§6Λυκῖνος
τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους τί ἄν σοι λέγοιμι;
Lycinus Why should I tell you about the others?
οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ φιλοσοφίας καὶ λόγων, οὕσπερ ἐθέλεις, οἶμαι, ἀκοῦσαι μάλιστα, Ζηνόθεμις ἦν ὁ πρεσβύτης ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς στοᾶς καὶ ξὺν αὐτῷ Δίφιλος ὁ Λαβύρινθος ἐπίκλην, διδάσκαλος οὗτος ὢν τοῦ Ἀρισταινέτου υἱέος τοῦ Ζήνωνος· τῶν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ περιπάτου Κλεόδημος, οἶσθα τὸν στωμύλον, τὸν ἐλεγκτικόν, Ξίφος αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ καὶ Κοπίδα καλοῦσιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἐπικούρειος Ἕρμων παρῆν, καὶ εἰσελθόντα γε αὐτὸν εὐθὺς ὑπεβλέποντο οἱ Στωϊκοὶ καὶ ἀπεστρέφοντο καὶ δῆλοι ἦσαν ὥς τινα πατραλοίαν καὶ ἐναγῆ μυσαττόμενοι.
But as for the men of philosophy and letters, whom I think you wish to hear about most, Zenothemis was there, the elder from the Stoa, and with him Diphilus, surnamed "the Labyrinth," who was the teacher of Aristaenetus' son Zeno; from the Peripatetic school there was Cleodemus—you know that talkative, argumentative fellow, whom his disciples call "the Sword" and "the Cleaver." Furthermore, Hermon the Epicurean was present, and as soon as he entered, the Stoics began to glare at him askance and turn away, making it clear that they loathed him as they would a parricide or an accursed person.
οὗτοι μὲν αὐτοῦ Ἀρισταινέτου φίλοι καὶ συνήθεις ὄντες παρεκέκληντο ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καὶ ξὺν αὐτοῖς ὁ γραμματικὸς Ἱστιαῖος καὶ ὁ ῥήτωρ Διονυσόδωρος.
These men, being friends and associates of Aristaenetus himself, had been invited to dinner, and with them Histiaeus the grammarian and Dionysodorus the rhetorician.
§7Λυκῖνος
διὰ δὲ τὸν νυμφίον τὸν Χαιρέαν Ἴων ὁ Πλατωνικὸς συνειστιᾶτο διδάσκαλος αὐτοῦ ὤν, σεμνός τις ἰδεῖν καὶ θεοπρεπὴς καὶ πολὺ τὸ κόσμιον ἐπιφαίνων τῷ προσώπῳ· κανόνα γοῦν οἱ πολλοὶ ὀνομάζουσιν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ὀρθότητα τῆς γνώμης ἀποβλέποντες.
Lycinus And on account of the bridegroom Chaereas, Ion the Platonist was feasting with them, being his teacher, a man solemn to look at and godlike, showing much dignity in his countenance; indeed, most people call him "the Rule," looking to the uprightness of his judgment.
καὶ ἐπεὶ παρῆλθεν, ὑπεξανίσταντο πάντες αὐτῷ καὶ ἐδεξιοῦντο ὥς τινα τῶν κρειττόνων, καὶ ὅλως θεοῦ ἐπιδημία τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν Ἴων ὁ θαυμαστὸς συμπαρών.
And when he entered, everyone rose slightly for him and welcomed him as though he were one of the higher powers, and on the whole, the presence of the wonderful Ion was like the visitation of a god.
§8Λυκῖνος
δέον δὲ ἤδη κατακλίνεσθαι ἁπάντων σχεδὸν παρόντων, ἐν δεξιᾷ μὲν εἰσιόντων αἱ γυναῖκες ὅλον τὸν κλιντῆρα ἐκεῖνον ἐπέλαβον, οὐκ ὀλίγαι οὖσαι, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἡ νύμφη πάνυ ἀκριβῶς ἐγκεκαλυμμένη, ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν περιεχομένη· ἐς δὲ τὸ ἀντίθυρον ἡ ἄλλη πληθύς, ὡς ἕκαστος ἀξίας εἶχε.
Lycinus When the time came to recline, nearly everyone being present, the women occupied that entire couch on the right as you enter, being not few, and among them the bride, very carefully veiled, surrounded by the women; and in the space opposite the door sat the rest of the company, according as each had rank.
§9Λυκῖνος
κατʼ ἀντικρὺ δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν πρῶτος ὁ Εὔκριτος, εἶτα Ἀρισταίνετος.
Lycinus And opposite the women, first sat Eucritus, then Aristaenetus.
εἶτα ἐνεδοιάζετο πότερον χρὴ πρότερον Ζηνόθεμιν τὸν Στωϊκὸν ἅτε γέροντα ἢ Ἕρμωνα τὸν Ἐπικούρειον, ἱερεὺς γὰρ ἦν τοῖν ἀνάκοιν καὶ γένους τοῦ πρώτου ἐν τῇ πόλει.
Then there was a doubt whether one ought to place first Zenothemis the Stoic, inasmuch as he was an old man, or Hermon the Epicurean, for he was a priest of the twin gods (the Anakes) and of the first family in the city.
