20 Διογένης Ἱκεσίου τραπεζίτου Σινωπεύς. Φησὶ δὲ Διοκλῆς, δημοσίαν αὐτοῦ τὴν τράπεζαν ἔχοντος τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ παραχαράξαντος τὸ νόμισμα, φυγεῖν. Εὐβουλίδης δ’ ἐν τῷ Περὶ Διογένους αὐτόν φησι Διογένην τοῦτο πρᾶξαι καὶ συναλᾶσθαι τῷ πατρί. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς περὶ αὑτοῦ φησιν ἐν τῷ Πορδάλῳ ὡς παραχαράξαι τὸ νόμισμα. Ἔνιοι δ’ ἐπιμελητὴν γενόμενον ἀναπεισθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν τεχνιτῶν καὶ ἐλθόντα εἰς Δελφοὺς ἢ εἰς τὸ Δήλιον ἐν τῇ πατρίδι Ἀπόλλωνος πυνθάνεσθαι εἰ ταῦτα πράξει ἅπερ ἀναπείθεται· τοῦ δὲ συγχωρήσαντος τὸ πολιτικὸν νόμισμα, οὐ συνείς, τὸ κέρμα ἐκιβδήλευσε καὶ φωραθείς, ὡς μέν τινες, ἐφυγαδεύθη, ὡς δέ τινες, ἑκὼν ὑπεξῆλθε φοβηθείς.
20. Diogenes was a native of Sinope, son of Hicesius, a banker. Diocles relates that he went into exile because his father was entrusted with the money of the state and adulterated the coinage. But Eubulides in his book on Diogenes says that Diogenes himself did this and was forced to leave home along with his father. Moreover Diogenes himself actually confesses in his Pordalus that he adulterated the coinage. Some say that having been appointed to superintend the workmen he was persuaded by them, and that he went to Delphi or to the Delian oracle in his own city and inquired of Apollo whether he should do what he was urged to do. When the god gave him permission to alter the political currency, not understanding what this meant, he adulterated the state coinage, and when he was detected, according to some he was banished, while according to others he voluntarily quitted the city for fear of consequences.
21 Ἔνιοι δέ φασι παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτὸν λαβόντα τὸ νόμισμα διαφθεῖραι· καὶ τὸν μὲν δεθέντα ἀποθανεῖν, τὸν δὲ φυγεῖν ἐλθεῖν τ’ εἰς Δελφοὺς καὶ πυνθανόμενον οὐκ εἰ παραχαράξει, ἀλλὰ τί ποιήσας ἐνδοξότατος ἔσται, οὕτω λαβεῖν τὸν χρησμὸν τοῦτον.
Γενόμενος δὲ Ἀθήνησιν Ἀντισθένει παρέβαλε. Τοῦ δὲ διωθουμένου διὰ τὸ μηδένα προσίεσθαι, ἐξεβιάζετο τῇ προσεδρίᾳ. Καί ποτε τὴν βακτηρίαν ἐπανατειναμένου αὐτῷ τὴν κεφαλὴν ὑποσχών, « Παῖε, » εἶπεν, « οὐ γὰρ εὑρήσεις οὕτω σκληρὸν ξύλον ᾧ με ἀπείρξεις ἕως ἄν τι φαίνῃ λέγων. » Τοὐντεῦθεν διήκουσεν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἅτε φυγὰς ὢν ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τὸν εὐτελῆ βίον.
21. One version is that his father entrusted him with the money and that he debased it, in consequence of which the father was imprisoned and died, while the son fled, came to Delphi, and inquired, not whether he should falsify the coinage, but what he should do to gain the greatest reputation; and that then it was that he received the oracle.
On reaching Athens he fell in with Antisthenes. Being repulsed by him, because he never welcomed pupils, by sheer persistence Diogenes wore him out. Once when he stretched out his staff against him, the pupil offered his head with the words, “Strike, for you will find no wood hard enough to keep me away from you, so long as I think you’ve something to say.” From that time forward he was his pupil, and, exile as he was, set out upon a simple life.
22 Μῦν θεασάμενος διατρέχοντα, καθά φησι Θεόφραστος ἐν τῷ Μεγαρικῷ, καὶ μήτε κοίτην ἐπιζητοῦντα μήτε σκότος εὐλαβούμενον ἢ ποθοῦντά τι τῶν δοκούντων ἀπολαυστῶν, πόρον ἐξεῦρε τῆς περιστάσεως. Τρίβωνα διπλώσας πρῶτος κατά τινας διὰ τὸ ἀνάγκην ἔχειν καὶ ἐνεύδειν αὐτῷ, πήραν τ’ ἐκομίσατο ἔνθα αὐτῷ τὰ σιτία ἦν, καὶ παντὶ τόπῳ ἐχρῆτο εἰς πάντα, ἀριστῶν τε καὶ καθεύδων καὶ διαλεγόμενος. Ὅτε καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἔφασκε, δεικνὺς τὴν τοῦ Διὸς στοὰν καὶ τὸ Πομπεῖον, αὐτῷ κατεσκευακέναι ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι. Βακτηρίᾳ δ’ ἐπεστηρίζετο ἀσθενήσας·
22. Through watching a mouse running about, says Theophrastus in the Megarian dialogue, not looking for a place to lie down in, not afraid of the dark, not seeking any of the things which are considered to be dainties, he discovered the means of adapting himself to circumstances. He was the first, say some, to fold his cloak because he was obliged to sleep in it as well, and he carried a wallet to hold his victuals, and he used any place for any purpose, for breakfasting, sleeping, or conversing. And then he would say, pointing to the portico of Zeus and the Hall of Processions, that the Athenians had provided him with places to live in.
23 ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἐφόρει, οὐ μὴν ἐν ἄστει, ἀλλὰ καθ’ ὁδὸν αὐτῇ τε καὶ τῇ πήρᾳ, καθά φησιν Ὀλυμπιόδωρος ὁ Ἀθηναίων προστατήσας καὶ Πολύευκτος ὁ ῥήτωρ καὶ Λυσανίας ὁ Αἰσχρίωνος. Ἐπιστείλας δέ τινι οἰκίδιον αὐτῷ προνοήσασθαι, βραδύνοντος, τὸν ἐν τῷ Μητρῴῳ πίθον ἔσχεν οἰκίαν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς διασαφεῖ. Καὶ θέρους μὲν ἐπὶ ψάμμου ζεστῆς ἐκυλινδεῖτο, χειμῶνος δ’ ἀνδριάντας κεχιονισμένους περιελάμβανε, πανταχόθεν ἑαυτὸν συνασκῶν.
23. He did not lean upon a staff until he grew infirm; but afterwards he would carry it everywhere, not indeed in the city, but when walking along the road with it and with his wallet; so say Olympiodorus, once a magistrate at Athens, Polyeuctus the orator, and Lysanias the son of Aeschrio. He had written to some one to try and procure a cottage for him. When this man was a long time about it, he took for his abode the tub in the Metron, as he himself explains in his letters. And in summer he used to roll in it over hot sand, while in winter he used to embrace statues covered with snow, using every means of inuring himself to hardship.
24 Δεινός τ’ ἦν κατασοβαρεύσασθαι τῶν ἄλλων. Καὶ τὴν μὲν Εὐκλείδου σχολὴν ἔλεγε χολήν, τὴν δὲ Πλάτωνος διατριβὴν κατατριβήν, τοὺς δὲ Διονυσιακοὺς ἀγῶνας μεγάλα θαύματα μωροῖς ἔλεγε καὶ τοὺς δημαγωγοὺς ὄχλου διακόνους. Ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ ὡς ὅταν μὲν ἴδῃ κυβερνήτας ἐν τῷ βίῳ καὶ ἰατροὺς καὶ φιλοσόφους, συνετώτατον εἶναι τῶν ζῴων νομίζειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον· ὅταν δὲ πάλιν ὀνειροκρίτας καὶ μάντεις καὶ τοὺς προσέχοντας τούτοις ἢ τοὺς ἐπὶ δόξῃ καὶ πλούτῳ πεφυσημένους, οὐδὲν ματαιότερον νομίζειν ἀνθρώπου. Συνεχές τε ἔλεγεν εἰς τὸν βίον παρεσκευάσθαι δεῖν λόγον ἢ βρόχον.
24. He was great at pouring scorn on his contemporaries. The school of Euclides he called bilious, and Plato’s lectures waste of time, the performances at the Dionysia great peep-shows for fools, and the demagogues the mob’s lacqueys. He used also to say that when he saw physicians, philosophers and pilots at their work, he deemed man the most intelligent of all animals; but when again he saw interpreters of dreams and diviners and those who attended to them, or those who were puffed up with conceit of wealth, he thought no animal more silly. He would continually say that for the conduct of life we need right reason or a halter.
25 Καί ποτε Πλάτωνα ἐν δείπνῳ πολυτελεῖ κατανοήσας ἐλάας ἁψάμενον, « Τί, » φησίν, « ὁ σοφὸς εἰς Σικελίαν πλεύσας τῶν τραπεζῶν τούτων χάριν, νῦν παρακειμένων οὐκ ἀπολαύεις; » Καὶ ὅς, « Ἀλλὰ νὴ τοὺς θεούς, » φησί, « Διόγενες, κἀκεῖ τὰ πολλὰ πρὸς ἐλάας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐγινόμην. » Ὁ δέ, « Τί οὖν ἔδει πλεῖν εἰς Συρακούσας; Ἢ τότε ἡ Ἀττικὴ οὐκ ἔφερεν ἐλάας; » Φαβωρῖνος δέ φησιν ἐν Παντοδαπῇ ἱστορίᾳ Ἀρίστιππον εἰπεῖν τοῦτο. Καὶ ἄλλοτε ἰσχάδας ἐσθίων ἀπήντετ’ αὐτῷ φησί τε, « Ἔξεστί σοι μετασχεῖν »· τοῦ δὲ λαβόντος καὶ φαγόντος, ἔφη, « Μετασχεῖν εἶπον, οὐ καταφαγεῖν. »
25. Observing Plato one day at a costly banquet taking olives, “How is it,” he said, “that you the philosopher who sailed to Sicily for the sake of these dishes, now when they are before you do not enjoy them?” “Nay, by the gods, Diogenes,” replied Plato, “there also for the most part I lived upon olives and such like.” “Why then,” said Diogenes, “did you need to go to Syracuse? Was it that Attica at that time did not grow olives?” But Favorinus in his Miscellaneous History attributes this to Aristippus. Again, another time he was eating dried figs when he encountered Plato and offered him a share of them. When Plato took them and ate them, he said, “I said you might share them, not that you might eat them all up.”
26 Πατῶν αὐτοῦ ποτε στρώματα κεκληκότος φίλους παρὰ Διονυσίου, ἔφη, « Πατῶ τὴν Πλάτωνος κενοσπουδίαν »· πρὸς ὃν ὁ Πλάτων, « Ὅσον, ὦ Διόγενες, τοῦ τύφου διαφαίνεις, δοκῶν μὴ τετυφῶσθαι. » Οἱ δέ φασι τὸν Διογένην εἰπεῖν, « Πατῶ τὸν Πλάτωνος τῦφον »· τὸν δὲ φάναι, « Ἑτέρῳ γε τύφῳ, Διόγενες »· Σωτίων δ’ ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν τοῦτο τὸν Πλάτωνα τὸν κύνα. Διογένης οἶνόν ποτ’ ᾔτησεν αὐτόν, τότε δὲ καὶ ἰσχάδας. Ὁ δὲ κεράμιον ὅλον ἔπεμψεν αὐτῷ· καὶ ὅς, « Σύ, » φησίν, « ἂν ἐρωτηθῇς δύο καὶ δύο πόσα ἐστίν, Εἴκοσιν ἀποκρινῇ; Οὕτως οὔτε πρὸς τὰ αἰτούμενα δίδως οὔτε πρὸς τὰ ἐρωτώμεν’ ἀποκρίνῃ. » Ἔσκωψε δὴ ὡς ἀπεραντολόγον.
26. And one day when Plato had invited to his house friends coming from Dionysius, Diogenes trampled upon his carpets and said, “I trample upon Plato’s vainglory.” Plato’s reply was, “How much pride you expose to view, Diogenes, by seeming not to be proud.” Others tell us that what Diogenes said was, “I trample upon the pride of Plato,” who retorted, “Yes, Diogenes, with pride of another sort.” Sotion, however, in his fourth book makes the Cynic address this remark to Plato himself. Diogenes once asked him for wine, and after that also for some dried figs; and Plato sent him a whole jar full. Then the other said, “If some one asks you how many two and two are, will you answer, Twenty? So, it seems, you neither give as you are asked nor answer as you are questioned.” Thus he scoffed at him as one who talked without end.
27 Ἐρωτηθεὶς ποῦ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἴδοι ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας, « Ἄνδρας μέν, » εἶπεν, « οὐδαμοῦ, παῖδας δ’ ἐν Λακεδαίμονι. » Σπουδαιολογουμένῳ ποτὲ ὡς οὐδεὶς προσῄει, ἐπέβαλε τερετίζειν· ἀθροισθέντων δέ, ὠνείδισεν ὡς ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς φληνάφους ἀφικνουμένων σπουδαίως, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰ σπουδαῖα βραδυνόντων ὀλιγώρως. Ἔλεγέ τε περὶ μὲν τοῦ παρορύττειν καὶ λακτίζειν ἀγωνίζεσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, περὶ δὲ καλοκἀγαθίας μηδένα. Τούς τε γραμματικοὺς ἐθαύμαζε τὰ μὲν τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως κακὰ ἀναζητοῦντας, τὰ δ’ ἴδια ἀγνοοῦντας.
27. Being asked where in Greece he saw good men, he replied, “Good men nowhere, but good boys at Lacedaemon.” When one day he was gravely discoursing and nobody attended to him, he began whistling, and as people clustered about him, he reproached them with coming in all seriousness to hear nonsense, but slowly and contemptuously when the theme was serious. He would say that men strive in digging and kicking to outdo one another, but no one strives to become a good man and true.
28 Καὶ μὴν καὶ τοὺς μουσικοὺς τὰς μὲν ἐν τῇ λύρᾳ χορδὰς ἁρμόττεσθαι, ἀνάρμοστα δ’ ἔχειν τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ ἤθη· τοὺς μαθηματικοὺς ἀποβλέπειν μὲν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην, τὰ δ’ ἐν ποσὶ πράγματα παρορᾶν· τοὺς ῥήτορας τὰ δίκαια μὲν ἐσπουδακέναι λέγειν, πράττειν δὲ μηδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοὺς φιλαργύρους ψέγειν μὲν τὸ ἀργύριον, ὑπεραγαπᾶν δέ. Κατεγίνωσκε δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπαινούντων μὲν τοὺς δικαίους, ὅτι χρημάτων ἐπάνω εἶεν, ζηλούντων δὲ τοὺς πολυχρημάτους. Ἐκίνει δ’ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ θύειν μὲν τοῖς θεοῖς ὑπὲρ ὑγιείας, ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ θυσίᾳ κατὰ τῆς ὑγιείας δειπνεῖν. Ἄγασθαι δὲ καὶ τῶν δούλων οἳ λαβροφαγοῦντας ὁρῶντες τοὺς δεσπότας μηδὲν ἁρπάζοιεν τῶν ἐσθιομένων.
28. And he would wonder that the grammarians should investigate the ills of Odysseus, while they were ignorant of their own. Or that the musicians should tune the strings of the lyre, while leaving the dispositions of their own souls discordant; that the mathematicians should gaze at the sun and the moon, but overlook matters close at hand; that the orators should make a fuss about justice in their speeches, but never practise it; or that the avaricious should cry out against money, while inordinately fond of it. He used also to condemn those who praised honest men for being superior to money, while themselves envying the very rich. He was moved to anger that men should sacrifice to the gods to ensure health and in the midst of the sacrifice should feast to the detriment of health. He was astonished that when slaves saw their masters were gluttons, they did not steal some of the viands.
29 Ἐπῄνει τοὺς μέλλοντας γαμεῖν καὶ μὴ γαμεῖν, καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας καταπλεῖν καὶ μὴ καταπλεῖν, καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ μὴ πολιτεύεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς παιδοτροφεῖν καὶ μὴ παιδοτροφεῖν, καὶ τοὺς παρασκευαζομένους συμβιοῦν τοῖς δυνάσταις καὶ μὴ προσιόντας. Ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ δεῖν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοὺς φίλους ἐκτείνειν μὴ συγκεκαμμένοις τοῖς δακτύλοις.
Φησὶ δὲ Μένιππος ἐν τῇ Διογένους Πράσει ὡς ἁλοὺς καὶ πωλούμενος ἠρωτήθη τί οἶδε ποιεῖν. Ἀπεκρίνατο, « Ἀνδρῶν ἄρχειν »· καὶ πρὸς τὸν κήρυκα, « Κήρυσσε, » ἔφη, « εἴ τις ἐθέλει δεσπότην αὑτῷ πρίασθαι. » Κωλυθεὶς καθίζεσθαι, « Οὐδέν, » ἔφη, « διαφέρει· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἰχθῦς ὅπως ἂν κέοιντο πιπράσκεσθαι. »
29. He would praise those who were about to marry and refrained, those who intending to go a voyage never set sail, those who thinking to engage in politics do no such thing, those also who purposing to rear a family do not do so, and those who make ready to live with potentates, yet never come near them after all. He used to say, moreover, that we ought to stretch out our hands to our friends with the fingers open and not closed. Menippus in his Sale of Diogenes tells how, when he was captured and put up for sale, he was asked what he could do. He replied, “Govern men.” And he told the crier to give notice in case anybody wanted to purchase a master for himself. Having been forbidden to sit down, “It makes no difference,” said he, “for in whatever position fishes lie, they still find purchasers.”
30 Θαυμάζειν τ’ ἔφη εἰ χύτραν μὲν καὶ λοπάδα ὠνούμενοι κομποῦμεν· ἄνθρωπον δὲ μόνῃ τῇ ὄψει ἀρκεῖσθαι. Ἔλεγε τῷ Ξενιάδῃ τῷ πριαμένῳ αὐτόν, δεῖν πείθεσθαι αὐτῷ, εἰ καὶ δοῦλος εἴη· καὶ γὰρ ἰατρὸς ἢ κυβερνήτης εἰ δοῦλος εἴη, πεισθῆναι ἂν αὐτῷ.
Εὔβουλος δέ φησιν ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Διογένους Πρᾶσις οὕτως ἄγειν τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Ξενιάδου, μετὰ τὰ λοιπὰ μαθήματα ἱππεύειν, τοξεύειν, σφενδονᾶν, ἀκοντίζειν· ἔπειτ’ ἐν τῇ παλαίστρᾳ οὐκ ἐπέτρεπε τῷ παιδοτρίβῃ ἀθλητικῶς ἄγειν, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸ μόνον ἐρυθήματος χάριν καὶ εὐεξίας.
30. And he said he marvelled that before we buy a jar or dish we try whether it rings true, but if it is a man are content merely to look at him. To Xeniades who purchased him he said, “You must obey me, although I am a slave; for, if a physician or a steersman were in slavery, he would be obeyed.” Eubulus in his book entitled The Sale of Diogenes tells us that this was how he trained the sons of Xeniades. After their other studies he taught them to ride, to shoot with the bow, to sling stones and to hurl javelins. Later, when they reached the wrestling-school, he would not permit the master to give them full athletic training, but only so much as to heighten their colour and keep them in good condition.
31 Κατεῖχον δὲ οἱ παῖδες πολλὰ ποιητῶν καὶ συγγραφέων καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ Διογένους, πᾶσάν τ’ ἔφοδον σύντομον πρὸς τὸ εὐμνημόνευτον ἐπήσκει. Ἐν οἴκῳ τ’ ἐδίδασκε διακονεῖσθαι λιτῇ τροφῇ χρωμένους καὶ ὕδωρ πίνοντας, ἐν χρῷ κουρίας τε καὶ ἀκαλλωπίστους εἰργάζετο καὶ ἀχίτωνας καὶ ἀνυποδήτους καὶ σιωπηλούς, καθ’ αὑτοὺς βλέποντας ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς. Ἐξῆγε δ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπὶ κυνηγέσια. Οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ Διογένους ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιοῦντο καὶ πρὸς τοὺς γονέας αἰτητικῶς εἶχον. Ὁ δ’ αὐτός φησι παρὰ τῷ Ξενιάδῃ καὶ γηρᾶσαι αὐτὸν καὶ θανόντα ταφῆναι πρὸς τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ.
