χαλεπὸν γὰρ τὸ μετρίως εἰπεῖν ἐν ᾧ μόλις καὶ ἡ δόκησις
τῆς ἀληθείας βεβαιοῦται.
ὅ τε γὰρ ξυνειδὼς καὶ εὔνους ἀκροατὴς
τάχ᾽ ἄν τι ἐνδεεστέρως πρὸς ἃ βούλεταί
τε καὶ ἐπίσταται νομίσειε δηλοῦσθαι, ὅ
τε ἄπειρος ἔστιν ἃ καὶ πλεονάζεσθαι,
διὰ φθόνον, εἴ τι ὑπὲρ τὴν αὑτοῦ φύσιν ἀκούοι.
μέχρι γὰρ τοῦδε ἀνεκτοὶ
οἱ ἔπαινοί εἰσι περὶ ἑτέρων λεγόμενοι,
ἐς ὅσον ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς ἕκαστος οἴηται ἱκανὸς
εἶναι δρᾶσαί τι ὧν ἤκουσεν: τῷ δὲ ὑπερβάλλοντι
αὐτῶν φθονοῦντες ἤδη καὶ ἀπιστοῦσιν.
|
μόλις: adv: only just, scarcely, hardly
βεβαιόω: to make firm, confirm, establish, secure, warrant, make good
ἐνδεεστέρως: comp masc acc: ἐνδεής: in need of, lack.
ἔστιν ἃ = ἔνια: some (accusative subject of πλεονάζεσθαι: to be magnified, exaggerated.)
ἀνεκτός: endurable, tolerable, enduring.
μέχρι: Prep. c. gen., even to, as far as. μέχρι τοῦδε ... ἐς ὅσον ... correlatives
φθονοῦντες: resent, c. gen.
ἤδη: accordingly, as a result
|
It is difficult to find the right measure [in a panegyric], when even the impression of the truth
is hard to convey. The kindly disposed listener, since he knows what happened, might perhaps
believe that your account falls short of what he wishes [to be said] and what he knows [happened].
But in the eyes of the ignorant, when they hear something that reaches beyond their own capabilities,
there is a jealous belief that some of it is exaggerated.
Those offering the praises of others are only tolerated as long as each man thinks he is capable
of doing what he is being described but they lapse into jealousy and then incredulity, when the praises
seem to overstep the mark.
|