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[6]
πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξαπατηθῆναι ἔστι πιστεύοντας τοῖς πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἕκαστα ἐξηγουμένοις.
ὥστε κἀγὼ νῦν δέδια ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ μὴ ὑμεῖς ἄρτι ἀφιγμένοι, καὶ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἀκροασόμενοι ἡμῶν,
ἢλεκτρά τινα καὶ κύκνους ἐλπίσαντες εὑρήσειν παρ᾽ ἡμῖν, ἔπειτα μετ᾽ ὀλίγον ἀπέλθητε καταγελῶντες τῶν ὑποσχομένων ὑμῖν τοιαῦτα πολλὰ κειμήλια ἐνεῖναι τοῖς λόγοις. ἀλλὰ μαρτύρομαι,
ὡς ἐμοῦ τοιαῦτα μεγαλαυχομένου περὶ τῶν ἐμῶν
οὔτε ὑμεῖς οὔτε ἄλλος πω ἀκήκοεν, οὐδ᾽ ἂν
ἀκούσειέν ποτε. ἄλλοις μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ὀλίγοις ἐντύχοις ἂν Ἠριδανοῖς τισι καὶ οἷς οὐκ ἤλεκτρον, ἀλλὰ χρυσὸς αὐτὸς ἀποστάζει τῶν λόγων, πολὺ τῶν κύκνων τῶν ποιητικῶν λιγυρωτέροις: τὸ δὲ ἐμὸν ὁρᾶτε ἤδη ὁποῖον ἁπλοϊκὸν καὶ ἄμυθον, οὐδέ τις ᾠδὴ πρόσεστιν. ὥστε ὅρα μὴ τοιοῦτό τι πάθῃς μείζω περὶ ἡμῶν ἐλπίσας, οἷόν τι πάσχουσιν
οἱ τὰ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι ὁρῶντες: οἰόμενοι γὰρ τηλικαῦτα
εἶναι αὐτὰ οἷα διεφαίνετο αὐτοῖς ἄνωθεν,
εὐρυνομένης τῆς σκιᾶς πρὸς τὴν αὐγήν, ἐπειδὰν ἀνασπάσωσι, πολλῷ μικρότερα εὑρίσκοντες ἀνιῶνται. ἤδη οὖν σοι προλέγω, ἐκχέας τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἀποκαλύψας τἀμὰ μηδὲν μέγα προσδοκήσῃς ἀνιμήσεσθαι, ἢ σαυτὸν αἰτιάσῃ τῆς ἐλπίδος.
[p. 80]
Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1913. 1.
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