36. For he did not, as the other rulers did habitually, impose the labors upon the citizens and himself alone enjoy the pleasures; but the dangers he made his own, and the benefits he bestowed upon the people in common. In consequence, Theseus passed his life beloved of his people and not the object of their plots, not preserving his sovereignty by means of alien military force, but protected, as by a bodyguard, by the goodwill of the citizens, by virtue of his authority ruling as a king, but by his benefactions as a popular leader; for so equitably and so well did he administer the city that even to this day traces of his clemency may be seen remaining in our institutions.
36. τοσούτου δʼ ἐδέησεν ἀκόντων τι ποιεῖν τῶν πολιτῶν ὥσθʼ ὁ μὲν τὸν δῆμον καθίστη κύριον τῆς πολιτείας, οἱ δὲ μόνον αὐτὸν ἄρχειν ἠξίουν, ἡγούμενοι πιστοτέραν καὶ κοινοτέραν εἶναι τὴν ἐκείνου μοναρχίαν τῆς αὑτῶν δημοκρατίας. οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἕτεροι τοὺς μὲν πόνους ἄλλοις προσέταττε, τῶν δʼ ἡδονῶν αὐτὸς μόνος ἀπέλαυεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν κινδύνους ἰδίους ἐποιεῖτο, τὰς δʼ ὠφελείας ἅπασιν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἀπεδίδου. καὶ γάρ τοι διετέλεσε τὸν βίον οὐκ ἐπιβουλευόμενος ἀλλʼ ἀγαπώμενος, οὐδʼ ἐπακτῷ δυνάμει τὴν ἀρχὴν διαφυλάττων, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν πολιτῶν εὐνοίᾳ δορυφορούμενος, τῇ μὲν ἐξουσίᾳ τυραννῶν, ταῖς δʼ εὐεργεσίαις δημαγωγῶν· οὕτω γὰρ νομίμως καὶ καλῶς διῴκει τὴν πόλιν ὥστʼ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἴχνος τῆς ἐκείνου πραότητος ἐν τοῖς ἤθεσιν ἡμῶν καταλελεῖφθαι.
38. As for Helen, daughter of Zeus, who established her power over such excellence and sobriety, should she not be praised and honored, and regarded as far superior to all the women who have ever lived? For surely we shall never have a more trustworthy witness or more competent judge of Helen’s good attributes than the opinion of Theseus. But lest I seem through poverty of ideas to be dwelling unduly upon the same theme and by misusing the glory of one man to be praising Helen, I wish now to review the subsequent events also.
38. τὴν δὴ γεννηθεῖσαν μὲν ὑπὸ Διός, κρατήσασαν δὲ τοιαύτης ἀρετῆς καὶ σωφροσύνης, πῶς οὐκ ἐπαινεῖν χρὴ καὶ τιμᾶν καὶ νομίζειν πολὺ τῶν πώποτε γενομένων διενεγκεῖν; οὐ γὰρ δὴ μάρτυρά γε πιστότερον οὐδὲ κριτὴν ἱκανώτερον ἕξομεν ἐπαγαγέσθαι περὶ τῶν Ἑλένῃ προσόντων ἀγαθῶν τῆς Θησέως διανοίας. ἵνα δὲ μὴ δοκῶ διʼ ἀπορίαν περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον διατρίβειν, μηδʼ ἀνδρὸς ἑνὸς δόξῃ καταχρώμενος ἐπαινεῖν αὐτήν, βούλομαι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐχομένων διελθεῖν.
39. After the descent of Theseus to Hades, when Helen returned to Lacedaemon, and was now of marriageable age, all the kings and potentates of that time formed of her the same opinion; for although it was possible for them in their own cities to wed women of the first rank, they disdained wedlock at home and went to Sparta to woo Helen.
39. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν Θησέως εἰς Ἅιδου κατάβασιν ἐπανελθούσης αὖθις εἰς Λακεδαίμονα καὶ πρὸς τὸ μνηστεύεσθαι λαβούσης ἡλικίαν ἅπαντες οἱ τότε βασιλεύοντες καὶ δυναστεύοντες τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔσχον περὶ αὐτῆς· ἐξὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς λαμβάνειν ἐν ταῖς αὑτῶν πόλεσι γυναῖκας τὰς πρωτευούσας, ὑπεριδόντες τοὺς οἴκοι γάμους ἦλθον ἐκείνην μνηστεύσοντες.
