Fragments of PseudepicharmeaΨευδεπιχάρμου Ἀποσπάσματα
Epicharmus of Syracuse Fragments of Pseudepicharmea PDF
The Pseudepicharmea is a collection of sententious verses falsely attributed to the Sicilian comic poet Epicharmus of Syracuse, an early 5th-century BCE founder of comic drama. The eight surviving fragments, written in Doric Greek, present philosophical maxims on ethics and the divine but are considered spurious by modern scholarship. Their content addresses several philosophical themes, including the omnipotence of the gods and the frailty of humanity, ethical ideals of moderation and self-control, the nature of the soul as a divine element, and reflections on cosmic order and stability. The work survives only through quotation by later authors, primarily the 5th-century CE anthologist Stobaeus, with other sources including Clement of Alexandria and Platonic scholia. The maintained Doric dialect imitates Epicharmus’s genuine style, but the hexameter verse form and philosophical content reveal its pseudonymous nature. The fragments exemplify the Hellenistic practice of pseudepigraphy, where new philosophical ideas were authorized by attachment to venerable names. They significantly shaped Epicharmus’s posthumous reputation as a sage, which ultimately overshadowed his legacy as a comic playwright in later antiquity.
| 86-91 tit | Pseudepicharmea |
| 86 | τεῖδ’ ἔνεcτι πολλὰ καὶ παν[τ]οῖα, τοῖc χρήcαιό κα ποτὶ φίλον, ποτ’ ἐχθρόν, ἐν δίκαι λέγων, ἐν ἁλίαι, ποτὶ πονηρόν, ποτὶ καλόν τε κἀγαθόν, ποτὶ ξένον, ποτὶ δύcηριν, ποτὶ πάροινον, ποτὶ βάναυcον, αἴτε τιc ἄλλ’ ἔχει κακόν τι, καὶ τούτοιcι κέντρα τεῖδ’ ἔνο. ἐν δὲ καὶ γνῶμαι cοφαὶ τεῖδ’, αἷcιν α[ἰ] πίθοιτό τιc, δεξιώτερόc τε κ’ εἴη βελτίων τ’ ἐc πά[ν]τ’ ἀνήρ. κο]ὔτι πολλὰ δεῖ λέγ[ε]ιν, ἀλλ’ ἓμ μόνον [τ]ούτων ἔποc ποττὸ πρᾶγμα ποτιφέροντα τῶνδ’ ἀε[ὶ] τὸ cυμφέρον. αἰτίαν γὰρ ἦχον ὡc ἄλλωc μὲν εἴην [δ]εξιόc, μακρολόγοc δὲ κοὐ δυναίμαν ἐμ β[ρ]αχεῖ γνώμα[c λέγ]ειν. ταῦτα δὴ ’γὼν εἰcακούcαc cυντίθημι τὰν Τέχναν τάνδ’, ὅ[π]ωc εἴπηι τιc· ‘Ἐπίχαρμοc cοφόc τιc ἐγένετο, πολλὰ δ’ εἶ]π̣’ ἀcτεῖα καὶ παντοῖα καθ’ ἓν [ἔποc] λέγων πεῖραν] αὐταυτοῦ διδοὺc ὡc καὶ β[ραχ ....... ]ε μαθὼν ἅπαc ἀνὴρ φαν[ήcεται cοφόc ...... ] . ήcει ποτ’ οὐδὲν ἔποc απ[ ........ ]οντα λυπήcει τι τῶνδ[ ........ ]τρ̣[ .. ]α δρῶντα τοῖcδ[ ............ ]ο̣ρ̣η̣τε πολυμαθη̣[ ....... ]ων[ .. ]ρ̣τ̣[ .. ]ἐρῶ δὲ καὶ τ[ ..... ]ιτε τούτοιc γα κακ̣α̣[ ... ]χειν[ ἄλλοc ἄ]λλωι γὰρ [γ]έγαθε κοὔτι ταυ[ ........ ]ε̣ πάντα δεῖ τάδ’ ὡc ε[ ........ ἔ]πειτα δ’ ἐν καιρῶι λε[ .............. ]ε̣ι̣μ̣α̣ βραχυcοι[ — — — — — — — — — — — — |
| 87 | — — — — — — — — — ...... ]c̣τ̣ι πρὸc το̣[ ....... ]ω̣ δυcτει̣[ ... ]ι̣[ .... ]εcτι χρηcτ[ . ] . [ .. ]ευ̣[ ἐ̣ν̣ι̣κ̣α̣λύπτεται τὸ φαῦλον[ εἰc τὸ cυντυχεῖν ἀηδήc ἐcτιν ο[ † ευ̣τροποc ἀνθρώποιcι δαίμων π̣[ .... ] . ο̣ι καὶ ὀρθῶc βραβεῦcαι δ̣ιαν̣ε̣[ .... ]νου̣c̣ ἐξηπάτηκεν ἄδικοc ο̣ι̣[ .... ] .. ε̣cιc πονηρὰ περὶ πονηρῶ[ν πραγμάτων ....... ] .. [ .. ] .. [ . ]νι̣c̣ ἔ̣τι ν[ ... ]ι̣π̣ . [ ............. ] . π̣[ο]ν̣ηραυ̣δ̣[ — — — — — — — — — — ]υ̣λ̣α̣[ ] . ε̣π̣ι̣[ ]θ̣ε̣ραπ[ ]νο̣c̣τε̣ν[ ]ιδεc̣ενπ̣[ ] . ε̣c̣cτι[ — — — — — — — ]η̣ν ]οc ]ν̣ ] — — — — — cπ[ ‵ — ′ου[ ‵ — ′φα[ ‵ — ′cφ[ ‵ — ′ε̣α̣[ — — — — — — — — — ]ι ποιεῖθ’ αὑτῶι φ . [ ]ε̣ν δὲ τοῖc φαυλ[ ] . c̣ χορόc ἐcτι τα̣ . [ ]τ̣αι πᾶcιν ιc[ ]ιc ὁ πόλεμοc ..... [ ]τ̣ον πόλεcι κευρε[ ] . ιν cουτι ..... [ ]ι . αιφ .... ρουο . [ ] . νειc φόβον . [ ] . [ — — — — — — ]αποc[ ]λ̣ιπα̣[ ] . α . [ .. ] . α .. αιμ̣ .. [ ] . κτημ ... ] . εcτατει ]c βαθύc̣ μ’ ὁρ̣ῶ — — — — — — — — ]α[ ]ινεμπ[ ] .. [ — — — |
| 88 | ὥc τ’ ἐμὶν δοκ[εῖ ἀλλ’ ἁπλῶc τ[ |
| 89 (tit) | ΕΠΙΧΑΡΜΟΥ ‵ — ′ ]τιc δυcτυχῶν βίον τ’ ἔχων ] . τε κἀγαθὸν ψυχᾶι διδῶι ]ν οὔτι φάcω μακάριον μ]ᾶλλον χρημάτων ἄλλωι τε̣[λεῖν |
| 90 (tit) | ΕΠ]ΙΧΑΡΜΟ̣[Υ τοὺc τρόπουc χείρω γυναῖ]κ̣ά φαμ’ ἐγὼ τῶν θηρ[ίων εἶμεν. ὅcτιc γ]ὰρ λέοντι cῖτον ἢ ποτὸν φ̣[έρει ἢ κυcὶν Μολοccικοῖc[ιν θ̣[ῆρε]c αἰκάλλοντι το[ῖ]cι[ν εὖ ποιεῦcιν εὐμενεῖc. ἁ γυνὰ δὲ τὸν τρέφοντα [πρᾶτον εἴθιcται δακεῖν. ‵ — ′ |
| 91a | † τ̣αλ̣ε̣αc̣ † γάρ ἐcθ’ ὁ φρόνιμοc· ὡc δὲ τοῦθ’ οὕτωc ἔχει, χῶροc οἰκία τυραννὶc πλοῦτοc ἰcχὺc καλλονὰ ἄφρονοc ἀνθρώπου τυχόντα καταγέλαcτα γίνεται. |
| 91b | ‵ — ′ἁδοναὶ δ’ εἰcὶν βροτοῖcιν ἀνόcιοι λαιcτήριοι· καταπεπόντιcται γὰρ εὐθὺc ἁδοναῖc ἀνὴρ ἁλούc. ‵ — ′ |