§82οὐδεὶς ἦν ἐκείνων μείζων αὐτοῦ.
None of them was greater than he.
καὶ μὴν οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι τῶν μεγάλων ὀρεγόμενοι τὰ μικρὰ παριᾶσιν, ὁ δὲ ἀρξάμενος ἐκ τῶν βραχυτάτων ἄχρι τῶν τελεωτάτων διεξῆλθεν, ὥσπερ φασὶ καὶ μυεῖσθαι θεμιτὸν εἶναι τὰ μικρὰ πρῶτον.
And indeed, while other men, in grasping at great things, overlook small ones, he, beginning with the most elementary, went through to the most perfect, just as they say it is lawful to be initiated into the lesser mysteries first.
ἕτεροι δὲ τὰ μὲν ἴχνη καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς μέχρι πολλοῦ διηρευνήσαντο, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ κατέτριψαν ἐν τούτοις τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον, ὧν δὲ ἕνεκα ταῦτα ἐξευρεῖν ἄξιον οἱ μὲν ὅλως οὐκ εἶδον, οἱ δʼ οὐκ ἐφίκοντο, ὡς ἔοικεν·
And other men have investigated the traces and the beginnings for a long time, or rather have even worn out their own lives in these things; but the purpose for the sake of which it is worthwhile to discover these things, some have not seen at all, and others have not reached, as it seems.
ὁ δʼ ὥσπερ ὁδόν τινα ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος ἠρευνήσατο, οὐδὲν οὐδαμοῦ παριεὶς τῶν σχολῆς καὶ ὁποσηστινοσοῦν ἀξίων.
But he, as if following a certain path from beginning to end, investigated everything, omitting nothing anywhere that was worthy of any study whatever.
καὶ γάρ τοι κατέστη τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἀντὶ ταμιείου κοινοῦ· ἦν γὰρ ὅτου τις δέοιτο τῶν εἰς παιδείαν παρʼ ἐκείνου λαμβάνειν, ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἀρυόμενον.
And for that very reason indeed, he became like a common storehouse for the Greeks; for whatever anyone needed of matters relating to education, he could obtain from him, drawing as if from a spring.
τὸ δὲ δὴ μέγιστον τῶν ἐκείνου καὶ μάλιστα ἄξιον ἐπισημήνασθαι, ὃ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔγωγέ ποτε εἶπον διαλεγόμενος· πάντα γὰρ ὥσπερ λέγω διεξελθὼν τὰ μαθήματα καὶ οὐδὲν ἔσθʼ ὅ τι οὐκ ἀκριβέστερον τῶν ἐφʼ ἑκάστῳ καθημένων, οὔτε τὸ σοβαρώτατον αὑτῷ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπεγράψατο, ἀλλʼ ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀρχαίου, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οὐκ ἀπεστέρει τῶν διατριβῶν, ἀλλὰ συμπράττων ἑκάστοις ἦν φανερὸς καὶ συναύξων κατὰ δύναμιν ἀεί.
And the greatest thing of his, and most worthy to be noted—which indeed I myself once said when conversing with him—for though he had gone through all studies, as I say, and there was nothing that he did not master more accurately than those established in each field, he did not arrogate to himself the most pompous of names, but remained with the ancient one, and did not deprive others of their studies, but was clearly working with each and helping them increase according to his power always.
καὶ γὰρ οὖν οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι μείζους διὰ τὰς τέχνας γίγνονται, ὁ δὲ καὶ τὴν τέχνην αὐτὴν μείζω τῷ παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ μέρει κατέστησε· πολλαχόθεν γὰρ αὐτὴν ἦρεν, ὥστʼ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου τὸ σχῆμα ἔχειν.
And therefore indeed, while other men become greater through their arts, he made even the art itself greater by his own contribution; for he raised it from many sides, so that it took its shape from him.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοις ἐξαρκεῖ τῶν καθʼ αὑτοὺς ὑπερσχεῖν, ὁ δὲ συμπάσης ἁπλῶς τῆς τέχνης πρωτεύσας φαίνεται.
For while for others it is enough to surpass their contemporaries, he clearly held the first place in the whole of the art without qualification.
τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων τῶν ἐνταῦθα παιδείας ταχθέντων τῶν μὲν κρίσεως εὖ σχεῖν δοξάντων, φωνὴν δὲ οὐδένων γενομένων, τῶν δʼ εἰπεῖν μὲν ἐξικνουμένων, τῇ δʼ ἐπιστήμῃ οὐ πολλὰ ὡμιληκότων, τῶν δʼ αὖ πολυμάθειαν ἀσκησάντων, ὑπὸ δʼ αὐτῆς ταύτης εἰς τὰ κρείττω τυφλωθέντων καὶ μεθέντων τὸ βέλτιστον, πάντα δὴ συλλαβὼν εἷς ἀνὴρ εἶχε.
For of the others who were arrayed in this education, some seemed to have a good judgment but were of no account in speech, others succeeded in speaking but had not associated much with knowledge, and others again practiced wide learning but by this very learning were blinded toward better things and let go of the best; but this one man, gathering all things together, possessed them all.
καὶ μὴν τό γε φωνῆς οὕτως ἔχοντα μὴ εἰς συγγραφάς τε καὶ τοιοῦτον σχῆμα ἀναχωρῆσαι, ἀλλʼ ἑλέσθαι τὴν τοῖς παλαιοῖς Ἕλλησι διακονίαν, πῶς οὐχ §83ὅμοιον τῷ πρὸς τοὺς φοιτῶντας ἀφθόνῳ καὶ ἀφειδεῖ;
And indeed, that he, being so gifted in speech, did not withdraw into writings and such a lifestyle, but chose service to the ancient Greeks, how is this not like his generous and ungrudging attitude toward those who came to him?
