§20δεύτερον τοίνυν ἄσκημα πρὸς τὰς ἰδίας ἀποκρίσεις ἐστίν, αἷς οὐχ ἣκιστα δεῖ προσέχειν τὸν ἀδόλεσχον·
Therefore, the second exercise is in relation to one's own answers, to which the babbler must pay attention not least.
πρῶτον μέν, ἵνα μὴ λάθῃ τοῖς ἐπὶ γέλωτι καὶ ὕβρει προκαλουμένοις εἰς λόγους αὐτὸν ἀποκρινόμενος μετὰ σπουδῆς.
First, indeed, so that he may not unawares, to those who challenge him to talk for the sake of laughter and insult, answer them with eagerness.
ἔνιοι γὰρ οὐδὲν δεόμενοι διατριβῆς δὲ καὶ παιδιᾶς ἕνεκα συνθέντες τινὰς ἐρωτήσεις προβάλλουσι τοῖς τοιούτοις καὶ ἀνακινοῦσιν αὐτῶν τὸν λῆρον· ὃ δεῖ φυλάττεσθαι, καὶ μὴ ταχὺ τῷ λόγῳ μηδʼ ὥσπερ χάριν ἔχοντας ἐπιπηδᾶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ πυνθανομένου σκοπεῖν καὶ τὴν χρείαν.
For some, having no need but for the sake of pastime and amusement, having composed certain questions, propose them to such people and stir up their nonsense; which one must guard against, and not leap upon the speech quickly, nor as if being grateful, but consider both the character of the inquirer and his need.
ὅταν δὲ φαίνηται τῷ ὄντι βουλόμενος μαθεῖν, ἐθιστέον ἐφιστάναι καὶ ποιεῖν τι διάλειμμα μεταξὺ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως καὶ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως· ἐν ᾧ προσθεῖναι μὲν ὁ ἐρωτῶν, εἴ τι βούλεται, δύναται, σκέψασθαι δʼ αὐτὸς περὶ ὧν ἀποκρινεῖται, καὶ μὴ κατατρέχειν μηδὲ καταχωννύναι τὴν ἐρώτησιν, ἔτι πυνθανομένοις πολλάκις ὑπὸ σπουδῆς ἄλλας ἀντʼ ἄλλων ἀποκρίσεις διδόντα.
But when he appears really wishing to learn, one must accustom oneself to pause and make some interval between the question and the answer; in which the inquirer can add if he wishes anything, and he himself can consider about what he will answer, and not overrun or bury the question, often through haste giving some answers instead of others to those who are still inquiring.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ Πυθία καὶ πρὸ ἐρωτήσεως αὐθωρὶ χρησμοὺς εἴωθέ τινας ἐκφέρειν· ὁ γὰρ θεός, ᾧ λατρεύει,
"καὶ κωφοῦ ξυνίησι καὶ οὐ λαλέοντος ἀκούει. "
τὸν δὲ βουλόμενον ἐμμελῶς ἀποκρίνασθαι δεῖ τὴν, διάνοιαν ἀναμεῖναι καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀκριβῶς καταμαθεῖν τοῦ πυνθανομένου, μὴ γένηται τὸ κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν
"ἄμας ἀπῄτουν, οἱ δʼ ἀπηρνοῦντο σκάφας. "
ἄλλως δὲ τὸ λάβρον τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λόγους ὀξύπεινον ἀνακρουστέον, ἵνα μὴ δοκῇ καθάπερ ῥεῦμα τῇ γλώττῃ πάλαι προσιστάμενον ἀσμένως ὑπὸ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως ἐξερᾶσθαι.
For the Pythia is accustomed to utter certain oracles immediately even before the question; for the god whom she serves "both understands the mute and hears the one who does not speak." But he who wishes to answer properly must wait for the thought and accurately understand the intention of the inquirer, lest what is in the proverb happen: "They asked for shovels, and they denied they had tubs." Moreover, this violent and sharp hunger for words must be checked, so that it may not seem as if a torrent, having long accumulated at the tongue, is gladly vomited out by the question.
καὶ γὰρ ὁ Σωκράτης οὕτως ἐκόλουε τὴν δίψαν, οὐκ ἐφιεὶς ἑαυτῷ πιεῖν μετὰ γυμνάσιον, εἰ μὴ τὸν πρῶτον ἐκχέοι κάδον ἀνιμήσας, ὅπως ἐθίζηται τὸν τοῦ λόγου καιρὸν ἀναμένειν τὸ ἄλογον.
For Socrates also in this way used to curb his thirst, not allowing himself to drink after exercise unless he drew up and poured out the first bucket, so that the irrational part might be accustomed to wait for the proper time of reason.
§21ἔστι τοίνυν τρία γένη τῶν πρὸς τὰς ἐρωτήσεις ἀποκρίσεων, τὸ μὲν ἀναγκαῖον τὸ δὲ φιλάνθρωπον τὸ δὲ περισσόν.
