§507εἰδῆτε ὅτι οὐδὲν καινὸν λέγω, ἀλλὰ πάλαι ταῦτα ἀνωμολόγηται κἀν τοῖς νόμοις κἀν τοῖς ἔθεσι τοῖς κοινοῖς, ἐνθυμήθητε μὲν τῶν κηρύκων τὰς πρώτας φωνὰς εὐφημεῖν ταῖς πανηγύρεσι κελευόντων, ἐνθυμήθητε δὲ τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν καταρχομένων ἡμῖν, ἐπειδὰν θύωμεν· ἔτι δʼ ὡς αὐτοὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἐπὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς σπουδάζομεν.
...you may know that I am saying nothing new, but that these things have long been agreed upon both in our laws and in our common customs, on the one hand, call to mind the first voices of the heralds commanding us to speak only auspicious words at the festivals, and on the other hand, call to mind the voices of the priests and those who begin the rites for us when we sacrifice; and further, how we ourselves are most earnest about this in our prayers.
καίτοι τίνʼ ἔχει λόγον ἡγεῖσθαι μὲν κάλλιστον ἁπάντων τὴν εὐφημίαν καὶ μάλιστα πρέπειν ἱεροῖς, ἄδειαν δʼ εἶναι τοῖς ἐθέλουσι βλασφημεῖν;
And yet, what sense does it make to regard auspicious speech as the finest of all things and as most fitting for sacred rites, but to grant impunity to those who wish to speak ill?
καὶ θύοντας μὲν οὕτω κοσμίους εἶναι, οἷς δὲ τὰς θυσίας ποιοῦμεν θεοῖς, ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων προφάσει τὰ αἴσχιστα ἀκούειν καὶ λέγειν, καὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἅμα μὲν δυσχεραίνειν ταῖς κακηγορίαις, ἅμα δʼ ὧν κακῶς ἀλλήλους ἀγορεύομεν προστάτας ποιεῖσθαι;
And that those who sacrifice are so orderly, but the gods to whom we offer the sacrifices are, on the pretext of these very rites, to hear and say the most shameful things, and that the same people should at once be vexed by abusive language and at the same time make those, whom we speak ill of among one another, the patrons of our speeches?
καὶ μὴν εἰ μὲν φίλον αὐτὸ νομίζομεν τοῖς θεοῖς, τἀναντία ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς γιγνώσκομεν, φυλαττόμενοι ταυτὸν τοῦτο, ὁπόταν προσίωμεν τοῖς θεοῖς, εἰ δʼ ἐχθρὸν ἡγούμενοι χαίρομεν αὐτῷ, πῶς εὐσεβῶς διακείμεθα;
Moreover, if we believe this very thing is pleasing to the gods, we hold views contrary to ourselves, guarding against this very thing whenever we approach the gods; but if, regarding it as hostile, we rejoice in it, how are we piously disposed?
ἢ πῶς διὰ τούτων τιμῶμεν τοὺς θεοὺς, ἃ τῶν θεῶν χάριν εἰκὸς ἦν φεύγειν;
Or how, through these things, do we honor the gods, which it was fitting to avoid for the sake of the gods?
θαυμαστὸν δέ μοι φαίνεται, εἰ τὰς μὲν τῶν ὀρνίθων φωνὰς ὡς αἰσιωτάτας ἀξιοῦμεν ἡμῖν γίγνεσθαι, κἂν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρημίας ὄντες, ἢ οὗ τύχοιμεν, τὰς δὲ παρʼ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν οὐδʼ ἐπὶ τῶν θεάτρων φυλαξόμεθα μὴ οὐ δυσχερεῖς εἶναι.
And it seems wonderful to me if we demand that the voices of birds should be most auspicious for us, even when we are in the wilderness or wherever we may happen to be, yet we will not guard our own voices, even in the theaters, against being discordant.
καὶ τοῖς μὲν τῆς Κληδόνος βωμοῖς προσιόντες βουλοίμεθʼ ἂν ὡς εὐφημότατʼ ἀκούειν, οὕτως ἰσχυρόν τι τὸ τῆς θεοῦ ταύτης ἡγούμεθα· ἃ δὲ μηδαμῶς ἀνέχεσθαι χρῆν, ταῦτα ταῖς ἑορταῖς ἀποδώσομεν·
And when approaching the altars of Pheme, we would wish to hear the most auspicious words, so strong do we consider the power of this goddess; yet those things which we ought by no means to tolerate, we will assign to the festivals.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν παῖδας κελεύομεν εὐστομεῖν, κἀν τοῖς διδασκαλείοις καὶ κατʼ οἰκίαν προδιδάσκοντες ὡς ἃ ποιεῖν αἰσχρὸν οὐδὲ λέγειν καλὸν, πάλιν δὲ εἰς ταυτὸν ἀθροίσαντες παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν κακηγορίας ἆθλα τίθεμεν, καὶ τοῖς ἄριστα ἐκμελετήσασιν ὅπως εἰς κέρδος ἔσται παρασκευάζομεν.
And we command our children to speak auspiciously, teaching them beforehand both in the schools and at home that what is shameful to do is not even beautiful to say; yet again, having gathered children, women, and every age into the same place, we offer prizes for abuse, and we arrange for those who have practiced best to turn it into profit.
