§22Μίκυλλος
ὦ Ἡράκλεις, τοῦ ζόφου.
Micyllus "By Heracles, what darkness!
ποῦ νῦν ὁ καλὸς Μέγιλλος;
Where is the handsome Megillus now?
ἢ τῷ διαγνῷ τις ἐνταῦθα εἰ καλλίων Φρύνης Σιμίχη;
Or by what could anyone here distinguish whether Simiche is more beautiful than Phryne?
πάντα γὰρ ἴσα καὶ ὁμόχροα καὶ οὐδὲν οὔτε καλὸν οὔτε κάλλιον, ἀλλʼ ἤδη καὶ τὸ τριβώνιον τέως ἄμορφον εἶναί μοι δοκοῦν ἰσότιμον γίγνεται τῇ πορφυρίδι τοῦ βασιλέως·
For all things are equal and of the same color, and nothing is either beautiful or more beautiful; but even my worn cloak, which until now seemed to me unsightly, already becomes of equal value with the purple robe of the king.
ἀφανῆ γὰρ ἄμφω καὶ ὑπὸ τῷ αὐτῷ σκότῳ καταδεδυκότα.
For both are unseen, submerged under the same darkness.
Κυνίσκε, σὺ δὲ ποῦ ποτε ἄρα ὢν τυγχάνεις; Κυνίσκος
ἐνταῦθα λέγω σοι, Μίκυλλε· ἀλλʼ ἅμα, εἰ δοκεῖ, βαδίζωμεν. Μίκυλλος
εὖ λέγεις· ἔμβαλέ μοι τὴν δεξιάν.
Cyniscus, where on earth do you happen to be?" Cyniscus "Here, I tell you, Micyllus; but let us walk together, if it seems good." Micyllus "You speak well; give me your right hand.
εἰπέ μοι, — ἐτελέσθης γάρ, ὦ Κυνίσκε, δῆλον ὅτι τὰ Ἐλευσίνια — οὐχ ὅμοια τοῖς ἐκεῖ τὰ ἐνθάδε σοι δοκεῖ; Κυνίσκος
εὖ λέγεις·
Tell me — for you were initiated, Cyniscus, clearly into the Eleusinian mysteries — do not things here seem to you similar to those there?" Cyniscus "You speak well.
ἰδοὺ γοῦν προσέρχεται δᾳδουχοῦσά τις φοβερόν τι καὶ ἀπειλητικὸν προσβλέπουσα.
Look, at any rate, someone carrying a torch approaches, looking with a fearful and threatening gaze.
ἦ ἄρα που Ἐρινύς ἐστιν; Μίκυλλος
ἔοικεν ἀπό γε τοῦ σχήματος. §23Ἑρμῆς
παράλαβε τούτους, ὦ Τισιφόνη, τέτταρας ἐπὶ τοῖς χιλίοις. Τισιφόνη
καὶ μὴν πάλαι γε ὁ Ῥαδάμανθυς οὗτος ὑμᾶς περιμένει.
Can she really be an Erinys?" Micyllus "She seems so, at least from her appearance." Hermes "Receive these, Tisiphone, a thousand and four." Tisiphone "And indeed, Rhadamanthys here has been waiting for you for a long time." Rhadamanthys "Bring them forward, Erinys.
Ῥαδάμανθυς
πρόσαγε αὐτούς, ὦ Ἐρινύ. σὺ δέ, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, κήρυττε καὶ προσκάλει. Κυνίσκος
ὦ Ῥαδάμανθυ, πρὸς τοῦ πατρὸς ἐμὲ πρῶτον ἐπίσκεψαι παραγαγών. Ῥαδάμανθυς
τίνος ἕνεκα; Κυνίσκος
πάντως βούλομαι κατηγορῆσαι τυράννου τινὸς ἃ συνεπίσταμαι πονηρὰ δράσαντι αὐτῷ παρὰ τὸν βίον.
And you, Hermes, make proclamation and summon them." Cyniscus "Rhadamanthys, by your father, examine me first, bringing me forward." Rhadamanthys "For what reason?" Cyniscus "I wish above all to accuse a certain tyrant of the evil deeds which I know he committed during his life.
οὐκ ἂν οὖν ἀξιόπιστος εἴην λέγων, μὴ οὐχὶ πρότερον αὐτὸς φανεὶς οἷός εἰμι καὶ οἷόν τινα ἐβίωσα τὸν τρόπον. Ῥαδάμανθυς
τίς δὲ σύ; Κυνίσκος
Κυνίσκος, ὦ ἄριστε, τὴν γνώμην φιλόσοφος. Ῥαδάμανθυς
δεῦρʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ πρῶτος εἰς τὴν δίκην κατάστηθι.
I would not, therefore, be trustworthy in speaking, unless I myself first appear as to what kind of man I am and what sort of life I lived." Rhadamanthys "And who are you?" Cyniscus "Cyniscus, my good sir, a philosopher by conviction." Rhadamanthys "Come here and stand trial first.
