386

Children who conduct themselves in a good life will hide the low birth of their own parents.

Βασιλείου. We cannot speak of illustrious fathers and ancestors. For the law of truth demands that the praises of each be his own. For being born from the swiftest does not make a horse swift. But just as the virtue of other animals is observed in each one itself, so also is the praise of a man, that which is testified by the achievements belonging to him.

(993) Θεολόγ. But be ashamed when you hear you are bad, not of low birth. For lineage is those long since decayed. Wish to be the start of a family, or to redeem a family, So that you may be noble, or have been born of noble stock. Γρηγορ. Νύσσ. The nobility and dignity of the proud man has kinship with a

brick.

Χρυσοστ. Virtue of the soul, not the eminence of ancestors, is wont to make a man brilliant and distinguished.

Εὐριπίδ. Nobility is nothing against money. For wealth brings the worst man to the forefront. But when the foundation of a family is not laid rightly, it is necessary for the descendants to be unfortunate. Alas, alas, the old saying is not well put, A good man could not come from a bad father. Θεοπόμπ. Consider to be noble, not those born from the noble and good,

but those who choose noble and good things.

Θεσπίδου. Let no one boast in the nobility of ancestors; for all have clay as the forefather of their race, both those nurtured in purple and fine linen, and those consumed in abysmal poverty.

Σκληρίου. For many mortals, the appearance is noble; But the mind within it is found to be base. Σώστρατος. Sostratus the aulos-player, being reproached by someone for having obscure parents,

said: "And should I not for this reason be admired all the more, that from me a lineage begins?"

Φαλάριδος. To take pride in noble birth, as in any other of the fine things, is not unreasonable. But I know one virtue, and all other things to be chance. And it could be that the good man from base origins is the most noble of kings and of all men; while the base man from good origins is himself of his own accord the most ignoble even of the lowliest. Therefore, boast in the praise of your soul, not in the nobility of ancestors, which has died out into more obscure men.

He who is born from virtue, that one is portrayed as noble.

386

Τέκνα ἐν ἀγαθῇ ζωῇ τήν ἀναστροφήν ἔχοντα, τῶν ἰδίων γεννητόρων κρύψουσι δυσγένειαν.

Βασιλείου. Οὐκ ἔχομεν πατέρας λέγειν καί προγόνους περιφανεῖς. Ὁ γάρ τῆς ἀληθείας νόμος, ἴδια ἑκάστου ἀπαιτεῖ τά ἐγκώμια. Οὐδέ γάρ ἵππον ταχύν ποιεῖ τό ἐκ ταχυτάτων φῦναι. Ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ τῶν ἄλλων ζώων ἡ ἀρετή ἐν ἑαυτῷ θεωρεῖται ἑκάστου, οὕτω καί ἀνδρός ἔπαινος, ὁ ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ κατορθωμάτων ἐκμαρτυρούμενος.

(993) Θεολόγ. Κακός δ᾿ ἀκούων αἰσχύνου, μή δυσγενής. Γένος γάρ εἰσιν, οἱ πάλαι σεσηπότες. Γένους προάρχειν, ἤ λύειν γένος θέλε, Ὡς καλόν εἶναι σ᾿, ἤ καλῶν πεφυκέναι Γρηγορ. Νύσσ. Ἡ εὐγένεια καί ἡ σεμνότης τοῦ ὑπερηφάνου τό συγγενές πρός τήν

πλίνθον ἔχει.

Χρυσοστ. Λαμπρόν καί ἐπίσημον, οὐ περιφάνεια προγόνων, ἀλλά ψυχῆς ἀρετήν ποιεῖν εἴωθε.

Εὐριπίδ. Οὐδέν ἡ εὐγένεια πρός τά χρήματα. Τόν γάρ κάκιστον πλοῦτος εἰς πρώτους ἄγει. Ὅταν δέ κρηπίς μή καταβληθῇ γένους Ὀρθῶς, ἀνάγκη δυστυχεῖν τούς ἐκγόνους· Φεῦ, φεῦ, παλαιός αἶνος οὐ καλῶς ἔχει, Οὐκ ἄν γένοιτο χρηστός ἐκ κακοῦ πατρός. Θεοπόμπ. Εὐγενεῖς εἶναι νόμιζε, μή τούς ἐκ τῶν καλῶν καί ἀγαθῶν γεγενημένους·

ἀλλά τούς καλά καί ἀγαθά προαιρουμένους.

Θεσπίδου. Ἐπί προγόνων εὐγενείᾳ μηδείς ἐγκαυχάσθω· πηλόν γάρ ἔχουσι πάντες τοῦ γένους προπάτορα, καί οἱ ἐν πορφύρᾳ καί βύσσῳ τρεφόμενοι, καί οἱ ἐν πενίᾳ ἀβύσσῳ δαπανώμενοι.

Σκληρίου. Πολλοῖς, θνητῶν ἡ μέν ὄψις εὐγενής· Ὁ νοῦς δ᾿ ἐν αὐτῇ δυσγενής εὑρίσκεται. Σώστρατος. Σώστρατος ὁ αὐλητής ὀνειδιζόμενος ὑπό τινος ἐπί τῷ γονέων ἀσήμων

εἶναι, εἶπεν· Καί μή διά τοῦτο μᾶλλον ὤφειλον θαυμάζεσθαι, ὅτι ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ γένος ἄρχεται.

Φαλάριδος. Σεμνύνεσθαι μέν ὥσπερ ἄλλῳ τινί τῶν καλῶν ἐπ᾿ εὐγενείᾳ, οὐκ ἀπεικός ἐστιν. Ἐγώ δέ μίαν ἀρετήν οἶδα, τά δ᾿ ἄλλα πάντα τύχην. Καί γένοιτ᾿ ἄν, ὁ μέν ἐκ φαύλων ἀγαθός, καί βασιλέων καί πάντων εὐγενέστατος· ὁ δέ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν φαῦλος, αὐτός αὐτοῦ καί τῶν ταπεινοτάτων δυσγενέστατος. Ὥστε ψυχῆς ἔπαινον αὔχει, μή προγόνων τεθνηκυῖαν εἰς ἀδοξοτέρους εὐγένειαν.

Ὁ ἐξ ἀρετῆς γεννηθείς, ἐκεῖνος εὐγενής εἰκονίζεται.