31. The boys used to get by heart many passages from poets, historians, and the writings of Diogenes himself; and he would practise them in every short cut to a good memory. In the house too he taught them to wait upon themselves, and to be content with plain fare and water to drink. He used to make them crop their hair close and to wear it unadorned, and to go lightly clad, barefoot, silent, and not looking about them in the streets. He would also take them out hunting. They on their part had a great regard for Diogenes and made requests of their parents for him. The same Eubulus relates that he grew old in the house of Xeniades, and when he died was buried by his sons.
32 Ἔνθα καὶ πυνθανομένου τοῦ Ξενιάδου πῶς αὐτὸν θάψειεν, ἔφη, « Ἐπὶ πρόσωπον »· τοῦ δ’ ἐρομένου « Διὰ τί; » « Ὅτι μετ’ ὀλίγον, » εἶπε, « μέλλει τὰ κάτω ἀναστρέφεσθαι· » τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐπικρατεῖν ἤδη τοὺς Μακεδόνας ἢ ἐκ ταπεινῶν ὑψηλοὺς γίνεσθαι. Εἰσαγαγόντος τινὸς αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον πολυτελῆ καὶ κωλύοντος πτύσαι, ἐπειδὴ ἐχρέμψατο, εἰς τὴν ὄψιν αὐτοῦ ἔπτυσεν, εἰπὼν χείρονα τόπον μὴ εὑρηκέναι. Οἱ δὲ τοῦτο Ἀριστίππου φασί. Φωνήσας ποτέ, « Ἰὼ ἄνθρωποι, » συνελθόντων, καθίκετο τῇ βακτηρίᾳ, εἰπών, « Ἀνθρώπους ἐκάλεσα, οὐ καθάρματα, » ὥς φησιν Ἑκάτων ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν Χρειῶν. Φασὶ δὲ καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον εἰπεῖν ὡς εἴπερ Ἀλέξανδρος μὴ ἐγεγόνει, ἐθελῆσαι ἂν Διογένης γενέσθαι.
32. There Xeniades once asked him how he wished to be buried. To which he replied, “On my face.” “Why?” inquired the other. “Because,” said he, “after a little time down will be converted into up.” This because the Macedonians had now got the supremacy, that is, had risen high from a humble position. Some one took him into a magnificent house and warned him not to expectorate, whereupon having cleared his throat he discharged the phlegm into the man’s face, being unable, he said, to find a meaner receptacle. Others father this upon Aristippus. One day he shouted out for men, and when people collected, hit out at them with his stick, saying, “It was men I called for, not scoundrels.” This is told by Hecato in the first book of his Anecdotes . Alexander is reported to have said, “Had I not been Alexander, I should have liked to be Diogenes.”
33 Ἀναπήρους ἔλεγεν οὐ τοὺς κωφοὺς καὶ τυφλούς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὴ ἔχοντας πήραν. Εἰσελθών ποτε ἡμιξύρητος εἰς νέων συμπόσιον, καθά φησι Μητροκλῆς ἐν ταῖς Χρείαις, πληγὰς ἔλαβε· μετὰ δὲ ἐγγράψας τὰ ὀνόματα εἰς λεύκωμα τῶν πληξάντων περιῄει ἐξημμένος ἕως αὐτοὺς ὕβρει περιέθηκε καταγινωσκομένους καὶ ἐπιπληττομένους. Ἔλεγεν ἑαυτὸν κύνα εἶναι τῶν ἐπαινουμένων, ἀλλὰ μηδένα τολμᾶν τῶν ἐπαινούντων συνεξιέναι ἐπὶ τὴν θήραν. Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, « Πύθια νικῶ ἄνδρας, » « Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, » εἶπεν, « ἄνδρας, σὺ δ’ ἀνδράποδα. »
33. The word “disabled” (ἀναπήρους), Diogenes held, ought to be applied not to the deaf or blind, but to those who have no wallet (πήρα). One day he made his way with head half shaven into a party of young revellers, as Metrocles relates in his Anecdotes , and was roughly handled by them. Afterwards he entered on a tablet the names of those who had struck him and went about with the tablet hung round his neck, till he had covered them with ridicule and brought universal blame and discredit upon them. He described himself as a hound of the sort which all men praise, but no one, he added, of his admirers dared go out hunting along with him. When some one boasted that at the Pythian games he had vanquished men, Diogenes replied, “Nay, I defeat men, you defeat slaves.”
34 Πρὸς τοὺς εἰπόντας, « Γέρων εἶ καὶ λοιπὸν ἄνες, » « Τί δέ, » ἔφη, « εἰ δόλιχον ἔτρεχον, πρὸς τῷ τέλει ἔδει με ἀνεῖναι καὶ μὴ μᾶλλον ἐπιτεῖναι; » Κληθεὶς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον οὐκ ἔφη παρέσεσθαι· μηδὲ γὰρ πρώην αὐτῷ χάριν ἐγνωκέναι. Γυμνοῖς ποσὶ χίονα ἐπάτει καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἄνω προείρηται· καὶ ὠμὰ δὲ κρέα ἐπεχείρησε φαγεῖν, ἀλλ’ οὐ διῴκησεν. Κατέλαβέ ποτε Δημοσθένην τὸν ῥήτορα ἐν πανδοκείῳ ἀριστῶντα. Τοῦ δ’ ὑποχωροῦντος, « Τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον, » ἔφη, « ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ πανδοκείῳ. » Ξένων δέ ποτε θεάσασθαι θελόντων Δημοσθένην, τὸν μέσον δάκτυλον ἐκτείνας, « Οὗτος ὑμῖν, » ἔφη, « ἐστὶν ὁ Ἀθηναίων δημαγωγός. »
34. To those who said to him, “You are an old man; take a rest,” “What?” he replied, “if I were running in the stadium, ought I to slacken my pace when approaching the goal? ought I not rather to put on speed?” Having been invited to a dinner, he declared that he wouldn’t go; for, the last time he went, his host had not expressed a proper gratitude. He would walk upon snow barefoot and do the other things mentioned above. Not only so; he even attempted to eat meat raw, but could not manage to digest it. He once found Demosthenes the orator lunching at an inn, and, when he retired within, Diogenes said, “All the more you will be inside the tavern.” When some strangers expressed a wish to see Demosthenes, he stretched out his middle finger and said, “There goes the demagogue of Athens.”
35 Ἐκβαλόντος δ’ ἄρτον <τινὸς> καὶ αἰσχυνομένου ἀνελέσθαι, βουλόμενος αὐτὸν νουθετῆσαι, κεράμου τράχηλον δήσας ἔσυρε διὰ τοῦ Κεραμεικοῦ.
Μιμεῖσθαι ἔλεγε τοὺς χοροδιδασκάλους· καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνους ὑπὲρ τόνον ἐνδιδόναι ἕνεκα τοῦ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἅψασθαι τοῦ προσήκοντος τόνου. Τοὺς πλείστους ἔλεγε παρὰ δάκτυλον μαίνεσθαι· ἐὰν οὖν τις τὸν μέσον προτείνας πορεύηται, δόξει μαίνεσθαι, ἐὰν δὲ τὸν λιχανόν, οὐκέτι. Τὰ πολλοῦ ἄξια τοῦ μηδενὸς ἔλεγε πιπράσκεσθαι καὶ ἔμπαλιν· ἀνδριάντα γοῦν τρισχιλίων πιπράσκεσθαι, χοίνικα δ’ ἀλφιτῶν δύο χαλκῶν.
35. Some one dropped a loaf of bread and was ashamed to pick it up; whereupon Diogenes, wishing to read him a lesson, tied a rope to the neck of a wine-jar and proceeded to drag it across the Ceramicus.
He used to say that he followed the example of the trainers of choruses; for they too set the note a little high, to ensure that the rest should hit the right note. Most people, he would say, are so nearly mad that a finger makes all the difference. For, if you go along with your middle finger stretched out, some one will think you mad, but, if it’s the little finger, he will not think so. Very valuable things, said he, were bartered for things of no value, and vice versa. At all events a statue fetches three thousand drachmas, while a quart of barley-flour is sold for two copper coins.
36 Τῷ πριαμένῳ αὐτὸν Ξενιάδῃ φησί, « Ἄγε ὅπως τὸ προσταττόμενον ποιήσεις. » Τοῦ δ’ εἰπόντος,
Ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι παγαί,
« Εἰ δὲ ἰατρὸν ἐπρίω νοσῶν, οὐκ ἄν, » <ἔφη,> « αὐτῷ ἐπείθου, ἀλλ’ εἶπες ἂν ὡς ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι παγαί; » Ἤθελέ τις παρ’ αὐτῷ φιλοσοφεῖν· ὁ δέ οἱ σαπέρδην δοὺς ἐκέλευσεν ἀκολουθεῖν. Ὡς δ’ ὑπ’ αἰδοῦς ῥίψας ἀπῆλθε, μετὰ χρόνον ὑπαντήσας αὐτῷ καὶ γελάσας λέγει, « Τὴν σὴν καὶ ἐμὴν φιλίαν σαπέρδης διέλυσε. » Διοκλῆς δ’ οὕτως ἀναγράφει. Εἰπόντος τινὸς αὐτῷ, « Ἐπίταττε ἡμῖν, Διόγενες, » ἀπαγαγὼν αὐτὸν ἡμιωβολίου τυρὸν ἐδίδου φέρειν· ἀρνησαμένου δέ, « Τὴν σήν, » ἔφη, « καὶ ἐμὴν φιλίαν ἡμιωβολίου τυρίδιον διαλέλυκε. »
36. To Xeniades, who purchased him, he said, “Come, see that you obey orders.” When he quoted the line,
Backward the streams flow to their founts,
Diogenes asked, “If you had been ill and had purchased a doctor, would you then, instead of obeying him, have said ‘Backward the streams flow to their founts’”? Some one wanted to study philosophy under him. Diogenes gave him a tunny to carry and told him to follow him. And when for shame the man threw it away and departed, some time after on meeting him he laughed and said, “The friendship between you and me was broken by a tunny.” The version given by Diocles, however, is as follows. Some one having said to him, “Lay your commands upon us, Diogenes,” he took him away and gave him a cheese to carry, which cost half an obol. The other declined; whereupon he remarked, “The friendship between you and me is broken by a little cheese worth half an obol.”
37 Θεασάμενός ποτε παιδίον ταῖς χερσὶ πῖνον ἐξέρριψε τῆς πήρας τὴν κοτύλην, εἰπών, « Παιδίον με νενίκηκεν εὐτελείᾳ. » Ἐξέβαλε δὲ καὶ τὸ τρυβλίον, ὁμοίως παιδίον θεασάμενος, ἐπειδὴ κατέαξε τὸ σκεῦος, τῷ κοίλῳ τοῦ ψωμίου τὴν φακῆν ὑποδεχόμενον. Συνελογίζετο δὲ καὶ οὕτως· τῶν θεῶν ἐστι πάντα· φίλοι δὲ οἱ σοφοὶ τοῖς θεοῖς· κοινὰ δὲ τὰ τῶν φίλων· πάντ’ ἄρα ἐστὶ τῶν σοφῶν. Θεασάμενός ποτε γυναῖκα ἀσχημονέστερον τοῖς θεοῖς προσπίπτουσαν, βουλόμενος αὐτῆς περιελεῖν τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν, καθά φησι Ζωίλος ὁ Περγαῖος, προσελθὼν εἶπεν, « Οὐκ εὐλαβῇ, ὦ γύναι, μή ποτε θεοῦ ὄπισθεν ἑστῶτος - πάντα γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ πλήρη - ἀσχημονήσῃς; »
37. One day, observing a child drinking out of his hands, he cast away the cup from his wallet with the words, “A child has beaten me in plainness of living.” He also threw away his bowl when in like manner he saw a child who had broken his plate taking up his lentils with the hollow part of a morsel of bread. He used also to reason thus: “All things belong to the gods. The wise are friends of the gods, and friends hold things in common. Therefore all things belong to the wise.” One day he saw a woman kneeling before the gods in an ungraceful attitude, and wishing to free her of superstition, according to Zolus of Perga, he came forward and said, “Are you not afraid, my good woman, that a god may be standing behind you? – for all things are full of his presence – and you may be put to shame?”
38 Τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ ἀνέθηκε πλήκτην, ὃς τοὺς ἐπὶ στόμα πίπτοντας ἐπιτρέχων συνέτριβεν.
Εἰώθει δὲ λέγειν τὰς τραγικὰς ἀρὰς αὐτῷ συνηντηκέναι· εἶναι γοῦν
Ἄπολις, ἄοικος, πατρίδος ἐστερημένος,
πτωχός, πλανήτης, βίον ἔχων τοὐφ’ ἡμέραν.
Ἔφασκε δ’ ἀντιτιθέναι τύχῃ μὲν θάρσος, νόμῳ δὲ φύσιν, πάθει δὲ λόγον. Ἐν τῷ Κρανείῳ ἡλιουμένῳ αὐτῷ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπιστάς φησιν, « Αἴτησόν με ὃ θέλεις. » Καὶ ὅς, « Ἀποσκότησόν μου, » φησί. Μακρά τινος ἀναγινώσκοντος καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ βιβλίου ἄγραφον παραδείξαντος « Θαρρεῖτε, » ἔφη, « ἄνδρες· γῆν ὁρῶ. » Πρὸς τὸν συλλογισάμενον ὅτι κέρατα ἔχει, ἁψάμενος τοῦ μετώπου, « Ἐγὼ μέν, » ἔφη, « οὐχ ὁρῶ. »
38. He dedicated to Asclepius a bruiser who, whenever people fell on their faces, used to run up to them and bruise them.
All the curses of tragedy, he used to say, had lighted upon him. At all events he was
A homeless exile, to his country dead. A wanderer who begs his daily bread.
But he claimed that to fortune he could oppose courage, to convention nature, to passion reason. When he was sunning himself in the Craneum, Alexander came and stood over him and said, “Ask of me any boon you like.” To which he replied, “Stand out of my light.” Some one had been reading aloud for a very long time, and when he was near the end of the roll pointed to a space with no writing on it. “Cheer up, my men,” cried Diogenes; “there’s land in sight.”
39 Ὁμοίως καὶ πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα ὅτι κίνησις οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀναστὰς περιεπάτει. Πρὸς τὸν λέγοντα περὶ τῶν μετεώρων, « Ποσταῖος, » ἔφη, « πάρει ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; » Εὐνούχου μοχθηροῦ ἐπιγράψαντος ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν, « Μηδὲν εἰσίτω κακόν, » « Ὁ οὖν κύριος, » ἔφη, « τῆς οἰκίας ποῦ εἰσέλθῃ; » Τῷ μύρῳ τοὺς πόδας ἀλειψάμενος ἔφη ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς κεφαλῆς εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἀπιέναι τὸ μύρον, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ποδῶν εἰς τὴν ὄσφρησιν. Ἀξιούντων Ἀθηναίων μυηθῆναι αὐτὸν καὶ λεγόντων ὡς ἐν ᾅδου προεδρίας οἱ μεμυημένοι τυγχάνουσι, « Γελοῖον, » ἔφη, « εἰ Ἀγησίλαος μὲν καὶ Ἐπαμεινώνδας ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ διάξουσιν, εὐτελεῖς δέ τινες μεμυημένοι ἐν ταῖς μακάρων νήσοις ἔσονται. »
39. To one who by argument had proved conclusively that he had horns, he said, touching his forehead, “Well, I for my part don’t see any.” In like manner, when somebody declared that there is no such thing as motion, he got up and walked about. When some one was discoursing on celestial phenomena, “How many days,” asked Diogenes, “were you in coming from the sky?” A eunuch of bad character had inscribed on his door the words, “Let nothing evil enter.” “How then,” he asked, “is the master of the house to get in?” When he had anointed his feet with unguent, he declared that from his head the unguent passed into the air, but from his feet into his nostrils. The Athenians urged him to become initiated, and told him that in the other world those who have been initiated enjoy a special privilege. “It would be ludicrous,” quoth he, “if Agesilaus and Epaminondas are to dwell in the mire, while certain folk of no account will live in the Isles of the Blest because they have been initiated.”
40 Πρὸς τοὺς ἑρπύσαντας ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν μῦς, « Ἰδού, » φησί, « καὶ Διογένης παρασίτους τρέφει. » Πλάτωνος εἰπόντος αὐτὸν κύνα, « Ναί, » ἔφη· « ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐπανῆλθον ἐπὶ τοὺς πεπρακότας. » Ἐκ τοῦ βαλανείου ἐξιὼν τῷ μὲν πυθομένῳ εἰ πολλοὶ ἄνθρωποι λούονται, ἠρνήσατο· τῷ δ’ εἰ πολὺς ὄχλος, ὡμολόγησε. Πλάτωνος ὁρισαμένου, Ἄνθρωπός ἐστι ζῷον δίπουν ἄπτερον, καὶ εὐδοκιμοῦντος, τίλας ἀλεκτρυόνα εἰσήνεγκεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν σχολὴν καί φησιν, « Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Πλάτωνος ἄνθρωπος. » Ὅθεν τῷ ὅρῳ προσετέθη τὸ πλατυώνυχον. Πρὸς τὸν πυθόμενον ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ δεῖ ἀριστᾶν, « Εἰ μὲν πλούσιος, » εἶπεν, « ὅταν θέλῃ· εἰ δὲ πένης, ὅταν ἔχῃ. »
40. When mice crept on to the table he addressed them thus, “See now even Diogenes keeps parasites.” When Plato styled him a dog, “Quite true,” he said, “for I come back again and again to those who have sold me.” As he was leaving the public baths, somebody inquired if many men were bathing. He said, No. But to another who asked if there was a great crowd of bathers, he said, Yes. Plato had defined Man as an animal, biped and featherless, and was applauded. Diogenes plucked a fowl and brought it into the lecture-room with the words, “Here is Plato’s man.” In consequence of which there was added to the definition, “having broad nails.” To one who asked what was the proper time for lunch, he said, “If a rich man, when you will; if a poor man, when you can.”
41 Ἐν Μεγάροις ἰδὼν τὰ μὲν πρόβατα τοῖς δέρμασιν ἐσκεπασμένα, τοὺς δὲ παῖδας αὐτῶν γυμνούς, ἔφη, « Λυσιτελέστερόν ἐστι Μεγαρέως εἶναι κριὸν ἢ υἱόν. » Πρὸς τὸν ἐντινάξαντα αὐτῷ δοκόν, εἶτα εἰπόντα, « Φύλαξαι, » « Πάλιν γάρ με, » ἔφη, « παίειν μέλλεις; » Ἔλεγε τοὺς μὲν δημαγωγοὺς ὄχλου διακόνους, τοὺς δὲ στεφάνους δόξης ἐξανθήματα. Λύχνον μεθ’ ἡμέραν ἅψας, « Ἄνθρωπον, » φησί, « ζητῶ. » Εἱστήκει ποτὲ κατακρουνιζόμενος· τῶν δὲ περιεστώτων ἐλεούντων, παρὼν Πλάτων ἔφη, « Εἰ βούλεσθ’ αὐτὸν ἐλεῆσαι, ἀπόστητε, » ἐνδεικνύμενος φιλοδοξίαν αὐτοῦ. Ἐντρίψαντος αὐτῷ κόνδυλόν τινος, « Ἡράκλεις, » ἔφη, « οἷον με χρῆμ’ ἐλάνθανε τὸ μετὰ περικεφαλαίας περιπατεῖν. »
41. At Megara he saw the sheep protected by leather jackets, while the children went bare. “It’s better,” said he, “to be a Megarian’s ram than his son.” To one who had brandished a beam at him and then cried, “Look out,” he replied, “What, are you intending to strike me again?” He used to call the demagogues the lackeys of the people and the crowns awarded to them the efflorescence of fame. He lit a lamp in broad daylight and said, as he went about, “I am looking for a man.” One day he got a thorough drenching where he stood, and, when the bystanders pitied him, Plato said, if they really pitied him, they should move away, alluding to his vanity. When some one hit him a blow with his fist, “Heracles,” said he, “how came I to forget to put on a helmet when I walked out?”
