[7,90] ἔχω γε μὴν εἰπεῖν καὶ περὶ τῶν Φαιάκων καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων φιλανθρωπίας, εἴ τῳ δοκοῦσιν οὗτοι οὐκ ἀγεννῶς οὐδ´ ἀναξίως τοῦ πλούτου προσενεχθῆναι τῷ Ὀδυσσεῖ, μεθ´ οἵας μάλιστα διανοίας καὶ δι´ ἃς αἰτίας προυτράπησαν ἀφθόνως καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς χαρίζεσθαι. ἀλλὰ γὰρ πολὺ πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν καὶ τὰ νῦν ὑπὲρ τούτων εἰρημένα. (7,91) δῆλόν γε μὴν ὡς ὁ πλοῦτος οὔτε πρὸς ξένους οὔτε ἄλλως μέγα τι συμβάλλεται τοῖς κεκτημένοις, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον γλίσχρους καὶ φειδωλοὺς ὡς τὸ πολὺ μᾶλλον τῆς πενίας ἀποτελεῖν πέφυκεν. οὐδὲ γάρ, εἴ τις αὖ τῶν πλουσίων, εἷς που τάχα ἐν μυρίοις, δαψιλὴς καὶ μεγαλόφρων τὸν τρόπον εὑρεθείη, τοῦτο ἱκανῶς δείκνυσι τὸ μὴ οὐχὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς χείρους περὶ ταῦτα γίγνεσθαι τῶν ἀπορωτέρων. (7,92) ἀνδρὶ δὲ πένητι μὴ φαύλῳ τὴν φύσιν ἀρκεῖ τὰ παρόντα καὶ τὸ σῶμα μετρίως ἀσθενήσαντι, τοιούτου ποτὲ νοσήματος ξυμβάντος οἷάπερ εἴωθε γίγνεσθαι τοῖς οὐκ ἀργοῖς ἑκάστοτε ἐμπιμπλαμένοις, ἀνακτήσασθαι, καὶ ξένοις ἐλθοῦσι δοῦναι προσφιλῆ ξένια, χωρὶς ὑποψίας παρ´ ἑκόντων διδόμενα ἀλύπως, οὐκ ἴσως ἀργυροῦς κρατῆρας ἢ ποικίλους πέπλους ἢ τέθριππον, (7,93) τὰ Ἑλένης καὶ Μενέλεω Τηλεμάχῳ δῶρα. οὐδὲ γὰρ τοιούτους ὑποδέχοιντ´ ἄν, ὡς εἰκός, ξένους, σατράπας ἢ βασιλέας, εἰ μή γε πάνυ σώφρονας καὶ ἀγαθούς, οἷς οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς μετὰ φιλίας γιγνόμενον. ἀκολάστους δὲ καὶ τυραννικοὺς οὔτ´ ἂν οἶμαι δύναιντο θεραπεύειν ἱκανῶς ξένους οὔτ´ ἂν ἴσως προσδέοιντο τοιαύτης ξενίας. (7,94) οὐδὲ γὰρ τῷ Μενέλεῳ δήπουθεν ἀπέβη πρὸς τὸ λῷον, ὅτι ἠδύνατο δέξασθαι τὸν πλουσιώτατον ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ξένον, ἄλλος δὲ οὐδεὶς ἱκανὸς ἦν ἐν τῇ Σπάρτῃ τὸν Πριάμου τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸν ὑποδέξασθαι. (7,95) τοιγάρτοι ἐρημώσας αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ πρὸς τοῖς χρήμασι τὴν γυναῖκα προσλαβών, τὴν δὲ θυγατέρα ὀρφανὴν τῆς μητρὸς ἐάσας, ᾤχετο ἀποπλέων. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ Μενέλαος χρόνον μὲν πολὺν ἐφθείρετο πανταχόσε τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ὀδυρόμενος τὰς αὑτοῦ συμφοράς, δεόμενος ἑκάστου τῶν βασιλέων ἐπαμῦναι. ἠναγκάσθη δὲ ἱκετεῦσαι καὶ τὸν ἀδελφόν, ὅπως ἐπιδῷ τὴν θυγατέρα σφαγησομένην ἐν Αὐλίδι. (7,96) δέκα δὲ ἔτη καθῆστο πολεμῶν ἐν Τροίᾳ, πάλιν ἐκεῖ κολακεύων τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ἀδελφός· εἰ δὲ μή, ὠργίζοντο καὶ ἠπείλουν ἑκάστοτε ἀποπλεύσεσθαι· καὶ πολλοὺς πόνους καὶ κινδύνους ἀμηχάνους ὑπομένων, ὕστερον δὲ ἠλᾶτο καὶ οὐχ οἷός τ´ ἦν δίχα μυρίων κακῶν οἴκαδ´ ἀφικέσθαι. (7,97) ἆρ´ οὖν οὐ σφόδρα ἄξιον ἄγασθαι τοῦ πλούτου κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ τῷ ὄντι ζηλωτὸν ὑπολαβεῖν, ὅ φησιν αὐτοῦ μέγιστον εἶναι ἀγαθόν, τὸ δοῦναι ξένοις, καὶ ἐάν ποτέ τινες ἔλθωσι τρυφῶντες ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν, μὴ ἀδύνατον γενέσθαι παρασχεῖν κατάλυσιν καὶ προθεῖναι ξένια, οἷς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι μάλιστα ἥδοιντο; (7,98) λέγομεν δὲ ταῦτα μεμνημένοι τῶν ποιητῶν, οὐκ ἄλλως ἀντιπαρεξάγοντες ἐκείνοις οὐδὲ τῆς δόξης ζηλοτυποῦντες, ἣν ἀπὸ τῶν ποιημάτων ἐκτήσαντο ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ· οὐ τούτων ἕνεκα, φιλοτιμούμενοι ἐξελέγχειν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ παρ´ ἐκείνοις μάλιστα εὑρήσειν ἡγούμενοι τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάνοιαν, {ἃ δὴ καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐδόκει} περί τε πλούτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἃ θαυμάζουσι, καὶ τί μέγιστον οἴονταί σφισι γενέσθαι ἂν ἀφ´ ἑκάστου τῶν τοιούτων. (7,99) δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι μὴ συμφωνοῦντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ποιήματος μηδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔχοντος οὐκ ἂν οὕτω σφόδρα ἐφίλουν οὐδὲ ἐπῄνουν ὡς σοφούς τε καὶ ἀγαθοὺς {γενέσθαι} καὶ τἀληθῆ λέγοντας.

