Orationes 40

504. It is no small advantage, men of Smyrna, for one who intends to persuade, that his words be pleasant to his hearers; whereas of those willing to admonish, not only do the many not readily follow their counsels, but they do not endure them 505. at all. Nevertheless, in all those matters which of themselves invite us to take them seriously, there is no need of a counsellor; for nature leads everywhere to its own interest. But those things which one must be taught by argument either to pursue or to guard against — these are left to the counsellor. So that if a man will not listen, he abolishes counsel-giving, so far as in him lies. And further, while it is reasonable that certain others should be boorish, yet for you, who seem to surpass so greatly both in intelligence and in education, not, in the first place, to be at all kindly disposed toward the hearing of speeches, and then, if anyone advises the best things, not to make use of them with gratitude — this is one of the most absurd things, to my judgement at least. If, then, I were about to propose certain labours or troublesome tasks, first perhaps there would be need of a contest, and then I would try to teach that what will benefit the whole is preferable to immediate gratification. But as it is, I am so far from proposing anything disagreeable, that I have come to give this very counsel — to say and to hear nothing disagreeable; so far am I from doing or advising anything disagreeable. And I will begin from where you too would best follow, and from my own habit. I say, then, that we ought to hold the festival for Dionysus, and, by Zeus, for Aphrodite too and all the other gods, pouring libations and sacrificing and singing paeans and wearing garlands and omitting nothing that pertains to piety. But one thing that is added to these, which is reasonably pleasing to the many, but to the reasonable men most distressing of all — this we should remove out of the way: I mean the abusive railings and these revels here by day, and, by Zeus, those at the all-night festivals, and that men should be neither composers nor performers of these, nor make sport with what is not better. For so it is: to hear abuse unwillingly is not pleasant, but to endure it willingly is a practice of malignity; and this is among the first marks of depravity. 506. And one could accuse neither a private man nor a city of anything greater than that it rejoices in evils. For that which seems to be the extreme of human faults, envy, which has no excuse — in this one must of necessity share, and one increases in oneself this lesser form of that desire. And here is a sign: no one, at any rate, takes pleasure in hearing ill spoken of those whom he loves and for whom he wishes some good.

Now concerning assault and damage and such things, one may say that a man acted unwillingly; but malignity differs so much that, first, it is named after vice, as admitting of no pardon; and then it is the designation of no mere act, but of a nature that wishes no good to anyone. And just as the thing itself shares most in vice, taking its start from its very name, so abuse in turn shares the greatest part of it, taking its start from the near likeness about the name; thus both belong to evil and base men. Always, then, I think, one ought to choose to think and to say the best things; but in sacred seasons and festivals, how is it not reasonable to be eager for all good speech, and for every most refined sentiment, and for all to be as intimate as possible with one another, since the gods award this friendship and concord — and to consider the festivals as, one might almost say, the signs of friendship, and that there is neither so splendid a sacrifice nor so pleasing a libation that would be sweeter to the gods than if we should present our judgement, out of what is possible, as the best? And indeed, what greater token could there be of reverencing the gods than to say or to hear nothing discordant in their presence? Or, while in the presence of a respected friend we would shrink from saying many things, even if we had just cause to revile someone, shall we, setting before us the ears of the gods, readily — some of us say, and some hear — things which not even we ourselves would call among the fair, but tear them to pieces as being shameful? And that 507. you may know that I say nothing new, but that these things were long since agreed upon both in the laws and in the common customs, consider the first utterances of the heralds, who bid us keep good speech at the festal gatherings; consider too the priests and those who begin the rites for us when we sacrifice; and further, how we ourselves are most earnest about this very thing in our prayers. And yet what reason is there to consider good speech the fairest of all things and most befitting to sacred rites, but to grant immunity to those who wish to revile? And, while sacrificing, to be so orderly, but, on the pretext of these very gods to whom we make the sacrifices, to hear and to say the most shameful things — and for the same men at once to be vexed at the abuse, and at the same time to make the gods, by whom we ill speak of one another, the patrons of it? And indeed, if we think it dear to the gods, we judge the contrary of ourselves, guarding against this very thing whenever we approach the gods; but if, thinking it hateful, we rejoice in it, how are we piously disposed? Or how do we honour the gods through the very things which, for the gods' sake, it was reasonable to shun?

