Texte grec :
| [9,0] ΔΙΟΓΕΝΗΣ Η ΙΣΘΜΙΚΟΣ.
(9,1) Ἰσθμίων ὄντων κατέβη Διογένης εἰς τὸν Ἰσθμόν, ὡς ἔοικεν,
ἐν Κορίνθῳ διατρίβων. παρετύγχανε δὲ ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν οὐχ
ὧνπερ οἱ πολλοὶ ἕνεκα, βουλόμενοι θεάσασθαι τοὺς ἀθλητὰς καὶ
ἵνα ἐμπλησθῶσιν, ἀλλ´ ἐπισκοπῶν οἶμαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὴν
ἄνοιαν αὐτῶν. ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι φανερώτατοί εἰσιν ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς
καὶ ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν· ἐν δὲ πολέμῳ καὶ στρατοπέδῳ λανθάνουσι
μᾶλλον διὰ τὸ κινδυνεύειν καὶ φοβεῖσθαι.
(9,2) καὶ μέντοι ἐνόμιζε
τότε εὐιατοτέρους εἶναι· καὶ γὰρ τὰ νοσήματα τοῦ σώματος, ὅταν
ἔκδηλα ᾖ, ῥᾷον θεραπεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἢ μέχρι ὑποστέλλεται·
τοὺς μέντοι ἀμελουμένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις
διατριβαῖς τάχιστα ἀπόλλυσθαι.
(9,3) διὰ ταῦτα παρέβαλλεν εἰς τὰς
πανηγύρεις. ἔλεγε δὲ ἐπισκώπτων, ὅτι ἐπιπλήττοι τὸ τοῦ κυνός·
{διὰ τὴν χαλεπότητα καὶ τὸ λοιδορεῖσθαι κύνα αὐτὸν ἀπεκάλουν·}
τοὺς γὰρ κύνας ἕπεσθαι μὲν εἰς τὰς πανηγύρεις, μηδένα δὲ ἀδικεῖν
τῶν ἐκεῖ γιγνομένων, ὑλακτεῖν δὲ καὶ μάχεσθαι τοῖς κακούργοις
καὶ λῃσταῖς, καὶ ὅταν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μεθυσθέντες καθεύδωσιν, αὐτοὺς
ἐγρηγορότας φυλάττειν.
(9,4) ὡς δὲ ἐφάνη ἐν τῇ πανηγύρει, Κορινθίων
μὲν οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ προσεῖχε τὸν νοῦν, ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτὸν
ἑώρων ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ περὶ τὸ Κράνειον. οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι οὓς
ἂν ἀεὶ βλέπωσι καὶ οἷς νομίζουσιν εἶναι ὁπότε βούλονται προσελθεῖν,
τούτων οὐ πάνυ φροντίζουσιν· οὓς δ´ ἂν διὰ χρόνου ἴδωσιν
ἢ μηδεπώποτε ἑωρακότες, πρὸς ἐκείνους τρέπονται. ὅθεν ἥκιστα
ὠφελοῦντο ὑπὸ τοῦ Διογένους Κορίνθιοι, καθάπερ ἂν εἰ νοσοῦντες
ἐπιδημοῦντος ἰατροῦ μὴ προσῄεσαν ἀλλ´ ἐνόμιζον ἱκανὸν εἶναι καὶ
τὸ ὁρᾶν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ πόλει.
(9,5) τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οἱ μακρόθεν μάλιστα
προσῄεσαν πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰωνίας τε καὶ Σικελίας καὶ Ἰταλίας
ὅσοι παρῆσαν καὶ τῶν ἐκ Λιβύης τινὲς καὶ τῶν ἐκ Μασσαλίας
καὶ ἀπὸ Βορυσθένους, οὗτοι δὴ πάντες ἰδεῖν βουλόμενοι μᾶλλον
αὐτὸν καὶ βραχύ τι ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος, ὡς ἔχοιεν ἀπαγγέλλειν ἑτέροις,
ἢ βελτίους γενέσθαι.
