§421ἀρξάμενος δʼ ἐξ ἐκείνου δεῦρʼ ἀεὶ διαγέγονα σχολάζων μαθήμασι καὶ λόγοις ὅσα μὴ χρεία σώματος διεκώλυσεν, ἢ χρόνων περίοδοι συμφορὰς ἐνεγκοῦσαι μείζους τῆς προαιρέσεως.
And starting from that time, I have always passed my time up to the present day devoting my leisure to studies and speeches, in so far as the needs of the body did not prevent me, or the periods of time bringing calamities greater than my choice.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως καὶ τούτοις διεγιγνόμεθα ὥσπερ τις Ὀδυσσεὺς, ἐχόμενοι τῆς σχεδίας, ἅτε οὐδʼ ἔρημοι πλέοντες ἡμεῖς γε, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τῷ μεγίστῳ καὶ φιλανθρωποτάτῳ τῶν κυβερνητῶν, ὃς ἡμῖν ἀήτας ἀνεῖχε τὸ μὴ καταδῦναι.
However, even in these circumstances we lived through like a certain Odysseus, clinging to our raft, and indeed we were not sailing alone, but under the greatest and most benevolent of helmsmen, who held back the blasts for us so that we should not sink.
μόνοι δὲ ὧν ἴσμεν Ἑλλήνων οὐ πλούτου χάριν, οὐ δόξης, οὐ τιμῆς, οὐ γάμων, οὐ δυναστείας, οὐ προσθήκης οὐδεμιᾶς τοῖς λόγοις ἐπεχειρήσαμεν, ἀλλʼ αὐτῶν ἐρασταὶ καθαρῶς καταστάντες ἐτιμήθημεν τὰ πρέποντα ὑπὸ τῶν λόγων.
And we are the only Greeks we know who have applied ourselves to speeches not for the sake of wealth, nor of glory, nor of honor, nor of marriage, nor of power, nor of any addition; but having purely become lovers of them, we have been honored with what is fitting by the speeches themselves.
ἄλλοις μὲν οὖν ὁμιλία παιδικῶν ἡδὺ, τοῖς δὲ ὡς πλεῖστα λούσασθαι, τοῖς δʼ εἰς πλῆθος πιεῖν, τοὺς δʼ ἵπποι καὶ κύνες ἐξέπληξαν.
Now to others, the company of boys is sweet; to some, to bathe as much as possible; to others, to drink to excess; and others are amazed by horses and dogs.
καὶ νὴ Δίʼ οἱ μὲν παιδιᾷ προσέχοντες ἀφεστᾶσι τῶν λόγων, οἱ δʼ ἕτερʼ ἄττα σπουδάζοντες.
And indeed, by Zeus, some who pay attention to play stand aloof from speeches, while others are serious about some other things.
ἐμοὶ δὲ λόγοι πάσας προσηγορίας καὶ πάσας δυνάμεις ἔχουσι.
But to me, speeches possess all names and all powers.
καὶ γὰρ παῖδας καὶ γονέας καὶ πράξεις τε καὶ ἀναπαύσεις καὶ πάντα ἐθέμην τούτους.
For indeed, I have regarded them as children, parents, activities, rests, and everything.
καὶ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην ἐπὶ τούτοις καλῶ.
And I call Aphrodite to witness over these.
ταῦτα δέ μοι παίζεται καὶ ταῦτα σπουδάζεται, τούτοις χαίρω, τούτους ἀσπάζομαι, ἐπὶ τὰς τούτων φοιτῶ θύρας, καὶ πολλὰ ἂν ἔχων ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερʼ εἰπεῖν, παραλείπω τοῦ μὴ φορτικὸς εἶναι δοκεῖν.
These are played by me and these are pursued seriously; in these I rejoice, these I embrace, to the doors of these I resort; and though I could say many other things besides these, I omit them in order not to seem offensive.
ἀλλὰ μὴν ὑπέρ γε τῆς δόξης οὕτω διενοήθην, ἀπαντῶσαν μὲν αὐτὴν δέχεσθαι καὶ στέρχειν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν παντάπασι βλὰξ εἴην τις· πραγματεύεσθαι δὲ μηδὲν εἰς αὐτὴν ἔξω τῶν λόγων αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν βίον ὀρθότητος συμφώνου τούτοις, ἀλλʼ εἰ μέν τις εἰς ταῦτα ὁρῶν βούλοιτο θαυμάζειν, εἰ δὲ μὴ, χαίρειν ἐᾶν.
However, concerning glory, I have resolved thus: to receive and love it when it meets me—for indeed I should be altogether a fool otherwise—but to busy myself in no way for it outside of the speeches themselves and the rectitude of life in harmony with them; and if anyone, looking at these, wishes to admire, well and if not, to let it go.
παρόδους τοίνυν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον πλείστας ὧν ἐγὼ σύνοιδα ἐποιησάμην, καὶ ταῦτα μὴ πόρρωθεν, εἰ βούλεσθε, ἀλλʼ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν παρόντων τουτωνὶ χρόνων σκέψασθε.
Therefore, I have made the most public appearances of any that I am aware of; and consider these, if you wish, not from a distance, but from these very present times.
τίνα γὰρ πανήγυριν ἡμεῖς ἢ τίνα σύλλογον παρεῖμεν τὸ μὴ οὐ κοσμῆσαι τὴν πόλιν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ; καὶ
For what public festival or what assembly did we pass by, so as not to adorn the city in public?
