§17Ἀλήθεια
ἄπιτε ὑμεῖς· ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐδὲν δέομαι ἀκούειν ἃ πάλαι οἶδα ὁποῖά ἐστιν.
Truth Go away, you all; for I have no need to hear what I have long known of what sort they are.
Φιλοσοφία
ἀλλʼ ἡμῖν, ὦ Ἀλήθεια, ἐν δέοντι συνδικάζοις ἂν καὶ καταμηνύοις ἕκαστα.
Philosophy But for us, Truth, in time of need you should judge with us and reveal each detail.
Ἀλήθεια
οὐκοῦν ἐπάγωμαι καὶ τὼ θεραπαινιδίω τούτω εὐνοϊκοτάτω μοι ὄντε;
Truth Then may I also bring along these two handmaidens who are very well-disposed to me?
Φιλοσοφία
καὶ μάλα ὁπόσας ἂν ἐθέλῃς.
Philosophy By all means, as many as you wish.
Ἀλήθεια
ἕπεσθον, ὦ Ἐλευθερία καὶ Παρρησία, μεθʼ ἡμῶν, ὡς τὸν δείλαιον τουτονὶ ἀνθρωπίσκον ἐραστὴν ἡμέτερον ὄντα καὶ κινδυνεύοντα ἐπὶ μηδεμιᾷ προφάσει δικαίᾳ σῶσαι δυνηθῶμεν.
Truth Follow us, Liberty and Frankness, so that we may be able to save this miserable little man who is our lover and is in danger for no just pretext.
σὺ δέ, ὦ Ἔλεγχε, αὐτοῦ περίμεινον.
But you, Refutation, wait here.
Παρρησιάδης
μηδαμῶς, ὦ δέσποινα, ἡκέτω δὲ καὶ οὗτος, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος· οὐ γὰρ τοῖς τυχοῦσι θηρίοις προσπολεμῆσαι δεήσει με, ἀλλʼ ἀλαζόσιν ἀνθρώποις καὶ δυσελέγκτοις, ἀεί τινας ἀποφυγὰς εὑρισκομένοις, ὥστε ἀναγκαῖος ὁ Ἔλεγχος.
Parresiades By no means, mistress, let him also come, if anyone else; for I shall not have to fight with ordinary beasts, but with boastful and hard-to-refute men, who always find some escapes, so that Refutation is necessary.
Ἔλεγχος
ἀναγκαιότατος μὲν οὖν· ἄμεινον δέ, εἰ καὶ τὴν Ἀπόδειξιν παραλάβοις.
Refutation Most necessary indeed; and it is better if you also take along Demonstration.
Ἀλήθεια
ἕπεσθε πάντες, ἐπείπερ ἀναγκαῖοι δοκεῖτε πρὸς τὴν δίκην.
Truth Follow all of you, since you seem necessary for the trial.
§18Πλάτων
ὁρᾷς;
Plato Do you see?
προσεταιρίζεται καθʼ ἡμῶν, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, τὴν Ἀλήθειαν.
He is winning over Truth as an ally against us, Philosophy.
Φιλοσοφία
εἶτα δέδιτε, ὦ Πλάτων καὶ Χρύσιππε καὶ Ἀριστότελες, μή τι ψεύσηται ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ Ἀλήθεια οὖσα;
Philosophy Then are you afraid, Plato and Chrysippus and Aristotle, lest she tell any lie on his behalf, being Truth?
Πλάτων
οὐ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ δεινῶς πανοῦργός ἐστιν καὶ κολακικός· ὥστε παραπείσει αὐτήν.
Plato Not that, but he is terribly knavish and flattering, so that he will win her over.
Φιλοσοφία
θαρρεῖτε· οὐδὲν μὴ γένηται ἄδικον, Δικαιοσύνης ταύτης συμπαρούσης.
Philosophy Have courage; nothing unjust will happen, since this Justice is present with us.
§19Φιλοσοφία
ἀνίωμεν οὖν.
Philosophy Let us go up then.
ἀλλὰ εἰπέ μοι σύ, τί σοι τοὔνομα;
But tell me, you, what is your name?
Παρρησιάδης
ἐμοί;
Parresiades To me?
Παρρησιάδης Ἀληθίωνος τοῦ Ἐλεγξικλέους.
Parresiades, son of Alethion, son of Elenxicles.
Φιλοσοφία
πατρὶς δέ;
Philosophy And your fatherland?
Παρρησιάδης
Σύρος, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, τῶν Ἐπευφρατιδίων.
Parresiades A Syrian, Philosophy, from those near the Euphrates.
ἀλλὰ τί τοῦτο;
But what of it?
καὶ γὰρ τούτων τινὰς οἶδα τῶν ἀντιδίκων μου οὐχ ἧττον ἐμοῦ βαρβάρους τὸ γένος· ὁ τρόπος δὲ καὶ ἡ παιδεία οὐ κατὰ Σολέας ἢ Κυπρίους ἢ Βαβυλωνίους ἢ Σταγειρίτας.
For I know some of these my adversaries who are no less barbarian in race than I; but their character and education are not like those of Soli, Cyprus, Babylon, or Stagira.
