§42Φιλοσοφία
βαβαί, ὅσοι·
Philosophy My goodness, what a crowd!
πλήρης μὲν ἡ ἄνοδος ὠθιζομένων ἐπὶ τὰς δύο μνᾶς, ὡς ἤκουσαν μόνον· παρὰ δὲ τὸ Πελασγικὸν ἄλλοι καὶ κατὰ τὸ Ἀσκληπιεῖον ἕτεροι καὶ παρὰ τὸν Ἄρειον πάγον ἔτι πλείους, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν Τάλω τάφον, οἱ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ Ἀνακεῖον προσθέμενοι κλίμακας ἀνέρπουσι βομβηδὸν νὴ Δία καὶ βοτρυδὸν ἑσμοῦ δίκην, ἵνα καὶ καθʼ Ὅμηρον εἴπω· ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖθεν εὖ μάλα πολλοὶ κἀντεῦθεν
"μυρίοι, ὅσσα τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίνεται ὥρῃ. "
μεστὴ δὲ ἡ ἀκρόπολις ἐν βραχεῖ κλαγγηδὸν προκαθιζόντων καὶ πανταχοῦ πήρα κολακεία, πώγων ἀναισχυντία, βακτηρία λιχνεία, συλλογισμὸς φιλαργυρία· οἱ ὀλίγοι δέ, ὁπόσοι πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον κήρυγμα ἐκεῖνο ἀνῄεσαν, ἀφανεῖς καὶ ἄσημοι, ἀναμιχθέντες τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἄλλων, καὶ λελήθασιν ἐν τῇ ὁμοιότητι τῶν ἄλλων σχημάτων.
The ascent is full of those jostling for the two minae, as soon as they heard of them; some by the Pelasgicon, others by the Asclepieion, still more by the Areopagus, and some even by the Tomb of Talos, while others, having placed ladders against the Anakeion, crawl up, by Zeus, buzzing and in clusters like a swarm of bees, to speak also in the manner of Homer; but from there and from here, very many indeed, "countless as the leaves and flowers that come in their season." And in a short time the Acropolis is full of those taking their seats with a clamor, and everywhere are wallet and flattery, beard and impudence, staff and greed, syllogism and avarice; and those few who came up in response to that first summons are invisible and unnoticed, having mingled with the crowd of the others, and they remain hidden because of the similarity of their appearance to the rest.
Παρρησιάδης
τοῦτο γοῦν τὸ δεινότατόν ἐστιν, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, καὶ ὅ τις ἂν μέμψαιτο μάλιστά σου, τὸ μηδὲν ἐπιβαλεῖν γνώρισμα καὶ σημεῖον αὐτοῖς· πιθανώτεροι γὰρ οἱ γόητες οὗτοι πολλάκις τῶν ἀληθῶς φιλοσοφούντων.
Parresiades This indeed is the most terrible thing, Philosophy, and what one might most blame in you: that you put no distinctive mark or sign upon them; for these impostors are often more convincing than those who truly philosophize.
Φιλοσοφία
ἔσται τοῦτο μετʼ ὀλίγον, ἀλλὰ δεχώμεθα ἤδη αὐτούς.
Philosophy This will be done in a short while; but let us now receive them.
§43Πλατωνικός
ἡμᾶς πρώτους χρὴ τοὺς Πλατωνικοὺς λαβεῖν.
Platonist We Platonists ought to receive first.
Πυθαγορικός
οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς Πυθαγορικοὺς ἡμᾶς· πρότερος γὰρ ὁ Πυθαγόρας ἦν.
Pythagorean No, but we Pythagoreans; for Pythagoras was earlier.
Στωικός
Ληρεῖτε· ἀμείνους ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Στοᾶς.
Stoic You talk nonsense; we from the Stoa are better.
Περιπατητικός
οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλʼ ἔν γε τοῖς χρήμασι πρῶτοι ἂν ἡμεῖς εἴημεν οἱ ἐκ τοῦ Περιπάτου.
Peripatetic Not at all; but in matters of money, at least, we from the Peripatos should be first.
ΕΠΙΚΟΥΡΕΙΟΣ
ἡμῖν τοῖς Ἐπικουρείοις τοὺς πλακοῦντας δότε καὶ τὰς παλάθας· περὶ δὲ τῶν μνῶν περιμενοῦμεν, κἂν ὑστάτους δέῃ λαβεῖν.
Epicurean Give the cakes and the dried figs to us Epicureans; as for the minae, we will wait, even if we must receive them last.
Ἀκαδημαικός
ποῦ τὰ δύο τάλαντα;
Academic Where are the two talents?
δείξομεν γὰρ οἱ Ἀκαδημαϊκοὶ ὅσον τῶν ἄλλων ἐσμὲν ἐριστικώτεροι.
