Lucian of Samosata, Vitarum auctio, Emily James Smith (Translator), 26

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

Zeus

Don't waste time. Call up another, the Peripatetic.

Hermes

You are the man I want-the handsome, the rich one. Come now, buy the most intelligent life-the one whose forte is omniscience!

Buyer

What sort of a person is he?

Hermes

He leads a reasonable, well-ordered life, never doing either too much or too little. Most important of all, he is double.

Buyer

What do you mean?

Hermes

It seems that his visible man is one person and his inward man another; so, if you buy him, remember to call the one "exoteric," the other "esoteric."

Buyer

What does he know best?

Hermes

That there are three classes of goods, relating to the soul, the body, and to externals.

Buyer

He thinks like a human being. What is his price?

Hermes

Three hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Buyer

That is high.

Hermes

No, my good fellow, for he seems to have some money himself, so you can't buy him too quickly. Moreover, you will presently learn from him how long the gnat lives, how far down the sea is lighted by the sun, and the nature of the soul of the oyster.

Buyer

Herakles! there's precision for you.

Hermes

What would you say if you should hear things a great deal shrewder than these— how man is a laughing animal, but the ass neither a laughing, nor a house-building, nor a seafaring animal?

Buyer

Edifying and profitable knowledge! I will take him for four hundred dollars.

Vitarum auctio. Lucian of Samosata. Emily James Smith (Translator). Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

The Sale of Lives (English) (Lucian. Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.)

Editions (1)

Βίων Πρᾶσις Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 26 focus

Ζεύς

μὴ διάτριβε· ἄλλον κάλει τὸν Περιπατητικόν.

Ἑρμῆς

σέ φημι, τὸν καλόν, τὸν πλούσιον. ἄγε δή, ὠνήσασθε τὸν συνετώτατον, τὸν ἅπαντα ὅλως ἐπιστάμενον.

Ἀγοράστης

ποῖος δέ τις ἐστί;

Ἑρμῆς

μέτριος, ἐπιεικής, ἁρμόδιος τῷ βίῳ, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, διπλοῦς.

Ἀγοράστης

πῶς λέγεις;

Ἑρμῆς

ἄλλος μὲν ὁ ἔκτοσθεν φαινόμενος, ἄλλος δὲ ὁ ἔντοσθεν εἶναι δοκεῖ· ὥστε ἢν πρίῃ αὐτόν, μέμνησο τὸν μὲν ἐξωτερικόν, τὸν δὲ ἐσωτερικὸν καλεῖν.

Ἀγοράστης

τί δὲ γινώσκει μάλιστα;

Ἑρμῆς

τρία εἶναι τὰ ἀγαθά, ἐν ψυχῇ, ἐν σώματι, ἐν τοῖς ἐκτός.

Ἀγοράστης

ἀνθρώπινα φρονεῖ. πόσου δέ ἐστιν;

Ἑρμῆς

εἴκοσι μνῶν.

Ἀγοράστης

πολλοῦ¹ λέγεις.

Ἑρμῆς

οὔκ, ὦ μακάριε· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔχειν τι ἀργύριον δοκεῖ, ὥστε οὐκ ἂν φθάνοις ὠνούμενος. ἔτι δὲ εἴσῃ αὐτίκα μάλα παρʼ αὐτοῦ πόσον μὲν ὁ κώνωψ βιοῖ τὸν χρόνον, ἐφʼ ὁπόσον δὲ βάθος ἡ θάλαττα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου καταλάμπεται, καὶ ὁποία τίς ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ τῶν ὀστρείων.

Ἀγοράστης

Ἡράκλεις τῆς ἀκριβολογίας.

Ἑρμῆς

τί δὲ εἰ ἀκούσειας ἄλλα πολλῷ τούτων ὀξυδερκέστερα, γονῆς τε πέρι καὶ γενέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐν ταῖς μήτραις τῶν ἐμβρύων πλαστικῆς, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος μὲν γελαστικόν, ὄνος δὲ οὐ γελαστικὸν οὐδὲ τεκταινόμενον οὐδὲ πλωϊζόμενον;

Ἀγοράστης

πάνσεμνα φὴς καὶ ὀνησιφόρα τὰ μαθήματα, ὥστε ὠνοῦμαι αὐτὸν τῶν² εἴκοσιν.

Translations (2)

Philosophies for Sale Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 26 focus

ZEUS

Don’t delay; call another, the Peripatetic.

HERMES

(To renivatetic.) I say, you who are handsome, you who are rich! (Yo the buyers.) Come now, buy the height of intelligence, the one who knows absolutely everything!

