§12ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἴσως πρὸς τοὺς παντάπασι χαλεποὺς καὶ βασκάνους ἀνάγκη τὰ φάρμακα καὶ τὰ παρηγορήματα μηχανᾶσθαι· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς μετρίους οὐκ ἄτοπόν ἐστι χρῆσθαι καὶ ταῖς ἐπανορθώσεσι τῶν ἐπαίνων·
But these measures are perhaps medicines and consolations that must be devised for those who are altogether difficult and envious; whereas, for moderate people, it is not absurd to make use even of corrections of praises.
εἴ τις ὡς λόγιον ἢ πλούσιον ἢ δυνατὸν ἐπαινοίη, κελεύοντα μὴ ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγειν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον, εἰ χρηστὸς καὶ ἀβλαβὴς καὶ ὠφέλιμος, οὐ γὰρ εἰσφέρει τὸν ἔπαινον ὁ τοῦτο ποιῶν ἀλλὰ μετατίθησιν οὐδὲ χαίρειν δοκεῖ τοῖς ἐγκωμιάζουσιν αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον, ὅτι μὴ προσηκόντως μηδʼ ἐφʼ οἷς δεῖ, δυσχεραίνειν καὶ ἀποκρύπτειν τὰ φαυλότερα τοῖς βελτίοσιν, οὐκ ἐπαινεῖσθαι βουλόμενος ἀλλʼ ἐπαινεῖν ὡς χρὴ διδάσκων.
If anyone should praise a man as eloquent, wealthy, or powerful, by bidding them not to say these things about him, but rather, if he is good, harmless, and useful, to say so. For the one who does this does not introduce praise, but transfers it; nor does he seem to rejoice in those who eulogize him, but rather to be displeased that they do so inappropriately and not for the right reasons, thus obscuring the less important things with the better, not wishing to be praised himself, but teaching how one ought to praise.
τὸ γάρ
οὐ λίθοις ἐτείχισα τὴν πόλιν οὐδὲ πλίνθοις ἐγώ ἀλλʼ ἐὰν τὸν ἐμὸν τειχισμὸν βούλῃ σκοπεῖν, εὑρήσεις καὶ ὅπλα καὶ ἵππους καὶ συμμάχους
τοιούτου τινὸς ἔοικεν ἅπτεσθαι.
For the saying, "I did not fortify the city with stones or bricks; but if you wish to look at my fortification, you will find both arms, horses, and allies," seems to touch upon something of this kind.
καὶ τὸ τοῦ Περικλέους ἔτι μᾶλλον· ὀλοφυρόμενοι γάρ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἤδη καταστρέφοντος αὐτοῦ, καὶ δυσφοροῦντες οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι τῶν στρατηγιῶν ἐμέμνηντο καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ὅσα δὴ τρόπαια καὶ νίκας καὶ πόλεις Ἀθηναίοις κτησάμενος ἀπολέλοιπεν ὁ δὲ μικρὸν ἐπαναστὰς ἐμέμψατʼ αὐτούς, ὡς κοινὰ πολλῶν καὶ τῆς τύχης ἔνια μᾶλλον τῆ ἀρετῆς ἐγκώμια λέγοντας· τὸ δὲ κάλλιστον καὶ μέγιστον καὶ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ παραλείποντας, ὅτι διʼ αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς Ἀθηναίων μέλαν ἱμάτιον ἀνείληφε.
And that of Pericles even more so; for when his friends, as it seems, were lamenting as he was now dying, and in their distress were remembering his generalships and his power, and how many trophies, victories, and cities he had acquired and left to the Athenians; but he, raising himself up a little, censured them, as speaking of praises that were common to many and some of which belonged to fortune rather than to virtue; and passing over the finest, greatest, and most distinctive of his achievements, that because of him no Athenian had put on a black cloak.
