§36Τίμων
ἀλλὰ σοὶ μέν, Ἑρμῆ, καὶ τῷ Διὶ πλείστη χάρις τῆς ἐπιμελείας, τουτονὶ δὲ τὸν Πλοῦτον οὐκ ἂν λάβοιμι.
Timon But to you, Hermes, and to Zeus, the greatest thanks for your care; but this Plutus here I would not receive.
Ἑρμῆς
τί δή;
Hermes Why so?
Τίμων
ὅτι καὶ πάλαι μυρίων μοι κακῶν αἴτιος οὗτος κατέστη κόλαξί τε παραδοὺς καὶ ἐπιβούλους ἐπαγαγὼν καὶ μῖσος ἐπεγείρας καὶ ἡδυπαθείᾳ διαφθείρας καὶ ἐπίφθονον ἀποφήνας, τέλος δὲ ἄφνω καταλιπὼν οὕτως ἀπίστως καὶ προδοτικῶς· ἡ βελτίστη δὲ Πενία πόνοις με τοῖς ἀνδρικωτάτοις καταγυμνάσασα καὶ μετʼ ἀληθείας καὶ παρρησίας προσομιλοῦσα τά τε ἀναγκαῖα κάμνοντι παρεῖχε καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ἐκείνων καταφρονεῖν ἐπαίδευεν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἀπαρτήσασά μοι τοῦ βίου καὶ δείξασα ὅστις ἦν ὁ πλοῦτος ὁ ἐμός, ὃν οὔτε κόλαξ θωπεύων οὔτε συκοφάντης φοβῶν, οὐ δῆμος παροξυνθείς, οὐκ ἐκκλησιαστὴς ψηφοφορήσας, οὐ τύραννος ἐπιβουλεύσας ἀφελέσθαι δύναιτʼ ἄν.
Timon Because long ago too this fellow became the cause of ten thousand evils to me, delivering me to flatterers, bringing schemers against me, stirring up hatred, corrupting me with luxury, making me an object of envy, and in the end suddenly leaving me so faithlessly and treacherously; whereas Poverty, the best of companions, having trained me in the most manly labors, and conversing with me with truth and frankness, provided what was necessary to me as I worked, and educated me to despise those many things, hanging the hopes of my life on myself alone, and showing me what my true wealth was, which neither a flatterer by fawning, nor a sycophant by frightening, nor the people by being incited, nor an assembly-man by voting, nor a tyrant by plotting, could take away.
§37Τίμων
ἐρρωμένος τοιγαροῦν ὑπὸ τῶν πόνων τὸν ἀγρὸν τουτονὶ φιλοπόνως ἐπεργαζόμενος, οὐδὲν ὁρῶν τῶν ἐν ἄστει κακῶν, ἱκανὰ καὶ διαρκῆ ἔχω τὰ ἄλφιτα παρὰ τῆς δικέλλης.
Timon Strong, therefore, because of my labors, working this field industriously, seeing none of the evils in the city, I have sufficient and adequate barley-meal from my mattock.
ὥστε παλίνδρομος ἄπιθι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τὸν Πλοῦτον ἐπανάγων τῷ Διί· ἐμοὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν ἦν, πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἡβηδὸν οἰμώζειν ποιῆσαι.
So go back, Hermes, taking Plutus back to Zeus; as for me, this was enough: to make all men, young and old, weep.
Ἑρμῆς
μηδαμῶς, ὦγαθέ· οὐ γὰρ πάντες εἰσὶν ἐπιτήδειοι πρὸς οἰμωγήν.
Hermes By no means, my good man; for not all are fit for weeping.
ἀλλʼ ἔα τὰ ὀργίλα ταῦτα καὶ μειρακιώδη καὶ τὸν Πλοῦτον παράλαβε.
But leave off these angry and childish ways and accept Plutus.
οὔτοι ἀπόβλητά ἐστι τὰ δῶρα τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Διός.
The gifts from Zeus are certainly not to be cast away.
Πλοῦτος
βούλει, ὦ Τίμων, δικαιολογήσωμαι πρὸς σέ;
Plutus Do you wish, Timon, that I plead my case to you?
ἢ χαλεπανεῖς μοι λέγοντι;
Or will you be angry with me when I speak?
Τίμων
λέγε, μὴ μακρὰ μέντοι, μηδὲ μετὰ προοιμίων, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐπίτριπτοι ῥήτορες· ἀνέξομαι γάρ σε ὀλίγα λέγοντα διὰ τὸν Ἑρμῆν τουτονί.
Timon Speak, but not at length, nor with preambles, like those cursed rhetoricians; for I will tolerate you speaking a few things because of this Hermes here.
§38Πλοῦτος
ἐχρῆν μὲν ἴσως καὶ μακρὰ εἰπεῖν πρὸς οὕτω πολλὰ ὑπὸ σοῦ κατηγορηθέντα· ὅμως δὲ ὅρα εἴ τί σε, ὡς φής, ἠδίκηκα, ὃς τῶν μὲν ἡδίστων ἁπάντων αἴτιός σοι κατέστην, τιμῆς καὶ προεδρίας καὶ στεφάνων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης τρυφῆς, περίβλεπτός τε καὶ ἀοίδιμος διʼ ἐμὲ ἦσθα καὶ περισπούδαστος·
Plutus It was perhaps necessary to speak at length against so many things accused by you; nevertheless, see if I have wronged you in any way, as you say—I, who became the cause of all the sweetest things for you: honor, precedence, crowns, and all other luxury; and you were gazed at and sung of because of me, and eagerly sought after.
