Do away, then, with all this that is excessive and
invidious, Lycinus—that sort of thing is not in
keeping with your character, for you have not as a
rule been ready and quick to praise. Now, however, you have somehow changed all at once and
are lavish with it; you who were so niggardly before
have become a spendthrift in compliments! Do not
be ashamed, either, to reshape the essay after it has
been put into circulation. Even Phidias, they say,
did that when he made the Zeus for the people of
Elis! The chryselephantine statue at Olympia. He stood behind the door when he first
unveiled and exhibited his work, and listened to
those who criticized or commended any part. One
would criticize the nose as too thick, another the
face as too long, and so it went. Then, when the
spectators had left, Phidias locked himself up once
more, and corrected and reshaped the statue to suit
the opinion of the majority; for he did not think
that the advice of so many folk was trivial, but that
always of necessity the many could see better than
the one, even if that one were Phidias. The story, which is patently apocryphal, occurs nowhere else. Lucian may have heard it from a guide at Olympia. For a similar story regarding Apelles, see Pliny, Nat. Hist. 35, 84-85. 



 

That is what she told me to tell you, and what I
myself recommend as your friend and well-wisher.
 LYCINUS 
Polystratus, what an orator you have been all
along without my knowing it! You have delivered
such a long speech and such a weighty indictment
of my essay that you have not left me even a hope
of defence now. But see here! you have not dealt
fairly, the two of you, and especially you, in that
you have condemned the book without a hearing,
since its counsel was not in court. It is easy, I
take it, to win if you run alone, as the saying goes.
So it is no wonder that I was defeated when no
water was measured out for me and no chance to
defend myself offered. Indeed—and this is the
most extraordinary part of it all—you were judges
as well as plaintiffs!
Well, what is your wish? Shall I rest content
with the decision and hold my peace? Or, like the
poet of Himera, Stesichorus, who after having maligned Helen, recanted in a palinode (the first), saying that Helen never went to Troy: it was but a wraith! Fable said that he recanted because Helen had struck him blind, and that afterwards he recovered his eyesight. shall I compose a palinode? Or
will you give me an opportunity to plead my case on
appeal?
 POLYSTRATUS 
Yes, indeed, if you have any just plea to offer;
for it is not among opponents in court, as you say,
but among friends that you will make your defence.
For my part, I am even ready to associate myself
with you as joint defendant in the case.



 
 LYCINUS 
But it is annoying, Polystratus, that she will not
be present when I make my speech. It would be
far better if she were. As it stands, I must plead
by proxy. The phrase ἀπ᾽ ἐντολῆς means “by direction.” Strictly speaking, it is appropriate only to the action of an agent, but here it is transferred to that of the principal. Compare Aristides, vol. ii, p. 22 224-5 Dindorf, τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα ἐξ ἐντολῆς τῷ βασιλεῖ κατειργάζετο. But if you are going to be as faithful in
carrying my message to her as you have been in
carrying hers to me, I shall make bold to cast
the die.
 POLYSTRATUS 
Never fear, Lycinus, as far as that goes! I shan’t
be at all bad, you will find, at delivering your plea,
if only you try to speak briefly, so that I may be
better able to fix it all in memory.
 LYCINUS 
But I really needed to speak at length in answering so forcible an accusation. Nevertheless, for
your sake I shall cut my plea short. Take, then,
this message from me to her—
 POLYSTRATUS 
No, no, Lycinus! Make your speech just as if
she herself were present, and then I will do her an
imitation of you.
 LYCINUS 
Well then, since that is the way you want it,
Polystratus, she is here and as the first speaker,
of course, has said all that you reported as her
messenger; and now it is for me to begin my
answer. However—for I shall not hesitate to tell
you the state of my feelings—somehow or other



 

you have made the thing more terrifying to me.
As you see, I am even now in a sweat and a tremble
and almost think I really see her, and the affair has
begotten great turmoil within me. But I will begin,
anyhow, for it isn’t possible to withdraw, with her
already here.
 POLYSTRATUS 
Yes, and she shows great friendliness in her expression, for she is radiant, as you see, and gracious.
So get on with your speech boldly.
 LYCINUS 
Noblest of women, it is true I praised you, as you
say, highly and immoderately; but I do not see
what commendation I bestowed as great as the
encomium which you have pronounced upon yourself in extolling your reverence for the gods.
Really, this is more than all that I said about you,
and you ‘must forgive me that I did not add this trait
to your likeness; it escaped me because I did not
know about it, for there is no other which I should
have preferred to represent. So in that particular
at least I not only did not go beyond bounds, it
seems to me, with my praises, but actually said far
less than I should. Think what an important point
I omitted there—how very significant as evidence of
sterling character and sound judgement! For those
who assiduously reverence what pertains to the gods
will surely be above reproach in their relations with
mankind. So if the speech absolutely must be
revised and the portrait corrected, I should not
venture to take a single thing away from it, but
will add this detail to cap, as it were, and crown
the complete work.

 

There is one thing, however, for which I admit
that I am very grateful to you. After I had praised
the reasonableness of your character and the fact
that the present exalted state of your fortunes has
not engendered in you any arrogance or pride, you
confirmed the truth of my praise by censuring what
you did censure in my speech. Not to catch
greedily at such praise, but to blush for it and say
that it is too high for you betokens a reasonable and
unassuming disposition. But the more you manifest
that attitude toward praise itself, the more worth
of extravagant praise you prove yourself! Really
the thing, despite you, has come to a pass where
the remark of Diogenes applies. When he was
asked how one could become famous, he answered:
“If he were to scorn fame!” If I myself should
be asked: “Who are most worthy of praise?” I
should answer: “Those who are unwilling to be
praised!”