When I had uttered these speeches with continued grief, she, with an
amiable countenance and nothing moved with my complaints, said: "When I
first saw thee sad and weeping, I forthwith knew thee to be in misery
and banishment. But I had not known how far off thou wert banished, if
thy speech had not bewrayed it. O how far art thou gone from thy
country, not being driven away, but wandering of thine own accord! Or if
thou hadst rather be thought to have been driven out, it hath been only
by thyself; for never could any other but thyself have done it; for if
thou rememberest of what country thou art, it is not governed as Athens
was wont to be, by the multitude, but 'one is its ruler, one its
king,'[98] who desires to have abundance of citizens, and not to have
them driven away. To be governed by whose authority, and to be subject
to her laws, is the greatest freedom that can be. Art thou ignorant of
that most ancient law of thy city, by which it is decreed that he may
not be banished that hath made choice of it for his dwelling-place;[99]
for he that is within her fort or hold need not fear lest he deserve to
be banished? But whosoever ceaseth to desire to dwell in it, ceaseth
likewise to deserve so great a benefit. Wherefore the countenance of
this place moveth me not so much as thy countenance doth. Neither do I
much require thy library adorned with ivory adornments, and its crystal
walls, as the seat of thy mind, in which I have not placed books, but
that which makes books to be esteemed of, I mean the sentences of my
books, which were written long since. And that which thou hast said of
thy deserts to the common good, is true indeed, but little in respect of
the many things which thou hast done. That which thou hast reported,
either of the honesty or of the falseness of those things which are
objected against thee, is known to all men. Thou didst well to touch but
briefly the wickedness and deceit of thy accusers, for that the common
people to whose notice they are come do more fitly and largely speak of
them. Thou hast also sharply rebuked the unjust Senate's deed. Thou hast
also grieved at our accusation, and hast bewailed the loss or
diminishing of our good name; and lastly, thy sorrow raged against
fortune, and thou complainedst that deserts were not equally rewarded.
In the end of thy bitter verse, thou desiredst that the earth might be
governed by that peace which heaven enjoyeth. But because thou art
turmoiled with the multitude of affections, grief and anger drawing thee
to divers parts, in the plight thou art now, the more forcible remedies
cannot be applied unto thee; wherefore, for a while, we will use the
more easy, that thy affections, which are, as it were, hardened and
swollen with perturbations, may by gentle handling be mollified and
disposed to receive the force of sharper medicines.
[98] Hom. _Il._ ii. 204.
[99] Cf. Cicero, _Pro domo sua_. 29. 77.