40. And before it had yet been decided who was to be her husband and all her suitors still had an equal chance, it was so evident to all that Helen would be the object of armed contention that they met together and exchanged solemn pledges of assistance if anyone should attempt to take her away from him who had been adjudged worthy of winning her; for each thought he was providing this alliance for himself.
40. οὔπω δὲ κεκριμένου τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτῇ συνοικήσειν ἀλλʼ ἔτι κοινῆς τῆς τύχης οὔσης οὕτω πρόδηλος ἦν ἅπασιν ἐσομένη περιμάχητος ὥστε συνελθόντες πίστεις ἔδοσαν ἀλλήλοις ἦ μὴν βοηθήσειν, εἴ τις ἀποστεροίη τὸν ἀξιωθέντα λαβεῖν αὐτήν, νομίζων ἕκαστος τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ταύτην αὑτῷ παρασκευάζειν.
41. In this their private hope all, it is true, save one man, were disappointed, yet in the general opinion which all had formed concerning her no one was mistaken. For not much later when strife arose among the goddesses for the prize of beauty, and Alexander, son of Priam, was appointed judge and when Hera offered him sovereignty over all Asia, Athena victory in war, and Aphrodite Helen as his wife, finding himself unable to make a distinction regarding the charms of their persons, but overwhelmed by the sight of the goddesses, Alexander, compelled to make a choice of their proffered gifts, chose living with Helen before all else. In so doing he did not look to its pleasures—although even this is thought by the wise to be preferable to many things, but nevertheless it was not this he strove for— but because he was eager to become a son of Zeus by marriage, considering this a much greater and more glorious honor than sovereignty over Asia, and thinking that while great dominions and sovereignties fall at times even to quite ordinary men, no man would ever in all time to come be considered worthy of such a woman; and furthermore, that he could leave no more glorious heritage to his children than by seeing to it that they should be descendants of Zeus, not only on their father’s side, but also on their mother’s.
41. τῆς μὲν οὖν ἰδίας ἐλπίδος πλὴν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἅπαντες ἐψεύσθησαν, τῆς δὲ κοινῆς δόξης ἧς ἔσχον περὶ ἐκείνης οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν διήμαρτεν. οὐ πολλοῦ γὰρ χρόνου διελθόντος, γενομένης ἐν θεοῖς περὶ κάλλους ἔριδος ἧς Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Πριάμου κατέστη κριτής, καὶ διδούσης Ἥρας μὲν ἁπάσης αὐτῷ τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλεύειν, Ἀθηνᾶς δὲ κρατεῖν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, Ἀφροδίτης δὲ τὸν γάμον τὸν Ἑλένης, τῶν μὲν σωμάτων οὐ δυνηθεὶς λαβεῖν διάγνωσιν ἀλλʼ ἡττηθεὶς τῆς τῶν θεῶν ὄψεως, τῶν δὲ δωρεῶν ἀναγκασθεὶς γενέσθαι κριτής, εἵλετο τὴν οἰκειότητα τὴν Ἑλένης ἀντὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, οὐ πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀποβλέψας, — καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι πολλῶν αἱρετώτερόν ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦθʼ ὥρμησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐπεθύμησε Διὸς γενέσθαι κηδεστής, νομίζων πολὺ μείζω καὶ καλλίω ταύτην εἶναι τὴν τιμὴν ἢ τὴν τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλείαν, καὶ μεγάλας μὲν ἀρχὰς καὶ δυναστείας καὶ φαύλοις ἀνθρώποις ποτὲ παραγίγνεσθαι, τοιαύτης δὲ γυναικὸς οὐδένα τῶν ἐπιγιγνομένων ἀξιωθήσεσθαι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οὐδὲν ἂν κτῆμα κάλλιον καταλιπεῖν τοῖς παισὶν ἢ παρασκευάσας αὐτοῖς ὅπως μὴ μόνον πρὸς πατρὸς ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς μητρὸς ἀπὸ Διὸς ἔσονται γεγονότες.
44. For he knew that while other blessings bestowed by Fortune soon change hands, nobility of birth abides forever with the same possessors; therefore he foresaw that this choice would be to the advantage of all his race, whereas the other gifts would be enjoyed for the duration of his own life only.
