Polybius · The Histories §12.24.1-12.24.6

Criticism of Timaeus Judging Authors' Characters from Their Writings

Passage 764 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Polybius criticizes Timaeus, who judged the character of other authors from details in their writings, pointing out that Timaeus' own writings reveal his superstitious and credulous nature.

§12.24.1ὅτι διαπορεῖν ἔστι περὶ τῆς αἱρέσεως Τιμαίου.

That one may well be perplexed regarding the choice of Timaeus.

φησὶ γὰρ τοὺς ποιητὰς καὶ συγγραφέας διὰ τῶν ὑπεράνω πλεονασμῶν ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι διαφαίνειν τὰς ἑαυτῶν φύσεις. §12.24.2λέγων τὸν μὲν ποιητὴν ἐκ τοῦ δαιτρεύειν πολλαχοῦ τῆς ποιήσεως ὡς ἂν εἰ γαστρίμαργον παρεμφαίνειν, τὸν δʼ Ἀριστοτέλην, ὀψαρτύοντα πλεονάκις ἐν τοῖς συγγράμμασιν, ὀψοφάγον εἶναι καὶ λίχνον. §12.24.3τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐπὶ τοῦ Διονυσίου τοῦ τυράννου, κλινοκοσμοῦντος καὶ τὰς τῶν ὑφασμάτων ἰδιότητας καὶ ποικιλίας ἐξεργαζομένου συνεχῶς.

For he says that poets and historians, through the excessive redundancies in their writings, reveal their own natures: saying that the poet, because of his carving meat in many places of his poetry, as it were reveals himself to be a glutton; and that Aristotle, by often seasoning dishes in his writings, is a gourmet and a greedy man; and in the same manner regarding Dionysius the tyrant, because he was constantly arranging couches and detailing the peculiarities and embroideries of woven fabrics.

§12.24.4ἀνάγκη τὴν ἀκόλουθον ποιεῖσθαι διάληψιν καὶ δυσαρεστεῖσθαι κατὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν.

It is necessary, therefore, to form the corresponding judgment and to be displeased with his choice of life.

§12.24.5οὗτος γὰρ ἐν μὲν ταῖς τῶν πέλας κατηγορίαις πολλὴν ἐπιφαίνει δεινότητα καὶ τόλμαν, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἰδίαις ἀποφάσεσιν ἐνυπνίων καὶ τεράτων καὶ μύθων ἀπιθάνων καὶ συλλήβδην δεισιδαιμονίας ἀγεννοῦς καὶ τερατείας γυναικώδους ἐστὶ πλήρης.

For while this man displays great skill and audacity in his accusations against his neighbors, in his own assertions he is full of dreams, portents, incredible myths, and in short, low superstition and womanish love of the marvelous.

§12.24.6οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ διότι γε συμβαίνει διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν καὶ κακοκρισίαν πολλοὺς ἐνίοτε καθάπερ εἰ παρόντας τρόπον τινὰ μὴ παρεῖναι καὶ βλέποντας μὴ βλέπειν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων τε νῦν καὶ τῶν Τιμαίῳ συμβεβηκότων γέγονε φανερόν. —

Nevertheless, that by reason of inexperience and bad judgment it sometimes happens that many, as if present, are in a way not present, and looking do not see, has become manifest both from what has now been said and from what has happened to Timaeus.

Notes

12.24.1διαπορεῖν ἔστι — This impersonal construction of ἔστι with the infinitive means 'it is possible to be perplexed' or 'one cannot but be perplexed.' It expresses the reaction of a reader or critic who is forced to doubt or wonder at the inconsistency and strange logic in Timaeus' own intellectual attitude.
12.24.2ἐκ τοῦ δαιτρεύειν — The preposition ἐκ is followed by the articular present infinitive δαιτρεύειν (to carve, distribute meat) in the genitive. It refers to the frequent descriptions of carving meat at banquets in Homer's epics, which Timaeus used as grounds to absurdly infer that Homer was a glutton.
12.24.3τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον — This is an accusative of manner (adverbial accusative), meaning 'in the same manner.' It functions as an elliptical expression showing that the same kind of accusation or logic of inference (dependent on λέγων in the previous section) is applied to Dionysius the tyrant.
12.24.4τὴν ἀκόλουθον ποιεῖσθαι διάληψιν — Literally 'to make the following (corresponding) judgment.' It refers to the retaliatory logic that, just as Timaeus judged others' characters from minor details in their writings, we are forced to judge Timaeus himself by applying the very same standard to his own writings (which are full of low superstitions).
12.24.6καθάπερ εἰ παρόντας τρόπον τινὰ μὴ παρεῖναι καὶ βλέποντας μὴ βλέπειν — A paradoxical expression: 'as if present, in a way not to be present, and looking, not to see.' It ironically describes the state of Timaeus, who, despite being a historian dealing with documents and events, fails to grasp them accurately, remaining intellectually and spiritually blind.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §12.24.1-12.24.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.24.1-12.24.6

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