Lucian, Piscator, Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator), 42

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Parrhesiades

Just look! the ascent packed with a pushing crowd, at the very first sound of my £8. More of them along the Pelasgicum, more by the temple of Asclepius, a bigger crowd still over the Areopagus. Why, positively there are a few at the tomb of Talos; and see those putting ladders against the temple of Castor and Pollux; up they climb, buzzing and clustering like a swarm of bees. In Homeric phrase, on this side are exceeding many, and on that

Ten thousand, thick as leaves and flowers in spring.

Noisily they settle, the Acropolis is covered with them in a trice; everywhere wallet and beard, flattery and effrontery, staves and greed, logic and avarice. The little company which came up at the first proclamation is swamped beyond recovery, swallowed up in these later crowds; it is hopeless to find them, because of the external resemblance. That is the worst of it, Philosophy; you are really open to censure for not marking and labelling them; these impostors are often more convincing than the true philosophers.

Philosophy

It shall be done before long; at present let us receive them.

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.) — 42 focus

Φιλοσοφία¹

βαβαί, ὅσοι· πλήρης μὲν ἡ ἄνοδος ὠθιζομένων ἐπὶ τὰς δύο μνᾶς, ὡς ἤκουσαν μόνον· παρὰ δὲ τὸ Πελασγικὸν ἄλλοι καὶ κατὰ τὸ Ἀσκληπιεῖον ἕτεροι καὶ παρὰ τὸν Ἄρειον πάγον² ἔτι πλείους, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν Τάλω τάφον, οἱ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ Ἀνακεῖον προσθέμενοι κλίμακας ἀνέρπουσι βομβηδὸν νὴ Δία καὶ βοτρυδὸν ἑσμοῦ δίκην, ἵνα καὶ καθʼ Ὅμηρον εἴπω· ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖθεν εὖ μάλα πολλοὶ κἀντεῦθεν
μυρίοι, ὅσσα τε φύλλα καὶ ἄνθεα γίνεται ὥρῃ.
μεστὴ δὲ ἡ ἀκρόπολις ἐν βραχεῖ κλαγγηδὸν προκαθιζόντων καὶ πανταχοῦ πήρα κολακεία, πώγων ἀναισχυντία, βακτηρία λιχνεία, συλλογισμὸς φιλαργυρία· οἱ ὀλίγοι δέ, ὁπόσοι πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον κήρυγμα ἐκεῖνο ἀνῄεσαν, ἀφανεῖς καὶ ἄσημοι, ἀναμιχθέντες τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἄλλων, καὶ λελήθασιν ἐν τῇ ὁμοιότητι τῶν ἄλλων σχημάτων.

Παρρησιάδης³

τοῦτο γοῦν τὸ δεινότατόν ἐστιν, ὦ Φιλοσοφία, καὶ ὅ τις ἂν μέμψαιτο μάλιστά σου, τὸ μηδὲν ἐπιβαλεῖν γνώρισμα καὶ σημεῖον αὐτοῖς· πιθανώτεροι γὰρ οἱ γόητες οὗτοι πολλάκις τῶν ἀληθῶς φιλοσοφούντων.

Φιλοσοφία

ἔσται τοῦτο μετʼ ὀλίγον, ἀλλὰ δεχώμεθα ἤδη αὐτούς.

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.) — 42 focus

PHILOSOPHY

Aha! What a lot of them! The road up to the gate is full of men hustling after the two minas, as soon as they heard of them; others are coming up beside the Pelasgicon;¹ others by the precinct of Asclepius;² even more of them along the Areopagus;³ some, too, by the tomb of Talus;⁴ and some have set ladders against the temple of the Twin Brethren⁵ and are climbing up with a hum, by Heaven, and “in clusters” like swarming bees, to use the words of Homer;⁶ from that side right many, and from the other

Thousands of men, like the leaves and the flowers that come in the springtime.

Iliad2, 468. The Acropolis is full in a trice as they

noisily settle in place,

Iliad2, 463. and everywhere are begging-bags and flattery, beards and shamelessness, staves and gluttony, syllogisms and avarice. The few that came up in answer to the first summons are obscure and inconspicuous, intermingled with the crowd of others, and they escape the eye in the general similarity of garb.

FRANKNESS

In fact, that is the worst feature of it all, Philosophy, and the one for which you could be most criticized, that you have set no mark and token upon them. These cheats are often more convincing than the genuine philosophers.

Lucian Piscator 42

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

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Philosophy

It shall be done before long; at present let us receive them.

Current edition Perseus

Φιλοσοφία

ἔσται τοῦτο μετʼ ὀλίγον, ἀλλὰ δεχώμεθα ἤδη αὐτούς.

FRANKNESS

In fact, that is the worst feature of it all, Philosophy, and the one for which you could be most criticized, that you have set no mark and token upon them. These cheats are often more convincing than the genuine philosophers.

PHILOSOPHY

That shall be seen to presently; but let us welcome them now.

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Philosophy It shall be done before long; at present let us receive them.

Current edition Perseus

Φιλοσοφία ἔσται τοῦτο μετʼ ὀλίγον, ἀλλὰ δεχώμεθα ἤδη αὐτούς.

FRANKNESS In fact, that is the worst feature of it all, Philosophy, and the one for which you could be most criticized, that you have set no mark and token upon them. These cheats are often more convincing than the genuine philosophers.

PHILOSOPHY That shall be seen to presently; but let us welcome them now.

Stable identifiers

Philosophy

It shall be done before long; at present let us receive them.

Φιλοσοφία

ἔσται τοῦτο μετʼ ὀλίγον, ἀλλὰ δεχώμεθα ἤδη αὐτούς.

FRANKNESS

In fact, that is the worst feature of it all, Philosophy, and the one for which you could be most criticized, that you have set no mark and token upon them. These cheats are often more convincing than the genuine philosophers.

PHILOSOPHY

That shall be seen to presently; but let us welcome them now.