§315νῦν σὲ καὶ μᾶλλον φιλοῦμεν οὕτως ἐρωτικῶς τοῦ Πλάτωνος ἔχοντα, ὃν ἐγὼ φαίην ἂν τιμᾶν καθʼ Ὅμηρον ἶσον ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ.
Now we love you all the more because you are so passionately devoted to Plato, whom I would say I honor, after Homer's fashion, as equal to my own head.
εἰ γάρ τοι καὶ πάντες φαῦλοι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστος τιμιώτατος αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ, φασί.
For even if everyone is worthless compared to him, yet each is dearest to himself, as they say.
καίτοι τί λέγω;
And yet, what am I saying?
οὐκ οἶδα μὲν γὰρ εἰ πιστεύεις· ἀληθὲς δὲ ἐρῶ.
For I do not know if you believe me, but I shall speak the truth.
εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐγγὺς ἐκεῖνον ἔφησας ἡμῶν εἶναι, οὐκ ἂν οὕτω με εὔφρανας ὡς ὅτι προκατείληψαι δείξας· οὕτως ἐμοὶ φίλος ἁνὴρ καὶ φίλων ἐπέκεινα.
If you had not said that he was near to us, you would not have gladdened me so much as by showing that you have preempted him; so dear is that man to me, and even beyond friends.
συνέβη δέ μοι καὶ περὶ Δημοσθένη τοιοῦτον ἕτερον, φράσω δὲ καὶ πρὸς σέ.
Another such incident happened to me also concerning Demosthenes, and I will relate it to you as well.
ἀνὴρ τῶν ἐκ τῆς γερουσίας τῆς Ῥωμαίων, Λίβυς τὰ ἀρχαῖα, Μάξιμος τοὔνομα, ἄξιος ὅτου βούλει, φασὶ δὲ οἱ ταῦτα δεινοὶ καὶ ῥήτορα αὐτὸν ἐν πρώτοις εἶναι Ῥωμαίων, οὗτος τοῖς τε Δημοσθένους λόγοις προσέκειτο ὑπερφυῶς καὶ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅντινα τρόπον καὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἑάλω τούτοις·
A man of the Roman senate, of ancient Libyan descent, Maximus by name, worthy of any position you please—and those skilled in these matters say that he is among the foremost of Roman orators—this man was exceedingly devoted to the speeches of Demosthenes, and somehow or other was also captured by these speeches of ours.
καὶ δὴ οἷα συμφοιτῶν τε εἰς Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ φιλοκαλίας ἐλλείπων οὐδὲν συνῆν ἐμοὶ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κατὰ τοὺς §316λόγους· ὥστε τι καὶ περιειργασάμην πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου.
Indeed, as one who associated with me in going to the temple of Asclepius and lacked nothing in the love of beauty, he was with me every day for the speeches; so that I even did something elaborate for him because of this relationship.
ἔτυχε γάρ μοι λόγος τις πεποιημένος ἐκ τρίτων πρὸς Λεπτίνην ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοιᾶσδε· εἶχον ἐν χερσὶ τὸν λόγον τὸν τοῦ Δημοσθένους, καὶ ὡς ἐγενόμην ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλαίων ἃ τοῦ Λεπτίνου μέλλοντος ἐρεῖν ὑπετέμνετο, ἀποστήσας ἐμαυτὸν τοῦ Δημοσθένους ὑπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ τι συνεώρων.
For I happened to have a speech composed on the subject "Against Leptines," as a third part, from the following origin: I had the speech of Demosthenes in my hands, and when I came to the headings which were anticipated when Leptines was about to speak, drawing back from Demosthenes, I saw something by myself.
ὡς δὲ εὗρον καὶ δύο καὶ τρία τῶν χρησίμων, ἐνταῦθα πάλιν αὖ ἐπʼ ἄλλο τι ἐχώρουν.
And when I found two or three of the useful points, then again I proceeded to something else.
καί μοι πειρωμένῳ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀεὶ συνέβαινε.
And the same thing always happened to me as I made the attempt.
