- Source
- Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0062.tlg026.humanitext-grc2:13-15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Dike and Hermes open the court for disputes involving philosophical schools and personified concepts, where the Academy agrees to argue both sides in its trial against Drunkenness, who is too drunk to speak.
Ἑρμῆς ἄγε, ὦ Δίκη, προσκαλῶμεν. Δίκη εὖ λέγεις. ἀθρόοι γοῦν, ὡς ὁρᾷς, προσίασι θορυβοῦντες, ὥσπερ οἱ σφῆκες περιβομβοῦντες τὴν ἄκραν. Ἀθηναῖος εἴληφά σε, ὦ κατάρατε. Ἄλλος1 συκοφαντεῖς. Ἄλλος2 δώσεις ποτὲ ἤδη τὴν δίκην. Ἄλλος3 ἐξελέγξω σε δεινὰ εἰργασμένον. Ἄλλος4 ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἀποκλήρωσον. Ἄλλος5 ἕπου, μιαρέ, πρὸς τὸ δικαστήριον. Ἄλλος6 μὴ ἄγχε με. Δίκη οἶσθα ὃ δράσωμεν,1 ὦ Ἑρμῆ; τὰς μὲν ἄλλας δίκας εἰς τὴν αὔριον ὑπερβαλώμεθα, τήμερον δὲ κληρῶμεν τὰς τοιαύτας ὁπόσαι τέχναις ἢ βίοις ἢ ἐπιστήμαις2 πρὸς ἄνδρας εἰσὶν ἐπηγγελμέναι. καί μοι ταύτας ἀνάδος τῶν γραφῶν. Ἑρμῆς μέθη κατὰ τῆς Ἀκαδημείας περὶ Πολέμωνος ἀνδραποδισμοῦ. Δίκη ἑπτὰ κλήρωσον. Ἑρμῆς ἡ Στοὰ κατὰ τῆς Ἡδονῆς ἀδικίας, ὅτι τὸν ἐραστὴν αὐτῆς Διονύσιον ἀπεβουκόλησεν. Δίκη πέντε ἱκανοί. Ἑρμῆς περὶ Ἀριστίππου Τρυφὴ πρὸς Ἀρετήν. Δίκη πέντε καὶ τούτοις δικασάτωσαν. Ἑρμῆς Ἀργυραμοιβικὴ δρασμοῦ Διογένει. Δίκη τρεῖς ἀποκλήρου μόνους. Ἑρμῆς γραφικὴ κατὰ Πύρρωνος λιποταξίου. Δίκη ἐννέα κρινάτωσαν.
Hermes Come, Dike, let us call them in. Dike Well said. At any rate, they are approaching in crowds, as you see, making a tumult, like wasps buzzing around a peak. Athenian I have caught you, you accursed wretch! Other1 You are a slanderer. Other2 You will finally pay the penalty now. Other3 I will convict you of having done terrible things. Other4 Allot my court first! Other5 Follow me to court, you filthy wretch! Other6 Do not choke me! Dike Do you know what we should do, Hermes? Let us postpone the other lawsuits for tomorrow, and today let us allot such ones as have been brought by arts or lives or sciences against men. And hand me these of the indictments. Hermes “Drunkenness” against “the Academy” concerning the kidnapping of Polemon. Dike Allot seven judges. Hermes “The Porch” against “Pleasure” for injustice, because she enticed away her lover Dionysius. Dike Five are enough. Hermes Concerning Aristippus: “Luxury” against “Virtue.” Dike Let five judge for them too. Hermes “Money-changing” against Diogenes for running away. Dike Allot three only. Hermes “Painting” against Pyrrho for desertion. Dike Let nine judge.
Ἑρμῆς βούλει καὶ ταύτας ἀποκληρῶμεν, ὦ Δίκη, τὰς δύο, τὰς πρῴην ἀπενηνεγμένας κατὰ τοῦ ῥήτορος; Δίκη τὰς παλαιὰς πρότερον διανύσωμεν· αὗται δὲ εἰς ὕστερον δεδικάσονται. Ἑρμῆς καὶ μὴν ὅμοιαί γε καὶ αὗται καὶ τὸ ἔγκλημα, εἰ καὶ νεαρόν, ἀλλὰ παραπλήσιον τοῖς προαποκεκληρωμένοις· ὥστε ἐν τούτοις δικασθῆναι ἄξιον. Δίκη ἔοικας, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, χαριζομένῳ τὴν δέησιν. ἀποκληρῶμεν δʼ ὅμως, εἰ δοκεῖ, πλὴν ἀλλὰ ταύτας μόνας· ἱκαναὶ γὰρ αἱ ἀποκεκληρωμέναι. δὸς τὰς γραφάς. Ἑρμῆς ῥητορικὴ κακώσεως τῷ Σύρῳ·3 διάλογος τῷ αὐτῷ ὕβρεως. Δίκη τίς δὲ οὗτός ἐστιν; οὐ γὰρ ἐγγέγραπται τοὔνομα. Ἑρμῆς οὕτως ἀποκλήρου, τῷ ῥήτορι τῷ Σύρῳ· κωλύσει γὰρ οὐδὲν καὶ ἄνευ τοῦ ὀνόματος. Δίκη ἰδοῦ, καὶ τὰς ὑπερορίους ἤδη Ἀθήνησιν ἐν Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ ἀποκληρώσομεν, ἃς ὑπὲρ τὸν Εὐφράτην καλῶς εἶχε δεδικάσθαι; πλὴν ἀλλὰ κλήρου ἕνδεκα τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἑκατέρᾳ τῶν δικῶν. Ἑρμῆς εὖ γε, ὦ Δίκη, φείδῃ μὴ πολὺ ἀναλίσκεσθαι τὸ δικαστικόν.
