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τῷ δὲ Θεοδέκτῃ παραπλησίως ἔπαιζε
γρίφους καὶ Δρομέας ὁ Κῷος, ὥς φησι Κλέαρχος,
καὶ Ἀριστώνυμος ὁ ψιλοκιθαριστής, ἔτι δὲ Κλέων ὁ
μίμαυλος ἐπικαλούμενος, ὅσπερ καὶ τῶν Ἰταλικῶν
μίμων ἄριστος γέγονεν αὐτοπρόσωπος ὑποκριτής: καὶ
γὰρ Νυμφοδώρου περιῆν ἐν τῷ μνημονευομένῳ μίμῳ.
τούτου δὲ καὶ Ἰσχόμαχος ὁ κῆρυξ ἐγένετο ζηλωτής,
ὃς ἐν τοῖς κύκλοις ἐποιεῖτο τὰς μιμήσεις: ὡς δ᾽ εὐδοκίμει, μεταβὰς ἐν τοῖς θαύμασιν ὑπεκρίνετο μίμους.
τοιοῦτοι δ᾽ ἦσαν οὓς ἐποίουν γρίφους, οἷον ἀγροίκου
τινὸς ὑπερπλησθέντος καὶ κακῶς ἔχοντος, ὡς ἠρώτα
αὐτὸν ὁ ἰατρὸς μὴ εἰς ἔμετον ἐδείπνησεν, ‘οὐκ ἔγωγε,'
εἰπεῖν, ‘ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν.' καὶ πτωχῆς τινος τὴν
γαστέρα πονούσης, ἐπεὶ ὁ ἰατρὸς ἐπυνθάνετο μὴ ἐν
γαστρὶ ἔχει, ‘πῶς γάρ,' εἶπε, ‘τριταία μὴ βεβρωκυῖα;᾽
τῶν Ἀριστωνυμ......ων δ᾽ ἦν εὐπαρύφων λόγων.
καὶ [ὁ] Σωσιφάνης ὁ ποιητὴς εἰς Κηφισοκλέα τὸν ὑποκριτὴν εἶπεν λοιδορῶν αὐτὸν ὡς εὐρύστομον: ‘ἐνέβαλον
γὰρ ἄν σου, φησίν, εἰς τὰ ἰσχία λίθον, εἰ μὴ καταρραίνειν ἔμελλον τοὺς περιεστηκότας.' ἀρχαιότατος δ᾽
ἐστὶ λογικὸς γρῖφος καὶ τῆς τοῦ γριφεύειν φύσεως
οἰκειότατος: ‘τί πάντες οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι διδάσκομεν;᾽
καί ‘τί ταὐτὸν οὐδαμοῦ καὶ πανταχοῦ;᾽ καὶ πρὸς
τούτοις ‘τί ταὐτὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ ἐν θαλάττῃ;᾽ τοῦτο δ᾽ ἐστὶν ὁμωνυμία: καὶ γὰρ ἄρκτος καὶ
ὄφις καὶ αἰετὸς καὶ κύων ἐστὶν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν γῇ
καὶ ἐν θαλάσσῃ. τὸ δὲ χρόνον σημαίνει: ἅμα γὰρ παρὰ
πᾶσιν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ οὐδαμοῦ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ
τὴν φύσιν ἔχειν. τὸ δὲ προάγον ἐστὶ ψυχὰς ἔχειν: τοῦτο
γὰρ οὐθεὶς ἡμῶν ἐπιστάμενος διδάσκει τὸν πλησίον.
Athenaeus. Deipnosophistae. Kaibel. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1887.
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