§13καὶ μὴν κἀκ τῶν ἐν Ἀσίᾳ πόλεων ἔστιν ὧν ἧκόν τινες, τῶν Χριστιανῶν στελλόντων ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ, βοηθήσοντες καὶ συναγορεύσοντες καὶ παραμυθησόμενοι τὸν ἄνδρα.
And indeed, some people also came from certain of the cities in Asia, sent by the Christians from their common fund, in order to help, advocate for, and comfort the man.
ἀμήχανον δέ τι τὸ τάχος ἐπιδείκνυνται, ἐπειδάν τι τοιοῦτον γένηται δημόσιον· ἐν βραχεῖ γὰρ ἀφειδοῦσι πάντων.
They display an unbelievable swiftness whenever any such public event occurs; for in a short time they are lavish with everything.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τῷ Περεγρίνῳ πολλὰ τότε ἧκεν χρήματα παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ προφάσει τῶν δεσμῶν, καὶ πρόσοδον οὐ μικρὰν ταύτην ἐποιήσατο.
And indeed, much money came to Peregrinus at that time from them on the pretext of his imprisonment, and he made this into a not small source of income.
πεπείκασι γὰρ αὑτοὺς οἱ κακοδαίμονες τὸ μὲν ὅλον ἀθάνατοι ἔσεσθαι καὶ βιώσεσθαι τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον, παρʼ ὃ καὶ καταφρονοῦσιν τοῦ θανάτου καὶ ἑκόντες αὑτοὺς ἐπιδιδόασιν οἱ πολλοί.
For the poor wretches have convinced themselves that they will be altogether immortal and live for all time, on which account they even despise death and the majority of them voluntarily give themselves up.
ἔπειτα δὲ ὁ νομοθέτης ὁ πρῶτος ἔπεισεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀδελφοὶ πάντες εἶεν ἀλλήλων, ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ παραβάντες θεοὺς μὲν τοὺς Ἑλληνικοὺς ἀπαρνήσωνται, τὸν δὲ ἀνεσκολοπισμένον ἐκεῖνον σοφιστὴν αὐτὸν προσκυνῶσιν καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ἐκείνου νόμους βιῶσιν.
Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they are all brothers of one another, once they have transgressed and denied the Greek gods, and worship that crucified sophist himself and live according to his laws.
καταφρονοῦσιν οὖν ἁπάντων ἐξ ἴσης καὶ κοινὰ ἡγοῦνται, ἄνευ τινὸς ἀκριβοῦς πίστεως τὰ τοιαῦτα παραδεξάμενοι.
Therefore, they despise all things equally and hold them in common, having accepted such doctrines without any definite proof.
ἢν τοίνυν παρέλθῃ τις εἰς αὐτοὺς γόης καὶ τεχνίτης ἄνθρωπος καὶ πράγμασιν χρῆσθαι δυνάμενος, αὐτίκα μάλα πλούσιος ἐν βραχεῖ ἐγένετο ἰδιώταις ἀνθρώποις ἐγχανών.
If, then, some charlatan and trickster should come among them, a man able to turn things to his own advantage, he immediately becomes very rich in a short time, laughing at simple people.
§14πλὴν ἀλλʼ ὁ Περεγρῖνος ἀφείθη ὑπὸ τοῦ τότε τῆς Συρίας ἄρχοντος, ἀνδρὸς φιλοσοφίᾳ χαίροντος, ὃς συνεὶς τὴν ἀπόνοιαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅτι δέξαιτʼ ἂν ἀποθανεῖν ὡς δόξαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀπολίποι, ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ τῆς κολάσεως ὑπολαβὼν ἄξιον.
However, Peregrinus was released by the then governor of Syria, a man who delighted in philosophy, who, understanding his madness and that he would welcome death in order to leave a reputation for it, released him, considering him not even worthy of punishment.
