Lucian, Piscator, Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator), 3

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Lucian

Forbear; spare me; I appeal to the God of suppliants.

Socrates

Too late; no loophole is left you now. And you know your Homer:

'Twixt men and lions, covenants are null.

Lucian

Why, it is in Homer’s name that I ask my boon. You will perhaps pay reverence to his lines, and listen to a selection from him:

Slay not; no churl is he; a ransom take

Of bronze and gold, whereof wise hearts are fain.

Platonists

Why, two can play at that game; exempli gratia,

Reviler, babble not of gold, nor nurse

Hope of escape from these our hands that hold thee.

Lucian

Ah me, ah me! my best hopes dashed, with Homer! Let me fly to Euripides; it may be he will protect me: Leave him his life; the suppliant’s life is sacred.

Platonists

Does this happen to be Euripides too—

Evil men evil treated is no evil?

Lucian

And will you slay me now for nought but words?

Platonists

Most certainly; our author has something on that point too:

Unbridled lips

And folly’s slips

Invite Fate’s whips.

Piscator. Lucian. Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator). Medford, MA, USA. 2023-08-01.

Current edition Perseus

The Fisher (English) (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 1. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.)

Editions (1)

Ἀναβιοῦντες ἢ Ἁλιεύς Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 3 focus

Παρρησιάδης

μηδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἱκεσίου φείσασθέ μου.

Πλάτων

Ἄραρεν· οὐκ ἂν ἀφεθείης ἔτι. ὁρᾷς δὲ δὴ καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρον ἅ φησιν,
ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά.

Παρρησιάδης

καὶ μὴν καθʼ Ὅμηρον ὑμᾶς καὶ αὐτὸς ἱκετεύσω· αἰδέσεσθε γὰρ ἴσως τὰ ἔπη καὶ οὐ παρόψεσθε ῥαψῳδήσαντά με·

ζωγρεῖτʼ οὐ κακὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἄξια δέχθε ἄποινα,

χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τε, τὰ δὴ φιλέουσι σοφοί περ.

Πλάτων

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς ἀπορήσομεν πρὸς σὲ Ὁμηρικῆς ἀντιλογίας. ἄκουε γοῦν·

μὴ δή μοι φύξιν γε, κακηγόρε, βάλλεο θυμῷ

χρυσόν περ λέξας, ἐπεὶ ἵκεο χεῖρας ἐς ἀμάς.

Παρρησιάδης

οἴμοι τῶν κακῶν. ὁ μὲν Ὅμηρος ἡμῖν ἄπρακτος, ἡ μεγίστη ἐλπίς. ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐριπίδην δή μοι καταφευκτέον· τάχα γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος σώσειέ με.
μὴ κτεῖνε· τὸν ἱκέτην γὰρ οὐ θέμις κτανεῖν.

Πλάτων

τί δέ; οὐχὶ κἀκεῖνα Εὐριπίδου ἐστίν,
οὐ δεινὰ πάσχειν δεινὰ τοὺς εἰργασμένους;

Παρρησιάδης

νῦν οὖν ἕκατι ῥημάτων κτενεῖτέ¹ με;

Πλάτων

νὴ Δία· φησὶ γοῦν ἐκεῖνος αὐτός,

ἀχαλίνων στομάτων

ἀνόμου τʼ ἀφροσύνας

τὸ τέλος δυστυχία.

Translations (1)

The Dead Come to Life, or the Fisherman Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 3 focus

FRANKNESS

No, no! In the name of Him who hears the suppliant,¹ spare me!

PLATO

Your doom is sealed: you cannot be let go now. You know, of course, what Homer says:

Since between lions and men there exist no bonds of alliance.

Iliad22, 262.

FRANKNESS

Indeed, I myself will quote Homer in begging you for mercy. Perhaps you will revere his verses and will not ignore me when I have recited them:

Save me, for I am no churl, and I receive what is fitting in ransom,

Copper and gold, that in truth are desirable even to sages.

A cento; Iliad6, 46, 48; 20, 65.

PLATO

But we ourselves shall not be at a loss for a Homeric reply to you; listen to this, for instance:

Think not now in your heart of escape, you speaker of slander,

Even by talking of gold, oncé into our hands you have fallen.

Iliad10, 447-8, with alterations.

FRANKNESS

Oh, what wretched luck! Homer, in whom I had my greatest hope, is useless to me. I suppose I must take refuge with Euripides; perhaps he might save me:

Slay not! The suppliant thou shalt not skay.

