97

has differed, and in how many things Acusilaus corrects Hesiod; or in what manner Ephorus shows Hellanicus lying in most things, and Timaeus shows Ephorus, and those who 10.7.13 came after him show Timaeus, and everyone shows Herodotus. But not even concerning Sicilian affairs did Timaeus deign to agree with Antiochus and Philistus or Callias, nor again concerning Attic affairs have those who wrote the *Atthides* or concerning Argolic affairs10.7.14 have those who wrote histories about Argos followed one another. And what need is there to speak of matters concerning cities and lesser things, when even concerning the Persian expedition and the events that took place in it the most esteemed writers have disagreed? And Thucydides is also accused by some of lying in many things, although he is thought to have written the most accurate 10.7.15 history of his time. And while perhaps many other causes for such disagreement might appear to those wishing to seek them, I, for my part, 10.7.16 assign the greatest force to the two causes about to be set forth. And I will state first the one that seems to me to be the more important. For the fact that from the beginning it was not a matter of concern among the Greeks for public records to be made concerning events as they happened, this above all provided both the error and the license for lying to those who afterward wished to write something about ancient times. 10.7.17 For not only among the other Greeks were matters concerning records neglected, but not even among the Athenians themselves, who they say are autochthonous and attentive to education, is anything of the sort found to have happened; but they say that the most ancient of the public records are the laws concerning homicide written for them by Draco, a man who lived a little before the tyranny of Peisistratus. 10.7.18 For what need is there to speak of the Arcadians, who boast of their antiquity? For they were scarcely educated in letters even after this. 10.7.19 Therefore, since no public record had been set forth which would both teach those wishing to learn and expose those who were lying, much disagreement with one another 10.7.20 arose among the historians. And a second cause, in addition to this one, must be posited; for those who set out to write were not concerned with the truth—although this is always their ready profession—but they displayed the power of words, and in whatever manner they supposed they would in this surpass others, in this manner they composed, some turning to mythology, some praising either the cities or the kings for favor; others proceeded to the accusation of actions or of writers, thinking that in this they would gain renown. 10.7.21 In short, they continually do the very thing most contrary to history. For it is proof of true history if concerning the same things all people would both say and write the same things; but they believed that unless they wrote things different from others, they themselves would appear the most truthful of all.” 10.7.22 So much also from Josephus. The testimony of Diodorus would be a seal upon what has been said, which I will quote from the first book of the *Library* compiled by him, which runs word for word thus:

10.8.1 8. CONCERNING THE SAME; FROM DIODORUS

“Now that these things have been clearly stated by us, it must be told how many of those among the Greeks renowned for intelligence and learning visited Egypt in ancient 10.8.2 times, in order that they might partake of the laws and education there. For the priests of the Egyptians relate from the records in the sacred books that there visited them Orpheus and Musaeus and Melampus and Daedalus, and in addition to these Homer the poet and Lycurgus the Spartan, and furthermore Solon the Athenian and Plato the philosopher;

