to know what sort of thing your grandfather had become in life and what command of language he had. But I shall praise you, not by bringing in falsehoods from outside nor by fabricating praise, but by describing your character, such as I had not seen in another little infant, since I am skilled at judging character, if anyone is, and at peering into the soul through the senses as if through some windows, or rather, at perceiving it enthroned in the eyebrows and eyes. But since I have opportunely mentioned these parts of the body, a truly kind eye was seen in you from the moment you were born, neither fierce and quick-moving nor sluggish and dull, which has become a sign of a duller character, but sometimes still as if in thought, and then moving cheerfully again, whenever a laugh was about to come upon you. So I, having once noted this, not from a tripod cauldron nor from Bacchic frenzy, but <from> the very kind disposition of your eyes, prophesied that you would immediately laugh; and right away, moving your lip a little, you were filled with a blush and you offered your laugh. And in the thoughtfulness of your eyes your brow too was not without its contribution, but it too laid bare something of your secret character, gently arching and contributing something of intelligence as well. But being, as it were, opposed to crying, not even when the fountains of milk were blocked for you and your nurse deprived you of your usual drink, did you burst into wails and thrash about, but you seemed, as it were, to be contending and indicting her for injustice and insolence, especially when she showed you a sterner face; and in order to draw the spectator or judge to your side, you would also shed a little tear, at once with your tongue and with your eyes making the judicial votes incline toward yourself. But like some reasonable person, when the one who had wronged you bared her breast for you, you changed quickly and looked more gently on the one who had tyrannized you; and clinging to the fountain you did not hold insatiably to the stream like those who are thirsty, but having drunk a moderate amount you immediately gave as reward to her who nurtured you a kind look and a laugh. And for you what was contrary to choice was a voluntary law, and what was unreasoning was a kind of rational sequence. For in most people the soul, as soon as they are born, is disposed in a more unreasoning way, but in those in whom a more ambitious nature has been implanted by God, the spirit shines forth through it as through a high-shining lamp, showing its light more brightly from afar. Something of this sort had been reported to me, your grandfather, about your mother. And it is nothing new if, having come forth from the same spring like a little stream, you have drawn some portion of your mother's nature. For these reasons your other traits also were not infantile, but far more intelligent for such an age. For your fourth month of life was not yet over and the characters of those around you were clearly impressed upon your soul; and you knew each man or each woman. And so you perceived, as it were, who was neglecting you and who was taking care of you, and you either treated them most familiarly or you disliked them. But for me alone you †broke† your rule, and you looked kindly on me as I loved you unrestrainedly and pressed your lip with my touches and embraced you rather manfully, and to me when I struck you, you offered your right cheek and also your left, as if fulfilling the law of the Lord; for perhaps you knew that the wounds are from goodwill and he who strikes does not do so in order to strike, but so that he might in every way enjoy your nature and your charm. And I, for my part, whenever I saw you distressed, I would immediately lead away your childish cares, I would stroke you lightly with my hands, I would lift you into the air, I filled for you every measure of delight. And you were vexed, if any other infant was, by the bond of your swaddling clothes, and when your nurse had skillfully washed you in the basin and was about to bind you, straightening both your hands against your sides and putting your two feet together and joining them, you would immediately become downcast and scowl; and none of the other things charmed you, as if not wishing to be in a prison

