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to go down. A simple table is often dearer to me Than one prepared by the hands of chefs. And clothing likewise; and as for comely beauty, 1188 It is not what hands paint, but what nature possesses. Let the mind be at ease, and this will suffice for us. We will give elegance to those who want it. Do not weave for me the doctrines of Sextus, nor of Pyrrho; Let Chrysippus perish, far away the Stagirite. Do not cherish the eloquence of Plato. Cast away the beauty of those whose doctrines you reject. Philosophize in the simplicity of speech; You please us, even if you speak unlearnedly. Teach us as you wish, but teach, What the Trinity is to me, how God is unified, And is divided again, one object of worship, one nature, A Monad, and a Trinity, and what is the nature of angels, And of the twofold world, and of just providence, 1189 Even if many things seem unjust to most people; And what is the principle of soul and body, of laws First and second; and what is the incarnation Of Him who is most removed even from intelligible things; And the mixing of unequal things into one glory, A putting to death into a rising, heaven again, And resurrection, and judgment of what kind, Or what life is for the just, and what for sinners; How all things flow, tell me, and where they stop, If any of these things has been made clear to you by the Spirit, The whole, or moderately, or inadequately, As much as the purification of your mind has allowed. Do not deprive me; but if you are entirely blind, 1190 Why do you lead by the hand when you cannot see? O the darkness Of those who use a teacher who cannot see, So that they fall together into a pit of ignorance! These men are thus; but others are a lesser evil; For ignorance is an evil, but a lesser evil. But what could one say, even remembering evils? For there are, there are some more wretched, Unhappy, abominable dice-throws of life, Ambidextrous in faith, the laws of the times, Not those of God they revere, Euripuses of words Flowing back and forth, or the swaying of branches, Flatterers of women, pleasant poisons, Lions to the small, but dogs again to the powerful, 1191 Clever trackers of every table, Haunting the doors of the powerful, not of the wise, Honoring what is for favor, not what is advantageous, So that they might make their neighbors evil too. Shall I say something wise of them, if you command? One prides himself on noble birth, another on eloquence, Another on wealth, and another boasts of his lineage. But those who have nothing for which they might be esteemed, Make themselves known by wickedness. And this too is wise: for not knowing how to speak, They have bound the tongues of the more talkative alike. But if there were some strife of eyes and hands, You would have cut these out for us too, O wise ones! 1192 Is this not manifest insolence? Not clear harm? Who will