§10Ζεύς
ὅμως δὲ τὸν Πλοῦτον, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, παραλαβὼν ἄπιθι παρʼ αὐτὸν κατὰ τάχος·
Zeus: Nevertheless, Hermes, take Plutus with you and go to him with all speed.
ἀγέτω δὲ ὁ Πλοῦτος καὶ τὸν Θησαυρὸν μεθʼ αὑτοῦ καὶ μενέτωσαν ἄμφω παρὰ τῷ Τίμωνι μηδὲ ἀπαλλαττέσθωσαν οὕτω ῥᾳδίως, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα ὑπὸ χρηστότητος αὖθις ἐκδιώκῃ αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκίας.
And let Plutus bring Treasure with him too, and let them both remain with Timon and not depart so easily, even if he should drive them out of his house again by reason of his goodness.
περὶ δὲ τῶν κολάκων ἐκείνων καὶ τῆς ἀχαριστίας ἣν ἐπεδείξαντο πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ αὖθις μὲν σκέψομαι καὶ δίκην δώσουσιν, ἐπειδὰν τὸν κεραυνὸν ἐπισκευάσω· κατεαγμέναι γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπεστομωμέναι εἰσὶ δύο ἀκτῖνες αἱ μέγισται, ὁπότε φιλοτιμότερον ἠκόντισα πρῴην ἐπὶ τὸν σοφιστὴν Ἀναξαγόραν, ὃς ἔπειθε τοὺς ὁμιλητὰς μηδὲ ὅλως εἶναί τινας ἡμᾶς τοὺς θεούς.
As for those flatterers and the ingratitude they showed toward him, I will consider it on another occasion, and they shall pay the penalty as soon as I have repaired my thunderbolt; for its two greatest rays have been broken and blunted, since the other day I hurled it with rather too much zeal at the sophist Anaxagoras, who was persuading his disciples that we gods do not exist at all.
ἀλλʼ ἐκείνου μὲν διήμαρτον, — ὑπερέσχε γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν χεῖρα Περικλῆς — ὁ δὲ κεραυνὸς εἰς τὸ Ἀνακεῖον παρασκήψας ἐκεῖνό τε κατέφλεξε καὶ αὐτὸς ὀλίγου δεῖν συνετρίβη περὶ τῇ πέτρᾳ.
But I missed him— for Pericles held his hand over him—and the thunderbolt, glancing off into the Anaceum, burnt it down and was itself almost shattered against the rock.
πλὴν ἱκανὴ ἐν τοσούτῳ καὶ αὕτη τιμωρία ἔσται αὐτοῖς, ὑπερπλουτοῦντα τὸν Τίμωνα ὁρῶσιν.
However, in the meantime, even this will be sufficient punishment for them: to see Timon exceedingly rich.
§11Ἑρμῆς
οἷον ἦν τὸ μέγα κεκραγέναι καὶ ὀχληρὸν εἶναι καὶ θρασύν.
Hermes: What a great thing it was to have shouted aloud, and to have been troublesome and bold!
οὐ τοῖς δικαιολογοῦσι μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς εὐχομένοις τοῦτο χρήσιμον·
This is useful not only for those pleading in court, but also for those praying.
ἰδού γέ τοι αὐτίκα μάλα πλούσιος ἐκ πενεστάτου καταστήσεται ὁ Τίμων βοήσας καὶ παρρησιασάμενος ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ καὶ ἐπιστρέψας τὸν Δία· εἰ δὲ σιωπῇ ἔσκαπτεν ἐπικεκυφώς, ἔτι ἂν ἔσκαπτεν ἀμελούμενος.
See, at any rate, Timon will immediately be made rich from being utterly destitute, because he cried aloud, spoke with frankness in his prayer, and turned the attention of Zeus; whereas if he had been digging in silence, bending over, he would still be digging, neglected.
Πλοῦτος
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἂν ἀπέλθοιμι, ὦ Ζεῦ, παρʼ αὐτόν.