For we Academics will show how much more disputatious we are than the others.
Στωικός
οὐχ ἡμῶν γε τῶν Στωϊκῶν παρόντων.
Stoic Not while we Stoics are present, at least.
§44Φιλοσοφία
παύσασθε φιλονεικοῦντες· ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ Κυνικοὶ μήτε ὠθεῖτε ἀλλήλους μήτε τοῖς ξύλοις παίετε· ἐπʼ ἄλλα γὰρ ἴστε κεκλημένοι.
Philosophy Cease your quarreling; and you Cynics, neither push one another nor strike with your staffs; for know that you have been called for other things.
καὶ νῦν ἔγωγε ἡ Φιλοσοφία καὶ Ἀρετὴ αὕτη καὶ Ἀλήθεια δικάσομεν οἵτινες οἱ ὀρθῶς φιλοσοφοῦντές εἰσιν.
And now I, Philosophy, and Virtue here, and Truth, will judge who are those who philosophize rightly.
εἶτα ὅσοι μὲν ἂν εὑρεθῶσιν κατὰ τὰ ἡμῖν δοκοῦντα βιοῦντες, εὐδαιμονήσουσιν ἄριστοι κεκριμένοι· τοὺς γόητας δὲ καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμῖν προσήκοντας κακοὺς κακῶς ἐπιτρίψομεν, ὡς μὴ ἀντιποιῶνται τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοὺς ἀλαζόνες ὄντες.
Then, whoever should be found living according to our views will be happy, having been judged the best; but the impostors who have nothing to do with us, we shall miserably destroy, so that, impostors as they are, they may not lay claim to things beyond them.
τί τοῦτο;
What is this?
φεύγετε;
Are you fleeing?
νὴ Δία, κατὰ τῶν γε κρημνῶν οἱ πολλοὶ ἁλλόμενοι.
By Zeus, most of them are jumping down the cliffs!
κενὴ δʼ οὖν ἡ ἀκρόπολις, πλὴν ὀλίγων τούτων ὁπόσοι μεμενήκασιν οὐ φοβηθέντες τὴν κρίσιν.
At any rate, the Acropolis is empty, except for these few who have remained, not fearing the judgment.
§45Φιλοσοφία
οἱ ὑπηρέται ἀνέλεσθε τὴν πήραν, ἣν ὁ Κυνικὸς ἀπέρριψεν ἐν τῇ τροπῇ.
Philosophy Servants, pick up the wallet which the Cynic threw away in his flight.
φέρʼ ἴδω τί καὶ ἔχει·
Let me see what it contains.
ἦ που θέρμους ἢ βιβλίον ἢ ἄρτους τῶν αὐτοπυριτῶν;
Surely lupines, or a book, or coarse whole-meal loaves?
Ὑπηρέτης
Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ χρυσίον τουτὶ καὶ μύρον καὶ μαχαίριον κουρευτικὸν καὶ κάτοπτρον καὶ κύβους.
Servant No, but this gold, and perfume, and a barber's razor, and a mirror, and dice.
Φιλοσοφία
εὖ γε, ὦ γενναῖε.
Philosophy Excellent, O noble fellow!
τοιαῦτα ἦν σοι τὰ ἐφόδια τῆς ἀσκήσεως καὶ μετὰ τούτων ἠξίους λοιδορεῖσθαι πᾶσιν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους παιδαγωγεῖν;
Were such the provisions for your training, and with these did you think you had the right to abuse everyone and tutor others?
Παρρησιάδης
τοιοῦτοι μὲν οὖν ὑμῖν οὗτοι.
Parresiades Such indeed are these men for you.
χρὴ δὲ ὑμᾶς σκοπεῖν ὅντινα τρόπον ἀγνοούμενα ταῦτα πεπαύσεται καὶ διαγνώσονται οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες, οἵτινες οἱ ἀγαθοὶ αὐτῶν εἰσι καὶ οἵτινες αὖ πάλιν οἱ τοῦ ἑτέρου βίου.
But you must consider in what way these things shall cease to be unknown, and how those who meet them will distinguish which of them are the good, and which, on the other hand, are of the opposite life.
Φιλοσοφία
Σύ, ὦ Ἀλήθεια, ἐξεύρισκε· ὑπὲρ σοῦ γὰρ τοῦτο γένοιτʼ ἄν, ὡς μὴ ἐπικρατῇ σου τὸ Ψεῦδος μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῇ Ἀγνοίᾳ λανθάνωσιν οἱ φαῦλοι τῶν ἀνδρῶν σε τοὺς χρηστοὺς μεμιμημένοι.
Philosophy You, Truth, find a way; for this would be for your sake, so that Falsehood may not prevail over you, nor the worthless of men remain hidden under Ignorance by having imitated you and the good.