105. I might go on and endeavor to speak at greater length on how you could carry on the war so as to triumph most quickly over the power of the King; but as things are, I fear that I might lay myself open to criticism if, having had no part in a soldier’s life, I should now venture to advise you, whose achievements in war are without parallel in number and magnitude. Therefore on this subject I think I need say nothing more. But to proceed with the rest of my discourse, I believe that both your own father and the founder of your kingdom, and also the progenitor of your race — were it lawful for Heracles and possible for the others to appear as your counsellors—would advise the very things which I have urged.
105. ἔτι δʼ ἂν πλείω λέγειν ἐπεχείρουν, ὃν τρόπον πολεμῶν τάχιστʼ ἂν περιγένοιο τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως δυνάμεως· νῦν δὲ φοβοῦμαι μή τινες ἐπιτιμήσωσιν ἡμῖν, εἰ μηδὲν πώποτε μεταχειρισάμενος τῶν στρατηγικῶν νῦν τολμῴην σοὶ παραινεῖν τῷ πλεῖστα καὶ μέγιστα διαπεπραγμένῳ κατὰ πόλεμον. ὥστε περὶ μὲν τούτων οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖν πλείω λέγειν. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων, ἡγοῦμαι τόν τε πατέρα σου καὶ τὸν κτησάμενον τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὸν τοῦ γένους ἀρχηγόν, εἰ τῷ μὲν εἴη θέμις, οἱ δὲ δύναμιν λάβοιεν, τῶν αὐτῶν ἂν τούτων γενέσθαι συμβούλους ὧν περ ἐγώ.
106. I draw my inference from their actions while they lived. For your father, in dealing with those states which I am urging you to cultivate, kept on friendly terms with them all. And the founder of your empire, although he aspired higher than did his fellow citizens and set his heart on a king’s power, was not minded to take the same road as others who set out to attain a like ambition.
106. χρῶμαι δὲ τεκμηρίοις ἐξ ὧν διαπεπραγμένοι τυγχάνουσιν. ὅ τε γὰρ πατήρ σου πρὸς τὰς πόλεις ταύτας, αἷς σοὶ παραινῶ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν, πρὸς ἁπάσας οἰκείως εἶχεν· ὅ τε κτησάμενος τὴν ἀρχήν, μεῖζον φρονήσας τῶν αὑτοῦ πολιτῶν καὶ μοναρχίας ἐπιθυμήσας, οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐβουλεύσατο τοῖς πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας φιλοτιμίας ὁρμωμένοις.
107. For they endeavored to win this honor by engendering factions, disorder, and bloodshed in their own cities; he, on the other hand, held entirely aloof from Hellenic territory, and set his heart upon occupying the throne of Macedon. For he knew full well that the Hellenes were not accustomed to submit to the rule of one man, while the other races were incapable of ordering their lives without the control of some such power.
107. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς αὑτῶν πόλεσι στάσεις καὶ ταραχὰς καὶ σφαγὰς ἐμποιοῦντες ἐκτῶντο τὴν τιμὴν ταύτην, ὁ δὲ τὸν μὲν τόπον τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν ὅλως εἴασε, τὴν δʼ ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ βασιλείαν κατασχεῖν ἐπεθύμησεν· ἠπίστατο γὰρ τοὺς μὲν Ἕλληνας οὐκ εἰθισμένους ὑπομένειν τὰς μοναρχίας, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους οὐ δυναμένους ἄνευ τῆς τοιαύτης δυναστείας διοικεῖν τὸν βίον τὸν σφέτερον αὐτῶν.
108. And so it came about, owing to his unique insight in this regard, that his kingship has proved to be quite set apart from that of the generality of kings: for, because he alone among the Hellenes did not claim the right to rule over a people of kindred race, he alone was able to escape the perils incident to one-man power. For history discovers to us the fact that those among the Hellenes who have managed to acquire such authority have not only been destroyed themselves but have been blotted, root and branch, from the face of the earth; while he, on the contrary, lived a long and happy life and left his seed in possession of the same honors which he himself had enjoyed.
108. καὶ γάρ τοι συνέβη διὰ τὸ γνῶναι περὶ τούτων αὐτὸν ἰδίως καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν γεγενῆσθαι πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων ἐξηλλαγμένην· μόνους γὰρ Ἑλλήνων οὐχ ὁμοφύλου γένους ἄρχειν ἀξιώσας μόνος καὶ διαφυγεῖν ἠδυνήθη τοὺς κινδύνους τοὺς περὶ τὰς μοναρχίας γιγνομένους. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι τοιοῦτόν τι διαπεπραγμένους εὕροιμεν ἂν οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς διεφθαρμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ γένος αὐτῶν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφανισμένον, ἐκεῖνον δʼ αὐτόν τʼ ἐν εὐδαιμονίᾳ τὸν βίον διαγαγόντα, τῷ τε γένει καταλιπόντα τὰς αὐτὰς τιμὰς ἅσπερ αὐτὸς εἶχεν.
109. Coming now to Heracles, all others who praise him harp endlessly on his valor or recount his labors; and not one, either of the poets or of the historians, will be found to have commemorated his other excellences—I mean those which pertain to the spirit. I, on the other hand, see here a field set apart and entirely unworked—a field not small nor barren, but teeming with many a theme for praise and with glorious deeds, yet demanding a speaker with ability to do them justice.
109. περὶ τοίνυν Ἡρακλέους, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι τὴν ἀνδρίαν ὑμνοῦντες αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἄθλους ἀπαριθμοῦντες διατελοῦσι, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων· τῶν τῇ ψυχῇ προσόντων ἀγαθῶν οὐδεὶς οὔτε τῶν ποιητῶν οὔτε τῶν λογοποιῶν οὐδεμίαν φανήσεται μνείαν πεποιημένος. ἐγὼ δʼ ὁρῶμεν τόπον ἴδιον καὶ παντάπασιν ἀδιεξέργαστον, οὐ μικρὸν οὐδὲ κενόν, ἀλλὰ πολλῶν μὲν ἐπαίνων καὶ καλῶν πράξεων γέμοντα, ποθοῦντα δὲ τὸν ἀξίως ἂν δυνηθέντα διαλεχθῆναι περὶ αὐτῶν·
110. If this subject had claimed my attention when I was younger, I should have found it easy to prove that it was more by his wisdom, his lofty ambition, and his justice than by his strength of body that your ancestor surpassed all who lived before his day. But approaching the subject at my present age, and seeing what a wealth of material there is in it to discuss, I have felt that my present powers were unequal to the task, and I have also realized that my discourse would run on to twice the length of that which is now before you to be read. For these reasons, then, I have refrained from touching upon his other exploits and have singled out one only—a story which is pertinent and in keeping with what I have said before, while being of a length best proportioned to the subject now in hand.
