§18εἰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα συνεχῶς τις σκοποῖ καὶ ἀναλαμβάνοι, παύσαιτʼ ἂν ἴσως ἡδόμενος τῷ φλυαρεῖν.
If indeed someone should continuously consider and embrace these and such things, he would perhaps stop enjoying babbling.
ἐμὲ δὲ κἀκεῖνος ὁ οἰκέτης εὖ μάλα δυσωπεῖ, τὸ προσέχειν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ κρατεῖν προαιρέσεως ἡλίκον ἐστὶν ἐνθυμούμενον.
And that slave also greatly abashes me, when I consider how great a thing it is to pay attention to speech and to control one's will.
Πούπιος Πείσων ὁ ῥήτωρ μὴ βουλόμενος ἐνοχλεῖσθαι προσέταξε τοῖς οἰκέταις πρὸς τὰ ἐρωτώμενα λαλεῖν καὶ μηδὲν πλέον.
Pupius Piso the rhetorician, not wishing to be disturbed, ordered his slaves to speak only in reply to what was asked and nothing more.
εἶτα Κλώδιον ἄρχοντα δεξιώσασθαι βουλόμενος ἐκέλευσε κληθῆναι, καὶ παρεσκευάσατο λαμπρὰν ὡς εἰκὸς ἑστίασιν.
Then, wishing to entertain Clodius the magistrate, he ordered him to be invited, and prepared a splendid banquet, as was natural.
ἐνστάσης δὲ τῆς ὥρας, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι παρῆσαν ὁ δὲ Κλώδιος;
When the hour arrived, the others indeed were present, but Clodius?
προσεδοκᾶτο· καὶ πολλάκις ἔπεμψε τὸν εἰωθότα καλεῖν οἰκέτην, ἐποψόμενον εἰ πρόσεισιν.
He was expected; and Piso often sent the slave accustomed to invite guests, to see if he was approaching.
ὡς δʼ ἦν ἑσπέρα καὶ ἀπέγνωστο
τί δʼ; ἔφη πρὸς τὸν οἰκέτην
ἐκάλεσας αὐτόν; ἔγωγʼ
εἶπε.
When it was evening and all hope was given up, "What now?" he said to the slave, "did you invite him?" "I did," he said.
διὰ οὖν οὐκ ἀφῖκται; κἀκεῖνος
ὅτι ἠρνήσατο. πῶς οὖν οὐκ εὐθὺς ἔφρασας; ὅτι τοῦτὸ μʼ οὐκ ἠρώτησας. οὕτω μὲν Ῥωμαϊκὸς οἰκέτης, ὁ δʼ Ἀττικὸς ἐρεῖ τῷ δεσπότῃ σκάπτων
"ἐφʼ οἷς γεγόνασιν αἱ διαλύσεις. "
οὕτω μέγα πρὸς πάνθʼ ὁ ἐθισμός ἐστι, καὶ περὶ τούτου γʼ ἤδη λέγωμεν.
"Why then has he not arrived?" And he replied: "Because he refused." "Why then did you not tell me immediately?" "Because you did not ask me this." Such indeed is a Roman slave, but an Attic slave will say to his master while digging: "Upon the terms on which the reconciliation has been made." So great a thing is habit in all things, and let us now speak about this.
§19οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ὡς χαλινῶν ἐφαψαμένους ἐπισχεῖν τὸν ἀδολέσχην, ἀλλʼ ἔθει δεῖ κρατῆσαι τοῦ νοσήματος.
For it is not possible to restrain a babbler as if taking hold of reins, but one must master the disease by habit.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐν ταῖς τῶν πέλας ἐρωτήσεσι σαυτὸν ἔθιζε σιωπᾶν, μέχρι οὗ πάντες ἀπείπωνται τὴν ἀπόκρισιν· "οὐ γάρ τι βουλῆς ταὐτὸ καὶ δρόμου τέλος"
ὥς φησι Σοφοκλῆς, οὐδέ γε φωνῆς καὶ ἀποκρίσεως ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖ μὲν ἡ νίκη τοῦ φθάσαντός ἐστιν, ἐνταῦθα δέ, ἐὰν μὲν ἱκανῶς ἕτερος ἀποκρίνηται, καλῶς ἔχει; συνεπαινέσαντα καὶ συνεπιφήσαντα δόξαν εὐμενοῦς ἀνθρώπου λαβεῖν· ἐὰν δὲ μή, τότε καὶ διδάξαι τὸ ἠγνοημένον καὶ ἀναπληρῶσαι τὸ ἐλλεῖπον, ἀνεπίφθονον καὶ οὐκ ἄκαιρόν ἐστι;
First of all, then, in the questions of others, accustom yourself to keep silence until everyone has given up the answer; "For the end of counsel and of running is not the same," as Sophocles says, nor indeed is that of voice and of answer; but there victory belongs to the one who gets ahead, whereas here, if another answers sufficiently, it is well, and by agreeing and assenting, one may gain the reputation of a well-disposed man; but if not, then to teach what was ignored and to supply what was lacking is both free from envy and not untimely.
