[35,9] εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ πλείους ἐπιεικῶς ἠλίθιοι καὶ δυστυχεῖς. οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἴσως οὐ μέγας κίνδυνος, εἴ τις αὑτῷ καὶ ἑτέροις δοκεῖ δεινὸς εἶναι καὶ περιάξει πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ἀνοήτων· ὥσπερ τὸν Ὀρφέα φασὶ τὰς δρῦς καὶ τὰς πέτρας καὶ τοὺς λίθους· τὸ δ´ αὐτὸν ἀνόητον ὄντα καὶ δειλὸν καὶ ἀκόλαστον καὶ μηδὲν διαφέροντα τῶν βοσκημάτων ἀρετῆς τι νομίσαι προσήκειν αὑτῷ καὶ καλοκἀγαθίας, τοῦτο δὴ παντελῶς δεινὸν καὶ τῆς χαλεπωτάτης πασῶν ἀνοίας καὶ μανίας. ἀλλ´ ὅταν φήμη καταλαμβάνῃ τινὰ καὶ τοιοῦτος ἄρξηται λόγος ὑποτύφεσθαι, δεῖ περιρρηξάμενον ἐκπηδᾶν γυμνὸν εἰς τὰς ὁδούς, ἐπιδεικνύντα πᾶσιν ὅτι μηδενός ἐστι βελτίων.

[35,9] Well then, conceivably there is no great risk involved if a man appears to himself and others to be clever, and draws in his train a crowd of fools—just as it is said of Orpheus, that he drew to himself trees and rocks and stones—but that, while himself a fool, a coward, intemperate, in no wise superior to dumb cattle, a man should believe that he has any claim to virtue and gentility—that indeed is utterly preposterous and a mark of the most grievous folly and madness. Nay, whenever fame lays hold upon a man and that sort of talk starts to smoulder, he should tear off his garments and leap forth naked upon the public highways, proving to all the world that he is no better than any other man.

[35,10] ἐὰν δὲ ἐπακολουθῇ τις φάσκων εἶναι μαθητής, ἀπελαύνειν παίοντα καὶ βάλλοντα ταῖς βώλοις καὶ τοῖς λίθοις, ὡς ἀνόητον ἢ πονηρόν. λέγω δὲ οὐ πρὸς ἅπαντας—εἰσὶ γὰρ οἱ καλῶς καὶ συμφερόντως τὸ πρᾶγμα πράττοντες, οἷς ἔδει σπένδειν καὶ θυμιᾶν —ἀλλ´ οὓς σοφοὺς ὑμῖν ἀποδεικνύουσι τρεῖς ἢ τέτταρες κομῆται, καθάπερ τοὺς ἱερέας τῶν παρ´ ὑμῖν· τοὺς μακαρίους λέγω, τοὺς ἁπάντων ἄρχοντας τῶν ἱερέων, τοὺς ἐπωνύμους τῶν δύο ἠπείρων τῆς ἑτέρας ὅλης. ταῦτα γάρ ἐστι τὰ ποιοῦντα καὶ τούτους εὐδαίμονας, στέφανος καὶ πορφύρα καὶ παιδάρια κομῶντα λιβανωτὸν φέροντα.

[35,10] And if someone follows at his heels claiming to be his pupil, he must try to drive him away, striking him with his fists and pelting him with clods of earth and stones, knowing that the fellow is either fool or knave. However, my remarks are not levelled at all sophists, for there are some who follow that calling honourably and for the good of others, men to whom we should pour libation and offer intense; nay, I mean rather those whom they appoint to serve you as experts in wisdom, three or four long-haired persons like the high-priests of your local rites. I refer to the "blessed ones", who exercise authority over all your priests, whose title represents one of the two continents in its entirety. For these men too owe their "blessedness" to crowns and purple and a throng of long-haired lads bearing frankincense.