BUYER

What is he like!

HERMES

Moderate, gentlemanly, adaptable in his way of living, and, what is more, he is double.

BUYER

What do you mean?

HERMES

Viewed from the outside, he seems to be one man, and from the inside, another; so if you buy him, be sure to call the one self “exoteric” and the other “esoteric.”

BUYER

What does he know best?

HERMES

That goods are threefold, in the soul, in the body, and in things external.¹

BUYER

He has common sense. How much is he?

HERMES

Twenty minas.

BUYER

Your price is high.

HERMES

Not so, bless you, for he himself appears to have a bit of money, so you can’t be too quick about buying him. Besides, he will tell you at once how long a gnat lives, how far down into the sea the sunlight reaches, and what the soul of an oyster is like.

BUYER

Heracles, what insight!

HERMES

What if I should tell you of other information demanding far keener vision, about sperm and conception and the shaping of the embryo in the womb, and how man is a creature that laughs, while asses do not laugh, and neither do they build houses nor sail boats.

BUYER

This is high and helpful information that you tell of, so I shall buy him for the twenty minas.

Sale of Creeds Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 1. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 26 focus

Zeus

Don’t waste time. Next lot,—the Peripatetic!

Heraclitus

Now, my beauty, now, Affluence! Gentlemen, if you want Wisdom for your money, here is a creed that comprises all knowledge.:

Eighth Dealer

What is he like?

Heraclitus

He is temperate, good-natured, easy to get on with; and his strong point is, that he is twins,

Eighth Dealer

How can that be?

Heraclitus

Why, he is one creed outside, and another inside. So remember, if you buy him, one of him is called Esoteric, and the other Exoteric.

Eighth Dealer

And what has he to say for himself?

Heraclitus

He has to say that there are three kinds of good: spiritual, corporeal, circumstantial,

Eighth Dealer

There’s something a man can understand. How much is he?

Heraclitus

Eighty pounds.

Eighth Dealer

Eighty pounds is a long price.

Heraclitus

Not at all, my dear sir, not at all. You see, there is some money with him, to all appearance. Snap him up before it is too late. Why, from him you will find out in no time how long a gnat lives, to how many fathoms’ depth the sunlight penetrates the sea, and what an oyster’s soul is like.

Eighth Dealer

Heracles! Nothing escapes him.

Heraclitus

Ah, these are trifles. You should hear some of his more abstruse speculations, concerning generation and birth and the development of the embryo; and his distinction between man, the laughing creature, and the ass, which is neither a laughing nor a carpentering nor a shipping creature.

Eighth Dealer

Such knowledge is as useful as it is ornamental. Eighty pounds be it, then.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Zeus Don't waste time. Call up another, the Peripatetic.

Hermes You are the man I want-the handsome, the rich one. Come now, buy the most intelligent life-the one whose forte is omniscience!

Buyer What sort of a person is he?

Hermes He leads a reasonable, well-ordered life, never doing either too much or too little. Most important of all, he is double.

Buyer What do you mean?

Hermes It seems that his visible man is one person and his inward man another; so, if you buy him, remember to call the one "exoteric," the other "esoteric."

Buyer What does he know best?

Hermes That there are three classes of goods, relating to the soul, the body, and to externals.

Buyer He thinks like a human being. What is his price?

Hermes Three hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Buyer That is high.

Hermes No, my good fellow, for he seems to have some money himself, so you can't buy him too quickly. Moreover, you will presently learn from him how long the gnat lives, how far down the sea is lighted by the sun, and the nature of the soul of the oyster.

Buyer Herakles! there's precision for you.

Hermes What would you say if you should hear things a great deal shrewder than these— how man is a laughing animal, but the ass neither a laughing, nor a house-building, nor a seafaring animal?

Buyer Edifying and profitable knowledge! I will take him for four hundred dollars.

Current edition Perseus

Ζεύς μὴ διάτριβε· ἄλλον κάλει τὸν Περιπατητικόν.

Ἑρμῆς σέ φημι, τὸν καλόν, τὸν πλούσιον. ἄγε δή, ὠνήσασθε τὸν συνετώτατον, τὸν ἅπαντα ὅλως ἐπιστάμενον.

Ἀγοράστης ποῖος δέ τις ἐστί;

Ἑρμῆς μέτριος, ἐπιεικής, ἁρμόδιος τῷ βίῳ, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, διπλοῦς.

