Lucian of Samosata, Hermotimus, ed. Kenneth Kilburn, 15

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ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Ἴθι δή, ὦ φιλότης, ἀπόκριναί μοι· τῷ τότε πιστεύσας τὸ πρῶτον ὁπότε ᾔεις φιλοσοφήσων πολλῶν σοι θυρῶν ἀναπεπταμένων παρεὶς σὺ τὰς ἄλλας εἰς τὴν τῶν Στωϊκῶν ἧκες καὶ δι’ ἐκείνης ἠξίους ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν εἰσιέναι ὡς δὴ μόνης ἀληθοῦς οὔσης καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ἐπιδεικνυούσης, τῶν δ’ ἄλλων εἰς τυφλὰ καὶ ἀνέξοδα φερουσῶν; τίνι ταῦτ' ἐτεκμαίρου τότε; καὶ μή μοι τὸν νῦν δὴ τοῦτον σεαυτὸν ἐννόει, τὸν εἴτε ἡμίσοφον εἴτε σοφὸν ἤδη τὰ βελτίω κρίνειν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἡμᾶς δυνάμενον, ἀλλὰ οὕτως ἀπόκριναι ὁποῖος τότε ἦσθα ἰδιώτης καὶ κατὰ τὸν νῦν ἐμέ.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Καὶ μὴν οὐ πάνυ ἀγκύλον ἠρόμην. πολλῶν γὰρ ὄντων φιλοσόφων, οἷον Πλάτωνος καὶ Ἀριστοτέλους καὶ Ἀντισθένους καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων προγόνων, τοῦ Χρυσίππου καὶ Ζήνωνος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὅσοι εἰσιν, τῷ σὺ πιστεύσας τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους εἴας, ἐξ ἁπάντων δὲ προελόμενος ἅπερ προῄρησαι, ἀξιοῖς κατὰ ταῦτα φιλοσοφεῖν; ἆρα καὶ σὲ ὥσπερ τὸν Χαιρεφῶντα ὁ Πύθιος ἐξέπεμψεν ἐπὶ τὰ Στωϊκῶν ἀρίστους ἐξ ἁπάντων προσειπών; ἔθος γὰρ αὐτῷ ἄλλον ἐπ' ἄλλο εἶδος φιλοσοφίας προτρέπειν τὴν ἁρμόττουσαν οἶμαι ἑκάστῳ εἰδότι.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ὤιμην γάρ.

Hermotimus. Lucian of Samosata. ed. Kenneth Kilburn. Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

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

Editions (1)

Ἑρμότιμος ἢ Περὶ Αἱρέσεων Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.) — 15 focus

Λυκῖνος

ἴθι δή, ὦ φιλότης, ἀπόκριναί μοι, τῷ τότε πιστεύσας τὸ πρῶτον, ὁπότε ᾔεις φιλοσοφήσων, πολλῶν σοι θυρῶν ἀναπεπταμένων, παρεὶς σὺ τὰς ἄλλας εἰς τὴν τῶν Στωϊκῶν ἧκες καὶ διʼ ἐκείνης ἠξίους ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν εἰσιέναι, ὡς δὴ μόνης ἀληθοῦς οὔσης καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ἐπιδεικνυούσης, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων εἰς τυφλὰ καὶ ἀνέξοδα φερουσῶν; τίνι ταῦτʼ ἐτεκμαίρου τότε; καὶ μή μοι τὸν νῦν δὴ τοῦτον σεαυτὸν ἐννόει, τὸν εἴτε ἡμίσοφον εἴτε σοφὸν ἤδη τὰ βελτίω κρίνειν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἡμᾶς δυνάμενον, 754 ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἀπόκριναι, ὁποῖος τότε ἦσθα ἰδιώτης καὶ κατὰ τὸν νῦν ἐμέ.

Ἑρμότιμος

οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

Λυκῖνος

καὶ μὴν οὐ πάνυ ἀγκύλον ἠρόμην· πολλῶν γὰρ ὄντων φιλοσόφων, οἷον Πλάτωνος και Αριστοτέλους καὶ Ἀντισθένους καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων προγόνων, τοῦ Χρυσίππου καὶ Ζήνωνος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσοι εἰσί, τῷ σὺ πιστεύσας τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους εἴας, ἐξ ἁπάντων δὲ προελόμενος ἅπερ προῄρησαι, ἀξιοῖς κατὰ ταῦτα φιλοσοφεῖν; ἆρα καὶ σὲ ὥσπερ τὸν Χαιρεφῶντα ὁ Πύθιος ἐξέπεμψεν ἐπὶ τὰ Στωϊκῶν ἀρίστους ἐξ ἁπάντων προσειπών; ἔθος γὰρ αὐτῷ ἄλλον ἐπʼ ἄλλο εἶδος φιλοσοφίας προτρέπειν τὴν ἁρμόττουσαν, οἶμαι, ἑκάστῳ εἰδότι.