110. ἐφʼ ὃν εἰ μὲν νεώτερος ὢν ἐπέστην, ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἐπέδειξα τὸν πρόγονον ὑμῶν καὶ τῇ φρονήσει καὶ τῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ πλέον διενεγκόντα πάντων τῶν προγεγενημένων ἢ τῇ ῥώμῃ τῇ τοῦ σώματος· νῦν δʼ ἐπελθὼν ἐπʼ αὐτόν, καὶ κατιδὼν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐνόντων εἰπεῖν, τήν τε δύναμιν τὴν παροῦσάν μοι κατεμεμψάμην καὶ τὸν λόγον ᾐσθόμην διπλάσιον ἂν γενόμενον τοῦ νῦν ἀναγιγνωσκομένου. τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων ἀπέστην διὰ τὰς αἰτίας ταύτας, μίαν δὲ πρᾶξιν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔλαβον, ἥ περ ἦν προσήκουσα μὲν καὶ πρέπουσα τοῖς προειρημένοις, τὸν δὲ καιρὸν ἔχουσα μάλιστα σύμμετρον τοῖς νῦν λεγομένοις.
111. When Heracles saw that Hellas was rife with wars and factions and many other afflictions, he first brought these troubles to an end and reconciled the cities with each other, and then showed by his example to coming generations with whom and against whom it was their duty to go to war. For he made an expedition against Troy, which was in those days the strongest power in Asia, and so far did he excel in generalship those who at a later time waged war against this same city, that, while they with the combined strength of Hellas found it difficult to take Troy after a siege which lasted ten years, he, on the other hand, in less than as many days, and with a small expedition, easily took the city by storm.
111. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὁρῶν τὴν Ἑλλάδα πολέμων καὶ στάσεων καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων κακῶν μεστὴν οὖσαν, παύσας ταῦτα καὶ διαλλάξας τὰς πόλεις πρὸς ἀλλήλας ὑπέδειξε τοῖς ἐπιγιγνομένοις, μεθʼ ὧν χρὴ καὶ πρὸς οὓς δεῖ τοὺς πολέμους ἐκφέρειν. ποιησάμενος γὰρ στρατείαν ἐπὶ Τροίαν, ἥ περ εἶχε τότε μεγίστην δύναμιν τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, τοσοῦτον διήνεγκε τῇ στρατηγίᾳ τῶν πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ταύτην ὕστερον πολεμησάντων, ὅσον οἱ μὲν μετὰ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων δυνάμεως ἐν ἔτεσι δέκα μόλις αὐτὴν ἐξεπολιόρκησαν, ὁ δʼ ἐν ἡμέραις ἐλάττοσιν ἢ τοσαύταις καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγων στρατεύσας ῥᾳδίως αὐτὴν κατὰ κράτος εἷλεν.
112. After this, he put to death to a man all the princes of the tribes who dwelt along the shores of both continents; and these he could never have destroyed had he not first conquered their armies. When he had done these things, he set up the Pillars of Heracles, as they are called, to be a trophy of victory over the barbarians, a monument to his own valor and the perils he had surmounted, and to mark the bounds of the territory of the Hellenes.
112. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τοὺς βασιλέας τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐφʼ ἑκατέρας τῆς ἠπείρου τὴν παραλίαν κατοικούντων ἅπαντας ἀπέκτεινεν· οὓς οὐδέποτʼ ἂν διέφθειρεν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῶν ἐκράτησεν. ταῦτα δὲ πράξας τὰς στήλας τὰς Ἡρακλέους καλουμένας ἐποιήσατο, τροπαῖον μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων, μνημεῖον δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῆς αὑτοῦ καὶ τῶν κινδύνων, ὅρους δὲ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων χώρας.
113. My purpose in relating all this is that you may see that by my words I am exhorting you to a course of action which, in the light of their deeds, it is manifest that your ancestors chose as the noblest of all. Now, while all who are blessed with understanding ought to set before themselves the greatest of men as their model, and strive to become like him, it behoves you above all to do so. For since you have no need to follow alien examples but have before you one from your own house, have we not then the right to expect that you will be spurred on by this and inspired by the ambition to make yourself like the ancestor of your race?
113. τούτου δʼ ἕνεκά σοι περὶ τούτων διῆλθον, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι σε τυγχάνω τῷ λόγῳ παρακαλῶν ἐπὶ τοιαύτας πράξεις, ἃς ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων οἱ πρόγονοί σου φαίνονται καλλίστας προκρίναντες. ἅπαντας μὲν οὖν χρὴ τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας τὸν κράτιστον ὑποστησαμένους πειρᾶσθαι γίγνεσθαι τοιούτους, μάλιστα δὲ σοὶ προσήκει. τὸ γὰρ μὴ δεῖν ἀλλοτρίοις χρῆσθαι παραδείγμασιν, ἀλλʼ οἰκεῖον ὑπάρχειν, πῶς οὐκ εἰκὸς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ σε παροξύνεσθαι, καὶ φιλονικεῖν ὅπως τῷ προγόνῳ σαυτὸν ὅμοιον παρασκευάσεις;
114. I do not mean that you will be able to imitate Heracles in all his exploits; for even among the gods there are some who could not do that; but in the qualities of the spirit, in devotion to humanity, and in the good will which he cherished toward the Hellenes, you can come close to his purposes. And it lies in your power, if you will heed my words, to attain whatever glory you yourself desire;
114. λέγω δʼ οὐχ ὡς δυνησόμενον ἁπάσας σε μιμήσασθαι τὰς Ἡρακλέους πράξεις (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν τῶν θεῶν ἔνιοι δυνηθεῖεν)· ἀλλὰ κατά γε τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἦθος καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν, ἣν εἶχεν εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας, δύναιʼ ἂν ὁμοιωθῆναι τοῖς ἐκείνου βουλήμασιν. ἔστι δέ σοι πεισθέντι τοῖς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ λεγομένοις τυχεῖν δόξης, οἵας ἂν αὐτὸς βουληθῇς·
115. for it is easier for you to rise from your present station and win the noblest fame than it has been to advance from the station which you inherited to the fame which is now yours. And mark that I am summoning you to an undertaking in which you will make expeditions, not with the barbarians against men who have given you no just cause, but with the Hellenes against those upon whom it is fitting that the descendants of Heracles should wage war.
115. ῥᾴδιον γάρ ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν παρόντων κτήσασθαι τὴν καλλίστην, ἢ ἐξ ὧν παρέλαβες ἐπὶ τὴν νῦν ὑπάρχουσαν προελθεῖν. σκέψαι δʼ ὅτι σε τυγχάνω παρακαλῶν, ἐξ ὧν ποιήσει τὰς στρατείας οὐ μετὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐφʼ οὓς οὐ δίκαιόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπὶ τούτους πρὸς οὓς προσήκει τοὺς ἀφʼ Ἡρακλέους γεγονότας πολεμεῖν.