(9,6) ἐδόκει γὰρ ἱκανὸς εἶναι λοιδορῆσαι καὶ τοῖς
ἐρωτῶσιν ἀποκρίνασθαι πρὸς ἔπος. ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦ Ποντικοῦ
μέλιτος γεύεσθαι ἐπιχειροῦσιν οἱ ἄπειροι, γευσάμενοι δὲ παραχρῆμα
ἐξέπτυσαν δυσχεράναντες, ὅτι πικρόν ἐστι καὶ ἀηδές, οὕτως καὶ
τοῦ Διογένους ἀποπειρᾶσθαι μὲν ἤθελον διὰ πολυπραγμοσύνην,
ἐλεγχόμενοι δὲ ἀπεστρέφοντο καὶ ἔφευγον.
(9,7) καὶ ἄλλων μὲν ἥδοντο
λοιδορουμένων, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐφοβοῦντο καὶ ἀνεχώρουν. καὶ εἰ μὲν
ἔσκωπτέν τε καὶ ἔπαιζεν, ὥσπερ εἰώθει ἐνίοτε, ὑπερφυῶς ἔχαιρον,
ἀνατειναμένου δὲ καὶ σπουδάσαντος οὐχ ὑπέμενον τὴν παρρησίαν·
καθάπερ οἶμαι τὰ παιδία προσπαίζοντα ἥδεται τοῖς γενναίοις
κυσίν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ χαλεπήνῃ καὶ ὑλάξῃ μεῖζον, ἐξεπλάγη καὶ τῷ
δέει τέθνηκε. καὶ τότε ἐκεῖνος ἐποίει ταὐτά, οὐδὲν μεταστρεφόμενος
οὐδὲ φροντίζων, εἴτε ἐπαινοίη τις αὐτὸν εἴτε καὶ ψέγοι τῶν
παρόντων, οὐδὲ εἰ τῶν πλουσίων τε καὶ ἐνδόξων ἢ στρατηγὸς ἢ
δυνάστης διαλέγοιτο προσελθὼν ἢ τῶν πάνυ φαύλων τε καὶ πενήτων·
(9,8) ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν τοιούτων ληρούντων ἐνίοτε κατεφρόνει, τοὺς
δὲ σεμνοὺς εἶναι βουλομένους καὶ μέγα φρονοῦντας ἐφ´ αὑτοῖς διὰ
πλοῦτον ἢ γένος ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ δύναμιν, τούτους μάλιστα ἐπίεζε
καὶ ἐκόλαζε πάντα τρόπον. τινὲς μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν ἐθαύμαζον ὡς
σοφώτατον πάντων, τισὶ δὲ μαίνεσθαι ἐδόκει, πολλοὶ δὲ κατεφρόνουν
ὡς πτωχοῦ τε καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίου, τινὲς δ´ ἐλοιδόρουν, οἱ δὲ
προπηλακίζειν ἐπεχείρουν, ὀστᾶ ῥιπτοῦντες πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν, ὥσπερ
τοῖς κυσίν,
(9,9) οἱ δὲ καὶ τοῦ τρίβωνος ἥπτοντο προσιόντες, πολλοὶ δὲ
οὐκ εἴων, ἀλλ´ ἠγανάκτουν, καθάπερ Ὅμηρός φησι τὸν Ὀδυσσέα
προσπαίζειν τοὺς μνηστῆρας, κἀκεῖνον πρὸς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ἐνεγκεῖν
τὴν ἀκολασίαν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ὕβριν· ὁ δὲ ὅμοιος ἦν ἐν ἅπαντι·
τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ἐῴκει βασιλεῖ καὶ δεσπότῃ, πτωχοῦ στολὴν ἔχοντι,
κἄπειτα ἐν ἀνδραπόδοις τε καὶ δούλοις αὑτοῦ στρεφομένῳ τρυφῶσι
καὶ ἀγνοοῦσιν ὅστις ἐστί, καὶ ῥᾳδίως φέροντι μεθύοντας ἀνθρώπους
καὶ μαινομένους ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας καὶ ἀμαθίας.
