§19τοῦτο μὲν δή σοι τὸ πρῶτον, ὦ ἑταῖρε, καὶ ἥδιστον ἐκεῖνο δεῖπνον, οὐκ ἔμοιγε τοῦ θύμου καὶ τῶν λευκῶν ἁλῶν ἥδιον ὁπηνίκα βούλομαι καὶ ὁπόσον ἐλευθέρως ἐσθιομένων.
This, then, my friend, is your first and that most delightful dinner, which to me at least is not more delightful than thyme and white salt eaten in freedom whenever and as much as I wish.
ἵνα γοῦν σοι τὴν ὀξυρεγμίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις παρῶ καὶ τὸν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἔμετον, ἕωθεν δεήσει περὶ τοῦ μισθοῦ συμβῆναι ὑμᾶς, ὁπόσον τε καὶ ὁπότε τοῦ ἔτους χρὴ λαμβάνειν.
At any rate, to pass over the acid eructation following upon this and the vomiting during the night, in the morning you two will have to come to an agreement about the salary, how much and when in the year it should be received.
παρόντων οὖν ἢ δύο ἢ τριῶν φίλων προσκαλέσας σε καὶ καθίζεσθαι κελεύσας ἄρχεται λέγειν· τὰ μὲν ἡμέτερα ὁποῖά ἐστιν ἑώρακας ἤδη, καὶ ὡς τῦφος ἐν αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ εἷς, ἀτραγῴδητα δὲ καὶ πεζὰ πάντα καὶ δημοτικά, χρὴ δέ σε οὕτως ἔχειν ὡς ἁπάντων ἡμῖν κοινῶν ἐσομένων· γελοῖον γὰρ εἰ τὸ κυριώτατον, τὴν ψυχήν σοι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἢ καὶ νὴ Δία τῶν παίδων.
So, in the presence of two or three friends, having summoned you and bidden you sit down, he begins to speak: "What our affairs are like you have already seen, and that there is not a single bit of vanity in them, but everything is unpretentious, prosaic, and democratic, and you ought to feel that everything will be shared in common by us; for it would be ridiculous if, while entrusting to you the most important thing, my own soul or, indeed, by Zeus, that of my children"—if he should have children in need of education—"I should not regard you as master of the rest on equal terms.
— εἰ παῖδες εἶεν αὐτῷ παιδεύσεως δεόμενοι —
ἐπιτρέπων τῶν ἄλλων μὴ ἐπʼ ἴσης ἡγοίμην δεσπότην. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὡρίσθαι τι δεῖ, — ὁρῶ μὲν τὸ μέτριον καὶ αὔταρκες τοῦ σοῦ τρόπου καὶ συνίημι ὡς οὐχὶ μισθοῦ ἐλπίδι προσελήλυθας ἡμῶν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἕνεκα, τῆς εὐνοίας τῆς παρʼ ἡμῶν καὶ τιμῆς, ἣν παρὰ πᾶσιν ἕξεις· ὅμως δʼ οὖν καὶ ὡρίσθω τι, — σὺ δʼ αὐτὸς ὅ τι καὶ βούλει λέγε, μεμνημένος, ὦ φίλτατε, κἀκείνων ἅπερ ἐν ἑορταῖς διετησίοις εἰκὸς ἡμᾶς παρέξειν· οὐ γὰρ ἀμελήσομεν οὐδὲ τῶν τοιούτων, εἰ καὶ μὴ νῦν αὐτὰ συντιθέμεθα· πολλαὶ δέ, οἶσθα, τοῦ ἔτους αἱ τοιαῦται ἀφορμαί.
And since something must be fixed—I see indeed the moderation and self-sufficiency of your character, and I understand that you have not come to our house in the hope of a salary, but for other reasons, for the goodwill from us and the honor which you will have among all; nevertheless, let something be fixed—speak yourself and say what you wish, remembering, my dearest friend, also those things which it is natural for us to provide during the annual festivals; for we shall not neglect such things either, even if we do not agree upon them now; and there are, you know, many such occasions in the year.
καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα τοίνυν ἀποβλέπων μετριώτερον δῆλον ὅτι ἐπιβαλεῖς ἡμῖν τὸν μισθόν.
Looking towards those things, then, it is clear that you will impose a more moderate salary on us.