Ἀγοράστης πῶς λέγεις;

Ἑρμῆς ἄλλος μὲν ὁ ἔκτοσθεν φαινόμενος, ἄλλος δὲ ὁ ἔντοσθεν εἶναι δοκεῖ· ὥστε ἢν πρίῃ αὐτόν, μέμνησο τὸν μὲν ἐξωτερικόν, τὸν δὲ ἐσωτερικὸν καλεῖν.

Ἀγοράστης τί δὲ γινώσκει μάλιστα;

Ἑρμῆς τρία εἶναι τὰ ἀγαθά, ἐν ψυχῇ, ἐν σώματι, ἐν τοῖς ἐκτός.

Ἀγοράστης ἀνθρώπινα φρονεῖ. πόσου δέ ἐστιν;

Ἑρμῆς εἴκοσι μνῶν.

Ἀγοράστης πολλοῦ 1 λέγεις.

Ἀγοράστης Ἡράκλεις τῆς ἀκριβολογίας.

Ἀγοράστης πάνσεμνα φὴς καὶ ὀνησιφόρα τὰ μαθήματα, ὥστε ὠνοῦμαι αὐτὸν τῶν 2 εἴκοσιν.

ZEUS Don’t delay; call another, the Peripatetic.

HERMES (To renivatetic.) I say, you who are handsome, you who are rich! (Yo the buyers.) Come now, buy the height of intelligence, the one who knows absolutely everything!

BUYER What is he like!

HERMES Moderate, gentlemanly, adaptable in his way of living, and, what is more, he is double.

BUYER What do you mean?

HERMES Viewed from the outside, he seems to be one man, and from the inside, another; so if you buy him, be sure to call the one self “exoteric” and the other “esoteric.”

BUYER What does he know best?

HERMES That goods are threefold, in the soul, in the body, and in things external. 1

BUYER He has common sense. How much is he?

HERMES Twenty minas.

BUYER Your price is high.

HERMES Not so, bless you, for he himself appears to have a bit of money, so you can’t be too quick about buying him. Besides, he will tell you at once how long a gnat lives, how far down into the sea the sunlight reaches, and what the soul of an oyster is like.

BUYER Heracles, what insight!

HERMES What if I should tell you of other information demanding far keener vision, about sperm and conception and the shaping of the embryo in the womb, and how man is a creature that laughs, while asses do not laugh, and neither do they build houses nor sail boats.

BUYER This is high and helpful information that you tell of, so I shall buy him for the twenty minas.

Zeus Don’t waste time. Next lot,—the Peripatetic!

Heraclitus Now, my beauty, now, Affluence! Gentlemen, if you want Wisdom for your money, here is a creed that comprises all knowledge.:

Eighth Dealer What is he like?

Heraclitus He is temperate, good-natured, easy to get on with; and his strong point is, that he is twins,

Eighth Dealer How can that be?

Heraclitus Why, he is one creed outside, and another inside. So remember, if you buy him, one of him is called Esoteric, and the other Exoteric.

Eighth Dealer And what has he to say for himself?

Heraclitus He has to say that there are three kinds of good: spiritual, corporeal, circumstantial,

Eighth Dealer There’s something a man can understand. How much is he?

Heraclitus Eighty pounds.

Eighth Dealer Eighty pounds is a long price.

Eighth Dealer Heracles! Nothing escapes him.

Heraclitus Ah, these are trifles. You should hear some of his more abstruse speculations, concerning generation and birth and the development of the embryo; and his distinction between man, the laughing creature, and the ass, which is neither a laughing nor a carpentering nor a shipping creature.

Eighth Dealer Such knowledge is as useful as it is ornamental. Eighty pounds be it, then.

Stable identifiers

Zeus

Don't waste time. Call up another, the Peripatetic.

Hermes

You are the man I want-the handsome, the rich one. Come now, buy the most intelligent life-the one whose forte is omniscience!

Buyer

What sort of a person is he?

Hermes

He leads a reasonable, well-ordered life, never doing either too much or too little. Most important of all, he is double.

Buyer

What do you mean?

Hermes

It seems that his visible man is one person and his inward man another; so, if you buy him, remember to call the one "exoteric," the other "esoteric."

Buyer

What does he know best?

Hermes

That there are three classes of goods, relating to the soul, the body, and to externals.

Buyer

He thinks like a human being. What is his price?

Hermes

Three hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Buyer

That is high.

Hermes

No, my good fellow, for he seems to have some money himself, so you can't buy him too quickly. Moreover, you will presently learn from him how long the gnat lives, how far down the sea is lighted by the sun, and the nature of the soul of the oyster.

Buyer

Herakles! there's precision for you.