καὶ οὕτω δὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ κρασπέδου θοἰμάτιον, εἰ δὲ βούλει, τὸν λέοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄνυχος ἀπειργασάμην.
And so, indeed, from the hem I fashioned the cloak, or, if you prefer, the lion from the claw.
τοῦτον οὖν αὐτῷ τὸν λόγον δεῖξαι ἐπεχείρησα καὶ μέλλων δείξειν προεῖπον ὅτι πρὸς Λεπτίνην ἐφευρημένα σὺν τῷ πρὸς Λεπτίνην ἐφευρήσει. μὴ ἀδικῶ γε, ἔφην ἐγώ.
Therefore, I attempted to show him this speech, and when I was about to show it, I said beforehand: "You will find points discovered 'Against Leptines' along with the discovery 'Against Leptines'." "May I not be doing wrong," I said.
καὶ ὃς μὰ Δία εὐγενῶς τε καὶ ὡς ἂν πᾶς ἠράσθη τε καὶ ἠγάσθη ὅστις φιλόλογος, Οἶσθα, ἔφη, ὅτι κάθημαι πρὸς τοῦ Δημοσθένους; κἀγὼ, τὸν αὐτὸν ἄρʼ, ἔφην, ἐμοὶ βουκολεῖς, ὥστʼ εἰ νικῴη μʼ, οὐκ ἐχθρὸς ὁ στεφανούμενος, ἀλλʼ ᾧ σύ τε κἀγὼ συσπεύδομεν. ὡς δὲ ἐκέλευε τὰ βιβλία ἐν μέρει δεικνύναι καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα πανταχῆ σπουδὴ ἦν, οὑτωσί τοι, ἔφην ἐγὼ, σοὶ ταὐτὰ γιγνώσκω περὶ Δημοσθένους, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι ταυτὸν ὅπερ σὺ, μὴ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον παρελθεῖν.
And he, by Zeus, both nobly and as any lover of literature would be, was both enamored and amazed, and said, "Do you know that I sit on the side of Demosthenes?" And I said, "So you tend the same person as I do, so that if he should defeat me, the one being crowned is not an enemy, but the one whom both you and I are striving for." And as he urged me to show the books in turn, and there was eagerness in every way, I said, "Indeed, I hold the same opinion as you about Demosthenes, and I agree with you that it is not easy to surpass that man.
εἰ δʼ οὖν τις κἀμοὶ θεῶν ἐπιβοηθήσειε, πολλὰ δʼ ἐν Ἀσκληπιοῦ τὰ παράδοξα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔδειξας, ἔφην, τὰ ἆθλα, ἵνα προθυμότερον ἀγωνιζοίμην.
But if indeed some of the gods should assist me too—and many are the wonders in Asclepius' temple—it is a pity that you did not show the prizes, so that I might contend more eagerly.
ἀποτυγχάνοντι μὲν γὰρ μανία καὶ μηδὲν ἐπαΐειν περὶ λόγων· ἐὰν δʼ ἄρα, ἔφην, κρατῶ, τί μοι περιέσται; καὶ ὃς ἥσθη τε ἀκούσας, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ ἐκείνου ἀκούσας ἥσθην ὅτι τῷ Δημοσθένει συνεστήκοι, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄδειαν δεῖξαι τὸν λόγον.
For to fail is madness and to understand nothing about speeches; but if indeed I should win," I said, "what will be left for me?" And he was pleased on hearing this, just as I was pleased to hear from him that he sided with Demosthenes, and he gave me permission to show the speech.
καὶ ὅπως ἤδη διετέθη τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείη, καὶ σὺ δὲ εἴ που συγγένοιο τῷ ἀνδρὶ καὶ μνησθείης.
And how he was disposed after this, he himself would know, and you too, if you should meet the man and bring it up.
οὕτως ἐμοὶ κοινῶς μὲν εἰπεῖν τῶν παλαιῶν ἀνδρῶν, διʼ ἀκριβείας δὲ τούτων ὑπὲρ
Thus, for me, to speak generally of the ancient men, and with precision of these above...