ὁ δὲ εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανελθὼν καταλαμβάνει τὸ περὶ τοῦ πατρῴου φόνου ἔτι φλεγμαῖνον καὶ πολλοὺς τοὺς ἐπανατεινομένους τὴν κατηγορίαν.
But when he returned to his home, he found the matter concerning his father's murder still burning hot, and many who were threatening him with accusation.
διήρπαστο δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν κτημάτων παρὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ μόνοι ὑπελείποντο οἱ ἀγροὶ ὅσον εἰς πεντεκαίδεκα τάλαντα.
Most of his possessions had been plundered during his absence, and only his lands were left, worth about fifteen talents.
ἦν γὰρ ἡ πᾶσα οὐσία τριάκοντά που ταλάντων ἀξία ἣν ὁ γέρων κατέλιπεν, οὐχ ὥσπερ ὁ παγγέλοιος Θεαγένης ἔλεγε πεντακισχιλίων· τοσούτου γὰρ οὐδὲ ἡ πᾶσα τῶν Παριανῶν πόλις πέντε σὺν αὐτῇ τὰς γειτνιώσας παραλαβοῦσα πραθείη ἂν αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ βοσκήμασιν καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ παρασκευῇ.
For the whole estate which the old man left was worth about thirty talents, not, as the utterly ridiculous Theagenes said, five thousand; for not even the whole city of the Parians, taking with it five neighboring cities, could be sold for so much, even including the people themselves, the cattle, and all the rest of their belongings.
§15ἀλλʼ ἔτι γε ἡ κατηγορία καὶ τὸ ἔγκλημα θερμὸν ἦν, καὶ ἐῴκει οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐπαναστήσεσθαί τις αὐτῷ, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ δῆμος αὐτὸς ἠγανάκτει, χρηστόν, ὡς ἔφασαν οἱ ἰδόντες, γέροντα πενθοῦντες οὕτως ἀσεβῶς ἀπολωλότα.
But still, the accusation and the charge were hot, and it seemed that before long someone would rise up against him, and especially the people themselves were indignant, mourning an excellent old man, as those who saw him said, who had perished so impiously.
ὁ δὲ σοφὸς οὗτος Πρωτεὺς πρὸς ἅπαντα ταῦτα σκέψασθε οἷόν τι ἐξεῦρεν καὶ ὅπως τὸν κίνδυνον διέφυγεν.
But see what a thing this wise Proteus devised in response to all this, and how he escaped the danger.
παρελθὼν γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν Παριανῶν — ἐκόμα δὲ ἤδη καὶ τρίβωνα πιναρὸν ἠμπείχετο καὶ πήραν παρήρτητο καὶ τὸ ξύλον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἦν, καὶ ὅλως μάλα τραγικῶς ἐσκεύαστο — τοιοῦτος οὖν ἐπιφανεὶς αὐτοῖς ἀφεῖναι ἔφη τὴν οὐσίαν ἣν ὁ μακαρίτης πατὴρ αὐτῷ κατέλιπεν δημοσίαν εἶναι πᾶσαν.
For having come forward into the assembly of the Parians—and he already wore his hair long, was clad in a dirty cloak, had a pouch slung about him, and his staff was in his hand, and, in short, he was very tragically equipped—appearing thus to them, then, he said that he gave up all the estate which his late father had left him to be public property.
τοῦτο ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ δῆμος, πένητες ἄνθρωποι καὶ πρὸς διανομὰς κεχηνότες, ἀνέκραγον εὐθὺς ἕνα φιλόσοφον, ἕνα φιλόπατριν, ἕνα Διογένους καὶ Κράτητος ζηλωτήν. οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ ἐπεφίμωντο, κἂν εἴ τις ἐπιχειρήσειεν μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ φόνου, λίθοις εὐθὺς ἐβάλλετο.
When the people heard this, poor men gaping for distributions, they immediately cried out: "The one philosopher! The one patriot! The one rival of Diogenes and Crates!" But his enemies were silenced, and if anyone attempted to mention the murder, he was immediately pelted with stones.