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He knew he was striking one he ought not, having insulted him most dishonorably and shamefully, 14.6.11 and this much worse than is fitting for a dog. Yet indeed he showed his magnanimity by refraining from Arcesilaus. For either from ignorance of that man's ways or from fear of the Stoics, he turned the mighty, bitter maw of war elsewhere, toward Plato. But about the things innovated by Zeno against Plato, basely and in no way respectfully, I will speak again someday, if I should have leisure for philosophy; may I never, however, have so much leisure, 14.6.12 for this reason, unless in jest. So Arcesilaus, seeing that Zeno was his rival and a worthy opponent, used to demolish the arguments coming from him and hesitated at nothing. 14.6.13 And about the other things he fought with him about, I am perhaps not able to say, and even if I were, there would be no need to mention them now; but seeing this doctrine, first discovered by Zeno, both it and its name, the apprehensive impression, was well-regarded in Athens, he employed every device against it. But he, being in the weaker position and keeping quiet, unable to endure being wronged, let Arcesilaus be, though he could have said many things, but was not willing, and perhaps rather otherwise, but against Plato, who was no longer among the living, he shadow-boxed and made all the clamor of a procession from a wagon, saying that Plato would not defend himself and that no one else cared to speak up for him, and if Arcesilaus should care, he thought he himself would gain by turning Arcesilaus away from himself. And I knew that Agathocles the Syracusan had also used this 14.6.14 sophism against the Carthaginians. The Stoics listened in astonishment; "for their muse was not even then a lover of words or a worker" of graces, by which Arcesilaus, striking some points, undercutting others, and tripping up still others, out-talked them and was persuasive. Therefore, with those against whom he argued being defeated, and those among whom he spoke being astonished, it was somehow shown to the men of that time that there was nothing, neither word nor passion nor deed, not one small nor useless thing that would ever appear to the contrary, unless it seemed so to Arcesilaus of Pitane; but to him, it seems, nothing seemed so, nor did he declare anything more than that these were mere trifles and fears.

14.7.1 7. CONCERNING LACYDES WHO SUCCEEDED ARCESILAUS

But concerning Lacydes I wish to relate something pleasant. Now Lacydes was rather stingy and in a way what is called economical, that sort which is well-regarded by the many, opening the storeroom himself, and locking it himself. And he used to take out what he needed and did all other such things by his own hand, not at all praising self-sufficiency nor otherwise living in poverty or from a lack of slaves, for 14.7.2 he had at least some slaves; and it is possible to guess the reason. But I will relate the pleasant thing I promised. For acting as his own steward, he did not think he should carry the key on his person, but after locking up he would place it in a certain hollow writing-tablet; and having sealed it with a ring, he would roll the ring down through the keyhole, letting it go inside the room, so that later, when he returned and opened it with the key, he would be able, after picking up the ring, to lock it again, then to seal it, then to toss the ring back inside again 14.7.3 through the keyhole. So the slaves, having noticed this clever device, whenever Lacydes went out for a walk or elsewhere, they too would open it and then, as was their pleasure, having eaten some things, drunk others, and carried off others, they did this periodically, they would lock up, and seal it, and after laughing much at him, they would release the ring into the room through the keyhole. 14.7.4 Lacydes therefore full