σὺ δὲ προσκάλει τοὺς κατηγόρους. §24Ἑρμῆς
εἴ τις Κυνίσκου τουτουὶ κατηγορεῖ, δεῦρο προσίτω. Κυνίσκος
οὐδεὶς προσέρχεται. Ῥαδάμανθυς
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ἱκανὸν τοῦτο, ὦ Κυνίσκε· ἀπόδυθι δέ, ὅπως ἐπισκοπήσω σε ἀπὸ τῶν στιγμάτων. Κυνίσκος
ποῦ γὰρ ἐγὼ στιγματίας ἐγενόμην; Ῥαδάμανθυς
ὁπόσα ἄν τις ὑμῶν πονηρὰ ἐργάσηται παρὰ τὸν βίον, καθʼ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἀφανῆ στίγματα ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς περιφέρει. Κυνίσκος
ἰδού σοι γυμνὸς παρέστηκα· ὥστε ἀναζήτει ταῦτα ἅπερ σὺ φὴς τὰ στίγματα. Ῥαδάμανθυς
καθαρὸς ὡς ἐπίπαν οὑτοσὶ πλὴν τούτων τριῶν ἢ τεττάρων ἀμαυρῶν πάνυ καὶ ἀσαφῶν στιγμάτων.
And you, summon the accusers." Hermes "If anyone accuses this Cyniscus, let him come forward." Cyniscus "No one approaches." Rhadamanthys "But this is not enough, Cyniscus; strip, so that I may examine you by your scars." Cyniscus "For where did I become a marked man?" Rhadamanthys "Whatever evil deeds any of you commits during life, for each of them he carries invisible marks upon his soul." Cyniscus "Look, I stand before you naked; so search for those marks you speak of." Rhadamanthys "This man is clean on the whole, except for these three or four very faint and indistinct marks.
καίτοι τί τοῦτο;
And yet, what is this?
ἴχνη μὲν καὶ σημεῖα πολλὰ τῶν ἐγκαυμάτων, οὐκ οἶδα δὲ ὅπως ἐξαλήλιπται, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκκέκοπται.
There are many traces and signs of brandings, but somehow they have been wiped out, or rather cut away.
πῶς ταῦτα, ὦ Κυνίσκε, ἢ πῶς καθαρὸς ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς ἀναπέφηνας; Κυνίσκος
ἐγώ σοι φράσω·
How is this, Cyniscus, or how have you appeared clean anew?" Cyniscus "I will tell you.
πάλαι πονηρὸς διʼ ἀπαιδευσίαν γενόμενος καὶ πολλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἐμπολήσας στίγματα, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα φιλοσοφεῖν ἠρξάμην κατʼ ὀλίγον ἁπάσας τὰς κηλῖδας ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπελουσάμην. Ῥαδάμανθυς
ἀγαθῷ γε οὗτος καὶ ἀνυσιμωτάτῳ χρησάμενος τῷ φαρμάκῳ.
Formerly, having become wicked through lack of education and having acquired many marks because of this, as soon as I began to philosophize, I washed away all the stains from my soul little by little." Rhadamanthys "This man indeed has used a good and most effective remedy.
ἀλλʼ ἄπιθι ἐς τὰς Μακάρων νήσους τοῖς ἀρίστοις συνεσόμενος, κατηγορήσας γε πρότερον οὗ φὴς τυράννου. ἄλλους προσκάλει.
But depart to the Isles of the Blessed to dwell with the best, after you have first accused the tyrant you speak of.
§25Μίκυλλος
καὶ τοὐμόν, ὦ Ῥαδάμανθυ, μικρόν ἐστι καὶ βραχείας τινὸς ἐξετάσεως δεόμενον· πάλαι γοῦν σοι καὶ γυμνός εἰμι, ὥστε ἐπισκόπει. Ῥαδάμανθυς
τίς δὲ ὢν τυγχάνεις; Μίκυλλος
ὁ σκυτοτόμος Μίκυλλος. Ῥαδάμανθυς
εὖ γε, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καθαρὸς ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἀνεπίγραφος· ἄπιθι καὶ σὺ παρὰ Κυνίσκον τουτονί.
Summon others." Micyllus "And my case, Rhadamanthys, is small and in need of some brief examination; at any rate, I have been naked before you for a long time, so inspect me." Rhadamanthys "And who do you happen to be?" Micyllus "The shoemaker Micyllus." Rhadamanthys "Well done, Micyllus, precisely clean and without inscription; go you too to join this Cyniscus.
τὸν τύραννον ἤδη προσκάλει. Ἑρμῆς
Μεγαπένθης Λακύδου ἡκέτω.
Summon the tyrant now." Hermes "Let Megapenthes, son of Lacydes, come.
ποῖ στρέφῃ;
Where are you turning?
πρόσιθι.
Approach.
σὲ τὸν τύραννον προσκαλῶ.
I summon you, the tyrant.
πρόβαλʼ αὐτόν, ὦ Τισιφόνη, ἐς τὸ μέσον ἐπὶ τράχηλον ὠθοῦσα. Ῥαδάμανθυς
σὺ δέ, ὦ Κυνίσκε, κατηγόρει καὶ διέλεγχε ἤδη· πλησίον γὰρ ἁνὴρ οὑτοσί.
Throw him forward, Tisiphone, pushing him by the neck into the midst." Rhadamanthys "And you, Cyniscus, accuse and refute him now; for here is the man close by."