Who is Michael Masiello?

Translation into English follows.

Μιχαὴλ ὁ Μασιέλλος διδάκτωρ, ἀνήρ ἐστι σοφολογιώτατος ἅμα καὶ ἐναρετότατος. Ἄλλ’ ἄλλοι περὶ αὐτοῦ καλῶς ἔφησαν· τοῦτ’ ἐγῶ φαίην.

Πῶς οὖν σοφολογιώτατος; Οὐ γε πυκνοὶ οἱ τῆς Κυόρας τρίβοι σοφολογιωτάτοις; Πάνυ γε. Ἀλλὰ τοιούτου εὔρους, οὕτω τε διδακτοφιλικῶς, οὐδαμῶς.

Πῶς γ’ οὖν ἐναρετότατος; Οὐ δὴ ὀργίλος καὶ βωμολόχος; Πάνυ γε. Φαῦλα τοῦτα ὅμως, φαῦλον καὶ ἐκ τούτων κατακρίνειν. Ὥς φησιν οἱ Τζέκωνες· Πρέσβυος μήδεα μὲν ἄκουε, πρέσβυος πορδὰς δὲ μή. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὀργίλον καὶ τὸ βωμολόχον, ἀνδρός ἐστι ἐναρέτου. Ὀργὴ γὰρ δικαίου, βωμολοχία τε ἀτόποις.

Διδάσκαλον βέλτιστον καλῶ αὐτόν, πολλάκις γάρ ὑπ’ αὐτο­ῦ διδασκόμενος, πολλάκις δ’ ἔτι διδασκοίμην ὑπ’ αὐτο­ῦ. Γέρον ἐμόν καλῶ αὐτόν, φραγκογαλλιστὶ ἅμα καὶ λατινιστί· ὁμήλικες γάρ ἐσμεν, ὑπὸ τῶν αὑτῶν ὠδίνων δαρόμενοι, τὸ αὑτό τε νηφάλιον χαλεπῶς κτούμενοι. Συμφράτερα καλῶ αὐτόν, δοκῶν αὐτὸν προσφιλέστατόν μοι φίλων καὶ σεβαστότατον ἁπάντων καὶ οἰκειότατον.

Ἐρρώσθω Μιχαὴλ ὁ Μασιέλλος. Ἀναγνώσατε αὐτο­ῦ· ὡραῖα γάρ.

Dr Michael Masiello is a man both most learned and most virtuous. Others have said other things about him, beautifully; let me say that of him.

How is he most learned? Are not the pathways of Quora dense with the learned? Very much so. But of such breadth, and with such love of teaching: in no wise.

And how is he most virtuous? Is he not indeed irascible and ribald? Very much so. However these are paltry things, and it is paltry to judge based on these things. As the Tsakonians say: Hearken to an old man’s counsels, not his farts. And yet, his ire and ribaldry are those of a virtuous man. For it is the ire of the righteous, and ribaldry towards the uncouth.

I call him best of teachers [Magister Optimus], for I have oft been taught by him, and may I yet be oft taught by him. I call him My Old Man, in both French and Latin [mon vieux, mi senex]; for we are of the same age, beaten down by the same pangs, attaining with difficulty the same sobriety. I call him my clansman [confrere], for I consider him my dearest of friends, and my most esteemed of all, and the most familiar to me.

Health to Michael Masiello. Read his writings; for they are beautiful.

One Comment

• We don’t speak mediaeval round here… – Ἡλληνιστεύκοντος says:

  2017-10-05 at 10:26

  […] Greek. In other words, what comes out is Puristic, which in turn is often enough Byzantine. When I wrote to Michael Masiello in Ancient Greek on Quora, he worked out that was what was going on in […]

  Loading...

  Reply