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12. ὅτι δὲ τῶν προγεγονότων
ἀνδρῶν ἡ τῶν βίων ἀναγραφὴ δυσκολίαν μὲν παρέχεται τοῖς γράφουσιν,
ὠφελεῖ δ᾽ οὐ μετρίως τὸν κοινὸν βίον. μετὰ παρρησίας γὰρ δηλοῦσα τὰ
καλῶς τε καὶ κακῶς; πραχθέντα τοὺς μὲν ἀγαθοὺς κοσμεῖ, τοὺς δὲ
πονηροὺς ταπεινοῖ, διὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἑκάστοις ἐγκωμίων τε καὶ ψόγων.
ἔστι δ᾽ ὁ μὲν ἔπαινος, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, ἔπαθλον ἀρετῆς
ἀδάπανον, ὁ δὲ ψόγος τιμωρία φαυλότητος ἄνευ πληγῆς.
[2]
καλὸν δὲ τοῖς μεταγενεστέροις ὑποκεῖσθαι, διότι βίον
οἷον ἄν τις ἕληται ζῶν, τοιαύτης ἀξιωθήσεται μετὰ τὸν θάνατον
μνήμης, ἵνα μὴ περὶ τὰς τῶν λιθίνων μνημείων κατασκευὰς σπουδάζωσιν,
ἃ καὶ τόπον ἕνα κατέχει καὶ φθορᾶς ὀξείας τυγχάνει, ἀλλὰ περὶ
λόγον καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρετάς, αἳ πάντῃ φοιτῶσι διὰ τῆς φήμης. ὁ
δὲ χρόνος ὁ πάντα μαραίνων τἄλλα ταύτας ἀθανάτους φυλάττει, καὶ
πρεσβύτερος γενόμενος αὐτὸς ταύτας ποιεῖ νεωτέρας.
[3]
δῆλον δὲ ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐγένετο τὸ
προειρημένον: πάλαι γὰρ γεγονότες ὥσπερ νῦν ὄντες ὑπὸ πάντων
μνημονεύονται.Const. Exc. 2 (1), pp. 223-224.
Diodorus Siculus. Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes with an English Translation by C. H. Oldfather. Vol. 4-8. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989.
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