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the reward of impiety, so that nothing would have prevented in a short time, them from plundering all the land and sea under the Romans, if a favorable end had not been given to the matter more quickly; so much did they surpass in piracy and greed the Hundred-Handed ones of old; and the governorships of the provinces were entrusted not to the most reasonable, but to the most inhuman men; and there was one vote for office, transgression, and to obtain gifts from him, for those who had plotted the very worst things concerning themselves.

Κʹ. But what if I should speak of the postponements and alterations of trials often changed and reversed in the middle of the night, like the tides; since the noble man even deigned to judge, making everything his own concern out of ambition? Perhaps I might seem to bring charges that are too small, and to insult the greatest matters with small ones. But let it be confessed that these things are not worthy of the Elysian fields, nor of the glory of Rhadamanthus there, of whose portion those 35.689 of the same clan and rank deem him worthy. There is one thing of his I have to admire; for many of his associates and acquaintances, especially from his sojourns in Asia, he would summon with all haste, as if to do wonderful things, such as he had given them wings to hope for, remembering his promises; but when they arrived, this was that—the thefts of votes, and the deceptions of appearances; mocking some in one way, others in another; and some, showing kindness at his table, and toasting them often with "Friend," and feasting them sumptuously instead of any other bait, he sent away empty-handed, not knowing whom to blame more, him for the deceit or themselves for their credulity.

ΚΑʹ. And how is this not praiseworthy in the philosopher's training, that he was so free from anger, and so superior to passions, like those of the kings who were ever unchangeable and unmoved, and who would not, if anything happened, even alter their expression, or show a trace of emotion; so that, while judging, he filled the palace with shouts and earthquakes, as if he himself were the one being oppressed and suffering loss, not defending others who were suffering these things? These things we shall not deem worthy of any mention; but who of all people is unaware of this, that many who approached him in public, even of the more boorish sort, in order to obtain something of what men ask of kings, he treated so badly, striking them with his fist in public and leaping upon them with his feet, that they were content not to suffer anything worse?

ΚΒʹ. And the puffings out and puffings back, which that admirable man, also mocking our rites, would display in return to the old women, while kindling the altar fire, where shall we place them in our account? Or is it indeed a fine thing to see the jaws of the Roman emperor behaving unseemly, and providing much laughter, not only to outsiders, but also to the very ones whom he thought to please by doing these things. And did he not hear of Athena, his own goddess, that she even cursed the flutes, with which she learned she was making an unseemly appearance, using the water instead of a mirror. And the toasts and pledges of friendship, 35.692 which he both drank in public to harlots and they in return to him, concealing the licentiousness under the pretext of a mystery, how is it not worthy of admiration?

ΚΓʹ. These things experience showed to others, and his power which anticipated his authority; but to me they were in a way seen even from afar, from the time I associated with the man in Athens. For he came there too, just after the revolutionary acts concerning his brother had occurred, having requested this very thing from the emperor. The reason for his visit was twofold: the more respectable one, for the sake of studying Greece and its schools; the more secret one, and not known to many, was to associate with the sacrificers and charlatans there concerning his own affairs, since impiety did not yet have free expression. At that time, therefore, I know I became no mean judge of the man, although I am not one of those naturally gifted in these matters. But his character made me prophetic

7

ἀσεβείας μισθὸς, ὥστε οὐδὲν ἐκώλυεν ἐντὸς ὀλίγου χρόνου, πᾶ σαν αὐτοὺς ἂν ληΐσασθαι τὴν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον πέρας ἐδόθη τοῖς πράγμασι δεξιόν· τοσοῦτον ὑπερέβαλλον λῃστείᾳ καὶ ἀπληστίᾳ τοὺς πρὶν ἑκατοντάχειρας· αἱ δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀρχαὶ οὐ τοῖς ἐπιεικεστάτοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀπαν θρωποτάτοις ἐνεχειρίζοντο· καὶ μία ψῆφος ἦν εἰς ἀρχὴν, ἡ παράβασις, καὶ τὸ τυχεῖν τῶν παρ' ἐκείνου δωρεῶν, τοὺς τὰ κάκιστα περὶ ἑαυτῶν βουλευ σαμένους.

