§9Πλάτων
τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνο·
Plato That is just like you!
εἰς πεδίον τὸν ἵππον, ὡς παρακρουσάμενος τοὺς δικαστὰς ἀπέλθῃς.
"The horse to the plain," so that you may escape after deceiving the judges.
φασὶ γοῦν ῥήτορά σε καὶ δικανικόν τινα εἶναι καὶ πανοῦργον ἐν τοῖς λόγοις.
At any rate, they say that you are a rhetorician, a sort of court-advocate, and a rogue in speeches.
τίνα δὲ καὶ δικαστὴν ἐθέλεις γενέσθαι, ὅντινα μὴ σὺ δωροδοκήσας, οἷα πολλὰ ποιεῖτε, ἄδικα πείσεις ὑπὲρ σοῦ ψηφίσασθαι;
And indeed, what kind of judge do you want to have, whom you, by bribing—as you often do—will not persuade to vote unjustly in your favor?
Παρρησιάδης
θαρρεῖτε τούτου γε ἕνεκα·
Parresiades Have no fear on that account.
οὐδένα τοιοῦτον διαιτητὴν ὕποπτον ἢ ἀμφίβολον ἀξιώσαιμʼ ἂν γενέσθαι καὶ ὅστις ἀποδώσεταί μοι τὴν ψῆφον.
I would not deign to have any arbitrator who is suspect or doubtful, or who would sell his vote to me.
ὁρᾶτε γοῦν, τὴν Φιλοσοφίαν αὐτὴν μεθʼ ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι δικάστριαν ἔγωγε.
See, at any rate, I make Philosophy herself the judge, along with you.
Πλάτων
καὶ τίς ἂν κατηγορήσειεν, εἴ γε ἡμεῖς δικάσομεν;
Plato And who would accuse you, if we are to judge?
Παρρησιάδης
οἱ αὐτοὶ κατηγορεῖτε καὶ δικάζετε·
Parresiades You yourselves shall both accuse and judge; I do not fear even this in the least.
οὐδὲν οὐδὲ τοῦτο δέδια. τοσοῦτον ὑπερφέρω τοῖς δικαίοις καὶ ἐκ περιουσίας ἀπολογήσεσθαι ὑπολαμβάνω.
So much do I excel in the justice of my cause, and I expect to defend myself with room to spare.
§10Πλάτων
τί ποιοῦμεν, ὦ Πυθαγόρα καὶ Σώκρατες;
Plato What shall we do, Pythagoras and Socrates?
ἔοικε γὰρ ἁνὴρ οὐκ ἄλογα προκαλεῖσθαι δικάζεσθαι ἀξιῶν.
For the man seems to propose nothing unreasonable, in demanding to be judged.
Σωκράτης
τί δὲ ἄλλο ἢ βαδίζωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ δικαστήριον καὶ τὴν Φιλοσοφίαν παραλαβόντες ἀκούσωμεν ὅ τι καὶ ἀπολογήσεται·
Socrates What else than to go to the court, and, taking Philosophy with us, hear what indeed he will say in his defense?
τὸ πρὸ δίκης γὰρ οὐχ ἡμέτερον, ἀλλὰ δεινῶς ἰδιωτικόν, ὀργίλων τινῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τιθεμένων.
For to kill before a trial is not our way, but is terribly uncultured, typical of angry men who place justice in their own hands.
παρέξομεν οὖν ἀφορμὰς τοῖς κακηγορεῖν ἐθέλουσιν καταλεύσαντες ἄνδρα μηδὲ ἀπολογησάμενον ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα δικαιοσύνῃ χαίρειν αὐτοὶ λέγοντες.
We shall indeed give occasion to those who wish to speak ill of us, if we stone a man without his even defending himself, especially when we ourselves claim to delight in justice.
ἢ τί ἂν εἴποιμεν Ἀνύτον καὶ Μελήτου πέρι, τῶν ἐμοῦ κατηγορησάντων, ἢ τῶν τότε δικαστῶν, εἰ οὗτος τεθνήξεται μηδὲ τὸ παράπαν ὕδατος μεταλαβών;
Or what could we say about Anytus and Meletus, my accusers, or about the judges of that time, if this man is to die without having even a share of the water?
Πλάτων
ἄριστα παραινεῖς, ὦ Σώκρατες·
Plato You advise most excellently, Socrates.
ὥστε ἀπίωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν Φιλοσοφίαν.
So let us go to Philosophy.
ἡ δὲ δικασάτω, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀγαπήσομεν οἷς ἂν ἐκείνη διαγνῷ.
Let her judge, and we shall be content with whatever she decides.
§11Παρρησιάδης
εὖ γε, ὦ σοφώτατοι, ἀμείνω ταῦτα καὶ νομιμώτερα.
Parresiades Well done, O wisest of men!
τοὺς μέντοι λίθους φυλάττετε, ὡς ἔφην·
This is better and more lawful.
δεήσει γὰρ αὐτῶν μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ.
Keep the stones, however, as I said; for you will need them a little later in the court.
ποῦ δὲ τὴν Φιλοσοφίαν εὕροι τις ἄν;
But where could one find Philosophy?
