§2.23.23ἄλλος ἐλεγκτικός, τὸ τὰ ἀνομολογούμενα σκοπεῖν, εἴ τι ἀνομολογούμενον ἐκ τόπων καὶ χρόνων καὶ πράξεων καὶ λόγων, χωρὶς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀμφισβητοῦντος, οἷον
καὶ φησὶ μὲν φιλεῖν ὑμᾶς, συνώμοσεν δὲ τοῖς τριάκοντα
, χωρὶς δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ,
καὶ φησὶ μὲν εἶναί με φιλόδικον, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ἀποδεῖξαι δεδικασμένον οὐδεμίαν δίκην
, χωρὶς δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀμφισβητοῦντος,
καὶ οὗτος μὲν οὐ δεδάνεικε πώποτε οὐδέν, ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ πολλοὺς λέλυμαι ὑμῶν
. §2.23.24ἄλλος τοῖς προδιαβεβλημένοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις καὶ πράγμασιν, ἢ δοκοῦσι, τὸ λέγειν τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ παραδόξου·
Another is the refutative one, to look for contradictions, namely, whether there is any contradiction from places, times, actions, and words. This can be done separately regarding the opponent, as in "He says he loves you, but he conspired with the Thirty"; or separately regarding oneself, as in "He says I am fond of litigation, but he cannot prove that I have ever prosecuted any lawsuit"; or separately regarding both oneself and the opponent, as in "This man has never lent anything to anyone, but I have ransomed many of you." Another, for persons and things that have been previously slandered, or seem to be so, is to state the cause of the paradox; for there is something because of which it appears so.
ἔστιν γάρ τι διʼ ὃ φαίνεται· οἷον, ὑποβεβλημένης τινὸς τὸν αὑτῆς υἱόν, διὰ τὸ ἀσπάζεσθαι ἐδόκει συνεῖναι τῷ μειρακίῳ, λεχθέντος δὲ τοῦ αἰτίου ἐλύθη ἡ διαβολή· καὶ οἷον ἐν τῷ Αἴαντι τῷ Θεοδέκτου Ὀδυσσεὺς λέγει πρὸς τὸν Αἴαντα διότι ἀνδρειότερος ὢν τοῦ Αἴαντος οὐ δοκεῖ.
For instance, when a woman had secretly adopted her own son, she was thought to be cohabiting with the young man because she embraced him, but when the cause was explained, the slander was dissolved; and as in the *Ajax* of Theodectes, Odysseus says to Ajax why, though he is braver than Ajax, he does not seem so.
§2.23.25ἄλλος ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰτίου, ἄν τε ὑπάρχῃ, ὅτι ἔστι, κἂν μὴ ὑπάρχῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν· ἅμα γὰρ τὸ αἴτιον καὶ οὗ αἴτιον, καὶ ἄνευ αἰτίου οὐθὲν ἔστιν, οἷον Λεωδάμας ἀπολογούμενος ἔλεγε, κατηγορήσαντος Θρασυβούλου ὅτι ἦν στηλίτης γεγονὼς ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει, ἀλλʼ ἐκκέκοπται ἐπὶ τῶν τριάκοντα· οὐκ ἐνδέχεσθαι ἔφη· μᾶλλον γὰρ ἂν πιστεύειν αὑτῷ τοὺς τριάκοντα ἐγγεγραμμένης τῆς ἔχθρας πρὸς τὸν δῆμον.
Another is from the cause, that if it exists, the effect exists, and if it does not exist, the effect does not exist; for cause and that of which it is the cause exist together, and without cause nothing exists. For instance, Leodamas, in making his defense, when Thrasybulus accused him of having had his name inscribed on a pillar on the Acropolis but that it had been chipped off under the Thirty, said that this was impossible; for the Thirty would have trusted him more if his hostility toward the democracy had remained inscribed.
§2.23.26ἄλλος, εἰ ἐνεδέχετο βέλτιον ἄλλως, ἢ ἐνδέχεται, ὧν ἢ συμβουλεύει ἢ πράττει ἢ πέπραχε σκοπεῖν· φανερὸν γὰρ ὅτι, εἰ οὕτως ἔχει, οὐ πέπραχεν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἑκὼν τὰ φαῦλα καὶ γιγνώσκων προαιρεῖται.
Another is to consider whether a better course was possible in another way, or is possible, among the things one either advises, does, or has done; for it is clear that, if this is so, he did not do it; for no one willingly and knowingly chooses what is bad.
ἔστιν δὲ τοῦτο ψεῦδος· πολλάκις γὰρ ὕστερον γίγνεται δῆλον πῶς ἦν πρᾶξαι βέλτιον, πρότερον δὲ ἄδηλον.
But this is false; for often it becomes clear later how it was better to act, whereas before it was unclear.