116. And do not be surprised if throughout my speech I am trying to incline you to a policy of kindness to the Hellenes and of gentleness and humanity. For harshness is, I observe, grievous both to those who exercise it and to those upon whom it falls, while gentleness, whether in man or in the other animals, bears a good name; nay, in the case of the gods also we invoke as the “Heavenly Ones” those who bless us with good things, while to those who are agents of calamities and punishments we apply more hateful epithets; in honor of the former, both private persons and states erect temples and altars, whereas we honor the latter neither in our prayers nor in our sacrifices, but practice rites to drive away their evil presence.
116. καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ διὰ παντός σε τοῦ λόγου πειρῶμαι προτρέπειν ἐπί τε τὰς εὐεργεσίας τὰς τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ πραότητα καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν· ὁρῶ γὰρ τὰς μὲν χαλεπότητας λυπηρὰς οὔσας καὶ τοῖς ἔχουσι καὶ τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι, τὰς δὲ πραότητας οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζώων ἁπάντων εὐδοκιμούσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν θεῶν τοὺς μὲν τῶν ἀγαθῶν αἰτίους ἡμῖν ὄντας Ὀλυμπίους προσαγορευομένους, τοὺς δʼ ἐπὶ ταῖς συμφοραῖς καὶ ταῖς τιμωρίαις τεταγμένους δυσχερεστέρας τὰς ἐπωνυμίας ἔχοντας, καὶ τῶν μὲν καὶ τοὺς ἰδιώτας καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ νεὼς καὶ βωμοὺς ἱδρυμένους, τοὺς δʼ οὔτʼ ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς οὔτʼ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις τιμωμένους, ἀλλʼ ἀποπομπὰς αὐτῶν ἡμᾶς ποιουμένους.
118. Bearing ever in mind these truths, you should habitually act and strive to the end that all men shall cherish even more than they do now such an opinion of your character. Indeed, those who crave a greater fame than that of other men must map out in their thoughts a course of action which, while practicable, is at the same time close to the ideal, and seek to carry it into effect as opportunity presents a way.
118. ὧν ἐνθυμούμενον ἐθίζειν σαυτὸν χρή, καὶ μελετᾶν ὅπως ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν τοιαύτην ἅπαντες περὶ σοῦ τὴν γνώμην ἕξουσιν. χρὴ δὲ τοὺς μείζονος δόξης τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιθυμοῦντας περιβάλλεσθαι μὲν τῇ διανοίᾳ τὰς πράξεις δυνατὰς μέν, εὐχῇ δʼ ὁμοίας, ἐξεργάζεσθαι δὲ ζητεῖν αὐτὰς ὅπως ἂν οἱ καιροὶ παραδιδῶσιν.
119. From many considerations you may realize that you ought to act in this way, but especially from the experiences of Jason. For he, without having achieved anything comparable to what you have done, won the highest renown, not from what he did, but from what he said; for he kept talking as if he intended to cross over to the continent and make war upon the King.
119. ἐκ πολλῶν δʼ ἂν κατανοήσειας ὅτι δεῖ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον πράττειν, μάλιστα δʼ ἐκ τῶν Ἰάσονι συμβάντων. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον οἷον σὺ κατεργασάμενος μεγίστης δόξης ἔτυχεν, οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ἔπραξεν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧν ἔφησεν· ἐποιεῖτο γὰρ τοὺς λόγους ὡς εἰς τὴν ἤπειρον διαβησόμενος καὶ βασιλεῖ πολεμήσων.
120. Now since Jason by use of words alone advanced himself so far, what opinion must we expect the world will have of you if you actually do this thing; above all, if you undertake to conquer the whole empire of the King, or, at any rate, to wrest from it a vast extent of territory and sever from it—to use a current phrase—“Asia from Cilicia to Sinope”; and if, furthermore, you undertake to establish cities in this region, and to settle in permanent abodes those who now, for lack of the daily necessities of life, are wandering from place to place and committing outrages upon whomsoever they encounter?
120. ὅπου δʼ Ἰάσων λόγῳ μόνον χρησάμενος οὕτως αὑτὸν ηὔξησεν, ποίαν τινὰ χρὴ προσδοκᾶν περὶ σοῦ γνώμην αὐτοὺς ἕξειν, ἢν ἔργῳ ταῦτα πράξῃς, καὶ μάλιστα μὲν πειραθῇς ὅλην τὴν βασιλείαν ἑλεῖν, εἰ δὲ μή, χώραν ὅτι πλείστην ἀφορίσασθαι καὶ διαλαβεῖν τὴν Ἀσίαν, ὡς λέγουσί τινες, ἀπὸ Κιλικίας μέχρι Σινώπης, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις κτίσαι πόλεις ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ τόπῳ, καὶ κατοικίσαι τοὺς νῦν πλανωμένους διʼ ἔνδειαν τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ λυμαινομένους οἷς ἂν ἐντύχωσιν.
121. If we do not stop these men from banding together, by providing sufficient livelihood for them, they will grow before we know it into so great a multitude as to be a terror no less to the Hellenes than to the barbarians. But we pay no heed to them; nay, we shut our eyes to the fact that a terrible menace which threatens us all alike is waxing day by day.
121. οὓς εἰ μὴ παύσομεν ἀθροιζομένους βίον αὐτοῖς ἱκανὸν πορίσαντες, λήσουσιν ἡμᾶς τοσοῦτοι γενόμενοι τὸ πλῆθος, ὥστε μηδὲν ἧττον αὐτοὺς εἶναι φοβεροὺς τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἢ τοῖς βαρβάροις· ὧν οὐδεμίαν ποιούμεθα πρόνοιαν, ἀλλʼ ἀγνοοῦμεν κοινὸν φόβον καὶ κίνδυνον ἅπασιν ἡμῖν αὐξανόμενον.
122. It is therefore the duty of a man who is high-minded, who is a lover of Hellas, who has a broader vision than the rest of the world, to employ these bands in a war against the barbarians, to strip from that empire all the territory which I defined a moment ago, to deliver these homeless wanderers from the ills by which they are afflicted and which they inflict upon others, to collect them into cities, and with these cities to fix the boundary of Hellas, making of them buffer states to shield us all.
122. ἔστιν οὖν ἀνδρὸς μέγα φρονοῦντος καὶ φιλέλληνος καὶ πορρωτέρω τῶν ἄλλων τῇ διανοίᾳ καθορῶντος, ἀποχρησάμενον τοῖς τοιούτοις πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους, καὶ χώραν ἀποτεμόμενον τοσαύτην ὅσην ὀλίγῳ πρότερον εἰρήκαμεν, ἀπαλλάξαι τε τοὺς ξενιτευομένους τῶν κακῶν ὧν αὐτοί τʼ ἔχουσι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις παρέχουσι, καὶ πόλεις ἐξ αὐτῶν συστῆσαι, καὶ ταύταις ὁρίσαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ προβαλέσθαι πρὸ ἁπάντων ἡμῶν.
