§8τοιούτῳ δὴ βίῳ χρώμενος εἰς ἑαυτὸν μὲν οὐδενὸς ἐδεῖτο, φίλοις δὲ συνέπραττε τὰ εἰκότα, καὶ τοὺς μὲν εὐτυχεῖν δοκοῦντας αὐτῶν ὑπεμίμνησκεν ὡς ἐπʼ ὀλιγοχρονίοις τοῖς δοκοῦσιν ἀγαθοῖς ἐπαιρομένους, τοὺς δὲ ἢ πενίαν ὀδυρομένους ἢ φυγὴν δυσχεραίνοντας ἢ γῆρας ἢ νόσον αἰτιωμένους σὺν γέλωτι παρεμυθεῖτο, οὐχ ὁρῶντας ὅτι μετὰ μικρὸν αὐτοῖς παύσεται μὲν τὰ ἀνιῶντα, λήθη δέ τις ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ ἐλευθερία μακρὰ πάντας ἐν ὀλίγῳ καταλήψεται.
Leading such a life, he needed nothing for himself, but helped his friends in appropriate ways, reminding those of them who seemed to be fortunate that they were puffed up over what seemed to be short-lived goods, and comforting with a laugh those who lamented poverty, resented exile, or complained of old age or sickness, because he saw that they did not realize that in a little while their troubles would cease for them, and a certain forgetfulness of good and bad and a long freedom would soon overtake everyone.
§9ἔμελεν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἀδελφοὺς στασιάζοντας διαλλάττειν καὶ γυναιξὶ πρὸς τοὺς γεγαμηκότας εἰρήνην πρυτανεύειν· καί που καὶ δήμοις ταραττομένοις ἐμμελῶς διελέχθη καὶ τοὺς πλείστους αὐτῶν ἔπεισεν ὑπουργεῖν τῇ πατρίδι τὰ μέτρια.
He also made it his care to reconcile brothers at variance and to broker peace for wives with their husbands; and occasionally he spoke and reasoned gracefully with disturbed populaces and persuaded most of them to perform their moderate duties to their fatherland.
τοιοῦτός τις ἦν ὁ τρόπος τῆς φιλοσοφίας αὐτοῦ, πρᾶος καὶ ἥμερος καὶ φαιδρός·
Such was the character of his philosophy: gentle, mild, and cheerful.
§10μόνον αὐτὸν ἠνία φίλου νόσος ἢ θάνατος, ὡς ἂν καὶ τὸ μέγιστον τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀγαθῶν τὴν φιλίαν ἡγούμενον.
Only the sickness or death of a friend grieved him, since he regarded friendship as the greatest of human goods.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φίλος μὲν ἦν ἅπασι καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅντινα οὐκ οἰκεῖον ἐνόμιζεν, ἄνθρωπόν γε ὄντα, πλέον δὲ ἢ ἔλαττον ἔχαιρε συνὼν ἐνίοις αὐτῶν, μόνοις ἐξιστάμενος ὁπόσοι ἂν ἐδόκουν αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ τὴν τῆς θεραπείας ἐλπίδα διαμαρτάνειν.
For this reason, he was a friend to all, and there was no one whom he did not consider a kinsman, as long as he was a human being, though he took more or less pleasure in associating with some of them, avoiding only those who seemed to him to err beyond the hope of cure.
καὶ πάντα ταῦτα μετὰ Χαρίτων καὶ Ἀφροδίτης αὐτῆς ἔπραττέν τε καὶ ἔλεγεν, ὡς ἀεί, τὸ κωμικὸν ἐκεῖνο, τὴν πειθὼ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ἐπικαθῆσθαι.
And all these things he did and said with the Graces and Aphrodite herself, so that, as the comic line always has it, persuasion sat upon his lips.
§11τοιγαροῦν καὶ Ἀθηναίων ὅ τε σύμπας δῆμος καὶ οἱ ἐν τέλει ὑπερφυῶς ἐθαύμαζον αὐτὸν καὶ διετέλουν ὥς τινα τῶν κρειττόνων προσβλέποντες.
Therefore, both the whole populace of the Athenians and the magistrates admired him extraordinarily and continued to look up to him as to one of the higher powers.
καίτοι ἐν ἀρχῇ προσέκρουε τοῖς πολλοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ μῖσος οὐ μεῖον τοῦ πρὸ αὑτοῦ παρὰ τοῖς πλήθεσιν ἐκτήσατο ἐπί τε τῇ παρρησίᾳ καὶ ἐλευθερίᾳ, καί τινες ἐπʼ αὐτὸν συνέστησαν Ἄνυτοι καὶ Μέλητοι τὰ αὐτὰ κατηγοροῦντες ἅπερ κἀκείνου οἱ τότε, ὅτι οὔτε θύων ὤφθη πώποτε οὔτε ἐμυήθη μόνος ἁπάντων ταῖς Ἐλευσινίαις·
Yet in the beginning he offended most of them, and incurred a hatred among the masses no less than that of his predecessor, because of his plain speaking and freedom. And certain Anytuses and Meletuses conspired against him, bringing the same charges as those of old against Socrates—namely, that he had never been seen sacrificing, and that he alone of all men was not initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries.