Plutus: But I would not go to him, O Zeus.
Ζεύς
διὰ τί, ὦ ἄριστε Πλοῦτε, καὶ ταῦτα ἐμοῦ κελεύσαντος;
Zeus: Why, my good Plutus, and that too when I command it?
§12Πλοῦτος
ὅτι νὴ Δία ὕβριζεν εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ ἐξεφόρει καὶ ἐς πολλὰ κατεμέριζε, καὶ ταῦτα πατρῷον αὐτῷ φίλον ὄντα, καὶ μονονουχὶ δικράνοις ἐξεώθει με τῆς οἰκίας καθάπερ οἱ τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ἀπορριπτοῦντες.
Plutus: Because, by Zeus, he insulted me and cast me out and divided me into many parts, and that too though I was a friend of his father's; and he almost drove me out of the house with pitchforks, just like people flinging fire from their hands.
αὖθις οὖν ἀπέλθω παρασίτοις καὶ κόλαξι καὶ ἑταίραις παραδοθησόμενος;
Should I then go back again to be delivered over to parasites, flatterers, and courtesans?
ἐπʼ ἐκείνους, ὦ Ζεῦ, πέμπε με τοὺς ἡσθησομένους τῇ δωρεᾷ, τοὺς περιέψοντας, οἷς τίμιος ἐγὼ καὶ περιπόθητος·
Send me, O Zeus, to those who will appreciate the gift, who will cherish me, with whom I am honored and longed for.
οὗτοι δὲ οἱ λάροι τῇ πενίᾳ συνέστωσαν, ἣν προτιμῶσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ διφθέραν παρʼ αὐτῆς λαβόντες καὶ δίκελλαν ἀγαπάτωσαν ἄθλιοι τέτταρας ὀβολοὺς ἀποφέροντες, οἱ δεκαταλάντους δωρεὰς ἀμελητὶ προϊέμενοι.
But let these gulls dwell with Poverty, whom they prefer to us; and receiving from her a leather jerkin and a mattock, let them be content, wretched creatures, taking home four obols, they who carelessly threw away ten-talon gifts.
§13Ζεύς
οὐδὲν ἔτι τοιοῦτον ὁ Τίμων ἐργάσεται περὶ σέ· πάνυ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἡ δίκελλα πεπαιδαγώγηκεν, εἰ μὴ παντάπασιν ἀνάλγητός ἐστι τὴν ὀσφῦν, ὡς χρῆν σὲ ἀντὶ τῆς πενίας προαιρεῖσθαι.
Zeus: Timon will do no such thing to you anymore; for the mattock has thoroughly educated him, unless his loins are altogether without feeling, so as not to know that he ought to choose you instead of Poverty.
σὺ μέντοι πάνυ μεμψίμοιρος εἶναί μοι δοκεῖς, ὃς νῦν μὲν τὸν Τίμωνα αἰτιᾷ, διότι σοι τὰς θύρας ἀναπετάσας ἠφίει περινοστεῖν ἐλευθέρως οὔτε ἀποκλείων οὔτε ζηλοτυπῶν· ἄλλοτε δὲ τοὐναντίον ἠγανάκτεις κατὰ τῶν πλουσίων κατακεκλεῖσθαι λέγων πρὸς αὐτῶν ὑπὸ μοχλοῖς καὶ κλεισὶ καὶ σημείων ἐπιβολαῖς, ὡς μηδὲ παρακῦψαί σοι ἐς τὸ φῶς δυνατὸν εἶναι.
You, however, seem to me to be very complainers; you who now blame Timon because he flung the doors wide open for you and let you roam about freely, neither shutting you in nor being jealous; while at other times, on the contrary, you were indignant at the rich, saying that you were locked up by them under bolts, keys, and seals, so that it was not even possible for you to peep out into the light.