There are, therefore, three kinds of answers to questions: the necessary, the polite, and the superfluous.
οἷον πυθομένου τινὸς εἰ Σωκράτης ἔνδον, ὁ μὲν ἀπροθύμως καὶ ὥσπερ ἄκων ἀποκρίνεται τὸ
οὐκ ἔνδον· ἐὰν δὲ βούληται λακωνίζειν, καὶ τὸ
ἔνδον
ἀφελὼν αὐτὴν μόνην φθέγξεται τὴν ἀπόφασιν· ὡς ἐκεῖνοι, Φιλίππου γράψαντος εἰ δέχονται τῇ πόλει αὐτόν, εἰς χάρτην ΟΥ μέγα γράψαντες ἀπέστειλαν.
For example, when someone asks if Socrates is inside, one answers reluctantly and as if unwillingly: "Not inside"; and if he wishes to speak in the Laconian way, he will omit even "inside" and utter only the negation itself; just as they, when Philip wrote asking if they would receive him into the city, wrote on paper a large "NO" and sent it back.
ὁ δὲ φιλανθρωπότερον ἀποκρίνεται
οὐκ ἔνδον ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ ταῖς τραπέζαις· κἂν βούληται προσεπιμετρῆσαι,
ξένους τινὰς ἐκεῖ περιμένων. ὁ δὲ περιττὸς καὶ ἀδολέσχης, ἄν γε δὴ τύχῃ καὶ τὸν Κολοφώνιον ἀνεγνωκὼς Ἀντίμαχον,
οὐκ ἔνδον
φησὶν
ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ ταῖς τραπέζαις, ξένους ἀναμένων Ἴωνας, ὑπὲρ ὧν αὐτῷ γέγραφεν Ἀλκιβιάδης περὶ Μίλητον ὤν, καὶ παρὰ Τισσαφέρνει διατρίβων, τῷ τοῦ μεγάλου σατράπῃ βασιλέως, ὃς πάλαι μὲν ἐβοήθει Λακεδαιμονίοις, νῦν δὲ προστίθεται διʼ Ἀλκιβιάδην Ἀθηναίοις· ὁ γὰρ Ἀλκιβιάδης ἐπιθυμῶν κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα τὸν Τισσαφέρνην μετατίθησι
καὶ ὅλως τὴν ὀγδόην Θουκυδίδου κατατεινάμενος ἐρεῖ καὶ κατακλύσει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἕως φθάσῃ καὶ Μίλητος ἐκπολεμωθεῖσα καὶ φυγαδευθεὶς τὸ δεύτερον Ἀλκιβιάδης.
But another answers more politely: "Not inside, but at the tables"; and if he wishes to measure out still more: "waiting for some guests there." But the superfluous and babbling person, especially if he happens to have read Antimachus of Colophon: "Not inside," he says, "but at the tables, waiting for some Ionian guests, concerning whom Alcibiades wrote to him while being near Miletus and staying with Tissaphernes, the satrap of the Great King, who formerly indeed used to help the Lacedaemonians, but now, because of Alcibiades, sides with the Athenians; for Alcibiades, desiring to return to his homeland, is changing Tissaphernes' mind"; and in short, spinning out the eighth book of Thucydides, he will speak and overwhelm the man, until he gets ahead of both Miletus being plunged into war and Alcibiades being exiled for the second time.
μάλιστα δὴ περὶ τοῦτο δεῖ τὴν ἀδολεσχίαν συνέχειν ὥσπερ εἰς ἴχνος ἐμβιβάζοντα τὴν ἐρώτησιν καὶ ὡς κέντρῳ καὶ διαστήματι τῇ χρείᾳ τοῦ πυνθανομένου περιγράφοντα τὴν ἀπόκρισιν.
Indeed, especially in this matter one must restrain babbling, as if guiding the question into a track, and as if with a center and a radius, circumscribing the answer by the need of the inquirer.
Καρνεάδην μὲν γὰρ οὔπω μεγάλην ἔχοντα δόξαν, ἐν τῷ γυμνασίῳ διαλεγόμενον πέμψας ὁ γυμνασίαρχος ἐκέλευσεν ὑφεῖναι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς φωνῆς (ἦν γὰρ μεγαλοφωνότατος)· εἰπόντος δʼ ἐκείνου
δός μοι μέτρον φωνῆς,ʼ
οὐ φαύλως ὑπέτυχε
δίδωμι τὸν προσδιαλεγόμενον. τῷ δʼ ἀποκρινομένῳ μέτρον ἔστω ἡ τοῦ ἐρωτῶντος βούλησις.
For when Carneades did not yet have a great reputation, as he was conversing in the gymnasium, the gymnasiarch sent and ordered him to lower the volume of his voice (for he was very loud-voiced); and when he said, "Give me a measure of voice," he answered not inelegantly: "I give you the interlocutor." And for the one who answers, let the measure be the will of the inquirer.