Mnesippos It is no joke, Toxaris, to venture
single combat with a man like you for opponent,
equipped with arguments so pointed and so apt.
However, I will not basely leave the whole Greek
cause in the lurch on such short notice and retire
before you; for, seeing that so many Scythians,
as your stories and ancient paintings show, of
which you delivered such a vigorous account a
little while ago, were worsted by two, it would be
a great scandal if all the Greeks, so many nations
and so many cities as they are, should lose their
case by default to you. If this should happen, it
would be fair to cut off, not my right hand, as
your custom is, but my tongue. But shall we
limit ourselves as to the number of friendly exploits, or shall he who is able to mention most
have so much better chance of victory? Toxaris Oh dear, no. Let us agree that victory shall not lie in the number of exploits; but
if yours are better and more striking than mine,
though the same in number, they will, of course,
wound me more vitally, and I shall give way
sooner before their blows.


 Mnesippos Very well. Let us agree how many
are enough. Five apiece, it strikes me. Toxaris I think so, too. But first declare, and
upon oath, that you will speak the very truth.
Otherwise, to invent this kind of thing is no great
job, and refutation would be difficult; but if you
should take your oath it would be impious not to
believe you. Mnesippos We will swear, if you do not think
an oath superfluous. But which of our gods do
you
Or will the God of Friendship do? Toxaris Certainly; but I will take our national oath when it is my turn to speak. Mnesippos Then let Zeus, the God of Friendship, witness that all I shall tell you I speak
either of my own knowledge or having learned
from others, with all the exactitude in my power,
and adding nothing of my own to the story. 
[His first story celebrates the friendship of
Agathokles of Samos for Deinias of Ephesos.
Deinias was a very rich young man, who was
surrounded by evil companions, and soon wasted
his whole substance in riotous living. Thereupon Agathokles, a man of moderate means and
his friend from childhood, whose good advice
had made him insupportable in the heyday of
Deinias's prosperity, sold the house of his fathers
and handed over the proceeds to his friend. Deinias finally killed two persons in a disgraceful


 


embroglio, and was sentenced to transportation
for life to one of the Cyclades. Agathokles accompanied him into exile, tended him through a
long illness, and after his death continued to
live in the island to be near the grave of his
friend.] Toxaris I wish you were not on oath, Mnesippos, so that I might be at liberty to disbelieve
your story. By your account this Agathokles is
a true Scythian in friendship. I hope you are
not going to tell of any one else like him. Mnesippos Then hear about another, Euthydikos of Chalkis. Simylos, the ship-master of
Megara, told me the story, swearing that he had
seen the thing with his own eyes. He said he
was sailing from Italy to Athens early in the autumn, carrying passengers from various places,
and among these were Euthydikos and Damon
his friend, a Chalkidian like himself. They were
of the same age, but Euthydikos was strong and
robust, while Damon was pale and feeble and
seemed to be just recovering from a long illness.
Now, as far as Sicily, Simylos said, the voyage was
prosperous, but when they had passed through
the strait and come out into the Ionian Sea a
great storm fell upon them. It would be useless
to give the details-whelming waves and waterspouts and hail-storms and all the horrors of a
gale. But when they were just off Zakynthos,


 



scudding under bare poles, with cordage dangling
overboard to break the force of the sea, Damon
grew sea-sick in such a pitching and tossing, and
leaned over the side of the ship to vomit. Just
then, I suppose, the ship heeled over more violently to that side and the wave receded at the
same time. At all events, he fell head foremost
into the sea with all his clothes on, poor
wretch! which made swimming all the harder.
He straightway gave a choking shriek, hardly
keeping himself on top of the wave.
 
When Euthydikos, who happened to have his clothes off
in bed, heard it, he threw himself into the sea,
got hold of Damon, who had already given upall this could be seen from a distance in the
bright moonlight—and swam along with him,
helping to keep him above water. Those on the
ship were eager to help them and full of pity for
their fate, but they could no nothing, running before such a gale. One thing only was possible,
and that they did; they threw overboard for
them a great number of corks and some puntingpoles, so that they might swim on one of these if
they chanced on it; and finally they threw over
the companion - ladder bodily, which was a large
one.
Consider, now, in Heaven's name, what stronger proof of affection a man could give to his
friend who had fallen by night into such a wild


 


sea than to share his death! Pray, call before
your eyes the towering waves, the noise of the
broken water, the boiling foam, the night, the
despair; then that drowning man, hardly keeping his head above water, stretching out his hands
to his comrade, and the comrade leaping to him
instantly and swimming with him, fearful lest Damon should perish before him.
This is the way
to see that in Euthydikos, too, I have described
for you no unworthy friend.