Texte grec :
| [12,43] δευτέρα δὲ καὶ τρίτη ποιητῶν καὶ νομοθετῶν,
τῶν μὲν παραινούντων μὴ ἀποστερεῖν χάριν τὸ
πρεσβύτερον καὶ ξυγγενές, ἔτι δὲ αἴτιον ζωῆς καὶ τοῦ εἶναι, τῶν
δὲ ἐπαναγκαζόντων καὶ ἀπειλούντων κόλασιν τοῖς οὐ πειθομένοις,
ἄνευ τοῦ διασαφεῖν καὶ δηλοῦν ὁποῖοί τινές εἰσιν οἱ γονεῖς καὶ
τίνων εὐεργεσιῶν χρέος ὀφειλόμενον κελεύουσι μὴ ἀνέκτιτον ἐᾶν.
{ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῶν θεῶν λόγοις καὶ μύθοις μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦτο ἰδεῖν
ἔστιν ἐπ´ ἀμφοτέρων γιγνόμενον.} ὁρῶ μὲν οὖν ἔγωγε τοῖς πολλοῖς
πανταχοῦ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν κοπῶδες καὶ τὰ περὶ τοὺς λόγους οὐδὲν ἧττον
οἷς μέλει πλήθους μόνον, οὐδὲν {δὲ} προειπόντες οὐδὲ διαστειλάμενοι περὶ τοῦ
πράγματος, οὐδὲ ἀπό τινος ἀρχῆς ἀρχόμενοι τῶν
λόγων, ἀλλ´ αὐτό γε, ὥς φασιν, ἀπλύτοις ποσὶ διεξίασι τὰ φανερώτατα καὶ
γυμνότατα. καὶ ποδῶν μὲν ἀπλύτων οὐ μεγάλη βλάβη
διά τε πηλοῦ καὶ πολλῶν καθαρμάτων ἰόντων, γλώττης δὲ ἀνεπιστήμονος οὐ
μικρὰ ζημία γίγνεται τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις. ἀλλὰ γὰρ
εἰκὸς τοὺς πεπαιδευμένους, ὧν λόγον τινὰ ἔχειν ἄξιον, συνεξανύειν
καὶ συνεκπονεῖν, μέχρις ἂν ὡς ἐκ καμπῆς τινος καὶ δυσχωρίας
καταστήσωμεν εἰς εὐθεῖαν τοὺς λόγους.
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Traduction française :
| [12,43] whereas the second and third types, which are derived
from our poets and lawgivers, the former exhorting us not
to withhold our gratitude from that which is older
and of the same blood, besides being the author of
life and being, the latter using compulsion and the
threat of punishment for those who refuse obedience,
without, however, making altogether clear
and showing plainly just who parents are and what
the acts of kindness are for which they enjoin upon
us not to leave unpaid a debt which is due. But
to an even greater extent do we see this to be true in both
particulars in their stories and myths about the gods.
Now I am well aware that to most men strict
exactness in any exposition is on every occasion
irksome, and that exactness in a speech is no
less so for those whose sole interest is in quantity
alone ; these without any preface whatever or any
statements defining their subject-matter, nay, without even
beginning their speeches with any beginning, but straight off
with unwashen feet, as the saying is, proceed to expound things
most obvions and naked to the sight. Now as for "unwashen
feet," though they do no great harm when men must
pass through mud and piles of refuse, yet an ignorant
tongue causes no little injury to an audience. However,
we may reasonably expect that the educated
men of the audience, of whom one ought to take some
account, will keep up with us and go through the
task with us until we emerge from bypath and
rough ground, as it were, and get our argument
back upon the straight road.
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