44. ἠπίστατο γὰρ τὰς μὲν ἄλλας εὐτυχίας ταχέως μεταπιπτούσας, τὴν δʼ εὐγένειαν ἀεὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς παραμένουσαν, ὥστε ταύτην μὲν τὴν αἵρεσιν ὑπὲρ ἅπαντος τοῦ γένους ἔσεσθαι, τὰς δʼ ἑτέρας δωρεὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρόνου μόνον τοῦ καθʼ αὑτόν.
45. No sensible person surely could find fault with this reasoning, but some, who have not taken into consideration the antecedent events but look at the sequel alone, have before now reviled Alexander; but the folly of these accusers is easily discerned by all from the calumnies they have uttered.
45. τῶν μὲν οὖν εὖ φρονούντων οὐδεὶς ἂν τοῖς λογισμοῖς τούτοις ἐπιτιμήσειεν, τῶν δὲ μηδὲν πρὸ τοῦ πράγματος ἐνθυμουμένων ἀλλὰ τὸ συμβαῖνον μόνον σκοπουμένων ἤδη τινὲς ἐλοιδόρησαν αὐτόν· ὧν τὴν ἄνοιαν ἐξ ὧν ἐβλασφήμησαν περὶ ἐκείνου ῥᾴδιον ἅπασι καταμαθεῖν.
46. Are they not in a ridiculous state of mind if they think their own judgement is more competent than that which the gods chose as best? For surely they did not select any ordinary arbiter to decide a dispute about an issue that had got them into so fierce a quarrel, but obviously they were as anxious to select the most competent judge as they were concerned about the matter itself.
46. πῶς γὰρ οὐ καταγέλαστον πεπόνθασιν, εἰ τὴν αὑτῶν φύσιν ἱκανωτέραν εἶναι νομίζουσι τῆς ὑπὸ τῶν θεῶν προκριθείσης; οὐ γὰρ δή που περὶ ὧν εἰς τοσαύτην ἔριν κατέστησαν τὸν τυχόντα διαγνῶναι κύριον ἐποίησαν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὅτι τοσαύτην ἔσχον σπουδὴν ἐκλέξασθαι, κριτὴν τὸν βέλτιστον, ὅσηνπερ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιήσαντο.
47. There is need, moreover, to consider his real worth and to judge him, not by the resentment of those who were defeated for the prize, but by the reasons which caused the goddesses unanimously to choose his judgement. For nothing prevents even innocent persons from being ill-treated by the stronger, but only a mortal man of greatly superior intelligence could have received such honor as to become a judge of immortals.
47. χρὴ δὲ σκοπεῖν ὁποῖός τις ἦν καὶ δοκιμάζειν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς τῶν ἀποτυχουσῶν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧν ἅπασαι βουλευσάμεναι προείλοντο τὴν ἐκείνου διάνοιαν. κακῶς μὲν γὰρ παθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων οὐδὲν κωλύει καὶ τοὺς μηδὲν ἐξημαρτηκότας· τοιαύτης δὲ τιμῆς τυχεῖν ὥστε θνητὸν ὄντα θεῶν γενέσθαι κριτὴν, οὐχ οἷόν τε μὴ οὐ τὸν πολὺ τῇ γνώμῃ διαφέροντα.
48. I am astonished that anyone should think that Alexander was ill-advised in choosing to live with Helen, for whom many demigods were willing to die. Would he not have been a fool if, knowing that the deities themselves were contending for the prize of beauty, he had himself scorned beauty, and had failed to regard as the greatest of gifts that for the possession of which he saw even those goddesses most earnestly striving?
48. θαυμάζω δʼ εἴ τις οἴεται κακῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι τὸν μετὰ ταύτης ζῆν ἑλόμενον, ἧς ἕνεκα πολλοὶ τῶν ἡμιθέων ἀποθνῄσκειν ἠθέλησαν. πῶς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἦν ἀνόητος, εἰ τοὺς θεοὺς εἰδὼς περὶ κάλλους φιλονικοῦντας αὐτὸς κάλλους κατεφρόνησε, καὶ μὴ ταύτην ἐνόμισε μεγίστην εἶναι τῶν δωρεῶν, περὶ ἧς κἀκείνας ἑώρα μάλιστα σπουδαζούσας;
49. What man would have rejected marriage with Helen, at whose abduction the Greeks were as incensed as if all Greece had been laid waste, while the barbarians were as filled with pride as if they had conquered us all? It is clear how each party felt about the matter; for although there had been many causes of contention between them before, none of these disturbed their peace, whereas for her they waged so great a war, not only the greatest of all wars in the violence of its passions, but also in the duration of the struggle and in the extent of the preparations the greatest of all time.
