eul_wid: siy-ar
DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20335421 PDFMarkdown

Declamations and Orations: Oration 15 (Farewell Oration) by Himerius the Sophist

In a short send-off, Himerius warns that a father's fame did not help the sons of Pericles but became evidence against them, since they proved unworthy of it. The remedy he offers is aretē and logos, the first in command and the second carrying out its orders. He then turns to boys released from their teachers for a procession, and to Midas, who drugged a spring with wine to catch the Satyr.

Part of Declamations and Orations

Προπεμπτικός.

Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἴσως καλῶς ποιεῖς· ἀνάγκη γὰρ δήπου τὸν ἐπαινεῖσθαι βουλόμενον καὶ τῶν πράξεων ἐκείνων ἐπιθυμεῖν, ἀφʼ ὧν ὑπάρχει τὸ θαυμάζεσθαι. οὐ γὰρ ἀπέχρησε τοῖς παισὶ τὰ τοῦ Περικλέους σεμνολογήματα, ἀλλʼ ἀνάξιοι τῆς πατρῴας ἀρετῆς γενόμενοι μείζονος δήπου διαβολῆς αἰτίαν τὴν πατρῴαν δόξαν ἐκτήσαντο. καὶ πολλῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἀνδρῶν ἀρίστων γεγόνασι παῖδες, οἷς ἅπασιν οὐ πρὸς ἐγκωμίου πλέον, ἔλεγχος δὲ κακίας ἐγένετο τὰ τῶν πατέρων ὀνόματα ...

Τίς οὖν, ἴσως ἂν ἐρεῖς, ἡ θεραπεία τοῦ νοῦ; ἀρετὴ καὶ λόγος· ἡ μὲν ἄρχουσα καὶ ἐπιστατοῦσα τῷ λόγῳ· ὁ δέ, καθάπερ τις δεξιὸς ἀγαθῆς βασιλίδος διάκονος, τὰ ἐκείνης ἐπιτελῶν σπουδῇ πάσῃ εἰς ἔργον τε ἄγων προστάγματα ...

Ἔστι καὶ ἄλλος ἀρετῶν μυρίος χορός, ὃν ἅπαντα εὑρήσεις εἴσω παιδείας ἀνακτόρων γενόμενος. ταύτας δὲ ὥσπερ τιθηνοὺς καὶ μητέρας ἐκείνων προξενῶ τέ σοι, καὶ φημὶ δὴ διʼ ἐκείνων καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐχομένων θήρας ἐφίξεσθαι ...

Οἱ δὲ παῖδες ἀπολελυμένοι διδασκάλων τὴν πομπὴν ἐκείνην ἔπεμπον ...

Ὁ δὲ Φρὺξ ὁ Μίδας ἑλεῖν θελήσας τὸν Σάτυρον, οἴνῳ φαρμάττει τὰ νάματα, καὶ δήσας ὕπνῳ καὶ κώματι, θήραν ἐποιεῖτο τὸν Σάτυρον ...