διὸ τῶν τε μαθημάτων εὐθέως ἐνεπίμπλη καὶ ὅσους ἑώρα βίου δεομένους συστάσεις αὐτοῖς καὶ τάξεις ἐπορίζετο· ὥστε πλείστους δὴ εἷς ἀνὴρ οὗτος παιδεύσας τε καὶ διαδοὺς φαίνεται καὶ γενόμενος ἀκριβῶς τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἀντʼ οἰκιστοῦ.
Therefore, he immediately filled them with studies, and for as many as he saw in need of a livelihood, he provided recommendations and positions; so that this one man clearly educated and distributed the greatest number of people, becoming precisely a founder of colonies for the Greeks.
εἰκάσαι δὲ ἔξεστι τὸ κατʼ αὐτὸν καὶ ταῖς μητροπόλεσιν.
And it is possible to compare his conduct also to mother-cities.
ἄλλους γὰρ ἄλλοθι τῆς γῆς κατῴκισεν, ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ αὐτῶν τε ἐκείνων καὶ τῶν χρωμένων.
For he settled others in different parts of the earth, for the benefit of those very men themselves and of those who employed them.
μόνος δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἡσίοδον ἤλεγξεν ἔργῳ ψευδόμενον ποιήσαντα ὅτι καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀοιδῷ φθονέει.
And he alone proved by his deeds that Hesiod lied when he wrote that 'even a singer envies a singer'.
ἦν γὰρ τῶν ὁμοτέχνων οἷον πατὴρ κοινὸς, καὶ πάντες ἐπʼ ἐκείνῳ πλείους ἐλπίδας εἶχον ἢ ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ.
For he was like a common father to his fellow craftsmen, and all had greater hopes in him than each had in himself.
μόνος δʼ ἰδιώτας τε οὐκ ἤλεγχε καὶ παρὰ τοῖς δεξιοῖς εἰς τὰ πρῶτα ἐθαυμάζετο.
And he alone did not censure laymen, and was admired among the talented as chief.
καὶ μόνος πλήθει τε καὶ ἀκριβείᾳ μαρτύρων ἐνίκα.
And he alone conquered by the multitude and precision of witnesses.
ἦν δὲ καὶ τοῖς περὶ τοὺς λόγους φιλοτιμία ἐκείνῳ συγγεγονέναι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλως ἐνδόξοις τε καὶ λαμπροῖς ἀντʼ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν εἰς τὸ ὑπερέχειν τὸ ἐκείνῳ χρωμένους φαίνεσθαι.
And it was a point of honor for those concerned with words to have associated with him, and for those otherwise illustrious and brilliant to be seen using him, in preference to anything else that leads to pre-eminence.
ὥστʼ ἦν ἅπασιν ἀσπαστὸς, καὶ ὁπότε μὴ δημοσιεύοι, ἢ παρὰ τοῖς δυνάσταις ἂν ἦν, ἢ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ βασιλέως οἴκῳ.
Consequently he was welcomed by all, and whenever he did not appear in public, he would be either with the rulers or in the very house of the king.
καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰς μετὰ τῶν βασιλέων διατριβὰς ὥσπερ ὁδῷ τινι χρησάμενος οὕτως ἐποιήσατο, διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ πρωτεύσας καὶ πεῖραν ἑαυτοῦ παρασχὼν μυρίαν, οὕτως καὶ εἰς βασιλέως αὐλάς τε καὶ ἀκοὰς ἀφίκετο.
Indeed, he made his associations with kings as if following a proper path; for having held the first place throughout the whole Greek world and having given myriad proofs of himself, he thus reached the courts and hearings of the king.
ἐκ δὲ τούτου ἕτερος παρʼ ἑτέρου παραλαμβάνων αὐτὸν εἶχεν ἀντʼ ἄλλου κόσμου τῶν βασιλικῶν.
And thereafter, receiving him one from another, they held him in place of any other royal ornament.
γενόμενος τοίνυν ἐπʼ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως τοσαύτης ὥστε καὶ τροφέως χώραν, οὐχὶ διδασκάλου μόνον τῶν παίδων ἔχειν, τὴν μὲν ἄλλην σωφροσύνην καὶ κοσμιότητα ὅσην παρέσχετο οὐ φαῦλον ἔργον διηγήσασθαι.
Having attained, then, such authority and power as to hold the position of a nurturer, and not merely of a teacher of the children, to describe the rest of the temperance and decency that he displayed is no small task.
ἔπραττε δὲ ταυτὸν ὅπερ καὶ περὶ τὰς ἀρχαίας διατριβάς.
Yet he did the very same thing as in his old pastimes.
ἔν τε γὰρ ταῖς διατριβαῖς δυσχεροῦς μὲν οὐδενὸς οὐδενὶ πώποτε τῶν πάντων αἴτιος γενέσθαι λέγεται, ἀγαθοῦ δὲ ἀεί τινος καὶ μαθηταῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ παιδαγωγοῖς αὐτῶν.
For in his pastimes he is said never to have been the cause of anything unpleasant to anyone at all, but always of some good, both to the pupils themselves and to their pedagogues.
καὶ γὰρ ἐλευθέρους ἀφεθῆναι καὶ
For indeed, to be set free, and...