[33,40] εἰ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀκοῆς δέοι τεκμαίρεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥσπερ Ὅμηρός φησι προσιόντα τὸν Ὀδυσσέα τῇ αὑτοῦ οἰκίᾳ μὴ περιμεῖναι θεάσασθαι τοὺς μνηστῆρας ἑστιωμένους, ἀλλ´ εὐθὺς εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν Εὔμαιον, ὡς αὐτὸν ἡ κιθάρα περιήνεγκε, γιγνώσκειν {δὴ} ὅτι πολλοὶ ἐν αὐτῇ δαῖτα τίθενται· καὶ πάλιν ἐκ τῆς νήσου τῶν Κυκλώπων ἀκούοντα τῶν τε προβάτων (41) βληχωμένων καὶ αὐτῶν τῆς φωνῆς, ὡς ἂν οἶμαι νεμόντων, νοεῖν ὅτι ποιμένων τινῶν ἐστιν ἡ χώρα, φέρε καὶ ὑμᾶς εἴ τις ἐκ τοῦ φερομένου ἤχου πόρρωθεν εἰκάζοι, οἵους ἂν ἀνθρώπους ὑπολάβοι εἶναι καὶ τί πράττειν; {οὐ γὰρ ἱκανοί ἐστε οὔτε βουκολεῖν οὔτε ποιμαίνειν·} καὶ πότερον ὑμᾶς Ἀργείων ἀποίκους, ὡς λέγετε, φήσει τις ἢ μᾶλλον ἐκείνων Ἀραδίων; καὶ πότερον Ἕλληνας ἢ Φοινίκων τοὺς ἀσελγεστάτους; ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι μᾶλλον προσήκειν ἀνδρὶ σώφρονι ἐν τοιαύτῃ πόλει κηρὸν ἐπαλεῖψαι τοῖς ὠσὶν ἢ εἰ τὰς Σειρῆνας παραπλέων ἔτυχεν. ὅπου μὲν γὰρ ὑπῆρχε θανάτου κίνδυνος, ὅπου δὲ ἀσελγείας, ὕβρεως, τῆς ἐσχάτης διαφθορᾶς. (42) καὶ πρόσεστιν οὐδεμία τέρψις οὐδ´ ἱστορία δήπου. πρότερον μὲν οὖν ἡ παραίνεσις τῶν ἀμεινόνων ἐκράτει, νῦν δ´, ὡς ἔοικε, τῶν χειρόνων. θαυμάσαι δ´ ἄν τις τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ ζηλοῦν αὐτὸ τοὺς πλείους ἐνθάδε καὶ συνηθέστερον ἀεὶ γίγνεσθαι προβαῖνον. ὥσπερ Ἰωνική τις ἐκράτησεν ἁρμονία καὶ Δώριος καὶ Φρύγιος ἄλλη καὶ Λύδιος· οὕτως νῦν ἡ τῶν Ἀραδίων κρατεῖ μουσική, καὶ τὰ Φοινίκων ὑμῖν κρούματα ἀρέσκει, καὶ τὸν ῥυθμὸν (43) τοῦτον ἐξαιρέτως ἠγαπήκατε, ὥσπερ ἕτεροι τὸν σπονδεῖον· ἢ καὶ γένος τι πέφηνεν ἀνθρώπων ταῖς ῥισὶν εὔμουσον, ὥσπερ τοὺς κύκνους φασὶ τοῖς πτεροῖς, ἔπειτα τῶν λιγυφώνων τρόπον ὀρνέων τέρπουσιν ἀλλήλους ἔν τε ταῖς ὁδοῖς καὶ παρὰ τὰ ξυμπόσια, μηδὲν δεόμενοι λύρας μηδὲ αὐλῶν—ἀρχαῖα δὴ ταῦτα καὶ σκληρᾶς ἔτι καὶ ἀγροίκου τινὸς μουσικῆς ὄργανα—νῦν δὲ τρόπος ἄλλος ἀνθεῖ, βαρβίτων κρείττων καὶ προσηνέστερος. οὐκοῦν μετὰ χρόνον, καὶ χοροὺς ὑπὸ τῷ μέλει τούτῳ στησόμεθα· παίδων καὶ παρθένων ἐπιμελῶς ἐκδιδάξαντες. (44) ἀλλ´ ὅτι μὲν ἄχθεσθε ἀκούοντες σαφῶς οἶδα, καὶ προεῖπον ὅτι τοὺς λόγους ἀποδέξεσθε οὐχ ἡδέως. ὑμεῖς δ´ ἴσως με περὶ ἄστρων καὶ γῆς ἐδοκεῖτε διαλέξεσθαι. καὶ τινὲς μὲν ὑμῶν ὀργίζονται καί φασί με ὑβρίζειν τὴν πόλιν, τοὺς δὲ ταῦτα ποιοῦντας οὐκ αἰτιῶνται· τινὲς δὲ ἴσως καταγελῶσιν, εἰ περὶ μηδενὸς κρείττονος εὗρον εἰπεῖν· ἐγὼ δὲ ὁρῶ καὶ τοὺς ἰατροὺς ἔσθ´ ὅτε ἁπτομένους ὧν οὐκ ἂν ἤθελον, οὐχὶ τῶν καλλίστων τοῦ σώματος, καὶ πολλοὺς οἶδα τῶν θεραπευομένων ἀγανακτοῦντας, ὅταν ἅπτηται τοῦ πεπονθότος. ὁ δὲ πολλάκις ἀμύττει τοῦτο καὶ τέμνει βοῶντος. οὔκουν ἀνήσω περὶ τούτου λέγων, πρὶν ἂν σφόδρα δηχθῆτε. καίτοι πάνυ ἀσθενοῦς φαρμάκου τυγχάνετε τοῦ λόγου τούτου καὶ πολὺ ἐλάττονος ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν.