ἄλλως τε καὶ πρέπον ἂν εἴη τοῖς πεπαιδευμένοις ὑμῖν κρείττοσιν εἶναι χρημάτων. §20ὁ μὲν ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ ὅλον σε διασείσας ταῖς ἐλπίσι τιθασὸν ἑαυτῷ πεποίηκε, σὺ δὲ πάλαι τάλαντα καὶ μυριάδας ὀνειροπολήσας καὶ ἀγροὺς ὅλους καὶ συνοικίας συνίης μὲν ἠρέμα τῆς μικρολογίας, σαίνεις δὲ ὅμως τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν καὶ τό,
πάντα ἡμῖν κοινὰ ἔσται,
βέβαιον καὶ ἀληθὲς ἔσεσθαι νομίζεις, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι τὰ τοιαῦτα
"χείλεα μέν τʼ ἐδίηνʼ, ὑπερῴην δʼ οὐκ ἐδίηνε. "
τελευταῖον δʼ ὑπʼ αἰδοῦς αὐτῷ ἐπέτρεψας.
Especially since it would be fitting for you educated people to be superior to money." He, having said these things and shaken you completely with hopes, has made you tame for himself; but you, who had long been dreaming of talents and tens of thousands, of whole estates and apartment blocks, though you perceive slightly his stinginess, nevertheless fawn upon the promise and believe that the words, "Everything will be shared in common by us," will be secure and true, not knowing that such things "wet the lips, indeed, but do not wet the palate." And finally, out of embarrassment, you entrusted the matter to him.
ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν οὔ φησιν ἐρεῖν, τῶν φίλων δέ τινα τῶν παρόντων κελεύει μέσον ἐλθόντα τοῦ πράγματος εἰπεῖν ὃ μήτʼ αὐτῷ γίγνοιτʼ ἂν βαρὺ καὶ πρὸς ἄλλα τούτων ἀναγκαιότερα δαπανῶντι μήτε τῷ ληψομένῳ εὐτελές.
But he says he will not name it himself, but bids one of the friends present to step into the middle of the matter and name a sum which would neither be heavy for him, who spends on other more necessary things than this, nor paltry for the one who is to receive it.
ὁ δὲ ὠμογέρων τις ἐκ παίδων κολακείᾳ σύντροφος,
ὡς μὲν οὐκ εὐδαιμονέστατος εἶ
, φησίν,
τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἁπάντων, ὦ οὗτος, οὐκ ἂν εἴποις, ᾧ γε τοῦτο πρῶτον ὑπῆρχεν ὃ πολλοῖς πάνυ γλιχομένοις μόλις ἂν γένοιτο παρὰ τῆς Τύχης· λέγω δὲ ὁμιλίας ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ ἑστίας κοινωνῆσαι καὶ εἰς τὴν πρώτην οἰκίαν τῶν ἐν τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ καταδεχθῆναι· τοῦτο γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὰ Κροίσου τάλαντα καὶ τὸν Μίδου πλοῦτον, εἰ σωφρονεῖν οἶσθα.
And a certain vigorous old man, brought up in flattery from childhood, says: "My dear sir, you certainly cannot say that you are not the happiest of all men in the city, you for whom there was first available this which very many who desire it would scarcely obtain from Fortune; I mean, to be deemed worthy of association, to share his hearth, and to be received into the first house of those in the Roman empire; for this is beyond the talents of Croesus and the wealth of Midas, if you know how to be wise.
ἰδὼν δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν εὐδοκίμων ἐθελήσαντας ἄν, εἰ καὶ προσδιδόναι δέοι, μόνης τῆς δόξης ἕνεκα συνεῖναι τούτῳ καὶ ὁρᾶσθαι περὶ αὐτὸν ἑταίρους καὶ φίλους εἶναι δοκοῦντας, οὐκ ἔχω ὅπως σε τῆς εὐποτμίας μακαρίσω, ὃς καὶ προσλήψῃ μισθὸν τῆς τοιαύτης εὐδαιμονίας.
And seeing that many of those of good repute would have wished, even if they had to pay extra, for the sake of glory alone to be with this man and to be seen around him, seeming to be companions and friends, I do not know how to congratulate you enough on your good fortune, you who will even receive a salary in addition to such happiness.
ἀρκεῖν οὖν νομίζω, εἰ μὴ πάνυ ἄσωτος εἶ, τοσόνδε τι· —
εἰπὼν ἐλάχιστον καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς τὰς σὰς ἐκείνας ἐλπίδας.
Therefore, I think, unless you are altogether profligate, that this much is sufficient"— naming an extremely small sum, especially in comparison with those hopes of yours.