Ἑρμότιμος

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

Λυκῖνος

πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

Ἑρμότιμος

ὤιμην γάρ.

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).) — 15 focus

LYCINUS

Now be a true friend and tell me this: when you first set out to study philosophy, many doors were open to you; you passed by the others and came to the Stoic door; you deigned to enter through that door on the way to Virtue, thinking it the only true one which revealed the straight path; the rest led into blind alleys. Now what was your reason for this? What at that time made you certain? Please do not think of yourself as you are now, for, half-wise or wise, you can now make better judgments than we who are many. Answer as the layman you then were and I am now.

HERMOTIMUS

I don’t see your point, Lycinus.

LYCINUS

My question was not very complicated really. There have been many philosophers—Plato, Aristotle, Antisthenes, and your own predecessors, Chrysippus, Zeno, and the rest. Now, what persuaded you to leave the rest alone and choose to base your studies on the particular one you did? Did Apollo send you back from Delphi, like Chaerephon, ¹ with his word that the Stoic school was best of all and you should go there? He has a habit of sending different people to different philosophies; he knows the one that suits each person best, I suppose.

HERMOTIMUS

It wasn’t like that, Lycinus. I never even asked Apollo about it.

LYCINUS

Did you think it not worth consulting the god about, or did you think you could make the better choice on your own without his help?

HERMOTIMUS

I did think so.

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.) — 15 focus

[15]

Lycinus

Then, as you love me, answer this: when you first went in pursuit of philosophy, you found many gates wide open; what induced you to pass the others by, and go in at the Stoic gate? Why did you asspme that that was the only true one, which would set you on the straight road to Virtue, while the rest all opened on blind alleys? What was the test you applied then? Please abolish your present self, the self which is now instructed, or half-instructed, and better able to distinguish between good and bad than we outsiders, and answer in your then character of a layman, with no advantage over me as I am now.

Hermotimus

I cannot tell what you are driving at.

Lycinus

Oh, there is nothing recondite about it. There are a great many philosophers—let us say Plato, Aristotle, Antisthenes, and your spiritual fathers, Chrysippus, Zeno, and all the rest of them; what was it that induced you, leaving the rest alone, to pick out the school you did from among them all, and pin your philosophic faith to it? Were you favoured like Chaerephon with arevelation from Apollo? Did he tell you the Stoics were the best of men, and send you to their school? I dare say he recommends different philosophers to different persons, according to their individual needs?

Hermotimus

Nothing of the kind, Lycinus; I never consulted him upon it.

Lycinus

Why? was it not a dignus vindice nodus? or were you confident in your own unaided discrimination?

Hermotimus

Why, yes; I was.

Lucian of Samosata Hermotimus 15

ed. Kenneth Kilburn

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ὤιμην γάρ.

Current edition Perseus

Ἑρμότιμος

οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

Ἑρμότιμος

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

Λυκῖνος

πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

Ἑρμότιμος

ὤιμην γάρ.

HERMOTIMUS

I don’t see your point, Lycinus.

HERMOTIMUS

It wasn’t like that, Lycinus. I never even asked Apollo about it.

LYCINUS

Did you think it not worth consulting the god about, or did you think you could make the better choice on your own without his help?

HERMOTIMUS

I did think so.

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ Οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ Πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ Ὤιμην γάρ.

Current edition Perseus

Ἑρμότιμος οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

Ἑρμότιμος ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

Λυκῖνος πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

Ἑρμότιμος ὤιμην γάρ.

HERMOTIMUS I don’t see your point, Lycinus.

HERMOTIMUS It wasn’t like that, Lycinus. I never even asked Apollo about it.

LYCINUS Did you think it not worth consulting the god about, or did you think you could make the better choice on your own without his help?

HERMOTIMUS I did think so.

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Stable identifiers

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ὤιμην γάρ.

Ἑρμότιμος

οὐ συνίημι ὅ τι σοι τοῦτο βούλεται, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

Ἑρμότιμος

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ Λυκῖνε, οὐδὲ ἠρόμην περί γε τούτων τὸν θεόν.

Λυκῖνος

πότερον οὐκ ἄξιον θείας συμβουλίας ἡγούμενος αὐτὸ ἢ ἱκανὸς ᾤου αὐτὸς εἶναι ἑλέσθαι τὸ βέλτιον κατὰ σαυτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ θεοῦ;

Ἑρμότιμος

ὤιμην γάρ.

HERMOTIMUS

I don’t see your point, Lycinus.

HERMOTIMUS

It wasn’t like that, Lycinus. I never even asked Apollo about it.

LYCINUS

Did you think it not worth consulting the god about, or did you think you could make the better choice on your own without his help?

HERMOTIMUS

I did think so.