The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 2Julian, Emperor of Rome
Philosophy
The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 2
Julian, Emperor of Rome
Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek -- Translations into English
(“Liars and dancers, well skilled to dance in a chorus”;(724))
τοὐναντίον δὲ ἀντ᾽ ἐγκωμίων ὑμῖν προσεῖναί φημι πατρίων ζῆλον
ἐπιτηδευμάτων. ἐπεὶ καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐπαινῶν τὸν Αὐτόλυκόν φησι περιεῖναι πάντων
(on the contrary it is in the place of a panegyric that I ascribe to you
emulation of the practice of your forefathers. For Homer too is praising
Autolycus when he says that he surpassed all men)
Κλεπτοσύνῃ θ᾽ ὅρκῳ τε.
(“in stealing and perjury.”(725))
καὶ ἐμαυτοῦ τὴν σκαιότητα καὶ τὴν ἀμαθίαν καὶ τὴν δυσκολίαν [B] καὶ τὸ μὴ
ῥᾳδίως μαλάττεσθαι μηδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς δεομένοις ἢ τοῖς ἐξαπατῶσι τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ
ποιεῖσθαι μηδὲ ταῖς βοαῖς εἴκειν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα στέργω ὀνείδη. πότερα μὲν
οὖν ἐστι κουφότερα, θεοῖς ἴσως δῆλον, ἐπείπερ ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς οἷός τε ἡμῖν
ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῶν διαφορῶν βραβεῦσαι· πεισόμεθα γὰρ οὐδαμῶς αὐτῷ διὰ
φιλαυτίαν, θαυμάζειν γὰρ εἰκὸς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἕκαστον, ἀτιμάζειν δὲ τὰ παρὰ
τοῖς ἄλλοις. ὁ δὲ τῷ τὰ ἐναντία ζηλοῦντι νέμων συγγνώμην εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ
πρᾳότατος.
(And as for my own awkwardness and ignorance and ill‐temper, and my
inability to be influenced, or to mind my own business when people beg me
to do so or try to deceive me and that I cannot yield to their
clamour—even such reproaches I gladly accept. But whether your ways or
mine are more supportable is perhaps clear to the gods, for among men
there is no one capable of arbitrating in our disagreement. For such is
our self‐love that we shall never believe him, since everyone of us
naturally admires his own ways and despises those of other men. In fact he
who grants indulgence to one whose aims are the opposite of his own is, in
my opinion, the most considerate of men.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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