endure these things? O mystery! Already almost the entire inhabited world, Having received such salvation from God, How very much we use unworthy leaders! I will shout things not false, but not most pleasant. A stage-play (alas!) is being acted more comely; Now the masks, but the faces later. It is shameful to say how it is, but I will speak nevertheless. Appointed to be teachers of the good, We are a workshop of all evils, Shouting in silence, even if we seem not to speak: "Vice is the president; let no one toil; 1193 Become evil, this is the shortest way, And better; and the deed stands as law." For scarcely would someone by the force of teachers Incline towards the better; but if he should have a model Of wickedness, he is caught. A stream running downhill. And the reason. They say that by the rays of the sun An eagle most wisely judges the sight of its young; From which the illegitimate, and that which is not, is known; And it casts one out, but of the other it is the father. But we easily appoint everyone, If only they wish, as leaders of the people, Considering nothing of the new, or of the old, Not deed, not speech, not association, Not even so much as to recognize the sound of a coin, Nor having shown proof of being tested by time, 1194 But as having appeared worthy of thrones on the spot. For if we know this, that authority, for the most part, Makes the one chosen worse, Who, being of sound mind, would put forward one whom he does not know? And if it is such a task to govern my own soul alone In the three-waved seas of life, How will you give to anyone the necks of so great a people, Unless you are eager to sink the ship? Whence is it that beautiful stones are hard to find, And the aromas of the earth not every place bears, And the worst horse is plentiful in the midst, But the noble one the houses of the rich rear; But the president easily

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βαίνειν κάτω. Λιτὴ τράπεζα πολλάκις μοι φιλτέρα Τῆς ὀψοποιῶν χερσὶν ἐξησκημένης. Ἐσθὴς δ' ὁμοίως· ὡς δὲ κάλλος εὐπρεπὲς, 1188 Οὐχ ὃ γράφουσι χεῖρες, ἡ φύσις δ' ἔχει. Ὁ νοῦς ἀνείτω, καὶ τόδ' ἡμῖν ἀρκέσει. Οὐδὲν τὸ κομψὸν, τοῖς θέλουσι δώσομεν. Μή μοι τὰ Σέξτου, μηδὲ Πύῤῥωνος πλέκε· Χρύσιππος ἔῤῥει, μακρὰν ὁ Σταγειρίτης. Μηδὲ Πλάτωνος στέργε τὴν εὐγλωττίαν. Ῥίψον τὸ κάλλος, ὧν τὰ δόγματ' ἀποστρέφῃ. Ἐμφιλοσόφει τῇ εὐτελείᾳ τοῦ λόγου· Ἡμῖν ἀρέσκεις, κἂν ἀπαιδεύτως λαλῇς. ∆ίδαξον ἡμᾶς, ὡς θέλεις, δίδασκε δὲ, Τίς ἡ Τριάς μοι, πῶς ἑνίζεται Θεὸς, Καὶ τέμνετ' αὖθις, ἓν σέβας, φύσις μία, Μονὰς, Τριάς τε, ἀγγέλων δὲ τίς φύσις, Κόσμου τε δισσοῦ, καὶ προνοίας ἐνδίκου, 1189 Κἂν πολλὰ μὴ δίκαια τοῖς πλείστοις δοκῇ· Ψυχῆς τε, σώματός τε τίς λόγος, νόμων Πρώτου τε, δευτέρου τε· σάρκωσις δὲ τίς Τοῦ καὶ νοητῶν πλεῖστον ἐξεστηκότος· Καὶ τῶν ἀνίσων μίξις εἰς δόξαν μίαν, Νέκρωσις εἰς ἔγερσιν, οὐρανὸς πάλιν, Ἀνάστασις δὲ, καὶ κρίσις τίνος λόγου, Ἢ τίς δικαίοις, τίς δ' ἁμαρτωλοῖς βίος· Πῶς