123. For by doing this, you will not only make them prosperous, but you will put us all on a footing of security. If, however, you do not succeed in these objects, this much you will at any rate easily accomplish,—the liberation of the cities which are on the coast of Asia. But no matter what part of this undertaking you are able to carry out, or only attempt to carry out, you cannot fail to attain distinguished glory; and it will be well deserved if only you will make this the goal of your own efforts and urge on the Hellenes in the same course.
123. ταῦτα γὰρ πράξας οὐ μόνον ἐκείνους εὐδαίμονας ποιήσεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀσφάλειαν καταστήσεις. ἢν δʼ οὖν τούτων διαμάρτῃς, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνό γε ῥᾳδίως ποιήσεις, τὰς πόλεις τὰς τὴν Ἀσίαν κατοικούσας ἐλευθερώσεις. ὅ τι δʼ ἂν τούτων πρᾶξαι δυνηθῇς ἢ καὶ μόνον ἐπιχειρήσῃς, οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐ μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων εὐδοκιμήσεις, καὶ δικαίως, ἤν περ αὐτός τʼ ἐπὶ ταῦθʼ ὁρμήσῃς καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας προτρέψῃς·
124. For as things now are, who would not have reason to be amazed at the turn events have taken and to feel contempt for us, when among the barbarians, whom we have come to look upon as effeminate and unversed in war and utterly degenerate from luxurious living, men have arisen who thought themselves worthy to rule over Hellas, while among the Hellenes no one has aspired so high as to attempt to make us masters of Asia? Nay, we have dropped so far behind the barbarians that, while they did not hesitate even to begin hostilities against the Hellenes, we do not even have the spirit to pay them back for the injuries we have suffered at their hands. On the contrary, although they admit that in all their wars they have no soldiers of their own nor generals nor any of the things which are serviceable in times of danger, but have to send and get all these from us, we have gone so far in our passion to injure ourselves that, whereas it lies in our power to possess the wealth of the barbarians in security and peace, we continue to wage war upon each other over trifles, and we actually help to reduce to subjection those who revolt from the authority of the King, and sometimes, unwittingly, we ally ourselves with our hereditary foes and seek to destroy those who are of our own race.
124. ἐπεὶ νῦν γε τίς οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως τὰ συμβεβηκότα θαυμάσειε καὶ καταφρονήσειεν ἡμῶν, ὅπου παρὰ μὲν τοῖς βαρβάροις, οὓς ὑπειλήφαμεν μαλακοὺς εἶναι καὶ πολέμων ἀπείρους καὶ διεφθαρμένους ὑπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς, ἄνδρες ἐγγεγόνασιν οἳ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἄρχειν ἠξίωσαν, τῶν δʼ Ἑλλήνων οὐδεὶς τοσοῦτον πεφρόνηκεν ὥστʼ ἐπιχειρῆσαι τῆς Ἀσίας ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι κυρίους, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον αὐτῶν ἀπολελειμμένοι τυγχάνομεν, ὥστʼ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὐκ ὤκνησαν οὐδὲ προϋπάρξαι τῆς ἔχθρας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ἡμεῖς δʼ οὐδʼ ὑπὲρ ὧν κακῶς ἐπάθομεν ἀμύνεσθαι τολμῶμεν αὐτούς, ἀλλʼ ὁμολογούντων ἐκείνων ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς πολέμοις μήτε στρατιώτας ἔχειν μήτε στρατηγοὺς μήτʼ ἄλλο μηδὲν τῶν εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους χρησίμων, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα παρʼ ἡμῶν μεταπεμπομένων, εἰς τοῦθʼ ἥκομεν ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ κακῶς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ποιεῖν, ὥστʼ ἐξὸν ἡμῖν τἀκείνων ἀδεῶς ἔχειν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τʼ αὐτοὺς περὶ μικρῶν πολεμοῦμεν, καὶ τοὺς ἀφισταμένους τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς βασιλέως συγκαταστρεφόμεθα, καὶ λελήθαμεν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐνίοτε μετὰ τῶν πατρικῶν ἐχθρῶν τοὺς τῆς αὐτῆς συγγενείας μετέχοντας ἀπολλύναι ζητοῦντες.
127. Therefore, since the others are so lacking in spirit, I think it is opportune for you to head the war against the King; and, while it is only natural for the other descendants of Heracles, and for men who are under the bonds of their polities and laws, to cleave fondly to that state in which they happen to dwell, it is your privilege, as one who has been blessed with untrammeled freedom, to consider all Hellas your fatherland, as did the founder of your race, and to be as ready to brave perils for her sake as for the things about which you are personally most concerned.
127. διὸ καὶ σοὶ νομίζω συμφέρειν οὕτως ἀνάνδρως διακειμένων τῶν ἄλλων προστῆναι τοῦ πολέμου τοῦ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον. προσήκει δὲ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις τοῖς ἀφʼ Ἡρακλέους πεφυκόσι καὶ τοῖς ἐν πολιτείᾳ καὶ νόμοις ἐνδεδεμένοις ἐκείνην τὴν πόλιν στέργειν, ἐν ᾗ τυγχάνουσι κατοικοῦντες, σὲ δʼ ὥσπερ ἄφετον γεγενημένον ἅπασαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα πατρίδα νομίζειν, ὥσπερ ὁ γεννήσας ὑμᾶς, καὶ κινδυνεύειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ὁμοίως ὥσπερ ὑπὲρ ὧν μάλιστα σπουδάζεις.
128. Perhaps there are those—men capable of nothing else but criticism—who will venture to rebuke me because I have chosen to challenge you to the task of leading the expedition against the barbarians and of taking Hellas under your care, while I have passed over my own city.
128. ἴσως δʼ ἄν τινες ἐπιτιμῆσαί μοι τολμήσειαν τῶν οὐδὲν ἄλλο δυναμένων ἢ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὅτι σὲ προειλόμην παρακαλεῖν ἐπί τε τὴν στρατείαν τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων, παραλιπὼν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πόλιν.
129. Well, if I were trying to present this matter to any others before having broached it to my own country, which has thrice freed Hellas—twice from the barbarians and once from the Lacedaemonian yoke—I should confess my error. In truth, however, it will be found that I turned to Athens first of all and endeavored to win her over to this cause with all the earnestness of which my nature is capable, but when I perceived that she cared less for what I said than for the ravings of the platform orators, I gave her up, although I did not abandon my efforts.