42 Ἀλλὰ καὶ Μειδίου κονδυλίσαντος αὐτὸν καὶ εἰπόντος, « Τρισχίλιαί σοι κεῖνται ἐπὶ τῇ τραπέζῃ, » τῇ ἑξῆς πυκτικοὺς λαβὼν ἱμάντας καὶ καταλοήσας αὐτὸν ἔφη, « Τρισχίλιαί σοι κεῖνται ἐπὶ τῇ τραπέζῃ. » Λυσίου τοῦ φαρμακοπώλου πυθομένου εἰ θεοὺς νομίζει, « Πῶς δέ, » εἶπεν, « οὐ νομίζω, ὅπου καὶ σὲ θεοῖς ἐχθρὸν ὑπολαμβάνω; » Οἱ δὲ Θεόδωρον εἰπεῖν τοῦτο. Ἰδών τινα περιρραινόμενον ἐπεῖπεν, « Ὦ κακόδαιμον, οὐκ ἐπίστασαι ὅτι ὥσπερ τῶν ἐν γραμματικῇ ἁμαρτημάτων περιρραινόμενος οὐκ ἂν ἀπαλλαγείης, οὕτως οὐδὲ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ; » Ἐνεκάλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις περὶ τῆς τύχης, αἰτεῖσθαι λέγων αὐτοὺς ἀγαθὰ τὰ αὐτοῖς δοκοῦντα καὶ οὐ τὰ κατ’ ἀλήθειαν.
42. Further, when Meidias assaulted him and went on to say, “There are 3000 drachmas to your credit,” the next day he took a pair of boxing-gauntlets, gave him a thrashing and said, “There are 3000 blows to your credit.”
When Lysias the druggist asked him if he believed in the gods, “How can I help believing in them,” said he, “when I see a god-forsaken wretch like you?” Others give this retort to Theodorus. Seeing some one perform religious purification, he said, “Unhappy man, don’t you know that you can no more get rid of errors of conduct by sprinklings than you can of mistakes in grammar?” He would rebuke men in general with regard to their prayers, declaring that they asked for those things which seemed to them to be good, not for such as are truly good.
43 Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς περὶ τὰ ὀνείρατα ἐπτοημένους ἔλεγεν ὡς ὑπὲρ ὧν μὲν πράττουσιν ὕπαρ, οὐκ ἐπιστρέφονται, ὑπὲρ ὧν δὲ καθεύδοντες φαντασιοῦνται, πολυπραγμονοῦσιν. Ὀλυμπίασι τοῦ κήρυκος ἀνειπόντος, « Νικᾷ Διώξιππος ἄνδρας, » « Οὗτος μὲν δὴ ἀνδράποδα, ἄνδρας δ’ ἐγώ. »
Ἠγαπᾶτο δὲ καὶ πρὸς Ἀθηναίων· μειρακίου γοῦν τὸν πίθον αὐτοῦ συντρίψαντος, τῷ μὲν πληγὰς ἔδοσαν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ ἄλλον παρέσχον. Φησὶ δὲ Διονύσιος ὁ στωικὸς ὡς μετὰ Χαιρώνειαν συλληφθεὶς ἀπήχθη πρὸς Φίλιππον· καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς τίς εἴη, ἀπεκρίνατο, « Κατάσκοπος τῆς σῆς ἀπληστίας. » Ὅθεν θαυμασθεὶς ἀφείθη.
43. As for those who were excited over their dreams he would say that they cared nothing for what they did in their waking hours, but kept their curiosity for the visions called up in their sleep. At Olympia, when the herald proclaimed Dioxippus to be victor over the men, Diogenes protested, “Nay, he is victorious over slaves, I over men.”
Still he was loved by the Athenians. At all events, when a youngster broke up his tub, they gave the boy a flogging and presented Diogenes with another. Dionysius the Stoic says that after Chaeronea he was seized and dragged off to Philip, and being asked who he was, replied, “A spy upon your insatiable greed.” For this he was admired and set free.
44 Ἀλεξάνδρου ποτὲ πέμψαντος ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον εἰς Ἀθήνας διά τινος Ἀθλίου, παρὼν ἔφη·
Ἄθλιος παρ’ ἀθλίου δι’ ἀθλίου πρὸς ἄθλιον.
Περδίκκου ἀπειλήσαντος, εἰ μὴ ἔλθοι πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀποκτενεῖν, ἔφη, « Οὐδὲν μέγα· καὶ γὰρ κάνθαρος καὶ φαλάγγιον τοῦτ’ ἂν πράξειεν· » ἐκεῖνο δὲ μᾶλλον ἀπειλεῖν ἠξίου ὡς « Εἰ καὶ χωρὶς ἐμοῦ ζήσαι, εὐδαιμόνως ζήσοιτο. » Ἐβόα πολλάκις λέγων τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον ῥᾴδιον ὑπὸ τῶν θεῶν δεδόσθαι, ἀποκεκρύφθαι δ’ αὐτὸν ζητούντων μελίπηκτα καὶ μύρα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια. Ὅθεν πρὸς τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκέτου ὑποδούμενον, « Οὔπω, » εἶπε, « μακάριος εἶ, ἂν μή σε καὶ ἀπομύξῃ· τοῦτο δ’ ἔσται πηρωθέντι σοι τὰς χεῖρας. »
44. Alexander having on one occasion sent a letter to Antipater at Athens by a certain Athlios, Diogenes, who was present, said:
Graceless son of graceless sire to graceless wight by graceless squire.
Perdiccas having threatened to put him to death unless he came to him, “That’s nothing wonderful,” quoth he, “for a beetle or a tarantula would do the same.” Instead of that he would have expected the threat to be that Perdiccas would be quite happy to do without his company. He would often insist loudly that the gods had given to men the means of living easily, but this had been put out of sight, because we require honeyed cakes, unguents and the like. Hence to a man whose shoes were being put on by his servant, he said, “You have not attained to full felicity, unless he wipes your nose as well; and that will come, when you have lost the use of your hands.”
45 Θεασάμενός ποτε τοὺς ἱερομνήμονας τῶν ταμιῶν τινα φιάλην ὑφῃρημένον ἄγοντας ἔφη, « Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἄγουσι. » Θεασάμενός ποτε μειράκιον λίθους βάλλον ἐπὶ σταυρόν, « Εὖγε, » εἶπε, « τεύξῃ γὰρ τοῦ σκοποῦ. » Πρὸς τὰ περιστάντα μειράκια καὶ εἰπόντα, « Βλέπωμεν μὴ δάκῃ ἡμᾶς, » « Θαρρεῖτε, » ἔφη, « παιδία· κύων τευτλία οὐκ ἐσθίει. » Πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ λεοντῇ θρυπτόμενον, « Παῦσαι, » ἔφη, « τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς στρώματα καταισχύνων. » Πρὸς τὸν μακαρίζοντα Καλλισθένην καὶ λέγοντα ὡς πολυτελῶν παρ’ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ μετέχει, « Κακοδαίμων μὲν οὖν ἐστιν, » εἶπεν, « ὃς καὶ ἀριστᾷ καὶ δειπνεῖ ὅταν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ δόξῃ. »
45. Once he saw the officials of a temple leading away some one who had stolen a bowl belonging to the treasurers, and said, “The great thieves are leading away the little thief.” Noticing a lad one day throwing stones at a cross (gibbet), “Well done,” he said, “you will hit your mark.” When some boys clustered round him and said, “Take care he doesn’t bite us,” he answered, “Never fear, boys, a dog does not eat beetroot.” To one who was proud of wearing a lion’s skin his words were, “Leave off dishonouring the habiliments of courage.” When some one was extolling the good fortune of Callisthenes and saying what splendour he shared in the suite of Alexander, “Not so,” said Diogenes, “but rather ill fortune; for he breakfasts and dines when Alexander thinks fit.”
46 Χρημάτων δεόμενος ἀπαιτεῖν ἔλεγε τοὺς φίλους, οὐκ αἰτεῖν. Ἐπ’ ἀγορᾶς ποτε χειρουργῶν, « Εἴθε, » ἔφη, « καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν ἦν παρατρίψαντα μὴ πεινῆν. » Μειράκιον θεασάμενος μετὰ σατραπῶν ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἀπιόν, ἀποσπάσας πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους ἀπήγαγε καὶ ἐκέλευσε τηρεῖν. Πρὸς τὸ κεκοσμημένον μειράκιον πυθόμενόν τι ἔφη οὐ πρότερον λέξειν αὐτῷ, εἰ μὴ ἀνασυράμενος δείξειε πότερον γυνή ἐστιν ἢ ἀνήρ. Πρὸς τὸ κοτταβίζον ἐν τῷ βαλανείῳ μειράκιόν φησιν, « Ὅσῳ βέλτιον, τοσούτῳ χεῖρον. » Ἐν δείπνῳ προσερρίπτουν αὐτῷ τινες ὀστάρια ὡς κυνί· καὶ ὃς ἀπαλλαττόμενος προσούρησεν αὐτοῖς ὡς κύων.
46. Being short of money, he told his friends that he applied to them not for alms, but for repayment of his due. When behaving indecently in the marketplace, he wished it were as easy to relieve hunger by rubbing an empty stomach. Seeing a youth starting off to dine with satraps, he dragged him off, took him to his friends and bade them keep strict watch over him. When a youth effeminately attired put a question to him, he declined to answer unless he pulled up his robe and showed whether he was man or woman. A youth was playing cottabos in the baths. Diogenes said to him, “The better you play, the worse it is for you.” At a feast certain people kept throwing all the bones to him as they would have done to a dog. Thereupon he played a dog’s trick and drenched them.
47 Τοὺς ῥήτορας καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐνδοξολογοῦντας τρισανθρώπους ἀπεκάλει ἀντὶ τοῦ τρισαθλίους. Τὸν ἀμαθῆ πλούσιον πρόβατον εἶπε χρυσόμαλλον. Θεασάμενος ἐπὶ ἀσώτου οἰκίᾳ ἐπιγεγραμμένον « Πράσιμος » « ᾜδειν, » εἶπεν, « ὅτι οὕτω κραιπαλῶσα ῥᾳδίως ἐξεμέσοις τὸν κύριον. » Πρὸς τὸ καταιτιώμενον μειράκιον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐνοχλούντων, « Παῦσαι γάρ, » ἔφη, « καὶ σὺ τὰ δείγματα τοῦ πασχητιῶντος περιφέρων. » Πρὸς τὸ ῥυπαρὸν βαλανεῖον, « Οἱ ἐνθάδε, » ἔφη, « λουόμενοι ποῦ λούονται; » Παχέος κιθαρῳδοῦ πρὸς πάντων μεμφομένου αὐτὸς μόνος ἐπῄνει· ἐρωτηθεὶς δὲ διὰ τί, ἔφη, « Ὅτι τηλικοῦτος ὢν κιθαρῳδεῖ καὶ οὐ λῃστεύει. »
47. Rhetoricians and all who talked for reputation he used to call “thrice human,” meaning thereby “thrice wretched.” An ignorant rich man he used to call “the sheep with the golden fleece.” Seeing a notice on the house of a profligate, “To be sold,” he said, “I knew well that after such surfeiting you would throw up the owner.” To a young man who complained of the number of people who annoyed him by their attentions he said, “Cease to hang out a sign of invitation.” Of a public bath which was dirty he said, “When people have bathed here, where are they to go to get clean?” There was a stout musician whom everybody depreciated and Diogenes alone praised. When asked why, he said, “Because being so big, he yet sings to his lute and does not turn brigand.”
48 Τὸν κιθαρῳδὸν ἀεὶ καταλειπόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκροατῶν ἠσπάσατο, « Χαῖρε ἀλέκτορ »· τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, « Διὰ τί; » « Ὅτι, » ἔφη, « ᾄδων πάντας ἐγείρεις. » Μειρακίου διαδεικνυμένου πληρώσας τὸ προκόλπιον θέρμων ἀντικρὺς ἔκαπτε· τοῦ δὲ πλήθους εἰς αὐτὸν ἀφορῶντος θαυμάζειν ἔφη πῶς ἐκεῖνον ἀφέντες εἰς αὐτὸν ὁρῶσι. Λέγοντος δ’ αὐτῷ τινος ἰσχυρῶς δεισιδαίμονος, « Μιᾷ πληγῇ τὴν κεφαλήν σου διαρρήξω, » « Ἐγὼ δέ γε, » εἶπε, « πταρὼν ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τρέμειν σε ποιήσω. » Ἡγησίου παρακαλοῦντος χρῆσαί τι αὐτῷ τῶν συγγραμμάτων, « Μάταιος, » ἔφη, « τυγχάνεις, ὦ Ἡγησία, ὃς ἰσχάδας μὲν γραπτὰς οὐχ αἱρῇ, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀληθινάς· ἄσκησιν δὲ παριδὼν τὴν ἀληθινὴν ἐπὶ τὴν γεγραμμένην ὁρμᾷς. »
48. The musician who was always deserted by his audience he greeted with a “Hail chanticleer,” and when asked why he so addressed him, replied, “Because your song makes every one get up.” A young man was delivering a set speech, when Diogenes, having filled the front fold of his dress with lupins, began to eat them, standing right opposite to him. Having thus drawn off the attention of the assemblage, he said he was greatly surprised that they should desert the orator to look at himself. A very superstitious person addressed him thus, “With one blow I will break your head.” “And I,” said Diogenes, “by a sneeze from the left will make you tremble.” Hegesias having asked him to lend him one of his writings, he said, “You are a simpleton, Hegesias; you do not choose painted figs, but real ones; and yet you pass over the true training and would apply yourself to written rules.”
49 Πρός τε τὸν ὀνειδίσαντα αὐτῷ τὴν φυγήν, « Ἀλλὰ τούτου γ’ ἕνεκεν, » εἶπεν, « ὦ κακόδαιμον, ἐφιλοσόφησα. » Καὶ πάλιν εἰπόντος τινός, « Σινωπεῖς σου φυγὴν κατέγνωσαν, » « Ἐγὼ δέ γε, » εἶπεν, « ἐκείνων μονήν. » Ἰδών ποτ’ Ὀλυμπιονίκην πρόβατα νέμοντα, « Ταχέως, » εἶπεν, « ὦ βέλτιστε, μετέβης ἀπὸ τῶν Ὀλυμπίων ἐπὶ τὰ Νέμεα. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς διὰ τί οἱ ἀθληταὶ ἀναίσθητοί εἰσιν, ἔφη, « Ὅτι κρέασιν ὑείοις καὶ βοείοις ἀνῳκοδόμηνται. » ᾜτει ποτὲ ἀνδριάντα· ἐρωτηθεὶς δὲ διὰ τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ, « Μελετῶ, » εἶπεν, « ἀποτυγχάνειν. » Αἰτῶν τινα - καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐποίησε διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν - ἔφη, « Εἰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλῳ δέδωκας, δὸς κἀμοί· εἰ δὲ μηδενί, ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ἄρξαι. »
49. When some one reproached him with his exile, his reply was, “Nay, it was through that, you miserable fellow, that I came to be a philosopher.” Again, when some one reminded him that the people of Sinope had sentenced him to exile, “And I them,” said he, “to home-staying.” Once he saw an Olympic victor tending sheep and thus accosted him: “Too quickly, my good friend, have you left Olympia for Nemea. “Being asked why athletes are so stupid, his answer was, “Because they are built up of pork and beef.” He once begged alms of a statue, and, when asked why he did so, replied, “To get practice in being refused.” In asking alms – as he did at first by reason of his poverty – he used this form: “If you have already given to anyone else, give to me also; if not, begin with me.”
50 Ἐρωτηθείς ποτε ὑπὸ τυράννου ποῖος εἴη ἀμείνων χαλκὸς εἰς ἀνδριάντα, ἔφη, « Ἀφ’ οὗ Ἁρμόδιος καὶ Ἀριστογείτων ἐχαλκεύθησαν. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς πῶς χρῆται Διονύσιος τοῖς φίλοις, ἔφη, ὡς θυλάκοις, τοὺς μὲν πλήρεις κρημνῶν, τοὺς δὲ κενοὺς ῥίπτων. » Νεογάμου ἐπιγράψαντος ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν,
Ὁ τοῦ Διὸς παῖς καλλίνικος Ἡρακλῆς
ἐνθάδε κατοικεῖ. Μηδὲν εἰσίτω κακόν·
ἐπέγραψε, « Μετὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἡ συμμαχία. » Τὴν φιλαργυρίαν εἶπε μητρόπολιν πάντων τῶν κακῶν. Ἄσωτον θεασάμενος ἐν πανδοκείῳ ἐλάας ἐσθίοντ’ ἔφη, « Εἰ οὕτως ἠρίστας, οὐκ ἂν οὕτως ἐδείπνεις. »
50. On being asked by a tyrant what bronze is best for a statue, he replied, “That of which Harmodius and Aristogiton were moulded.” Asked how Dionysius treated his friends, “Like purses,” he replied; “so long as they are full, he hangs them up, and, when they are empty, he throws them away.” Some one lately wed had set up on his door the notice:
The son of Zeus, victorious Heracles,
Dwells here; let nothing evil enter in.
To which Diogenes added “After war, alliance.” The love of money he declared to be mother-city of all evils. Seeing a spendthrift eating olives in a tavern, he said, “If you had breakfasted in this fashion, you would not so be dining.”
51 Τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας θεῶν εἰκόνας εἶναι· τὸν ἔρωτα σχολαζόντων ἀσχολίαν. Ἐρωτηθεὶς τί ἄθλιον ἐν βίῳ, ἔφη, « Γέρων ἄπορος. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς τί τῶν θηρίων κάκιστα δάκνει, ἔφη, « Τῶν μὲν ἀγρίων συκοφάντης, τῶν δὲ ἡμέρων κόλαξ. » Ἰδών ποτε δύο κενταύρους κάκιστα ἐζωγραφημένους ἔφη, « Πότερος τούτων Χείρων ἐστί; » Τὸν πρὸς χάριν λόγον ἔφη μελιτίνην ἀγχόνην εἶναι. Τὴν γαστέρα Χάρυβδιν ἔλεγε τοῦ βίου. Ἀκούσας ποτὲ ὅτι Διδύμων ὁ μοιχὸς συνελήφθη, « Ἄξιος, » ἔφη, « ἐκ τοῦ ὀνόματος κρέμασθαι. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς διὰ τί τὸ χρυσίον χλωρόν ἐστιν, ἔφη, « Ὅτι πολλοὺς ἔχει τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας. » Ἰδὼν γυναῖκα ἐν φορείῳ, « Οὐ κατὰ τὸ θηρίον, » ἔφη, « ἡ γαλεάγρα. »
51. Good men he called images of the gods, and love the business of the idle. To the question what is wretched in life he replied, “An old man destitute.” Being asked what creature’s bite is the worst, he said, “Of those that are wild a sycophant’s; of those that are tame a flatterer’s.” Upon seeing two centaurs very badly painted, he asked, “Which of these is Chiron?” (worse man). Ingratiating speech he compared to honey used to choke you. The stomach he called livelihood’s Charybdis. Hearing a report that Didymon the flute-player had been caught in adultery, his comment was, “His name alone is sufficient to hang him.” To the question why gold is pale, his reply was, “Because it has so many thieves plotting against it.” On seeing a woman carried in a litter, he remarked that the cage was not in keeping with the quarry.
52 Ἰδών ποτε δραπέτην ἐπὶ φρέατι καθήμενον ἔφη, « Μειράκιον, βλέπε μὴ ἐμπέσῃς. » Ἰδὼν <μειρα>κύλλιον ἱματιοκλέπτην ἐν τῷ βαλανείῳ ἔφη, « Ἐπ’ ἀλειμμάτιον ἢ ἐπ’ ἄλλ’ ἱμάτιον; » Ἰδών ποτε γυναῖκας ἀπ’ ἐλαίας ἀπηγχονισμένας, « Εἴθε γάρ, » ἔφη, « πάντα τὰ δένδρα τοιοῦτον καρπὸν ἤνεγκεν. » Ἀξιόπιστον ἰδὼν λωποδύτην ἔφη,
τίπτε σὺ ὧδε, φέριστε;
Ἦ τινα συλήσων νεκύων κατατεθνηώτων;
ἐρωτηθεὶς εἰ παιδισκάριον ἢ παιδάριον ἔχοι, ἔφη, « Οὔ· » τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, « Ἐὰν οὖν ἀποθάνῃς, τίς σε ἐξοίσει; », ἔφη, « ὁ χρῄζων τῆς οἰκίας. »
52. One day seeing a runaway slave sitting on the brink of a well, he said, “Take care, my lad, you don’t fall in.” Seeing a boy taking clothes at the baths, he asked, “Is it for a little unguent (ἀλειμμάτιον) or is it for a new cloak (ἄλλ’ ἱμάτιον)?” Seeing some women hanged from an olive-tree, he said, “Would that every tree bore similar fruit.” On seeing a footpad he accosted him thus:
What mak’st thou here, my gallant?