49. τίς δʼ ἂν τὸν γάμον τὸν Ἑλένης ὑπερεῖδεν, ἧς ἁρπασθείσης οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες οὕτως ἠγανάκτησαν ὥσπερ ὅλης τῆς Ἑλλάδος πεπορθημένης, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι τοσοῦτον ἐφρόνησαν, ὅσον περ ἂν εἰ πάντων ἡμῶν ἐκράτησαν. δῆλον δʼ ὡς ἑκάτεροι διετέθησαν· πολλῶν γὰρ αὐτοῖς πρότερον ἐγκλημάτων γενομένων περὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, ὑπὲρ δὲ ταύτης τηλικοῦτον συνεστήσαντο πόλεμον οὐ μόνον τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ὀργῆς ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν παρασκευῶν ὅσος οὐδεὶς πώποτε γέγονεν.
50. And although the Trojans might have rid themselves of the misfortunes which encompassed them by surrendering Helen, and the Greeks might have lived in peace for all time by being indifferent to her fate, neither so wished; on the contrary, the Trojans allowed their cities to be laid waste and their land to be ravaged, so as to avoid yielding Helen to the Greeks, and the Greeks chose rather, remaining in a foreign land to grow old there and never to see their own again, than, leaving her behind, to return to their fatherland.
50. ἐξὸν δὲ τοῖς μὲν ἀποδοῦσιν Ἑλένην ἀπηλλάχθαι τῶν παρόντων κακῶν, τοῖς δʼ ἀμελήσασιν ἐκείνης ἀδεῶς οἰκεῖν τὸν ἐπίλοιπον χρόνον, οὐδέτεροι ταῦτʼ ἠθέλησαν· ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν περιεώρων καὶ πόλεις ἀναστάτους γιγνομένας καὶ τὴν χώραν πορθουμένην, ὥστε μὴ προέσθαι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν αὐτήν, οἱ δʼ ᾑροῦντο μένοντες ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας καταγηράσκειν καὶ μηδέποτε τοὺς αὑτῶν ἰδεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ ʼκείνην καταλιπόντες εἰς τὰς αὑτῶν πατρίδας ἀπελθεῖν.
51. And they were not acting in this way as eager champions of Alexander or of Menelaus; nay, the Trojans were upholding the cause of Asia, the Greeks of Europe, in the belief that the land in which Helen in person resided would be the more favored of Fortune.
51. καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐποίουν οὐχ ὑπὲρ Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Μενελάου φιλονικοῦντες, ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἀσίας, οἱ δʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς Εὐρώπης, νομίζοντες, ἐν ὁποτέρᾳ τὸ σῶμα τοὐκείνης κατοικήσειε, ταύτην εὐδαιμονεστέραν τὴν χώραν ἔσεσθαι.
52. So great a passion for the hardships of that expedition and for participation in it took possession not only of the Greeks and the barbarians, but also of the gods, that they did not dissuade even their own children from joining in the struggles around Troy; Zeus, though foreseeing the fate of Sarpedon, and Eos that of Memnon, and Poseidon that of Cycnus, and Thetis that of Achilles, nevertheless they all urged them on and sent them forth, thinking it more honorable for them to die fighting for the daughter of Zeus than to live without having taken part in the perils undergone on her account.
52. τοσοῦτος δʼ ἔρως ἐνέπεσε τῶν πόνων καὶ τῆς στρατείας ἐκείνης οὐ μόνον τοῖς Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς, ὥστʼ οὐδὲ τοὺς ἐξ αὑτῶν γεγονότας ἀπέτρεψαν τῶν ἀγώνων τῶν περὶ Τροίαν, ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς μὲν προειδὼς τὴν Σαρπηδόνος εἱμαρμένην, Ἠὼς δὲ τὴν Μέμνονος, Ποσειδῶν δὲ τὴν Κύκνου, Θέτις δὲ τὴν Ἀχιλλέως, ὅμως αὐτοὺς συνεξώρμησαν καὶ συνεξέπεμψαν, ἡγούμενοι κάλλιον αὐτοῖς εἶναι τεθνάναι μαχομένοις περὶ τῆς Διὸς θυγατρὸς μᾶλλον ἢ ζῆν ἀπολειφθεῖσι τῶν περὶ ἐκείνης κινδύνων.