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ᾔδει πλήττων ὅν τε οὐκ ἐχρῆν ἀτιμότατα καὶ αἴσχι14.6.11 στα περιυβρικώς, καὶ ταῦτα πολὺ κάκιον ἢ προσήκει κυνί. πλὴν διέδειξέ γε μὴν μεγαλοφροσύνῃ ἀποσχόμενος τοῦ Ἀρκεσιλάου. ἤτοι γὰρ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν ἐκείνου ἢ δέει τῶν Στωϊκῶν πολέμοιο μέγα στόμα πευκεδανοῖο ἀπετρέψατο ἄλλῃ, εἰς Πλάτωνα. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν Ζήνωνι εἰς Πλάτωνα κακῶς τε καὶ αἰδημόνως οὐδαμῶς νεωτερισθέντων εἰρήσεταί μοι αὖθίς ποτε, ἐὰν φιλοσοφίας σχολὴν ἀγάγω· μή ποτε μέντοι ἀγάγοιμι σχολὴν τοσαύτην, 14.6.12 τούτου οὖν ἕνεκεν, εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ παιδιᾶς. τὸν δ' οὖν Ζήνωνα ὁ Ἀρκεσίλαος ἀντίτεχνον καὶ ἀξιόνικον ὑπάρχοντα θεωρῶν τοὺς παρ' ἐκείνου ἀποφερομέ14.6.13 νους λόγους καθῄρει καὶ οὐδὲν ὤκνει. καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἃ ἐμεμάχητο ἐκείνῳ οὔτ' ἴσως εἰπεῖν ἔχω εἴ τε καὶ εἶχον οὐδὲν ἔδει νῦν αὐτῶν μνησθῆναι· τὸ δὲ δόγμα τοῦτο αὐτοῦ πρώτου εὑρομένου καὐτὸ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα βλέπων εὐδοκιμοῦν ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις, τὴν καταληπτικὴν φαντασίαν, πάσῃ μηχανῇ ἐχρῆτο ἐπ' αὐτήν. ὁ δ' ἐν τῷ ἀσθενεστέρῳ ὢν καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἄγων οὐ δυνάμενος ἀδικεῖσθαι, Ἀρκεσιλάου μὲν ἀφίετο, πολλὰ ἂν εἰπεῖν ἔχων, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤθελε, τάχα δὲ μᾶλλον ἄλλως, πρὸς δὲ τὸν οὐκέτι ἐν ζῶσιν ὄντα Πλάτωνα ἐσκιομάχει καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ ἁμάξης πομπείαν πᾶσαν κατεθορύβει, λέγων ὡς οὔτ' ἂν τοῦ Πλάτωνος ἀμυναμένου ὑπερδικεῖν τε αὐτοῦ ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ μέλον, εἴ τε μελήσειεν Ἀρκεσιλάῳ, αὐτός γε κερδανεῖν ᾤετο ἀποτρεψάμενος ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Ἀρκεσίλαον. τοῦτο δὲ ᾔδη καὶ Ἀγαθοκλέα τὸν Συρακόσιον ποιήσαντα τὸ 14.6.14 σόφισμα ἐπὶ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους. οἱ Στωϊκοὶ δὲ ὑπήκουον ἐκπεπληγμένοι· «ἁ μοῦσα γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ τότε ἦν φιλόλογος οὐδ' ἐργάτις» χαρίτων, ὑφ' ὧν ὁ Ἀρκεσίλαος τὰ μὲν περικρούων, τὰ δὲ ὑποτέμνων, ἄλλα δ' ὑποσκελίζων κατεγλωττίζετο αὐτοὺς καὶ πιθανὸς ἦν. τοιγαροῦν πρὸς οὓς μὲν ἀντέλεγεν ἡττωμένων, ἐν οἷς δὲ λέγων ἦν καταπεπληγμένων, δεδειγμένον πως τοῖς τότε ἀνθρώποις ὑπῆρχε μηδὲν εἶναι μήτ' οὖν ἔπος μήτε πάθος μήτε ἔργον ἓν βραχὺ μηδὲ ἄχρηστον τοὐναντίον ὀφθῆναί ποτ' ἄν, εἴ τι μὴ Ἀρκεσιλάῳ δοκεῖ τῷ Πιταναίῳ· τῷ δ' ἄρα οὐδὲν ἐδόκει οὐδ' ἀπεφαίνετο οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἢ ῥηματίσκια ταῦτ' εἶναι καὶ φόβους.

14.7.1 ζʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΛΑΚΥ∆ΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΤΟΝ ΑΡΚΕΣΙΛΑΟΝ ∆ΙΑ∆ΕΞΑΜΕΝΟΥ

Περὶ δὲ Λακύδου βούλομαί τι διηγήσασθαι ἡδύ. ἦν μὲν δὴ Λακύδης ὑπογλισχρότερος καί τινα τρόπον ὁ λεγόμενος οἰκονομικός, οὗτος ὁ εὐδοκιμῶν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀνοιγνὺς τὸ ταμεῖον, αὐτὸς δ' ὑποκλείων. καὶ προῃρεῖτο δὲ ὧν ἐδεῖτο καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα ἐποίει πάντα δι' αὐτουργίας, οὔ τί που αὐτάρκειαν ἐπαινῶν οὐδ' ἄλλως πενίᾳ χρώμενος οὐδ' ἀπορίᾳ δούλων, ᾧ 14.7.2 γε ὑπῆρχον δοῦλοι ὁπόσοι γοῦν· τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν ἔξεστιν εἰκάζειν. ἐγὼ δὲ ὃ ὑπεσχόμην τὸ ἡδὺ διηγήσομαι. ταμιεύων γὰρ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ τὴν μὲν κλεῖδα περιφέρειν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ ᾤετο δεῖν, ἀποκλείσας δὲ κατετίθει μὲν ταύτην εἴς τι κοῖλον γραμματεῖον· σημηνάμενος δὲ δακτυλίῳ τὸν μὲν δακτύλιον κατ εκύλιε διὰ τοῦ κλείθρου ἔσω εἰς τὸν οἶκον μεθιείς, ὡς δὴ ὕστερον, ἐπειδὴ πάλιν ἐλθὼν ἀνοίξειε τῇ κλειδί, δυνησόμενος ἀνελὼν τὸν δακτύλιον αὖθις μὲν ἀποκλείειν, εἶτα δὲ σημαίνεσθαι, εἶτα δ' ἀναβάλλειν ὀπίσω πάλιν ἔσω τὸν 14.7.3 δακτύλιον διὰ τοῦ κλείθρου. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ σοφὸν οἱ δοῦλοι κατανοήσαντες, ἐπειδὴ προΐοι Λακύδης εἰς περίπατον ἢ ὅποι ἄλλοσε, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀνοίξαντες ἂν κἄπειτα, ὥς σφιν ἦν θυμός, τὰ μὲν φαγόντες, τὰ δ' ἐμπιόντες, ἄλλα δὲ ἀράμενοι ἐκ περιόδου ταῦτα ἐποίουν, ἀπέκλειον μέν, ἐσημαίνοντο δέ, τὸν δακτύλιον πολλά γε αὐτοῦ καταγελάσαντες εἰς τὸν οἶκον διὰ τοῦ κλείθρου ἠφίε14.7.4 σαν. ὁ οὖν Λακύδης πλήρη