§46Ἀλήθεια
ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, εἰ δοκεῖ, Παρρησιάδῃ ποιησώμεθα τὸ τοιοῦτον, ἐπεὶ χρηστὸς ὦπται καὶ εὔνους ἡμῖν καὶ σέ, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, μάλιστα θαυμάζων, παραλαβόντα μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Ἔλεγχον ἅπασι τοῖς φάσκουσι φιλοσοφεῖν ἐντυγχάνειν.
Truth Let us, if you agree, put this task upon Parresiades himself, since he has been seen to be good and well-disposed to us and, Philosophy, he admires you above all. Let him, taking Refutation with him, meet all who claim to philosophize.
εἶθʼ ὃν μὲν ἂν εὕρῃ γνήσιον ὡς ἀληθῶς φιλόσοφον, στεφανωσάτω θαλλοῦ στεφάνῳ καὶ εἰς τὸ Πρυτανεῖον καλεσάτω, ἢν δέ τινι — οἷοι πολλοί εἰσι — καταράτῳ ἀνδρὶ ὑποκριτῇ φιλοσοφίας ἐντύχῃ, τὸ τριβώνιον περισπάσας ἀποκειράτω τὸν πώγωνα ἐν χρῷ πάνυ τραγοκουρικῇ μαχαίρᾳ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου στίγματα ἐπιβαλέτω ἢ ἐγκαυσάτω κατὰ τὸ μεσόφρυον· ὁ δὲ τύπος τοῦ καυτῆρος ἔστω ἀλώπηξ ἢ πίθηκος.
Then, whomsoever he finds to be a truly genuine philosopher, let him crown him with a crown of olive branch and call him to the Prytaneum; but if he meets some cursed man—as there are many—a hypocrite of philosophy, let him strip off his cloak, shave his beard close to the skin with a very goat-shearer-like razor, and place marks on his forehead or burn them in between his eyebrows; and let the brand be a fox or an ape.
Φιλοσοφία
εὖ γε, ὦ Ἀλήθεια, φής·
Philosophy Indeed you say well, Truth.
ὁ δὲ ἔλεγχος, Παρρησιάδη, τοιόσδε ἔστω, οἷος ὁ τῶν ἀετῶν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον εἶναι λέγεται, οὐ μὰ Δίʼ ὥστε κἀκείνους ἀντιβλέπειν τῷ φωτὶ καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνο δοκιμάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ προθεὶς χρυσίον καὶ δόξαν καὶ ἡδονὴν ὃν μὲν ἂν αὐτῶν ἴδῃς ὑπερορῶντα καὶ μηδαμῶς ἑλκόμενον πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν, οὗτος ἔστω ὁ τῷ θαλλῷ στεφόμενος, ὃν δʼ ἂν ἀτενὲς ἀποβλέποντα καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ὀρέγοντα ἐπὶ τὸ χρυσίον, ἀπάγειν ἐπὶ τὸ καυτήριον τοῦτον ἀποκείρας πρότερον τὸν πώγωνα ὡς ἔδοξεν.
And let the test, Parresiades, be such as that of eagles towards the sun is said to be; not, by Zeus, to make them look directly into the light and be tested by that, but having set before them gold, fame, and pleasure, whichever of them you see looking down on them and in no way attracted to the sight, let this one be the one crowned with the olive branch; but whichever one you see looking intently and stretching his hand out to the gold, lead him away to the branding iron, having first shaved his beard as was decided.
§47Παρρησιάδης
ἔσται ταῦτα, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, καὶ ὄψει αὐτίκα μάλα τοὺς πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἀλωπεκίας ἢ πιθηκοφόρους, ὀλίγους δὲ καὶ ἐστεφανωμένους·
Parresiades This shall be done, Philosophy, and you will immediately see most of them looking like bald foxes or ape-carriers, and few crowned.
εἰ βούλεσθε μέντοι, κἀνταῦθα ὑμῖν ἀνάξω τινὰς ἤδη αὐτῶν.
However, if you wish, I will bring up some of them here right now.
Φιλοσοφία
πῶς λέγεις;
Philosophy What do you mean?
ἀνάξεις τοὺς φυγόντας;
Will you bring up those who fled?
Παρρησιάδης
καὶ μάλα, ἤνπερ ἡ ἱέρειά μοι ἐθελήσῃ πρὸς ὀλίγον χρῆσαι τὴν ὁρμιὰν ἐκείνην καὶ τὸ ἄγκιστρον, ὅπερ ὁ ἁλιεὺς ἀνέθηκεν ὁ ἐκ Πειραιῶς.
Parresiades Indeed, if only the priestess will lend me for a little while that fishing line and the hook which the fisherman from Piraeus dedicated.
Ἱερεία
ἰδοὺ δὴ λαβέ, καὶ τὸν κάλαμόν γε ἅμα, ὡς πάντα ἔχῃς.
Priestess Here, take it, and the rod too, so you have everything.
Παρρησιάδης
οὐκοῦν, ὦ ἱέρεια, καὶ ἰσχάδας μοί τινας δὸς ἀνύσασα καὶ ὀλίγον τοῦ χρυσίου.
Parresiades Then, priestess, give me also some dried figs quickly, and a little gold.
Ἱερεία
λάμβανε.
Priestess Take them.
Φιλοσοφία
τί πράττειν ἁνὴρ διανοεῖται;
Philosophy What is the man planning to do?
