present."

(20) Or, "The dread oppresses him, he may be deprived of his empire
and yet be powerless."

(21) Cf. Plat. "Rep." ix. 579 B: "His soul is dainty and greedy; and
yet he only of all men is never allowed to go on a journey, or to
see things which other free men desire to see; but he lives in his
hole like a woman hidden in the house, and is jealous of any other
citizen who goes into foreign parts and sees things of interest"
(Jowett).

Perhaps you will retort: "Why should he trouble to go abroad to seek for
such things? They are sure to come to him, although he stops at home."
Yes, Simonides, that is so far true; a small percentage of them no
doubt will, and this scant moiety will be sold at so high a price to
the despotic monarch, that the exhibitor of the merest trifle looks
to receive from the imperial pocket, within the briefest interval, ten
times more than he can hope to win from all the rest of mankind in a
lifetime; and then he will be off. (22)

(22) Lit. "to get from the tyrant all in a moment many times more than
he will earn from all the rest of mankind in a whole lifetime, and
depart."

To which Simonides: Well, granted you have the worst of it in sights and
sightseeing; yet, you must admit you are large gainers through the sense
of hearing; you who are never stinted of that sweetest of all sounds,
(23) the voice of praise, since all around you are for ever praising
everything you do and everything you say. Whilst, conversely, to that
most harsh and grating of all sounds, the language of abuse, your ears
are sealed, since no one cares to speak evil against a monarch to his
face.

(23) Cf. Cic. "pro Arch." 20, "Themistoclem illum dixisse aiunt cum ex
eo quaereretur, 'quod acroama aut cujus vocem libentissime
audiret': 'ejus, a quo sua virtus optime praedicaretur.'"

Then Hiero: And what pleasure do you suppose mere abstinence from evil
words implies, when it is an open secret that those silent persons are
cherishing all evil thoughts against the tyrant? (24) What mirth, do you
imagine, is to be extracted from their panegyrics who are suspected of
bestowing praise out of mere flattery?

(24) "One knows plainly that these dumb attendants stand there like
mutes, but harbour every evil thought against their autocratic
lord."

Simonides made answer: Yes, I must indeed admit, I do concede to you,
that praise alone is sweetest which is breath