ταῦτα γοῦν ἀπωδύρου πρός με, ἀποπνίγεσθαι λέγων ἐν πολλῷ τῷ σκότῳ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὠχρὸς ἡμῖν ἐφαίνου καὶ φροντίδος ἀνάπλεως, συνεσπακὼς τοὺς δακτύλους πρὸς τὸ ἔθος τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ ἀποδράσεσθαι ἀπειλῶν, εἰ καιροῦ λάβοιο, παρʼ αὐτῶν·
At any rate, you used to lament these things to me, saying that you were suffocated in the thick darkness; and because of this you appeared pale to us and full of anxiety, clenching your fingers in the habit of calculations, and threatening that you would run away from them if you got an opportunity.
καὶ ὅλως τὸ πρᾶγμα ὑπέρδεινον ἐδόκει σοι, ἐν χαλκῷ ἢ σιδηρῷ τῷ θαλάμῳ καθάπερ τὴν Δανάην παρθενεύεσθαι ὑπʼ ἀκριβέσι καὶ παμπονήροις παιδαγωγοῖς ἀνατρεφόμενον, τῷ Τόκῳ καὶ τῷ Λογισμῷ.
And in short, the matter seemed to you exceedingly terrible, to be kept like a virgin in a bronze or iron chamber just like Danae, brought up by strict and uttermost scoundrel tutors, Interest and Calculation.
§14Ζεύς
ἄτοπα γοῦν ποιεῖν ἔφασκες αὐτοὺς ἐρῶντας μὲν εἰς ὑπερβολήν, ἐξὸν δὲ ἀπολαύειν οὐ τολμῶντας, οὐδὲ ἐπʼ ἀδείας χρωμένους τῷ ἔρωτι κυρίους γε ὄντας, ἀλλὰ φυλάττειν ἐγρηγορότας, ἐς τὸ σημεῖον καὶ τὸν μοχλὸν ἀσκαρδαμυκτὶ βλέποντας, ἱκανὴν ἀπόλαυσιν οἰομένους οὐ τὸ αὐτοὺς ἀπολαύειν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μηδενὶ μεταδιδόναι τῆς ἀπολαύσεως, καθάπερ τὴν ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ κύνα μήτε αὐτὴν ἐσθίουσαν τῶν κριθῶν μήτε τῷ ἵππῳ πεινῶντι ἐπιτρέπουσαν.
At any rate, you used to say that they acted absurdly, loving you to excess, yet not daring to enjoy you although they could, nor using their love with impunity although they were masters of it, but keeping watch sleeplessly, staring at the seal and the bolt without blinking, and thinking that to have the power of not sharing the enjoyment with anyone, rather than enjoying it themselves, was sufficient enjoyment—just like the dog in the manger, which neither eats the barley herself nor allows the hungry horse to do so.
καὶ προσέτι γε καὶ κατεγέλας αὐτῶν φειδομένων καὶ φυλαττόντων καὶ τὸ καινότατον αὑτοὺς ζηλοτυπούντων, ἀγνοούντων δὲ ὡς κατάρατος οἰκέτης ἢ οἰκονόμος πεδότριψ ὑπεισιὼν λαθραίως ἐμπαροινήσει, τὸν κακοδαίμονα καὶ ἀνέραστον δεσπότην πρὸς ἀμαυρόν τι καὶ μικρόστομον λυχνίδιον καὶ διψαλέον θρυαλλίδιον ἐπαγρυπνεῖν ἐάσας τοῖς τόκοις.
And besides, you even laughed at them for sparing and guarding, and, most strangely, being jealous of themselves, while not knowing that an accursed slave or a rogue of a steward, slipping in secretly, will drink himself drunk, leaving the miserable and unlovely master to keep watch over his interest by the light of a dim, narrow-necked little lamp and a thirsty wick.
πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄδικα ταῦτά σου, πάλαι μὲν ἐκεῖνα αἰτιᾶσθαι, νῦν δὲ τῷ Τίμωνι τὰ ἐναντία ἐπικαλεῖν;
How then is this not unjust of you, to blame those things of old, and now to charge Timon with the very opposite?