Lucian of Samosata, Fugitivi, Austin Morris Harmon (Translator), 22

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[22]

ZEUS

Ye gods! what treatment our dear Philosophy has had from those scoundrels! It is high time, then, to see what is to be done and how they are to be punished. Well, the thunderbolt despatches at a single blow, and the death is a swift one.

APOLLO

I will offer you a suggestion, father, for I myself have come to detest the knaves; the Muses mean nothing to them, so I am indignant on behalf of the Nine. Those fellows are by no means worthy of a thunderbolt or of that right hand of yours. Send Hermes down to get after them, if you think best, with unlimited powers in the matter of their punishment. As he himself is interested in argumentation, he will very soon know those who are genuine students of philosophy and those who are not. Then he will commend the former, naturally, and the latter will be punished as he sees fit in the circumstances.

Fugitivi. Lucian of Samosata. Austin Morris Harmon (Translator). United States. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

The Runaways (English) (Lucian, Vol. 5. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Δραπέται Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 5. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (printing).) — 22 focus

Ζεύς

οἷα, ὦ θεοί, πέπονθεν ἡμῖν ἡ Φιλοσοφία πρὸς τῶν καταράτων ἐκείνων. ὥστε ὥρα σκοπεῖν ὅ τι καὶ πρακτέον ἢ ὅπως αὐτοὺς μετελευστέον. ὁ μὲν γὰρ κεραυνὸς ἀπάγει μιᾷ πληγῇ καὶ ὁ θάνατος ταχύς.

Ἀπόλλων

ἐγώ σοι,¹ ὦ πάτερ, ὑποθήσομαι· μισῶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἤδη τοὺς ἀλαζόνας ἀμούσους ὄντας, ὑπὲρ τῶν Μουσῶν ἀγανακτῶν. κεραυνοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἢ τῆς σῆς δεξιᾶς οὐδαμῶς ἐκεῖνοι ἄξιοι, τὸν Ἑρμῆν δὲ αὐτοκράτορα, εἰ δοκεῖ, τῆς κολάσεως κατάπεμψον ἐπʼ αὐτούς, ὃς ἅτε δὴ περὶ λόγους ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς τάχιστα εἴσεται τούς τε ὀρθῶς φιλοσοφοῦντας καὶ τοὺς μή. εἶτα τοὺς μὲν ἐπαινέσεται, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, οἱ δὲ κολασθήσονται ὅπως ἂν ἐκείνῳ παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν δοκῇ.

Translations (1)

The Runaways Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 4. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 22 focus

[22]

Zeus

Really, Philosophy has been shamefully treated. We must take some measures with these rascals. Let us think what isto be done. The single stroke of the thunderbolt is too quick a death.

Apollo

Father, I have a suggestion to make. By their neglect of the Muses, these vile quacks have incurred my own resentment as well as Philosophy’s. They are not worthy to die by your hand. Instead, I would advise your sending Hermes to them, with full authority to punish them at his discretion. With his forensic experience, he will be at no loss to distinguish between the true philosopher and the false. The former will receive merited praise: on the latter he will inflict such chastisement as the circumstances demand.

Lucian of Samosata Fugitivi 22

Austin Morris Harmon (Translator)