Lucian, Philopseudes sive incredulus, Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator), 1

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Tychiades

Philocles, what is it that makes most men so fond of a lie? Can you explain it? Their delight in romancing themselyes is only equalled by the earnest attention with which they receive other people’s efforts in the same direction.

Philocles

Why, in some cases there is no lack of motives for lying, —motives of self-interest.

Tychiades

Ah, but that is neither here nor there. I am not speaking of men who lie with an object. There is some excuse for that: indeed, it is sometimes to their credit, when they deceive their country’s enemies, for instance, or when mendacity is but the medicine to heal their sickness. Odysseus, seeking to preserve his life and bring his companions safe home, was a liar of that kind. The men I mean are innocent of any ulterior motive: they prefer a lie to truth, simply on its own merits; they like lying, it is their favourite occupation; there is no necessity in the case. Now what good can they get out of it?

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

Current edition Perseus

The Liar (English) (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.)

Editions (1)

Φιλοψευδὴς ἢ Ἀπιστῶν Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 1 focus

Τυχιάδης

ἔχεις μοι, ὦ Φιλόκλεις, εἰπεῖν τί ποτε ἄρα ἐστὶν ὃ πολλοὺς¹ εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ² ψεύδους προάγεται, ὡς αὐτούς τε χαίρειν μηδὲν ὑγιὲς λέγοντας καὶ τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα διεξιοῦσιν μάλιστα προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν;

Φιλοκλῆς

πολλά, ὦ Τυχιάδη, ἐστὶν ἃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐνίους ἀναγκάζει τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν εἰς τὸ χρήσιμον ἀποβλέποντας.

Τυχιάδης

οὐδὲν πρὸς ἔπος ταῦτα, φασίν, οὐ γὰρ περὶ τούτων ἠρόμην ὁπόσοι τῆς χρείας ἕνεκα ψεύδονται· συγγνωστοὶ γὰρ οὗτοί γε, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπαίνου τινὲς αὐτῶν ἄξιοι, ὁπόσοι ἢ πολεμίους ἐξηπάτησαν ἢ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῷ τοιούτῳ φαρμάκῳ ἐχρήσαντο ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς, οἷα πολλὰ καὶ ὁ Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐποίει τήν τε αὑτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀρνύμενος καὶ τὸν νόστον τῶν ἑταίρων. ἀλλὰ περὶ ἐκείνων, ὦ ἄριστε, φημὶ οἳ αὐτὸ ἄνευ τῆς χρείας τὸ ψεῦδος πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας τίθενται, ἡδόμενοι τῷ πράγματι καὶ ἐνδιατρίβοντες ἐπʼ οὐδεμιᾷ προφάσει ἀναγκαίᾳ. τούτους οὖν ἐθέλω εἰδέναι τίνος ἀγαθοῦ τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν.

Translations (1)

The Lover of Lies, or the Doubter Tychiades Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 1 focus

[1] Can you tell me, Philocles, what in the world it is that makes many men so fond of lying that they delight in telling preposterous tales themselves and listen with especial attention to those who spin yarns of that sort?

PHILOCLES

There are many reasons, Tychiades, which constrain men occasionally to tell falsehoods with an eye to the usefulness of it.

TYCHIADES

That has nothing to do with the case, as the phrase is, for I did not ask about men who lie for advantage. They are pardonable—yes, even praiseworthy, some of them, who have deceived national enemies or for safety’s sake have used this kind of expedient in extremities, as Odysseus often did in seeking to win his own life and the return of his comrades.¹ No, my dear sir, I am speaking of those men who put sheer useless lying far ahead of truth, liking the thing and whiling away their time at it without any valid excuse. I want to know about these men, to what end they do this.

Lucian Philopseudes sive incredulus 1

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

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Tychiades

Philocles

Tychiades

Current edition Perseus

Φιλοκλῆς

πολλά, ὦ Τυχιάδη, ἐστὶν ἃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐνίους ἀναγκάζει τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν εἰς τὸ χρήσιμον ἀποβλέποντας.

PHILOCLES

TYCHIADES

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Tychiades

Philocles

Tychiades

Current edition Perseus

Φιλοκλῆς πολλά, ὦ Τυχιάδη, ἐστὶν ἃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐνίους ἀναγκάζει τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν εἰς τὸ χρήσιμον ἀποβλέποντας.

PHILOCLES

TYCHIADES

Stable identifiers

Φιλοκλῆς

πολλά, ὦ Τυχιάδη, ἐστὶν ἃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐνίους ἀναγκάζει τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν εἰς τὸ χρήσιμον ἀποβλέποντας.