129. ἐγὼ δʼ εἰ μὲν πρὸς ἄλλους τινὰς πρότερον ἐπεχείρουν διαλέγεσθαι περὶ τούτων ἢ πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα τὴν αὑτοῦ τὴν τρὶς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐλευθερώσασαν, δὶς μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων, ἅπαξ δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων ἀρχῆς, ὡμολόγουν ἂν πλημμελεῖν· νῦν δʼ ἐκείνην μὲν φανήσομαι πρώτην ἐπὶ ταῦτα προτρέπων ὡς ἠδυνάμην μετὰ πλείστης σπουδῆς, αἰσθανόμενος δʼ ἔλαττον αὐτὴν φροντίζουσαν τῶν ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ λεγομένων ἢ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος μαινομένων ἐκείνην μὲν εἴασα, τῆς δὲ πραγματείας οὐκ ἀπέστην.
130. Wherefore I might justly be praised on every hand, because throughout my whole life I have constantly employed such powers as I possess in warring on the barbarians, in condemning those who opposed my plan, and in striving to arouse to action whoever I think will best be able to benefit the Hellenes in any way or to rob the barbarians of their present prosperity.
130. διὸ δικαίως ἄν με πάντες ἐπαινοῖεν ὅτι, τῇ δυνάμει ταύτῃ χρώμενος ἣν ἔχων τυγχάνω, διατετέλεκα πάντα τὸν χρόνον πολεμῶν μὲν τοῖς βαρβάροις, κατηγορῶν δὲ τῶν μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην ἐχόντων, προτρέπειν δʼ ἐπιχειρῶν οὓς ἂν ἐλπίσω μάλιστα δυνήσεσθαι τοὺς μὲν Ἕλληνας ἀγαθόν τι ποιῆσαι, τοὺς δὲ βαρβάρους ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν εὐδαιμονίαν.
131. Consequently, I am now addressing myself to you, although I am not unaware that when I am proposing this course many will look at it askance, but that when you are actually carrying it out all will rejoice in it; for no one has had any part in what I have proposed, but when the benefits from it shall have been realized in fact, everyone without fail will look to have his portion.
131. διόπερ καὶ νῦν πρὸς σὲ ποιοῦμαι τοὺς λόγους, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τούτοις ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ μὲν λεγομένοις πολλοὶ φθονήσουσι, τοῖς δʼ αὐτοῖς τούτοις ὑπὸ σοῦ πραττομένοις ἅπαντες συνησθήσονται. τῶν μὲν γὰρ εἰρημένων οὐδεὶς κεκοινώνηκε, τῶν δʼ ὠφελιῶν τῶν κατεργασθησομένων οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις οὐκ οἰήσεται μεθέξειν.
132. Consider also what a disgrace it is to sit idly by and see Asia flourishing more than Europe and the barbarians enjoying a greater prosperity than the Hellenes; and, what is more, to see those who derive their power from Cyrus, who as a child was cast out by his mother on the public highway, addressed by the title of “The Great King,” while the descendants of Heracles, who because of his virtue was exalted by his father to the rank of a god, are addressed by meaner titles than they. We must not allow this state of affairs to go on; no, we must change and reverse it entirely.
132. σκέψαι δʼ ὡς αἰσχρὸν περιορᾶν τὴν Ἀσίαν ἄμεινον πράττουσαν τῆς Εὐρώπης καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους εὐπορωτέρους τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὄντας, ἔτι δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἀπὸ Κύρου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχοντας, ὃν ἡ μήτηρ εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ἐξέβαλε, βασιλέας μεγάλους προσαγορευομένους, τοὺς δʼ ἀφʼ Ἡρακλέους πεφυκότας, ὃν ὁ γεννήσας διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν εἰς θεοὺς ἀνήγαγε, ταπεινοτέροις ὀνόμασιν ἢ ʼκείνους προσαγορευομένους. ὧν οὐδὲν ἐατέον οὕτως ἔχειν, ἀλλʼ ἀναστρεπτέον καὶ μεταστατέον ἅπαντα ταῦτʼ ἐστίν.
133. Rest assured that I should never have attempted to persuade you to undertake this at all had power and wealth been the only things which I saw would come of it; for I think that you already have more than enough of such things, and that any man is beyond measure insatiable who deliberately chooses the extreme hazard of either winning these prizes or losing his life.
133. εὖ δʼ ἴσθι μηδὲν ἄν με τούτων ἐπιχειρήσαντά σε πείθειν, εἰ δυναστείαν μόνον καὶ πλοῦτον ἑώρων ἐξ αὐτῶν γενησόμενον· ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ τά γε τοιαῦτα καὶ νῦν σοι πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν ὑπάρχειν, καὶ πολλὴν ἀπληστίαν ἔχειν ὅς τις προαιρεῖται κινδυνεύειν ὥστʼ ἤ ταῦτα λαβεῖν ἢ στερηθῆναι τῆς ψυχῆς.
134. No, it is not with a view to the acquisition of wealth and power that I urge this course, but in the belief that by means of these you will win a name of surpassing greatness and glory. Bear in mind that while we all possess bodies that are mortal, yet by virtue of good will and praise and good report and memory which keeps pace with the passage of time we partake of immortality — a boon for which we may well strive with all our might and suffer any hardship whatsoever.
134. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐ πρὸς τὰς τούτων κτήσεις ἀποβλέψας ποιοῦμαι τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλʼ οἰόμενος ἐκ τούτων μεγίστην σοι καὶ καλλίστην γενήσεσθαι δόξαν. ἐνθυμοῦ δʼ ὅτι τὸ μὲν σῶμα θνητὸν ἅπαντες ἔχομεν, κατὰ δὲ τὴν εὔνοιαν καὶ τοὺς ἐπαίνους καὶ τὴν φήμην καὶ τὴν μνήμην τὴν τῷ χρόνῳ συμπαρακολουθοῦσαν ἀθανασίας μεταλαμβάνομεν, ἧς ἄξιον ὀρεγομένους καθʼ ὅσον οἷοί τʼ ἐσμὲν ὁτιοῦν πάσχειν.
135. You may observe that even common citizens of the best sort, who would exchange their lives for nothing else, are willing for the sake of winning glory to lay them down in battle; and, in general, that those who crave always an honor greater than they already possess are praised by all men, while those who are insatiable with regard to any other thing under the sun are looked upon as intemperate and mean.
135. ἴδοις δʼ ἂν καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν τοὺς ἐπιεικεστάτους ὑπὲρ ἄλλου μὲν οὐδενὸς ἂν τὸ ζῆν ἀντικαταλλαξαμένους, ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ τυχεῖν καλῆς δόξης ἀποθνήσκειν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἐθέλοντας, ὅλως δὲ τοὺς μὲν τιμῆς ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἀεὶ μείζονος ἧς ἔχουσιν ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπαινουμένους, τοὺς δὲ πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν ὄντων ἀπλήστως διακειμένους ἀκρατεστέρους καὶ φαυλοτέρους εἶναι δοκοῦντας.
136. But more important than all that I have said is the truth that wealth and positions of power often fall into the hands of our foes, whereas the good will of our fellow countrymen and the other rewards which I have mentioned are possessions to which none can fall heir but our own children, and they alone. I could not, therefore, respect myself if I failed to advance these motives in urging you to make this expedition and wage war and brave its perils.