καίτοι πρός γε σὲ οὐδὲν ἂν ἔλαττον γένοιτο οὐδʼ εἰ τὴν φωνὴν βάρβαρος εἴη τις, εἴπερ ἡ γνώμη ὀρθὴ καὶ δικαία φαίνοιτο οὖσα.
And indeed, with respect to you, it would be no disadvantage even if someone were barbarian in speech, if only his mind should appear right and just.
§20Φιλοσοφία
εὖ λέγεις· ἄλλως γοῦν ἠρόμην.
Philosophy You speak well; I asked for no particular reason.
ἡ τέχνη δέ σοι τίς;
And what is your profession?
ἄξιον γὰρ ἐπίστασθαι τοῦτό γε.
For it is worth knowing this, at least.
Παρρησιάδης
μισαλαζών εἰμι καὶ μισογόης καὶ μισοψευδὴς καὶ μισότυφος καὶ μισῶ πᾶν τὸ τοιουτῶδες εἶδος τῶν μιαρῶν ἀνθρώπων· πάνυ δὲ πολλοί εἰσιν, ὡς οἶσθα.
Parresiades I am a hater of boasting, a hater of impostors, a hater of lies, a hater of pride, and I hate every such kind of abominable men; and they are very many, as you know.
Φιλοσοφία
Ἡράκλεις, πολυμισῆ τινα μέτει τὴν τέχνην.
Philosophy By Heracles, you pursue a very hateful profession.
Παρρησιάδης
εὖ λέγεις· ὁρᾷς γοῦν ὁπόσοις ἀπεχθάνομαι καὶ ὡς κινδυνεύω διʼ αὐτήν.
Parresiades You speak well; at any rate, you see how many people I make myself hated by and how I am in danger because of it.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν αὐτῇ πάνυ ἀκριβῶς οἶδα, λέγω δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ φιλο τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχουσαν· φιλαλήθης τε γὰρ καὶ φιλόκαλος καὶ φιλαπλοϊκὸς καὶ ὅσα τῷ φιλεῖσθαι συγγενῆ.
Nevertheless, I also know very accurately the profession opposite to it, I mean the one having its beginning from "philo-" [love-]: for I am a lover of truth, a lover of beauty, a lover of simplicity, and all things akin to being loved.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ ὀλίγοι πάνυ ταύτης ἄξιοι τῆς τέχνης, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῇ ἐναντίᾳ ταττόμενοι καὶ τῷ μίσει οἰκειότεροι πεντακισμύριοι.
However, very few are worthy of this profession, while those marshaled under the opposite and more akin to hatred are fifty thousand.
κινδυνεύω τοιγαροῦν τὴν μὲν ὑπʼ ἀργίας ἀπομαθεῖν ἤδη, τὴν δὲ πάνυ ἠκριβωκέναι.
Therefore, I am in danger of already unlearning the one from lack of practice, while having very thoroughly mastered the other.
Φιλοσοφία
καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἐχρῆν· τοῦ γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ τάδε, φασί, καὶ τάδε·
Philosophy And yet you ought not; for both these and those, they say, belong to the same person.
ὥστε μὴ διαίρει τὼ τέχνα· μία γὰρ ἐστὸν δύʼ εἶναι δοκούσα.
So do not divide the two professions; for they are one, though seeming to be two.
Παρρησιάδης
ἄμεινον σὺ ταῦτα οἶσθα, ὦ Φιλοσοφία.
Parresiades You know these things better, Philosophy.
τὸ μέντοι ἐμὸν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, οἷον τοὺς μὲν πονηροὺς μισεῖν, ἐπαινεῖν δὲ τοὺς χρηστοὺς καὶ φιλεῖν.
My way, however, is such as to hate the wicked, and to praise and love the good.
§21Φιλοσοφία
ἄγε δή, πάρεσμεν γὰρ ἔνθα ἐχρῆν, ἐνταῦθά που ἐν τῷ προνάῳ τῆς Πολιάδος δικάσωμεν.
Philosophy Come then, for we are present where we ought to be; let us judge somewhere here in the pronaos of Polias.
ἡ Ἱέρεια διάθες ἡμῖν τὰ βάθρα, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν τοσούτῳ προσκυνήσωμεν τὴν θεόν.
Priestess, arrange the benches for us, and in the meantime let us worship the goddess.
Παρρησιάδης
ὦ Πολιάς, ἐλθέ μοι κατὰ τῶν ἀλαζόνων σύμμαχος ἀναμνησθεῖσα ὁπόσα ἐπιορκούντων ὁσημέραι ἀκούεις αὐτῶν· καὶ ἃ πράττουσι δὲ μόνη ὁρᾷς ἅτε δὴ ἐπὶ σκοπῆς οἰκοῦσα.
Parresiades O Polias, come as an ally to me against the boastful men, remembering how many oaths of theirs you hear them breaking every day; and what they do you alone see, since indeed you dwell on a lookout.
νῦν καιρὸς ἀμύνασθαι αὐτούς.
Now is the time to punish them.
ἐμὲ δὲ ἤν που κρατούμενον ἴδῃς καὶ πλείους ὦσιν αἱ μέλαιναι, σὺ προσθεῖσα τὴν σεαυτῆς σῶζέ με.
And as for me, if perchance you see me being defeated and the black ballots are more numerous, do you, by adding yours, save me.