Nauck, p. 663. Cf. Ion1553.

Lucian Piscator 3

Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator)

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Lucian

Forbear; spare me; I appeal to the God of suppliants.

Socrates

Too late; no loophole is left you now. And you know your Homer:

'Twixt men and lions, covenants are null.

Lucian

Why, it is in Homer’s name that I ask my boon. You will perhaps pay reverence to his lines, and listen to a selection from him:

Slay not; no churl is he; a ransom take

Of bronze and gold, whereof wise hearts are fain.

Platonists

Why, two can play at that game; exempli gratia,

Reviler, babble not of gold, nor nurse

Hope of escape from these our hands that hold thee.

Lucian

Ah me, ah me! my best hopes dashed, with Homer! Let me fly to Euripides; it may be he will protect me: Leave him his life; the suppliant’s life is sacred.

Platonists

Does this happen to be Euripides too—

Evil men evil treated is no evil?

Lucian

And will you slay me now for nought but words?

Platonists

Most certainly; our author has something on that point too:

Unbridled lips

And folly’s slips

Invite Fate’s whips.

Current edition Perseus

Παρρησιάδης

μηδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἱκεσίου φείσασθέ μου.

Πλάτων

Ἄραρεν· οὐκ ἂν ἀφεθείης ἔτι. ὁρᾷς δὲ δὴ καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρον ἅ φησιν,
ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά.

Πλάτων

τί δέ; οὐχὶ κἀκεῖνα Εὐριπίδου ἐστίν,
οὐ δεινὰ πάσχειν δεινὰ τοὺς εἰργασμένους;

Παρρησιάδης

νῦν οὖν ἕκατι ῥημάτων κτενεῖτέ¹ με;

Πλάτων

νὴ Δία· φησὶ γοῦν ἐκεῖνος αὐτός,

ἀχαλίνων στομάτων

ἀνόμου τʼ ἀφροσύνας

τὸ τέλος δυστυχία.

FRANKNESS

No, no! In the name of Him who hears the suppliant,¹ spare me!

PLATO

Your doom is sealed: you cannot be let go now. You know, of course, what Homer says:

Since between lions and men there exist no bonds of alliance.

Iliad22, 262.

PLATO

But we ourselves shall not be at a loss for a Homeric reply to you; listen to this, for instance:

Think not now in your heart of escape, you speaker of slander,

Even by talking of gold, oncé into our hands you have fallen.

Iliad10, 447-8, with alterations.

FRANKNESS

Oh, what wretched luck! Homer, in whom I had my greatest hope, is useless to me. I suppose I must take refuge with Euripides; perhaps he might save me:

Slay not! The suppliant thou shalt not skay.

Nauck, p. 663. Cf. Ion1553.

PLATO

Ah, but is not this by Euripides, too?

No harm for them that wrought to suffer harm.

Orestes413.

FRANKNESS

hen will ye slay me now, because of words?

Euripides? Nauck, p. 663.

PLATO

Yes, by Heaven! Anyhow, he himself says:

Of mouths that are curbless

And fools that are lawless

The end is mischance.

Bacchae386 ff.

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Lucian Forbear; spare me; I appeal to the God of suppliants.

Socrates Too late; no loophole is left you now. And you know your Homer: 'Twixt men and lions, covenants are null.

Lucian Why, it is in Homer’s name that I ask my boon. You will perhaps pay reverence to his lines, and listen to a selection from him: Slay not; no churl is he; a ransom take Of bronze and gold, whereof wise hearts are fain.

Platonists Why, two can play at that game; exempli gratia, Reviler, babble not of gold, nor nurse Hope of escape from these our hands that hold thee.

Lucian Ah me, ah me! my best hopes dashed, with Homer! Let me fly to Euripides; it may be he will protect me: Leave him his life; the suppliant’s life is sacred.

Platonists Does this happen to be Euripides too— Evil men evil treated is no evil?

Lucian And will you slay me now for nought but words?

Platonists Most certainly; our author has something on that point too: Unbridled lips And folly’s slips Invite Fate’s whips.

Current edition Perseus

Παρρησιάδης μηδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἱκεσίου φείσασθέ μου.

Πλάτων Ἄραρεν· οὐκ ἂν ἀφεθείης ἔτι. ὁρᾷς δὲ δὴ καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρον ἅ φησιν, ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά.

