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
σκιαγραφίας γάρ φησι τὸν ψευδῆ καὶ ἄδικον δεῖσθαι. τίς οὖν ὁ τρόπος αὐτοῖς
τῆς συνουσίας ἐγίνετο; τῶν λόγων ἡγεῖτο τὰ ἔργα, καὶ οἱ τὴν πενίαν
τιμῶντες αὐτοὶ πρῶτοι φαίνονται(169) καὶ τῶν πατρῴων χρημάτων ὑπεριδόντες,
οἱ τὴν ἀτυφίαν ἀσπασάμενοι πρῶτοι [C] τὴν εὐτέλειαν ἤσκουν διὰ πάντων, οἱ
τὸ τραγικὸν καὶ σοβαρὸν ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐξαιροῦντες βίων ᾤκουν αὐτοὶ
πρῶτοι τὰς ἀγορὰς ἢ τὰ τῶν θεῶν τεμένη, τῇ τρυφῇ δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ῥημάτων
διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπολέμουν, ἔργοις ἐλέγχοντες, οὐ λόγῳ βοῶντες, ὅτι τῷ Διὶ
συμβασιλεύειν ἔξεστιν οὐδενὸς ἢ σμικρῶν πάνυ δεόμενον οὐδὲ παρενοχλούμενον
ὑπὸ τοῦ σώματος, ἐπετίμων δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἡνίκα ἔζων οἱ πταίσαντες,
[D] οὐκ ἀποθανόντας ἐβλασφήμουν, ἡνίκα καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν οἱ μετριώτεροι
σπένδονται τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσιν. ἔχει δὲ ὅ γε ἀληθινὸς κύων ἐχθρὸν οὐδένα, κἂν
τὸ σωμάτιον αὐτοῦ τις πατάξῃ, κἂν τοὔνομα περιέλκῃ, κἂν λοιδορῆται καὶ
βλασφημῇ, διότι τὸ μὲν τῆς ἔχθρας γίνεται πρὸς ἀντίπαλον, τὸ δὲ ὑπερβαῖνον
τὴν πρὸς ἕτερον ἅμιλλαν εὐνοίᾳ τιμᾶσθαι φιλεῖ· [215] κἄν τις ἑτέρως ἔχῃ
πρὸς αὐτὸν, καθάπερ οἶμαι πολλοὶ πρὸς τοὺς θεούς, ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν
ἐχθρός, οὐδὲ γὰρ βλαβερός, αὐτὸς δὲ αὑτῷ βαρύτατον ἐπιτιθεὶς(170) τίμημα
τὴν τοῦ κρείττονος ἄγνοιαν ἔρημος λείπεται τῆς ἐκείνου προστασίας.
(Only the liar and the dishonest man, he says, have any use for a
mysterious and allusive style. Now what was the manner of their
intercourse with men? Deeds with them came before words, and if they
honoured poverty they themselves seem first to have scorned inherited
wealth; if they cultivated modesty, they themselves first practised plain
living in every respect; if they tried to expel from the lives of other
men the element of theatrical display and arrogance, they themselves first
set the example by living in the open market places and the temple
precincts, and they opposed luxury by their own practice before they did
so in words; nor did they shout aloud but proved by their actions that a
man may rule as the equal of Zeus if he needs nothing or very little and
so is not hampered by his body; and they reproved sinners during the
lifetime of those who had offended but did not speak ill of the dead; for
when men are dead even their enemies, at least the more moderate, make
peace with the departed. But the genuine Cynic has no enemy, even though
men strike his feeble body or drag his name in the mire, or slander and
speak ill of him, because enmity is felt only towards an opponent, but
that which is above personal rivalry is usually loved and respected. But
if anyone is hostile to a Cynic, as indeed many are even to the gods, he
is not that Cynic’s enemy, since he cannot injure him; rather he inflicts
on himself the most terrible punishment of all, namely ignorance of one
who is nobler than himself; and so he is deserted and bereft of the
other’s protection.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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