53. And why should we be astonished that the gods felt thus concerning their children? For they themselves engaged in a far greater and more terrible struggle than when they fought the Giants; for against those enemies they had fought a battle in concert, but for Helen they fought a war against one another.
53. καὶ τί δεῖ θαυμάζειν, ἃ περὶ τῶν παίδων διενοήθησαν; αὐτοὶ γὰρ πολὺ μείζω καὶ δεινοτέραν ἐποιήσαντο παράταξιν τῆς πρὸς Γίγαντας αὐτοῖς γενομένης· πρὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνους μετʼ ἀλλήλων ἐμαχέσαντο, περὶ δὲ ταύτης πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐπολέμησαν.
54. With good reason in truth they came to this decision, and I, for my part, am justified in employing extravagant language in speaking of Helen; for beauty she possessed in the highest degree, and beauty is of all things the most venerated, the most precious, and the most divine. And it is easy to determine its power; for while many things which do not have any attributes of courage, wisdom, or justice will be seen to be more highly valued than any one of these attributes, yet of those things which lack beauty we shall find not one that is beloved; on the contrary, all are despised, except in so far as they possess in some degree this outward form, beauty, and it is for this reason that virtue is most highly esteemed, because it is the most beautiful of ways of living.
54. εὐλόγως δὲ κἀκεῖνοι ταῦτʼ ἔγνωσαν, κἀγὼ τηλικαύταις ὑπερβολαῖς ἔχω χρήσασθαι περὶ αὐτῆς· κάλλους γὰρ πλεῖστον μέρος μετέσχεν, ὃ σεμνότατον καὶ τιμιώτατον καὶ θειότατον τῶν ὄντων ἐστίν. ῥᾴδιον δὲ γνῶναι τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ· τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἀνδρίας ἢ σοφίας ἢ δικαιοσύνης μὴ μετεχόντων πολλὰ φανήσεται τιμώμενα μᾶλλον ἢ τούτων ἕκαστον, τῶν δὲ κάλλους ἀπεστερημένων οὐδὲν εὑρήσομεν ἀγαπώμενον ἀλλὰ πάντα καταφρονούμενα, πλὴν ὅσα ταύτης τῆς ἰδέας κεκοινώνηκε, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστʼ εὐδοκιμοῦσαν, ὅτι κάλλιστον τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἐστίν.
55. And we may learn how superior beauty is to all other things by observing how we ourselves are affected by each of them severally. For in regard to the other things which we need, we only wish to possess them and our heart’s desire is set on nothing further than this; for beautiful things, however, we have an inborn passion whose strength of desire corresponds to the superiority of the thing sought.
55. γνοίη δʼ ἄν τις κἀκεῖθεν ὅσον διαφέρει τῶν ὄντων, ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ διατιθέμεθα πρὸς ἕκαστον αὐτῶν. τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων ὧν ἂν ἐν χρείᾳ γενώμεθα, τυχεῖν μόνον βουλόμεθα, περαιτέρω δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν οὐδὲν τῇ ψυχῇ προσπεπόνθαμεν· τῶν δὲ καλῶν ἔρως ἡμῖν ἐγγίγνεται, τοσούτῳ μείζω τοῦ βούλεσθαι ῥώμην ἔχων, ὅσῳ περ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα κρεῖττόν ἐστιν.
56. And while we are jealous of those who excel us in intelligence or in anything else, unless they win us over by daily benefactions and compel us to be fond of them, yet at first sight we become well-disposed toward those who possess beauty, and to these alone as to the gods we do not fail in our homage;
56. καὶ τοῖς μὲν κατὰ σύνεσιν ἢ κατʼ ἄλλο τι προέχουσι φθονοῦμεν, ἢν μὴ τῷ ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς εὖ καθʼ ἑκάστην τὴν ἡμέραν προσαγάγωνται καὶ στέργειν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀναγκάσωσι· τοῖς δὲ καλοῖς εὐθὺς ἰδόντες εὖνοι γιγνόμεθα, καὶ μόνους αὐτοὺς ὥσπερ τοὺς θεοὺς οὐκ ἀπαγορεύομεν θεραπεύοντες, ἀλλʼ ἥδιον δουλεύομεν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἢ τῶν ἄλλων ἄρχομεν, πλείω χάριν ἔχοντες τοῖς πολλὰ προστάττουσιν ἢ τοῖς μηδὲν ἐπαγγέλλουσιν.
