§22Στοά
μηδαμῶς, ἀλλʼ ὀλίγα μοι συνερωτῆσαι ἐπιτρέψατε.
Stoa: By no means; but permit me to ask a few questions.
Ἐπίκουρος
Ἐρώτησον· ἀποκρινοῦμαι γάρ.
Epicurus: Ask; for I shall answer.
Στοά
κακὸν ἡγῇ τὸν πόνον;
Stoa: Do you consider labor to be evil?
Ἐπίκουρος
ναί.
Epicurus: Yes.
Στοά
τὴν ἡδονὴν δὲ ἀγαθόν;
Stoa: And pleasure to be good?
Ἐπίκουρος
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Epicurus: Quite so, indeed.
Στοά
τί δέ;
Stoa: What then?
οἶσθα τί διάφορον καὶ ἀδιάφορον καὶ προηγμένον καὶ ἀποπροηγμένον;
Do you know the difference between the "preferred", the "indifferent", the "promoted", and the "demoted"?
Ἐπίκουρος
μάλιστα.
Epicurus: Assuredly.
Ἑρμῆς
οὔ φασιν, ὦ Στοά, συνιέναι οἱ δικασταὶ τὰ δισύλλαβα ταῦτα ἐρωτήματα· ὥστε ἡσυχίαν ἄγετε.
Hermes: They say, Stoa, that the jury does not understand these two-syllabled questions; so keep quiet.
ψηφοφοροῦσι γάρ.
For they are casting their votes.
Στοά
καὶ μὴν ἐκράτησα ἄν, εἰ συνηρώτησα ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ τῶν ἀναποδείκτων σχήματι.
Stoa: And yet I would have won, if I had completed my questions in the third figure of the indemonstrables.
Δίκη
τίς ὑπερέσχεν;
Justice: Who has prevailed?
Ἑρμῆς
πάσαις ἡ Ἡδονή.
Hermes: Pleasure, by all votes.
Στοά
ἐφίημι ἐπὶ τὸν Δία.
Stoa: I appeal to Zeus.
Δίκη
τύχῃ τῇ ἀγαθῇ.
Justice: With good fortune.
σὺ δὲ ἄλλους κάλει.
And you, call the others.
§23Ἑρμῆς
περὶ Ἀριστίππου Ἀρετὴ καὶ Τρυφή, καὶ Ἀρίστιππος δὲ αὐτὸς παρέστω.
Hermes: It is time for Virtue and Luxury to appear concerning Aristippus; and let Aristippus himself also be present.
Ἀρετή
προτέραν ἐμὲ χρὴ τὴν Ἀρετὴν λέγειν· ἐμὸς γάρ ἐστιν Ἀρίστιππος, ὡς δηλοῦσιν οἱ λόγοι καὶ τὰ ἔργα.
Virtue: I, Virtue, must speak first; for Aristippus is mine, as his words and deeds show.
Τρυφή
οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ τὴν Τρυφήν· ἐμὸς γὰρ ὁ ἀνήρ, ὡς ἔστιν ὁρᾶν ἀπὸ τῶν στεφάνων καὶ τῆς πορφυρίδος καὶ τῶν μύρων.
Luxury: By no means, but rather I, Luxury; for the man is mine, as is clear to see from his garlands, his purple robe, and his perfumes.
Δίκη
μὴ φιλονεικεῖτε· ὑπερκείσεται γὰρ καὶ αὕτη ἡ δίκη ἔστʼ ἂν ὁ Ζεὺς δικάσῃ περὶ τοῦ Διονυσίου· παραπλήσιον γάρ τι καὶ τοῦτο ἔοικεν εἶναι.
Justice: Do not quarrel; for this suit also shall be postponed until Zeus gives judgment concerning Dionysius; for this too seems to be something very similar.
ὥστʼ ἐὰν μὲν ἡ Ἡδονὴ κρατήσῃ, καὶ τὸν Ἀρίστιππον ἕξει ἡ Τρυφή· νικώσης δὲ αὖ τῆς Στοᾶς, καὶ οὗτος ἔσται τῆς Ἀρετῆς κεκριμένος.
So, if Pleasure wins, Luxury will also have Aristippus; but if the Stoa wins in turn, he too will be judged to belong to Virtue.
ὥστε ἄλλοι παρέστωσαν.
Therefore let others appear.
τὸ δεῖνα μέντοι, μὴ λαμβανέτωσαν οὗτοι τὸ δικαστικόν· ἀδίκαστος γὰρ ἡ δίκη μεμένηκεν αὐτοῖς.
