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[8]
ὁρᾶτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς νομοθέτας τῷ κολαστικῷ εἴδει τὸ πλέον νέμοντας, ὡς τῶν γε ἄλλων
οὐδὲν ὄφελος, εἰ μὴ ὁ φόβος προσείη καὶ ἐλπὶς τῆς κολάσεως. ἡμῖν τοῦτο πολλῷ
ἀναγκαιότερον τοῖς τυράννοις, ὅσῳ πρὸς: ἀνάγκην ἐξηγούμεθα καὶ μισοῦσί τε ἅμα καὶ ἐπιβουλεύουσιν ἀνθρώποις σύνεσμεν, ὅπου μηδὲ τῶν μορμολυκείων
- ὄφελός τι ἡμῖν γίγνεται, ἀλλὰ τῷ περὶ τῆς Ὕδρας
μύθῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔοικεν: ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν ἐκκόπτωμεν, τοσῷδε πλείους ἡμῖν ἀναφύονται τοῦ κολάζειν ἀφορμαί. φέρειν δὲ ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸ ἀναφυόμενον
ἐκκόπτειν ἀεὶ καὶ ἐπικαίειν νὴ Δία κατὰ τὸν Ἰόλεων, εἰ μέλλομεν ἐπικρατήσειν τὸν γὰρ ἅπαξ εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐμπεσεῖν ἠναγκασμένον ὅμοιον χρὴ
τῇ ὑποθέσει καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι, ἢ φειδόμενον τῶν πλησίον ἀπολωλέναι. ὅλως δέ, τίνα οἴεσθε οὕτως ἄγριον ἢ ἀνήμερον ἄνθρωπον εἶναι ὡς ἥδεσθαι μαστιγοῦντα καὶ οἰμωγῶν ἀκούοντα καὶ σφαττομένους ὁρῶντα, εἰ μὴ ἔχοι τινὰ μεγάλην τοῦ κολάζειν αἰτίαν; ποσάκις γοῦν ἐδάκρυσα μαστιγουμένων ἄλλων, ποσάκις δὲ θρηνεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι τὴν
ἐμαυτοῦ τύχην ἀναγκάζομαι μείζω κόλασιν αὐτὸς καὶ χρονιωτέραν ὑπομένων; ἀνδρὶ γὰρ φύσει μὲν ἀγαθῷ, διὰ δὲ ἀνάγκην πικρῷ, πολὺ τοῦ
κολάξεσθαι τὸ κολάζειν χαλεπώτερον.
[p. 14]
Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1913. 1.
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