[79]
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδ᾽ ἐκεῖνό πω κατανενόηκας,
οἶμαι, ὡς ἡ μὲν ἀρετὴ ἐν ἔργοις δήπου ἐστίν,
οἷον ἐν τῷ δίκαια πράττειν καὶ σοφὰ καὶ ἀνδρεῖα, ὑμεῖς
δὲ — τὸ δὲ ὑμεῖς ὅταν εἴπω, τοὺς ἄκρους τῶν φιλοσοφούντων
φημί — ἀφέντες ταῦτα ζητεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν ῥημάτια
δύστηνα μελετᾶτε καὶ συλλογισμοὺς καὶ ἀπορίας καὶ
τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ βίου ἐπὶ τούτοις διατρίβετε, καὶ ὃς ἂν
κρατῇ ἐν αὐτοῖς, καλλίνικος ὑμῖν δοκεῖ: ἀφ᾽ ὧν, οἶμαι,
καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον τουτονὶ θαυμάζετε, γέροντα ἄνδρα,
ὅτι τοὺς προσομιλοῦντας ἐς ἀπορίαν καθίστησι καὶ οἶδεν
ὡς χρὴ ἐρέσθαι καὶ σοφίσασθαι καὶ πανουργῆσαι καὶ ἐς
ἄφυκτα ἐμβαλεῖν, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν ἀτεχνῶς ἀφέντες —
οὗτος δὲ ἦν περὶ τὰ ἔργα — περὶ τὸν φλοιὸν ἀσχολεῖσθε
τὰ φύλλα καταχέοντες ἀλλήλων ἐν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις. ἢ γὰρ
ἄλλα ἐστὶν ἃ πράττετε, ὦ Ἑρμότιμε, πάντες ἕωθεν εἰς ἑσπέραν;
[p. 387]
Ἑρμότιμος
οὔκ, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα.
Λυκῖνος
ἢ οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ ὀρθῶς τις φαίη τὴν σκιὰν
ὑμᾶς θηρεύειν ἐάσαντας τὸ σῶμα ἢ τοῦ ὄφεως τὸ σύφαρ
ἀμελήσαντας τοῦ ὁλκοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ ὅμοιον ποιεῖν ὥσπερ
εἴ τις ἐς ὅλμον ὕδωρ ἐκχέας ὑπέρῳ σιδηρῷ πτίττοι
πράττειν ἀναγκαῖόν τι καὶ προὔργου οἰόμενος, οὐκ εἰδὼς
ὅτι ἂν ἀποβάλῃ, φασί, τοὺς ὤμους πτίττων, ὕδωρ ὁμοίως
τὸ ὕδωρ μένει;
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Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol I. Lucian. Karl Jacobitz. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1896. Keyboarding.
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