ἀλλὰ ὁ Ζηνόθεμις ἔλυσε τὴν ἀπορίαν· εἰ γάρ με,
φησίν,
ὦ Ἀρισταίνετε, δεύτερον ἄξεις τουτουὶ τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἵνα μηδὲν ἄλλο κακὸν εἴπω, Ἐπικουρείου, ἄπειμι ὅλον σοι τὸ συμπόσιον καταλιπών· καὶ ἅμα τὸν παῖδα ἐκάλει καὶ ἐξιόντι ἐῴκει.
But Zenothemis solved the difficulty: "For if," he said, "Aristaenetus, you place me second to this man—not to say anything worse of him—this Epicurean, I will depart and leave the whole banquet to you." And at the same time he called his servant and made as if to go out.
καὶ ὁ Ἕρμων,
Ἔχε μέν, ὦ Ζηνόθεμι, τὰ πρῶτα,
ἔφη·
And Hermon said, "Keep the first place, Zenothemis.
ἀτὰρ εἰ καὶ μηδέν τι ἕτερον, ἱερεῖ γε ὄντι ὑπεξίστασθαι καλῶς εἶχεν, εἰ καὶ τοῦ Ἐπικούρου πάνυ καταπεφρόνηκας. ἐγέλασα,
ἦ δʼ ὃς ὁ Ζηνόθεμις,
Ἐπικούρειον ἱερέα,
καὶ ἅμα λέγων κατεκλίνετο καὶ μετʼ αὐτὸν ὅμως ὁ Ἕρμων, εἶτα Κλεόδημος ὁ Περιπατητικός, εἶτα ὁ Ἴων καὶ ὑπʼ ἐκεῖνον ὁ νυμφίος, εἶτʼ ἐγὼ καὶ παρʼ ἐμὲ ὁ Δίφιλος καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῷ Ζήνων ὁ μαθητής, εἶτα ὁ ῥήτωρ Διονυσόδωρος καὶ ὁ γραμματικὸς Ἱστιαῖος.
Yet, if for no other reason, it was proper to yield to one who is a priest, even if you utterly despise Epicurus." "I laugh," said Zenothemis, "at an Epicurean priest!" And as he spoke, he reclined, and after him nevertheless Hermon, then Cleodemus the Peripatetic, then Ion, and below him the bridegroom, then I, and next to me Diphilus, and below him Zeno the disciple, then Dionysodorus the rhetorician, and Histiaeus the grammarian.
§10Φίλων
βαβαί, ὦ Λυκῖνε, μουσεῖόν τι τὸ συμπόσιον διηγῇ σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν πλείστων, καὶ ἔγωγε τὸν Ἀρισταίνετον ἐπαινῶ, ὅτι τὴν εὐκταιοτάτην ἑορτὴν ἄγων τοὺς σοφωτάτους ἑστιᾶν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἠξίωσεν, ὅ τι περ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἐξ ἑκάστης αἱρέσεως ἀπανθισάμενος, οὐχὶ τοὺς μέν, τοὺς δὲ οὔ, ἀλλὰ ἀναμὶξ ἅπαντας.
Philon Heavens, Lycinus! You describe the banquet as a veritable temple of the Muses of most wise men, and I for my part praise Aristaenetus because, in celebrating this most desirable feast, he deemed it worthy to entertain the wisest before others, having culled, as it were, the choice flower from each sect, not some and not others, but all mingled together.
Λυκῖνος
ἔστι γάρ, ὦ ἑταῖρε, οὐχὶ τῶν πολλῶν τούτων πλουσίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ παιδείας μέλει αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ βίου τούτοις ξύνεστιν.
Lycinus For indeed, my friend, he is not one of those many rich men, but he also cares for education, and spends the greatest part of his life with these men.
§11Λυκῖνος
εἱστιώμεθα οὖν ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ τὸ πρῶτον, καὶ παρεσκεύαστο ποικίλα.
Lycinus So we were feasting in silence at first, and a variety of dishes had been prepared.
πλὴν οὐδὲν οἶμαι χρὴ καὶ ταῦτα καταριθμεῖσθαι, χυμοὺς καὶ πέμματα καὶ καρυκείας· ἅπαντα γὰρ ἄφθονα.
However, I think there is no need to list these too—the broths, pastries, and sauces; for all was abundant.
ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ὁ Κλεόδημος ἐπικύψας ἐς τὸν Ἴωνα,
ὁρᾷς,
ἔφη,
τὸν γέροντα
— Ζηνόθεμιν λέγων, ἐπήκουον γάρ —
ὅπως ἐμφορεῖται τῶν ὄψων καὶ ἀναπέπλησται ζωμοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιον καὶ ὅσα τῷ παιδὶ κατόπιν ἑστῶτι ὀρέγει λανθάνειν οἰόμενος τοὺς ἄλλους, οὐ μεμνημένος τῶν μεθʼ αὑτόν; δεῖξον οὖν καὶ Λυκίνῳ ταῦτα, ὡς μάρτυς εἴη.
Meanwhile Cleodemus, leaning over to Ion, said, "Do you see," he said, "the old man?" —meaning Zenothemis, for I could hear him— "how he gorges himself on the delicacies, and how his cloak is covered in soup, and how much he hands to the servant standing behind him, thinking that he escapes the notice of the others, with no regard for those behind him?
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲν ἐδεόμην δείξοντός μοι τοῦ Ἴωνος πολὺ πρότερον αὐτὰ ἐκ περιωπῆς ἑωρακώς.
Point this out to Lycinus too, so that he may be a witness." But I had no need of Ion to point it out to me, having seen it all from my vantage point much earlier.