57. on the contrary, we submit more willingly to be the slaves of such than to rule all others, and we are more grateful to them when they impose many tasks upon us than to those who demand nothing at all. We revile those who fall under the power of anything other than beauty and call them flatterers, but those who are subservient to beauty we regard as lovers of beauty and lovers of service.
57. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑπʼ ἄλλῃ τινὶ δυνάμει γιγνομένους λοιδοροῦμεν καὶ κόλακας ἀποκαλοῦμεν, τοὺς δὲ τῷ κάλλει λατρεύοντας φιλοκάλους καὶ φιλοπόνους εἶναι νομίζομεν.
58. So strong are our feelings of reverence and solicitude for such a quality, that we hold in greater dishonour those of its possessors who have trafficked in it and ill-used their own youth than those who do violence to the persons of others; whereas those who guard their youthful beauty as a holy shrine, inaccessible to the base, are honored by us for all time equally with those who have benefited the city as a whole.
58. τοσαύτῃ δʼ εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ προνοίᾳ χρώμεθα περὶ τὴν ἰδέαν τὴν τοιαύτην ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἐχόντων τὸ κάλλος τοὺς μὲν μισθαρνήσαντας καὶ κακῶς βουλευσαμένους περὶ τῆς αὑτῶν ἡλικίας μᾶλλον ἀτιμάζομεν ἢ τοὺς εἰς τὰ τῶν ἄλλων σώματʼ ἐξαμαρτόντας· ὅσοι δʼ ἂν τὴν αὑτῶν ὥραν διαφυλάξωσιν ἄβατον τοῖς πονηροῖς ὥσπερ ἱερὸν ποιήσαντες, τούτους εἰς τὸν ἐπίλοιπον χρόνον ὁμοίως τιμῶμεν ὥσπερ τοὺς ὅλην τὴν πόλιν ἀγαθόν τι ποιήσαντας.
59. But why need I waste time in citing the opinions of men? Nay, Zeus, lord of all, reveals his power in all else, but deigns to approach beauty in humble guise. For in the likeness of Amphitryon he came to Alcmena, and as a shower of gold he united with Danae, and in the guise of a swan he took refuge in the bosom of Nemesis, and again in this form he espoused Leda; ever with artifice manifestly, and not with violence, does he pursue beauty in women.
59. καὶ τὶ δεῖ τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας δόξας λέγοντα διατρίβειν; ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ὁ κρατῶν πάντων ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις τὴν αὑτοῦ δύναμιν ἐνδείκνυται, πρὸς δὲ τὸ κάλλος ταπεινὸς γιγνόμενος ἀξιοῖ πλησιάζειν. Ἀμφιτρύωνι μὲν γὰρ εἰκασθεὶς ὡς Ἀλκμήνην ἦλθε, χρυσὸς δὲ ῥυεὶς Δανάῃ συνεγένετο, κύκνος δὲ γενόμενος εἰς τοὺς Νεμέσεως κόλπους κατέφυγε, τούτῳ δὲ πάλιν ὁμοιωθεὶς Λήδαν ἐνύμφευσεν· ἀεὶ δὲ μετὰ τέχνης ἀλλʼ οὐ μετὰ βίας θηρώμενος φαίνεται τὴν φύσιν τὴν τοιαύτην.
60. And so much greater honor is paid to beauty among the gods than among us that they pardon their own wives when they are vanquished by it; and one could cite many instances of goddesses who succumbed to mortal beauty, and no one of these sought to keep the fact concealed as if it involved disgrace; on the contrary, they desired their adventures to be celebrated in song as glorious deeds rather than to be hushed in silence. The greatest proof of my statements is this: we shall find that more mortals have been made immortal because of their beauty than for all other excellences.
60. τοσούτῳ δὲ μᾶλλον προτετίμηται τὸ κάλλος παρʼ ἐκείνοις ἢ παρʼ ἡμῖν ὥστε καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶ ταῖς αὑτῶν ὑπὸ τούτου κρατουμέναις συγγνώμην ἔχουσι, καὶ πολλὰς ἄν τις ἐπιδείξειε τῶν ἀθανάτων, αἳ θνητοῦ κάλλους ἡττήθησαν, ὧν οὐδεμία λαθεῖν τὸ γεγενημένον ὡς αἰσχύνην ἔχον ἐζήτησεν, ἀλλʼ ὡς καλῶν ὄντων τῶν πεπραγμένων ὑμνεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ σιωπᾶσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν ἠβουλήθησαν. μέγιστον δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τεκμήριον. πλείους γὰρ ἂν εὕροιμεν διὰ τὸ κάλλος ἀθανάτους γεγενημένους ἢ διὰ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρετὰς ἁπάσας.