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Traduction française :
| [9,0] The Ninth or Isthmian Discourse.
1 When the Isthmian games were in progress, Diogenes, who probably was sojourning
at Corinth, went down to the Isthmus. He did not attend the great public gatherings,
however, with the same motives as the majority, who wished to see the athletes and to
gormandize. No, I warrant he came as an observer of mankind and of men's folly. He
knew that men show their real character most clearly at public festivals and large
gatherings, while in war and in camp it is more concealed owing to the presence of
peril and fear. 2 Moreover, he thought they were more easily healed here (for bodily
diseases are more readily treated by the physician when they are plain to be seen than
while the trouble remains hidden), but that those who are neglected when engaged in
such pursuits most speedily perish. Therefore he used to attend the public gatherings.
3 And he would jestingly remark when taxed for his currish manners, "Well, dogs
follow along to the festivals, but they do no wrong to any of those attending; they bark
and attack rogues and thieves, and when their masters are in a drunken sleep, they
stay awake and guard them."
(p405) 4 No Corinthian, however, paid any attention to him when he appeared at the
gathering, because they often saw him in the city and around the Craneion. For men
do not pay much attention to those whom they are constantly seeing and whom they
think they can approach whenever they wish, but they turn to those whom they only
see at intervals or have never seen before. So the Corinthians derived the least profit
from Diogenes, precisely as if sick people would not consult a physician resident in
their midst but thought the bare sight of him in the city sufficient.
5 As regards other persons, it was those from a distance who visited him chiefly, all
who came to the festival from Ionia, Sicily, and Italy, and some of those who came
from Libya, Massilia, and Borysthenes, and the motive of all those was to see and
hear him speak for even a short time so as to have something to tell others rather
than to get improvement for themselves. 6 For he had the reputation of having a
sharp tongue and being instantly ready with an answer for his interrogators.
Accordingly, just as those who know nothing of the Pontic honey try a taste of it and
then quickly spit it out because it is bitter and unpleasant in taste, so people in their
idle curiosity wished to make trial of Diogenes, but on being put to confusion by him
would turn on their heels and flee. 7 They were amused, of course, (p407) when others
were railed at, but on their own account they were afraid and so would withdraw out
of his way. Again, when he jested and joked, as was his wont at times, they were
pleased beyond measure; but when he warmed up and became serious, they could not
stand his frankness. The situation was the same, I fancy, as when children delight to
play with well-bred dogs but are terrified and scared to death when they show anger
and bark more loudly.
At these meetings also he held to the same line of conduct, not changing his ways nor
caring whether anyone of his audience commended or criticized him; no, not even if it
was some wealthy and prominent person such as a general or ruler who approached
and conversed with him, or some very humble and poor individual. 8 When such
people talked nonsense, he usually scorned them merely, but those that assumed airs
and prided therefore on their wealth or family or some other distinction he would
make the especial object of his attack and castigate thoroughly. Some admired him,
therefore, as the wisest man in the world, to others he seemed crazy, many scorned
him as a beggar and a poor good-for-nothing, some jeered at him, 9 others tried to
insult him grossly by throwing bones at his feet as they would to dogs, yet others
would approach him and pluck at his cloak, but many could not tolerate him and
were indignant. It was just like the way in which Homer says the suitors made sport
of Odysseus; he too endured their riotous conduct and insolence for a few days, and
Diogenes was like him in every respect. For he really resembled a king and lord who
in the guise of a beggar moved among the (p409) slaves and menials while they caroused in ignorance of his identity, and yet was patient with them, drunken as they were and crazed by reason of ignorance and stupidity.
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