97

διαπεφώνηκεν, ὅσα δὲ διορθοῦται τὸν Ἡσίοδον Ἀκουσίλαος· ἢ τίνα τρόπον Ἔφορος μὲν Ἑλλάνικον ἐτοῖς πλείστοις ψευδόμενον ἐπιδείκνυσιν, Ἔφορον δὲ Τίμαιος καὶ Τίμαιον οἱ 10.7.13 μετ' ἐκεῖνον γεγονότες, Ἡρόδοτον δὲ πάντες. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν Σικελικῶν τοῖς περὶ Ἀντίοχον καὶ Φίλιστον ἢ Καλλίαν Τίμαιος συμφωνεῖν ἠξίωσεν, οὐδ' αὖ περὶ τῶν Ἀττικῶν οἱ τὰς Ἀτθίδας συγγεγραφότες ἢ περὶ τῶν Ἀργολικῶν10.7.14 οἱ τὰ περὶ Ἄργος ἱστοροῦντες ἀλλήλοις ἠκολουθήκασι. καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν περὶ τῶν κατὰ πόλεις καὶ βραχυτέρων, ὅπου γε περὶ τῆς Περσικῆς στρατείας καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ πραχθέντων οἱ δοκιμώτατοι διαπεφωνήκασι; πολλὰ δὲ καὶ Θουκυδίδης ὡς ψευδόμενος ὑπό τινων κατηγορεῖται, καίτοι δοκῶν ἀκριβεστά10.7.15 την καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἱστορίαν συγγράφειν. Αἰτίαι δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης διαφωνίας πολλαὶ μὲν ἴσως ἂν καὶ ἕτεραι τοῖς βουλομένοις ζητεῖν ἀναφανεῖεν, ἐγὼ δὲ 10.7.16 δυσὶ ταῖς ἐκτεθησομέναις αἰτίαις τὴν μεγίστην ἰσχὺν ἀνατίθημι. καὶ προτέραν ἐρῶ τὴν κυριωτέραν εἶναί μοι δοκοῦσαν. τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὴ σπουδασθῆναι παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι δημοσίᾳ γίνεσθαι τὰς περὶ τῶν ἑκάστοτε πραττομένων ἀναγραφάς, τοῦτο μάλιστα δὴ καὶ τὴν πλάνην καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα βουληθεῖσι περὶ τῶν παλαιῶν τι γράφειν παρέσχεν. 10.7.17 οὐ γὰρ μόνον παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἕλλησιν ἠμελήθη τὰ περὶ τὰς ἀναγραφάς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, οὓς αὐτόχθονας εἶναι λέγουσι καὶ παιδείας ἐπιμελεῖς, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον εὑρίσκεται γενόμενον· ἀλλὰ τῶν δημοσίων γραμμά των ἀρχαιοτάτους εἶναί φασι τοὺς ὑπὸ ∆ράκοντος αὐτοῖς περὶ τῶν φονικῶν γραφέντας νόμους, ὀλίγῳ πρότερον τῆς Πεισιστράτου τυραννίδος ἀνθρώπου 10.7.18 γεγονότος. περὶ μὲν γὰρ Ἀρκάδων τί χρὴ λέγειν αὐχούντων ἀρχαιότητα; μόλις γὰρ οὗτοι καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα γράμμασιν ἐπαιδεύθησαν. 10.7.19 Ἅτε δὴ τοίνυν οὐδεμιᾶς προβεβλημένης ἀναγραφῆς, ἣ καὶ τοὺς μαθεῖν βουλομένους διδάξειν ἔμελλε καὶ τοὺς ψευδομένους ἐλέγξειν, ἡ πολλὴ πρὸς ἀλλή10.7.20 λους ἐγένετο διαφωνία τοῖς συγγραφεῦσι. δευτέραν δὲ πρὸς ταύτῃ θετέον ἐκείνην αἰτίαν· οἱ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ γράφειν ὁρμήσαντες οὐ περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐσπούδασαν- καίτοι τοῦτο πρόχειρον αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ἀεὶ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα-λόγων δὲ δύναμιν ἐπεδείκνυντο καὶ καθ' ὅντινα τρόπον ἐν τούτῳ παρευδοκιμήσειν τοὺς ἄλλους ὑπελάμβανον, κατὰ τοῦτον ἡρμόζοντο, τινὲς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ μυθολογεῖν τραπόμενοι, τινὲς δὲ πρὸς χάριν ἢ τὰς πόλεις ἢ τοὺς βασιλέας ἐπαινοῦντες· ἄλλοι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ κατηγορεῖν τῶν πράξεων ἢ τῶν γεγραφότων ἐχώρησαν, εὐδοκιμή10.7.21 σειν ἐν τούτῳ νομίζοντες. ὅλως δὲ τὸ πάντων ἐναντιώτατον ἱστορίᾳ πράττοντες διατελοῦσι. τῆς μὲν γὰρ ἀληθοῦς ἐστι τεκμήριον ἱστορίας, εἰ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἅπαντες τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ λέγοιεν καὶ γράφοιεν· οἱ δ' εἰ μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ γράψειαν ἑτέροις, οὕτως ἐνόμιζον αὐτοὶ φαίνεσθαι πάντων ἀληθέστατοι.» 10.7.22 Τοσαῦτα καὶ ὁ Ἰώσηπος. εἴη δ' ἂν τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπισφράγισμα καὶ ἡ ∆ιοδώρου μαρτυρία, ἣν ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου τῆς συναχθείσης αὐτῷ Βιβλιοθήκης παραθήσομαι, οὕτως ἔχουσαν πρὸς λέξιν·

10.8.1 ηʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ· ΑΠΟ ΤΩΝ ∆ΙΟ∆ΩΡΟΥ

«Τούτων δ' ἡμῖν διευκρινημένων ῥητέον ὅσοι τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι δεδοξασμένων ἐπὶ συνέσει καὶ παιδείᾳ παρέβαλον εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐν τοῖς ἀρχαίοις χρό 10.8.2 νοις, ἵνα τῶν ἐνταῦθα νομίμων καὶ παιδείας μετάσχωσιν. οἱ γὰρ ἱερεῖς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἱστοροῦσιν ἐκ τῶν ἀναγραφῶν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις παραβαλεῖν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς Ὀρφέα τε καὶ Μουσαῖον καὶ Μελάμποδα καὶ ∆αίδαλον, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Ὅμηρόν τε τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ Λυκοῦργον τὸν Σπαρτιάτην, ἔτι δὲ Σόλωνα τὸν Ἀθηναῖον καὶ Πλάτωνα τὸν φιλόσοφον·