Chapter 32 | Dickinson College Commentaries

32.1 ὅταν μαντικῇ προσίῃς, μέμνησο ὅτι τί μὲν ἀποβήσεται οὐκ οἶδας, ἀλλὰ ἥκεις ὡς παρὰ τοῦ μάντεως αὐτὸ πευσόμενος, ὁποῖον δέ τι ἐστιν, εἰδὼς ἐλήλυθας, εἴπερ εἶ φιλόσοφος. εἰ γάρ ἐστί τι τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη μήτε ἀγαθὸν αὐτὸ εἶναι μήτε κακόν. 32.2 μὴ φέρε οὖν πρὸς τὸν μάντιν ὄρεξιν ἢ ἔκκλισιν (εἰ δὲ μή, τρέμων αὐτῷ πρόσει) ἀλλὰ διεγνωκώς ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἀποβησόμενον ἀδιάφορον καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς σέ, ὁποῖον δἂν ᾖ (ἔσται γὰρ αὐτῷ χρήσασθαι καλῶς καὶ τοῦτο οὐδεὶς κωλύσει) -- θαρρῶν οὖν ὡς ἐπὶ συμβούλους ἔρχου τοὺς θεούς, καὶ λοιπόν ὅταν τί σοι συμβουλευθῇ, μέμνησο τίνας συμβούλους παρέλαβες καὶ τίνων παρακούσεις ἀπειθήσας. 32.3 ἔρχου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ μαντεύεσθαι καθάπερ ἠξίου Σωκράτης, ἐφ' ὧν ἡ πᾶσα σκέψις τὴν ἀναφορὰν εἰς τὴν ἔκβασιν ἔχει καὶ οὔτε ἐκ λόγου οὔτε ἐκ τέχνης τινὸς ἄλλης ἀφορμαὶ δίδονται πρὸς τὸ συνιδεῖν τὸ προκείμενον· ὥστε ὅταν δεήσῃ συγκινδυνεῦσαι φίλῳ ἢ πατρίδι, μὴ μαντεύεσθαι εἰ συγκινδυνευτέον. καὶ γὰρ ἂν προείπῃ σοι ὁ μάντις φαῦλα γεγονέναι τὰ ἱερά, δῆλον ὅτι θάνατος σημαίνεται ἢ πήρωσις μέρους τινὸς τοῦ σώματος ἢ φυγή· ἀλλ' αἱρεῖ ὁ λόγος καὶ σὺν τούτοις παρίστασθαι τῷ φίλῳ καὶ τῇ πατρίδι συγκινδυνεύειν. τοιγαροῦν τῷ μείζονι μάντει πρόσεχε τῷ Πυθίῳ, ὃς ἐξέβαλε τοῦ ναοῦ τὸν οὐ βοηθήσαντα ἀναιρουμένῳ τῷ φίλῳ.

notes

On Prophecy

If you seek a prophecy of what will happen, know that these predictions deal only with that which is outside your control.

μαντικῇ: supply τεχνῇ, “divination, prophecy”

προσίῃς: > πρόσειμι, 2 sg. pres. act. subj.

ὡς πευσόμενος: > πυνθάνομαι fut. dep. part. nom. masc. sg. The future participle expresses purpose after a verb of coming or going (G. 583b; S. 2065).

εἰδώς: > οἶδα, perf. act. part. nom. masc. sg.

ἐλήλυθας: > ἔρχομαι, 2 sg. perf. act. ind.

πᾶσα ἀνάγκη: “there is all necessity that,” “it is completely necessary that”

32.2

εἰ δὲ μή, τρέμων αὐτῷ πρόσει: “otherwise, you approach him trembling in fear.” πρόσει > πρόσειμι (εἶμι ibo), pres. indic. act. 2 sg.

διεγνωκώς: > διαγιγνώσκω, perf. act. part. nom. masc. sg.

ἀποβησόμενον: > ἀποβαίνω, fut. mid. part. nom. neut. sg. “what will happen”

ἀδιάφορον: “indifferent,” something which is neither good nor bad in itself; see the Introduction.

δἂν: δὴ ἄν in a general relative clause (see Denniston 1954, 221–222)

ἔσται: “it will be possible”

ἔρχου: 2 sg. pres. dep. imper.

λοιπόν: adverbial, “consequently, therefore”

συμβουλευθῇ: 3 sg. aor. pass. subj.

τίνων παρακούσεις: “whom you will disregard”

ἀπειθήσας: > ἀπειθέω, aor. act. part. nom. masc. sg. The participle is equivalent to a conditional clause: “if you disobey.”

