[3]
οἶσθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, ἅπερ εἴωθα λέγειν ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὰν πλέωμεν; ὁπόταν γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα
καταιγίσαν πλαγίᾳ τῇ ὀθόνῃ ἐμπέσῃ καὶ τὸ κῦμα ὑψηλὸν ἀρθῇ, τότε ὑμεῖς μὲν ὑπ᾽ ἀγνοίας κελεύετε τὴν ὀθόνην στεῖλαι ἢ ἐνδοῦναι ὀλίγον τοῦ ποδὸς ἢ
συνεκδραμεῖν τῷ πνεύματι, ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν ἡσυχίαν
ἄγειν παρακελεύομαι ὑμῖν αὐτὸς γὰρ εἰδέναι τὸ
βέλτιον. κατὰ ταὐτὰ δὴ καὶ σὺ πρᾶττε ὁπόσα
καλῶς ἔχειν νομίζεις κυβερνήτης νῦν γε ὤν ἐγὼ
δέ, ὥσπερ ἐπιβάταις νόμος, σιωπῇ καθεδοῦμαι πάντα πειθόμενος κελεύοντί σοι.
Ἑρμῆς
ὀρθῶς λέγεις: αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴσομαι τί ποιητέον
[p. 402] καὶ ἐξευρήσω τὴν ἱκανὴν σκοπήν. ἆρ᾽ οὖν ὁ Καύκασος ἐπιτήδειος ἢ ὁ Παρνασσὸς ἢ ὑψηλότερος ἀμφοῖν ὁ Ὄλυμπος ἐκεινοσί; καίτοι οὐ φαῦλον ὃ ἀνεμνήσθην ἐς τὸν Ὄλυμπον ἀπιδών συγκαμεῖν
δέ τι καὶ ὑπουργῆσαι καὶ σὲ δεῖ.
Χάρων
πρόσταττε: ὑπουργήσω γὰρ ὅσα δυνατά.
Ἑρμῆς
Ὅμηρος ὁ ποιητής φησι τοὺς Ἀλωέως υἱέας, δύο καὶ αὐτοὺς ὄντας, ἔτι παῖδας ἐθελῆσαί ποτε τὴν
Ὄσσαν ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπάσαντας ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ, εἶτα τὸ Πήλιον ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ, ἱκανὴν ταύτην κλίμακα ἕξειν οἰομένους καὶ πρόσβασιν ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανόν. ἐκείνω μὲν οὖν τὼ μειρακίω, ἀτασθάλω γὰρ ἤστην, δίκας ἐτισάτην νὼ δὲ — οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν θεῶν ταῦτα βουλεύομεν — τί οὐχὶ οἰκοδομοῦμεν καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπικυλινδοῦντες ἐπάλληλα τὰ ὄρη, ὡς ἔχοιμεν ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλοτέρου ἀκριβεστέραν τὴν σκοπήν;
Χάρων
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Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1915. 2.
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