136. τὸ δὲ μέγιστον τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅτι συμβαίνει τοῦ μὲν πλούτου καὶ τῶν δυναστειῶν πολλάκις τοὺς ἐχθροὺς κυρίους γίγνεσθαι, τῆς δʼ εὐνοίας τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν προειρημένων μηδένας ἄλλους καταλείπεσθαι κληρονόμους πλὴν τοὺς ἐξ ἡμῶν γεγονότας. ὥστʼ ᾐσχυνόμην ἄν, εἰ μὴ τούτων ἕνεκα συνεβούλευον καὶ τὴν στρατείαν ποιεῖσθαι ταύτην καὶ πολεμεῖν καὶ κινδυνεύειν.
137. You will best resolve upon this question if you feel that you are summoned to this task, not by my words only, but by your forefathers, by the cowardice of the Persians, and by all who have won great fame and attained the rank of demigods because of their campaigns against the barbarians, and, most of all, by the present opportunity, which finds you in the possession of greater power than has any of those who dwell in Europe, and finds him against whom you are to make war more cordially hated and despised by the world at large than was ever any king before him.
137. οὕτω δʼ ἄριστα βουλεύσει περὶ τούτων, ἢν ὑπολάβῃς μὴ μόνον τὸν λόγον τοῦτόν σε παρακαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς προγόνους καὶ τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἀνανδρίαν καὶ τοὺς ὀνομαστοτάτους γενομένους καὶ δόξαντας ἡμιθέους εἶναι διὰ τὴν στρατείαν τὴν ἐπʼ ἐκείνους, μάλιστα δὲ πάντων τὸν καιρόν, ἐν ᾧ σὺ μὲν τυγχάνεις τοσαύτην δύναμιν κεκτημένος ὅσην οὐδεὶς τῶν τὴν Εὐρώπην κατοικησάντων, πρὸς ὃν δὲ πολεμήσεις, οὕτω σφόδρα μεμισημένος καὶ καταπεφρονημένος ὑφʼ ἁπάντων ὡς οὐδεὶς πώποτε τῶν βασιλευσάντων.
138. I should have given much to be able to blend into one all the speeches I have delivered on this question; for the present discourse would then appear more worthy of its theme. But, as things are, it devolves upon you to search out and consider, from all my speeches, the arguments which bear upon and urge you to this war; for so you will best resolve upon the matter.
138. πρὸ πολλοῦ δʼ ἂν ἐποιησάμην οἷόν τʼ εἶναι συνερᾶσαι τοὺς λόγους ἅπαντας τοὺς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτων εἰρημένους· μᾶλλον γὰρ ἂν ἄξιος οὗτος ἔδοξεν εἶναι τῆς ὑποθέσεως. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ σέ γε χρὴ σκοπεῖν ἐξ ἁπάντων τὰ συντείνοντα καὶ προτρέποντα πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἄριστα βουλεύσαιο περὶ αὐτῶν.
139. Now I am not unaware that many of the Hellenes look upon the King’s power as invincible. Yet one may well marvel at them if they really believe that the power which was subdued to the will of a mere barbarian—an ill-bred barbarian at that—and collected in the cause of slavery, could not be scattered by a man of the blood of Hellas, of ripe experience in warfare, in the cause of freedom—and that too although they know that while it is in all cases difficult to construct a thing, to destroy it is, comparatively, an easy task.
139. οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δʼ ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὴν βασιλέως δύναμιν ἄμαχον εἶναι νομίζουσιν· ὧν ἄξιον θαυμάζειν, εἰ τὴν ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπου βαρβάρου καὶ κακῶς τεθραμμένου κατασταθεῖσαν καὶ συναχθεῖσαν ἐπὶ δουλείᾳ, ταύτην ὑπʼ ἀνδρὸς Ἕλληνος καὶ περὶ τοὺς πολέμους πολλὴν ἐμπειρίαν ἔχοντος μὴ νομίζουσιν ἂν ἐπʼ ἐλευθερίᾳ διαλυθῆναι, καὶ ταῦτʼ εἰδότες ὅτι συστῆσαι μέν ἐστιν ἅπαντα χαλεπόν, διαστῆσαι δὲ ῥᾴδιον.
140. Bear in mind that the men whom the world most admires and honors are those who unite in themselves the abilities of the statesman and the general. When, therefore, you see the renown which even in a single city is bestowed on men who possess these gifts, what manner of eulogies must you expect to hear spoken of you, when among all the Hellenes you shall stand forth as a statesman who has worked for the good of Hellas, and as a general who has overthrown the barbarians?
140. ἐνθυμοῦ δʼ ὅτι μάλιστα τούτους τιμῶσιν ἅπαντες καὶ θαυμάζουσιν, οἵτινες ἀμφότερα δύνανται, καὶ πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ στρατηγεῖν. ὅταν οὖν ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἐν μιᾷ πόλει ταύτην ἔχοντας τὴν φύσιν εὐδοκιμοῦντας, ποίους τινὰς χρὴ προσδοκᾶν τοὺς ἐπαίνους ἔσεσθαι τοὺς περὶ σοῦ ῥηθησομένους, ὅταν φαίνῃ ταῖς μὲν εὐεργεσίαις ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς Ἕλλησι πεπολιτευμένος, ταῖς δὲ στρατηγίαις τοὺς βαρβάρους κατεστραμμένος;
141. I, for my part, think that this will set a limit to human endeavor; for no other man will ever be able to do deeds greater than these, because among the Hellenes there will never be again so great an enterprise as that of leading us forward out of our innumerable wars into a spirit of concord; nor, among the barbarians, is it likely that so great a power will ever be built up again if once you shatter that which they now possess.
141. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι ταῦτα πέρας ἕξειν· οὐδένα γὰρ ἄλλον ποτὲ δυνήσεσθαι μείζω πρᾶξαι τούτων· οὔτε γὰρ ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι γενήσεσθαι τηλικοῦτον ἔργον, ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸ πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοσούτων πολέμων ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμόνοιαν προαγαγεῖν, οὔτε τοῖς βαρβάροις εἰκός ἐστι συστῆναι τηλικαύτην δύναμιν, ἢν τὴν νῦν ὑπάρχουσαν καταλύσῃς.
142. Therefore, in generations yet to come, no one, no matter how surpassing his genius, will ever be in a position to do so great a thing. Yes, and speaking of those who lived before your time, I could show that their deeds are excelled by the things which you have even now accomplished, in no specious sense but in very truth; for since you have overthrown more nations than any of the Hellenes has ever taken cities, it would not be hard for me to prove, comparing you with each of them in turn, that you have accomplished greater things than they.
