§16Λυκῖνος
ἀλλὰ ἐκεῖνο ἀνιαρόν, ὦ Πολύστρατε, ὅτι μὴ ἐκείνης παρούσης ποιήσομαι τοὺς λόγους·
Lycinus But that is painful, Polystratus, that I shall make my speech without her being present; for it would have been much better in that way.
μακρῷ γὰρ ἂν οὕτως ἄμεινον ἦν. νῦν δὲ ἀνάγκη ἀπʼ ἐντολῆς ἀπολογήσασθαι.
But now it is necessary to make my defense through an instruction.
ἀλλʼ εἴ μοι τοιοῦτος ἀγγελιαφόρος γένοιο πρὸς αὐτὴν οἷος παρʼ ἐκείνης πρὸς μὲ γεγένησαι, τολμήσω ἀναρρῖψαι τὸν κύβον.
Yet, if you should prove to be such a messenger to her as you have been from her to me, I will dare to cast the die.
Πολύστρατος
θάρρει, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τούτου γε ἕνεκα, ὡς οὐ φαῦλόν με ὑποκριτὴν ἕξων τῆς ἀπολογίας, πειρώμενος διὰ βραχέων εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἂν μᾶλλον μνημονεύσαιμι.
Polystratus Take heart, Lycinus, as far as this is concerned, believing that you will not have a poor actor for your defense. Try to speak briefly, so that I may remember it better.
Λυκῖνος
καὶ μὴν πάνυ μὲν ἔδει μοι μακρῶν τῶν λόγων πρὸς οὕτω σφοδρὰν τὴν κατηγορίαν.
Lycinus Indeed, I stood in great need of long speeches against so vehement an accusation.
ὅμως δὲ σοῦ ἕνεκα ἐπιτεμοῦμαι τὴν ἀπολογίαν.
Nevertheless, for your sake, I will cut short my defense.
καὶ παρʼ ἐμοῦ τοίνυν τάδε αὐτῇ ἀπάγγελλε.
And so, report these things to her from me.
Πολύστρατος
μηδαμῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ αὐτῆς ἐκείνης παρούσης λέγε τὸν λόγον, εἶτʼ ἐγὼ μιμήσομαί σε πρὸς αὐτήν.
Polystratus By no means, Lycinus, but speak your speech as if she herself were present, and then I will imitate you before her.
Λυκῖνος
οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ οὕτω σοι δοκεῖ, ὦ Πολύστρατε, ἡ μὲν πάρεστι καὶ προείρηκε δηλαδὴ ἐκεῖνα ὁπόσα σὺ παρʼ αὐτῆς ἀπήγγειλας, ἡμᾶς δὲ χρὴ τῶν δευτέρων λόγων ἐνάρχεσθαι.
Lycinus Since, then, it seems good to you in this way, Polystratus, she is present and has clearly said all those things you reported from her, and we must begin our second speech.
καίτοι — οὐ γὰρ ὀκνήσω πρὸς σὲ εἰπεῖν ὃ πέπονθα — οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως φοβερώτερόν μοι τὸ πρᾶγμα πεποίηκας, καὶ ὡς ὁρᾷς ἱδρῶ τε ἤδη καὶ δέδοικα καὶ μονονουχὶ καὶ ὁρᾶν αὐτὴν οἴομαι, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα πολλήν μοι τὴν ταραχὴν ἐμπεποίηκεν.
And yet—for I will not hesitate to tell you what I have experienced—I know not how you have made the matter more terrifying to me, and as you see, I am already sweating and afraid, and I almost think I see her, and the matter has thrown me into great confusion.
ἄρξομαι δʼ ὅμως· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἀναδῦναι ἤδη παρούσης.
But I will begin nevertheless; for it is not possible to back out now that she is present.
Πολύστρατος
καὶ νὴ Δία πολλὴν τὴν εὐμένειαν ἐπιφαίνει τῷ προσώπῳ· φαιδρὰ γὰρ ὡς ὁρᾷς καὶ προσηνής.
Polystratus And by Zeus, she shows great benevolence in her face; for as you see, she is bright and gentle.
ὥστε θαρρῶν λέγε τὸν λόγον.
So speak your speech with confidence.
§17Λυκῖνος
ἐγώ σε, ὦ γυναικῶν ἀρίστη, μεγάλα, ὡς φής, καὶ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου ἐπαινέσας οὐχ ὁρῶ ὅ τι τηλικοῦτον ἐπῄνεσα, ἡλίκον αὐτὴ σὺ τοῦτο ἐγκώμιον ὑπὲρ σεαυτῆς ἐξενήνοχας τὴν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον τιμὴν ἐν μεγάλῳ τιθεμένη.
Lycinus I, O best of women, having praised you greatly and beyond measure, as you say, do not see what great praise I have uttered compared to this encomium you yourself have delivered on your own behalf by holding the honor toward the divine in high regard.
σχεδὸν γὰρ ἁπάντων τοῦτο μεῖζον ὧν εἴρηκα περὶ σοῦ, καὶ συγγνώμη, εἰ μὴ καὶ ταύτην σοι προσέγραψα τὴν εἰκόνα ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας με διαλαθοῦσαν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἄλλην πρὸ αὐτῆς ἐγραψάμην.
For this is greater than almost all things I have said about you, and forgive me if I did not add this image to you, as it escaped me through my ignorance; for I would not have drawn any other before it.
ὥστε ταύτῃ γε οὐχ ὅπως ὑπερβάλλεσθαι τοὺς ἐπαίνους, ἀλλὰ πολὺ καταδεέστερόν μοι δοκῶ τῆς ἀξίας εἰρηκέναι.
Therefore, in this point, so far from my praises being excessive, I think I have spoken far below your worth.