61. All these personages Helen surpassed in proportion as she excelled them in the beauty of her person. For not only did she attain immortality but, having won power equalling that of a god, she first raised to divine station her brothers, who were already in the grip of Fate, and wishing to make their transformation believed by men, she gave to them honors so manifest that they have power to save when they are seen by sailors in peril on the sea, if they but piously invoke them.
61. ὧν Ἑλένη τοσούτῳ πλέον ἔσχεν, ὅσῳ περ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν αὐτῶν διήνεγκεν. οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀθανασίας ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἰσόθεον λαβοῦσα πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἤδη κατεχομένους ὑπὸ τῆς πεπρωμένης εἰς θεοὺς ἀνήγαγε, βουλομένη δὲ πιστὴν ποιῆσαι τὴν μεταβολὴν οὕτως οὕτως αὐτοῖς τὰς τιμὰς ἐναργεῖς ἔδωκεν ὥσθʼ ὁρωμένους ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ κινδυνευόντων σῴζειν, οἵτινες ἂν αὐτοὺς εὐσεβῶς κατακαλέσωνται.
62. After this she so amply recompensed Menelaus for the toils and perils which he had undergone because of her, that when all the race of the Pelopidae had perished and were the victims of irremediable disasters, not only did she free him from these misfortunes but, having made him god instead of mortal, she established him as partner of her house and sharer of her throne forever.
62. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοσαύτην Μενελάω χάριν ἀπέδωκεν ὑπὲρ τῶν πόνων καὶ τῶν κινδύνων οὓς διʼ ἐκείνην ὑπέμεινεν, ὥστε τοῦ γένους ἅπαντος τοῦ Πελοπιδῶν διαφθαρέντος καὶ κακοῖς ἀνηκέστοις περιπεσόντος οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν τῶν συμφορῶν τούτων ἀπήλλαξεν ἀλλὰ καὶ θεὸν ἀντὶ θνητοῦ ποιήσασα σύνοικον αὑτῇ καὶ πάρεδρον εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα κατεστήσατο.
63. And I can produce the city of the Spartans, which preserves with especial care its ancient traditions, as witness for the fact; for even to the present day at Therapne in Laconia the people offer holy and traditional sacrifices to them both, not as to heroes, but as to gods.
63. καὶ τούτοις ἔχω τὴν πόλιν τὴν Σπαρτιατῶν τὴν μάλιστα τὰ παλαιὰ διασῴζουσαν ἔργῳ παρασχέσθαι μαρτυροῦσαν· ἔτι γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἐν Θεράπναις τῆς Λακωνικῆς θυσίας αὐτοῖς ἁγίας καὶ πατρίας ἀποτελοῦσιν οὐχ ὡς ἥρωσιν ἀλλʼ ὡς θεοῖς ἀμφοτέροις οὖσιν.
64. And she displayed her own power to the poet Stesichorus also; for when, at the beginning of his ode, he spoke in disparagement of her, he arose deprived of his sight; but when he recognized the cause of his misfortune and composed the Recantation, as it is called, she restored to him his normal sight.
64. ἐνεδείξατο δὲ καὶ Στησιχόρῳ τῷ ποιητῇ τὴν αὑτῆς δύναμιν· ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ἀρχόμενος τῆς ᾠδῆς ἐβλασφήμησέ τι περὶ αὐτῆς, ἀνέστη τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐστερημένος, ἐπειδὴ δὲ γνοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συμφορᾶς τὴν καλουμένην παλινῳδίαν ἐποίησε, πάλιν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν φύσιν κατέστησεν.
65. And some of the Homeridae also relate that Helen appeared to Homer by night and commanded him to compose a poem on those who went on the expedition to Troy, since she wished to make their death more to be envied than the life of the rest of mankind; and they say that while it is partly because of Homer’s art, yet it is chiefly through her that this poem has such charm and has become so famous among all men.
