Letter 282: Save those long and elaborate defenses for those who want to bring charges.
Παλλαδίῳ. (361?)
Τὰς μακρὰς ταύτας καὶ πολλὰς ἀπολογίας τήρει τοῖς
βουλομένοις κατηγορεῖν. ἐγὼ δέ σοι μάρτυς ἁπάσης ἀρετῆς
τῆς τε ἐν τοῖς ἤθεσι καὶ ὅση κατὰ τοὺς λόγους.
πρός τε
οὖν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν πειρώμενον ἐξαπατᾶν ὧν αὐτὸς γρά-
φεις πλείω διῆλθον, οὐ γὰρ δὴ καλλίω γε, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀγα-
θὸν ἄνδρα, τὸν ἐμόν τε φίλον καὶ σόν, αὐτό τε τοῦτο καὶ
μαθητήν, εὐθὺς ὤμνυον μηδὲν τούτων εἶναι σόν, ἀλλὰ πάντα
τῆς τοῦ λέγοντος φλυαρίας· οὕτω γὰρ ἡγεῖσθαι βέλτιον ἢ
πονηρίας. ὥσθ’ ὅ γε Ἱλάριος καίτοι λίαν ἀλγῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς
παρ’ ἐκείνου μᾶλλον ἥδετο τῷ μὴ κρατηθῆναί μου τὴν γνώ-
μην ὑπὸ τῶν διαβολῶν ἢ τῷ γενέσθαι τὰς διαβολὰς ἠθύμει.
ὁρῶν δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ταῦτα εἰς ἔπαινον ἄγοντα, ὦ βέλτιστε,
ἴφη οὐδὲ Σωκράτην ἄνδρα θεῖον ἡγούμενος καὶ
πλεῖστον ἀπέχειν ὧν ἐνεκάλει Μέλητος ἀξιώσαιμ
ἂν ἐπαινεῖσθαι. οὐδὲ γάρ, εἴ μέ του πείθειν ἐπιχει-
ροῦντος σκότους αἴτιον εἶναι ἥλιον μὴ ὑπηγό-
μην, εἰκότως ἂν ἐδδόκουν τῶν ἑπτὰ σοφώτερος. 4 οὐ
τοίνυν οὐδὲ τοῦτο πάμμεγα τὸ μὴ τῆς σῆς εἶναι πεισθῆναι
ψυχῆς, ἃ μηδενὶ λόγῳ τῆς σῆς εἶναι ἠδύνατο. παῦσαι δὴ
τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιστολῶν ἢ φήσω σε ὑβρίζειν οἰόμενόν με
παντὸς εἶναι τοῦ βλασφημοῦντος.
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