ῥεῖ τὰ πάντα, φάσκε μοι, ποῦ δ' ἵσταται Εἴ σοί τι τούτων ἐτρανώθη Πνεύματι, Τὸ σύμπαν, εἴτε καὶ μέσως, εἴτ' ἐνδεῶς, Ὅσον κεχώρηχ' ἡ κάθαρσις σῆς φρενός. Μή με στερήσῃς· εἰ δὲ πάντη τυφλὸς εἶ 1190 Τί χειραγωγεῖς μὴ βλέπων; Ὢ τοῦ σκότους Τῷ μὴ βλέποντι χρωμένων διδασκάλῳ, Ὡς εἰς βόθρον πέσωσι ἀγνοίας ἅμα! Οὗτοι μὲν οὕτως· οἱ δὲ καὶ ἧσσον κακόν· Ἄγνοια γὰρ κακὸν μὲν, ἀλλ' ἧσσον κακόν. Τί δ' ἄν τις εἴποι, καὶ κακῶν μεμνημένος; Εἰσὶν γὰρ, εἰσὶν ἀθλιώτεροί τινες, ∆ύστην', ἀπευκτὰ τοῦ βίου κυβεύματα, Τὴν πίστιν ἀμφιδέξιοι, καιρῶν νόμους, Οὐ τοὺς Θεοῦ σέβοντες, Εὔριποι λόγων Παλιῤῥοοῦντες, ἢ κλάδων μετακλίσεις, Θῶπες γυναικῶν, τερπνὰ δηλητήρια, Μικροῖς λέοντες, τοῖς κρατοῦσι δ' αὖ κύνες, 1191 Πάσης τραπέζης εὐφυεῖς ἰχνεύμονες, Θύρας κρατούντων ἐκτρίβοντες, οὐ σοφῶν, Τὸ πρὸς χάριν τιμῶντες, οὐ τὸ συμφέρον, Ὡς ἂν κακοὺς ποιῶσι καὶ τοὺς πλησίον. Εἴπω τι τούτων καὶ σοφὸν, κελεύσετε; Ὃς μέν τις εὐγένειαν, ὃς δ' εὐγλωττίαν, Πλοῦτόν τις ἄλλος, ὃς δὲ κομπάζει γένος. Οἱ δ' οὐκ ἔχοντες, ἐξ ὅτου δόξουσί τι, Ποιοῦσιν αὑτοὺς γνωρίμους πονηρίᾳ. Σοφὸν δὲ καὶ τό· οὐ γὰρ εἰδότες λόγων, Γλῶσσαν ἔδησαν τῶν λαλιστέρων ὁμῶς. Εἰ δ' ἦν τις ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ χερῶν ἔρις, Καὶ ταῦτ' ἂν ἡμῶν ἐξεκόψατ', ὦ σοφοί! 1192 Ταῦτ' οὐ πρόδηλος ὕβρις; οὐ βλάβη σαφής; Τούτων ἀνέξεται τίς; ὦ μυστήριον! Ἤδη σχεδόν τι τῆς ὅλης οἰκουμένης, Οἵαν λαβόντες ἐκ Θεοῦ σωτηρίαν, Ὡς σφόδρα χρώμεθ' ἀναξίοις τοῖς προστάταις! Βοήσομ' οὐ ψευδῆ μὲν, οὐχ ἥδιστα δέ. Σκηνή τις (οἴμοι!) παίζετ' εὐπρεπεστέρα· Νῦν τὰ προσωπεῖα, τὰ πρόσωπα δ' ὕστερον. Αἰσχρὸν μὲν εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἔχει, φράσω δ' ὅμως. Ταχθέντες εἶναι τοῦ καλοῦ διδάσκαλοι, Κακῶν ἁπάντων ἐσμὲν ἐργαστήριον, Σιγῇ βοῶντες, κἂν δοκῶμεν μὴ λέγειν· «Πρόεδρος ἡ κακία· πονείτω μηδὲ εἷς· 1193 Κακοὶ γίνεσθε, τοῦτο συντομώτατον, Καὶ λῷον· ἡ δὲ πρᾶξις ἵσταται νόμος.» Μόλις γὰρ ἄν τις ἐκ βίας διδασκάλων Νεύσειεν εἰς τὸ κρεῖσσον· εἰ δ' ἔχοι τύπον Μοχθηρὸν, ἥλω. Ῥοῦς κατὰ πρανοῦς τρέχων. Τὸ δ' αἴτιον. Βολαῖς μὲν ἡλίου φασὶ Κρίνειν νεοττῶν ὄψιν ἀετὸν πανσόφως· Ἐξ ὧν νόθον μὲν, καὶ τὸ μὴ, γινώσκεται· Καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐξέῤῥιψε, τοῦ δ' ἔστι πατήρ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντας ῥᾳδίως καθίζομεν, Ἐὰν μόνον θέλωσι, λαοῦ προστάτας, Οὐδὲν σκοποῦντες τῶν νέων, ἢ τῶν πάλαι, Οὐ πρᾶξιν, οὐ λόγον τιν', οὐ συνουσίαν, Οὐδ' ὅσον ἦχον γνωρίσαι νομίσματος, Οὐδὲ χρόνου πύρωσιν ἐνδεδειγμένους, 1194 Ἀλλ' αὐτόθεν φανέντας ἀξίους θρόνων. Εἰ γὰρ τόδ' ἴσμεν, ὡς τὸν ἐξειλεγμένον Χείρω τίθησιν, ὡς τὰ πόλλ', ἐξουσία, Τίς ἂν προβάλοιτ' εὖ φρονῶν, ὃν ἀγνοεῖ; Καὶ εἰ τοσοῦτο τὴν ἐμὴν ἔργον μόνην Ψυχὴν κυβερνᾷν ἐν βίου τρικυμίαις, Πῶς παντὶ δώσεις αὐχένας λαοῦ τόσου, Πλὴν εἰ καταδῦσαι τὸ σκάφος σπουδὴν ἔχεις; Πόθεν λίθοι μὲν δυσπόριστοι τῶν καλῶν, Καὶ γῆς ἀρώματ' οὐ τόπον παντὸς φέρειν, Ἵππος δ' ὁ μὲν κάκιστος ἐν μέσῳ πολὺς, Τὸν δ' εὐγενῆ τρέφουσιν οἶκοι πλουσίων· Ὁ δὲ πρόεδρος ῥᾳδίως