[7,80] κἀγὼ προσέμεινα οὐκ ἀηδῶς, ἐνθυμούμενος ἅμα τῶν πλουσίων ὁποῖά ἐστι τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τὰ περὶ τοὺς γάμους, προμνηστριῶν τε πέρι καὶ ἐξετάσεων οὐσιῶν τε καὶ γένους, προικῶν τε καὶ ἕδνων καὶ ὑποσχέσεων καὶ ἀπατῶν, ὁμολογιῶν τε καὶ συγγραφῶν, καὶ τελευταῖον πολλάκις ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς γάμοις λοιδοριῶν καὶ ἀπεχθειῶν. (7,81) ἅπαντα δὴ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον διῆλθον οὐκ ἄλλως οὐδ´ ὡς τάχ´ ἂν δόξαιμί τισιν, ἀδολεσχεῖν βουλόμενος, ἀλλ´ οὗπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπεθέμην βίου καὶ τῆς τῶν πενήτων διαγωγῆς παράδειγμα ἐκτιθείς, ὃ αὐτὸς ἠπιστάμην, τῷ βουλομένῳ θεάσασθαι λόγων τε καὶ ἔργων καὶ κοινωνιῶν τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, εἴ τι τῶν πλουσίων ἐλαττοῦνται διὰ τὴν πενίαν πρὸς τὸ ζῆν εὐσχημόνως καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἢ τῷ παντὶ πλέον ἔχουσιν. (7,82) καὶ δῆτα καὶ τὸ τοῦ Εὐριπίδου σκοπῶν, εἰ κατ´ ἀλήθειαν ἀπόρως αὐτοῖς ἔχει τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ξένους, ὡς μήτε ὑποδέξασθαί ποτε δύνασθαι μήτε ἐπαρκέσαι δεομένῳ τινί, οὐδαμῇ πω τοιοῦτον εὑρίσκω τὸ τῆς ξενίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πῦρ ἐναύοντας προθυμότερον τῶν πλουσίων καὶ ὁδῶν ἀπροφασίστους ἡγεμόνας· ἐπεί τοι τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ αἰσχύνοιντο ἄν· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μεταδιδόντας ὧν ἔχουσιν ἑτοιμότερον· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ναυαγῷ τις δώσει ἐκείνων οὔτε τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ἁλουργὲς ἢ τὸ τῆς θυγατρὸς οὔτε πολὺ ἧττον τούτου φόρημα, τῶν χλαινῶν τινα ἢ χιτώνων, μυρία ἔχοντες, ἀλλ´ οὐδὲ τῶν οἰκετῶν οὐδενὸς ἱμάτιον. (7,83) δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο Ὅμηρος· τὸν μὲν γὰρ Εὔμαιον πεποίηκε δοῦλον καὶ πένητα ὅμως τὸν Ὀδυσσέα καλῶς ὑποδεχόμενον καὶ τροφῇ καὶ κοίτῃ· τοὺς δὲ μνηστῆρας ὑπὸ πλούτου καὶ ὕβρεως οὐ πάνυ ῥᾳδίως αὐτῷ μεταδιδόντας οὐδὲ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ὥς που καὶ αὐτὸς πεποίηται λέγων πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίνουν, ὀνειδίζων τὴν ἀνελευθερίαν, οὐ σύγ´ ἂν ἐξ οἴκου σῷ ἐπιστάτῃ οὐδ´ ἅλα δοίης, ὃς νῦν ἀλλοτρίοισι παρήμενος οὔτι μοι ἔτλης σίτου ἀπάρξασθαι, πολλῶν κατὰ οἶκον ἐόντων. (7,84) καὶ τούτους μὲν ἔστω διὰ τὴν ἄλλην πονηρίαν εἶναι τοιούτους· ἀλλ´ οὐδὲ τὴν Πηνελόπην, καίτοι χρηστὴν οὖσαν καὶ σφόδρα ἡδέως διαλεγομένην πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πεπυσμένην, οὐδὲ ταύτην φησὶν ἱμάτιον αὐτῷ δοῦναι γυμνῷ παρακαθημένῳ, ἀλλ´ ἢ μόνον ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, ἂν ἄρα φανῇ ἀληθεύων περὶ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως, (7,85) ὅτι ἐκείνου τοῦ μηνὸς ἥξοι, καὶ ὕστερον, ἐπειδὴ τὸ τόξον ᾔτει, τῶν μνηστήρων, οὐ δυναμένων ἐντεῖναι, χαλεπαινόντων ἐκείνῳ, ὅτι ἠξίου πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἁμιλλᾶσθαι περὶ ἀρετῆς, ἀξιοῖ δοθῆναι αὐτῷ· οὐ γὰρ δὴ περὶ τοῦ γάμου γε εἶναι κἀκείνῳ τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ´ ἐὰν τύχῃ ἐπιτείνας καὶ διαβαλὼν διὰ τῶν πελέκεων, ἐπαγγέλλεται αὐτῷ δώσειν χιτῶνα καὶ ἱμάτιον καὶ ὑποδήματα· (7,86) ὡς δέον αὐτὸν τὸ Εὐρύτου τόξον ἐντεῖναι καὶ τοσούτοις νεανίσκοις ἐχθρὸν γενέσθαι, τυχὸν δὲ καὶ ἀπολέσθαι παραχρῆμα ὑπ´ αὐτῶν, εἰ μέλλει τυγχάνειν ἐξωμίδος καὶ ὑποδημάτων, ἢ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα, εἴκοσιν ἐτῶν οὐδαμοῦ πεφηνότα, ἥκοντα ἀποδεῖξαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἡμέραις ῥηταῖς· εἰ δὲ μή, ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀπιέναι ῥάκεσι παρὰ τῆς σώφρονος καὶ ἀγαθῆς Ἰκαρίου θυγατρὸς βασιλίδος. (7,87) σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ ὁ Τηλέμαχος τοιαῦτα ἕτερα πρὸς τὸν συβώτην λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ, κελεύων αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν πόλιν πέμπειν τὴν ταχίστην πτωχεύσοντα ἐκεῖ, καὶ μὴ πλείους ἡμέρας τρέφειν ἐν τῷ σταθμῷ· καὶ γὰρ εἰ ξυνέκειτο αὐτοῖς ταῦτα, ἀλλ´ ὅ γε συβώτης οὐ θαυμάζει τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν, (7,88) ὡς ἔθους δὴ ὄντος οὕτως ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἀνελευθέρως πράττειν τὰ περὶ τοὺς ξένους τοὺς πένητας, μόνους δὲ τοὺς πλουσίους ὑποδέχεσθαι φιλοφρόνως ξενίοις καὶ δώροις, παρ´ ὧν δῆλον ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ προσεδόκων τῶν ἴσων ἂν τυχεῖν, ὁποῖα σχεδὸν καὶ τὰ τῶν νῦν ἐστι φιλανθρωπίας τε πέρι καὶ προαιρέσεως. (7,89) αἱ γὰρ δὴ δοκοῦσαι φιλοφρονήσεις καὶ χάριτες, ἐὰν σκοπῇ τις ὀρθῶς, οὐδὲν διαφέρουσιν ἐράνων καὶ δανείων, ἐπὶ τόκῳ συχνῷ καὶ ταῦτα ὡς τὸ πολὺ γιγνόμενα, εἰ μὴ νὴ Δί´ ὑπερβάλλει τὰ νῦν τὰ πρότερον, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ ξυμπάσῃ κακίᾳ.