And it seems to me astonishing, if we think fit that the voices of birds should come to us as auspicious as possible, even when we are in the wilderness or wherever we happen to be, but shall not guard our own voices, not even in the theatres, from being disagreeable. And, approaching the altars of Cledon (the goddess of the omen-voice), we would wish to hear the most auspicious words, so strong do we deem the power of this goddess; yet what we ought by no means to endure, this we will assign to the festivals; and while we bid the children speak fair, both in the schools and at home teaching them beforehand that what is shameful to do is not even fine to say, again, gathering into the same place children and women and every age, we set up prizes of abuse, and provide that, for those who have practiced it best, it may be a profit. And things which, having done or suffered, it is not lawful to enter within the 508. holy-water vessels, these we sing in the midst of the rites; and we hold it impious to sacrifice what one ought not, but we count it part of piety to honour the gods by means we ought not; and we honour decorum in other matters, but of shameful things we readily behold all gestures, and readily accept all voices. And if one of the chorus-members sings out of tune, we cast him out; but if the whole chorus sings thus unmusically, we make it a profit. And if we are thus ill spoken of by others, we are angry; but if we do this to ourselves, we think it a true festival — so strangely are we disposed toward the gods, and toward ourselves far the contrary of what is fitting. And yet some dare to say that it is good that men should be allowed to speak ill in the theatre; for those who have lived badly are convicted, and the rest, through fear of being mocked in comedy, present themselves as temperate. But I should hold drunkenness to be of very great worth, if it were able to educate men, and not rather among the hard things, for drunken men to make others temperate, and, before they have made themselves stop, to sing to the rest how they shall live in beauty. For who of you does not know that, in the first place, to educate in such matters is not for many — no more than to lay down laws and to speak judgements before the people? Or shall we believe that the voyage to Corinth is not for every man, but that what journey of life one must make, and through what pursuits, every man will know, and every man will sit at these helms, carrying the young this way and that as may seem good to him? And of athletes we hold preliminary examinations, that whichever of them is base may go off having shamed himself and at the same time paid a penalty in his body; but the leaders and teachers of the most serious things shall we examine so carelessly, taken from any workshops, from any trades? Then we shall plainly seem ourselves to need teachers. And for doorkeepers we do not use just any men, but the most trustworthy, that no shame may come upon the house; but children and women and all the 509. complement of the city — and, in a word, its very dignity — shall we hand over to those who wish to handle them? And shall we trust, drunk, those whom we have condemned when sober?

And indeed it is not the season of men teaching, but of men making sport — if you wish, of the Dionysia, or, if you wish, of the sacred barques and the all-night festivals. So that how is it reasonable that, in the very time in which we release the children from the teachers who really are such, in this we should set over them men in no way fitted and men who thrust themselves in — and that we should not be able to learn even from the very place that the pretension is unreasonable? For the teacher, at least, must not go into the theatres and admonish there; for these are dedicated to pleasures and amusements; but there are, surely, places named after the very title, where one must philosophize, and not even in these, I think, in this manner — jeering and reviling unrestrainedly — but educating the freeborn as one ought, and teaching them beforehand, among other things, to guard also against indecency. And indeed, if, mocking the licentious in comedy, they abstained from the rest, perhaps there would be some reason; but as it is, the thing begins from a fair-faced beginning, and ends in nothing fine at all. For many are ill spoken of to whom it in no way applies, and there are some who, though they escape no one's notice, nevertheless avoid the public reviling. Why? Because they do not use the ways of teachers or correctors or men wishing to make others better — for they would first have made themselves better — but, both out of enmity and out of favour to others, the one having asked for money and not got it, or having loved someone and not persuaded him, thus they blame, and again are silent for the opposite reasons; so that they do not make manifest those who live shamefully. Consider it thus: who are most likely to buy off the abuse? Would you not say those conscious of such things in themselves? And who least likely to care about this? Are they not those who are confident in themselves and in their way of life? Plainly so. The contrary, then, of the profession comes about: the