§2.23.27ἄλλος, ὅταν τι ἐναντίον μέλλῃ πράττεσθαι τοῖς πεπραγμένοις, ἅμα σκοπεῖν, οἷον Ξενοφάνης Ἐλεάταις ἐρωτῶσιν εἰ θύωσι τῇ Λευκοθέᾳ καὶ θρηνῶσιν ἢ μή, συνεβούλευεν, εἰ μὲν θεὸν ὑπολαμβάνουσιν, μὴ θρηνεῖν, εἰ δʼ ἄνθρωπον, μὴ θύειν.
Another, when some action contrary to what has been done is about to be performed, is to consider them together; as Xenophanes advised the Eleatics when they asked whether they should sacrifice to Leucothea and lament her or not, that if they consider her a goddess, they should not lament her, but if a human, they should not sacrifice to her.
§2.23.28ἄλλος τόπος τὸ ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτηθέντων κατηγορεῖν ἢ ἀπολογεῖσθαι, οἷον ἐν τῇ Καρκίνου Μηδείᾳ οἱ μὲν κατηγοροῦσιν ὅτι τοὺς παῖδας ἀπέκτεινεν, οὐ φαίνεσθαι γοῦν αὐτούς (ἥμαρτε γὰρ ἡ Μήδεια περὶ τὴν ἀποστολὴν τῶν παίδων), ἡ δʼ ἀπολογεῖται ὅτι οὐ τοὺς παῖδας ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἰάσονα ἂν ἀπέκτεινεν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἥμαρτεν ἂν μὴ ποιήσασα, εἴπερ καὶ θάτερον ἐποίησεν.
Another topic is to accuse or defend on the basis of errors committed, as in the *Medea* of Carcinus, where people accuse her of having killed her children because at least they are not to be seen (for Medea made an error regarding the sending away of the children), but she defends herself by saying that she would have killed Jason, not her children; for she would have made an error in not doing this, if indeed she had done the other.
ἔστι δʼ ὁ τόπος οὗτος τοῦ ἐνθυμήματος καὶ τὸ εἶδος ὅλη ἡ πρότερον Θεοδώρου τέχνη.
This topic and form of enthymeme is the whole of the former "Art" of Theodorus.
§2.23.29ἄλλος ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος, οἷον ὡς ὁ Σοφοκλῆς
"
σαφῶς σιδήρῳ καὶ φοροῦσα τοὔνομα,
"
καὶ ὡς ἐν τοῖς τῶν θεῶν ἐπαίνοις εἰώθασι λέγειν, καὶ ὡς Κόνων Θρασύβουλον θρασύβουλον ἐκάλει, καὶ Ἡρόδικος Θρασύμαχον
ἀεὶ θρασύμαχος εἶ
, καὶ Πῶλον
ἀεὶ σὺ πῶλος εἶ
, καὶ Δράκοντα τὸν νομοθέτην, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρώπου οἱ νόμοι ἀλλὰ δράκοντος (χαλεποὶ γάρ)· καὶ ὡς ἡ Εὐριπίδου Ἑκάβη εἰς τὴν Ἀφροδίτην
"
καὶ τοὔνομʼ ὀρθῶς ἀφροσύνης ἄρχει θεᾶς,
"
καὶ ὡς Χαιρήμων
"
Πενθεὺς ἐσομένης συμφορᾶς ἐπώνυμος. " §2.23.30εὐδοκιμεῖ δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων τὰ ἐλεγκτικὰ τῶν ἀποδεικτικῶν διὰ τὸ συναγωγὴν μὲν ἐναντίων εἶναι ἐν μικρῷ τὸ ἐλεγκτικὸν ἐνθύμημα, παρʼ ἄλληλα δὲ φανερὰ εἶναι τῷ ἀκροατῇ μᾶλλον.
Another is from the name, as Sophocles says, "Clearly iron, and wearing the name," and as people are accustomed to say in praises of the gods, and as Conon called Thrasybulus by his name, and Herodicus said to Thrasymachus "You are always Thrasymachus," and to Polus "You are always Polus," and of Dracon the lawmaker, that his laws are not of a human but of a dragon (for they are harsh); and as Euripides' Hecuba says to Aphrodite, "And your name rightly begins the goddess's foolishness," and as Chaeremon says, "Pentheus, named after the misfortune to come." Among enthymemes, the refutative ones are more highly esteemed than the demonstrative ones, because the refutative enthymeme is a bringing together of contraries in a small space, and things placed side by side are more obvious to the listener.
πάντων δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐλεγκτικῶν καὶ τῶν δεικτικῶν συλλογισμῶν θορυβεῖται μάλιστα τὰ τοιαῦτα ὅσα ἀρχόμενα προορῶσι μὴ ἐπιπολῆς εἶναι (ἅμα γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐφʼ αὑτοῖς χαίρουσι προαισθανόμενοι), καὶ ὅσων τοσοῦτον ὑστερίζουσιν ὥσθʼ ἅμα εἰρημένων γνωρίζειν.
Of all syllogisms, both refutative and demonstrative, those are most applauded which, when they begin, the listeners foresee as not being superficial (for they delight in themselves for having anticipated it), and those which they lag behind only so much as to comprehend them at the same time they are spoken.