32.3

ἠξίου: > ἀξιόω, 3 sg. impf. indic.“thought appropriate”

τὴν ἀναφορὰν εἰς: “reference to,” “relevance to”

συνιδεῖν: > συνοράω, aor. act. infin.

προκείμενον: > πρόκειμαι, pres. act. part. acc. neut. sg. used as passive of προτίθημι: “what is being considered” or “the question under discussion” (LSJ προτίθημι II.4)

δεήσῃ: > δεῖ, 2 sg. aor. act. subj. “it is necessary”

μὴ μαντεύεσθαι: infin. used as an imper. (S. 2013)

προείπῃ: 3 sg. aor. act. subj. in a present general condition (G. 650; S. 2295.1)

γεγονέναι: > γίγνομαι, perf. act. infin.

τὰ ἱερά: the sacrifices

δῆλον: supply ἐστί

αἱρεῖ ὁ λόγος: “reason requires.” See ch. 51.1.

καὶ σὺν τούτοις: “even with these (signs),” i.e., in spite of these unfavorable signs

τοιγαροῦν ... φίλῳ: τhe story goes that three men were attacked by robbers while on their way to Apollo’s oracle at Delphi. One of the men ran away, while another accidentally killed the third while trying to defend him. When the remaining two made it to the temple, Apollo absolved the man who had accidentally killed his friend but cast the coward out of his temple (Aelian, Various History 3.44) (Smith 2014).

μείζονι: comparative adj. > μέγας, dat. masc. sg.

τοῦ ναοῦ: gen. of separation after ἐξέβαλε (G. 509a; S. 1392)

τὸν οὐ βοηθήσαντα: “the one who had not given help to” (+ dat.). The action of the aorist participle takes place before the action of the main verb.

ἀναιρουμένῳ: > ἀναιρέω, pres. pass. part. dat. masc. sg. The participle is temporal: “when he was being murdered.” Note also that the action of the present participle occurs at the same time as the participle βοηθήσαντα.

vocabulary

μαντικός, -η, -ον, prophetic

πρόσειμι, go to (for some purpose)

ἀποβαίνω, -βήσομαι, ἀπέβην, to turn out, happen

μάντις, -εως, ὁ, diviner, seer, prophet

ὁποῖος, -α, -ον, of what sort/quality

εἴπερ, if indeed

φιλόσοφος,-ου, ὁ, philosopher

32.2

ὄρεξις, -εως, ἡ, desire

ἔκκλισις, -εως, ἡ, aversion, avoidance

τρέμω, to tremble (with fear)

διαγιγνώσκω, -γνώσομαι, -έγνων, to recognize, perceive

ἀποβαίνω, -βήσομαι, ἀπέβην, to turn out, happen

ἀδιάφορος, -ον, indifferent.

θαρρέω, to be of good courage/cheer, to be confident

σύμβουλος, -ου, ὁ, advisor, counselor

συμβουλεύω, to advise, council

παραλαμβάνω, παραλήψομαι, παρέλαβον, to receive, take

παρακούω, to disregard, ignore + gen.

ἀπειθέω, to disobey, refuse

32.3

μαντεύομαι, -εύσομαι, ἐμαντευσάμην, to prophesy, consult an oracle

καθάπερ, (adv.) just as, as if

σκέψις,-εως, ἡ, investigation, inquiry

ἀναφορά,-ᾶς, ἡ, reference

ἔκβασις, -εως, ἡ, outcome

ἀφορμή, -ῆς, ἡ, starting point, origin

συνοράω, συνόψομαι, συνεῖδον, to see, understand, figure out

συγκινδυνεύω,- κινδυνεύσω,-εκινδύνευσα, to share in danger with (+ dat.)

συγκινδυνευτέον, one must face danger along with (another)

προεῖπον, to foretell, proclaim

φαῦλος, -η, -ον, unlucky, bad

σημαίνω, σημανῶ, ἐσήμηνα, to show by a sign, indicate, mean

πήρωσις, -εως, ἡ, disabling, maiming

φυγή, -ῆς, ἡ, banishment, exile

παρίστημι, to place beside, stand beside

τοιγαροῦν, therefore

προσέχω, προσέξω, προσχήσω, to hold to, turn to; pay attention to, be intent on + dat.; beware + μή + subj.

ἐκβάλλω, to throw out

Πύθιον -ου, τό, the temple of Pythian Apollo

ναός, -οῦ, ὁ, temple

βοηθέω, βοηθήσω, ἐβοήθησα, to help, aid

Suggested Citation