εἰ δέ τι χαλεπὸν ἐκ τῶν κολάκων πέπονθας, ἀναίτιος ἐγώ σοι· μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸς ἠδίκημαι τοῦτο ὑπὸ σοῦ, διότι με οὕτως ἀτίμως ὑπέβαλες ἀνδράσι καταράτοις ἐπαινοῦσι καὶ καταγοητεύουσι καὶ πάντα τρόπον ἐπιβουλεύουσί μοι· καὶ τό γε τελευταῖον ἔφησθα, ὡς προδέδωκά σε, τοὐναντίον δʼ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐγκαλέσαιμί σοι πάντα τρόπον ἀπελαθεὶς ὑπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ἐξωσθεὶς τῆς οἰκίας.
But if you suffered anything hard from the flatterers, I am blameless to you; rather, I myself have been wronged in this by you, because you subjected me so dishonorably to accursed men who praised and bewitched and in every way plotted against me; and finally you said that I betrayed you, whereas on the contrary I myself might accuse you, having been driven away in every manner by you and thrust headlong out of the house.
τοιγαροῦν ἀντὶ μαλακῆς χλανίδος ταύτην τὴν διφθέραν ἡ τιμιωτάτη σοι Πενία περιτέθεικεν.
Therefore, instead of a soft cloak, your most esteemed Poverty has wrapped this leather jerkin around you.
ὥστε μάρτυς ὁ Ἑρμῆς οὑτοσί, πῶς ἱκέτευον τὸν Δία μηκέθʼ ἥκειν παρὰ σὲ οὕτως δυσμενῶς μοι προσενηνεγμένον.
So this Hermes here is my witness how I begged Zeus never again to come to you, who behaved so hostilely towards me.
§39Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁρᾷς, ὦ Πλοῦτε, οἷος ἤδη γεγένηται;
Hermes But now you see, Plutus, what kind of man he has already become?
ὥστε θαρρῶν συνδιάτριβε αὐτῷ· καὶ σὺ μὲν σκάπτε ὡς ἔχεις· σὺ δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν ὑπάγαγε τῇ δικέλλῃ· ὑπακούσεται γὰρ ἐμβοήσαντί σοι.
So, take courage and dwell with him; and you, Timon, dig as you are doing; and you, Plutus, bring the treasure under his mattock; for it will obey you when you shout to it.
Τίμων
πειστέον, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ αὖθις πλουτητέον.
Timon I must obey, Hermes, and grow rich again.
τι γὰρ ἂν καὶ πάθοι τις, ὁπότε οἱ θεοὶ βιάζοιντο;
For what can one do when the gods compel?
πλὴν ὅρα γε εἰς οἷά με πράγματα ἐμβάλλεις τὸν κακοδαίμονα, ὃς ἄχρι νῦν εὐδαιμονέστατα διάγων χρυσὸν ἄφνω τοσοῦτον λήψομαι οὐδὲν ἀδικήσας καὶ τοσαύτας φροντίδας ἀναδέξομαι.
Only see into what troubles you are throwing me, ill-fated as I am, who until now living most happily, will suddenly receive so much gold without having done any wrong, and will take on so many cares.
§40Ἑρμῆς
ὑπόστηθι, ὦ Τίμων, διʼ ἐμέ, καὶ εἰ χαλεπὸν τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ οἰστόν ἐστιν, ὅπως οἱ κόλακες ἐκεῖνοι διαρραγῶσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ φθόνου· ἐγὼ δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν Αἴτνην ἐς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναπτήσομαι.
Hermes Endure it, Timon, for my sake, even if this is hard and unbearable, so that those flatterers may burst with envy; and I shall fly away to heaven over Mount Etna.
Πλοῦτος
ὁ μὲν ἀπελήλυθεν, ὡς δοκεῖ· τεκμαίρομαι γὰρ τῇ εἰρεσίᾳ τῶν πτερῶν·
Plutus He has gone, as it seems; for I judge by the rowing of his wings.
σὺ δὲ αὐτοῦ περίμενε· ἀναπέμψω γάρ σοι τὸν Θησαυρὸν ἀπελθών· μᾶλλον δὲ παῖε.
You wait here; I will go and send up the Treasure to you; or rather, strike!
σέ φημι, Θησαυρὲ χρυσοῦ, ὑπάκουσον Τίμωνι τουτῳῒ καὶ παράσχες ἑαυτὸν ἀνελέσθαι.
I tell you, Treasure of gold, obey this Timon here and offer yourself to be dug up.
σκάπτε, ὦ Τίμων, βαθείας καταφέρων.
Dig, Timon, striking deep blows.
ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν· ἀποστήσομαι.
I will stand aside from you both.