§422ταῦτα οὐκ ἐνδείᾳ δόξης.
And this not from a lack of glory.
σὺν γὰρ θεοῖς εἰπεῖν τοσαύτη γεγένηται ὥστε μὴ ἀγωνίζεσθαι δεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτὴν, ἀλλʼ ἀσφαλῶς ἔχειν σιωπᾶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν οὖσαν διασώσασθαι.
For to speak with the help of the gods, it has become so great that we do not need to contend to receive it, but we can safely keep silent in order to preserve what is there.
καὶ μὴν τοῖς ἰδίᾳ συνιέναι σπουδάσασιν οὐκ ἀγωνιζόμενον μόνον παρέσχον ἐμαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραδεικνύντα ἐπιεικῶς ἐξ ὧν ᾤμην τι βελτίους ἔσεσθαι.
Moreover, to those who were eager to meet in private, I presented myself not only as one who contends, but also as one who demonstrates adequately from what things I thought they would become somewhat better.
εἶεν.
Well.
τὰ μὲν ἡμέτερα τοιαῦτα καὶ τούτοις παραπλήσια.
Our affairs are such and close to these.
σκέψασθε δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑμέτερʼ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ μέρει πρὸς ταῦτα, ὦ δυσέρωτες ὑμεῖς, οἳ φιλεῖτε μὲν οὑτωσὶ διαφερόντως καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἄκρον εἶναι πεπιστεύκατε, καὶ ταῦτα κἀν τοῖς γυμνασίοις καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν βοᾶτε, πεπόνθατε δὲ— οὐδὲν ἐρῶ πικρότερον, θαρρεῖτε—ταυτὸν τοῖς παισὶ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἀνδρῶν.
But examine in turn your own affairs compared to these, you who are madly in love, who love in this exceptional way and have believed that you are the pinnacle of the Greeks, and indeed you shout this in the gymnasia and in the marketplace, but you have suffered—I will say nothing too bitter, rest assured—the same as the children of illustrious men.
καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνοις ἀρκεῖ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῖς εἶναι τοιούτους, αὐτοὶ δʼ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ τρυφῶσι· καὶ ὑμῖν ἀρκεῖ παρεῖναι ἐμὲ καὶ λέγειν, τὸ δʼ ἀπαντᾶν καὶ μετέχειν τῶν ξένων ἅπαν ἠξιώσατε εἶναι.
For it is enough for them that their fathers are such, while they themselves for the most part live in luxury; and for you, it is enough that I am present and speak, and you have deemed that coming to meet me and taking part is entirely the business of strangers.
ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ βαδίζειν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκροάσεις περὶ τὰς κολυμβήθρας οἱ πλείους διατρίβετε, εἶτα θαυμάζετε, εἴ τινες ὑμᾶς τῶν λεγόντων λανθάνουσι·
But instead of walking to the lectures, the majority of you waste time around the pools, and then you wonder if any of the speakers escape your notice.
τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς οὐ βούλεσθε, οἶμαι, πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς λέγειν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔνεστι λίθων ἐρῶντας οὐδὲ λουτρῶν ἐξηρτημένους οὐδʼ ἃ μὴ δεῖ τιμῶντας τὰς περὶ τοὺς λόγους διατριβὰς γιγνώσκειν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὑμέτερʼ αὐτῶν ἀνατίθετʼ ἐμοὶ καὶ βλασφημεῖτε μετʼ εὐφημίας, εἰ γὰρ ἐβούλετο, καὶ τοιαυτὶ λέγοντες, ὡς νῦν γε νυστάζοντα δηλονότι.
But you do not wish, I think, to speak the truth to yourselves, that it is impossible for those who love stones, or are dependent on baths, or honor what they ought not, to understand the occupations concerning speeches; instead, you attribute your own faults to me and slander me with compliments, saying such things as "if he only wished," as if I were now clearly nodding off.
καίτοι λόγος μὲν λόγον, ὥς φησιν Ὅμηρος, ἀμείβεται, καὶ ὁποῖʼ ἄττʼ ἂν εἴπῃ τοιαῦτʼ ἂν ἀκούσεσθαι χρὴ προσδοκᾶν, ῥήτορα δʼ εἶναι φάσκοντα λαβόντα αἰτίαν οὐ προσήκουσαν μὴ χρήσασθαι τοῖς οἰκείοις ὀργάνοις ἔσχατα συμφορᾶς.
And yet, "speech answers speech," as Homer says, and one must expect to hear such things as one speaks; but for one who claims to be an orator, when receiving an improper accusation, not to make use of his own instruments is the extreme of misfortune.
ἐγὼ τοίνυν θεῶν εὐμενῶν ὄντων τοὺς μὲν κατʼ αὐτοὺς τοὺς λόγους ἀγῶνας οὐ σφόδρα φήσαιμʼ ἂν δεδιέναι, δέδοικα δὲ τοὺς δεινοὺς ἀνταγωνιστάς.
Therefore, the gods being favorable, I would say that I do not greatly fear the contests concerning the speeches themselves, but I fear the terrible rivals.
εἴπω τίνας;
Shall I say who they are?
τοὺς λίπα ἀληλιμμένους τουτουσὶ καὶ τὸν φοίνικα
These men who are thoroughly anointed with oil, and the palm...