Lucian of Samosata, Hermotimus, ed. Kenneth Kilburn, 41

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ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Ἔχ' ἀτρέμας. τούτου γὰρ ἐδεόμην μάλιστα. οὐκοῦν ἐννέα ὄντες ἀνεσπάκασιν ἅπαντες καὶ ἔχουσι τοὺς κλήρους. περιιὼν δὴ (βούλομαι γάρ σε Ἑλλανοδίκην ἀντὶ θεατοῦ ποιῆσαι) ἐπισκοπεῖς τὰ γράμματα, καὶ οὐ πρότερον οἶμαι μάθοις ἂν ὅστις ὁ ἔφεδρός ἐστιν, ἢν μὴ ἐπὶ πάντας ἔλθῃς καὶ συζεύξῃς αὐτούς.

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν εὐθὺς εὑρεῖν τὸ γράμμα ἐκεῖνο τὸ δηλοῦν τὸν ἔφεδρον, ἢ τὸ μὲν γράμμα ἴσως ἂν εὕροις, οὐ μὴν εἴσῃ γε εἰ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ προείρηται ὅτι τὸ Κ ἢ τὸ Μ ἢ τὸ Ι ἐστὶν τὸ χειροτονοῦν τὸν ἔφεδρον. ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὰν τῷ Α ἐντύχῃς, ζητεῖς τὸν τὸ ἕτερον Α ἔχοντα καὶ εὑρὼν ἐκείνους μὲν ἤδη συνέζευξας, ἐντυχὼν δὲ αὖθις τῷ βῆτα τὸ ἕτερον βῆτα ὅπου ἐστὶν ζητεῖς, τὸ ἀντίπαλον τῷ εὑρεθέντι, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ὁμοίως, ἄχρι ἂν ἐκεῖνός σοι περιλειφθῇ ὁ τὸ μόνον γράμμα ἔχων τὸ ἀνανταγώνιστον.

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.) — 41 focus

Λυκῖνος

Ἔχʼ ἀτρέμας· τούτου γὰρ ἐδεόμην μάλιστα. οὐκοῦν ἐννέα ὄντες ἀνεσπάκασιν ἅπαντες καὶ ἔχουσι τοὺς κλήρους. περιιὼν δὴ — βούλομαι γάρ σε Ἑλλανοδίκην ἀντὶ θεατοῦ ποιῆσαι — ἐπισκοπεῖς τὰ γράμματα, καὶ οὐ πρότερον, οἶμαι, μάθοις ἂν ὅστις ὁ ἔφεδρός ἐστιν, ἢν μὴ ἐπὶ πάντας ἔλθῃς καὶ συζεύξῃς αὐτούς.

Ἑρμότιμος

πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

Λυκῖνος

ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν εὐθὺς εὑρεῖν τὸ γράμμα ἐκεῖνο τὸ δηλοῦν τὸν ἔφεδρον, ἢ τὸ μὲν γράμμα ἴσως ἂν εὕροις, οὐ μὴν εἴσῃ γε εἰ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ προείρηται ὅτι τὸ Κ ἢ τὸ Μ ἢ τὸ Ι ἐστὶ τὸ χειροτονοῦν τὸν ἔφεδρον· ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὰν τῷ Α ἐντύχῃς, ζητεῖς τὸν τὸ ἕτερον Α ἔχοντα καὶ εὑρὼν ἐκείνους μὲν ἤδη συνέζευξας, ἐντυχὼν δὲ αὖθις τῷ βῆτα το ἕτερον βῆτα ὅπου ἐστὶ ζητεῖς, τὸ ἀντίπαλον τῷ εὑρεθέντι, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ὁμοίως, ἄχρι ἂν ἐκεῖνός σοι περιλειφθῇ ὁ τὸ μόνον γράμμα ἔχων τὸ ἀνανταγώνιστον.

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).) — 41 focus

LYCINUS

Stop there. This is just what I wanted. Now, suppose they are nine in number and they have all drawn and are holding their lots. You go round (I want to make you a National Judge instead of a spectator) and inspect the letters. I fancy you will not learn in advance who has been given a bye, unless you go to every one of them and pair them.

HERMOTIMUS

What do you mean by this, Lycinus?

LYCINUS

It is impossible immediately to find that letter which gives you the bye, or perhaps you could find the letter, but you will certainly not know if it is that one, for there is no prior declaration of kappa or mu or iota as the letter which chooses the bye. When you find alpha, you look for the competitor who has the other alpha, and, when you find him, you have already paired them. Then again, when you come on beta, you look for the other beta, the counterpart of the one you have found, and so with all of them, until you are left with the competitor who has the only letter that has no counterpart.

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.) — 41 focus

[41]

Lycinus

Stop there; that is just what I wanted. There are nine of them, we will say, and they have all drawn, and the lots are in their hands. You go round—for I promote you from spectator to steward—examining the letters; and I suppose you will not know who is the bye till you have been to them all and paired them.

Hermotimus

How do you mean?

Lycinus

It is impossible for you to hit straight upon the letter which indicates the bye; at least, you may hit upon the letter, but you will not know about the bye; it was not announced beforehand that kappa or mu or iota had the appointment in its gift; when you find alpha, you look for the holder of the other alpha, whom finding, you pair the two. Again finding beta, you inquire into the whereabouts of the second beta which matches it; and so all through, till there is no one left but the holder of the single unpaired letter.

Lucian of Samosata Hermotimus 41

ed. Kenneth Kilburn

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

Current edition Perseus

Ἑρμότιμος

πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

HERMOTIMUS

What do you mean by this, Lycinus?

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ Πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

Current edition Perseus

Ἑρμότιμος πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

HERMOTIMUS What do you mean by this, Lycinus?

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Stable identifiers

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

Ἑρμότιμος

πῶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τοῦτο φής;

HERMOTIMUS

What do you mean by this, Lycinus?