ἃ δὲ ποιήσαντας ἢ παθόντας οὐ θέμις εἴσω §508περιρραντηρίων παριέναι, ταῦτʼ ἐν μέσοις ἱεροῖς ᾁδομεν, καὶ θύειν μὲν ἃ μὴ χρὴ δυσσεβὲς ἡγούμεθα, τιμᾶν δὲ οἷς οὐ χρὴ τοὺς θεοὺς εὐσεβείας μέρει προστίθεμεν, καὶ τὴν εὐσχημοσύνην ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τιμῶμεν, τῶν δʼ αἰσχρῶν ῥᾳδίως μὲν πάντα σχήματα ὁρῶμεν, ῥᾳδίως δὲ πάσας φωνὰς ἀποδεχόμεθα.
And those shameful things which it is not lawful for those who have done or suffered them to pass within the lustral basins, we sing in the midst of the temples; and while we consider it impious to sacrifice what we ought not, we count honoring the gods with what we ought not as a part of piety; and while we honor decorum in other matters, we easily look upon every form of shameful things and easily accept every voice.
κἂν μὲν εἷς τις ἀπᾴδῃ τῶν χορευτῶν, τοῦτον ἐκβάλλομεν, ἂν δʼ ἅπας ὁ χορὸς οὕτως ἀμούσως ᾁδῃ, ποιούμεθα κέρδος.
And if any one of the dancers sings out of tune, we cast him out; but if the whole chorus sings so unmusically, we turn it into profit.
κἂν μὲν ὑπʼ ἄλλων οὕτως κακῶς ἀκούωμεν, ὀργιζόμεθα, ἂν δʼ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τοῦτο ποιῶμεν, ἑορτὴν ἡγούμεθα ἀληθινὴν, οὕτω καὶ πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς ἀλλοκότως καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς πολὺ τἀναντία ἢ προσῆκε διακείμεθα.
And if we are spoken ill of by others in this way, we are angry; but if we do this to ourselves, we consider it a true festival; thus we are strangely disposed towards the gods and towards ourselves, far contrary to what is fitting.
καίτοι τολμῶσί τινες λέγειν ὡς ἀγαθὸν τὸ κακῶς ἐξεῖναι λέγειν ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ, τούς τε γὰρ κακῶς βεβιωκότας ἐξελέγχεσθαι καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους φόβῳ τοῦ κωμῳδεῖσθαι σώφρονας παρέχειν αὑτούς.
And yet some dare to say that it is good to have the license to speak ill in the theater, for those who have lived badly are exposed, and others, through fear of being caricatured in comedy, present themselves as self-controlled.
ἐγὼ δὲ πολλοῦ σφόδρα ἂν ἡγούμην ἀξίαν εἶναι τὴν μέθην, εἰ παιδεύειν οἵα τε ἦν ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ μὴ τῶν χαλεπῶν ᾖ μεθύοντας αὐτοὺς ἑτέρους ποιεῖν σωφρονεῖν, καὶ πρὶν αὐτοὺς καταπαῦσαι, τοῖς ἄλλοις ᾁδειν ὅπως εἰς κάλλος βιώσονται.
But I would have considered drunkenness to be of very great value if it were capable of educating men, and if it were not one of those difficult things for those who are themselves drunk to make others self-controlled, and before they themselves have ceased, to sing to others how they shall live beautifully.
τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν ὑμῶν ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν οὐ πολλῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα παιδεύειν, οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ἢ νόμους τιθέναι καὶ γνώμας ἐν δήμῳ λέγειν;
For who among you does not know that, first of all, it is not the part of many to educate in such matters, any more than to establish laws and to speak one's opinions in the assembly of the people?
ἢ τὸν μὲν εἰς Κόρινθον πλοῦν οὐ παντὸς ἀνδρὸς εἶναι πιστεύσομεν, τὴν δὲ τοῦ βίου τοῦ παντὸς πορείαν ἥντινα καὶ διʼ ὧν δεῖ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ποιήσασθαι πᾶς ἀνὴρ εἴσεται καὶ πᾶς ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῖς οἴαξι καθεδεῖται τῇδε κἀκεῖσε κομίζων τοὺς νέους ὡς ἂν αὐτῷ δοκῇ;
Or shall we believe that a voyage to Corinth is not for every man, but as to the journey of the whole of life, which way and through what practices it must be made, every man will know, and every man will sit at these rudders, steering the youth this way and that as he pleases?
καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀθλητῶν ἐγκρίσεις ποιοῦμεν, ὅπως αὐτῶν ὅστις φαῦλος ἑαυτὸν καταισχύνας ἀπίῃ καὶ δίκην ἅμα δοὺς ἐκ τοῦ σώματος, τοὺς δὲ τῶν σπουδαιοτάτων ἡγεμόνας καὶ διδασκάλους ἀπὸ πάντων μὲν ἐργαστηρίων, πάντων δὲ τῶν σπουδαιοτάτων οὑτωσὶ φαύλως ἐγκρινοῦμεν;
And while we hold examinations for athletes, so that any of them who is inferior may depart having disgraced himself and at the same time paid the penalty with his body, shall we examine the leaders and teachers of the most important matters from all workshops and from all the most worthless sources so carelessly?
διδασκάλων ἄρα αὐτοὶ δεῖσθαι δόξομεν.
We ourselves, then, shall seem to be in need of teachers.
καὶ θυρωροῖς μὲν οὐ πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πιστοτάτοις χρώμεθα, ἵνα μή τις αἰσχύνη συμβαίνοι περὶ τὴν οἰκίαν, παῖδας δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς πόλεως
And we use not just any doorkeepers, but the most faithful ones, so that no shame may occur about the house; but children and women and all the affairs of the city...