65. λέγουσι δέ τινες καὶ τῶν Ὁμηριδῶν ὡς ἐπιστᾶσα τῆς νυκτὸς Ὁμήρῳ προσέταξε ποιεῖν περὶ τῶν στρατευσαμένων ἐπὶ Τροίαν, βουλομένη τὸν ἐκείνων θάνατον ζηλωτότερον ἢ τὸν βίον τὸν τῶν ἄλλων καταστῆσαι· καὶ μέρος μέν τι καὶ διὰ τὴν Ὁμήρου τέχνην, μάλιστα δὲ διὰ ταύτην οὕτως ἐπαφρόδιτον καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὀνομαστὴν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν ποίησιν.
66. Since, then, Helen has power to punish as well as to reward, it is the duty of those who have great wealth to propitiate and to honor her with thank-offerings, sacrifices, and processions, and philosophers should endeavour to speak of her in a manner worthy of her merits; for such are the first-fruits it is fitting that men of cultivation should offer.
66. ὡς οὖν καὶ δίκην λαβεῖν καὶ χάριν ἀποδοῦναι δυναμένην, τοὺς μὲν τοῖς χρήμασι προέχοντας ἀναθήμασι καὶ θυσίαις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις προσόδοις ἱλάσκεσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν αὐτὴν χρή, τοὺς δὲ φιλοσόφους πειρᾶσθαί τι λέγειν περὶ αὐτῆς ἄξιον τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐκείνῃ· τοῖς γὰρ πεπαιδευμένοις πρέπει τοιαύτας ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἀπαρχάς.
67. Far more has been passed over than has been said. Apart from the arts and philosophic studies and all the other benefits which one might attribute to her and to the Trojan War, we should be justified in considering that it is owing to Helen that we are not the slaves of the barbarians. For we shall find that it was because of her that the Greeks became united in harmonious accord and organized a common expedition against the barbarians, and that it was then for the first time that Europe set up a trophy of victory over Asia;
67. πολὺ δὲ πλείω τὰ παραλελειμμένα τῶν εἰρημένων ἐστίν. χωρὶς γὰρ τεχνῶν καὶ φιλοσοφιῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὠφελειῶν, ἃς ἔχοι τις ἂν εἰς ἐκείνην καὶ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν Τρωϊκὸν ἀνενεγκεῖν, δικαίως ἂν καὶ τοῦ μὴ δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς βαρβάροις Ἑλένην αἰτίαν εἶναι νομίζοιμεν. εὑρήσομεν γὰρ τοὺς Ἕλληνας διʼ αὐτὴν ὁμονοήσαντας καὶ κοινὴν στρατείαν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβὰρους ποιησαμένους, καὶ τότε πρῶτον τὴν Εὐρώπην τῆς Ἀσίας τρόπαιον στήσασαν·
68. and in consequence, we experienced a change so great that, although in former times any barbarians who were in misfortune presumed to be rulers over the Greek cities (for example, Danaus, an exile from Egypt, occupied Argos, Cadmus of Sidon became king of Thebes, the Carians colonized the islands, and Pelops, son of Tantalus, became master of all the Peloponnese), yet after that war our race expanded so greatly that it took from the barbarians great cities and much territory.
68. ἐξ ὧν τοσαύτης μεταβολῆς ἐτύχομεν ὥστε τὸν μὲν ἐπέκεινα χρόνον οἱ δυστυχοῦντες ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων ἄρχειν ἠξίουν, καὶ Δαναὸς μὲν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου φυγὼν Ἄργος κατέσχε, Κάδμος δὲ Σιδώνιος Θηβῶν ἐβασίλευσε, Κᾶρες δὲ τὰς νήσους κατῴκουν, Πελοποννήσου δὲ συμπάσης ὁ Ταντάλου Πέλοψ ἐκράτησεν, μετὰ δʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν πόλεμον τοσαύτην ἐπίδοσιν τὸ γένος ἡμῶν ἔλαβεν ὥστε καὶ πόλεις μεγάλας καὶ χώραν πολλὴν ἀφελέσθαι τῶν βαρβάρων.
69. If, therefore, any orators wish to dilate upon these matters and dwell upon them, they will not be at a loss for material apart from what I have said, wherewith to praise Helen; on the contrary, they will discover many new arguments that relate to her.
69. ἢν οὖν τινὲς βούλωνται ταῦτα διεργάζεσθαι καὶ μηκύνειν, οὐκ ἀπορήσουσιν ἀφορμῆς, ὅθεν Ἑλένην ἔξω τῶν εἰρημένων ἕξουσιν ἐπαινεῖν, ἀλλὰ πολλοῖς καὶ καινοῖς λόγοις ἐντεύξονται περὶ αὐτῆς.