Texte grec :
| [4,35] τούτων δ´ αἱ μὲν ἄφθογγοι καὶ σιωπῶσαι μόναι αὐταὶ ἐξαπατῶνται,
αἱ δὲ προπετέσταται καὶ ἀνοητόταται μιμούμεναι τὰς πρώτας θορυβοῦσι καὶ
φιλοτιμοῦνται ἄλλας ἐξαπατᾶν, τοιοῦτον εὕροις ἂν καὶ περὶ τοὺς
καλουμένους σοφιστὰς πολὺν ὄχλον ἐνίοτε συνεπόμενον ἀνθρώπων
ἠλιθίων· καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι οὐδὲν διαφέρει σοφιστὴς ἄνθρωπος εὐνούχου
(36) ἀκολάστου. καὶ ὃς ἀκούσας ἐθαύμασε κατὰ τί τὸν σοφιστὴν
εὐνούχῳ παρέβαλεν, καὶ ἤρετο αὐτόν. Ὅτι, εἶπε, τῶν εὐνούχων
φασὶν οἱ ἀσελγέστατοι ἄνδρες εἶναι καὶ ἐρᾶν τῶν γυναικῶν, καὶ
συγκαθεύδουσιν αὐταῖς καὶ ἐνοχλοῦσι, γίγνεται δ´ οὐδὲν πλέον, οὐδ´
(37) ἂν τάς τε νύκτας καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας συνῶσιν αὐταῖς. καὶ παρὰ τοῖς
σοφισταῖς οὖν πολλοὺς εὑρήσεις γηράσκοντας ἀμαθεῖς, πλανωμένους
ἐν τοῖς λόγοις πολὺ κάκιον ἢ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα φησὶν Ὅμηρος ἐν
τῇ θαλάττῃ, καὶ πρότερον εἰς ᾅδου ἂν ἀφίκοιτο, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος,
(38) ἢ γένοιτο ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς λέγων τε καὶ ἀκούων. καὶ σύ, ἐπείπερ οὕτω
πέφυκας, ἐὰν τύχῃς ἐπισταμένου ἀνδρός, ἱκανή σοί ἐστι μία ἡμέρα
πρὸς τὸ συνιδεῖν τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ τὴν τέχνην, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔτι δεήσῃ
ποικίλων σοφισμάτων ἢ λόγων· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ τύχῃς διδασκάλου τοῦ
Διὸς ἢ ἄλλου τοιούτου, ταχὺ καὶ σαφῶς φράζοντος ἃ δεῖ ποιεῖν,
οὐδέν σοι πλέον, οὐδὲ ἂν ὅλον κατατρίψῃς τὸν βίον ἀγρυπνῶν τε
(39) καὶ ἀσιτῶν παρὰ τοῖς κακοδαίμοσι σοφισταῖς. τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἐγὼ
λέγω νῦν, ἀλλ´ Ὅμηρος ἐμοῦ πρότερος. ἢ οὐκ ἔμπειρος εἶ τῶν
Ὁμήρου ἐπῶν; ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος μέγιστον ἐφρόνει, ὅτι ἠπίστατο
μὲν τὸ ἕτερον ποίημα ὅλον, τὴν Ἰλιάδα, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τῆς Ὀδυσσείας.
θαυμάσας οὖν ἔφη, Καὶ ποῦ διείλεκται περὶ τούτων Ὅμηρος; Ἐκεῖ,
ἔφη, ὅπου τὸν Μίνω λέγει τοῦ Διὸς ὀαριστήν.
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Traduction française :
| [4,35] and of this pack those which make no outcry and keep
silent are merely deceived themselves, but the most
impetuous and foolish dogs, imitating the first ones,
raise a din and strive to deceive others. Around
the so-called sophists, likewise, you will sometimes
find just such a great accompanying throng of
simpletons, and you will discover that your sophist
does not differ one whit from a lecherous eunuch."
(36) On hearing this, Alexander wondered what his
reason was for likening the sophist to a eunuch and
asked him. "Because," came the reply, "the most
wanton eunuchs, protesting their virility and their
passion for women, lie with them and annoy them,
and yet nothing comes of it, not even if they stay
with them night and day. So too in the schools of
the sophists you will find many growing old in their
ignorance, wandering about in their discussions far
more helplessly than Homer says Odysseus ever did
upon the deep, and any one of them might sooner
find his way to Hades as that hero did than become
a good man by talking and listening. And you, since
you have been born with the right nature, if you
come upon a man of understanding, will find a
single day sufficient to get a grasp of his subject
and art, and you will no longer have any need of
subtle claptrap and discussions. But if you are not
so fortunate as to have a disciple of Zeus or one
like Zeus for your teacher to tell you forthwith and
clearly what your duty is, then nothing comes of
it for you, even if you waste your whole life in
sleepless study and fasting in the schools of the
miserable sophists. I am not the first man to say
this, but Homer said it before me. Or are you not
acquainted with the Homeric poems ?"
Now Alexander prided himself very greatly on
knowing by heart the whole of the one poem, the
Iliad, and much of the Odyssey likewise. And so he
said in surprise, "Pray, where has Homer discoursed
about these things ? " "In the passage," came the
reply, " where he calls Minos the consort of Zeus.
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