Lucian, Hermotimus, ed. Karl Jacobitz, 77

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Ἑρμότιμος

οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

Λυκῖνος

εὖ γε, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδῃ ἑκών. εἰς τί δʼ οὖν ἀποβλέπων φιλοσοφεῖς, ὅταν ὁρᾷς μήτε τὸν διδάσκαλον τὸν σὸν μήτε τὸν ἐκείνου μήτε τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ μηδʼ ἂν εἰς δεκαγονίαν ἀναγάγῃς μηδένα αὐτῶν σοφὸν ἀκριβῶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐδαίμονα γεγενημένον; οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνο ὀρθῶς εἴποις, ὡς ἀπόχρη, κἂν πλησίον γένῃ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ὄφελος· ὁμοίως γὰρ ἔξω τοῦ ὀδοῦ ἐστι καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ ὅ τε παρὰ τὴν θύραν ἔξω ἑστὼς καὶ ὁ πόρρω, διαλλάττοιεν δʼ ἄν, ὅτι μᾶλλον οὗτος ἀνιάσεται ὁρῶν ἐγγύθεν οἵων ἐστέρηται. εἶτα 821 ἵνα πλησίον γένῃ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας — δώσω γὰρ τοῦτό σοι — τοσαῦτα πονεῖς κατατρύχων σεαυτόν, καὶ παραδεδράμηκε σε ὁ βίος ὁ τοσοῦτος ἐν ἀκηδίᾳ καὶ καμάτῳ καὶ ἀγρυπνίαις κάτω νενευκότα; καὶ εἰσαῦθις πονήσεις, ὡς φής, ἄλλα εἴκοσιν ἔτη τοὐλάχιστον, ἵνα ὀγδοηκοντούτης γενόμενος — εἴ τις ἐγγυητής ἐστί σοι, ὅτι βιώσῃ τοσαῦτα — ὅμως ᾖς ἐν τοῖς μηδέπω εὐδαιμονοῦσιν; εἰ μὴ μόνος οἴει τεύξεσθαι τούτου καὶ αἱρήσειν διώκων ὃ πρὸ σοῦ μάλα πολλοὶ κἀγαθοὶ καὶ ὠκύτεροι παρὰ πολὺ διώκοντες οὐ κατέλαβον.

Hermotimus. Lucian. ed. Karl Jacobitz. Leipzig. 1909.

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Current edition Perseus

Ἑρμότιμος ἢ Περὶ Αἱρέσεων (Greek) (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.)

Editions (1)

Σκύθης ἢ πρόξενος Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 77 focus

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Εὖ γε, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδῃ ἑκών. εἰς τί δ’ οὖν ἀποβλέπων φιλοσοφεῖς, ὅταν ὁρᾷς μήτε τὸν διδάσκαλον τὸν σὸν μήτε τὸν ἐκείνου μήτε τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ μηδ’ ἂν εἰς δεκαγονίαν ἀναγάγῃς μηδένα αὐτῶν σοφὸν ἀκριβῶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐδαίμονα γεγενημένον; οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνο ὀρθῶς εἴποις ὡς ἀπόχρη κἂν πλησίον γένῃ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ὄφελος· ὁμοίως γὰρ ἔξω τοῦ ὀδοῦ ἐστιν καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ ὅ τε παρὰ τὴν θύραν ἔξω ἑστὼς καὶ ὁ πόρρω· διαλλάττοιεν δ’ ἄν, ὅτι μᾶλλον οὗτος ἀνιάσεται ὁρῶν ἐγγύθεν οἵων ἐστέρηται. εἶτα ἵνα πλησίον γένῃ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας (δώσω γὰρ τοῦτό σοι) τοσαῦτα πονεῖς κατατρύχων σεαυτόν, καὶ παραδεδράμηκέ σε ὁ βίος ὁ τοσοῦτος ἐν ἀκηδίᾳ καὶ καμάτῳ καὶ ἀγρυπνίαις κάτω νενευκότα· καὶ εἰσαῦθις πονήσεις, ὡς φής, ἄλλα εἴκοσιν ἔτη τοὐλάχιστον, ἵνα ὀγδοηκοντούτης γενόμενος (εἴ τις ἐγγυητής ἐστί σοι ὅτι βιώσῃ τοσαῦτα) ὅμως ᾖς ἐν τοῖς μηδέπω εὐδαιμονοῦσιν—εἰ μὴ μόνος οἴει τεύξεσθαι τούτου καὶ αἱρήσειν διώκων ὃ πρὸ σοῦ μάλα πολλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ καὶ ὠκύτεροι παρὰ πολὺ διώκοντες οὐ κατέλαβον.

Translations (2)

The Scythian or Consul Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 77 focus

HERMOTIMUS

I have never seen such a man.

LYCINUS

Good for you, Hermotimus! You do not tell deliberate lies. Then what have you in view as a philosopher, when you see neither your teacher nor his teacher nor his predecessor even back to the tenth generation truly wise and therefore happy? For it would not be right for you to say that it is enough if you come near to happiness—that is of no use: a man standing by the door is as much outside the threshold and in the open as one a long way off, the difference being that the former will be more annoyed because he has a near view of what he cannot have. Then just to get near happiness (this I will grant you) you take all that trouble, wearing yourself out, and so much of your life has slipped away in torpor and weariness, slumped in sleeplessness; and you will labour on, as you say, for at least another twenty years, so that when you are eighty (have you a guarantee of living so long?) you may be one of those who are not yet happy—unless you think that you alone will reach and grasp in your pursuit that which very many good and far swifter men have pursued before you and failed to catch.

Hermotimus, or the Rival Philosophies Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 2. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 77 focus

[77]

Hermotimus

1 never saw such a man.

Lycinus

I am glad you do not palter with the truth. But what are your hopes in pursuing philosophy, then? You see that neither your own teacher, nor his, nor his again, and so on to the tenth generation, has been absolutely wise and so attained Happiness. It will not serve you to say that it is enough to get near Happiness; that is no good; a person on the doorstep is just as much outside and in the air as another a long way off, though with the difference that the former is tantalized by anearer view. So it is to get into the neighbourhood of Happiness—I will grant you so much—that you toil like this, wearing yourself away, letting this great portion of your life slip from you, while you are sunk in dullness and wakeful weariness; and you are to go on with it for twenty more years at the least, you tell me, to take your place when you are eighty—always assuming some one to assure you that length of days—in the ranks of the not yet Happy. Or perhaps you reckon on being the exception; you are to crown your pursuit by attaining what many a good man before you, swifter far, has pursued and_ never overtaken.

Lucian Hermotimus 77

ed. Karl Jacobitz

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ἑρμότιμος

οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

Current edition Perseus

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

HERMOTIMUS

I have never seen such a man.

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ἑρμότιμος οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

Current edition Perseus

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ Οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

HERMOTIMUS I have never seen such a man.

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Stable identifiers

Ἑρμότιμος

οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐδένα τοιοῦτον εἶδον.

HERMOTIMUS

I have never seen such a man.