σκόπει γοῦν ἡλίκον τοῦτο παρέλιπον, ὡς παμμέγεθες εἰς ἐπίδειξιν τρόπου χρηστοῦ καὶ γνώμης ὀρθῆς· ὡς ὅσοι τὸ θεῖον μὴ ἐν παρέργῳ σέβουσιν, οὗτοι καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἄριστοι ἂν εἶεν.
Consider indeed how great a thing I omitted, which is immense for the display of a good character and an upright mind; since those who worship the divine not as a secondary matter would also be the best in their dealings with humans.
ὥστε εἰ πάντως μετακοσμῆσαι δέοι τὸν λόγον καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐπανορθώσασθαι, ἀφελεῖν μὲν οὐκ ἄν τι τολμήσαιμι αὐτοῦ, προσθήσω δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὥς τινα κεφαλὴν τοῦ παντὸς ἔργου καὶ κορυφήν.
Thus, if it were necessary to remodel the speech entirely and correct the statue, I would not dare to subtract anything from it, but I will also add this as a head and crown of the whole work.
Ἐπʼ ἐκείνῳ μέντοι καὶ πάνυ πολλήν σοι εἰδέναι τὴν χάριν ὁμολογῶ· ἐμοῦ γὰρ ἐπαινέσαντος τὸ μέτριον τοῦ σοῦ τρόπου καὶ ὅτι μηδὲν ὑπερπετὲς μηδὲ τύφου μεστὸν ἐνεποίησέ σοι ὁ παρὼν ὄγκος τῶν πραγμάτων, σὺ τὰ τοιαῦτα αἰτιασαμένη τοῦ λόγου ἐπιστώσω τοῦ ἐπαίνου τὴν ἀλήθειαν·
For that, however, I confess I owe you very great thanks; for when I praised the moderation of your character and that your present abundance of fortune did not instill in you any arrogance or pride, you, by finding fault with such aspects of my speech, proved the truth of my praise.
τὸ γὰρ μὴ προαρπάζειν τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν ἐγκωμίων, ἀλλʼ αἰδεῖσθαι ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ μείζω ἢ κατὰ σὲ εἶναι λέγειν, μετρίας καὶ δημοτικῆς τινος διανοίας δεῖγμά ἐστιν.
For not snatching at such encomiums, but being ashamed of them and saying they are greater than your worth, is a sign of a moderate and democratic mind.
πλὴν ἀλλὰ ὅσῳπερ ἂν πρὸς τὸ ἐπαινεῖσθαι αὐτὸ οὕτω διακειμένη τυγχάνῃς, τοσούτῳ ἀξιωτέραν ὑπερεπαινεῖσθαι ἀποφαίνεις σεαυτήν, καὶ σχεδὸν εἰς τὸν τοῦ Διογένους λόγον περιελήλυθέν σοι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὃς ἐρομένου τινὸς ὅπως ἄν τις ἔνδοξος γένοιτο,
εἰ δόξης,
ἔφη,
καταφρονήσειε. φαίην γὰρ ἂν καὶ αὐτός, εἴ τις ἔροιτό με,
τίνες εἰσὶν μάλιστα ἐπαίνου ἄξιοι; ὁπόσοι ἐπαινεῖσθαι μὴ θέλουσιν. §18Λυκῖνος
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἴσως ἐξαγώνια καὶ πόρρω τοῦ πράγματος.
Nevertheless, the more you happen to be so disposed toward being praised, the more worthy you show yourself to be exceedingly praised, and the matter has almost come around to the saying of Diogenes, who, when someone asked how one might become famous, said, "If he should despise fame." For I myself would say, if someone should ask me, "Who are most worthy of praise?" "As many as do not wish to be praised." Lycinus But these things are perhaps outside the contest and far from the matter.
ὑπὲρ δὲ οὗ χρὴ ἀπολογήσασθαι, τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τῇ ἐν Κνίδῳ καὶ τῇ ἐν κήποις καὶ Ἥρᾳ καὶ Ἀθηνᾷ τὴν μορφὴν ἀναπλάττων εἴκασα.
But that for which I must defend myself is this: that in shaping your form, I compared you to the goddess in Cnidus, the goddess in the Gardens, Hera, and Athena.
ταῦτά σοι ἔκμετρα ἔδοξεν καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸν πόδα.
These things seemed to you beyond measure and too large for your foot.
περὶ αὐτῶν δὴ τούτων ἐρῶ.
I will speak about these very things.
καίτοι παλαιὸς οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ἀνευθύνους εἶναι ποιητὰς καὶ γραφέας, τοὺς δὲ ἐπαινοῦντας καὶ μᾶλλον, οἶμαι, εἰ καὶ χαμαὶ καὶ βάδην, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπὶ μέτρων φέροιντο.
And yet, this is an old saying, that poets and painters are not subject to scrutiny, and those who praise even more, I think, even if they walk on the ground and on foot, as we do, and are not carried on meters.
ἐλεύθερον γάρ τι ὁ ἔπαινος, οὐδʼ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ μέτρον εἰς μέγεθος ἢ βραχύτητα νενομοθετημένον, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μόνον ἐξ ἅπαντος ὁρᾷ ὅπως ὑπερθαυμάσεται καὶ ζηλωτὸν ἀποφανεῖ τὸν ἐπαινούμενον.
For praise is a free thing, nor is there any measure of it legislated for magnitude or shortness, but it looks solely to this: how it may exceedingly admire the praised one and show them to be enviable.
οὐ μὴν ταύτην ἐγὼ βαδιοῦμαι, μὴ καὶ σοὶ δόξω ὑπʼ ἀπορίας αὐτὸ δρᾶν.
Nevertheless, I will not walk this path, lest I seem to you to do so out of helplessness.