Κʹ. Τί δ' ἂν εἰ λέγοιμι δικῶν μεταθέσεις καὶ μετακλίσεις διὰ μέσης νυκτὸς πολλάκις μεταβαλλομένων καὶ περιτρεπομένων, ὥσπερ ἀμπώ τιδας· ἐπεὶ καὶ δικάζειν ὁ γεννάδας ἠξίου, πάντα ἑαυτοῦ διὰ φιλοτιμίαν ποιούμενος; Τάχα ἂν μι κρὰ λίαν ἐγκαλεῖν δόξαιμι, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα τοῖς μι κροῖς καθυβρίζειν. Πλήν γε ὁμολογείσθω, ὅτι οὐκ Ἠλυσίων πεδίων ἄξια ταῦτα, οὐδὲ τῆς Ῥαδαμάνθυος ἐκεῖσε δόξης, ἧς μοίρας ἀξιοῦσιν ἐκεῖνον οἱ 35.689 τῆς αὐτῆς φατρίας τε καὶ τάξεως. Ἓν τῶν ἐκείνου θαυμάζειν ἔχω· πολλοὺς γὰρ τῶν αὐτῷ συνήθων τε καὶ γνωρίμων, ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν διατριβῶν μάλιστα, ἐκάλει μὲν κατὰ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν, ὡς δρά σων θαυμάσια, οἷα καὶ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐπτέρου, μεμνη μένους τῶν ὑποσχέσεων· ἐπεὶ δὲ παρεῖεν, τοῦτο ἐκεῖνο αἱ τῶν ψήφων κλοπαὶ, καὶ τῶν ὄψεων ἀπάται· τοὺς μὲν τοὺς δὲ τὸν τρόπον, τοὺς δὲ τὸν διαπαίζων· ἔστι δὲ οὓς καὶ τραπέζῃ φιλοφρονού μενος, καὶ πολὺ τὸ Ἑταῖρε προπίνων, καὶ λαρυγ γίζων ἀντ' ἄλλου τινὸς δελεάσματος, ἀπρά κτους ἀπέπεμπεν, οὐκ ἔχοντας ὅτῳ μέμφονται πλέον, ἐκείνῳ τῆς ἀπάτης ἢ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τῆς κου φότητος.

ΚΑʹ. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ πῶς οὐκ ἐπαινετὸν τῆς τοῦ φιλοσόφου παιδεύσεως, ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἀόργητος ἦν, καὶ τῶν παθῶν ὑψηλότερος, κατὰ τοὺς πώποτε τῶν βασιλέων ἀτρέπτους καὶ ἀκινήτους, καὶ μηδ' ἂν, εἴ τι γένοιτο, τοῦ προσώπου τι παρατρέψαντας, ἢ πάθους ἴχνος ἐπισημαίνοντας· ὥσθ' ὅτι μὲν βοῶν καὶ σεισμῶν ἐπλήρου τὰ βασίλεια δικάζων, ὥσπερ αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ τυραννούμενος καὶ ζημιούμενος, οὐκ ἄλλοις ταῦτα πάσχουσιν, ἐπαμύνων; Ταῦτα μὲν οὐδὲ λόγου τινὸς ἀξιώσομεν· τοῦτο δὲ τίς ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ἁπάντων, ὅτι πολλοὺς προσιόντας οἷ δημοσίᾳ καὶ τῶν ἀγροικοτέρων, ὥστε τυχεῖν τινος ὧν ἄνθρω ποι βασιλέων δέονται, παίων πὺξ δημοσίᾳ καὶ λὰξ ἐναλλόμενος οὕτω διετίθει κακῶς, ὥστ' ἀγαπᾷν ἐκεί νους τὸ μή τι παθεῖν χαλεπώτερον;

ΚΒʹ. Τὰς δὲ φυσήσεις τε καὶ ἀντιφυσήσεις, ἃς ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα διασύρων, τοῖς γραϊδίοις ἀντεπεδείκνυτο, τὸ ἐπιβώμιον πῦρ ἀνάπτων, ποῦ λόγου θήσομεν; Ἢ καλόν γε τοῦ Ῥωμαίων βασιλέως τὰς γνάθους ὁρᾷν ἀσχημονούσας, καὶ γέλωτα πολὺν παρεχούσας, οὐ τοῖς ἔξωθεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῖς, οἷς ταῦτα ποιῶν ἀρέσκειν ᾤετο. Τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν δὲ οὐκ ἤκουε, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεὸν, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς αὐλοῖς κατηράσατο, οἷς ἐνασχημονοῦσαν ἑαυτὴν κατεμάνθανεν, ἀντ' ἐσόπτρου χρησα μένη τῷ ὕδατι. Τὰς δὲ προπόσεις τε καὶ φιλο 35.692 τησίας, ἃς δημοσίᾳ ταῖς πόρναις προὔπινέ τε καὶ ἀντιπροὐπίνετο, ὑποκλέπτων τὸ ἀσελγὲς μυστη ρίου προσχήματι, πῶς οὐ θαυμάζειν ἄξιον;

ΚΓʹ. Ταῦτα τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἡ πεῖρα παρέστησε, καὶ ἡ δυναστεία προλαβοῦσα τὴν ἐξουσίαν· ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν τρόπον τινὰ ἑωρᾶτο, ἐξ οὗ τῷ ἀνδρὶ συνεγενόμην Ἀθήνῃσιν. Ἦλθε γὰρ κἀκεῖσε, ἄρτι τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ νεωτερισθέντων, τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτο αὐτὸ παραιτησάμενος. ∆ιττὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ὁ λόγος· ὁ μὲν εὐπρεπέστερος, καθ' ἱστορίαν τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε παιδευ τηρίων· ὁ δὲ ἀποῤῥητότερος, καὶ οὐ πολλοῖς γνώρι μος, ὥστε τοῖς ἐκεῖ θύταις καὶ ἀπατεῶσι περὶ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν συγγενέσθαι, οὔπω παῤῥησίαν ἐχού σης τῆς ἀσεβείας. Τότε τοίνυν οὐ φαῦλος ἐγὼ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εἰκαστὴς οἶδα γενόμενος, καίτοι γε οὐ τῶν εὖ πεφυκότων περὶ ταῦτα εἷς ὤν. Ἀλλ' ἐποίει με μαν τικὸν ἡ τοῦ ἤθους