Com’st thou perchance for plunder of the dead?
Being asked whether he had any maid or boy to wait on him, he said “No.” “If you should die, then, who will carry you out to burial?” “Whoever wants the house,” he replied.
53 Μειράκιον εὔμορφον ἀφυλάκτως ἰδὼν κοιμώμενον, νύξας, « Ἐπέγειραι, » ἔφη,
μή τίς σοι εὕδοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ.
Πρὸς τὸν πολυτελῶς ὀψωνοῦντα,
ὠκύμορος δή μοι, τέκος, ἔσσεαι, οἷ’ ἀγοράζεις· Πλάτωνος περὶ ἰδεῶν διαλεγομένου καὶ ὀνομάζοντος τραπεζότητα καὶ κυαθότητα, « Ἐγώ, » εἶπεν, « ὦ Πλάτων, τράπεζαν μὲν καὶ κύαθον ὁρῶ· τραπεζότητα δὲ καὶ κυαθότητα οὐδαμῶς· » καὶ ὅς, « Κατὰ λόγον, » ἔφη· « οἷς μὲν γὰρ κύαθος καὶ τράπεζα θεωρεῖται ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχεις· ᾧ δὲ τραπεζότης καὶ κυαθότης βλέπεται νοῦν οὐκ ἔχεις. »
53. Noticing a good-looking youth lying in an exposed position, he nudged him and cried, “Up, man, up, lest some foe thrust a dart into thy back!” To one who was feasting lavishly he said:
Short-liv’d thou’lt be, my son, by what thou – buy’st.
As Plato was conversing about Ideas and using the nouns “tablehood” and “cuphood,” he said, “Table and cup I see; but your tablehood and cuphood, Plato, I can nowise see.” “That’s readily accounted for,” said Plato, “for you have the eyes to see the visible table and cup; but not the understanding by which ideal tablehood and cuphood are discerned.”
54 [Ἐρωτηθεὶς ὑπό τινος, « Ποῖός τίς σοι Διογένης δοκεῖ; » « Σωκράτης, » εἶπε, « μαινόμενος. »] Ἐρωτηθεὶς ποίῳ καιρῷ δεῖ γαμεῖν, ἔφη, « Τοὺς μὲν νέους μηδέπω, τοὺς δὲ πρεσβυτέρους μηδεπώποτε. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς τί θέλοι κονδύλου λαβεῖν, « Περικεφαλαίαν, » ἔφη. Μειράκιον ἰδὼν καλλωπιζόμενον ἔφη, « Εἰ μὲν πρὸς ἄνδρας, ἀτυχεῖς· εἰ δὲ πρὸς γυναῖκας, ἀδικεῖς. » Ἰδών ποτε μειράκιον ἐρυθριῶν, « Θάρρει, » ἔφη, « τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ χρῶμα. » Δυοῖν ποτε νομικοῖν ἀκούσας τοὺς δύο κατέκρινεν, εἰπὼν τὸν μὲν κεκλοφέναι, τὸν δὲ μὴ ἀπολωλεκέναι. Ἐρωτηθεὶς ποῖον οἶνον ἡδέως πίνει, ἔφη, « Τὸν ἀλλότριον. » Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, « Πολλοί σου καταγελῶσιν, » « Ἀλλ’ ἐγώ, » ἔφη, « οὐ καταγελῶμαι. »
54. On being asked by somebody, “What sort of a man do you consider Diogenes to be?” “A Socrates gone mad,” said he. Being asked what was the right time to marry, Diogenes replied, “For a young man not yet: for an old man never at all.” Being asked what he would take to be soundly cuffed, he replied, “A helmet.” Seeing a youth dressing with elaborate care, he said, “If it’s for men, you’re a fool; if for women, a knave.” One day he detected a youth blushing. “Courage,” quoth he, “that is the hue of virtue.” One day after listening to a couple of lawyers disputing, he condemned them both, saying that the one had no doubt stolen, but the other had not lost anything. To the question what wine he found pleasant to drink, he replied, “That for which other people pay.” When he was told that many people laughed at him, he made answer, “But I am not laughed down.”
55 Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα κακὸν εἶναι τὸ ζῆν, « Οὐ τὸ ζῆν, » εἶπεν, « ἀλλὰ τὸ κακῶς ζῆν. » Πρὸς τοὺς συμβουλεύοντας τὸν ἀποδράντα αὐτοῦ δοῦλον ζητεῖν, « Γελοῖον, » ἔφη, « εἰ Μάνης μὲν χωρὶς Διογένους ζῇ, Διογένης δὲ χωρὶς Μάνου οὐ δύναται. » Ἀριστῶν ἐλάας, πλακοῦντος εἰσενεχθέντος, ῥίψας φησίν,
Ὦ ξένε, τυράννοις ἐκποδὼν μεθίστασο·
καὶ ἄλλοτε,
μάστιξεν δ’ ἐλάαν.
Ἐρωτηθεὶς ποταπὸς εἴη κύων, ἔφη, « Πεινῶν Μελιταῖος, χορτασθεὶς δὲ Μολοττικός, τούτων οὓς ἐπαινοῦντες οἱ πολλοὶ οὐ τολμῶσι διὰ τὸν πόνον συνεξιέναι αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν θήραν· οὕτως οὐδ’ ἐμοὶ δύνασθε συμβιοῦν διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν ἀλγηδόνων. »
55. When some one declared that life is an evil, he corrected him: “Not life itself, but living ill.” When he was advised to go in pursuit of his runaway slave, he replied, “It would be absurd, if Manes can live without Diogenes, but Diogenes cannot get on without Manes.” When breakfasting on olives amongst which a cake had been inserted, he flung it away and addressed it thus:
Stranger, betake thee from the princes’ path.
And on another occasion thus:
He lashed an olive.
Being asked what kind of hound he was, he replied, “When hungry, a Maltese; when full, a Molossian – two breeds which most people praise, though for fear of fatigue they do not venture out hunting with them. So neither can you live with me, because you are afraid of the discomforts.”
56 Ἐρωτηθεὶς εἰ σοφοὶ πλακοῦντα ἐσθίουσι, « Πάντα, » εἶπεν, « ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἄνθρωποι. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς διὰ τί προσαίταις μὲν ἐπιδιδόασι, φιλοσόφοις δὲ οὔ, ἔφη, « Ὅτι χωλοὶ μὲν καὶ τυφλοὶ γενέσθαι ἐλπίζουσι, φιλοσοφῆσαι δ’ οὐδέποτε. » Φιλάργυρον ᾔτει· τοῦ δὲ βραδύνοντος, « Ἄνθρωπε, » εἶπεν, « εἰς τροφήν σε αἰτῶ, οὐκ εἰς ταφήν. » Ὀνειδιζόμενός ποτε ἐπὶ τῷ παραχαράξαι τὸ νόμισμα ἔφη, « Ἦν ποτε χρόνος ἐκεῖνος ὅτ’ ἤμην ἐγὼ τοιοῦτος ὁποῖος σὺ νῦν· ὁποῖος δ’ ἐγὼ νῦν, σὺ οὐδέποτε. » Καὶ πρὸς ἄλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὀνειδίσαντα, « Καὶ γὰρ ἐνεούρουν θᾶττον, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὔ. »
56. Being asked if the wise eat cakes, “Yes,” he said, “cakes of all kinds, just like other men.” Being asked why people give to beggars but not to philosophers, he said, “Because they think they may one day be lame or blind, but never expect that they will turn to philosophy.” He was begging of a miserly man who was slow to respond; so he said, “My friend, it’s for food that I’m asking, not for funeral expenses.” Being reproached one day for having falsified the currency, he said, “That was the time when I was such as you are now; but such as I am now, you will never be.” To another who reproached him for the same offence he made a more scurrilous repartee.
57 Εἰς Μύνδον ἐλθὼν καὶ θεασάμενος μεγάλας τὰς πύλας, μικρὰν δὲ τὴν πόλιν, ἔφη, « Ἄνδρες Μύνδιοι, κλείσατε τὰς πύλας, μὴ ἡ πόλις ὑμῶν ἐξέλθῃ. » Θεασάμενός ποτε πορφυροκλέπτην πεφωραμένον ἔφη
Ἔλλαβε πορφύρεος θάνατος καὶ μοῖρα κραταιή.
Κρατέρου ἀξιοῦντος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπιέναι, « Ἀλλὰ βούλομαι, » ἔφη, « ἐν Ἀθήναις ἅλα λείχειν ἢ παρὰ Κρατέρῳ τῆς πολυτελοῦς τραπέζης ἀπολαύειν. » Ἀναξιμένει τῷ ῥήτορι παχεῖ ὄντι προσελθών, « Ἐπίδος καὶ ἡμῖν, » ἔφη, « τοῖς πτωχοῖς τῆς γαστρός· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς κουφισθήσῃ καὶ ἡμᾶς ὠφελήσεις. » Διαλεγομένου ποτὲ αὐτοῦ τάριχος προτείνας περιέσπασε τοὺς ἀκροατάς· ἀγανακτοῦντος δέ, « Τὴν Ἀναξιμένους, » ἔφη, « διάλεξιν ὀβολοῦ τάριχος διαλέλυκεν. »
57. On coming to Myndus and finding the gates large, though the city itself was very small, he cried, “Men of Myndus, bar your gates, lest the city should run away.” Seeing a man who had been caught stealing purple, he said:
Fast gripped by purple death and forceful fate.
When Craterus wanted him to come and visit him, “No,” he replied, “I would rather live on a few grains of salt at Athens than enjoy sumptuous fare at Craterus’s table.” He went up to Anaximenes the rhetorician, who was fat, and said, “Let us beggars have something of your paunch; it will be a relief to you, and we shall get advantage.” And when the same man was discoursing, Diogenes distracted his audience by producing some salt fish. This annoyed the lecturer, and Diogenes said, “An obol’s worth of salt fish has broken up Anaximenes’ lecture-class.”
58 Ὀνειδιζόμενός ποτε ὅτι ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἔφαγεν, « Ἐν ἀγορᾷ γάρ, » ἔφη, « καὶ ἐπείνησα. » Ἔνιοι δὲ τούτου φασὶν εἶναι κἀκεῖνο, ὅτι Πλάτων θεασάμενος αὐτὸν λάχανα πλύνοντα, προσελθὼν ἡσυχῆ εἴποι αὐτῷ, « Εἰ Διονύσιον ἐθεράπευες, οὐκ ἂν λάχανα ἔπλυνες· » τὸν δ’ ἀποκρίνασθαι ὁμοίως ἡσυχῆ, « Καὶ σὺ εἰ λάχανα ἔπλυνες, οὐκ ἂν Διονύσιον ἐθεράπευες. » Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, « Οἱ πλείους σου καταγελῶσι, » « Κἀκείνων τυχόν, » εἶπεν, « οἱ ὄνοι· ἀλλ’ οὔτ’ ἐκεῖνοι τῶν ὄνων ἐπιστρέφονται, οὔτ’ ἐγὼ ἐκείνων. » Θεασάμενός ποτε μειράκιον φιλοσοφοῦν, « Εὖγε, » εἶπεν, « ὅτι τοὺς τοῦ σώματος ἐραστὰς ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς κάλλος μετάγεις. »
58. Being reproached for eating in the market-place, “Well, it was in the market-place,” he said, “that I felt hungry.” Some authors affirm that the following also belongs to him: that Plato saw him washing lettuces, came up to him and quietly said to him, “Had you paid court to Dionysius, you wouldn’t now be washing lettuces,” and that he with equal calmness made answer, “If you had washed lettuces, you wouldn’t have paid court to Dionysius.” When some one said, “Most people laugh at you,” his reply was, “And so very likely do the asses at them; but as they don’t care for the asses, so neither do I care for them.” One day observing a youth studying philosophy, he said, “Well done, Philosophy, that thou divertest admirers of bodily charms to the real beauty of the soul.”
59 Θαυμάζοντός τινος τὰ ἐν Σαμοθράκῃ ἀναθήματα, ἔφη, « Πολλῷ ἂν εἴη πλείω εἰ καὶ οἱ μὴ σωθέντες ἀνετίθεσαν· » οἱ δὲ τοῦτο Διαγόρου φασὶ τοῦ Μηλίου. Εὐμόρφῳ μειρακίῳ ἀπιόντι εἰς συμπόσιον ἔφη, « Χείρων ἐπανήξεις· » τοῦ δ’ ἐπανελθόντος καὶ τῇ ἑξῆς εἰπόντος, « Καὶ ἀπῆλθον καὶ χείρων οὐκ ἐγενόμην, » ἔφη, « Χείρων μὲν οὔ, Εὐρυτίων δέ. » Δύσκολον ᾔτει· τοῦ δ’ εἰπόντος, « Ἐάν με πείσῃς· » ἔφη, « εἴ σε ἐδυνάμην πεῖσαι, ἔπεισα ἄν σε ἀπάγξασθαι. » Ἐπανήρχετο ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος εἰς Ἀθήνας· πρὸς οὖν τὸν πυθόμενον, « Ποῖ καὶ πόθεν; », « Ἐκ τῆς ἀνδρωνίτιδος, » εἶπεν, « εἰς τὴν γυναικωνῖτιν. »
59. When some one expressed astonishment at the votive offerings in Samothrace, his comment was, “There would have been far more, if those who were not saved had set up offerings.” But others attribute this remark to Diagoras of Melos. To a handsome youth, who was going out to dinner, he said, “You will come back a worse man.” When he came back and said next day, “I went and am none the worse for it,” Diogenes said, “Not Worse-man (Chiron), but Lax-man (Eurytion).” He was asking alms of a bad-tempered man, who said, “Yes, if you can persuade me.” “If I could have persuaded you,” said Diogenes, “I would have persuaded you to hang yourself.” He was returning from Lacedaemon to Athens; and on some one asking, “Whither and whence?” he replied, “From the men’s apartments to the women’s.”
60 Ἐπανῄει ἀπ’ Ὀλυμπίων· πρὸς οὖν τὸν πυθόμενον εἰ ὄχλος εἴη πολύς, « Πολὺς μέν, » εἶπεν, « ὁ ὄχλος, ὀλίγοι δ’ οἱ ἄνθρωποι. » Τοὺς ἀσώτους εἶπε παραπλησίους εἶναι συκαῖς ἐπὶ κρημνῷ πεφυκυίαις, ὧν τοῦ καρποῦ μὲν ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀπογεύεται, κόρακες δὲ καὶ γῦπες ἐσθίουσι. Φρύνης Ἀφροδίτην χρυσῆν ἀναθείσης ἐν Δελφοῖς τοῦτον ἐπιγράψαι, « Ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀκρασίας. » Ἀλεξάνδρου ποτὲ ἐπιστάντος αὐτῷ καὶ εἰπόντος, « Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ μέγας βασιλεύς, » « Κἀγώ, » φησί, « Διογένης ὁ κύων. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς τί ποιῶν κύων καλεῖται, ἔφη, « Τοὺς μὲν διδόντας σαίνων, τοὺς δὲ μὴ διδόντας ὑλακτῶν, τοὺς δὲ πονηροὺς δάκνων. »
60. He was returning from Olympia, and when somebody inquired whether there was a great crowd, “Yes,” he said, “a great crowd, but few who could be called men.” Libertines he compared to fig-trees growing upon a cliff: whose fruit is not enjoyed by any man, but is eaten by ravens and vultures. When Phryne set up a golden statue of Aphrodite in Delphi, Diogenes is said to have written upon it: “From the licentiousness of Greece.” Alexander once came and stood opposite him and said, “I am Alexander the great king.” “And I,” said he, “am Diogenes the Cynic.” Being asked what he had done to be called a hound, he said, “I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals.”
61 Ἀπὸ συκῆς ὠπώριζε· τοῦ δὲ φυλάττοντος εἰπόντος, « Αὐτόθεν πρώην ἄνθρωπος ἀπήγξατο, » « Ἐγὼ οὖν, » φησίν, « αὐτὴν καθαρῶ. » Ἰδὼν Ὀλυμπιονίκην εἰς ἑταίραν πυκνότερον ἀτενίζοντα, « Ἴδε, » ἔφη, « κριὸν Ἀρειμάνιον ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ τυχόντος κορασίου τραχηλίζεται. » Τὰς εὐπρεπεῖς ἑταίρας ἔλεγε θανασίμῳ μελικράτῳ παραπλησίας εἶναι. Ἀριστῶντι αὐτῷ ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ περιεστῶτες συνεχὲς ἔλεγον, « Κύον· » ὁ δέ, « Ὑμεῖς, » εἶπεν, « ἐστὲ κύνες, οἵ με ἀριστῶντα περιεστήκατε. » Δύο μαλακῶν περικρυπτομένων αὐτὸν ἔφη, « Μὴ εὐλαβεῖσθε· κύων τεῦτλα οὐ τρώγει. »
61. He was gathering figs, and was told by the keeper that not long before a man had hanged himself on that very fig-tree. “Then,” said he, “I will now purge it.” Seeing an Olympian victor casting repeated glances at a courtesan, “See,” he said, “yonder ram frenzied for battle, how he is held fast by the neck fascinated by a common minx.” Handsome courtesans he would compare to a deadly honeyed potion. He was breakfasting in the marketplace, and the bystanders gathered round him with cries of “dog.” “It is you who are dogs,” cried he, “when you stand round and watch me at my breakfast.” When two cowards hid away from him, he called out, “Don’t be afraid, a hound is not fond of beetroot.”
62 Περὶ παιδὸς πεπορνευκότος ἐρωτηθεὶς πόθεν εἴη, « Τεγεάτης, » ἔφη. Ἀφυῆ παλαιστὴν θεασάμενος ἰατρεύοντα ἔφη, « Τί τοῦτο; Ἢ ἵνα τούς ποτέ σε νικήσαντας νῦν καταβάλῃς; » Θεασάμενος υἱὸν ἑταίρας λίθον εἰς ὄχλον βάλλοντα, « Πρόσεχε, » ἔφη, « μὴ τὸν πατέρα πλήξῃς. »
Δείξαντος αὐτῷ παιδαρίου μάχαιραν ἣν εἰλήφει παρ’ ἐραστοῦ, « Ἡ μὲν μάχαιρα, » ἔφη, « καλή, ἡ δὲ λαβὴ αἰσχρά· » ἐπαινούντων τινῶν τὸν ἐπιδόντα αὐτῷ ἔφη, « Ἐμὲ δ’ οὐκ ἐπαινεῖτε τὸν ἄξιον λαβεῖν. » Ἀπαιτούμενος ὑπό τινος τρίβωνα ἔφη, « Εἰ μὲν ἐχαρίσω, ἔχω· εἰ δ’ ἔχρησας, χρῶμαι. » Ὑποβολιμαίου τινὸς εἰπόντος αὐτῷ ὅτι χρυσὸν ἔχοι ἐν τῷ ἱματίῳ, « Ναί, » ἔφη, « διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὑποβεβλημένος κοιμῶμαι. »
62. After seeing a stupid wrestler practising as a doctor he inquired of him, “What does this mean? Is it that you may now have your revenge on the rivals who formerly beat you?” Seeing the child of a courtesan throw stones at a crowd, he cried out, “Take care you don’t hit your father.”
A boy having shown him a dagger that he had received from an admirer, Diogenes remarked, “A pretty blade with an ugly handle.” When some people commended a person who had given him a gratuity, he broke in with “You have no praise for me who was worthy to receive it.” When some one asked that he might have back his cloak, “If it was a gift,” replied Diogenes, “I possess it; while, if it was a loan, I am using it.” A supposititious son having told him that he had gold in the pocket of his dress, “True,” said he, “and therefore you sleep with it under your pillow.”
