Texte grec :
| [32,10] τῶν δὲ εἰς ὑμᾶς παρϊόντων ὡς πεπαιδευμένων οἱ μὲν ἐπιδεικτικοὺς
λόγους καὶ τοὺς ἀμαθεῖς, οἱ δὲ ποιήματα συνθέντες ᾄδουσιν, ὡς
πάνυ φιλῳδῶν ὑμῶν κατεγνωκότες. οὗτοι δ´ εἰ μέν εἰσι ποιηταὶ
καὶ ῥήτορες, οὐδὲν ἴσως δεινόν· εἰ δ´ ὡς φιλόσοφοι ταῦτα πράττουσι
κέρδους ἕνεκεν καὶ δόξης τῆς ἑαυτῶν, οὐ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὠφελείας,
τοῦτο δ´ ἤδη δεινόν. ὅμοιον γὰρ ὥσπερ εἴ τις ἰατρὸς ἐπὶ κάμνοντας
ἀνθρώπους εἰσιὼν τῆς μὲν σωτηρίας αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς θεραπείας
ἀμελήσειε, στεφάνους δὲ καὶ ἑταίρας καὶ μύρον αὐτοῖς εἰσφέροι.
τινὲς δὲ ὀλίγοι παρρησίαν ἀγηόχασι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ταύτην
ἐνδεῶς, οὐδ´ ὡς ἐμπλῆσαι τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν οὐδ´ ὥστε διατελέσαι
λέγοντες, ἀλλὰ ἓν ἢ δύο ῥήματα εἰπόντες, καὶ λοιδορήσαντες μᾶλλον ἢ
διδάξαντες ὑμᾶς, κατὰ σπουδὴν ἀπίασιν, εὐλαβούμενοι μὴ
μεταξὺ θορυβήσητε καὶ παραπέμψητε αὐτούς, ὥσπερ οἱ χειμῶνος
ἀποτολμῶντες εἰς τὴν θάλατταν βραχύν τινα καὶ σύντομον πλοῦν.
ἄνδρα δὲ λαβεῖν καθαρῶς καὶ ἀδόλως παρρησιαζόμενον, καὶ μήτε
δόξης χάριν μήτ´ ἐπ´ ἀργυρίῳ προσποιούμενον, ἀλλ´ ἐπὶ εὐνοίᾳ
καὶ κηδεμονίᾳ τῶν ἄλλων ἕτοιμον, εἰ δέοι, καὶ καταγελᾶσθαι, καὶ
ἀταξίαν πλήθους ἐνεγκεῖν καὶ θόρυβον, οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ
εὐτυχοῦς πόλεως, ἐν τοσαύτῃ σπάνει γενναίων καὶ ἐλευθέρων ἀνδρῶν,
ἀφθονίᾳ δὲ κολάκων καὶ γοήτων καὶ σοφιστῶν.
ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἀπ´ ἐμαυτοῦ μοι δοκῶ προελέσθαι τοῦτο,
ἀλλ´ ὑπὸ δαιμονίου τινὸς γνώμης. ὧν γὰρ οἱ θεοὶ προνοοῦσιν,
ἐκείνοις παρασκευάζουσι καὶ συμβούλους ἀγαθοὺς αὐτομάτους καὶ
λόγους ἐπιτηδείους καὶ ξυμφέροντας εἰρῆσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἥκιστα
ὑμᾶς ἀπιστεῖν χρή, παρ´ οἷς μάλιστα μὲν τιμᾶται τὸ δαιμόνιον,
μάλιστα δὲ αὐτὸ δείκνυσι τὴν αὑτοῦ δύναμιν καὶ μόνον οὐ καθ´
ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διά τε χρησμῶν καὶ δι´ ὀνειράτων. μὴ οὖν οἴεσθε
κοιμωμένων μόνον ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν, {καὶ} κατ´ ἰδίαν ἑκάστῳ
μηνύοντα τὸ συμφέρον, ἐγρηγορότων δὲ ἀμελεῖν καὶ κοινῇ καὶ
ἀθρόοις μηδὲν ἂν δεῖξαι τῶν χρησίμων. πολλάκις γὰρ ἤδη καὶ
ὕπαρ ὤνησε καὶ μεθ´ ἡμέραν ἐναργῶς προεῖπεν. ἴστε δήπου
τὰς τοῦ Ἄπιδος φήμας ἐνθάδε ἐν Μέμφει πλησίον ὑμῶν, ὅτι
παῖδες ἀπαγγέλλουσι παίζοντες τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ τοῦτο
ἀψευδὲς πέφηνεν. ὁ δὲ ὑμέτερος θεὸς οἶμαι, τελειότερος ὤν,
δι´ ἀνδρῶν ὑμᾶς καὶ μετὰ σπουδῆς βούλεται ὠφελεῖν, οὐ δι´
ὀλίγων ῥημάτων, ἀλλ´ ἰσχυρᾷ καὶ πλήρει κληδόνι καὶ λόγῳ σαφεῖ,
διδάσκοντι περὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων, ἂν ὑπομένητε, μετὰ γνώμης
καὶ πειθοῦς. καὶ πρῶτόν γε ἁπάντων, ἵνα, ὅθενπερ
ἐχρῆν, ἐγγύθεν ἄρξωμαι, τοῦτο πείσθητε βεβαίως, ὅτι τὰ συμβαίνοντα
τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπ´ ἀγαθῷ πάνθ´ ὁμοίως ἐστὶ δαιμόνια,
κἂν πλέων τις ἐμπείρου τύχῃ κυβερνήτου κἂν ἔθνος ἢ πόλις χρηστῶν
ἡγεμόνων, κἂν ἰατρὸς ἐν καιρῷ παραγένηται τῷ κάμνοντι, καὶ
τοῦτον ἡγεῖσθαι χρὴ βοηθὸν ἥκειν παρὰ θεοῦ, κἂν λόγων τις
ἀκούσῃ φρονίμων, ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιπεμφθῆναι.
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Traduction française :
| [32,10] Those, however, who do come before you as men
of culture either declaim speeches intended for display,
and stupid ones to boot, or else chant verses of their
own composition, as if they had detected in you a
weakness for poetry. To be sure, if they themselves
