Texte grec :
| [60,5] ταῦτα δὲ διελέγετο ὁ Κένταυρος ἐπιβουλεύων τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ,
εἴ πως δύναιτο αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τρυφὴν ἀγαγεῖν καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν· ᾔδει γὰρ
ὅτι ἅμα τῷ μεταβαλεῖν τὸν βίον καὶ τὴν ἄσκησιν εὐχείρωτος ἔσται
καὶ ἀσθενής. ἡ δὲ Δηιάνειρα ἀκούουσα οὐ παρέργως τοῖς λόγοις
προσεῖχεν, ἀλλὰ ἐνεθυμεῖτο ὡς ὀρθῶς λέγοι ὁ Κένταυρος, ὥσπερ
εἰκὸς ἦν βουλομένην τὸν ἄνδρα ὑφ´ ἑαυτῇ ἔχειν. ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλῆς
ὑπονοήσας μηδὲν ὑγιὲς τὸν Κένταυρον λέγειν ἐκ τοῦ διαλέγεσθαι
πρὸς τὴν Δηιάνειραν ἐπιμελῶς καὶ ὅτι ἐκείνη προσεῖχεν αὐτῷ,
(6) οὕτως δὴ ἐτόξευσεν αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ ἀποθνῄσκων οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐκέλευσε
τὴν Δηιάνειραν ἀναμνησθῆναι ὧν εἶπε καὶ ποιεῖν ὡς αὐτὸς παρῄνεσεν.
ὕστερον δὲ ἡ Δηιάνειρα μεμνημένη τῶν λόγων τοῦ Κενταύρου
καὶ ἅμα τοῦ Ἡρακλέους οὐδὲν ἀνιέντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μακροτέραν ἀποδημίαν
ἀποδημήσαντος, τὴν τελευταίαν ὅτε ἐξεῖλε τὴν Οἰχαλίαν,
καὶ λεγομένου δὴ ὡς ἐρασθείη τῆς Ἰόλης, ἡγησαμένη βέλτιον εἶναι
(7) ἃ παρῄνεσεν ἀνύεσθαι, ἐπιτίθεται αὐτῷ καὶ, οἷον δὴ πέφυκε τὸ
τῶν γυναικῶν αἱμύλον καὶ πανοῦργον, οὐ πρότερον ἀνῆκε πρὶν ἢ
ἔπεισεν αὐτὸν τὰ μὲν παραμυθουμένη καὶ φάσκουσα ἐκείνου κήδεσθαι
ὅπως μὴ κακοπαθῇ γυμνὸς τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ τοῦ θέρους
ὁμοίως ὑπομένων ἐν τῷ δέρματι τοῦ λέοντος, τὸ μὲν δέρμα ἀποθέσθαι,
στολὴν δὲ ἀναλαβεῖν ὁμοίαν τοῖς ἄλλοις. καὶ τοῦτο δὴ
(8) ἦν ὁ λεγόμενος τῆς Δηιανείρας χιτών, ὃν ἐνέδυ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς. ἅμα
δὲ τῇ στολῇ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην δίαιταν ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν μεταβαλεῖν,
ἐπί τε στρωμάτων καθεύδοντα καὶ μὴ θυραυλοῦντα τὰ πολλά,
ὥσπερ εἰώθει πρότερον, μηδὲ αὐτουργοῦντα μηδὲ τροφῇ ὁμοίᾳ
χρώμενον, ἀλλὰ σίτῳ τε ἐκπεπονημένῳ καὶ ὄψῳ καὶ οἴνῳ ἡδεῖ καὶ
ὅσα δὴ τούτοις ἑπόμενά ἐστιν. ἐκ δὲ τῆς μεταβολῆς ταύτης, ὥσπερ
ἦν οἶμαι ἀναγκαῖον, εἰς ἀσθένειαν καὶ μαλακίαν ἐμπεσὼν τοῦ σώματος
καὶ ἡγησάμενος μηκέτ´ εἶναι ῥᾴδιον ἁψάμενον τρυφῆς ἀποθέσθαι
αὐτήν, οὕτως δὴ ἐνέπρησεν αὑτόν, ἅμα μὲν κρεῖττον οἰόμενος
ἀπηλλάχθαι τοῦ τοιούτου βίου, ἅμα δὲ δυσχεραίνων, ὅτι
ἠνέσχετο τρυφῆς ἅψασθαι. ἔχεις δὴ τὸν παρ´ ἐμοῦ λόγον, ὁποῖον
ἐγὼ ἠδυνάμην ὑπὲρ τοῦ μύθου εἰπεῖν.
