Lucian, De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam, Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator), 54

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[54]

Tychiades

He will feel pain if the supplies run short, I presume.

Simon

Ah, but you see, he is not a sponger if that happens.

A courageous man is not courageous if he has no courage, a sensible one not sensible if he has no sense. He could not be a sponger under those conditions. We are discussing the sponger, not the non-sponger. If the courageous is so in virtue of his courage, the sensible sensible in virtue of his sense, then the sponger is a sponger in virtue of sponging. Take that away, and we shall be dealing with something else, and not with a sponger at all.

Tychiades

So his supplies will never run short?

Simon

Manifestly. So he is as free from that sort of pain as from others.

De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam. Lucian. Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator). Medford, MA, USA. 2023-08-01.

Current edition Perseus

The Parasite: a Demonstration that Sponging is a Profession (English) (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.)

Editions (1)

Περὶ τοῦ Παρασίτου ὅτι Τέχνη ἡ Παρασιτική Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 54 focus

Τυχιάδης

ἀλλʼ, ὦ Σίμων, εἰκός γε ἐνδείᾳ τροφῆς λυπηθῆναι αὐτόν.

Σίμων

ἀγνοεῖς, ὦ Τυχιάδη, ὅτι ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὐδὲ παράσιτός ἐστιν οὗτος, ὅστις ἀπορεῖ τροφῆς· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνδρεῖος ἀπορίᾳ ἀνδρείας ἐστὶν ἀνδρεῖος, οὐδὲ φρόνιμος ἀπορίᾳ φρενῶν ἐστιν φρόνιμος· ἄλλως γὰρ οὐδὲ¹ παράσιτος ἂν εἴη. πρόκειται δὲ ἡμῖν περὶ παρασίτου ζητεῖν ὄντος, οὐχὶ μὴ ὄντος. εἰ δὲ² ὁ ἀνδρεῖος οὐκ ἄλλως ἢ παρουσίᾳ ἀνδρειότητος καὶ ὁ φρόνιμος παρουσίᾳ φρονήσεως, καὶ ὁ παράσιτος δὲ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ παρασιτεῖν παράσιτος ἔσται· ὡς εἴ γε τοῦτο μὴ ὑπάρχοι αὐτῷ, περὶ ἄλλου τινός, καὶ οὐχὶ παρασίτου, ζητήσομεν.

Τυχιάδης

οὐκοῦν οὐδέποτε ἀπορήσει παράσιτος τροφῆς

Σίμων

ἔοικεν· ὥστε οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τούτῳ οὔτʼ ἐπʼ³ ἄλλῳ ἐστὶν ὅτῳ λυπηθείη ἄν.

Translations (1)

The Parasite Tychiades Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 54 focus

[54]

TYCHIADES

But, Simon, at least he is likely to be distressed by lack of food.

SIMON

You fail to understand, Tychiades, that a priori: one who lacks food is not a parasite. A brave man is not brave if he lacks bravery, nor is a sensible man sensible if he lacks sense. On any other supposition . the parasite would not exist; and the subject of our investigation is an existent, not a non-existent parasite. If the brave man is brave for no other reason than because he has bravery at his command, and the sensible man because he has sense at his command, so, too, the parasite is a parasite because he has food at his command; consequently, if this be denied him, we shall be studying some other sort of man instead of a parasite.

TYCHIADES

Then a parasite will never lack food?

SIMON

So it appears; therefore he cannot be distressed, either by that or by anything else whatsoever.

Lucian De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam 54

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

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Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Current edition Perseus

Τυχιάδης

ἀλλʼ, ὦ Σίμων, εἰκός γε ἐνδείᾳ τροφῆς λυπηθῆναι αὐτόν.

Τυχιάδης

οὐκοῦν οὐδέποτε ἀπορήσει παράσιτος τροφῆς

Σίμων

ἔοικεν· ὥστε οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τούτῳ οὔτʼ ἐπʼ³ ἄλλῳ ἐστὶν ὅτῳ λυπηθείη ἄν.

TYCHIADES

SIMON

TYCHIADES

SIMON

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Current edition Perseus

Τυχιάδης ἀλλʼ, ὦ Σίμων, εἰκός γε ἐνδείᾳ τροφῆς λυπηθῆναι αὐτόν.

Τυχιάδης οὐκοῦν οὐδέποτε ἀπορήσει παράσιτος τροφῆς

Σίμων ἔοικεν· ὥστε οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τούτῳ οὔτʼ ἐπʼ 3 ἄλλῳ ἐστὶν ὅτῳ λυπηθείη ἄν.

TYCHIADES

SIMON

TYCHIADES

SIMON

Stable identifiers

Τυχιάδης

ἀλλʼ, ὦ Σίμων, εἰκός γε ἐνδείᾳ τροφῆς λυπηθῆναι αὐτόν.

Τυχιάδης

οὐκοῦν οὐδέποτε ἀπορήσει παράσιτος τροφῆς

Σίμων

ἔοικεν· ὥστε οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τούτῳ οὔτʼ ἐπʼ³ ἄλλῳ ἐστὶν ὅτῳ λυπηθείη ἄν.