πρὸς ἅπερ ἀνδρείως μάλα στεφανωσάμενος καὶ καθαρὸν ἱμάτιον ἀναλαβὼν καὶ παρελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὰ μὲν ἐμμελῶς, τὰ δὲ καὶ τραχύτερον ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προαίρεσιν ἀπελογήσατο·
Against which, very courageously crowning himself and putting on a clean cloak, he came forward to the assembly and defended himself, partly gracefully and partly more harshly than was his usual custom.
πρὸς μὲν γὰρ τὸ μὴ τεθυκέναι πώποτε τῇ Ἀθηνᾷ, Μὴ θαυμάσητε, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ μὴ πρότερον αὐτῇ ἔθυσα, οὐδὲν γὰρ δεῖσθαι αὐτὴν τῶν παρʼ ἐμοῦ θυσιῶν ὑπελάμβανον. πρὸς δὲ θάτερον, τὸ τῶν μυστηρίων, ταύτην ἔφη ἔχειν αἰτίαν τοῦ μὴ κοινωνῆσαι σφίσι τῆς τελετῆς, ὅτι, ἄν τε φαῦλα ᾖ τὰ μυστήρια, οὐ σιωπήσεται πρὸς τοὺς μηδέπω μεμυημένους, ἀλλʼ ἀποτρέψει αὐτοὺς τῶν ὀργίων, ἄν τε καλά, πᾶσιν αὐτὰ ἐξαγορεύσει ὑπὸ φιλανθρωπίας·
For regarding his never having sacrificed to Athena, he said, "Do not wonder, men of Athens, if I have not sacrificed to her before, for I assumed that she had no need of sacrifices from me." Regarding the other charge, that of the mysteries, he said he had this reason for not sharing the rite with them: if the mysteries were bad, he would not keep silent before those not yet initiated, but would turn them away from the rites; and if they were good, he would reveal them to everyone out of philanthropy.
ὥστε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἤδη λίθους ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖν χεροῖν ἔχοντας πράους αὐτῷ καὶ ἵλεως γενέσθαι αὐτίκα καὶ τὸ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου ἀρξαμένους τιμᾶν καὶ αἰδεῖσθαι καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα θαυμάζειν, καίτοι εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ τῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς λόγων τραχυτέρῳ ἐχρήσατο τῷ προοιμίῳ· ἄνδρες γὰρ ἔφη Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐμὲ μὲν ὁρῶντες ἐστεφανωμένον ὑμεῖς ἤδη κἀμὲ καταθύσατε, τὸ γὰρ πρότερον οὐκ ἐκαλλιερήσατε. §12βούλομαι δὲ ἔνια παραθέσθαι τῶν εὐστόχως τε ἅμα καὶ ἀστείως ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λελεγμένων·
Consequently, the Athenians, who already had stones in their hands to throw at him, immediately became gentle and merciful toward him, and beginning from that moment, they honored, respected, and finally admired him, even though right at the beginning of his speech to them he had used a rather harsh introduction: "Men of Athens," he said, "seeing me crowned, sacrifice me right now, for on the previous occasion you did not obtain good omens." And I wish to set down some of the things said by him both aptly and wittily.
ἄρξασθαι δὲ ἀπὸ Φαβωρίνου καλὸν καὶ ὧν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἶπεν.
It is good to begin with Favorinus and what he said to him.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ Φαβωρῖνος ἀκούσας τινὸς ὡς ἐν γέλωτι ποιοῖτο τὰς ὁμιλίας αὐτοῦ καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς μελῶν τὸ ἐπικεκλασμένον σφόδρα ὡς ἀγεννὲς καὶ γυναικεῖον καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ ἥκιστα πρέπον, προσελθὼν ἠρώτα τὸν Δημώνακτα, τίς ὢν χλευάζοι τὰ αὐτοῦ·
For when Favorinus heard from someone that Demonax made a jest of his lectures, and especially of the highly effeminate and broken modulation of the songs in them as being vulgar, womanish, and least becoming to philosophy, he went and asked Demonax who he was to mock his affairs.
ἄνθρωπος, ἔφη, οὐκ εὐαπάτητα ἔχων τὰ ὦτα. ἐγκειμένου δὲ τοῦ σοφιστοῦ καὶ ἐρωτῶντος, τίνα δὲ καὶ ἐφόδια ἔχων, ὦ Δημῶναξ, ἐκ παιδείας εἰς φιλοσοφίαν ἥκεις; ὄρχεις, ἔφη.
"A man," he said, "with ears not easily deceived." When the sophist pressed him and asked, "And with what provisions from education, Demonax, have you come to philosophy?" he said, "Testicles."