63 Ἐρωτηθεὶς τί αὐτῷ περιγέγονεν ἐκ φιλοσοφίας, ἔφη, « Καὶ εἰ μηδὲν ἄλλο, τὸ γοῦν πρὸς πᾶσαν τύχην παρεσκευάσθαι. » Ἐρωτηθεὶς πόθεν εἴη, « Κοσμοπολίτης, » ἔφη. Θυόντων τινῶν τοῖς θεοῖς ἐπὶ τῷ υἱὸν γενέσθαι, ἔφη, « Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ποδαπὸς ἐκβῇ οὐ θύετε; » Ἔρανόν ποτ’ αἰτούμενος πρὸς τὸν ἐρανάρχην ἔφη,
Τοὺς ἄλλους ἐράνιζ’, ἀπὸ δ’ Ἕκτορος ἴσχεο χεῖρας.
Τὰς ἑταίρας ἔφη βασιλέων εἶναι βασιλίσσας· αἰτεῖν γὰρ ὅ τι ἂν δόξῃ αὐταῖς. Ψηφισαμένων Ἀθηναίων Ἀλέξανδρον Διόνυσον, « Κἀμέ, » ἔφη, « Σάραπιν ποιήσατε. » Πρὸς τὸν ὀνειδίζοντα ὅτι εἰς τόπους ἀκαθάρτους εἰσίοι, « Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος, » ἔφη, « Εἰς τοὺς ἀποπάτους, ἀλλ’ οὐ μιαίνεται. »
63. On being asked what he had gained from philosophy, he replied, “This at least, if nothing else – to be prepared for every fortune.” Asked where he came from, he said, “I am a citizen of the world.” Certain parents were sacrificing to the gods, that a son might be born to them. “But,” said he, “do you not sacrifice to ensure what manner of man he shall turn out to be?” When asked for a subscription towards a club, he said to the president:
Despoil the rest; off Hector keep thy hands.
The mistresses of kings he designated queens; for, said he, they make the kings do their bidding. When the Athenians gave Alexander the title of Dionysus, he said, “Me too you might make Sarapis.” Some one having reproached him for going into dirty places, his reply was that the sun too visits cesspools without being defiled.
64 Ἐν ἱερῷ δειπνῶν, μεταξὺ ῥυπαρῶν ἄρτων παρατεθέντων, ἄρας αὐτοὺς ἔρριψεν, εἰπὼν εἰς ἱερὸν μὴ δεῖν ῥυπαρὸν εἰσιέναι. Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, « Οὐδὲν εἰδὼς φιλοσοφεῖς, » ἔφη, « εἰ καὶ προσποιοῦμαι σοφίαν, καὶ τοῦτο φιλοσοφεῖν ἐστι. » Πρὸς τὸν συνιστάντα τὸν παῖδα καὶ λέγοντα ὡς εὐφυέστατός ἐστι καὶ τὰ ἤθη κράτιστος, « Τί οὖν, » εἶπεν, « ἐμοῦ χρῄζει; » Τοὺς λέγοντας μὲν τὰ σπουδαῖα, μὴ ποιοῦντας δέ, ἔλεγε μηδὲν διαφέρειν κιθάρας· καὶ γὰρ ταύτην μήτ’ ἀκούειν μήτ’ αἰσθάνεσθαι. Εἰς θέατρον εἰσῄει ἐναντίος τοῖς ἐξιοῦσιν· ἐρωτηθεὶς δὲ διὰ τί, « Τοῦτο, » ἔφη, « ἐν παντὶ τῷ βίῳ ἐπιτηδεύω ποιεῖν. »
64. When he was dining in a temple, and in the course of the meal loaves not free from dirt were put on the table, he took them up and threw them away, declaring that nothing unclean ought to enter a temple. To the man who said to him, “You don’t know anything, although you are a philosopher,” he replied, “Even if I am but a pretender to wisdom, that in itself is philosophy.” When some one brought a child to him and declared him to be highly gifted and of excellent character, “What need then,” said he, “has he of me?” Those who say admirable things, but fail to do them, he compared to a harp; for the harp, like them, he said, has neither hearing nor perception. He was going into a theatre, meeting face to face those who were coming out, and being asked why, “This,” he said, “is what I practise doing all my life.”
65 Ἰδών ποτε νεανίσκον θηλυνόμενον, « Οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, » ἔφη, « χείρονα τῆς φύσεως περὶ σεαυτοῦ βουλευόμενος; Ἡ μὲν γάρ σε ἄνδρα ἐποίησε, σὺ δὲ σεαυτὸν βιάζῃ γυναῖκα εἶναι. » Ἰδὼν ἄφρονα ψαλτήριον ἁρμοζόμενον, « Οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, » ἔφη, « τοὺς μὲν φθόγγους τῷ ξύλῳ προσαρμόττων, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν εἰς τὸν βίον μὴ ἁρμόττων; » Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, « Ἀνεπιτήδειός εἰμι πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν, » « Τί οὖν, » ἔφη, « ζῇς, εἰ τοῦ καλῶς ζῆν μὴ μέλει σοι; » Πρὸς τὸν καταφρονοῦντα τοῦ πατρός, « Οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, » ἔφη, « καταφρονῶν τούτου δι’ ὃν μέγα φρονεῖς; » Ἰδὼν εὐπρεπῆ νεανίσκον ἀπρεπῶς λαλοῦντα, « Οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, » ἔφη, « ἐξ ἐλεφαντίνου κολεοῦ μολυβδίνην ἕλκων μάχαιραν; »
65. Seeing a young man behaving effeminately, “Are you not ashamed,” he said, “that your own intention about yourself should be worse than nature’s: for nature made you a man, but you are forcing yourself to play the woman.” Observing a fool tuning a psaltery, “Are you not ashamed,” said he, “to give this wood concordant sounds, while you fail to harmonize your soul with life?” To one who protested that he was ill adapted for the study of philosophy, he said, “Why then do you live, if you do not care to live well?” To one who despised his father, “Are you not ashamed,” he said, “to despise him to whom you owe it that you can so pride yourself?” Noticing a handsome youth chattering in unseemly fashion, “Are you not ashamed,” he said, “to draw a dagger of lead from an ivory scabbard?”
66 Ὀνειδιζόμενος ὅτι ἐν καπηλείῳ πίνει, « Καὶ ἐν κουρείῳ, » φησί, « κείρομαι. » Ὀνειδιζόμενος ὅτι παρ’ Ἀντιπάτρου τριβώνιον ἔλαβεν, ἔφη,
οὔτοι ἀπόβλητ’ ἐστὶ θεῶν ἐρκυδέα δῶρα.
Πρὸς τὸν ἐνσείσαντα αὐτῷ δοκόν, εἶτα εἰπόντα, « Φύλαξαι, » πλήξας αὐτὸν τῇ βακτηρίᾳ, ἔφη, « Φύλαξαι. » Πρὸς τὸν λιπαροῦντα τῇ ἑταίρᾳ, « Τί θέλεις, » ἔφη, « τυχεῖν, ὦ ταλαίπωρε, οὗ τὸ ἀποτυχεῖν ἄμεινόν ἐστι; » Πρὸς τὸν μυριζόμενον, « Βλέπε, » εἶπε, « μὴ ἡ τῆς κεφαλῆς σου εὐωδία δυσωδίαν σου τῷ βίῳ παράσχῃ. » Τοὺς μὲν οἰκέτας τοῖς δεσπόταις, τοὺς δὲ φαύλους ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις δουλεύειν.
66. Being reproached with drinking in a tavern, “Well,” said he, “I also get my hair cut in a barber’s shop.” Being reproached with accepting a cloak from Antipater, he replied:
The gods’ choice gifts are nowise to be spurned.
When some one first shook a beam at him and then shouted “Look out,” Diogenes struck the man with his staff and added “Look out.” To a man who was urgently pressing his suit to a courtesan he said, “Why, hapless man, are you at such pains to gain your suit, when it would be better for you to lose it?” To one with perfumed hair he said, “Beware lest the sweet scent on your head cause an ill odour in your life.” He said that bad men obey their lusts as servants obey their masters.
67 Ἐρωτηθεὶς διὰ τί ἀνδράποδα ἐκλήθη, « Ὅτι, » φησί, « τοὺς πόδας ἀνδρῶν εἶχον, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ὁποίαν σὺ νῦν ὁ ἐξετάζων. » Ἄσωτον ᾔτει μνᾶν· πυθομένου δὲ διὰ τί τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ὀβολὸν αἰτεῖ, αὐτὸν δὲ μνᾶν, « Ὅτι, » εἶπε, « παρὰ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων πάλιν ἐλπίζω λαβεῖν, παρὰ δὲ σοῦ θεῶν ἐν γούνασι κεῖται εἰ πάλιν λήψομαι. » Ὀνειδιζόμενος ὅτι αὐτὸς αἰτεῖ, Πλάτωνος μὴ αἰτοῦντος, « Κἀκεῖνος, » εἶπεν, « αἰτεῖ, ἀλλ’
ἄγχι σχὼν κεφαλήν, ἵνα μὴ πευθοίαθ’ οἱ ἄλλοι. »
Ἰδὼν τοξότην ἀφυῆ παρὰ τὸν σκοπὸν ἐκάθισεν, εἰπών, « Ἵνα μὴ πληγῶ. » Τοὺς ἐρῶντας ἔφη πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἀτυχεῖν.
67. The question being asked why footmen are so called, he replied, “Because they have the feet of men, but souls such as you, my questioner, have.” He asked a spendthrift for a mina. The man inquired why it was that he asked others for an obol but him for a mina. “Because,” said Diogenes, “I expect to receive from others again, but whether I shall ever get anything from you again lies on the knees of the gods.” Being reproached with begging when Plato did not beg, “Oh yes,” says he, “he does, but when he does so –
He holds his head down close, that none may hear.”
Seeing a bad archer, he sat down beside the target with the words “in order not to get hit.” Lovers, he declared, derive their pleasures from their misfortune.
68 Ἐρωτηθεὶς εἰ κακὸς ὁ θάνατος, « Πῶς, » εἶπε, « κακός, οὗ παρόντος οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα; » Πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον ἐπιστάντα καὶ εἰπόντα, « Οὐ φοβῇ με; », « Τί γάρ, » εἶπεν, « εἶ; Ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν; » Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, « Ἀγαθόν, » « Τίς οὖν, » εἶπε, « Τὸ ἀγαθὸν φοβεῖται; » Τὴν παιδείαν εἶπε τοῖς μὲν νέοις σωφροσύνην, τοῖς δὲ πρεσβυτέροις παραμυθίαν, τοῖς δὲ πένησι πλοῦτον, τοῖς δὲ πλουσίοις κόσμον εἶναι. Πρὸς Διδύμωνα τὸν μοιχὸν ἰατρεύοντά ποτε κόρης ὀφθαλμόν, « Ὅρα, » φησί, « μὴ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τῆς παρθένου θεραπεύων τὴν κόρην φθείρῃς. » Εἰπόντος τινὸς ὅτι ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων ἐπιβουλεύεται, « Καὶ τί δεῖ πράττειν, » ἔφη, « εἰ δεήσει τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὁμοίως χρῆσθαι; »
68. Being asked whether death was an evil thing, he replied, “How can it be evil, when in its presence we are not aware of it?” When Alexander stood opposite him and asked, “Are you not afraid of me?” “Why, what are you?” said he, “a good thing or a bad?” Upon Alexander replying “A good thing,” “Who then,” said Diogenes, “is afraid of the good?” Education, according to him, is a controlling grace to the young, consolation to the old, wealth to the poor, and ornament to the rich. When Didymon, who was a rake, was once treating a girl’s eye, “Beware,” says Diogenes, “lest the oculist instead of curing the eye should ruin the pupil.” On somebody declaring that his own friends were plotting against him, Diogenes exclaimed, “What is to be done then, if you have to treat friends and enemies alike?”
69 Ἐρωτηθεὶς τί κάλλιστον ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἔφη, « Παρρησία. » Εἰσελθὼν εἰς διδασκάλου καὶ Μούσας μὲν ἰδὼν πολλάς, μαθητὰς δὲ ὀλίγους, « Σὺν θεοῖς, » ἔφη, « διδάσκαλε, πολλοὺς μαθητὰς ἔχεις. » Εἰώθει δὲ πάντα ποιεῖν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, καὶ τὰ Δήμητρος καὶ τὰ Ἀφροδίτης. Καὶ τοιούτους τινὰς ἠρώτα λόγους· εἰ τὸ ἀριστᾶν μηδὲν εἴη ἄτοπον, οὐδ’ ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἐστιν ἄτοπον· οὐκ ἔστι δ’ ἄτοπον τὸ ἀριστᾶν· οὐδ’ ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἄρα ἐστὶν ἄτοπον. Χειρουργῶν δ’ ἐν μέσῳ συνεχές, « Εἴθε ἦν, » ἔλεγε, « καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν παρατριψάμενον τοῦ λιμοῦ παύσασθαι· » ἀναφέρεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα εἰς αὐτόν, ἃ μακρὸν ἂν εἴη καταλέγειν πολλὰ ὄντα.
69. Being asked what was the most beautiful thing in the world, he replied, “Freedom of speech.” On entering a boys’ school, he found there many statues of the Muses, but few pupils. “By the help of the gods,” said he, “schoolmaster, you have plenty of pupils.” It was his habit to do everything in public, the works of Demeter and of Aphrodite alike. He used to draw out the following arguments. “If to breakfast be not absurd, neither is it absurd in the market-place; but to breakfast is not absurd, therefore it is not absurd to breakfast in the marketplace.” Behaving indecently in public, he wished “it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing the belly.” Many other sayings are attributed to him, which it would take long to enumerate.
70 Διττὴν δ’ ἔλεγε εἶναι τὴν ἄσκησιν, τὴν μὲν ψυχικήν, τὴν δὲ σωματικήν· ταύτην καθ’ ἣν ἐν γυμνασίᾳ συνεχεῖς γινόμεναι φαντασίαι εὐλυσίαν πρὸς τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργα παρέχονται. Εἶναι δ’ ἀτελῆ τὴν ἑτέραν χωρὶς τῆς ἑτέρας, οὐδὲν ἧττον εὐεξίας καὶ ἰσχύος ἐν τοῖς προσήκουσι γενομένης, ὡς περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ περὶ τὸ σῶμα. Παρετίθετο δὲ τεκμήρια τοῦ ῥᾳδίως ἀπὸ τῆς γυμνασίας ἐν τῇ ἀρετῇ καταγίνεσθαι· ὁρᾶν τε γὰρ ἔν τε ταῖς τέχναις βαναύσοις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ὀξυχειρίαν τοὺς τεχνίτας ἀπὸ τῆς μελέτης πεποιημένους τούς τ’ αὐλητὰς καὶ τοὺς ἀθλητὰς ὅσον ὑπερφέρουσιν ἑκάτεροι τῇ ἰδίᾳ πονήσει τῇ συνεχεῖ, καὶ ὡς οὗτοι εἰ μετήνεγκαν τὴν ἄσκησιν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχήν, οὐκ ἂν ἀνωφελῶς καὶ ἀτελῶς ἐμόχθουν.
70. He used to affirm that training was of two kinds, mental and bodily: the latter being that whereby, with constant exercise, perceptions are formed such as secure freedom of movement for virtuous deeds; and the one half of this training is incomplete without the other, good health and strength being just as much included among the essential things, whether for body or soul. And he would adduce indisputable evidence to show how easily from gymnastic training we arrive at virtue. For in the manual crafts and other arts it can be seen that the craftsmen develop extraordinary manual skill through practice. Again, take the case of flute-players and of athletes: what surpassing skill they acquire by their own incessant toil; and, if they had transferred their efforts to the training of the mind, how certainly their labours would not have been unprofitable or ineffective.
71 Οὐδέν γε μὴν ἔλεγε τὸ παράπαν ἐν τῷ βίῳ χωρὶς ἀσκήσεως κατορθοῦσθαι, δυνατὴν δὲ ταύτην πᾶν ἐκνικῆσαι. Δέον οὖν ἀντὶ τῶν ἀχρήστων πόνων τοὺς κατὰ φύσιν ἑλομένους ζῆν εὐδαιμόνως, παρὰ τὴν ἄνοιαν κακοδαιμονοῦσι. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτῆς τῆς ἡδονῆς ἡ καταφρόνησις ἡδυτάτη προμελετηθεῖσα, καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ συνεθισθέντες ἡδέως ζῆν, ἀηδῶς ἐπὶ τοὐναντίον μετίασιν, οὕτως οἱ τοὐναντίον ἀσκηθέντες ἥδιον αὐτῶν τῶν ἡδονῶν καταφρονοῦσι. Τοιαῦτα διελέγετο καὶ ποιῶν ἐφαίνετο, ὄντως νόμισμα παραχαράττων, μηδὲν οὕτω τοῖς κατὰ νόμον ὡς τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν διδούς· τὸν αὐτὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ βίου λέγων διεξάγειν ὅνπερ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς, μηδὲν ἐλευθερίας προκρίνων.
71. Nothing in life, however, he maintained, has any chance of succeeding without strenuous practice; and this is capable of overcoming anything. Accordingly, instead of useless toils men should choose such as nature recommends, whereby they might have lived happily. Yet such is their madness that they choose to be miserable. For even the despising of pleasure is itself most pleasurable, when we are habituated to it; and just as those accustomed to a life of pleasure feel disgust when they pass over to the opposite experience, so those whose training has been of the opposite kind derive more pleasure from despising pleasure than from the pleasures themselves. This was the gist of his conversation; and it was plain that he acted accordingly, adulterating currency in very truth, allowing convention no such authority as he allowed to natural right, and asserting that the manner of life he lived was the same as that of Heracles when he preferred liberty to everything.
72 Πάντα τῶν σοφῶν εἶναι λέγων καὶ τοιούτους λόγους ἐρωτῶν οἵους ἄνω προειρήκαμεν· πάντα τῶν θεῶν ἐστι· φίλοι δὲ τοῖς σοφοῖς οἱ θεοί· κοινὰ δὲ τὰ τῶν φίλων· πάντα ἄρα τῶν σοφῶν. Περί τε τοῦ νόμου ὅτι χωρὶς αὐτοῦ οὐχ οἷόν τε πολιτεύεσθαι· οὐ γάρ φησιν ἄνευ πόλεως ὄφελός τι εἶναι ἀστείου· ἀστεῖον δὲ ἡ πόλις· νόμου δὲ ἄνευ πόλεως οὐδὲν ὄφελος· ἀστεῖον ἄρα ὁ νόμος. Εὐγενείας δὲ καὶ δόξας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πάντα διέπαιζε, προκοσμήματα κακίας εἶναι λέγων· μόνην τε ὀρθὴν πολιτείαν εἶναι τὴν ἐν κόσμῳ. Ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ κοινὰς εἶναι δεῖν τὰς γυναῖκας, γάμον μηδὲ ὀνομάζων, ἀλλὰ τὸν πείσαντα τῇ πεισθείσῃ συνεῖναι· κοινοὺς δὲ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς υἱέας.
72. He maintained that all things are the property of the wise, and employed such arguments as those cited above. All things belong to the gods. The gods are friends to the wise, and friends share all property in common; therefore all things are the property of the wise. Again as to law: that it is impossible for society to exist without law; for without a city no benefit can be derived from that which is civilized. But the city is civilized, and there is no advantage in law without a city; therefore law is something civilized. He would ridicule good birth and fame and all such distinctions, calling them showy ornaments of vice. The only true commonwealth was, he said, that which is as wide as the universe. He advocated community of wives, recognizing no other marriage than a union of the man who persuades with the woman who consents. And for this reason he thought sons too should be held in common.