Hermes

What would you say if you should hear things a great deal shrewder than these— how man is a laughing animal, but the ass neither a laughing, nor a house-building, nor a seafaring animal?

Buyer

Edifying and profitable knowledge! I will take him for four hundred dollars.

Ζεύς

μὴ διάτριβε· ἄλλον κάλει τὸν Περιπατητικόν.

Ἑρμῆς

σέ φημι, τὸν καλόν, τὸν πλούσιον. ἄγε δή, ὠνήσασθε τὸν συνετώτατον, τὸν ἅπαντα ὅλως ἐπιστάμενον.

Ἀγοράστης

ποῖος δέ τις ἐστί;

Ἑρμῆς

μέτριος, ἐπιεικής, ἁρμόδιος τῷ βίῳ, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, διπλοῦς.

Ἀγοράστης

πῶς λέγεις;

Ἑρμῆς

ἄλλος μὲν ὁ ἔκτοσθεν φαινόμενος, ἄλλος δὲ ὁ ἔντοσθεν εἶναι δοκεῖ· ὥστε ἢν πρίῃ αὐτόν, μέμνησο τὸν μὲν ἐξωτερικόν, τὸν δὲ ἐσωτερικὸν καλεῖν.

Ἀγοράστης

τί δὲ γινώσκει μάλιστα;

Ἑρμῆς

τρία εἶναι τὰ ἀγαθά, ἐν ψυχῇ, ἐν σώματι, ἐν τοῖς ἐκτός.

Ἀγοράστης

ἀνθρώπινα φρονεῖ. πόσου δέ ἐστιν;

Ἑρμῆς

εἴκοσι μνῶν.

Ἀγοράστης

πολλοῦ¹ λέγεις.

Ἀγοράστης

Ἡράκλεις τῆς ἀκριβολογίας.

Ἀγοράστης

πάνσεμνα φὴς καὶ ὀνησιφόρα τὰ μαθήματα, ὥστε ὠνοῦμαι αὐτὸν τῶν² εἴκοσιν.

ZEUS

Don’t delay; call another, the Peripatetic.

HERMES

(To renivatetic.) I say, you who are handsome, you who are rich! (Yo the buyers.) Come now, buy the height of intelligence, the one who knows absolutely everything!

BUYER

What is he like!

HERMES

Moderate, gentlemanly, adaptable in his way of living, and, what is more, he is double.

BUYER

What do you mean?

HERMES

Viewed from the outside, he seems to be one man, and from the inside, another; so if you buy him, be sure to call the one self “exoteric” and the other “esoteric.”

BUYER

What does he know best?

HERMES

That goods are threefold, in the soul, in the body, and in things external.¹

BUYER

He has common sense. How much is he?

HERMES

Twenty minas.

BUYER

Your price is high.

HERMES

Not so, bless you, for he himself appears to have a bit of money, so you can’t be too quick about buying him. Besides, he will tell you at once how long a gnat lives, how far down into the sea the sunlight reaches, and what the soul of an oyster is like.

BUYER

Heracles, what insight!

HERMES

What if I should tell you of other information demanding far keener vision, about sperm and conception and the shaping of the embryo in the womb, and how man is a creature that laughs, while asses do not laugh, and neither do they build houses nor sail boats.

BUYER

This is high and helpful information that you tell of, so I shall buy him for the twenty minas.

Zeus

Don’t waste time. Next lot,—the Peripatetic!

Heraclitus

Now, my beauty, now, Affluence! Gentlemen, if you want Wisdom for your money, here is a creed that comprises all knowledge.:

Eighth Dealer

What is he like?

Heraclitus

He is temperate, good-natured, easy to get on with; and his strong point is, that he is twins,

Eighth Dealer

How can that be?

Heraclitus

Why, he is one creed outside, and another inside. So remember, if you buy him, one of him is called Esoteric, and the other Exoteric.

Eighth Dealer

And what has he to say for himself?

Heraclitus

He has to say that there are three kinds of good: spiritual, corporeal, circumstantial,

Eighth Dealer

There’s something a man can understand. How much is he?

Heraclitus

Eighty pounds.

Eighth Dealer

Eighty pounds is a long price.

Eighth Dealer

Heracles! Nothing escapes him.

Heraclitus

Ah, these are trifles. You should hear some of his more abstruse speculations, concerning generation and birth and the development of the embryo; and his distinction between man, the laughing creature, and the ass, which is neither a laughing nor a carpentering nor a shipping creature.

Eighth Dealer

Such knowledge is as useful as it is ornamental. Eighty pounds be it, then.