licentious and shameful go scot-free, so far as the speech goes, while those are mocked in comedy whom least of all one ought. Come then, 510. let us suppose that both sorts are ill spoken of indiscriminately — for you would not say this, that no man of reasonable character is ever ill spoken of — well then, those who have neglected reputation and are once for all corrupted by shameful desires are not damaged at all, but would even count it gain, exulting in becoming manifest to all; but those who are assailed beyond their deserts — how do they not far miss the prizes which ought to belong to temperance? So that it is not in order that the young may be better for you that one must mock them in comedy; rather, if for no other reason, for this at least one must cease from comedy — that it may be possible for the young to practice the better things without fear. For the base, surely, one can ward off in other ways too; but when we so outrage the reasonable, what argument shall we give? For those to whom it does not even belong to bring a suit at law — how is it fitting that the power to dishonour them, irresponsibly, be given to anyone who wishes? If, then, one of you has conceived this too, that even to many of the reasonable it will seem preferable to part with money than to be ill spoken of — and so much the more in proportion as they are more modest in their ways — how is it not plain on all sides that comedy is a disagreeable thing, and that it is better to be once for all prevented by you? Seeing that the good will be in one of two cases: either, if they do not pay, they will be ill spoken of; or, in order not to be ill spoken of, they will be penalized, buying off the slanders with money. And if they care nothing about being ill spoken of, what will they suffer? And altogether it is not possible that the city in common should not reap the reputation of its private men. For of whatever sort those mocked in comedy are, of such a sort the whole have often been thought to be. And consider, referring back to your fathers the Athenians, whom almost all other forms of writing, so to speak, adorn, but comedy alone tore to pieces and furnished, even now, handles to those who wish to slander them; for they seemed to be convicted out of their own mouths. And how great, O Earth and gods, is the gulf between the present base coin and however much admonition and instruction there was, at least, in the so-called parabases, I forbear to say. But at any rate the proverb held — "from a stick worth it" one might even suffer, if it so befell anyone; 511. but where there is so great a depravity of diction, so great a licentiousness of songs, and besides a shamefulness of gestures, and no comedy would reach the evils that attend these things — what manner of pleasure is this? And which will you do: endure these things as fine? And what is more shameful than these? Or as profitable to hear or to behold? And indeed they are tokens of corruption; for when a man or a woman comes into the habit of being ill spoken of and of bearing the worst of reproaches, the judgement easily relaxes, and every one is taught to be base, even if he was not so before — especially of these things, none of which has anything to do with Dionysus. But to me the proverb too seems to apply not least to such follies. So be it; but for the sake of reputation are these things wonderful — when in the baths, when in the lanes, when in the market-place, when in the houses, the little women, the little children, every one in turn, sings such things in chorus? And which: will it be permitted to mock only the citizens in comedy? Then it is a terrible thing if you will know how to spare the strangers, but will not dare to spare yourselves, but will be so unlike the Spartans that they made all their own affairs unspeakable, while you will give to those who wish even what in no way applies to be said against you. But, by Zeus, shall we lay hold of the strangers too? Great, then, will be the good-doing we shall have from all, and the intercourse: surely fathers will readily bring their sons, and elder brothers their younger, hither for education, among whom such are the things that are sung! Will you not cease setting up pillars of reproach against yourselves? "By Zeus, but the jest is witty." Then so much the more it is not for many, if indeed the witty must not be thought to be many. And I would gladly ask those who delight in reviling whether they are jesting or in earnest. For if they jest, why do they pretend to admonish? And if they are in earnest, again it is fine to learn from them whether they revile these things truly or falsely. For if truly, what possesses them that they do not use the laws? But where one ought to speak they are silent, and where one ought to be silent they speak. But indeed, if they slander falsely, it would have been reasonable to be content with not suffering ill, not to be indignant if they shall not be allowed to speak 512. ill. I think, then, that in giving this counsel to all I would be acting rightly, but not least to you. For by however much you seem to surpass in education and benevolence, by so much the more shameful is it to be seen pursuing what one ought not.