[12,65] κινδυνεύει γὰρ οὖν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος ἁπάντων ἐνδεὲς γενέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ φωνῆς καὶ λέξεως· τούτου δὲ μόνου κέκτηται θαυμαστόν τινα πλοῦτον. οὐδὲν γοῦν παραλέλοιπεν ἄφθεγκτον οὐδὲ ἄσημον τῶν πρὸς αἴσθησιν ἀφικνουμένων, ἀλλ´ εὐθὺς ἐπιβάλλει τῷ νοηθέντι σαφῆ σφραγῖδα ὀνόματος, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πλείους φωνὰς ἑνὸς πράγματος, ὧν ὁπόταν φθέγξηταί τινα, παρέσχε δόξαν οὐ πολὺ ἀσθενεστέραν τἀληθοῦς. πλείστη μὲν οὖν ἐξουσία καὶ δύναμις ἀνθρώπῳ περὶ λόγον ἐνδείξασθαι τὸ παραστάν.

[12,65] Indeed, the race of men is more likely to run short of everything else than of voice and speech; of this one thing it possesses a most astounding wealth. At any rate it has left unuttered and undesignated no single thing that reaches our sense perceptions, but straightway puts upon everything the mind perceives the unmistakable seal of a name, and often even several vocal signs for one thing, so that when man gives utterance to any one of them, they convey an impression not much less distinct than does the actual thing itself. Very great indeed is the ability and power of man to express in words any idea that tomes into his mind.

[12,66] ἡ δὲ τῶν ποιητῶν τέχνη μάλα αὐθάδης καὶ ἀνεπίληπτος, ἄλλως τε Ὁμήρου, τοῦ πλείστην ἄγοντος παρρησίαν, ὃς οὐχ ἕνα εἵλετο χαρακτῆρα λέξεως, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν γλῶτταν διῃρημένην τέως ἀνέμιξε, Δωριέων τε καὶ Ἰώνων, ἔτι δὲ τὴν Ἀθηναίων, εἰς ταὐτὸ κε– ράσας πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ χρώματα οἱ βαφεῖς, οὐ μόνον τῶν καθ´ αὑτόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πρότερον, εἴ πού τι ῥῆμα ἐκλελοιπός, καὶ τοῦτο ἀναλαβὼν ὥσπερ νόμισμα ἀρχαῖον ἐκ θησαυροῦ ποθεν ἀδεσπότου διὰ φιλορρηματίαν,

[12,66] But the poets' art is exceedingly bold and not to be censured therefor ; this was especially true of Homer, who practiced the greatest frankness and freedom of language ; and he did not choose just one variety of diction, but mingled together every Hellenic dialect which before his time were separate—that of the Dorians and Ionians, and also that of the Athenians —mixing them together much more thoroughly than dyers do their colours—and not only the languages of his own day but also those of former generations; if perchance there survived any expression of theirs taking up this ancient coinage, as it were, out of some ownerless treasure-store, because of his love of language ;