[35,5] σχεδὸν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπ´ ἄλλων ἰδεῖν ἔστι γιγνόμενον· οἷον ἐπειδάν τινες ὑπονοήσωσιν ἔχειν τινὰ τοῦτο αὐτό, ὃ τυγχάνουσι ζητοῦντες, προσίασι καὶ ἀνερευνῶσιν· ἐὰν οὖν περιστέλλῃ καὶ μὴ ἐθέλῃ δεικνύειν, ἔτι μᾶλλον ὑπονοοῦσιν· ἐὰν δὲ παραχρῆμα ἀποκαλύψῃ καὶ γένηται φανερὸς οὐκ ἔχων οὐδέν, ἀπίασι, διημαρτηκέναι νομίσαντες. πολὺ δὴ κρεῖττον τοῖς οὐ δεομένοις δόξης ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ φανερὸν τῷ λόγῳ ποιεῖν αὑτὸν τοῖς δυναμένοις ξυνεῖναι {τὸν} ἄνθρωπον ὁποῖός ἐστιν. οἶμαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς καταφρονήσειν σαφῶς {ὡς ἔγωγε νῦν πέπονθα} καὶ οὐ ξυνήσειν ἀλλήλων ἡμᾶς, οὔτε ἐμὲ τῶν ἀκουόντων οὔτε ἐκείνους τοῦ λέγοντος. τούτου δὲ αἴτιον ἔγωγε θείην ἂν ἐμαυτὸν μᾶλλον ἢ ὑμᾶς.

[35,5] This is virtually what you may see occurring with other men also. For example, when certain people suspect a man of having the very thing for which they happen to be searching, they go up to him and put him through a close questioning. If, then, he draws his cloak about him and declines to uncover, they are all the more suspicious, but if he immediately unwraps and it becomes evident that he is concealing nothing, they go away convinced that they have been in error. You see, it is far better for those who are not seeking notoriety to disclose themselves to the people, and for a person by speaking to reveal himself for the benefit of those who can understand what sort of man he is. For I fancy that they will clearly show contempt for me, to judge by the treatment I have been receiving, and that we shall not understand one another, neither I my audience nor they their speaker. And the blame for this misunderstanding I would set down to my account rather than to yours.

[35,6] μία μὲν οὖν αὕτη πρόφασις τοῦ προελθεῖν. ἑτέρα δὲ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι μὴ διαφθαρῶ αὐτὸς διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ὑποψίαν καὶ τῷ ὄντι νομίσω προσεῖναι σπουδαῖόν τι ἐμαυτῷ. μεγάλης γὰρ διανοίας καὶ δυνάμεως ἔοικε δεῖν, ὅταν θαυμάσωσιν ἕνα πολλοὶ καὶ διαφέρειν ἡγῶνται τῶν ἄλλων, εἰ μέλλει σωφρονεῖν οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ μηδὲν ἀνόητον πάσχειν μηδὲ ἐπαίρεσθαι τοῖς τῶν πολλῶν λόγοις, ὥσπερ πτεροῖς· καθάπερ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα πεποίηκεν Ὅμηρος διὰ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν ὑπὸ τῶν ὅπλων ἐπαιρόμενον καὶ φερόμενον·

[35,6] This, then, is one reason for my coming forward. But there is another reason—my fear that I myself may become spoiled through your suspicions of me and come to believe that there is actually something of importance in my make-up. For when many people display admiration for one man and consider him superior to the rest, great wisdom and strength of character are seemingly needed if he is to preserve his common sense and not be made a fool or be uplifted, as by wings, by the words of the crowd—as Homer has portrayed Achilles, through vainglory because of his new amour, being uplifted and in full career : "To him they were as wings and raised aloft The shepherd of the host"?