόγους καὶ τοὺς ἀμαθεῖς, οἱ δὲ ποιήματα συνθέντες ᾄδουσιν, ὡς πάνυ φιλῳδῶν ὑμῶν κατεγνωκότες. οὗτοι δ᾽ εἰ μέν εἰσι ποιηταὶ καὶ ῥήτορες, οὐδὲν ἴσως δεινόν: εἰ δ᾽ ὡς φιλόσοφοι ταῦτα πράττουσι κέρδους ἕνεκεν καὶ δόξης τῆς ἑαυτῶν, οὐ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὠφελείας, τοῦτο δ᾽ ἤδη δεινόν. ὅμοιον γὰρ ὥσπερ εἴ τις ἰατρὸς ἐπὶ κάμνοντας ἀνθρώπους εἰσιὼν τῆς μὲν σωτηρίας αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς θεραπείας ἀμελήσειε, στεφάνους δὲ καὶ ἑταίρας καὶ μύρον αὐτοῖς εἰσφέροι.

  [10] Those, however, who do come before you as men of culture either declaim speeches intended for display, and stupid ones to boot, or else chant verses of their own composition, as if they had detected in you a weakness for poetry. To be sure, if they themselves are really poets or orators, perhaps there is nothing so shocking in that, but if in the guise of philosophers they do these things with a view to their own profit and reputation, and not to improve you, that indeed is shocking. For it is as if a physician when visiting patients should disregard their treatment and their restoration to health, and should bring them flowers and courtesans and perfume.

  [11] τινὲς δὲ ὀλίγοι παρρησίαν ἀγηόχασι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ταύτην ἐνδεῶς, οὐδ᾽ ὡς ἐμπλῆσαι τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν οὐδ᾽ ὥστε διατελέσαι [p. 270] λέγοντες, ἀλλὰ ἓν ἢ δύο ῥήματα εἰπόντες, καὶ λοιδορήσαντες μᾶλλον ἢ διδάξαντες ὑμᾶς, κατὰ σπουδὴν ἀπίασιν, εὐλαβούμενοι μὴ μεταξὺ θορυβήσητε καὶ παραπέμψητε αὐτούς, ὥσπερ οἱ χειμῶνος ἀποτολμῶντες εἰς τὴν θάλατταν βραχύν τινα καὶ σύντομον πλοῦν. ἄνδρα δὲ λαβεῖν καθαρῶς καὶ ἀδόλως παρρησιαζόμενον, καὶ μήτεδόξης χάριν μήτ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀργυρίῳ προσποιούμενον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ εὐνοίᾳ καὶ κηδεμονίᾳ τῶν ἄλλων ἕτοιμον, εἰ δέοι, καὶ καταγελᾶσθαι, καὶ ἀταξίαν πλήθους ἐνεγκεῖν καὶ θόρυβον, οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ ὐτυχοῦς πόλεως, ἐν τοσαύτῃ σπάνει γενναίων καὶ ἐλευθέρων ἀνδρῶν, ἀφθονίᾳ δὲ κολάκων καὶ γοήτων καὶ σοφιστῶν.

  [11] But there are only a few who have displayed frankness in your presence, and that but sparingly, not in the same way as to fill your ears therewith nor for any length of time; nay, they merely utter a phrase or two, and then, after berating rather than enlightening you, they make a hurried exit, anxious lest before they have finished you may raise an outcry and send them packing, behaving in very truth quite like men who in winter muster up courage for a brief and hurried voyage out to sea. But to find a man who in plain terms and without guile speaks his mind with frankness, and neither for the sake of reputation nor for gain makes false pretensions, but out of good will and concern for his fellow-men stands ready, if need be, to submit to ridicule and to the disorder and the uproar of the mob — to find such a man as that is not easy, but rather the good fortune of a very lucky city, so great is the dearth of noble, independent souls and such the abundance of toadies, mountebanks, and sophists.

  [12] ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἀπ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ μοι δοκῶ προελέσθαι τοῦτο, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ δαιμονίου τινὸς γνώμης. ὧν γὰρ οἱ θεοὶ προνοοῦσιν, ἐκείνοις παρασκευάζ
ουσι καὶ συμβούλους ἀγαθοὺς αὐτομάτους καὶ λόγους ἐπιτηδείους καὶ ξυμφέροντας εἰρῆσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἥκιστα ὑμᾶς ἀπιστεῖν χρή, παρ᾽ οἷς μάλιστα μὲν τιμᾶται τὸ δαιμόνιον,μάλιστα δὲ αὐτὸ δείκνυσι τὴν αὑτοῦ δύναμιν καὶ μόνον οὐ καθ᾽ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διά τε χρησμῶν καὶ δι᾽ ὀνειράτων. μὴ οὖν οἴεσθε κοιμωμένων μόνον ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν, καὶ κατ᾽ ἰδίαν ἑκάστῳ μηνύοντα τὸ συμφέρον, ἐγρηγορότων δὲ ἀμελεῖν καὶ κοινῇ καὶ ἀθρόοις μηδὲν ἂν δεῖξαι τῶν χρησίμων. πολλάκις γὰρ ἤδη καὶ

  [12] In my own case, for instance, I feel that I have chosen that rôle, not of my own volition, but by the will of some deity. For when divine providence is at work for men, the gods provide, not only good counsellors who need no urging, but also words that are appropriate and profitable to the listener. And this statement of mine should be questioned least of all by you, since here in Alexandria the deity is most in honour, and to you especially does he display his power through almost daily oracles and dreams. Think not, therefore, that the god exercises his watchful care only over sleeping men, disclosing to each in private what is for his good, but that he is indifferent toward them when they are awake and would not disclose to them, in public and collectively, anything beneficial; for often in the past he has given aid to men in their waking moments, and also in broad daylight he has clearly foretold the future.