17
Hold, my lady: let him come too, if anyone is to come. Those whom I shall have to fight to-day are none of your ordinary cattle, but pretentious fellows, hard to argue down, always finding some loophole or other, so that Investigation is necessary.
17
Yes, most necessary: and you had better take Proof along too.:
17
Come, all of you, since you appear to be necessary to the case.
18
Do you see that? He is suborning Truth against us, Philosophy.
18
Then you, Plato and Chrysippus and Aristotle, are afraid that she, Truth, may tell some lie ‘in his behalf?
18
It isn’t that, but he is terribly unprincipled and smooth-tongued, so that he will seduce her.
18
Have no fear. No injustice will be done while we have Justice here with us.
19
Let us go up, then. But tell me, what is your name?
19
Mine? Frankness, son of Truthful, son of Renowned Investigator.
19
And your country?
19
I am a Syrian, Philosophy, from the banks of the Euphrates. But what of that? I know that some of my opponents here are just as foreign-born as I: but in their manners and culture they are not like men of Soli or Cyprus or Babylon or Stageira.Although they were born there: Chrysippus in Soli, Aristotle in Stageira. No philosopher. mentioned: by name in this piece came from Cyprus or from Babylon, and these allusions are not clear. Perhaps Lucian has in mind Zeno of Citium and Poseidonius of Seleucia on the Tigris. Yet as far as you are concerned it would make no difference even if a man’s speech were foreign, if only his way of thinking were manifestly right and just.
20
True: it was a needless question, to be sure. But what is your calling? That at least is worth knowing.
20
Iam a bluff-hater, cheat-hater, liar-hater, vanityhater, and hate all that sort of scoundrels, who are very numerous, as you know.
20
Heracles! You follow a hateful calling!
