§2.314θαρροῦντες οὖν ποιεῖτε οὕτως· οὐ μὴ γάρ ποτε τῆς ἐμπορίας ταύτης οὔτε σὺ στείλῃς οὔτε Ἀρχέδημος ἐμπορεύσεται καλλίω καὶ θεοφιλεστέραν.
Act, then, with confidence in this way; for neither will you ever set out on, nor will Archedemus engage in, a traffic more beautiful and more dear to the gods than this.
εὐλαβοῦ μέντοι μή ποτε ἐκπέσῃ ταῦτα εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἀπαιδεύτους· σχεδὸν γάρ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, οὐκ ἔστιν τούτων πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς καταγελαστότερα ἀκούσματα, οὐδʼ αὖ πρὸς τοὺς εὐφυεῖς θαυμαστότερά τε καὶ ἐνθουσιαστικώτερα.
Take care, however, lest these things ever leak out among uneducated men; for, as it seems to me, there are almost no sayings more ridiculous to the multitude than these, nor, on the other hand, any more wonderful and inspiring to the talented.
πολλάκις δὲ λεγόμενα καὶ ἀεὶ ἀκουόμενα καὶ πολλὰ ἔτη, μόγις ὥσπερ χρυσὸς ἐκκαθαίρεται μετὰ πολλῆς πραγματείας.
And when they are often repeated and constantly heard for many years, they are at last, like gold, purified with great labor.
ὃ δὲ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ γέγονεν, ἄκουσον.
And hear what a wonderful thing has happened concerning it.
εἰσὶν γὰρ ἄνθρωποι ταῦτα ἀκηκοότες καὶ πλείους, δυνατοὶ μὲν μαθεῖν, δυνατοὶ δὲ μνημονεῦσαι καὶ βασανίσαντες πάντῃ πάντως κρῖναι, γέροντες ἤδη καὶ οὐκ ἐλάττω τριάκοντα ἐτῶν ἀκηκοότες, οἳ νῦν ἄρτι σφίσι φασὶν τὰ μὲν τότε ἀπιστότατα δόξαντα εἶναι νῦν πιστότατα καὶ ἐναργέστατα φαίνεσθαι, ἃ δὲ τότε πιστότατα, νῦν τοὐναντίον.
For there are men who have heard these things, and many of them too, who are capable of learning, capable of remembering, and capable of judging after testing them in every possible way, who are already old and have heard them for no less than thirty years, who now only recently say that what then seemed to them most incredible now appears most credible and most evident, whereas what then seemed most credible now appears the opposite.
πρὸς ταῦτʼ οὖν σκοπῶν εὐλαβοῦ μή ποτέ σοι μεταμελήσῃ τῶν νῦν ἀναξίως ἐκπεσόντων.
Considering these things, then, take care lest you ever regret that these things have now been leaked out in an unworthy manner.
μεγίστη δὲ φυλακὴ τὸ μὴ γράφειν ἀλλʼ ἐκμανθάνειν· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν τὰ γραφέντα μὴ οὐκ ἐκπεσεῖν.
The greatest safeguard is not to write but to learn by heart; for it is impossible that what is written should not leak out.
διὰ ταῦτα οὐδὲν πώποτʼ ἐγὼ περὶ τούτων γέγραφα, οὐδʼ ἔστιν σύγγραμμα Πλάτωνος οὐδὲν οὐδʼ ἔσται, τὰ δὲ νῦν λεγόμενα Σωκράτους ἐστὶν καλοῦ καὶ νέου γεγονότος.
For this reason I have never written anything about these things, nor is there any writing of Plato, nor will there be; but those which are now called his are the work of Socrates made beautiful and young.
ἔρρωσο καὶ πείθου, καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ταύτην νῦν πρῶτον πολλάκις ἀναγνοὺς κατάκαυσον.
Farewell and obey; and having read this letter many times now first, burn it.
ταῦτα μὲν ταύτῃ.
So much, then, for these matters.
περὶ δὲ Πολυξένου ἐθαύμασας ὅτι πέμψαιμί σοι· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ περὶ Λυκόφρονος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν παρὰ σοὶ ὄντων λέγω καὶ πάλαι καὶ νῦν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον, ὅτι πρὸς τὸ διαλεχθῆναι καὶ φύσει καὶ τῇ μεθόδῳ τῶν λόγων πάμπολυ διαφέρεις αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἑκὼν ἐξελέγχεται, ὥς τινες ὑπολαμβάνουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἄκοντες.
But as to Polyxenus, you wondered that I should have sent him to you; but I, both concerning Lycophron and the others who are with you, say the same thing both long ago and now, that for dialoguing you are far superior to them both by nature and by the method of arguments, and none of them is refuted willingly, as some suppose, but against their will.
καὶ δοκεῖς μέντοι πάνυ μετρίως κεχρῆσθαί τε αὐτοῖς καὶ δεδωρῆσθαι.
And indeed you seem to have treated them with great moderation and to have made them gifts.
ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τούτων, πολλὰ ὡς περὶ τοιούτων·
So much, then, for these things—a great deal to say on such subjects.
Φιλιστίωνι δέ, εἰ μὲν αὐτὸς χρῇ, σφόδρα χρῶ, εἰ δὲ οἷόν τε, Σπευσίππῳ χρῆσον καὶ ἀπόπεμψον.
As for Philistion, if you are employing him yourself, by all means do so; but if possible, lend him to Speusippus and send him back.
δεῖται δὲ σοῦ καὶ Σπεύσιππος· ὑπέσχετο δέ μοι καὶ Φιλιστίων, εἰ σὺ ἀφείης αὐτόν, ἥξειν προθύμως Ἀθήναζε.
Speusippus also begs this of you; and Philistion promised me that, if you would let him go, he would come to Athens eagerly.
§2.315τὸν ἐκ τῶν λατομιῶν εὖ ἐποίησας ἀφείς, ἐλαφρὰ δὲ ἡ δέησις καὶ περὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ Ἡγησίππου τοῦ Ἀρίστωνος· ἐπέστειλας γάρ μοι, ἄν τις ἀδικῇ ἢ τοῦτον ἢ ἐκείνους καὶ σὺ αἴσθῃ, μὴ ἐπιτρέψειν.
You did well in releasing the man from the stone-quarries; and my request is light both concerning his servants and concerning Hegesippus the son of Ariston; for you wrote to me that if anyone should do wrong either to him or to them, and you should perceive it, you would not permit it.
καὶ περὶ Λυσικλείδου τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν ἄξιον· μόνος γὰρ τῶν ἐκ Σικελίας Ἀθήναζε ἀφικομένων οὐδὲν μετεβάλετο περὶ τῆς σῆς καὶ ἐμῆς συνουσίας, ἀλλʼ ἀεί τι ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω λέγων περὶ τῶν γεγονότων διατελεῖ.
And concerning Lysicleides, it is worthy to speak the truth; for he alone of those who have come from Sicily to Athens has changed in nothing regarding the association between you and me, but always continues speaking something good and in a better light concerning what happened.