[33,40] And suppose one had to guess from what was heard who made the sound, as Homer says about Odysseus when he approached his own home, that he did not have to wait to see the suitors at their feast but straightway said to Eumaeus, as the note of the harp smote his ear, that he "Knew well that many were feasting in his hall" ; and again, when from the island of the Cyclopes he heard both the bleating of sheep and the voices of men (as he would, methinks, if they were pasturing their sheep), that he perceived that it was the country of shepherds —well then, suppose that a man were to judge you too by the sound that came to him from a distance, what kind of men would he guess you were and what your occupation? For you haven't the capacity for tending either cattle or sheep ! And would any one call you colonists from Argos, as you claim to be, or more likely colonists rather of those abominable Aradians ? Would he call you Greeks, or the most licentious of Phoenicians ? I believe it is more appropriate for a man of sense to plug his ears with wax in a city like yours than if he chanced to be sailing past the Sirens. For there one faced the risk of death, but here it is licentiousness, insolence, the most extreme corruption that threatens. And here we find no real enjoyment and no love of learning either, I imagine. At any rate in days gone by it was the counsel of the better citizens that had its way, whereas now, it seems, it is the counsel of the worse. And one might wonder why the majority here in Tarsus follow that baser counsel so eagerly, and why that tendency is constantly growing more general as time goes on. Just as formerly an Ionian mode became dominant in music, and a Dorian, and then a Phrygian also, and a Lydian, so now the Aradian mode is dominant and now it is Phoenician airs that suit your fancy and the Phoenician rhythm that you admire most, just as some others do the spondaic. Or can it be that a race of men has been created with the gift of music in their noses (as swans are said to have the gift of music in their wings ), so that like shrill-voiced birds these men delight one another in the streets and at symposia without any need of lyre and pipes ? No doubt the lyre and pipes are antiquated and, furthermore, instruments that produce a harsh and rustic kind of music. Ah well, another style now is flourishing, superior to lyres and more agreeable. Therefore, in course of time, we shall even institute choruses to accompany that variety of tune, choruses of boys and girls, most carefully instructed. (44) Well, I understand perfectly that you are vexed with me for what I have been saying, and indeed I told you beforehand that you would not receive my words with any pleasure. However, you may have supposed that I was going to discourse on astronomy and geology. And though some of you are angry and claim that I am insulting your city, still they do not blame those who are guilty of the things I mention ; on the other hand, others may be laughing at me because I could find nothing better to talk about. However, I find that physicians too sometimes handle things they would rather not, parts of the body that are not the most beautiful, and many of their patients, I know, are irritated when the physician touches the sore spot. But he often scarifies and lances it despite the outcry. I, therefore, shall not cease to talk upon this theme until I make you smart indeed. And yet, after ail, it is a very mild medicine you are getting in this speech of mine, much less severe than your case calls for.