are really poets or orators, perhaps there is nothing
so shocking in that, but if in the guise of philosophers
they do these things with a view to their own profit
and reputation, and not to improve you, that indeed
is shocking. For it is as if a physician when visiting
patients should disregard their treatment and their
restoration to health, and should bring them flowers
and courtesans and perfume.
But there are only a few who have displayed
frankness in your presence, and that but sparingly,
not in such a way as to fill your ears therewith nor for
any length of time ; nay, they merely utter a phrase
or two, and then, after berating rather than enlightening
you, they make a hurried exit, anxious lest
before they have finished you may raise an outcry
and send them packing, behaving in very truth
quite like men who in winter muster up courage for a
brief and hurried voyage out to sea. But to find a
man who in plain terms and without guile speaks his
mind with frankness, and neither for the sake of
reputation nor for gain makes false pretensions,
but out of good will and concern for his fellow-men
stands ready, if need be, to submit to ridicule and to
the disorder and the uproar of the mob—to find
such a man as that is not easy, but rather the good
fortune of a very lucky city, so great is the dearth of
noble, independent souls and such the abundance of
toadies, mountebanks, and sophists.
In my own case, for instance, I feel that I have
chosen that rôle, not of my own volition, but by the
will of some deity. For when divine providence is at
work for men, the gods provide, not only good counsellors
who need no urging, but also words that are
appropriate and profitable to the listener. And this
statement of mine should be questioned least of all
by you, since here in Alexandria the deity is most
in honour, and to you especially does he display his
power through almost daily oracles and dreams.
Think not, therefore, that the god exercises his watchful
care only over sleeping men, disclosing to each
in private what is for his good, but that he is indifferent
toward them when they are awake and would not
disclose to them, in public and collectively, anything
beneficial; for often in the past he has given aid to
men in their waking moments, and also in broad
daylight he has clearly foretold the future. You
are acquainted no doubt with the prophetic utterances
of Apis here, in neighbouring Memphis, and
you know that lads at play announce the purpose of
the god, and that this form of divination has proved
to be free from falsehood. But your deity, methinks,
being more potent, wishes to confer his benefits upon
you through the agency of men rather than boys, and
in serious fashion, not by means of few words, but with
strong, full utterance and in clear terms, instructing
you regarding most vital matters—if you are patient
with purpose and persuasiveness.
And first of all—to begin, as I ought, with matters
close at hand—rest assured of this, that all things
which happen to men for their good are without
exception of divine origin ; not only is this true if
a voyager has the luck to find a pilot with experience,
or a nation or a city to secure good leaders, but also
if a physician arrives in time to save his patient,
we must believe that he is a helper come from
god, and if one hears words of wisdom, we must
believe that they too were sent by god.
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