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Theophrastus · Fragments §134.1

Alcibiades' Eloquence and Hesitation in Speaking

Passage 139 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Quoting the testimony of Theophrastus, the text explains that although Alcibiades was highly capable of understanding things, his strong focus on precise expression often caused him to hesitate, stumble, and fall silent in the middle of speaking.

§134.1Fr. 134 Εἰ θεοφράστῳ πιστεύομεν, ἀνδρὶ φιληκόῳ καὶ ἱστοο ρικῷ παρʼ ὁντινοῦν τῶν φιλοσόφων, εὑρεῖν μὲν ἦν τὰ δέοντα καὶ νοῆσαι πάντων ἱκανώτατος ὁ Ἀλκιβιάδης, ζητῶν δὲ μὴ μόνον ἃ δεῖ λέγειν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς δεῖ τοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ τοῖς ῥήμασιν, οὐκ εὐπορῶν δὲ πολλάκις ἐσφάλλετο καὶ μεταξὺ λέγων ἀπεσιώπα καὶ διέλειπε, λέξεως διαφυγούσης αὐτὸν ἀναλαμβάνων καὶ διασκοπούμενος.
Fr. 134 If we believe Theophrastus, a man fond of learning and inquiring beyond any of the philosophers, Alcibiades was most capable of all in discovering and understanding what was necessary; but seeking not only what he ought to say but also how he ought to say it with the proper words and expressions, since he was not resourceful in words, he often stumbled, and in the middle of speaking he would fall silent and pause, recovering and considering a word when it had escaped him.

Notes

  1. §134.1παρʼ ὁντινοῦν — The preposition παρά with the accusative (ὁντινοῦν, accusative of ὅστιςοῦν) is used to express comparison, meaning "beyond anyone" or "more than any other."
  2. §134.1εὑρεῖν ... καὶ νοῆσαι — These are epexegetical infinitives (infinitives of respect) qualifying the superlative adjective ἱκανώτατος ("most capable"), expressing "in discovering and understanding."
  3. §134.1μεταξὺ λέγων — The adverb μεταξύ used with the participle λέγων forms an idiomatic expression meaning "in the middle of speaking" or "while speaking."
  4. §134.1λέξεως διαφυγούσης αὐτὸν — A genitive absolute construction consisting of the noun λέξεως (genitive of λέξις, "word, expression") and the participle διαφυγούσης (aorist active participle feminine genitive of διαφεύγω, "to escape"). It expresses time or circumstance: "when a word had escaped him."

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §134.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:134.1

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