73 Μηδέν τε ἄτοπον εἶναι ἐξ ἱεροῦ τι λαβεῖν ἢ τῶν ζῴων τινὸς γεύσασθαι· μηδ’ ἀνόσιον εἶναι τὸ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων κρεῶν ἅψασθαι, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐθῶν· καὶ τῷ ὀρθῷ λόγῳ πάντ’ ἐν πᾶσι καὶ διὰ πάντων εἶναι λέγων. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἄρτῳ κρέας εἶναι καὶ ἐν τῷ λαχάνῳ ἄρτον, καὶ τῶν σωμάτων τῶν λοιπῶν ἐν πᾶσι διά τινων ἀδήλων πόρων [καὶ] ὄγκων εἰσκρινομένων καὶ συνατμιζομένων, ὡς δῆλον ἐν τῷ Θυέστῃ ποιεῖ, εἴ γ’ αὐτοῦ αἱ τραγῳδίαι καὶ μὴ Φιλίσκου τοῦ Αἰγινήτου ἐκείνου γνωρίμου ἢ Πασιφῶντος τοῦ Λουκιανοῦ, ὅν φησι Φαβωρῖνος ἐν Παντοδαπῇ ἱστορίᾳ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτοῦ συγγράψαι. Μουσικῆς τε καὶ γεωμετρικῆς καὶ ἀστρολογίας καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀμελεῖν, ὡς ἀχρήστων καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκαίων.
73. And he saw no impropriety either in stealing anything from a temple or in eating the flesh of any animal; nor even anything impious in touching human flesh, this, he said, being clear from the custom of some foreign nations. Moreover, according to right reason, as he put it, all elements are contained in all things and pervade everything: since not only is meat a constituent of bread, but bread of vegetables; and all other bodies also, by means of certain invisible passages and particles, find their way in and unite with all substances in the form of vapour. This he makes plain in the Thyestes , if the tragedies are really his and not the work of his friend Philiscus of Aegina or of Pasiphon, the son of Lucian, who according to Favorinus in his Miscellaneous History wrote them after the death of Diogenes. He held that we should neglect music, geometry, astronomy, and the like studies, as useless and unnecessary.
74 Εὐστοχώτατος δ’ ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἀπαντήσεσι τῶν λόγων, ὡς δῆλον ἐξ ὧν προειρήκαμεν.
Καὶ πρᾶσιν ἤνεγκε γενναιότατα· πλέων γὰρ εἰς Αἴγιναν καὶ πειραταῖς ἁλοὺς ὧν ἦρχε Σκίρπαλος, εἰς Κρήτην ἀπαχθεὶς ἐπιπράσκετο· καὶ τοῦ κήρυκος ἐρωτῶντος τί οἶδε ποιεῖν, ἔφη, « Ἀνθρώπων ἄρχειν. » Ὅτε καὶ δείξας τινὰ Κορίνθιον εὐπάρυφον, τὸν προειρημένον Ξενιάδην, ἔφη, « Τούτῳ με πώλει· οὗτος δεσπότου χρῄζει. » Ὠνεῖται δὴ αὐτὸν ὁ Ξενιάδης καὶ ἀπαγαγὼν εἰς τὴν Κόρινθον ἐπέστησε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παιδίοις καὶ πᾶσαν ἐνεχείρισε τὴν οἰκίαν. Ὁ δὲ οὕτως αὐτὴν ἐν πᾶσι διετίθει, ὥστε ἐκεῖνος περιιὼν ἔλεγεν, « Ἀγαθὸς δαίμων εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν μου εἰσελήλυθε. »
74. He became very ready also at repartee in verbal debates, as is evident from what has been said above.
Further, when he was sold as a slave, he endured it most nobly. For on a voyage to Aegina he was captured by pirates under the command of Scirpalus, conveyed to Crete and exposed for sale. When the auctioneer asked in what he was proficient, he replied, “In ruling men.” Thereupon he pointed to a certain Corinthian with a fine purple border to his robe, the man named Xeniades above-mentioned, and said, “Sell me to this man; he needs a master.” Thus Xeniades came to buy him, and took him to Corinth and set him over his own children and entrusted his whole household to him. And he administered it in all respects in such a manner that Xeniades used to go about saying, “A good genius has entered my house.”
75 Φησὶ δὲ Κλεομένης ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Παιδαγωγικῷ τοὺς γνωρίμους λυτρώσασθαι αὐτὸν θελῆσαι, τὸν δ’ εὐήθεις αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοὺς λέοντας δούλους εἶναι τῶν τρεφόντων, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τρέφοντας τῶν λεόντων. Δούλου γὰρ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι, τὰ δὲ θηρία φοβερὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἶναι. Θαυμαστὴ δέ τις ἦν περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα πειθώ, ὥστε πάνθ’ ὁντινοῦν ῥᾳδίως αἱρεῖν τοῖς λόγοις. Λέγεται γοῦν Ὀνησίκριτόν τινα Αἰγινήτην πέμψαι εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας δυοῖν ὄντοιν υἱοῖν τὸν ἕτερον Ἀνδροσθένην, ὃν ἀκούσαντα τοῦ Διογένους αὐτόθι προσμεῖναι· τὸν δ’ ἐπ’ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν πρεσβύτερον Φιλίσκον τὸν προειρημένον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸν Φιλίσκον κατασχεθῆναι.
75. Cleomenes in his work entitled Concerning Pedagogues says that the friends of Diogenes wanted to ransom him, whereupon he called them simpletons; for, said he, lions are not the slaves of those who feed them, but rather those who feed them are at the mercy of the lions: for fear is the mark of the slave, whereas wild beasts make men afraid of them. The man had in fact a wonderful gift of persuasion, so that he could easily vanquish anyone he liked in argument. At all events a certain Onesicritus of Aegina is said to have sent to Athens the one of his two sons named Androsthenes, and he having become a pupil of Diogenes stayed there; the father then sent the other also, the aforesaid Philiscus, who was the elder, in search of him; but Philiscus also was detained in the same way.
76 Τὸ τρίτον αὐτὸν ἀφικόμενον μηδὲν ἧττον συνεῖναι τοῖς παισὶ φιλοσοφοῦντα. Τοιαύτη τις προσῆν ἴυγξ τοῖς Διογένους λόγοις. Ἤκουσε δ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ Φωκίων ὁ ἐπίκλην χρηστὸς καὶ Στίλπων ὁ Μεγαρεὺς καὶ ἄλλοι πλείους ἄνδρες πολιτικοί.
Λέγεται δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη βιοὺς τελευτῆσαι. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ θανάτου διάφοροι λέγονται λόγοι· οἱ μὲν γὰρ πολύποδα φαγόντα ὠμὸν χολερικῇ ληφθῆναι καὶ ὧδε τελευτῆσαι· οἱ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα συγκρατήσαντα, ὧν ἐστι καὶ Κερκιδᾶς ὁ Μεγαλοπολίτης [ἢ Κρής], λέγων ἐν τοῖς μελιάμβοις οὕτως·
Οὐ μὰν ὁ πάρος γα Σινωπεὺς
τῆνος ὁ βακτροφόρας,
διπλείματος, αἰθεριβόσκας,
76. When, thirdly, the father himself arrived, he was just as much attracted to the pursuit of philosophy as his sons and joined the circle – so magical was the spell which the discourses of Diogenes exerted. Amongst his hearers was Phocion surnamed the Honest, and Stilpo the Megarian, and many other men prominent in political life.
Diogenes is said to have been nearly ninety years old when he died. Regarding his death there are several different accounts. One is that he was seized with colic after eating an octopus raw and so met his end. Another is that he died voluntarily by holding his breath. This account was followed by Cercidas of Megalopolis (or of Crete), who in his meliambics writes thus:
Not so he who aforetime was a citizen of Sinope,
That famous one who carried a staff, doubled his cloak, and lived in the open air.
77 ἀλλ’ ἀνέβα
χεῖλος ποτ’ ὀδόντας ἐρείσας
καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα συνδακών·
Ζανὸς γόνος ἦς γὰρ ἀλαθέως
οὐράνιός τε κύων.
Ἄλλοι φασὶ πολύπουν κυσὶ συμμερίσασθαι βουλόμενον οὕτω δηχθῆναι τοῦ ποδὸς τὸν τένοντα καὶ καταστρέψαι. οἱ μέντοι γνώριμοι αὐτοῦ, καθά φησιν Ἀντισθένης ἐν Διαδοχαῖς, εἴκαζον τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος συγκράτησιν. Ἐτύγχανε μὲν γὰρ διάγων ἐν τῷ Κρανείῳ τῷ πρὸ τῆς Κορίνθου γυμνασίῳ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἔθος ἧκον οἱ γνώριμοι καὶ αὐτὸν καταλαμβάνουσιν ἐγκεκαλυμμένον· οὐ δὴ εἴκασαν αὐτὸν κοιμᾶσθαι, οὐ γὰρ ἦν τις νυσταλέος καὶ ὑπνηλός· ὅθεν, ἀποπετάσαντες τὸν τρίβωνα ἔκπνουν αὐτὸν καταλαμβάνουσι καὶ ὑπέλαβον τοῦτο πρᾶξαι λοιπὸν βουλόμενον ὑπεξελθεῖν τοῦ βίου.
77. But he soared aloft with his lip tightly pressed against his teeth
And holding his breath withal. For in truth he was rightly named
Diogenes, a true-born son of Zeus, a hound of heaven.
Another version is that, while trying to divide an octopus amongst the dogs, he was so severely bitten on the sinew of the foot that it caused his death. His friends, however, according to Antisthenes in his Successions of Philosophers , conjectured that it was due to the retention of his breath. For he happened to be living in the Craneum, the gymnasium in front of Corinth. When his friends came according to custom and found him wrapped up in his cloak, they thought that he must be asleep, although he was by no means of a drowsy or somnolent habit. They therefore drew aside his cloak and found that he was dead. This they supposed to have been his deliberate act in order to escape thenceforward from life.
78 Ἔνθα καὶ στάσις, ὥς φασιν, ἐγένετο τῶν γνωρίμων, τίνες αὐτὸν θάψωσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι χειρῶν ἦλθον. Ἀφικομένων δὲ τῶν πατέρων καὶ τῶν ὑπερεχόντων, ὑπὸ τούτοις ταφῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα παρὰ τῇ πύλῃ τῇ φερούσῃ εἰς Ἰσθμόν. Ἐπέστησάν τ’ αὐτῷ κίονα καὶ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ λίθου Παρίου κύνα. Ὕστερον δὲ καὶ οἱ πολῖται αὐτοῦ χαλκαῖς εἰκόσιν ἐτίμησαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπέγραψαν οὕτω·
γηράσκει καὶ χαλκὸς ὑπὸ χρόνου, ἀλλὰ σὸν οὔτι
κῦδος ὁ πᾶς αἰών, Διόγενες, καθελεῖ·
μοῦνος ἐπεὶ βιοτᾶς αὐτάρκεα δόξαν ἔδειξας
θνατοῖς καὶ ζωᾶς οἶμον ἐλαφροτάταν.
78. Hence, it is said, arose a quarrel among his disciples as to who should bury him: nay, they even came to blows; but, when their fathers and men of influence arrived, under their direction he was buried beside the gate leading to the Isthmus. Over his grave they set up a pillar and a dog in Parian marble upon it. Subsequently his fellow-citizens honoured him with bronze statues, on which these verses were inscribed:
Time makes even bronze grow old: but thy glory, Diogenes, all eternity will never destroy.
Since thou alone didst point out to mortals the lesson of self-sufficingness and the easiest path of life.
79 Ἔστι καὶ ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ προκελευσματικῷ μέτρῳ·
{α.} Διόγενες, ἄγε λέγε τίς ἔλαβέ σε μόρος
ἐς Ἄϊδος. {Δ.} Ἔλαβέ με κυνὸς ἄγριον ὀδάξ.
Ἔνιοι δέ φασι τελευτῶντα αὐτὸν [καὶ] ἐντείλασθαι ἄταφον ῥῖψαι ὡς πᾶν θηρίον αὐτοῦ μετάσχοι, ἢ εἴς γε βόθρον συνῶσαι καὶ ὀλίγην κόνιν ἐπαμῆσαι (οἱ δέ, εἰς τὸν Ἰλισσὸν ἐμβαλεῖν) ἵνα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς χρήσιμος γένηται.
Δημήτριος δ’ ἐν τοῖς Ὁμωνύμοις φησὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας Ἀλέξανδρον μὲν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, Διογένην δ’ ἐν Κορίνθῳ τελευτῆσαι. Ἦν δὲ γέρων κατὰ τὴν τρίτην καὶ δεκάτην καὶ ἑκατοστὴν Ὀλυμπιάδα.
79. We too have written on him in the proceleusmatic metre:
a. Diogenes, come tell me what fate took you to the world below?
d. A dog’s savage tooth.
But some say that when dying he left instructions that they should throw him out unburied, that every wild beast might feed on him, or thrust him into a ditch and sprinkle a little dust over him. But according to others his instructions were that they should throw him into the Ilissus, in order that he might be useful to his brethren.
Demetrius in his work On Men of the Same Name asserts that on the same day on which Alexander died in Babylon Diogenes died in Corinth. He was an old man in the 113th Olympiad.
80 Φέρεται δ’ αὐτοῦ βιβλία τάδε· διάλογοι·
Κεφαλίων,
Ἰχθύας,
Κολοιός,
Πόρδαλος,
Δῆμος Ἀθηναίων,
Πολιτεία,
Τέχνη ἠθική,
Περὶ πλούτου,
Ἐρωτικός,
Θεόδωρος,
Ὑψίας,
Ἀρίσταρχος,
Περὶ θανάτου.
Ἐπιστολαί.
Τραγῳδίαι ἑπτά·
Ἑλένη,
Θυέστης,
Ἡρακλῆς,
Ἀχιλλεύς,
Μήδεια,
Χρύσιππος,
Οἰδίπους.
Σωσικράτης δ’ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς Διαδοχῆς καὶ Σάτυρος ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ τῶν Βίων οὐδὲν εἶναι Διογένους φασί· τά τε τραγῳδάριά φησιν ὁ Σάτυρος Φιλίσκου εἶναι τοῦ Αἰγινήτου, γνωρίμου τοῦ Διογένους. Σωτίων δ’ ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ταῦτα μόνα φησὶ Διογένους εἶναι· Περὶ ἀρετῆς, Περὶ ἀγαθοῦ, Ἐρωτικόν, Πτωχόν, Τολμαῖον, Πόρδαλον, Κάσανδρον, Κεφαλίωνα, Φιλίσκον, Ἀρίσταρχον, Σίσυφον, Γανυμήδην, Χρείας, Ἐπιστολάς.
80. The following writings are attributed to him. Dialogues:
Cephalion.
Ichthyas.
Jackdaw.
Pordalus.
The Athenian Demos.
Republic.
Art of Ethics.
On Wealth.
On Love.
Theodorus.
Hypsias.
Aristarchus.
On Death.
Letters.
Seven Tragedies:
Helen.
Thyestes.
Heracles.
Achilles.
Medea.
Chrysippus.
Oedipus.
Sosicrates in the first book of his Successions , and Satyrus in the fourth book of his Lives , allege that Diogenes left nothing in writing, and Satyrus adds that the sorry tragedies are by his friend Philiscus, the Aeginetan. Sotion in his seventh book declares that only the following are genuine works of Diogenes: On Virtue , On Good , On Love , A Mendicant , Tolmaeus , Pordalus , Casandrus , Cephalion , Philiscus , Aristarchus , Sisyphus , Ganymedes , Anecdotes , Letters .
81 Γεγόνασι δὲ Διογένεις πέντε· πρῶτος Ἀπολλωνιάτης, φυσικός· ἀρχὴ δ’ αὐτῷ τοῦ συγγράμματος ἥδε· « Λόγου παντὸς ἀρχόμενον δοκεῖ μοι χρεὼν εἶναι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναμφισβήτητον παρέχεσθαι. » Δεύτερος Σικυώνιος, ὁ γράψας τὰ περὶ Πελοπόννησον· τρίτος αὐτὸς οὗτος· τέταρτος στωικός, γένος Σελευκεύς, ὁ καὶ Βαβυλώνιος καλούμενος διὰ τὴν γειτονίαν· πέμπτος Ταρσεύς, γεγραφὼς περὶ ποιητικῶν ζητημάτων ἃ λύειν ἐπιχειρεῖ.
Τὸν δὴ φιλόσοφον Ἀθηνόδωρός φησιν ἐν ὀγδόῃ Περιπάτων ἀεὶ στιλπνὸν φαίνεσθαι διὰ τὸ ἀλείφεσθαι.
Μόνιμος
81. There have been five men who were named Diogenes. The first, of Apollonia, a natural philosopher. The beginning of his treatise runs thus: “At the outset of every discourse, methinks, one should see to it that the basis laid down is unquestionable.” The second – of Sicyon – who wrote an “Account of Peloponnesus.” The third, our present subject. The fourth, a Stoic born at Seleucia, who is also called the Babylonian, because Seleucia is near Babylon. The fifth, of Tarsus, author of a work on poetical problems, which he attempts to solve.
Now the philosopher is said by Athenodorus in the eighth book of his Walks to have always had a sleek appearance owing to his use of unguents.
82 Μόνιμος Συρακόσιος μαθητὴς μὲν Διογένους, οἰκέτης δέ τινος τραπεζίτου Κορινθίου, καθά φησι Σωσικράτης. Πρὸς τοῦτον συνεχὲς ἀφικνούμενος ὁ Ξενιάδης ὁ τὸν Διογένην ἐωνημένος τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῶν λόγων διηγούμενος εἰς ἔρωτα τἀνδρὸς ἐνέβαλε τὸν Μόνιμον. Αὐτίκα γὰρ ἐκεῖνος μανίαν προσποιηθεὶς τό τε κέρμα διερρίπτει καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης ἀργύριον ἕως αὐτὸν ὁ δεσπότης παρῃτήσατο· καὶ ὃς εὐθέως Διογένους ἦν. Παρηκολούθησε δὲ καὶ Κράτητι τῷ κυνικῷ συχνὰ καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων εἴχετο, ὅτε καὶ μᾶλλον ὁρῶν αὐτὸν ὁ δεσπότης ἐδόκει μαίνεσθαι.
82. Monimus of Syracuse was a pupil of Diogenes; and, according to Sosicrates, he was in the service of a certain Corinthian banker, to whom Xeniades, the purchaser of Diogenes, made frequent visits, and by the account which he gave of his goodness in word and deed, excited in Monimus a passionate admiration of Diogenes. For he forthwith pretended to be mad and proceeded to fling away the small change and all the money on the banker’s table, until at length his master dismissed him; and he then straightway devoted himself to Diogenes. He often followed Crates the Cynic as well, and embraced the like pursuits; whereupon his master, seeing him do this, was all the more persuaded that he was mad.
83 Ἐγένετο δ’ ἀνὴρ ἐλλόγιμος, ὡς καὶ Μένανδρον αὐτοῦ τὸν κωμικὸν μεμνῆσθαι. Ἔν τινι γοῦν τῶν δραμάτων ἐν τῷ Ἱπποκόμῳ εἶπεν οὕτως·
Μόνιμός τις ἦν ἄνθρωπος, ὦ Φίλων, σοφός,
ἀδοξότερος μικρῷ δ’. {Β.} Ὁ τὴν πήραν ἔχων;
{Α.} Πήρας μὲν οὖν τρεῖς· ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνος ῥῆμά τι
ἐφθέγξατ’ οὐδὲν ἐμφερές, μὰ τὸν Δία,
τῷ γνῶθι σαυτόν, οὐδὲ τοῖς βοωμένοις
τούτοις, ὑπὲρ δὲ ταῦθ’ ὁ προσαιτῶν καὶ ῥυπῶν·
τὸ γὰρ ὑποληφθὲν τῦφον εἶναι πᾶν ἔφη.
Οὗτος μὲν ἐμβριθέστατος ἐγένετο, ὥστε δόξης μὲν καταφρονεῖν, πρὸς δ’ ἀλήθειαν παρορμᾶν.
Γέγραφε δὲ παίγνια σπουδῇ λεληθυίᾳ μεμιγμένα καὶ Περὶ ὁρμῶν δύο καὶ Προτρεπτικόν.
Ονησίκριτος
83. He came to be a distinguished man; so much so that he is even mentioned by the comic poet Menander. At any rate in one of his plays, The Groom , his words are:
One Monimus there was, a wise man, Philo,
But not so very famous.
a. He, you mean,
Who carried the scrip?
b. Nay, not one scrip, but three.