[7,90] Furthermore, I could state in regard to the Phaeacians also and their generosity, in case anyone imagines that their behaviour towards Odysseus was neither ungenerous nor unworthy of their wealth, just what motives and reasons induced them to be so open-handed and splendid in their generosity. But what I have said so far about this matter is more than sufficient. 91 It is certainly clear that wealth does no great service to its owners as regards the entertainment of strangers or otherwise. On the contrary, it is more likely to make them stingy and parsimonious, generally speaking, than poverty is. Even if some man of wealth may be found — one perhaps in a million — who is liberal and magnanimous in character, this by no means conclusively proves that the majority do not become worse in this regard than those whose means are limited. 92 A poor man, if he be of strong character, finds the little that he has sufficient both to enable him to regain his health when his body has been attacked by an illness not too severe — when, for example, he is visited by the sort of malady that usually attacks hard- working people whenever they overeat — and also to give (p339) acceptable gifts to strangers when they come — gifts willingly given that do not arouse the recipient's suspicion or give him offence — 93 perhaps not silver bowls, or embroidered robes, or a four-horse chariot, which were the gifts of Helen and Menelaus to Telemachus. For the poor man would be unlikely to have such guests to welcome as satraps or kings, for instance, unless they were very temperate and good men in whose eyes no gift is inadequate which is prompted by affection. But guests that are dissolute and tyrannical they would neither be able, I suppose, to serve acceptably nor, perhaps, would they care to extend such hospitality. 94 For it surely did not turn out any better for Menelaus that he was able to receive the wealthiest prince of Asia as a guest and that nobody else in Sparta was equal to entertaining the son of King Priam. 95 For, mark you, that prince despoiled his home, appropriated his wife as well as his treasures, left the daughter motherless, and sailed away. And after that Menelaus wasted a great deal of time travelling all over Greece bewailing his misfortunes and begging every king in turn to help him. He was forced also to implore his brother to give his daughter to be sacrificed at Aulis. 96 Then for ten years he sat fighting in Troy-land, where again both he and his brother kept cajoling the leaders of the army. When this was not done, the soldiers would grow angry and on every occasion would threaten to sail for home. Besides, he endured many hardships and dire perils, after which he wandered about and was able to reach his home only after infinite trouble. (p341) 97 Is it not, then, most unfitting to admire wealth as the poet does and regard it as really worth seeking? He says that its greatest good lies in giving to guests and, when any who are used to luxury come of the one's house, being in a position to offer them lodging and set such tokens of hospitality before them as would please them most. 98 And in advancing these views we cite the poets, not to gainsay them idly nor because we are envious for their reputation for wisdom that they have won by their poems; no, it is not for these reasons we covet the honour of showing them to be wrong, but because we think that it is in them especially that we shall find the thought and feeling of men generally, just what the many think about wealth and the other objects of their admiration, and what they consider would be the greatest good derived from each of them. 99 For it is evident that men would not love the poets so passionately nor extol them as wise and good and exponents of the truth if the poetry did not echo their own sentiments nor express their own views.