Mind you, however, do not let these men receive their judicial fee; for their trial has remained undecided.
Ἑρμῆς
μάτην οὖν ἀνεληλυθότες ὦσι γέροντες ἄνδρες οὕτω μακρὰν τὴν ἀνάβασιν;
Hermes: Have these old men, then, climbed so long an ascent in vain?
Δίκη
ἱκανόν, εἰ τριτημόριον λάβοιεν.
Justice: It is enough if they receive a third part.
ἄπιτε, μὴ ἀγανακτεῖτε, αὖθις δικάσετε.
Depart, do not be angry; you shall judge another time.
§24Ἑρμῆς
Διογένη Σινωπέα παρεῖναι καιρός, καὶ σὺ ἡ Ἀργυραμοιβικὴ λέγε.
Hermes: It is time for Diogenes of Sinope to appear; and you, Money-changing, speak.
Διογένης
καὶ μὴν ἄν γε μὴ παύσηται ἐνοχλοῦσα, ὦ Δίκη, οὐκέτι δρασμοῦ δικάσεταί μοι, ἀλλὰ πολλῶν καὶ βαθέων τραυμάτων· ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτίκα μάλα πατάξας τῷ ξύλῳ —
Δίκη
τί τοῦτο;
Diogenes: And indeed, if she does not stop annoying me, Justice, she will no longer sue me for running away, but for many and deep wounds; for I will strike her right now with my staff— Justice: What is this?
πέφευγεν ἡ Ἀργυραμοιβική, ὁ δὲ διώκει ἐπηρμένος τὸ βάκτρον.
Money-changing has fled, and he is pursuing her with his staff raised.
οὐ μέτριόν τι κακὸν ἡ ἀθλία ἔοικε λήψεσθαι.
The miserable woman seems likely to receive no moderate evil.
τὸν Πύρρωνα κήρυττε.
Proclaim Pyrrho.
§25Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλʼ ἡ μὲν Γραφικὴ πάρεστιν, ὦ Δίκη, ὁ Πύρρων δὲ οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνελήλυθεν, καὶ ἐῴκει τοῦτο πράξειν.
Hermes: But Painting indeed is present, Justice, but Pyrrho has not even ascended at all; and he seemed likely to do this.
Δίκη
διὰ τί, ὦ Ἑρμῆ;
Justice: Why, Hermes?
Ἑρμῆς
ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡγεῖται κριτήριον ἀληθὲς εἶναι.
Hermes: Because he believes that no criterion is true.
Δίκη
τοιγαροῦν ἐρήμην αὐτοῦ καταδικασάτωσαν.
Justice: Therefore let them condemn him in his absence.
τὸν λογογράφον ἤδη κάλει τὸν Σύρον.
Now call the Syrian speech-writer.
καίτοι πρῴην ἀπηνέχθησαν κατʼ αὐτοῦ αἱ γραφαί, καὶ οὐδὲν ἤπειγεν ἤδη κεκρίσθαι.
And yet the indictments against him were brought only the day before yesterday, and there was no urgency for him to be judged now.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ ἔδοξεν, προτέραν εἰσάγαγε τῆς Ῥητορικῆς τὴν δίκην.
But since it has been decided, bring in the suit of Rhetoric first.
βαβαί, ὅσοι συνεληλύθασιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκρόασιν.
Heavens, how many have gathered for the hearing!
Ἑρμῆς
εἰκότως, ὦ Δίκη· τό τε γὰρ μὴ ἕωλον εἶναι τὴν κρίσιν, ἀλλὰ καινὴν καὶ ξένην, χθές, ὥσπερ ἔφης, ἐπηγγελμένην, καὶ τὸ ἐλπίζειν ἀκούσεσθαι Ῥητορικῆς μὲν καὶ Διαλόγου ἐν τῷ μέρει κατηγορούντων, ἀπολογουμένου δὲ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους τοῦ Σύρου, τοῦτο πολλοὺς ἐπήγαγε τῷ δικαστηρίῳ.
Hermes: Naturally, Justice; for the fact that the trial is not stale, but new and strange, announced yesterday, as you said, and the expectation of hearing Rhetoric and Dialogue accusing in turn, and the Syrian defending himself against both, this has drawn many to the court.
πλὴν ἀλλὰ ἄρξαι ποτέ, ὦ Ῥητορική, τῶν λόγων.
But start your speech at last, Rhetoric.