οὐ γὰρ οἶδα ἔνθα οἰκεῖ· καίτοι πάνυ πολὺν ἐπλανήθην χρόνον ἀναζητῶν τὴν οἰκίαν, ὡς συγγενοίμην αὐτῇ.
For I do not know where she lives, though I wandered for a very long time seeking her house so that I might meet her.
εἶτα ἐντυγχάνων ἄν τισι τριβώνια περιβεβλημένοις καὶ πώγωνας βαθεῖς καθειμένοις παρʼ αὐτῆς ἐκείνης ἥκειν φάσκουσιν, οἰόμενος εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς ἀνηρώτων·
Then, whenever I met some men wrapped in coarse cloaks and letting down long beards, who claimed to come from her, I would ask them, thinking they knew.
οἱ δὲ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐμοῦ ἀγνοοῦντες ἢ οὐδὲν ὅλως ἀπεκρίναντό μοι, ὡς μὴ ἐλέγχοιντο οὐκ εἰδότες, ἢ ἄλλην θύραν ἀντʼ ἄλλης ἐπεδείκνυον.
But they, being far more ignorant than I, either answered me nothing at all, so as not to be exposed as ignorant, or pointed out one door instead of another.
οὐδέπω γοῦν καὶ τήμερον ἐξευρεῖν δεδύνημαι τὴν οἰκίαν.
Indeed, even to this day, I have not been able to find her house.
§12Παρρησιάδης
πολλάκις δὲ ἢ αὐτὸς εἰκάσας ἢ ξεναγήσαντός τινος ἧκον ἂν ἐπί τινας θύρας βεβαίως ἐλπίσας τότε γοῦν εὑρηκέναι, τεκμαιρόμενος τῷ πλήθει τῶν εἰσιόντων τε καὶ ἐξιόντων, ἁπάντων σκυθρωπῶν καὶ τὰ σχήματα εὐσταλῶν καὶ φροντιστικῶν τὴν πρόσοψιν·
Parresiades And often, either guessing by myself or guided by someone, I would come to some doors, firmly hoping that I had found it then at least, judging by the multitude of those entering and leaving, all of them gloomy, well-ordered in dress, and thoughtful in appearance.
μετὰ τούτων οὖν συμπαραβυσθεὶς καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσῆλθον ἄν.
Having squeezed in along with them, I too would enter.
εἶτα ἑώρων γύναιόν τι οὐχ ἁπλοϊκόν, εἰ καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα εἰς τὸ ἀφελὲς καὶ ἀκόσμητον ἑαυτὴν ἐπερρύθμιζεν, ἀλλὰ κατεφάνη μοι αὐτίκα οὐδὲ τὸ ἄνετον δοκοῦν τῆς κόμης ἀκαλλώπιστον ἐῶσα οὐδὲ τοῦ ἱματίου τὴν ἀναβολὴν ἀνεπιτηδεύτως περιστέλλουσα·
Then I would see a woman who was not at all simple, even if she fashioned herself as much as possible to look plain and unadorned; but it immediately became clear to me that she did not leave even the loose appearance of her hair unarranged, nor wrap the fold of her cloak without art.
πρόδηλος δὲ ἦν κοσμουμένη αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὸς εὐπρέπειαν τῷ ἀθεραπεύτῳ δοκοῦντι προσχρωμένη.
It was obvious that she was adornment-conscious and made use of her seemingly neglected look for elegance.
ὑπεφαίνετο δέ τι καὶ ψιμύθιον καὶ φῦκος, καὶ τὰ ῥήματα πάνυ ἑταιρικά, καὶ ἐπαινουμένη ὑπὸ τῶν ἐραστῶν εἰς κάλλος ἔχαιρε, καὶ εἰ δοίη τις προχείρως ἐδέχετο, καὶ τοὺς πλουσιωτέρους ἂν παρακαθισαμένη πλησίον τοὺς πένητας τῶν ἐραστῶν οὐδὲ προσέβλεπεν.
Some white lead and rouge also showed underneath, and her words were entirely like those of a courtesan; and when praised by her lovers for her beauty, she was delighted. If anyone gave her a gift, she accepted it readily, and while seating the richer ones near her, she did not even look at the poor lovers.
πολλάκις δὲ καὶ γυμνωθείσης αὐτῆς κατὰ τὸ ἀκούσιον ἑώρων περιδέραια χρυσᾶ τῶν κλοιῶν παχύτερα.
And often, when she was accidentally stripped, I saw golden necklaces thicker than collars.
ταῦτα ἰδὼν ἐπὶ πόδα ἂν εὐθὺς ἀνέστρεφον, οἰκτείρας δηλαδὴ τοὺς κακοδαίμονας ἐκείνους ἑλκομένους πρὸς αὐτῆς οὐ τῆς ῥινὸς ἀλλὰ τοῦ πώγωνος καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἰξίονα εἰδώλῳ ἀντὶ τῆς Ἥρας συνόντας.
Seeing these things, I would immediately turn back on my steps, pitying indeed those miserable wretches dragged by her, not by the nose, but by the beard, and, like Ixion, consorting with a phantom instead of Hera.