[21,0] ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΛΛΟΥΣ.	[21,0] THE TWENTY-FIRST DISCOURSE : ON BEAUTY.
[21,1] (Dion) Ὡς ὑψηλὸς ὁ νεανίσκος καὶ ὡραῖος· ἔτι δὲ ἀρχαῖον αὐτοῦ τὸ εἶδος, οἷον ἐγὼ οὐχ ἑώρακα τῶν νῦν, ἀλλ´ ἢ τῶν Ὀλυμπίασιν ἀνακειμένων τῶν πάνυ παλαιῶν· αἱ δὲ τῶν ὕστερον εἰκόνες ἀεὶ χείρους καὶ ἀγεννεστέρων φαίνονται, τὸ μέν τι ὑπὸ τῶν δημιουργῶν, τὸ δὲ πλέον καὶ αὐτοὶ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν. (Autre) Ἦ δεινὸν λέγεις, εἰ ὥσπερ φυτόν τι ἢ ζῷον ἐκλελοίπασι τῷ χρόνῳ οἱ καλοί, οἷον δή φασι τοὺς λέοντας παθεῖν τοὺς ἐν τῇ Εὐρώπῃ· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι αὐτῶν εἶναι τὸ γένος· πρότερον δὲ ἦσαν καὶ περὶ Μακεδονίαν καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις τόποις· εἰ οὕτως οἴχεται δὴ κάλλος ἐξ ἀνθρώπων.	[21,1] (Dion) How majestic the youth is and handsome; and, what is more, his appearance is ancient or classic in type, such as I have not seen in our modern statues, but only in those set up at Olympia, the very old ones. The images of the subsequent periods even show a steady decline and clearly represent less noble features, to some extent owing to the sculptors, but chiefly because the persons portrayed are themselves like their statues. (Autre) It is surely a sad state of affairs, according to what you say, if the beautiful have died out in the course of time just like some plant or animal —the fate which they do say has overtaken the lions in Europe ; for the race of lions is now extinct there, though formerly they were to be found in Macedonia and in other places as well—it is unfortunate, I repeat, if beauty has really disappeared from mankind in this way.
[21,2] (Dion) Τό γε ἀνδρεῖον, ὦ βέλτιστε· τὸ μέντοι γυναικεῖον ἴσως πλεονάζει. ἀνὴρ δὲ καλὸς σπάνιον μὲν εἰ γίγνεται νῦν, καὶ γενόμενος τοὺς πλείστους λανθάνει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἢ οἱ καλοὶ ἵπποι τοὺς ὀρεωκόμους. εἰ δ´ ἄρα καὶ ἅψαιντο τῶν τοιούτων, μεθ´ ὕβρεως καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἀγαθόν· ὥστε μοι δοκοῦσι καὶ οἱ γενόμενοι ταχὺ λήγειν καὶ ἀφανίζεσθαι. οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἡ ἀρετὴ ἐπαίνῳ αὔξεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κάλλος ὑπὸ τῶν τιμώντων αὐτὸ καὶ σεβομένων· ἀμελούμενον δὲ καὶ οὐδενὸς εἰς αὐτὸ βλέποντος ἢ πονηρῶν βλεπόντων σβέννυται, ὥσπερ τὰ κάτοπτρα. (Autre) Ἆρ´ οὖν, ὅπερ Ἀθηναῖοι πολλάκις, καὶ ἡμᾶς χρὴ ἀναρχίαν ἀναγράφειν τὸν παρόντα καιρόν, ὡς οὐδενὸς ὄντος καλοῦ;	[21,2] (Dion) Masculine beauty at least has, my good sir; feminine beauty, however, is perhaps increasing. But a handsome man is not only getting to be a rare sight nowadays ; but when there is one, the majority fail to notice his beauty, much more than muleteers fail to observe beautiful horses. And if people do by any chance take an interest in handsome men, it is in a wanton way and for no good purpose. The result is, in my opinion, that even the handsome men that do appear speedily drop out and disappear. For it is not only virtue that is increased by commendation, but so is beauty likewise by those who honour and revere it. But when it is disregarded and esteemed by no one, or when wicked men esteem it, it fades away like reflections in a mirror. (Autre) Should we, then, adopt the frequent practice of the Athenians and in a similar way record the present time as being an interregnum because there is no beautiful man ?