Letter 714: You know this Diogenes as one of our citizens.
κέλσω. (362)
Οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς τουτονὶ Διογενῆ ὄντα πολίτην ἡμέτερον,
τὼ δ’ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἆθλον
ὑπέστη ποτὲ προσόμοιον τῷ Ζωπύρου.
μὴ καταφρόνει δὲ
μήτε τῶν πολέμων, οὓς πολεμοῦσιν οἱ σοφισταί, μήτε τῶν
ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀριστευόντων νέων, ὧν ὁ Διογενὴς οὗτος. ἔδοξε
γὰρ ἡμῖν δάκνειν ποτὲ μετὰ παιδιᾶς Ἀκάκιον.
ἡ δὲ ἦν
ἀπόστασις μαθητοῦ πεπλασμένη ζητοῦσα δὴ τὸν ὡς ἄριστα
ὑποκρινόμενον τὸ δρᾶμα βελτίων δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐδόκει τοῦ Διο-
γένους.
ὁ δὲ ἐφάνη καλλίων ἡ προσεδοκήθη. καὶ γὰρ ἐπι-
στεύθη ταχέως καὶ ῥημάτων ἥκουσι τῶν ἐκ κολακείας καὶ
παρέπεμπε μὲν ὡς ἂν μαθητὴς ὀχούμενον, ἀπεπήδα δὲ περὶ
τὰς θύρας ὡς τοὺς ἡμετέρους οἳ ἐκάθηντο θέατρον αὐτῷ.
καὶ οὕτως ἀντὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος εἴχομεν ἀφορμὴν εἰς γέλωτα
καὶ οὐδὲ ὁ θεῖος ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα ἠδύνατο μὴ γελᾶν.
σκόπει
οὖν ὅπως αὐτῷ τὸν μισθὸν ἀποδώσεις τῆς τόλμης ἐπὶ τὸν
ἀποστεροῦντα χρέους τινὸς βοηθήσας.
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