Yet never a word, so help me Zeus, spake he
To match the saying, Know thyself, nor such
Famed watchwords. Far beyond all these he went,
Your dusty mendicant, pronouncing wholly vain
All man’s supposings.
Monimus indeed showed himself a very grave moralist, so that he ever despised mere opinion and sought only truth.
He has left us, besides some trifles blended with covert earnestness, two books, On Impulses and an Exhortation to Philosophy .
84 Ὀνησίκριτος· τοῦτον οἱ μὲν Αἰγινήτην, Δημήτριος δ’ ὁ Μάγνης Ἀστυπαλαιᾶ φησιν εἶναι. Καὶ οὗτος τῶν ἐλλογίμων Διογένους μαθητῶν.
ἔοικε δέ τι ὅμοιον πεπονθέναι πρὸς Ξενοφῶντα. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ Κύρῳ συνεστράτευσεν, οὗτος δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ· κἀκεῖνος μὲν Παιδείαν Κύρου, ὁ δὲ πῶς Ἀλέξανδρος ἤχθη γέγραφε· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐγκώμιον Κύρου, ὁ δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρου πεποίηκε. Καὶ τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ δὲ παραπλήσιος, πλὴν ὅτι ὡς ἀπόγραφος ἐξ ἀρχετύπου δευτερεύει.
Γέγονε καὶ Μένανδρος Διογένους μαθητής, ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος Δρυμός, θαυμαστὴς Ὁμήρου, καὶ Ἡγησίας Σινωπεὺς ὁ Κλοιὸς ἐπίκλην, καὶ Φιλίσκος ὁ Αἰγινήτης, ὡς προειρήκαμεν.
Κράτης
84. Onesicritus some report to have been an Aeginetan, but Demetrius of Magnesia says that he was a native of Astypalaea. He too was one of the distinguished pupils of Diogenes. His career seems to have resembled that of Xenophon; for Xenophon joined the expedition of Cyrus, Onesicritus that of Alexander; and the former wrote the Cyropaedia , or Education of Cyrus , while the latter has described how Alexander was educated: the one a laudation of Cyrus, the other of Alexander. And in their diction they are not unlike: except that Onesicritus, as is to be expected in an imitator, falls short of his model.
Amongst other pupils of Diogenes were Menander, who was nicknamed Drymus or “Oakwood,” a great admirer of Homer; Hegesias of Sinope, nicknamed “Dog-collar”; and Philiscus of Aegina mentioned above.
85 Κράτης Ἀσκώνδου Θηβαῖος. Καὶ οὗτος τῶν ἐλλογίμων τοῦ κυνὸς μαθητῶν. Ἱππόβοτος δέ φησιν οὐ Διογένους αὐτὸν μαθητὴν γεγονέναι, ἀλλὰ Βρύσωνος τοῦ Ἀχαιοῦ. Τούτου Παίγνια φέρεται τάδε·
Πήρη τις πόλις ἐστὶ μέσῳ ἐνὶ οἴνοπι τύφῳ,
καλὴ καὶ πίειρα, περίρρυπος, οὐδὲν ἔχουσα,
εἰς ἣν οὔτε τις εἰσπλεῖ ἀνὴρ μωρὸς παράσιτος,
οὔτε λίχνος πόρνης ἐπαγαλλόμενος πυγῇσιν·
ἀλλὰ θύμον καὶ σκόρδα φέρει καὶ σῦκα καὶ ἄρτους,
ἐξ ὧν οὐ πολεμοῦσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ τούτων,
οὐχ ὅπλα κέκτηνται περὶ κέρματος, οὐ περὶ δόξης.
85. Crates, son of Ascondas, was a Theban. He too was amongst the Cynic’s famous pupils. Hippobotus, however, alleges that he was a pupil not of Diogenes, but of Bryson the Achaean. The following playful lines are attributed to him:
There is a city Pera in the midst of wine-dark vapour,
Fair, fruitful, passing squalid, owning nought,
Into which sails nor fool nor parasite
Nor glutton, slave of sensual appetite,
But thyme it bears, garlic, and figs and loaves,
For which things’ sake men fight not each with other,
Nor stand to arms for money or for fame.
86 Ἔστι καὶ ἐφημερὶς ἡ θρυλουμένη οὕτως ἔχουσα·
τίθει μαγείρῳ μνᾶς δέκ’, ἰατρῷ δραχμήν,
κόλακι τάλαντα πέντε, συμβούλῳ καπνόν,
πόρνῃ τάλαντον, φιλοσόφῳ τριώβολον.
Ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ καὶ Θυρεπανοίκτης διὰ τὸ εἰς πᾶσαν εἰσιέναι οἰκίαν καὶ νουθετεῖν· ἔστιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τόδε·
Ταῦτ’ ἔχω ὅσσ’ ἔμαθον καὶ ἐφρόντισα καὶ μετὰ Μουσῶν
σέμν’ ἐδάην· τὰ δὲ πολλὰ καὶ ὄλβια τῦφος ἔμαρψεν.
Καὶ ὅτι ἐκ φιλοσοφίας αὐτῷ περιγένοιτο
Θέρμων τε χοῖνιξ καὶ τὸ μηδενὸς μέλειν.
Φέρεται δ’ αὐτοῦ κἀκεῖνο·
Ἔρωτα παύει λιμός. Εἰ δὲ μή, χρόνος·
ἐὰν δὲ τούτοις μὴ δύνῃ χρῆσθαι, βρόχος.
86. There is also his widely circulated day-book, which runs as follows:
Set down for the chef ten minas, for the doctor
One drachma, for a flatterer talents five,
For counsel smoke, for mercenary beauty
A talent, for a philosopher three obols.
He was known as the “Door-opener” – the caller to whom all doors fly open – from his habit of entering every house and admonishing those within. Here is another specimen of his composition:
That much I have which I have learnt and thought,
The noble lessons taught me by the Muses:
But wealth amassed is prey to vanity.
And again he says that what he has gained from philosophy is
A quart of lupins and to care for no one.
This too is quoted as his:
Hunger stops love, or, if not hunger, Time,
Or, failing both these means of help, – a halter.
87 Ἤκμαζε δὲ κατὰ τὴν τρίτην καὶ δεκάτην καὶ ἑκατοστὴν Ὀλυμπιάδα.
Τοῦτόν φησιν Ἀντισθένης ἐν ταῖς Διαδοχαῖς θεασάμενον ἔν τινι τραγῳδίᾳ Τήλεφον σπυρίδιον ἔχοντα καὶ τἄλλα λυπρὸν ᾆξαι ἐπὶ τὴν κυνικὴν φιλοσοφίαν· ἐξαργυρισάμενόν τε τὴν οὐσίαν-καὶ γὰρ ἦν τῶν ἐπιφανῶν-ἀθροίσαντα πρὸς τὰ [ἑκατὸν] διακόσια τάλαντα, τοῖς πολίταις ἀνεῖναι ταῦτα. Αὐτὸν δὲ καρτερῶς οὕτω φιλοσοφεῖν ὡς καὶ Φιλήμονα τὸν κωμικὸν αὐτοῦ μεμνῆσθαι. Φησὶ γοῦν·
Καὶ τοῦ θέρους μὲν εἶχεν ἱμάτιον δασύ,
ἵν’ ἐγκρατὴς ᾖ, τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος ῥάκος.
Φησὶ δὲ Διοκλῆς πεῖσαι αὐτὸν Διογένην τὴν οὐσίαν μηλόβοτον ἀνεῖναι καὶ εἴ τι ἀργύριον εἴη, εἰς θάλατταν βαλεῖν.
87. He flourished in the 113th Olympiad.
According to Antisthenes in his Successions , the first impulse to the Cynic philosophy was given to him when he saw Telephus in a certain tragedy carrying a little basket and altogether in a wretched plight. So he turned his property into money, – for he belonged to a distinguished family, – and having thus collected about 200 talents, distributed that sum among his fellow-citizens. And (it is added) so sturdy a philosopher did he become that he is mentioned by the comic poet Philemon. At all events the latter says:
In summer-time a thick cloak he would wear
To be like Crates, and in winter rags.
Diocles relates how Diogenes persuaded Crates to give up his fields to sheep pasture, and throw into the sea any money he had.
88 Καὶ Κράτητος μέν, φησίν, ὁ οἶκος ὑπ’ Ἀλεξάνδρου, Ἱππαρχίας δὲ ὑπὸ Φιλίππου. Πολλάκις τε τῇ βακτηρίᾳ τῶν συγγενῶν τινας προσιόντας καὶ ἀποτρέποντας ἐδίωκε, καὶ ἦν γενναῖος.
Φησὶ δὲ Δημήτριος ὁ Μάγνης τραπεζίτῃ τινὶ παρακαταθέσθαι τἀργύριον, συνθέμενον, εἰ μὲν οἱ παῖδες ἰδιῶται γενηθεῖεν, αὐτοῖς ἀποδοῦναι· εἰ δὲ φιλόσοφοι, τῷ δήμῳ διανεῖμαι· μηδενὸς γὰρ ἐκείνους δεήσεσθαι φιλοσοφοῦντας. Ἐρατοσθένης δέ φησιν ἐξ Ἱππαρχίας, περὶ ἧς λέξομεν, γενομένου παιδὸς αὐτῷ ὄνομα Πασικλέους, ὅτ’ ἐξ ἐφήβων ἐγένετο, ἀγαγεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπ’ οἴκημα παιδίσκης καὶ φάναι τοῦτον αὐτῷ πατρῷον εἶναι τὸν γάμον·
88. In the home of Crates Alexander is said to have lodged, as Philip once lived in Hipparchia’s. Often, too, certain of his kinsmen would come to visit him and try to divert him from his purpose. These he would drive from him with his stick, and his resolution was unshaken. Demetrius of Magnesia tells a story that he entrusted a banker with a sum of money on condition that, if his sons proved ordinary men he was to pay it to them, but, if they became philosophers, then to distribute it among the people: for his sons would need nothing, if they took to philosophy. Eratosthenes tells us that by Hipparchia, of whom we shall presently speak, he had a son born to him named Pasicles, and after he had ceased to be a cadet on service, Crates took him to a brothel and told him that was how his father had married.
89 τοὺς δὲ τῶν μοιχευόντων τραγικούς, <οὓς> φυγάς τε καὶ φόνους ἔχειν ἔπαθλον· τοὺς τῶν ἑταίραις προσιόντων κωμικούς· ἐξ ἀσωτίας γὰρ καὶ μέθης μανίαν ἀπεργάζεσθαι.
Τούτου γέγονε Πασικλῆς ἀδελφός, μαθητὴς Εὐκλείδου. Χάριεν δ’ αὐτοῦ Φαβωρῖνος ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ τῶν Ἀπομνημονευμάτων φέρει. Φησὶ γάρ· παρακαλῶν περί του τὸν γυμνασίαρχον, τῶν ἰσχίων αὐτοῦ ἥπτετο· ἀγανακτοῦντος δέ, ἔφη, « Τί γάρ; οὐχὶ καὶ ταῦτα σά ἐστι καθάπερ καὶ τὰ γόνατα; » ἔλεγέ τ’ ἀδύνατον εἶναι ἀδιάπτωτον εὑρεῖν, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐν ῥοιᾷ καὶ σαπρόν τινα κόκκον εἶναι. Νικόδρομον ἐξερεθίσας τὸν κιθαρῳδὸν ὑπωπιάσθη· προσθεὶς οὖν πιττάκιον τῷ μετώπῳ ἐπέγραψε, « Νικόδρομος ἐποίει. »
89. The marriage of intrigue and adultery, he said, belonged to tragedy, having exile or assassination as its rewards; while the weddings of those who take up with courtesans are material for comedy, for as a result of extravagance and drunkenness they bring about madness.
This man had a brother named Pasicles, who was a disciple of Euclides.
Favorinus, in the second book of his Memorabilia , tells a pleasant story of Crates. For he relates how, when making some request of the master of the gymnasium, he laid hold on his hips; and when he demurred, said, “What, are not these hip-joints yours as much as your knees?” It was, he used to say, impossible to find anybody wholly free from flaws; but, just as in a pomegranate, one of the seeds is always going bad. Having exasperated the musician Nicodromus, he was struck by him on the face. So he stuck a plaster on his forehead with these words on it, “Nicodromus’s handiwork.”
90 Τὰς πόρνας ἐπίτηδες ἐλοιδόρει, συγγυμνάζων ἑαυτὸν πρὸς τὰς βλασφημίας.
Δημήτριον τὸν Φαληρέα πέμψαντα αὐτῷ ἄρτους καὶ οἶνον ὠνείδισεν εἰπών, « Εἴθε γὰρ αἱ κρῆναι καὶ ἄρτους ἔφερον. » Δῆλον οὖν ὡς ὕδωρ ἔπινεν. Ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθήνησιν ἀστυνόμων ἐπιτιμηθεὶς ὅτι σινδόνα ἠμφίεστο, ἔφη, « Καὶ Θεόφραστον ὑμῖν δείξω σινδόνα περιβεβλημένον· » ἀπιστούντων δέ, ἀπήγαγεν ἐπὶ κουρεῖον καὶ ἔδειξε κειρόμενον. Ἐν Θήβαις ὑπὸ τοῦ γυμνασιάρχου μαστιγωθείς - οἱ δέ, ἐν Κορίνθῳ ὑπ’ Εὐθυκράτους - καὶ ἑλκόμενος τοῦ ποδὸς ἐπέλεγεν ἀφροντιστῶν,
Ἕλκε ποδὸς τεταγὼν διὰ βηλοῦ θεσπεσίοιο.
90. He carried on a regular campaign of invective against the courtesans, habituating himself to meet their abuse.
When Demetrius of Phalerum sent him loaves of bread and some wine, he reproached him, saying, “Oh that the springs yielded bread as well as water!” It is clear, then, that he was a water-drinker. When the police-inspectors found fault with him for wearing muslin, his answer was, “I’ll show you that Theophrastus also wears muslin.” This they would not believe: so he led them to a barber’s shop and showed them Theophrastus being shaved. At Thebes he was flogged by the master of the gymnasium – another version being that it was by Euthycrates and at Corinth; and being dragged by the heels, he called out, as if it did not affect him:
Seized by the foot and dragged o’er heaven’s high threshold:
91 Διοκλῆς δέ φησιν ἑλχθῆναι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Μενεδήμου τοῦ Ἐρετρικοῦ. Ἔπειδὴ γὰρ εὐπρεπὴς ἦν καὶ ἐδόκει χρησιμεύειν Ἀσκληπιάδῃ τῷ Φλιασίῳ, ἁψάμενος αὐτοῦ τῶν μηρῶν ὁ Κράτης ἔφη, « Ἔνδον Ἀσκληπιάδης. » Ἐφ’ ᾧ δυσχεράναντα τὸν Μενέδημον ἕλκειν αὐτόν, τὸν δὲ τοῦτο ἐπιλέγειν.
Ζήνων δ’ ὁ Κιτιεὺς ἐν ταῖς Χρείαις καὶ κῴδιον αὐτόν φησί ποτε προσράψαι τῷ τρίβωνι ἀνεπιστρεπτοῦντα. Ἦν δὲ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν αἰσχρὸς καὶ γυμναζόμενος ἐγελᾶτο. Εἰώθει δὲ λέγειν ἐπαίρων τὰς χεῖρας, « Θάρρει, Κράτης, ὑπὲρ ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος·
91. Diocles, however, says that it was by Menedemus of Eretria that he was thus dragged. For he being handsome and being thought to be intimate with Asclepiades the Phliasian, Crates slapped him on the side with a brutal taunt; whereupon Menedemus, full of indignation, dragged him along, and he declaimed as above.
Zeno of Citium in his Anecdotes relates that in a fit of heedlessness he sewed a sheepskin to his cloak. He was ugly to look at, and when performing his gymnastic exercises used to be laughed at. He was accustomed to say, raising his hands, “Take heart, Crates, for it is for the good of your eyes and of the rest of your body.
92 τούτους δ’ ὄψει τοὺς καταγελῶντας, ἤδη καὶ συνεσπασμένους ὑπὸ νόσου καί σε μακαρίζοντας, αὑτοὺς δὲ καταμεμφομένους ἐπὶ τῇ ἀργίᾳ. » Ἔλεγε δὲ μέχρι τούτου δεῖν φιλοσοφεῖν, μέχρι ἂν δόξωσιν οἱ στρατηγοὶ εἶναι ὀνηλάται. Ἐρήμους ἔλεγε τοὺς μετὰ κολάκων ὄντας ὥσπερ τοὺς μόσχους ἐπειδὰν μετὰ λύκων ὦσιν· οὔτε γὰρ ἐκείνοις τοὺς προσήκοντας οὔτε τούτοις συνεῖναι, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας. Συναισθανόμενος ὅτι ἀποθνήσκει, ἐπῇδε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν λέγων,
Στείχεις δή, φίλε κυρτών,
[βαίνεις] εἰς Ἀίδαο δόμους [κυφὸς ὥρην διὰ γῆρας].
92. You will see these men, who are laughing at you, tortured before long by disease, counting you happy, and reproaching themselves for their sluggishness.” He used to say that we should study philosophy to the point of seeing in generals nothing but donkey-drivers. Those who live with flatterers he declared to be as defenceless as calves in the midst of wolves; for neither these nor those have any to protect them, but only such as plot against them. Perceiving that he was dying, he would chant over himself this charm, “You are going, dear hunchback, you are off to the house of Hades, – bent crooked by old age.” For his years had bowed him down.
93 Πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον πυθόμενον εἰ βούλεται αὐτοῦ τὴν πατρίδα ἀνορθωθῆναι, ἔφη, « Καὶ τί δεῖ; πάλιν γὰρ ἴσως Ἀλέξανδρος ἄλλος αὐτὴν κατασκάψει. » Ἔχειν δὲ πατρίδα ἀδοξίαν καὶ πενίαν ἀνάλωτα τῇ τύχῃ καὶ Διογένους εἶναι πολίτης ἀνεπιβουλεύτου φθόνῳ. Μέμνηται δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ Μένανδρος ἐν Διδύμαις οὕτως·
Συμπεριπατήσεις γὰρ τρίβων’ ἔχουσ’ ἐμοί,
ὥσπερ Κράτητι τῷ κυνικῷ ποθ’ ἡ γυνή,
καὶ θυγατέρ’ ἐξέδωκ’ ἐκεῖνος, ὡς ἔφη
αὐτός, ἐπὶ πείρᾳ δοὺς τριάκονθ’ ἡμέρας.
Μαθηταὶ δ’ αὐτοῦ·
Μητροκλής
93. When Alexander inquired whether he would like his native city to be rebuilt, his answer was, “Why should it be? Perhaps another Alexander will destroy it again.” Ignominy and Poverty he declared to be his country, which Fortune could never take captive. He was, he said, a fellow-citizen of Diogenes, who defied all the plots of envy. Menander alludes to him in the Twin Sisters in the following lines:
Wearing a cloak you’ll go about with me,
As once with Cynic Crates went his wife:
His daughter too, as he himself declared,
He gave in marriage for a month on trial.
We come now to his pupils.
94 Μητροκλῆς, ἀδελφὸς Ἱππαρχίας, ὃς πρότερον ἀκούων Θεοφράστου τοῦ περιπατητικοῦ τοσοῦτον διέφθαρτο ὥστε ποτὲ μελετῶν καὶ μεταξύ πως ἀποπαρδὼν ὑπ’ ἀθυμίας οἴκοι κατάκλειστος ἦν, ἀποκαρτερεῖν βουλόμενος. Μαθὼν δὴ ὁ Κράτης εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν παρακληθεὶς καὶ θέρμους ἐπίτηδες βεβρωκὼς ἔπειθε μὲν αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ τῶν λόγων μηδὲν φαῦλον πεποιηκέναι· τέρας γὰρ ἂν γεγονέναι εἰ μὴ καὶ τὰ πνεύματα κατὰ φύσιν ἀπεκρίνετο· τέλος δὲ καὶ ἀποπαρδὼν ἀνέρρωσεν αὐτόν, ἀφ’ ὁμοιότητος τῶν ἔργων παραμυθησάμενος. Τοὐντεῦθεν ἤκουεν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ ἱκανὸς ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ.