τοῦτο δὴ τὸ παράδειγμα καὶ ῥήτορι δίδωσιν, ἄνπερ ᾖ χρηστός, ἐπαινουμένῳ περὶ λόγου δεινότητα, μεταθεῖναι τὸν ἔπαινον ἐπὶ τὸν βίον καὶ τὸ ἦθος· καὶ στρατηγῷ θαυμαζομένῳ διʼ ἐμπειρίαν πολεμικὴν ἢ εὐτυχίαν, περὶ πραότητός τε καὶ δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ παρρησιάσασθαι καὶ τοὐναντίον αὖ πάλιν, ὑπερφυῶν τινων λεγομένων ἐπαίνων, οἷα πολλοὶ κολακεύοντες ἐπίφθονα λέγουσιν, εἰπεῖν
"οὔ τίς τοι θεός εἰμι· τί μʼ ἀθανάτοισιν ἐίσκεις; "
ἀλλʼ εἴ με γινώσκεις ἀληθῶς, ἐπαίνει τὸ ἀδωροδόκητον ἢ τὸ σῶφρον ἢ τὸ εὔγνωμον ἢ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον. ὁ γὰρ φθόνος οὐκ ἀηδῶς τῷ τὰ μείζονα παραιτουμένῳ τὰ μετριώτερα δίδωσι, καὶ τἀληθὲς ἐγκώμιον οὐκ ἀφαιρεῖται τῶν τὰ ψευδῆ καὶ κενὰ μὴ προσδεχομένων.
This very example also gives to an orator, if indeed he is good, when praised for eloquence, the power to transfer the praise to his life and character; and to a general admired for military experience or fortune, to speak with frankness about his own mildness and justice; and on the other hand, when some extraordinary praises are spoken, such as many flatterers say to provoke envy, to say, "No god am I; why do you liken me to the immortals?" "But if you know me truly, praise my freedom from bribery, my moderation, my good sense, or my philanthropy." For envy not unpleasantly grants the more moderate praises to him who declines the greater ones, and true eulogy is not taken away from those who do not accept false and empty ones.
διὸ καὶ τῶν βασιλέων τοὺς μὴ θεοὺς μηδὲ παῖδας θεῶν ἀναγορεύεσθαι θέλοντας ἀλλὰ Φιλαδέλφους ἢ φιλομήτορας ἢ Εὐεργέτας ἢ Θεοφιλεῖς, οὐκ ἤχθοντο ταῖς καλαῖς μὲν ἀνθρωπικαῖς δὲ ταύταις προσηγορίαις τιμῶντες.
Therefore, even of the kings, those who did not wish to be proclaimed as gods or children of gods, but as Philadelphi, Philometores, Evergetae, or Theophileis, people were not annoyed to honor with these beautiful but human appellations.
ὥσπερ αὖ καὶ τῶν γραφόντων καὶ λεγόντων βαρυνόμενοι τοὺς τὸ τῆς σοφίας ἐπιγραφομένους ὄνομα, χαίρουσι τοῖς φιλοσοφεῖν ἢ προκόπτειν ἤ τι τοιοῦτο περὶ αὑτῶν ἀνεπίφθονον καὶ μέτριον λέγουσιν.
Just as, on the other hand, being burdened by those writers and speakers who assume the name of wisdom, they rejoice in those who say they philosophize or are making progress, or say something else of this kind about themselves that is free from envy and moderate.
οἱ δὲ ῥήτορες καὶ σοφισταὶ τὸ
θείως
καὶ τὸ
δαιμονίως
καὶ τὸ
μεγάλως
ἐν ταῖς ἐπιδείξεσι προσδεχόμενοι, καὶ τὸ
μετρίως
καὶ τὸ
ἀνθρωπίνως
προσαπολλύουσι. §13καὶ μὴν ὥσπερ οἱ τοὺς ὀφθαλμιῶντας ἐνοχλεῖν φυλαττόμενοι τοῖς ἄγαν λαμπροῖς σκιάν τινα παραμιγνύουσιν, οὕτως ἔνιοι τοὺς αὑτῶν ἐπαίνους μὴ παντελῶς λαμπροὺς μηδʼ ἀκράτους προσφέροντες, ἀλλά τινας ἐλλείψεις ἢ ἀποτεύξεις ἢ ἁμαρτίας ἐλαφρὰς ἐμβάλλοντες, ἀφαιροῦσι τὸ ἐπαχθὲς αὐτῶν καὶ νεμεσητόν·
But the orators and sophists, by accepting the terms ¦543f "divinely" and "demonically" and "grandly" in their exhibitions, lose even "moderately" and "humanly." Indeed, just as those who take care not to annoy people with sore eyes mix some shade with too bright light, so some people, by offering their own praises not altogether bright and unmixed, but inserting some defects, failures, or light errors, remove the offensive and invidious character from them.