. μάλιστα δὲ φυλάττωμεν ἑαυτούς, ὅπως μὴ ἑτέρου τινὸς ἐρωτηθέντος αὐτοὶ προλαμβάνωμεν ὑποφθάνοντες τὴν ἀπόκρισιν.
And let us especially guard ourselves, lest when someone else is asked, we ourselves anticipate them by snatching away the answer.
ἴσως μὲν γὰρ οὐδʼ ἄλλο τι καλῶς ἔχον ἐστίν, αἰτηθέντος ἑτέρου, παρωσαμένους ἐκεῖνον αὐτοὺς; ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι· δόξομεν γὰρ ἅμα καὶ τοῦτον ὡς παρασχεῖν ὃ αἰτεῖται μὴ δυνάμενον, κἀκεῖνον ὡς αἰτεῖν παρʼ ὧν δύναται λαβεῖν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενον, ὀνειδίζειν μάλιστα δʼ ὕβριν φέρει περὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἡ τοιαύτη προπέτεια καὶ θρασύτης· συνεμφαίνει γὰρ ὁ φθάνων ἐν τῷ ἀποκρίνασθαι τὸν ἐρωτώμενον τὸ
τί τούτου δέῃ;
For perhaps it is not proper in any other matter either, when another is asked, to push him aside and offer oneself; for we shall seem at the same time to reproach the former as unable to provide what is asked, and the latter as not knowing how to ask from those from whom he can receive; and especially such precipitancy and boldness in answers brings insult; for the one who anticipates in answering the person asked implies: "What need is there of him?" and "What does he know?
καὶ
ʽτί οὗτος οἶδε; κἀμοῦ παρόντος, περὶ τούτων οὐδένα δεῖ ἄλλον ἐρωτᾶν
καίτοι πολλάκις τινὰς ἐρωτῶμεν οὐ τοῦ λόγου δεόμενοι, φωνὴν δέ τινα καὶ φιλοφροσύνην ἐκκαλούμενοι παρʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ προαγαγεῖν εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐθέλοντες, ὡς Σωκράτης Θεαίτητον καὶ Χαρμίδην.
When I am present, no one else should be asked about these things." And yet we often ask some people not because we need speech, but evoking some voice and friendliness from them, and wishing to lead them into conversation, as Socrates did with Theaetetus and Charmides.
ὅμοιον οὖν τῷ τὸν ὑφʼ ἑτέρου βουλόμενον φιληθῆναι προδραμόντα φιλεῖν αὐτὸν ἢ τὸν ἑτέρῳ προσβλέποντα μεταστρέφειν εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὸ προλαμβάνειν τὰς ἀποκρίσεις καὶ τὰ ὦτα μετάγειν, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἕλκειν καὶ ἀποστρέφειν πρὸς ἑαυτόν· ὅπου, κἂν ἀπείπηται τὸν λόγον ὁ αἰτηθείς, ἐπισχόντα καλῶς ἔχει καὶ πρὸς τὸ βουλόμενον τοῦ ἐρωτῶντος ἁρμοσάμενον ὡς ἐπὶ κλῆσιν ἀλλοτρίαν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν, αἰδημόνως καὶ κοσμίως ἀπαντᾶν, καὶ γὰρ οἱ μὲν ἐρωτηθέντες, ἂν σφαλῶσιν ἐν τῷ ἀποκρίνεσθαι, συγγνώμης δικαίας τυγχάνουσιν· ὁ δʼ αὐθαιρέτως ὑφιστάμενος καὶ προλαμβάνων τὸν λόγον ἀηδὴς μέν ἐστι καὶ κατορθῶν, διαμαρτάνων δὲ παντάπασιν ἐπίχαρτος γίγνεται καὶ καταγέλαστος.
Therefore, to anticipate answers, to redirect ears to oneself, and to drag and turn the mind to oneself is similar to running ahead and kissing someone who wishes to be kissed by another, or turning toward oneself someone who is looking at another; where, even if the one asked declines the speech, it is well to hold back and, having adapted oneself to the desire of the questioner, to offer the answer as if responding to another's invitation, modestly and decorously; for those who are asked, if they stumble in answering, obtain just forgiveness; but he who voluntarily undertakes it and anticipates the speech is unpleasant even when successful, and when failing, becomes altogether a laughingstock and an object of mockery.