Πλάτων τί δέ; οὐχὶ κἀκεῖνα Εὐριπίδου ἐστίν, οὐ δεινὰ πάσχειν δεινὰ τοὺς εἰργασμένους;

Παρρησιάδης νῦν οὖν ἕκατι ῥημάτων κτενεῖτέ 1 με;

Πλάτων νὴ Δία· φησὶ γοῦν ἐκεῖνος αὐτός, ἀχαλίνων στομάτων ἀνόμου τʼ ἀφροσύνας τὸ τέλος δυστυχία.

FRANKNESS No, no! In the name of Him who hears the suppliant, 1 spare me!

PLATO Your doom is sealed: you cannot be let go now. You know, of course, what Homer says: Since between lions and men there exist no bonds of alliance. Iliad22, 262.

PLATO But we ourselves shall not be at a loss for a Homeric reply to you; listen to this, for instance: Think not now in your heart of escape, you speaker of slander, Even by talking of gold, oncé into our hands you have fallen. Iliad10, 447-8, with alterations.

FRANKNESS Oh, what wretched luck! Homer, in whom I had my greatest hope, is useless to me. I suppose I must take refuge with Euripides; perhaps he might save me: Slay not! The suppliant thou shalt not skay. Nauck, p. 663. Cf. Ion1553.

PLATO Ah, but is not this by Euripides, too? No harm for them that wrought to suffer harm. Orestes413.

FRANKNESS hen will ye slay me now, because of words? Euripides? Nauck, p. 663.

PLATO Yes, by Heaven! Anyhow, he himself says: Of mouths that are curbless And fools that are lawless The end is mischance. Bacchae386 ff.

Stable identifiers

Lucian

Forbear; spare me; I appeal to the God of suppliants.

Socrates

Too late; no loophole is left you now. And you know your Homer:

'Twixt men and lions, covenants are null.

Lucian

Why, it is in Homer’s name that I ask my boon. You will perhaps pay reverence to his lines, and listen to a selection from him:

Slay not; no churl is he; a ransom take

Of bronze and gold, whereof wise hearts are fain.

Platonists

Why, two can play at that game; exempli gratia,

Reviler, babble not of gold, nor nurse

Hope of escape from these our hands that hold thee.

Lucian

Ah me, ah me! my best hopes dashed, with Homer! Let me fly to Euripides; it may be he will protect me: Leave him his life; the suppliant’s life is sacred.

Platonists

Does this happen to be Euripides too—

Evil men evil treated is no evil?

Lucian

And will you slay me now for nought but words?

Platonists

Most certainly; our author has something on that point too:

Unbridled lips

And folly’s slips

Invite Fate’s whips.

Παρρησιάδης

μηδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἱκεσίου φείσασθέ μου.

Πλάτων

Ἄραρεν· οὐκ ἂν ἀφεθείης ἔτι. ὁρᾷς δὲ δὴ καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρον ἅ φησιν,
ὡς οὐκ ἔστι λέουσι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ὅρκια πιστά.

Πλάτων

τί δέ; οὐχὶ κἀκεῖνα Εὐριπίδου ἐστίν,
οὐ δεινὰ πάσχειν δεινὰ τοὺς εἰργασμένους;

Παρρησιάδης

νῦν οὖν ἕκατι ῥημάτων κτενεῖτέ¹ με;

Πλάτων

νὴ Δία· φησὶ γοῦν ἐκεῖνος αὐτός,

ἀχαλίνων στομάτων

ἀνόμου τʼ ἀφροσύνας

τὸ τέλος δυστυχία.

FRANKNESS

No, no! In the name of Him who hears the suppliant,¹ spare me!

PLATO

Your doom is sealed: you cannot be let go now. You know, of course, what Homer says:

Since between lions and men there exist no bonds of alliance.

Iliad22, 262.

PLATO

But we ourselves shall not be at a loss for a Homeric reply to you; listen to this, for instance:

Think not now in your heart of escape, you speaker of slander,

Even by talking of gold, oncé into our hands you have fallen.

Iliad10, 447-8, with alterations.

FRANKNESS

Oh, what wretched luck! Homer, in whom I had my greatest hope, is useless to me. I suppose I must take refuge with Euripides; perhaps he might save me:

Slay not! The suppliant thou shalt not skay.

Nauck, p. 663. Cf. Ion1553.

PLATO

Ah, but is not this by Euripides, too?

No harm for them that wrought to suffer harm.

Orestes413.

FRANKNESS

hen will ye slay me now, because of words?

Euripides? Nauck, p. 663.

PLATO

Yes, by Heaven! Anyhow, he himself says:

Of mouths that are curbless

And fools that are lawless

The end is mischance.

Bacchae386 ff.