§29Ῥητορική
πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἀχάριστος οὗτος καὶ ἔνοχος τοῖς περὶ τῆς κακώσεως νόμοις, ὃς τὴν μὲν νόμῳ γαμετὴν παρʼ ἧς τοσαῦτα εἴληφεν καὶ διʼ ἣν ἔνδοξός ἐστιν οὕτως ἀτίμως ἀπέλιπεν, καινῶν δὲ ὠρέχθη πραγμάτων, καὶ ταῦτα νῦν ὁπότε μόνην ἐμὲ θαυμάζουσιν καὶ ἐπιγράφονται ἅπαντες προστάτιν ἑαυτῶν;
Rhetoric: How, then, is this man not ungrateful and liable to the laws concerning maltreatment, he who has abandoned his lawful wife—from whom he received so much and through whom he is so famous—in such a dishonorable manner, and has yearned for new practices, and that too now when everyone admires me alone and registers me as their protectress?
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ μὲν ἀντέχω τοσούτων μνηστευόντων, καὶ κόπτουσιν αὐτοῖς τὴν θύραν καὶ τοὔνομα ἐπιβοωμένοις μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ οὔτε ἀνοίγειν οὔτε ὑπακούειν βούλομαι· ὁρῶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς οὐδὲν πλέον τῆς βοῆς κομίζοντας.
But I hold out although so many are courting me, and when they knock at my door and call upon my name with a loud voice, I wish neither to open to them nor to listen; for I see that they bring nothing more than their shouting.
οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐπιστρέφεται πρὸς ἐμέ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἐρώμενον βλέπει, τί, ὦ θεοί, χρηστὸν παρʼ αὐτοῦ λήψεσθαι προσδοκῶν, ὃν οἶδε τοῦ τρίβωνος οὐδὲν πλέον ἔχοντα;
But he does not even so turn back to me, but looks toward his beloved, expecting, O gods, to receive what good thing from him, whom he knows to have nothing more than his worn cloak?
εἴρηκα, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὑμεῖς δέ, ἢν εἰς τὸν ἐμὸν τρόπον τῶν λόγων ἀπολογεῖσθαι θέλῃ, τοῦτο μὲν μὴ ἐπιτρέπετε, — ἄγνωμον γὰρ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ τὴν ἐμὴν μάχαιραν ἀκονᾶν — κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὑτοῦ ἐρώμενον τὸν Διάλογον οὕτως ἀπολογείσθω, ἢν δύνηται.
I have spoken, O gentlemen of the jury; but as for you, if he wishes to defend himself in my style of speech, do not permit this—for it is unreasonable to sharpen my own sword against me—but let him defend himself in this way according to his beloved, Dialogue, if he is able.
Ἑρμῆς
τοῦτο μὲν ἀπίθανον· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε, ὦ Ῥητορική, μόνον αὐτὸν ἀπολογεῖσθαι κατὰ σχῆμα τοῦ Διαλόγου, ἀλλὰ ῥῆσιν καὶ αὐτὸς εἰπάτω.
Hermes: This indeed is unfeasible; for it is not possible, O Rhetoric, for him to defend himself alone in the manner of Dialogue, but let him also speak a speech himself.
§30Σῦρος
ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἡ ἀντίδικος ἠγανάκτησεν, εἰ μακρῷ χρήσομαι τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ ταῦτα τὸ δύνασθαι λέγειν παρʼ ἐκείνης λαβών, πολλὰ μὲν οὐκ ἐρῶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τὰ κεφάλαια δὲ αὐτὰ ἀπολυσάμενος τῶν κατηγορηθέντων ὑμῖν ἀπολείψω σκοπεῖν περὶ ἁπάντων.
The Syrian: Since, O gentlemen of the jury, my opponent is vexed even at this, namely if I shall make a long speech, and that too when I received my power of speaking from her, I will not say much to you, but having cleared away the main points themselves of the accusations, I will leave you to consider all things.
πάντα γὰρ ὁπόσα διηγήσατο περὶ ἐμοῦ ἀληθῆ ὄντα διηγήσατο· καὶ γὰρ ἐπαίδευσεν καὶ συναπεδήμησεν καὶ εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐνέγραψεν, καὶ κατά γε τοῦτο χάριν ἂν εἰδείην τῷ γάμῳ.
For all that she narrated about me, she narrated as being true; for she indeed educated me, traveled with me, and enrolled me among the Greeks, and at least for this I should feel gratitude to the marriage.
διʼ ἃς δὲ αἰτίας ἀπολιπὼν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τουτονὶ τὸν Διάλογον ἐτραπόμην, ἀκούσατε, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καί με μηδὲν τοῦ χρησίμου ἕνεκα ψεύδεσθαι ὑπολάβητε.
But for what reasons I left her and turned to this Dialogue, hear, O gentlemen of the jury, and do not suppose that I am lying at all for the sake of utility.
