# Dialexeis 1-5

Maximus of Tyre, Dialexeis, ΙΔ΄ XIV (Duebn. XX vulg. 4 B 17), Section 1. Ancient Greek.

Canonical: https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/greek/maximus-of-tyre/dialexeis/1-5

Πρόδικος μὲν Ἡρακλέα ἄγει ἐν τῷ μύθῳ ἄρτι ἡβάσκοντα καὶ ἀνδριζόμενον ἐπὶ διττὰς ὁδούς, Ἀρετὴν b καὶ Ἡδονήν ἐπιστήσας ἡγεμόνας ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ ὁδῷ· ἡ μὲν αὐτῷ σοβαρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων, ἡ δὲ εὐσχήμων ἰδεῖν, βαδίζουσα ἠρέμα, φθεγγομένη μουσικῶς, βλέμμα πρᾶον ἀμπεχόνη ἀνέτη· ἡ δὲ δευτέρα θρυπτική, ἐπίχριστος, χλανιδίοις ἐξηνθισμένη, βλέμμα ἰταμόν, βάδισμα | ἄτακτον, φωνὴ ἄμουσος. Ταῦτα ὁρᾶ καὶ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς, ἅτε Διὸς παῖς, καὶ ἀγαθὸς τὴν φύσιν, καὶ χαίρειν τῇ Ἡδονῇ φράσας, ἐπιτρέπει ἑαυτὸν τῇ Ἀρετῇ ἄγειν. Φέρε καὶ ἡμεῖς πλάττωμεν μῦθον, διττὰς ὁδούς, καὶ ἄνδρα ἀγαθόν, καὶ ἡγεμόνας ταῖν ὁδοῖν, ἀντὶ μὲν τῆς Ἀρετῆς τὸν φίλον, ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς Ἡδονῆς τὸν κόλακα. Οὐκοῦν ‖ καὶ τούτω διαφέρετον σχήματι καὶ βλέμιματι καὶ ἀμπεχόνῃ καὶ φωνῇ καὶ βαδίσματι· ὁ μὲν ὡς ἥδιστος ἰδεῖν ὤν, ὁ δὲ ὡς ἀληθέστατος· καὶ ὁ μὲνe σεσηρώς, ὀρέγων δεξιάν, παρακαλείτω τὸν ἄνδρα ἕπεσθαι αὐτῷ, ἐπαινῶν, καὶ κυλιωδαίνων, καὶ ἀντιβολῶν, καὶ δεόμενος, καὶ διηγούμενος ἐκτόπους τινὰς ἡδονάς, εἰ λαβὼν αὐτὸν ἄξει, λειμῶνας ἀνθοῦντας, καὶ ποταμοὺς ῥέοντας, καὶ ὄρνιθας ᾄδοντας, καὶ αὔρας προσηνεῖς, καὶ δένδρα ἀμφιλαφῆ, καὶ λείας ὁδούς, καὶ δρόμους εὐπετεῖς, καὶ κήπους εὐθαλεῖς, ‘ὄγχνας ἐπʼ ὄγχναις, καὶ μῆλα ἐπὶ μήλοις, καὶ σταφυλὴν σταφυλῇ ἐπιφυομένην·’ ὁ δὲ ἕτερος τῶν ἡγεμόνων λέγει μὲν ὁλίγα, τὰ δὲ ἀληθῆ αὐτά, ὅτι πολλὴ μὲν τῆς ὁδοῦ ἡ τραχεῖα, ὀλίγη δὲ εὐπετής, καὶ χρὴ τὸν ἀγαθὸν ὁδοιπόρον ἥκειν παρεσκευασμένον, ἵνα δεῖ πόνου, μοχθήσοντα, τὴν δὲ ῥᾳστώνην ἐκ περιουσίας ληψόμενον.

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Maximus of Tyre, Dialexeis, ed. Hermann Hobein. Text: The Greek Library, from the Perseus Digital Library and other open sources, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: apostrophes normalised and the text divided into reading sections by Interlinea.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Source: https://thegreeklibrary.pages.lisn.upsaclay.fr/works/tlg0563.tlg001.local001/.