Texte grec :
| [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.
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Traduction française :
| [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.
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