It is as though some painter had represented a
sitter as a marvel of manly beauty, and then he were to be in reality
what the artist had painted on the panel. But to utter glorious
eulogies on virtue in public, and make long speeches about it, while in
private putting pleasure before continence and giving gain higher
honour than righteousness, is conduct which seems to me illustrated by
actors on the stage: they enter as monarchs and magnates, when
they are neither monarchs nor magnates, and perhaps even are only
slaves. A singer could never tolerate a lyre that did not match
his voice, nor a coryphæus a chorus that did not chant in
tune. Yet every one will be inconsistent with himself, and will
fail to make his conduct agree with his words. The tongue has
sworn, but the heart has never sworn, as Euripedes Eur.
Hippolytus, 612: ἡ γλῶσσ᾽
ὀμώμοχ᾽ ἡ δὲ
φρὴν
ἀνώμοτος, the
famous line which Aristophanes made fun of in
Thesmophoriazusæ, 275.
has it; and a man will aim at seeming, rather than at being,
good. Nevertheless, if we may believe Plato, the last extreme of
iniquity is for one to seem just without being just. Fronton du
Duc notes that Basil has taken this allusion to Plato from
Plutarch’s tract, How to distinguish between Flatterer and
Friend, p. 50: ὡςγὰρ ὁ
Πλάτων
φησὶν
ἐσχάτης
ἀδικίας
εἶναι
δοκεῖν
δίκαιον μὴ
ὄντα. This then is the way in which we are to
receive writings which contain suggestions of good deeds. And
since the noble deeds of men of old are preserved for our benefit
either by tradition, or in the works of poets and historians, do not
let us miss the good we may get from them. For instance: a
man in the street once pursued Pericles with abuse, and persisted in it
all day. Pericles took not the slightest notice. Evening
fell, and darkness came on, and even then he could hardly be persuaded
to give over. Pericles lighted him home, for fear this exercise
in philosophy might be lost. Plut.
Pericles. Again:
once upon a time a fellow who was angry with Euclid of Megara
threatened him with death, and swore at him. Euclid swore back
that he would appease him, and calm him in spite of his
rage. Plut.,
De Ira Cohibenda, where the story is told of a brother.
The aggressor says ἀπολοίμην
εἰ μή σε
τιμῶρησαίμην.
The rejoinder is ἐγὼ δὲ
ἀπολοίμην
εἰ μή σε
πείσαιμι. A man once
attacked Socrates the son of Sophoniscus and struck him again and
again in the face. Socrates made no resistance, but allowed
the drunken fellow to take his fill of frenzy, so that his face
was all swollen and bloody from the blows. When the assault
was done, Socrates, according to the story, did nothing besides
writing on his forehead, as a sculptor might on a statue,
“This is so and so’s doing.” ἐποίει in Greek will of
course stand for “made it,” like our “hoc
fecit,” or “did it.” Du Duc gives
authority for the use of the Imp. from Politian.