§31Σῦρος
ἐγὼ γὰρ ὁρῶν ταύτην οὐκέτι σωφρονοῦσαν οὐδὲ μένουσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ κοσμίου σχήματος οἷόν ποτε ἐσχηματισμένην αὐτὴν ὁ Παιανιεὺς ἐκεῖνος ἠγάγετο, κοσμουμένην δὲ καὶ τὰς τρίχας εὐθετίζουσαν εἰς τὸ ἑταιρικὸν καὶ φυκίον ἐντριβομένην καὶ τὠφθαλμὼ ὑπογραφομένην, ὑπώπτευον εὐθὺς καὶ παρεφύλαττον ὅποι τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν φέρει.
The Syrian: For when I saw that she was no longer self-controlled nor remained in that orderly fashion in which that man of Paiania once took her as his wife, but was adorning herself and arranging her hair in the manner of a courtesan, rubbing on cosmetics and painting under her eyes, I immediately suspected her and watched carefully where she cast her eyes.
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἐῶ· καθʼ ἑκάστην δὲ τὴν νύκτα ὁ μὲν στενωπὸς ἡμῶν ἐνεπίμπλατο μεθυόντων ἐραστῶν κωμαζόντων ἐπʼ αὐτὴν καὶ κοπτόντων τὴν θύραν, ἐνίων δὲ καὶ εἰσβιάζεσθαι σὺν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ τολμώντων.
And I pass over the other things; but every night our lane was filled with drunken lovers revelling after her and knocking at the door, and some even daring to force their way in with no decency.
αὐτὴ δὲ ἐγέλα καὶ ἥδετο τοῖς δρωμένοις καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ἢ παρέκυπτεν ἀπὸ τοῦ τέγους ᾀδόντων ἀκούουσα τραχείᾳ τῇ φωνῇ ᾠδάς τινας ἐρωτικὰς ἢ καὶ παρανοίγουσα τὰς θυρίδας ἐμὲ οἰομένη λανθάνειν ἠσέλγαινε καὶ ἐμοιχεύετο πρὸς αὐτῶν.
But she herself laughed and took pleasure in what was being done, and for the most part she either peeped out from the roof listening to them singing some love songs with a rough voice, or even, opening the small windows slightly and thinking she was escaping my notice, she behaved insolently and committed adultery with them.
ὅπερ ἐγὼ μὴ φέρων γράψασθαι μὲν αὐτὴν μοιχείας οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζον, ἐν γειτόνων δὲ οἰκοῦντι τῷ Διαλόγῳ προσελθὼν ἠξίουν καταδεχθῆναι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ.
Since I could not bear this, I did not think it best to indict her for adultery, but going to Dialogue who lived in the neighborhood, I asked to be received by him.
§32Σῦρος
ταῦτά ἐστιν ἃ τὴν Ῥητορικὴν ἐγὼ μεγάλα ἠδίκηκα.
The Syrian: These are the great wrongs I have done to Rhetoric.
καίτοι εἰ καὶ μηδὲν αὐτῇ τοιοῦτο ἐπέπρακτο, καλῶς εἶχέ μοι ἀνδρὶ ἤδη τετταράκοντα ἔτη σχεδὸν γεγονότι θορύβων μὲν ἐκείνων καὶ δικῶν ἀπηλλάχθαι καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς δικαστὰς ἀτρεμεῖν ἐᾶν, τυράννων κατηγορίας καὶ ἀριστέων ἐπαίνους ἐκφυγόντα, εἰς δὲ τὴν Ἀκαδήμειαν ἢ εἰς τὸ Λύκειον ἐλθόντα τῷ βελτίστῳ τούτῳ Διαλόγῳ συμπεριπατεῖν ἠρέμα διαλεγομένους, τῶν ἐπαίνων καὶ κρότων οὐ δεομένους.
And yet, even if no such thing had been done by her, it was well for me, a man already almost forty years of age, to be released from those disturbances and lawsuits and to let the gentlemen of the jury rest in peace, and having escaped accusations of tyrants and praises of heroes, to go to the Academy or the Lyceum and walk about with this most excellent Dialogue, conversing quietly, not needing praises and applause.
πολλὰ ἔχων εἰπεῖν ἤδη παύσομαι.
Having much to say, I will now stop.
ὑμεῖς δὲ εὔορκον τὴν ψῆφον ἐνέγκατε.
And you, cast your vote in accordance with your oath.
Δίκη
τίς κρατεῖ;
Justice: Who wins?
Ἑρμῆς
πάσαις ὁ Σύρος πλὴν μιᾶς.
Hermes: The Syrian, by all votes except one.
Δίκη
ῥήτωρ τις ἔοικεν εἶναι ὁ τὴν ἐναντίαν θέμενος.
Justice: The one who cast the contrary vote seems to be a rhetorician.