94. Metrocles of Maroneia was the brother of Hipparchia. He had been formerly a pupil of Theophrastus the Peripatetic, and had been so far corrupted by weakness that, when he made a breach of good manners in the course of rehearsing a speech, it drove him to despair, and he shut himself up at home, intending to starve himself to death. On learning this Crates came to visit him as he had been asked to do, and after advisedly making a meal of lupins, he tried to persuade him by argument as well that he had committed no crime, for a prodigy would have happened if he had not taken the natural means of relieving himself. At last by reproducing the action he succeeded in lifting him from his dejection, using for his consolation the likeness of the occurrences. From that time forward Metrocles was his pupil, and became proficient in philosophy.
95 Οὗτος τὰ ἑαυτοῦ συγγράμματα κατακαίων, ὥς φησιν Ἑκάτων ἐν πρώτῳ Χρειῶν, ἐπέλεγε·
Τάδ’ ἔστ’ ὀνείρων νερτέρων φαντάσματα,
[οἷον λῆρος]· οἱ δ’, ὅτι τὰς Θεοφράστου ἀκροάσεις καταφλέγων ἐπέλεγε,
Ἥφαιστε, πρόμολ’ ὧδε, πόλις νύ τι σεῖο χατίζει.
Οὗτος ἔλεγε τῶν πραγμάτων τὰ μὲν ἀργυρίου ὠνητὰ εἶναι, οἷον οἰκίαν· τὰ δὲ χρόνου καὶ ἐπιμελείας, ὡς παιδείαν. Τὸν πλοῦτον βλαβερόν, εἰ μή τις ἀξίως αὐτῷ χρῷτο.
Ἐτελεύτα δὲ ὑπὸ γήρως ἑαυτὸν πνίξας.
Μαθηταὶ δ’ αὐτοῦ Θεόμβροτος καὶ Κλεομένης, Θεομβρότου Δημήτριος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Κλεομένους Τίμαρχος Ἀλεξανδρεὺς καὶ Ἐχεκλῆς Ἐφέσιος· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἐχεκλῆς Θεομβρότου διήκουσεν, οὗ Μενέδημος, περὶ οὗ λέξομεν. ἐγένετο καὶ Μένιππος Σινωπεὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐπιφανής.
Ιππαρχία
95. Hecato in the first book of his Anecdotes tells us he burned his compositions with the words:
Phantoms are these of dreams o’ the world below.
Others say that when he set fire to his notes of Theophrastus’s lectures, he added the line:
Come hither, Hephaestus, Thetis now needeth thee.
He divided things into such as are procurable for money, like a house, and such as can be procured by time and trouble, like education. Wealth, he said, is harmful, unless we put it to a worthy use.
He died of old age, having choked himself.
His disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.
96 Ἐθηράθη δὲ τοῖς λόγοις καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τοῦ Μητροκλέους Ἱππαρχία. Μαρωνεῖται δ’ ἦσαν ἀμφότεροι.
Καὶ ἤρα τοῦ Κράτητος καὶ τῶν λόγων καὶ τοῦ βίου, οὐδενὸς τῶν μνηστευομένων ἐπιστρεφομένη, οὐ πλούτου, οὐκ εὐγενείας, οὐ κάλλους· ἀλλὰ πάντ’ ἦν Κράτης αὐτῇ. Καὶ δὴ καὶ ἠπείλει τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἀναιρήσειν αὑτήν, εἰ μὴ τούτῳ δοθείη. Κράτης μὲν οὖν παρακαλούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν γονέων αὐτῆς ἀποτρέψαι τὴν παῖδα, πάντ’ ἐποίει, καὶ τέλος μὴ πείθων, ἀναστὰς καὶ ἀποθέμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκευὴν ἀντικρὺ αὐτῆς ἔφη, « Ὁ μὲν νυμφίος οὗτος, ἡ δὲ κτῆσις αὕτη, πρὸς ταῦτα βουλεύου· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔσεσθαι κοινωνός, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων γενηθείης. »
96. Hipparchia too, sister of Metrocles, was captured by their doctrines. Both of them were born at Maroneia.
She fell in love with the discourses and the life of Crates, and would not pay attention to any of her suitors, their wealth, their high birth or their beauty. But to her Crates was everything. She used even to threaten her parents she would make away with herself, unless she were given in marriage to him. Crates therefore was implored by her parents to dissuade the girl, and did all he could, and at last, failing to persuade her, got up, took off his clothes before her face and said, “This is the bridegroom, here are his possessions; make your choice accordingly; for you will be no helpmeet of mine, unless you share my pursuits.”
97 Εἵλετο ἡ παῖς καὶ ταὐτὸν ἀναλαβοῦσα σχῆμα συμπεριῄει τἀνδρὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ συνεγίνετο καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ δεῖπνα ἀπῄει. Ὅτε καὶ πρὸς Λυσίμαχον εἰς τὸ συμπόσιον ἦλθεν, ἔνθα Θεόδωρον τὸν ἐπίκλην Ἄθεον ἐπήλεγξε, σόφισμα προτείνασα τοιοῦτον· ὃ ποιῶν Θεόδωρος οὐκ ἂν ἀδικεῖν λέγοιτο, οὐδ’ Ἱππαρχία ποιοῦσα τοῦτο ἀδικεῖν λέγοιτ’ ἄν· Θεόδωρος δὲ τύπτων ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἀδικεῖ, οὐδ’ ἄρα Ἱππαρχία Θεόδωρον τύπτουσα ἀδικεῖ. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὸ λεχθὲν οὐδὲν ἀπήντησεν, ἀνέσυρε δ’ αὐτῆς θοἰμάτιον· ἀλλ’ οὔτε κατεπλάγη Ἱππαρχία οὔτε διεταράχθη ὡς γυνή.
97. The girl chose and, adopting the same dress, went about with her husband and lived with him in public and went out to dinners with him. Accordingly she appeared at the banquet given by Lysimachus, and there put down Theodorus, known as the atheist, by means of the following sophism. Any action which would not be called wrong if done by Theodorus, would not be called wrong if done by Hipparchia. Now Theodorus does no wrong when he strikes himself: therefore neither does Hipparchia do wrong when she strikes Theodorus. He had no reply wherewith to meet the argument, but tried to strip her of her cloak. But Hipparchia showed no sign of alarm or of the perturbation natural in a woman.
98 Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰπόντος αὐτῇ, « Αὕτη ἐστὶν
Ἡ τὰς παρ’ ἱστοῖς ἐκλιποῦσα κερκίδας; »,
« Ἐγώ, » φησίν, « εἰμί, Θεόδωρε· ἀλλὰ μὴ κακῶς σοι δοκῶ βεβουλεῦσθαι περὶ αὑτῆς, εἰ, τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἔμελλον ἱστοῖς προσαναλώσειν, τοῦτον εἰς παιδείαν κατεχρησάμην; » Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ ἄλλα μυρία τῆς φιλοσόφου.
Φέρεται δὲ τοῦ Κράτητος βιβλίον Ἐπιστολαί, ἐν αἷς ἄριστα φιλοσοφεῖ, τὴν λέξιν ἔστιν ὅτε παραπλήσιος Πλάτωνι. Γέγραφε καὶ τραγῳδίας ὑψηλότατον ἐχούσας φιλοσοφίας χαρακτῆρα, οἷόν ἐστι κἀκεῖνο)·
Οὐχ εἷς πάτρας μοι πύργος, οὐ μία στέγη,
πάσης δὲ χέρσου καὶ πόλισμα καὶ δόμος
ἕτοιμος ἡμῖν ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι πάρα.
Ἐτελεύτησε δὲ γηραιὸς καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ.
Μένιππος
98. And when he said to her:
“Is this she
Who quitting woof and warp and comb and loom?”
she replied, “It is I, Theodorus, – but do you suppose that I have been ill advised about myself, if instead of wasting further time upon the loom I spent it in education?” These tales and countless others are told of the female philosopher.
There is current a work of Crates entitled Epistles , containing excellent philosophy in a style which sometimes resembles that of Plato. He has also written tragedies, stamped with a very lofty kind of philosophy; as, for example, the following passage:
Not one tower hath my country nor one roof,
But wide as the whole earth its citadel
And home prepared for us to dwell therein.
He died in old age, and was buried in Boeotia.
99 Μένιππος, καὶ οὗτος κυνικός, τὸ ἀνέκαθεν ἦν Φοῖνιξ, δοῦλος, ὥς φησιν Ἀχαϊκὸς ἐν Ἠθικοῖς. Διοκλῆς δὲ καὶ τὸν δεσπότην αὐτοῦ Ποντικὸν εἶναι καὶ Βάτωνα καλεῖσθαι. ἀτηρότερον δ’ αἰτῶν ὑπὸ φιλαργυρίας ἴσχυσε Θηβαῖος γενέσθαι.
Φέρει μὲν οὖν σπουδαῖον οὐδέν· τὰ δὲ βιβλία αὐτοῦ πολλοῦ καταγέλωτος γέμει καί τι ἴσον τοῖς Μελεάγρου τοῦ κατ’ αὐτὸν γενομένου.
Φησὶ δ’ Ἕρμιππος ἡμεροδανειστὴν αὐτὸν γεγονέναι καὶ καλεῖσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ναυτικῷ τόκῳ δανείζειν καὶ ἐξενεχυριάζειν, ὥστε πάμπλειστα χρήματα ἀθροίζειν·
99. Menippus, also a Cynic, was by descent a Phoenician – a slave, as Achacus in his treatise on Ethics says. Diocles further informs us that his master was a citizen of Pontus and was named Baton. But as avarice made him very resolute in begging, he succeeded in becoming a Theban.
There is no seriousness in him; but his books overflow with laughter, much the same as those of his contemporary Meleager.
Hermippus says that he lent out money by the day and got a nickname from doing so. For he used to make loans on bottomry and take security, thus accumulating a large fortune.
100 τέλος δ’ ἐπιβουλευθέντα πάντων στερηθῆναι καὶ ὑπ’ ἀθυμίας βρόχῳ τὸν βίον μεταλλάξαι. καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπαίξαμεν εἰς αὐτόν·
Φοίνικα τὸ γένος, ἀλλὰ Κρητικὸν κύνα,
ἡμεροδανειστήν - τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπεκλῄζετο -
οἶσθα Μένιππον ἴσως.
Θήβησιν οὗτος ὡς διωρύγη ποτὲ
καὶ πάντ’ ἀπέβαλεν οὐδ’ ἐνόει φύσιν κυνός,
αὑτὸν ἀνεκρέμασεν.
Ἔνιοι δὲ τὰ βιβλί’ αὐτοῦ οὐκ αὐτοῦ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ Διονυσίου καὶ Ζωπύρου τῶν Κολοφωνίων, οἳ τοῦ παίζειν ἕνεκα συγγράφοντες ἐδίδοσαν αὐτῷ ὡς εὖ δυναμένῳ διαθέσθαι.
100. At last, however, he fell a victim to a plot, was robbed of all, and in despair ended his days by hanging himself. I have composed a trifle upon him:
May be, you know Menippus,
Phoenician by birth, but a Cretan hound:
A money-lender by the day – so he was called –
At Thebes when once on a time his house was broken into
And he lost his all, not understanding what it is to be a Cynic,
He hanged himself.
Some authorities question the genuineness of the books attributed to him, alleging them to be by Dionysius and Zopyrus of Colophon, who, writing them for a joke, made them over to Menippus as a person able to dispose of them advantageously.
101 Γεγόνασι δὲ Μένιπποι ἕξ· πρῶτος ὁ γράψας τὰ περὶ Λυδῶν καὶ Ξάνθον ἐπιτεμόμενος, δεύτερος αὐτὸς οὗτος, τρίτος Στρατονικεὺς σοφιστής, Κὰρ τὸ ἀνέκαθεν· τέταρτος ἀνδριαντοποιός, πέμπτος καὶ ἕκτος ζωγράφοι· μέμνηται δ’ ἀμφοτέρων Ἀπολλόδωρος.
Τὰ δ’ οὖν τοῦ κυνικοῦ βιβλία ἐστὶ δεκατρία,
Νέκυια,
Διαθῆκαι,
Ἐπιστολαὶ κεκομψευμέναι ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν προσώπου,
Πρὸς τοὺς φυσικοὺς καὶ μαθηματικοὺς καὶ γραμματικοὺς καὶ
Γονὰς Ἐπικούρου καὶ
Τὰς θρησκευομένας ὑπ’ αὐτῶν εἰκάδας.
καὶ ἄλλα.
Μενέδημος
101. There have been six men named Menippus: the first the man who wrote a History of the Lydians and abridged Xanthus; the second my present subject; the third a sophist of Stratonicea, a Carian by descent; the fourth a sculptor; the fifth and sixth painters, both mentioned by Apollodorus.
However, the writings of Menippus the Cynic are thirteen in number:
Necromancy.
Wills.
Epistles artificially composed as if by the gods.
Replies to the physicists and mathematicians and grammarians; and
A book about the birth of Epicurus; and
The School’s reverence for the twentieth day.
Besides other works.
102 Μενέδημος Κωλώτου τοῦ Λαμψακηνοῦ μαθητής. Οὗτος, καθά φησιν Ἱππόβοτος, εἰς τοσοῦτον τερατείας ἤλασεν ὥστε Ἐρινύος ἀναλαβὼν σχῆμα περιῄει, λέγων ἐπίσκοπος ἀφῖχθαι ἐξ ᾅδου τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων, ὅπως πάλιν κατιὼν ταῦτα ἀπαγγέλλοι τοῖς ἐκεῖ δαίμοσιν. Ἦν δὲ αὐτῷ ἡ ἐσθὴς αὕτη· χιτὼν φαιὸς ποδήρης, περὶ αὐτῷ ζώνη φοινικῆ, πῖλος Ἀρκαδικὸς ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχων ἐνυφασμένα τὰ δώδεκα στοιχεῖα, ἐμβάται τραγικοί, πώγων ὑπερμεγέθης, ῥάβδος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ μειλίνη.
102. Menedemus was a pupil of Colotes of Lampsacus. According to Hippobotus he had attained such a degree of audacity in wonder-working that he went about in the guise of a Fury, saying that he had come from Hades to take cognisance of sins committed, and was going to return and report them to the powers down below. This was his attire: a grey tunic reaching to the feet, about it a crimson girdle; an Arcadian hat on his head with the twelve signs of the zodiac inwrought in it; buskins of tragedy; and he wore a very long beard and carried an ashen staff in his hand.
103 Καὶ οὗτοι μὲν οἱ βίοι τῶν κυνικῶν ἑκάστου. Προσυπογράψομεν δὲ καὶ τὰ κοινῇ ἀρέσκοντα αὐτοῖς, αἵρεσιν καὶ ταύτην εἶναι ἐγκρίνοντες τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, οὐ, καθά φασί τινες, ἔνστασιν βίου. Ἀρέσκει οὖν αὐτοῖς τὸν λογικὸν καὶ τὸν φυσικὸν τόπον περιαιρεῖν, ἐμφερῶς Ἀρίστωνι τῷ Χίῳ, μόνῳ δὲ προσέχειν τῷ ἠθικῷ. Καὶ ὅπερ τινὲς ἐπὶ Σωκράτους, τοῦτο Διοκλῆς ἐπὶ Διογένους ἀναγράφει, τοῦτον φάσκων λέγειν, « Δεῖ ζητεῖν
Ὅττι τοι ἐν μεγάροισι κακόν τ’ ἀγαθόν τε τέτυκται. »
Παραιτοῦνται δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐγκύκλια μαθήματα. Γράμματα γοῦν μὴ μανθάνειν ἔφασκεν ὁ Ἀντισθένης τοὺς σώφρονας γενομένους, ἵνα μὴ διαστρέφοιντο τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις.
103. Such are the lives of the several Cynics. But we will go on to append the doctrines which they held in common – if, that is, we decide that Cynicism is really a philosophy, and not, as some maintain, just a way of life. They are content then, like Ariston of Chios, to do away with the subjects of Logic and Physics and to devote their whole attention to Ethics. And what some assert of Socrates, Diocles records of Diogenes, representing him as saying: “We must inquire into
Whate’er of good or ill within our halls is wrought.”
They also dispense with the ordinary subjects of instruction. At least Antisthenes used to say that those who had attained discretion had better not study literature, lest they should be perverted by alien influences.
104 Περιαιροῦσι δὲ καὶ γεωμετρίαν καὶ μουσικὴν καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα. Ὁ γοῦν Διογένης πρὸς τὸν ἐπιδεικνύντα αὐτῷ ὡροσκοπεῖον, « Χρήσιμον, » ἔφη, « τὸ ἔργον πρὸς τὸ μὴ ὑστερῆσαι δείπνου. » πρὸς τὸν ἐπιδεικνύντα αὐτῷ μουσικὴν ἔφη·
Γνώμαις γὰρ ἀνδρῶν εὖ μὲν οἰκοῦνται πόλεις,
εὖ δ’ οἶκος, οὐ ψαλμοῖσι καὶ τερετίσμασιν.
Ἀρέσκει δ’ αὐτοῖς καὶ τέλος εἶναι τὸ κατ’ ἀρετὴν ζῆν, ὡς Ἀντισθένης φησὶν ἐν τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ , ὁμοίως τοῖς στωικοῖς· ἐπεὶ καὶ κοινωνία τις ταῖς δύο ταύταις αἱρέσεσίν ἐστιν. Ὅθεν καὶ τὸν κυνισμὸν εἰρήκασι σύντομον ἐπ’ ἀρετὴν ὁδόν. Καὶ οὕτως ἐβίω καὶ Ζήνων ὁ Κιτιεύς.
104. So they get rid of geometry and music and all such studies. Anyhow, when somebody showed Diogenes a clock, he pronounced it a serviceable instrument to save one from being late for dinner. Again, to a man who gave a musical recital before him he said:
By men’s minds states are ordered well, and households,
Not by the lyre’s twanged strings or flute’s trilled notes.
They hold further that “Life according to Virtue” is the End to be sought, as Antisthenes says in his Heracles : exactly like the Stoics. For indeed there is a certain close relationship between the two schools. Hence it has been said that Cynicism is a short cut to virtue; and after the same pattern did Zeno of Citium live his life.
105 Ἀρέσκει δ’ αὐτοῖς καὶ λιτῶς βιοῦν, αὐτάρκεσι χρωμένοις σιτίοις καὶ τρίβωσι μόνοις, πλούτου καὶ δόξης καὶ εὐγενείας καταφρονοῦσιν. Ἔνιοι γοῦν καὶ βοτάναις καὶ παντάπασιν ὕδατι χρῶνται ψυχρῷ σκέπαις τε ταῖς τυχούσαις καὶ πίθοις, καθάπερ Διογένης, ὃς ἔφασκε θεῶν μὲν ἴδιον εἶναι μηδενὸς δεῖσθαι, τῶν δὲ θεοῖς ὁμοίων τὸ ὀλίγων χρῄζειν.
Ἀρέσκει δ’ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν διδακτὴν εἶναι, καθά φησιν Ἀντισθένης ἐν τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ, καὶ ἀναπόβλητον ὑπάρχειν· ἀξιέραστόν τε τὸν σοφὸν καὶ ἀναμάρτητον καὶ φίλον τῷ ὁμοίῳ, τύχῃ τε μηδὲν ἐπιτρέπειν. Τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας ἀδιάφορα λέγουσιν ὁμοίως Ἀρίστωνι τῷ Χίῳ.
Καὶ οὗτοι μὲν οἱ κυνικοί· μετιτέον δ’ ἐπὶ τοὺς στωικούς, ὧν ἦρξε Ζήνων, μαθητὴς γενόμενος Κράτητος.
105. They also hold that we should live frugally, eating food for nourishment only and wearing a single garment. Wealth and fame and high birth they despise. Some at all events are vegetarians and drink cold water only and are content with any kind of shelter or tubs, like Diogenes, who used to say that it was the privilege of the gods to need nothing and of god-like men to want but little.
They hold, further, that virtue can be taught, as Antisthenes maintains in his Heracles , and when once acquired cannot be lost; and that the wise man is worthy to be loved, impeccable, and a friend to his like; and that we should entrust nothing to fortune. Whatever is intermediate between Virtue and Vice they, in agreement with Ariston of Chios, account indifferent.
So much, then, for the Cynics. We must now pass on to the Stoics, whose founder was Zeno, a disciple of Crates.
Ζήνων