Hermes Do you wish us to allot these two as well, Dike, which were brought lately against the rhetorician? Dike Let us first finish the old ones; and these shall be judged later. Hermes And yet these too are similar and the charge, even if recent, is nearly identical to those already allotted; so that it is worthy to be judged among these. Dike You seem, Hermes, to be granting a favor to the request. Let us, however, allot them, if it seems good, but only these; for those already allotted are enough. Give me the indictments. Hermes “Rhetoric” against the Syrian for maltreatment; “Dialogue” against the same for assault. Dike But who is this man? For the name is not written in. Hermes Allot it just like that, “to the Syrian rhetorician”; for it will hinder nothing even without the name. Dike Look at that, shall we now allot even extraterritorial lawsuits in Athens on the Areopagus, which would have been well judged beyond the Euphrates? Nevertheless, allot eleven of the same judges for each of the two lawsuits. Hermes Well done, Dike, you are sparing so that the court fees may not be spent too much.
Δίκη οἱ πρῶτοι καθιζέτωσαν τῇ Ἀκαδημείᾳ καὶ τῇ Μέθῃ· σὺ δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ ἔγχει. προτέρα δὲ σὺ λέγε ἡ Μέθη. τί σιγᾷ καὶ διανεύει; μάθε, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, προσελθών. Ἑρμῆς οὐ δύναμαι, φησί, τὸν ἀγῶνα εἰπεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀκράτου τὴν γλῶτταν πεπεδημένη,4 μὴ γέλωτα ὄφλω5 ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ. μόλις δὲ καὶ ἕστηκεν, ὡς ὁρᾷς. Δίκη οὐκοῦν συνήγορον ἀναβιβασάσθω τῶν κοινῶν τούτων τινά· πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ κἂν ἐπὶ τριωβόλῳ διαρραγῆναι ἕτοιμοι. Ἑρμῆς ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ εἷς ἐθελήσει ἔν γε τῷ φανερῷ συναγορεῦσαι Μέθῃ. πλὴν εὐγνώμονά γε ταῦτα ἔοικεν ἀξιοῦν. Δίκη τὰ ποῖα; Ἑρμῆς ἡ Ἀκαδήμεια πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους ἀεὶ παρεσκεύασται τοὺς λόγους καὶ τοῦτʼ ἀσκεῖ τἀναντία καλῶς δύνασθαι λέγειν. αὕτη τοίνυν, φησίν, ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρότερον εἰπάτω, εἶτα ὕστερον ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῆς ἐρεῖ. Δίκη καινὰ μὲν ταῦτα, εἰπὲ δὲ ὅμως, ὦ Ἀκαδήμεια, τὸν λόγον ἑκάτερον, ἐπεί σοι ῥᾴδιον.
Dike Let the first sit for the Academy and Drunkenness; and you, pour the water. You speak first, Drunkenness. Why is she silent and shaking her head? Go near, Hermes, and find out. Hermes She says, “I cannot speak for the trial, because my tongue is bound by unmixed wine, lest I incur laughter in the court.” And she is barely even standing, as you see. Dike Therefore let her bring up some advocate from these common ones; for there are many who are ready to burst their lungs even for three obols. Hermes But not even one will wish to advocate for Drunkenness, at least in public. However, she seems to request reasonable things. Dike What kind of things? Hermes “The Academy is always prepared for both sides of an argument and practices this, to be able to speak beautifully on opposite sides. Therefore,” she says, “let her speak first on my behalf, and then later she will speak on her own behalf.” Dike This is indeed novel, but nevertheless speak, Academy, both speeches, since it is easy for you.
- 13οἶσθα ὃ δράσωμεν
δράσωμεν (first-person plural aorist active subjunctive of δράω) functions as a deliberative subjunctive in an indirect-question-like clause introduced by the relative pronoun ὃ, serving as the object of the main verb οἶσθα. It expresses 'Do you know what we should do?'
- 13τέχναις ἢ βίοις ἢ ἐπιστήμαις
These datives function as the dative of agent with the perfect passive verb εἰσὶν ἐπηγγελμέναι (from ἐπαγγέλλω). It means 'lawsuits which have been brought by arts, ways of life, or sciences.'
- 14κακώσεως τῷ Σύρῳ
κακώσεως is a genitive of charge (maltreatment), whereas τῷ Σύρῳ is a dative indicating the object of the lawsuit ('against the Syrian'). This dative construction is used instead of the more common Classical construction of κατά with the genitive.
- 15τὴν γλῶτταν πεπεδημένη
τὴν γλῶτταν (accusative) is an accusative of respect (or specification) modifying the perfect passive participle πεπεδημένη, meaning 'having been bound with respect to her tongue.'
- 15μὴ γέλωτα ὄφλω
ὄφλω is the first-person singular aorist active subjunctive of ὀφλισκάνω (to incur). Introduced by the negative conjunction μὴ, it forms a clause of negative purpose or fear ('lest I incur laughter in the court').