[7,80] J’eus le loisir d’observer ce qui était sous mes yeux, et d’en comparer le tableau à ce qui se passe chez les riches, surtout en fait de mariage: tout le manège qu’il faut à un père, ses recherches inquiètes sur la naissance et le bien, les dots, les donations, les promesses et les duperies, les contrats et les signatures; et souvent, au bout de tout cela, à l’heure même des noces, des injures et des querelles. (7,81) Ce n’est donc pas sans intention que j’ai fait ce récit et pour mon simple amusement, c’est pour offrir un modèle de vie pauvre et heureuse que j’ai vu de mes propres yeux, et que chacun, comme moi, est à portée de voir. (7,81 suite) — an illustration drawn from my own experience for anyone who wishes to consider whether in words and deeds and in social intercourse the poor are at a disadvantage in comparison with the rich on account of their poverty, or in every way have the advantage. 82 And really, when I consider Euripides' words and ask myself whether as a matter (p333) of fact the entertainment of strangers is so difficult for them that they can never welcome or succour anyone in need, I find this by no means to be true of their hospitality. They light a fire more promptly than the rich and guide one on the way without reluctance — indeed, in such matters a sense of self-respect would compel them — and often they share what they have more readily. When will you find a rich man who will give the victim of a shipwreck his wife's or his daughter's purple gown or any article of clothing far cheaper than that: a mantle, for example, or a tunic, though he has thousands of them, or even a cloak from one of his slaves? 83 Homer too illustrates this, for in Eumaeus he has given us a slave and a poor man who can still welcome Odysseus generously with food and a bed, while the suitors in their wealth and insolence share with him but grudgingly even what belongs to others, and this, I think, is just what Odysseus himself is represented as saying to Antinous when he upbraids him for his churlishness. "Thou wouldst not give a suppliant even salt In thine own house, — thou who, while sitting here, Fed at another's table, canst not bear To give me bread from thy well-loaded board." 84 But granted that such meanness on the suitors' part was in accord with their general depravity, yet how was it with Penelope? Though she was an excellent woman, overjoyed to talk with Odysseus and learn about her husband, Homer does not say that (p335) even she gave him a cloak as he sat beside her in a bare tunic, but that she merely promised him one if it turned out that he was telling the truth about Odysseus in saying that he would arrive within the month. 85 And afterwards, when he asked for the bow, and the suitors, who could not draw it, were angry at him because he had the hardihood to vie with them in prowess, she urged that it be given to him, adding that of course her promise of marriage could not apply to him; but she promised to give him a tunic, cloak, and shoes, if he succeeded in stretching the bow and shooting through the axes; 86 as though he had to bend the bow of Eurytus and become the enemy of all those young men, and perhaps lose his life at their hands then and there, if he was to receive tunic and shoes, or else must produce Odysseus in person, who had not been seen anywhere for twenty years, and within a stated time at that, with the alternative, in case he could do neither, of departing in the same rags out of the presence of the good and prudent daughter royal of Icarius! 87 Other words of about the same purport Telemachus too addresses to the swineherd regarding Odysseus when he bids the latter to send him to the city as soon as possible that he may beg for alms there, and not to feed him at the steading any longer. And even if this had been agreed upon between them, yet the swineherd feels no surprise at the treatment and its inhumanity, 88 as though it were the regular procedure to deal with needy strangers thus strictly and meanly and to welcome open-heartedly (p337) with gifts and presents only the rich, from whom, of course, the host expected a like return, very much as the present custom is in selecting the recipients of our kindly treatment and preferment; 89 for what seem to be acts of kindliness and favours turn out, when examined rightly, to be loans, and that too at a high rate of interest as a usual thing, if, by heavens, conditions to-day are not worse than they used to be, just as is the case with every other evil.