§35Ἐπεὶ ἐρήσομαι ὑμᾶς, εἰ μύοντες οἱ πένητες βαδίζοιεν—ὑποθώμεθα γὰρ οὕτως—οὐκ ἂν ὑμᾶς ἠνίασεν οὐκ ἔχοντας οἷς ἐπιδείξαισθε τὰς ἁλουργεῖς ἐσθῆτας καὶ τῶν ἀκολουθούντων τὸ πλῆθος ἢ τῶν δακτυλίων τὸ μέγεθος;
For I will ask you, if the poor should walk with their eyes closed—for let us assume it so—would it not have annoyed you, who have no one to show off your purple garments, the multitude of your attendants, or the size of your rings?
ἐῶ λέγειν ὡς καὶ ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ μίση παρὰ τῶν πενήτων ἀναγκαῖον ἐγγίγνεσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἢν μόνοι τρυφᾶν ἐθέλητε.
I omit to say that plots and hatred from the poor must of necessity arise against you, if you wish to live in luxury alone.
ἃ μὲν γὰρ εὔξασθαι καθ’ ὑμῶν ἀπειλοῦσιν, ἀποτρόπαια, μηδὲ γένοιτο εἰς ἀνάγκην αὐτοὺς καταστῆναι τῆς εὐχῆς.
For the things which they threaten to pray for against you are abominable; may they never be reduced to the necessity of that prayer!
ἐπεὶ οὔτε ἀλλάντων γεύσεσθε οὔτε πλακοῦντος ἢ εἴ τι λείψανον τῆς κυνός, ἡ φακῆ δὲ ὑμῖν σαπέρδην ἐντετηκότα ἕξει, ὗς δὲ καὶ ἔλαφος ὀπτώμενοι μεταξὺ δρασμὸν βουλεύσουσιν ἐκ τοῦ ὀπτανείου ἐς τὸ ὄρος, καὶ ὄρνις ψύττα κατατείνασαι ἄπτεροι καὶ αὗται παρ’ αὐτοὺς τοὺς πένητας ἐκπετήσονται.
For then you will taste neither sausages nor cake, nor even any leavings of a dog; your lentil soup will have rotten fish dissolved in it; the pig and the deer, while being roasted, will plot their escape from the kitchen to the mountain; and the birds, though plucked, stretching themselves out with a "shoo," will fly away to the poor themselves.
τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, οἱ ὡραιότατοι τῶν οἰνοχόων φαλακροὶ ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τοῦ χρόνου ὑμῖν γενήσονται, ἐπὶ κατεαγότι καὶ ταῦτα τῷ ἀμφορεῖ.
And greatest of all, the most beautiful of your cupbearers will become bald in an instant, and that too over a broken amphora.
Πρὸς τάδε βουλεύεσθε ἃ καὶ τῇ ἑορτῇ πρέποντα γένοιτ’ ἂν καὶ ὑμῖν ἀσφαλέστατα, καὶ ἐπικουφίζετε πολλὴν τὴν πενίαν αὐτοῖς ἀπ’ ὀλίγου τελέσματος φίλους οὐ μεμπτοὺς ἕξοντες.
In view of this, take counsel for what is fitting for the festival and safest for you, and lighten their heavy poverty with a small expenditure, so that you will have friends who cannot be blamed.
§364.
4.
ΟΙ ΠΛΟΥΣΙΟΙ ΤΩΙ ΚΡΟΝΩΙ ΧΑΙΡΕΙΝ
Πρὸς γὰρ σὲ οἴει μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν πενήτων ταῦτα γεγράφθαι, ὦ Κρόνε, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἤδη ἐκκεκώφηται πρὸς αὐτῶν ἀναβοώντων καὶ αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα τὸν ἀναδασμὸν ἀξιούντων γενέσθαι καὶ αἰτιωμένων τήν τε εἱμαρμένην ὡς ἄνισον τὴν νομὴν πεποιημένην καὶ ἡμᾶς ὅτι μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς μεταδιδόναι ἀξιοῦμεν;
THE RICH TO CRONUS, GREETINGS. For do you think, Cronus, that these things have been written by the poor to you alone, and that Zeus has not already been deafened by them crying out and demanding this very redistribution of wealth, and blaming fate for having made an unequal distribution, and us because we do not think fit to share anything with them?
ἀλλ’ οἶδεν ἐκεῖνος, ἅτε Ζεὺς ὤν, παρ’ οἷστισιν ἡ αἰτία, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρακούει αὐτῶν τὰ πολλά.
But he knows, since he is Zeus, with whom the blame lies, and for this reason he ignores them for the most part.
σοὶ δὲ ὅμως ἀπολογησόμεθα, ἐπείπερ ἄρχεις γε νῦν ἡμῶν.
Nevertheless, we will defend ourselves to you, since you are now ruling over us.
Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἅπαντα πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν λαβόντες ἃ γέγραφας, ὡς καλὸν ἐπικουρεῖν ἀπὸ πολλῶν τοῖς δεομένοις καὶ ὡς ἥδιον συνεῖναι καὶ συνευωχεῖσθαι τοῖς πένησιν, ἀεὶ διετελοῦμεν οὕτω ποιοῦντες ἰσοδίαιτοι καθεστῶτες, ὡς ἂν μηδὲ τὸν συνδαίτην αὐτὸν αἰτιάσασθαί τι.
