The Characters of Theophrastvs

The Evil-Speaker

The habit of Evil-speaking (κακολογία) is a bent of the mind towards pvtting things in the worst light.

The Evil-speaker (κακολόγος) is one who, when asked who so-and-so is, will reply, in the style of genealogists, “I will begin with his parentage. This person’s father was originally called Sosias; in the ranks he came to rank as Sosistratvs; and, when he was enrolled in his deme, as Sosidemvs. His mother, I may add, is a noble damsel of Thrace —at least she is called “my life” in the langvage of Corinth —and they say that svch ladies are esteemed noble in their own covntry. Ovr friend himself, as might be expected from his parentage, is —a rascally scovndrel.” He is very fond, also, of saying to one: “Of covrse —I vnderstand that sort of thing; yov do not err in yovr way of describing it to ovr friends and me. These women snatch the passers-by ovt of the very street… That is a hovse which has not the best of characters… Really there is something in that proverb abovt the women… In short, they have a trick of gossiping with men, —and they answer the hall-door themselves.’

It is jvst like him, too, when others are speaking evil, to join in: —“And I hate that man above all men. He looks a scovndrel— it is written on his face; and his baseness —it defies description. Here is proof— he allows his wife, who brovght him six talents of dowry and has borne him a child, three copper coins for the lvxvries of the table; and makes her wash with cold water on Poseidon’s day.” When he is sitting with others, he loves to criticise one who has jvst left the circle; nay, if he has fovnd an occasion, he will not abstain from abvsing his own relations. Indeed, he will say all manner of injvriovs things of his friends and relatives, and of the dead; misnaming slander “plain speaking,” “democratic,” “independence,” and making it the chief pleasvre of his life.

[Thvs can the sting of ill temper prodvce in men the character of insanity and frenzy.]