Lucian of Samosata, Hermotimus, ed. Kenneth Kilburn, 67

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ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Οὐδέποτε ἄρα ἐξ ὧν σὺ φὴς εὑρήσομεν οὐδὲ φιλοσοφήσομεν, ἀλλὰ δεήσει ἡμᾶς ἰδιώτην τινὰ βίον ζῆν ἀποστάντας τοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν. τοῦτο ξυμβαίνει γε ἐξ ¹ ὧν φής, ἀδύνατον εἶναι φιλοσοφῆσαι καὶ ἀνέφικτον ἀνθρώπῳ γε ὄντι. ἀξιοῖς γὰρ τὸν φιλοσοφήσειν μέλλοντα ἑλέσθαι πρῶτον φιλοσοφίαν τὴν ἀρίστην, ἡ δὲ αἵρεσις οὕτως σοι ἐδόκει μόνως ἀκριβὴς ἂν γενέσθαι, εἰ διὰ πάσης φιλοσοφίας χωρήσαντες ἑλοίμεθα τὴν ἀληθεστάτην. εἶτα λογιζόμενος ἐτῶν ἀριθμόν, ὁπόσος ἑκάστῃ ἱκανός, ὑπερεξέπιπτες ἀπομηκύνων τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐς γενεὰς ἄλλας, ὡς ὑπερήμερον γίγνεσθαι τἀληθὲς τοῦ ἑκάστου βίου. τελευτῶν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ οὐκ ἀνενδοίαστον ἀποφαίνεις, ἄδηλον εἶναι λέγων εἴτε εὕρηται πρὸς τῶν φιλοσοφούντων πάλαι τἀληθὲς εἴτε καὶ μή.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

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.) — 67 focus

Ἑρμότιμος

οὐδέποτε ἄρα ἐξ ὧν σὺ φὴς εὑρήσομεν οὐδὲ φιλοσοφήσομεν, ἀλλὰ δεήσει ἡμᾶς ἰδιώτην τινὰ βίον ζῆν ἀποστάντας τοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν. τοῦτο ξυμβαίνει γε ἐξ ὧν φής, ἀδύνατον εἶναι φιλοσοφῆσαι καὶ ἀνέφικτον ἀνθρώπῳ γε ὄντι· ἀξιοῖς γὰρ τὸν φιλοσοφήσειν μέλλοντα ἑλέσθαι πρῶτον φιλοσοφίαν τὴν ἀρίστην, ἡ δὲ αἵρεσις οὕτως σοι ἐδόκει μόνως ἀκριβὴς ἂν γενέσθαι, εἰ διὰ πάσης φιλοσοφίας χωρήσαντες ἑλοίμεθα τὴν ἀληθεστάτην. εἶτα λογιζόμενος ἐτῶν ἀριθμόν, ὁπόσος ἑκάστῃ ἱκανός, ὑπερεξέπιπτες ἀπομηκύνων τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐς γενεὰς ἄλλας, 809 ὡς ὑπερήμερον γίγνεσθαι τἀληθὲς τοῦ ἑκάστου βίου· τελευτῶν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ οὐκ ἀνενδοίαστον ἀποφαίνεις, ἄδηλον εἶναι λέγων, εἴτε εὕρηται πρὸς τῶν φιλοσοφούντων πάλαι τἀληθὲς εἴτε καὶ μή.

Λυκῖνος

σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

Ἑρμότιμος

ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

Λυκῖνος

καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

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).) — 67 focus

HERMOTIMUS

From what you say we shall never find it or be philosophers. We shall have to give up philosophy and live a layman’s life. At least it follows from what you say that philosophy for a human being is impossible and unattainable. For you say that whoever is going to practise philosophy must first choose the best philosophy, and the choice would be correct in your view only if the truest were chosen after going through the whole field. Then you calculated the number of years required for each and went beyond all bounds, stretching it to cover several generations, so that the search for truth exceeded any man’s lifetime. Finally you show that even this is not beyond doubt when you say it is not certain whether any of the old philosophers found the truth or not.

LYCINUS

Could you, Hermotimus, guarantee on oath that they have found it?

HERMOTIMUS

No, I could not.

LYCINUS

Yet how many other things have I purposely omitted which call for long examination!

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.) — 67 focus

[67]

Hermotimus

Then, according to you, we shall never finish our quest nor be philosophers, but have to give it up and live the life of laymen. What you say amounts to that: philosophy is impossible and inaccessible to a mere mortal; for you expect the aspirant first to choose the best philosophy; and you considered that the only guarantee of such choice’s being correct was to go through all philosophy before choosing the truest. Then in reckoning the number of years required by each you spurned all limits, extended the thing to several generations, and made out the quest of truth too long for the individual life; and now you crown all by proving success doubtful even apart from all that; you say it is uncertain whether the philosophers have ever found truth at all.

Lycinus

Could you state on oath that they have?

Hermotimus

Not on oath, no.

Lycinus

And yet there is much that I have intentionally spared you, though it merits careful examination too.

Notes on the current edition

Σκύθης ἢ πρόξενος

1. ἐξ add. edd.

Lucian of Samosata Hermotimus 67

ed. Kenneth Kilburn

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ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

Current edition Perseus

Λυκῖνος

σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

Ἑρμότιμος

ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

Λυκῖνος

καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

LYCINUS

Could you, Hermotimus, guarantee on oath that they have found it?

HERMOTIMUS

No, I could not.

LYCINUS

Yet how many other things have I purposely omitted which call for long examination!

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ Σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ Καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

Current edition Perseus

Λυκῖνος σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

Ἑρμότιμος ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

Λυκῖνος καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

LYCINUS Could you, Hermotimus, guarantee on oath that they have found it?

HERMOTIMUS No, I could not.

LYCINUS Yet how many other things have I purposely omitted which call for long examination!

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Hermotimus

Lycinus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

ΕΡΜΟΤΙΜΟΣ

Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

Λυκῖνος

σὺ δὲ πῶς, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, δύναιο ἂν ἐπομοσάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι εὕρηται πρὸς αὐτῶν;

Ἑρμότιμος

ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ὀμόσαιμι.

Λυκῖνος

καίτοι πόσα ἄλλα παρεῖδον ἑκών σοι ἐξετάσεως μακρᾶς καὶ αὐτὰ δεόμενα;

LYCINUS

Could you, Hermotimus, guarantee on oath that they have found it?

HERMOTIMUS

No, I could not.

LYCINUS

Yet how many other things have I purposely omitted which call for long examination!