142. ὥστε τῶν μὲν ἐπιγιγνομένων οὐδʼ ἤν τις τῶν ἄλλων διενέγκῃ τὴν φύσιν, οὐδὲν ἕξει ποιῆσαι τοιοῦτον. ἀλλὰ μὴν τῶν γε προγεγενημένων ἔχω μὲν ὑπερβαλεῖν τὰς πράξεις τοῖς ἤδη διὰ σοῦ κατειργασμένοις, οὐ γλίσχρως, ἀλλʼ ἀληθινῶς· ὅστις γὰρ ἔθνη τοσαῦτα τυγχάνεις κατεστραμμένος ὅσας οὐδεὶς πώποτε τῶν Ἑλλήνων πόλεις εἷλε, πῶς οὐκ ἂν πρὸς ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἀντιπαραβάλλων ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἐπέδειξα μείζω σε κἀκείνων διαπεπραγμένον;
143. But I have deliberately abstained from this mode of comparison, and for two reasons: because some writers employ it in season and out of season, and also because I am unwilling to represent those whom the world regards as demigods as of less worth than men who are now living.
143. ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἱλόμην ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης ἰδέας διʼ ἀμφότερα, διά τε τοὺς οὐκ εὐκαίρως αὐτῇ χρωμένους, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι ταπεινοτέρους ποιεῖν τῶν νῦν ὄντων τοὺς ἡμιθέους εἶναι νομιζομένους.
144. Ponder well the fact (to touch upon examples from the distant past) that while no man, whether poet or writer of prose, would applaud the wealth of Tantalus, or the rule of Pelops, or the power of Eurystheus, all the world, with one accord, would praise—next to the unrivalled excellence of Heracles and the goodness of Theseus—the men who marched against Troy and all others who have proved to be like them.
144. ἐνθυμοῦ δʼ, ἵνα τι καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων εἴπωμεν, ὅτι τὸν Ταντάλου πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν Πέλοπος ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν Εὐρυσθέως δύναμιν οὐδεὶς ἂν οὔτε λόγων εὑρετὴς οὔτε ποιητὴς ἐπαινέσειεν, ἀλλὰ μετά γε τὴν Ἡρακλέους ὑπερβολὴν καὶ τὴν Θησέως ἀρετὴν τοὺς ἐπὶ Τροίαν στρατευσαμένους καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνοις ὁμοίους γενομένους ἅπαντες ἂν εὐλογήσειαν.
145. And yet we know that the bravest and most famous of them held their sway in little villages and petty islands; nevertheless they left behind them a name which rivals that of the gods and is renowned throughout the world. For all the world loves, not those who have acquired the greatest power for themselves alone, but those who have shown themselves to be the greatest benefactors of Hellas.
145. καίτοι τοὺς ὀνομαστοτάτους καὶ τοὺς ἀρίστους αὐτῶν ἴσμεν ἐν μικροῖς πολιχνίοις καὶ νησυδρίοις τὰς ἀρχὰς κατασχόντας. ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἰσόθεον καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὀνομαστὴν τὴν αὑτῶν δόξαν κατέλιπον· ἅπαντες γὰρ φιλοῦσιν οὐ τοὺς σφίσιν αὐτοῖς μεγίστην δυναστείαν κτησαμένους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοῖς Ἕλλησι πλείστων ἀγαθῶν αἰτίους γεγενημένους.
146. And you will observe that this is the opinion which men hold, not of these heroes only, but of all mankind. Thus, no one would praise our city either because she was once mistress of the sea, or because she extorted such huge sums of money from her allies and carried them up into the Acropolis, nor yet, surely, because she obtained power over many cities—power to devastate them, or aggrandize them, or manage them according to her pleasure (for all these things it was possible for her to do);
146. οὐ μόνον δʼ ἐπὶ τούτων αὐτοὺς ὄψει τὴν γνώμην ταύτην ἔχοντας, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ πάντων ὁμοίως· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐπαινέσειεν, οὔθʼ ὅτι τῆς θαλάττης ἦρξεν οὔθʼ ὅτι τοσοῦτον πλῆθος χρημάτων εἰσπράξασα τοὺς συμμάχους εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀνήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδʼ ὅτι πολλῶν πόλεων ἐξουσίαν ἔλαβε, τὰς μὲν ἀναστάτους ποιῆσαι, τὰς δʼ αὐξῆσαι, τὰς δʼ ὅπως ἐβουλήθη διοικῆσαι·
147. no, all these things have been the source of many complaints against her, while because of the battle of Marathon, the naval battle at Salamis, and most of all because her citizens abandoned their own homes to insure the deliverance of Hellas, she enjoys the encomiums of all mankind. The same opinion is held regarding the Lacedaemonians also;
147. πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα παρῆν αὐτῇ πράττειν· ἀλλʼ ἐκ τούτων μὲν πολλαὶ κατηγορίαι κατʼ αὐτῆς γεγόνασιν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Μαραθῶνι μάχης καὶ τῆς ἐν Σαλαμῖνι ναυμαχίας, καὶ μάλισθʼ ὅτι τὴν αὑτῶν ἐξέλιπον ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων σωτηρίας, ἅπαντες αὐτὴν ἐγκωμιάζουσιν.
148. their defeat at Thermopylae is more admired than their many victories; the trophy which was erected by the barbarians over the Lacedaemonians is an object of affectionate regard and of pilgrimages, while the trophies erected by the Lacedaemonians over their enemies call forth, not praise, but odium; for the former is regarded as a proof of valor, the latter of selfish greed.
148. τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ γνώμην καὶ περὶ Δακεδαιμονίων ἔχουσιν· καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνων μᾶλλον ἄγανται τὴν ἧτταν τὴν ἐν Θερμοπύλαις ἢ τὰς ἄλλας νίκας, καὶ τὸ τρόπαιον τὸ μὲν κατʼ ἐκείνων ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων σταθὲν ἀγαπῶσι καὶ θεωροῦσι, τὰ δʼ ὑπὸ Δακεδαιμονίων κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσιν ἀλλʼ ἀηδῶς ὁρῶσιν· ἡγοῦνται γὰρ τὸ μὲν ἀρετῆς εἶναι σημεῖον, τὰ δὲ πλεονεξίας.
149. Now if, after examining and reviewing all these admonitions in your own mind, you feel that my discourse is in any part rather weak and inadequate, set it down to my age, which might well claim the indulgence of all; but if it is up to the standard of my former publications, I would have you believe that it was not my old age that conceived it but the divine will that prompted it, not out of solicitude for me, but because of its concern for Hellas, and because of its desire to deliver her out of her present distress and to crown you with a glory far greater than you now possess.