δελεάσας τὸ ἄγκιστρον ἰσχάδι καὶ τῷ χρυσίῳ καθεζόμενος ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ τειχίου καθῆκεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
Having baited the hook with a dried fig and the gold, and sitting on the edge of the wall, he has let it down into the city.
τί ταῦτα, ὦ Παρρησιάδη, ποιεῖς;
What are you doing, Parresiades?
ἦ που τοὺς λίθους ἁλιεύσειν διέγνωκας ἐκ τοῦ Πελασγικοῦ;
Have you decided to fish for stones from the Pelasgicon?
Παρρησιάδης
σιώπησον, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, καὶ τὴν ἄγραν περίμενε·
Parresiades Be silent, Philosophy, and wait for the catch.
σὺ δέ, ὦ Πόσειδον ἀγρεῦ καὶ Ἀμφιτρίτη φίλη, πολλοὺς ἡμῖν ἀνάπεμπε τῶν ἰχθύων.
And you, Poseidon the Hunter, and dear Amphitrite, send many of the fish up to us.
§48Παρρησιάδης
ἀλλʼ ὁρῶ τινα λάβρακα εὐμεγέθη, μᾶλλον δὲ χρύσοφρυν· οὐκ, ἀλλὰ γαλεός ἐστιν.
Parresiades But I see some large sea-bass, or rather a gilt-head bream; no, it is a shark.
πρόσεισι γοῦν τῷ ἀγκίστρῳ κεχηνώς· ὤσφραται τοῦ χρυσίου· πλησίον ἤδη ἐστίν· ἔψαυσεν· εἴληπται·
At any rate, he approaches the hook with open mouth; he has smelled the gold; he is near now; he has touched it; he is caught!
ἀνασπάσωμεν.
Let us pull him up.
καὶ σύ, ὦ Ἔλεγχε, ἀνάσπα·
And you, Refutation, pull!
Ἔλεγχε, συνεπιλαβοῦ τῆς ὁρμιᾶς.
Refutation, take hold of the line with me!
Ἔλεγχος
ἄνω ἐστί.
Refutation He is up.
φέρʼ ἴδω τίς εἶ, ὦ βέλτιστε ἰχθύων;
Let me see, who are you, best of fish?
κύων οὗτός γε.
This is a dog, at least.
Ἡράκλεις τῶν ὀδόντων.
Heracles, what teeth!
τί τοῦτο, ὦ γενναιότατε;
What is this, most noble one?
εἴληψαι λιχνεύων περὶ τὰς πέτρας, ἔνθα λήσειν ἤλπισας ὑποδεδυκώς;
Have you been caught greedily feeding around the rocks, where you hoped to hide by slipping underneath?
ἀλλὰ νῦν ἔσῃ φανερὸς ἅπασιν ἐκ τῶν βραγχίων ἀπηρτημένος.
But now you will be visible to all, suspended by your gills.
ἐξέλωμεν τὸ ἄγκιστρον καὶ τὸ δέλεαρ.
Let us take out the hook and the bait.
μὰ Δίʼ ἔπιεν.
By Zeus, he swallowed it!
τουτὶ κενόν σοι τὸ ἄγκιστρον· ἡ δʼ ἰσχὰς ἤδη προσέσχηται καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ.
Here is the hook empty for you; the fig is already gone and the gold is in your belly.
Παρρησιάδης
ἐξεμεσάτω νὴ Δία, ὡς καὶ ἐπʼ ἄλλους δελεάσωμεν.
Parresiades Let him vomit it up, by Zeus, so that we may bait it for others.
εὖ ἔχει·
Good.
τί φής, ὦ Διόγενες;
What do you say, Diogenes?
οἶσθα τοῦτον ὅστις ἐστίν, ἢ προσήκει τί σοι ἁνήρ;
Do you know who this is, or is the man related to you?
Διογένης
οὐδαμῶς.
Diogenes Not at all.
Παρρησιάδης
τί οὖν; πόσου ἄξιον αὐτὸν χρὴ φάναι;
Parresiades Well then, how much should we say he is worth?
ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ δύʼ ὀβολῶν πρῴην αὐτὸν ἐτιμησάμην.
For I valued him the other day at two obols.
Διογένης
πολὺ λέγεις·
Diogenes That's too much.
ἄβρωτός τε γάρ ἐστιν καὶ εἰδεχθὴς καὶ σκληρὸς καὶ ἄτιμος·
For he is inedible, hideous, tough, and worthless.
ἄφες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν κατὰ τῆς πέτρας·
Throw him headlong down the rock.
σὺ δὲ ἄλλον ἀνάσπασον καθεὶς τὸ ἄγκιστρον.
And you, cast the hook again and pull up another.
ἐκεῖνο μέντοι· ὅρα, ὦ Παρρησιάδη, μὴ καμπτόμενός σοι ὁ κάλαμος ἀποκλασθῇ.
But look out, Parresiades, lest your rod bend and break.
Παρρησιάδης
θάρρει, ὦ Διόγενες· κοῦφοί εἰσι καὶ τῶν ἀφύων ἐλαφρότεροι.
Parresiades Have courage, Diogenes; they are light, even lighter than anchovies.
Διογένης
νὴ Δίʼ, ἀφυέστατοί γε· ἀνάσπα δὲ ὅμως.
Diogenes By Zeus, they are indeed most brainless; but pull them up anyway.