(9) (Interlocuteur) Καὶ μὰ τὸν Δία οὐδαμῶς φαῦλος οὐδὲ ἀπίθανος
δοκεῖ μοι εἶναι. καὶ οὐκ οἶδα ὅπως δοκεῖ μοι
προσεοικέναι τὸ τῶν φιλοσόφων ἐνίων περὶ τοὺς λόγους
ἁμῃγέπῃ τῷ τῶν κοροπλάθων. καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τύπον τινὰ παρέχοντες,
ὁποῖον ἂν πηλὸν εἰς τοῦτον ἐμβάλωσιν, ὅμοιον τῷ τύπῳ
τὸ εἶδος ἀποτελοῦσιν· καὶ τῶν φιλοσόφων ἤδη τινὲς τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασιν,
ὥστε ὁποῖον ἂν μῦθον ἢ λόγον λάβωσιν ἕλκοντες καὶ πλάττοντες
κατὰ τὴν αὑτῶν διάνοιαν ὠφέλιμον καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ πρέποντα ἀπέδειξαν·
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Traduction française :
| [60,5] Now the Centaur went into these details with
designs on Heracles, in the hope that he might somehow
turn him in the direction of indulgence and
indolence, for he knew that as soon as he changed his
mode of living and his occupation he would be- easy
to manage and weak. But Deïaneira, as she heard
him, paid no casual attention to his words, but rather
considered that the Centaur was correct in what he
said, as indeed might have been expected, since she
wished to have her husband under her control.
Heracles, on the other hand, suspecting that the
Centaur was saying nothing honourable, judging
from the earnestness with which he was talking to
Deïaneira, and because she gave him her attention,
therefore shot him with his bow. But, though dying,
nevertheless the Centaur bade Deïaneira to remember
what he had said and to act as he had advised.
Later on, when Deïaneira recalled the words of the
Centaur, and when also Heracles did not relax at all
but made an even lengthier journey away from home
—his final journey, during which he captured Oechalia
—and when in fact he was reported to have become
enamoured of Iolê, thinking it better that what the
Centaur had advised should be accomplished, she set
to work upon Heracles and—such is the nature of
female wile and cunning—she did not desist until,
partly by coaxing and saying that she was anxious
about him, lest he come to grief by persisting winter
and summer alike in going unclothed, wearing only
his lion's skin, she at last persuaded him to doff the
skin and put on dress like that of other men. And
this, of course, was what is called the shirt of Deïaneira,
which Heracles put on.
(8) But along with his dress, she made him change his
mode of living in general, now sleeping on bedding
and not camping in the open for the most part, as
was his former custom, nor labouring with his own
hands, nor using the saure food as formerly, but rather
eating grain most carefully prepared and fish and
sweet wine and in fact whatever goes with these
things. But as an outcome of this change, as was
inevitable methinks, falling into weakness and flabbiness
of body, and thinking that, having once adopted
self-indulgence, it was no longer easy to lay it aside,
he therefore set himself on fire, not only because he
believed it better to be freed from such a life as that,
but also because he was distressed that he had
allowed himself to take up a life of luxury.
So there you have my reasoning, such as I have
been able to express it, regarding the myth.
(Interlocuteur) And, by Heaven, it seems to me not at all a
bad one or unconvincing either. And somehow or
other I have the feeling that the method of some
philosophers in dealing with their arguments resembles
in a way that of the makers of figurines.
For those craftsmen produce a mould, and whatever
clay they put into this they render like to the mould
in form ; and some of the philosophers ere now have
proved like that, with the result that, whatever myth
or story they take in hand, by tearing it to pieces and
moulding it to suit their fancy they render it beneficial
and suited to philosophy, the sort of philosopher in fact
that Socrates in particular proved to be, as we are told.
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