149. ταῦτʼ οὖν ἐξετάσας ἅπαντα καὶ διελθὼν πρὸς αὑτόν, ἢν μέν τι τῶν εἰρημένων ᾖ μαλακώτερον ἢ καταδεέστερον, αἰτιῶ τὴν ἡλικίαν τὴν ἐμήν, ᾗ δικαίως ἂν ἅπαντες συγγνώμην ἔχοιεν· ἢν δʼ ὅμοια τοῖς πρότερον διαδεδομένοις, νομίζειν αὐτὰ χρὴ μὴ τὸ γῆρας τοὐμὸν εὑρεῖν ἀλλὰ τὸ δαιμόνιον ὑποβαλεῖν, οὐκ ἐμοῦ φροντίζον, ἀλλὰ τῆς Ἑλλάδος κηδόμενον, καὶ βουλόμενον ταύτην τε τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλάξαι τῶν παρόντων καὶ σοὶ πολὺ μείζω περιθεῖναι δόξαν τῆς νῦν ὑπαρχούσης.
150. I think that you are not unaware in what manner the gods order the affairs of mortals: for not with their own hands do they deal out the blessings and curses that befall us; rather they inspire in each of us such a state of mind that good or ill, as the case may be, is visited upon us through one another.
150. οἶμαι δέ σʼ οὐκ ἀγνοεῖν ὃν τρόπον οἱ θεοὶ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διοικοῦσιν. οὐ γὰρ αὐτόχειρες οὔτε τῶν ἀγαθῶν οὔτε τῶν κακῶν γίγνονται τῶν συμβαινόντων αὐτοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἑκάστοις τοιαύτην ἔννοιαν ἐμποιοῦσιν, ὥστε διʼ ἀλλήλων ἡμῖν ἑκάτερα παραγίγνεσθαι τούτων.
151. For example, it may be that even now the gods have assigned to me the task of speech while to you they allot the task of action, considering that you will be the best master in that province, while in the field of speech I might prove least irksome to my hearers. Indeed, I believe that even your past achievements would never have reached such magnitude had not one of the gods helped you to succeed;
151. οἷον ἴσως καὶ νῦν τοὺς μὲν λόγους ἡμῖν ἀπένειμαν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς πράξεις σὲ τάττουσι, νομίζοντες τούτων μὲν σὲ κάλλιστʼ ἂν ἐπιστατῆσαι, τὸν δὲ λόγον τὸν ἐμὸν ἥκιστʼ ἂν ὀχληρὸν γενέσθαι τοῖς ἀκούουσιν. ἡγοῦμαι δὲ καὶ τὰ πεπραγμένα πρότερον οὐκ ἄν ποτέ σοι γενέσθαι τηλικαῦτα τὸ μέγεθος, εἰ μή τις θεῶν αὐτὰ συγκατώρθωσεν, οὐχ ἵνα τοῖς βαρβάροις μόνον τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης κατοικοῦσι πολεμῶν διατελῇς, ἀλλʼ ὅπως ἂν ἐν τούτοις γυμνασθεὶς καὶ λαβὼν ἐμπειρίαν καὶ γνωσθεὶς οἷος εἶ τούτων ἐπιθυμήσῃς ὧν ἐγὼ τυγχάνω συμβεβουλευκώς.
152. and I believe he did so, not that you might spend your whole life warring upon the barbarians in Europe alone, but that, having been trained and having gained experience and come to know your own powers in these campaigns, you might set your heart upon the course which I have urged upon you. It were therefore shameful, now that fortune nobly leads the way, to lag behind and refuse to follow whither she desires to lead you forward. It is my belief that, while you ought to honor everyone who has any praise for your past accomplishments, you ought to consider that those laud you in the noblest terms who judge your nature capable of even greater triumphs, and not those whose discourse has gratified you for the moment only, but those who will cause future generations to admire your achievements beyond the deeds of any man of the generations that are past. I would like to say many things in this strain, but I am not able; the reason why, I have stated more often than I ought.
152. αἰσχρὸν οὖν ἐστι καλῶς τῆς τύχης ἡγουμένης ἀπολειφθῆναι, καὶ μὴ παρασχεῖν σαυτὸν εἰς ὃ βούλεταί σε προαγαγεῖν. νομίζω δὲ χρῆναί σε πάντας μὲν τιμᾶν τοὺς περὶ τῶν σοι πεπραγμένων ἀγαθόν τι λέγοντας, κάλλιστα μέντοι νομίζειν ἐκείνους ἐγκωμιάζειν, τοὺς μειζόνων ἔργων ἢ τηλικούτων τὴν σὴν φύσιν ἀξιοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς μὴ μόνον ἐν τῷ παρόντι κεχαρισμένως διειλεγμένους, ἀλλʼ οἵ τινες ἂν τοὺς ἐπιγιγνομένους οὕτω ποιήσωσι τὰς σὰς πράξεις θαυμάζειν ὡς οὐδενὸς ἄλλου τῶν προγεγενημένων. πολλὰ δὲ βουλόμενος τοιαῦτα λέγειν οὐ δύναμαι· τὴν δʼ αἰτίαν διʼ ἥν, πλεονάκις τοῦ δέοντος εἴρηκα.
154. It remains, then, to summarize what I have said in this discourse, in order that you may see in the smallest compass the substance of my counsels. I assert that it is incumbent upon you to work for the good of the Hellenes, to reign as king over the Macedonians, and to extend your power over the greatest possible number of the barbarians. For if you do these things, all men will be grateful to you: the Hellenes for your kindness to them; the Macedonians if you reign over them, not like a tyrant, but like a king; and the rest of the nations, if by your hands they are delivered from barbaric despotism and are brought under the protection of Hellas.
154. λοιπὸν οὖν ἐστι τὰ προειρημένα συναγαγεῖν, ἵνʼ ὡς ἐν ἐλαχίστοις κατίδοις τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν συμβεβουλευμένων. φημὶ γὰρ χρῆναί σε τοὺς μὲν Ἕλληνας εὐεργετεῖν, Μακεδόνων δὲ βασιλεύειν, τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ὡς πλείστων ἄρχειν. ἢν γὰρ ταῦτα πράττῃς, ἅπαντές σοι χάριν ἕξουσιν, οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες ὑπὲρ ὧν εὖ πάσχουσι, Μακεδόνες δʼ ἢν βασιλικῶς ἀλλὰ μὴ τυραννικῶς αὐτῶν ἐπιστατῇς, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων γένος, ἢν διὰ σὲ βαρβαρικῆς δεσποτείας ἀπαλλαγέντες Ἑλληνικῆς ἐπιμελείας τύχωσι.
155. How well this discourse has been composed with respect to appropriateness and finish of style is a question which it is fair to ask my hearers to answer; but that no one could give you better advice than this, or advice more suited to the present situation—of this I believe that I am well assured.
155. ταῦθʼ ὅπως μὲν γέγραπται τοῖς καιροῖς καὶ ταῖς ἀκριβείαις, παρʼ ὑμῶν τῶν ἀκουόντων πυνθάνεσθαι δίκαιόν ἐστιν· ὅτι μέντοι βελτίω τούτων καὶ μᾶλλον ἁρμόττοντα τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν οὐδεὶς ἄν σοι συμβουλεύσειεν, σαφῶς εἰδέναι νομίζω.