For we, having kept before our eyes all that you have written, how it is honorable to help those in need from our abundance, and how it is more pleasant to associate and feast with the poor, have always continued to do so, living on equal terms, so that not even the fellow-diner himself could blame anything.
§37οἱ δὲ ὀλίγων ἐν ἀρχῇ δεῖσθαι φάσκοντες, ἐπειδήπερ ἅπαξ αὐτοῖς ἀνεπετάσαμεν τὰς θύρας, οὐκ ἀνίεσαν ἄλλα ἐπ’ ἄλλοις αἰτοῦντες· εἰ δὲ μὴ πάντα εὐθὺς μηδὲ πρὸς ἔπος λαμβάνοιεν, ὀργὴ καὶ μῖσος καὶ πρόχειροι αἱ βλασφημίαι.
But they, claiming at first to need only a few things, once we opened our doors to them, did not stop demanding one thing after another; and if they did not receive everything immediately and word for word, there was anger, hatred, and ready slanders.
κἂν εἴ τι ἐπιψεύδοιντο ἡμῖν, ἀλλ’ οἵ γε ἀκούοντες ἐπίστευον ἂν ὡς ἀκριβῶς εἰδόσιν ἐκ τοῦ συγγεγονέναι.
And even if they made up some lie against us, those who heard it believed it, as if they knew it accurately from having associated with us.
ὥστε δυοῖν θάτερον, ἢ μὴ διδόντα ἐχθρὸν εἶναι πάντως ἔδει ἢ πάντα προϊέμενον αὐτίκα μάλα πένεσθαι καὶ τῶν αἰτούντων καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι.
So that one of two things was necessary: either to be completely an enemy by not giving, or by surrendering everything to become poor immediately and be one of the beggars oneself.
§38καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μέτρια· ἐν δὲ τοῖς δείπνοις αὐτοῖς ἀμελήσαντες τοῦ ἐμπίπλασθαι καὶ γαστρίζεσθαι καὶ αὐτοί, ἐπειδὰν πλεῖον τοῦ ἱκανοῦ ἐμπίωσιν, ἢ παιδὸς ὡραίου μεταξὺ ἀναδόντος τὸ ἔκπωμα ἔνυξαν τὴν χεῖρα ἢ παλλακῇ ἢ γαμετῇ γυναικὶ ἐπεχείρησαν.
And other things are moderate; but at the dinners themselves, neglecting to fill their bellies and gorge themselves decently, when they have drunk more than enough, either while a beautiful boy is handing over the cup they pinch his hand, or they make an attempt on a concubine or a wedded wife.
εἶτα κατεμέσαντες τοῦ συμποσίου ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν λοιδοροῦνται ἡμῖν κατελθόντες, ὡς ἐδίψησαν καὶ ὡς λιμῷ συνῆσαν διηγούμενοι.
Then, having vomited over the banquet, on the next day they go down and abuse us, describing how they thirsted and how they lived with hunger.
καὶ εἴ σοι ταῦτα καταψεύδεσθαι αὐτῶν δοκοῦμεν, τὸν ὑμέτερον παράσιτον ἀναμνήσθητι τὸν ᾿Ιξίονα, ὃς ἀξιωθεὶς κοινῆς τραπέζης, ἀξίωμα ἔχων ἴσον ὑμῖν, τῇ Ἥρᾳ μεθυσθεὶς ἐπεχείρει ὁ γενναῖος.
And if we seem to you to lie about them in these things, remember your parasite Ixion, who, having been deemed worthy of a common table and having equal honor with you, when drunk made an attempt on Hera, that noble gentleman!
§39Ταῦτ’ ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὑφ’ ὧν ἡμεῖς ἐβουλευσάμεθα πρὸς τὸ λοιπὸν ἀσφαλείας τῆς ἡμετέρας ἕνεκεν μηκέτι ἐπιβατὸν αὐτοῖς ποιεῖν τὴν οἰκίαν.
These and such things are the reasons why we resolved for the future, for the sake of our safety, no longer to make our house accessible to them.
εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ σοῦ συνθοῖντο μετρίων δεήσεσθαι, ὥσπερ νῦν φασι, μηδὲν δὲ ὑβριστικὸν ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις ἐργάσεσθαι, κοινωνούντων ἡμῖν καὶ συνδειπνούντων τύχῃ τῇ ἀγαθῇ.
But if they should agree before you to make moderate demands, as they now say, and to commit nothing insolent in the banquets, let them share and dine with us, with good fortune.
καὶ τῶν ἱματίων, ὡς σὺ κελεύεις, πέμψομεν καὶ τοῦ χρυσίου ὁπόσον οἷόν τε καὶ προσδαπανήσομεν, καὶ ὅλως οὐδὲν ἐλλείψομεν.
And we will send of the garments, as you command, and of the gold as much as possible, and we will spend extra, and in short, we will fail in nothing.
καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀφέμενοι τοῦ κατὰ τέχνην ὁμιλεῖν ἡμῖν φίλοι ἀντὶ κολάκων καὶ παρασίτων ἔστωσαν.
And let them, on their part, giving up associating with us by art, be friends instead of flatterers and parasites.
ὡς ἡμᾶς γε οὐδὲν ἂν αἰτιάσαιο κἀκείνων τὰ δέοντα ποιεῖν ἐθελόντων.
For you would not be able to blame us at all, if they also are willing to do what is necessary.