εἰδέναι ὁποῖόν σοι χρῆμα ὁ πάππος ἐγεγόνει τῷ βίῳ καὶ οἵαν εἶχε τὴν τῆς γλώττης περιβολήν. ἐπαινέσομαι δέ σε οὐκ ἐπάγων ἔξωθεν τὰ ψευδῆ οὐδὲ πλάττων τὴν εὐφημίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ σὸν ἦθος χαρακτηρίζων, οἷον εἰς ἕτερον οὐχ ἑωράκειν βρεφύλλιον, ἐπεὶ καὶ γνωματεύειν ἐγὼ δεινός, εἴπερ τις ἄλλος, καὶ διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὥσπερ θυρίδων τινῶν προκύπτειν εἰς τὴν ψυχήν, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὴν ὀφρύσι καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐγκαθημένην κατανοεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εἰς καιρόν γε τουτωνὶ τῶν μερῶν ἐπεμνήσθην τοῦ σώματος, εὔνουν σοι ὡς ἀληθῶς τὸ ὄμμα εὐθὺς γεγονότι τεθέατο, οὔτε γοργὸν καὶ εὐκίνητον οὔτε ἀργὸν καὶ βλακῶδες, ὅπερ ἀμβλυτέρου ἤθους σημεῖον καθέστηκεν, ἀλλ' ἑστὼς μέν ποτε ὥσπερ ἐν συννοίᾳ, κινούμενον δὲ ἱλαρῶς αὖθις, ὁπηνίκα ἐπιδραμεῖν ὁ γέλως ἔμελλεν. ἔγωγ' οὖν ἅπαξ τοῦτο σημειωσάμενος, οὐκ ἐκ τριποδικοῦ λέβητος οὐδ' ἐκ βακχικῆς συγκινή σεως, ἀλλ' <ἐξ> αὐτῆς τῶν σῶν ὀμμάτων εὐμενοῦς διαθέσεως, ὅτι γελάσεις εὐθὺς προεφήτευον· καὶ αὐτίκα βραχύ τι τὸ χεῖλος μετακινήσας ἐρυθήματός τε πεπλήρωσο καὶ παρεῖχες τὸν γέλωτα. ἐν δὲ ταῖς τῶν ὀμμάτων συννοίαις οὐδὲ ἡ ὀφρὺς ἀσυντελὴς ἦν, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνη παρεγύμνου τι τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἠθῶν ἠρέμα συγκαμπτομένη καὶ συνδιδοῦσά τι καὶ συνέσεως. Ἀντίθετος δὲ ὥσπερ πρὸς τὸ δακρύειν γενόμενος, οὐδ' ὁπότε σοι αἱ τοῦ γάλακτος πηγαὶ ἀπεφράγνυντο καὶ τοῦ συνήθους σε ἡ τήθη ἀπεστέρει πόματος, διερρήγνυσο τοῖς κλαυθμοῖς καὶ ἀπέσπαιρες, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐῴκεις φιλονεικῶν καὶ γραφόμενος αὐτὴν ἀδικίας καὶ ὕβρεως, ὁπότε σοι μᾶλλον βριμῶδες ἐπεδείκνυ τὸ πρόσωπον· ἵνα δὲ καὶ τὸν θεατὴν ἢ δικαστὴν εἰς τὸ σὸν ἐπισπάσῃ βούλημα, καὶ δάκρυόν τι κατέσπενδες ὁμοῦ καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὰς δικαστικὰς ψήφους ἐπικλινεῖς ἑαυτῷ ποιούμενος. ὥσπερ δέ τις τῶν ἐπιεικῶν, ἐπειδὰν τὸν μαζόν σοι ἡ ἀδικήσασα παρεγύμνωσε, μετεβάλου ταχὺ καὶ ἡμερώτερον ἑώρας τὴν τυραννήσασαν· καὶ προσφὺς τῇ πηγῇ οὐχ ὥσπερ οἱ διψῶντες ἀπλήστως εἴχου τοῦ νάματος, ἀλλὰ πιὼν ὁπόσον μέτριον μισθὸν εὐθὺς ἐδίδους τῇ θρεψαμένῃ εὐμενὲς ὄμμα καὶ γέλωτα. καὶ ἦν σοι τὸ παρὰ προαίρεσιν νόμος αὐθαίρετος καὶ τὸ ἀλόγιστον ἀκολουθία τις ἔλλογος· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ πολλοῖς ἀλογωτέρα ἡ ψυχὴ γενομένοις εὐθὺς διατίθεται, οἷς δὲ ἡ φύσις φιλοτιμοτέρα ἐγκατῳκίσθη παρὰ θεοῦ ἀναλάμπει διὰ ταύτης τὸ πνεῦμα ὥσπερ διὰ λυχνίας ὑψιφαοῦς τηλαυγέστερον παραδεικνῦσα τὸ φῶς. τοιοῦτόν τι κἀμοὶ τῷ πάππῳ περὶ τῆς γειναμένης ἐξήγγελτο· καὶ καινὸν οὐδέν, εἰ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς πηγῆς προεληλυθὸς ὥσπερ ῥευμάτιον μοῖράν τινα τῆς τεκούσης ἀπεσπάσω φύσεως. ∆ιὰ ταῦτά σοι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα οὐ βρεφοφυῆ καθειστήκει, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ἡλικίας πολὺ συνετώτερα· οὔπω γάρ σοι μὴν τέταρτος ἐξῆκε τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ οἱ τῶν περὶ σὲ χαρακτῆρες τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ σαφῶς ἀπεμάττοντο· καὶ ᾔδεις ἕκαστον ἢ ἑκάστην. καὶ ὥσπερ δὴ κατενόεις τίς μὲν κατολιγωροίη σου, τίς δὲ ἐπιμελῶς ἔχοιτο, καὶ ἢ διετίθεσο οἰκειότατα ἢ ἀπέστεργες. ἐμοὶ δὲ μόνῳ τὸν σὸν νόμον †ἀπέστεργες† καὶ εὐμενὲς ἑώρας καὶ ἄσχετον φιλοῦντα καὶ θλίβοντά σου τὸ χεῖλος ταῖς ἐπαφαῖς καὶ ἀγκαλιζόμενον ἀνδρικώτερον, καὶ παίοντι δὲ τὴν δεξιὰν παρεῖχες καὶ τὴν λαιὰν ὥσπερ τὸν τοῦ κυρίου νόμον πληρῶν· ᾔδεις γὰρ ἴσως ὅτι ἐξ εὐμενείας τὰ τραύματα καὶ ὁ πλήττων οὐχ ἵνα πλήξοι τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν τῆς σῆς παντοδαπῶς ἀπολαύσῃ φύσεώς τε καὶ χάριτος. κἀγὼ δέ τοι, ἐπειδάν σε συγχυθὲν εἶδον, εὐθὺς ἀπῆγον τὰ σὰ παιδικά, ἐπηλάφριζον ταῖς χερσίν, ἐκούφιζον εἰς ἀέρα, πᾶν σοι θυμηδίας μέτρον ἐπλήρουν. Ἐδυσχέραινες δέ, εἴπερ τι ἄλλο βρέφος, τὸν τῶν σπαργάνων δεσμὸν καί, ἐπειδάν σε ἡ τήθη τῇ κάλπιδι δεξιῶς ἀπελούσατο καὶ δεσμεῖν ἔμελλεν, ἑκατέρας χεῖρας ταῖς πλευραῖς ἐπευθύνουσα καὶ τὼ πόδε συντιθεῖσα καὶ συμβιβάζουσα, εὐθὺς κατηφιῶν ἐσκυθρώπαζες· καὶ οὐδέν σε τῶν ἄλλων ἔθελγεν ὥσπερ οὐ βουλόμενον ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