ὥσπερ ὁ Ἐπειός, οὐ μέτρια περὶ τῆς πυκτικῆς εἰπὼν καὶ θρασυνάμενος ὡς
""
ʼἀντικρὺ χρόα τε ῥηξει σύν τʼ ὀστέ" ἀράξει. ʼ ʼἧ οὐχ ἅλις ʽφησίνʼ ʼὅττι μάχης ἐπιδεύομαι; ʼ ʼ ἀλλʼ οὗτος μὲν ἴσως γελοῖος, ἀθλητικὴν ἀλαζονείαν δειλίας καὶ ἀνανδρίας ἐξομολογήσει παραμυθούμενος ἐμμελὴς δὲ καὶ χαρίεις ὁ λήθην τινὰ καθʼ αὑτοῦ λέγων ἢ ἄγνοιαν ἢ φιλοτιμίαν, ἢ πρός τινα μαθήματα καὶ λόγων ἀκρόασιν ὀλιγωρίαν ὡς ὁ Ὀδυσσεὺς
"
αὐτὰρ ἐμὸν κῆρ
ἤθελʼ ἀκουέμεναι, λῦσαι δʼ ἐκέλευον ἑταίρους
ὀφρύσι νευστάζων. "
καὶ πάλιν
"
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ οὐ πιθόμην ἦ τʼ ἂν πολὺ κέρδιον ἦεν,
ὄφρʼ αὐτόν τε ἴδοιμι, καὶ εἴ μοι ξείνια δοίη. "
καὶ ὅλως ὅσαι μὴ παντάπασιν αἰσχραὶ μηδʼ ἀγεννεῖς· ἁμαρτίαι, παρατιθέμεναι τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τὸν φθόνον ἀφαιροῦσι.
Just as Epeius, having spoken in no moderate terms about his boxing and having boasted that "I will utterly tear the flesh and smash the bones," said, "Is it not enough that I am lacking in battle?" ¦544a But he indeed is perhaps ridiculous, comforting his athletic boast with a confession of cowardice and unmanliness; but harmonious and graceful is the man who speaks of some forgetfulness, ignorance, or ambition on his own part, or negligence toward certain studies and the hearing of lectures, as Odysseus did: "But my heart wished to hear, and I ordered my companions to release me with a nod of my brows." And again, ¦544b "But I did not obey—indeed, it would have been much better— so that I might see him, and see if he would give me guest-gifts." And in general, all errors that are not altogether shameful or ignoble, when placed alongside praises, remove envy.
πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ πενίας καὶ ἀπορίας καὶ νὴ Δία δυσγενείας ἐξομολόγησιν ἔστιν ὅτε τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις παρεμβάλλοντες, ἀμβλυτέρῳ τῷ φθόνῳ χρῶνται· καθάπερ Ἀγαθοκλῆς χρυσᾶ ποτήρια καὶ τορευτὰ τοῖς νέοις προπίνων ἐκέλευσε καὶ κεραμεᾶ κομισθῆναι καὶ
τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν
ἔφη
τὸ ἐνδελεχὲς καὶ φιλόπονον καὶ ἀνδρεῖον· ἡμεῖς πάλαι ταῦτα, νῦν δʼ ἐκεῖνα ποιοῦμεν
ἐδόκει γὰρ ἐν κεραμείῳ τεθράφθαι διὰ δυσγένειαν καὶ πενίαν ὁ Ἀγαθοκλῆς, εἶτα συμπάσης ὀλίγου δεῖν ἐβασίλευσε Σικελίας.
And many, by sometimes inserting into their eulogies a confession of poverty, lack of resources, and, by Zeus, low birth, experience a duller envy; just as Agathocles, when pledging gold and engraved cups to the young men, ordered earthen ones also to be brought, and said, "Of such a kind is diligence, industry, and courage; we used to make these formerly, but now we make those." For Agathocles was thought to have been brought up in a pottery workshop because of low birth and poverty, and then he became king of almost all Sicily.