accoutrements, men and horses, supported by the Indian elephants, it was
with the utmost confidence that they would at once take it by assault. And
at the signal to charge they all pressed forward, since every man of them
was eager to be the first to scale the wall(299) and win the glory of that
exploit. They did not imagine that there was anything to fear, nor did
they believe that the besieged would resist their assault. Such was the
exaggerated confidence of the Parthians. The besieged, however, kept their
phalanx unbroken at the gap in the wall, and on the portion of the wall
that was still intact they posted all the non‐combatants in the city, and
distributed among them an equal number of soldiers. But when the enemy
rode up and not a single missile was hurled at them from the wall, their
confidence that they would completely reduce the city was strengthened,
and they whipped and spurred on their horses so that their flanks were
covered with blood, until they had left the dykes behind them. These dykes
they had made earlier to dam the mouth of the Mygdonius, and the mud
thereabouts was very deep. In fact there was hardly any ground at all
because of the wood,(300) and because the soil was so rich, and of the
sort that conceals springs under its surface. Moreover there was in that
place a wide moat that had been made long ago to protect the town, and had
become filled up with a bog of considerable depth. Now when the enemy had
already reached this moat and were trying to cross it, a large force of
the besieged made a sally, while many others hurled stones from the walls.
Then many of the besiegers were slain, and all with one accord turned
their horses in flight, though only from their gestures could it be seen
that flight was what they desired and intended. For, as they were in the
act of wheeling them about, their horses fell and bore down the riders
with them. Weighed down as they were by their armour, they floundered
still deeper in the bog, and the carnage that ensued has never yet been
paralleled in any siege of the same kind.)
Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ τῶν ἱππέων ὧδε ἐπεπράγει, τῶν ἐλεφάντων πειρῶνται,
καταπλήξεσθαι μᾶλλον οἰόμενοι τῷ ξένῳ τῆς μάχης· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς
τὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων διέφθαρτο, ὡς μὴ καθορᾶν βαρύτερον μὲν ὂν ἵππου τὸ θηρίον,
φέρον δὲ ἄχθος οὐχ ἵππων δυοῖν ἢ πλειόνων, ἁμαξῶν δὲ οἶμαι συχνῶν, [C]
τοξότας καὶ ἀκοντιστὰς καὶ σιδηροῦν πύργον. ταῦτα δὲ ἦν ἅπαντα πρὸς τὸ
χωρίον χειροποίητον γεγονὸς τέλμα κωλύματα, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἔργῳ φανερά·
ὅθεν οὐκ εἰκὸς εἰς μάχην ἰέναι, ἀλλὰ ἐς κατάπληξιν τῶν ἔνδον
παρασκευάζεσθαι. προσῆγον δὲ ἐν τάξει μέτρον διεστῶτες ἀλλήλων ἴσον, καὶ
ἐῴκει τείχει τῶν Παρθυαίων ἡ φάλανξ· τὰ μὲν θηρία(301) τοὺς πύργους
φέροντα, τῶν ὁπλιτῶν δὲ ἀναπληρούντων τὰ ἐν μέσῳ. ταχθέντες δὲ οὕτως οὐ
μέγα ὄφελος ἦσαν τῷ βαρβάρῳ· [D] παρεῖχον γὰρ ἡδονὴν καὶ τέρψιν τοῖς ἐκ
τοῦ τείχους θεωμένοις. ὡς δὲ ἐγένοντο διακορεῖς οἱονεὶ λαμπρᾶς καὶ
πολυτελοῦς πομπῆς πεμπομένης, λίθους ἐκ μηχανῶν ἀφιέντες καὶ τόξοις
βάλλοντες ἐς τὴν τειχομαχίαν προυκαλοῦντο τοὺς βαρβάρους. φύσει δὲ ὄντες
εἰς ὀργὴν ὀξύρροποι καὶ δεινὸν ποιούμενοι τὸ γέλωτα ὀφλῆσαι καὶ ἀπαγαγεῖν
ὀπίσω τὴν παρασκευὴν ἄπρακτον, ἐγκελευομένου σφίσι τοῦ βασιλέως, προσῆγον
τῷ τείχει καὶ ἐβάλλοντο πυκνοῖς(302) τοῖς λίθοις καὶ τοῖς τοξεύμασι· [66]
καὶ ἐτρώθη τῶν θηρίων τινὰ καὶ ἀπέθανεν κατενεχθέντα(303) ὑπὸ τῆς ἰλυος.
δείσαντες δὶ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπῆγον ὀπίσω πάλιν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον.
(Since this fate had overtaken the cavalry, they tried the elephants,
thinking that they would be more likely to overawe us by that novel sort
of fighting. For surely they had not been stricken so blind as not to see
that an elephant is heavier than a horse, since it carries the load, not
of two horses or several, but what would, I suppose, require many waggons,
I mean archers and javelin men and the iron tower besides. All this was a
serious hindrance, considering that the ground was artificially made and
had been converted into a bog. And this the event made plain. Hence it is
probable that they were not advancing to give battle, but rather were
arrayed to overawe the besieged. They came on in battle line at equal
distances from one another, in fact the phalanx of the Parthians resembled
a wall, with the elephants carrying the towers, and hoplites filling up
the spaces between. But drawn up as these were they were of no great use
to the barbarian. It was, however, a spectacle which gave the defenders on
the wall great pleasure and entertainment, and when they had gazed their
fill at what resembled a splendid and costly pageant in procession, they
hurled stones from their engines, and, shooting their arrows, challenged
the barbarians to fight for the wall. Now the Parthians are naturally
quick‐tempered, and they could not endure to incur ridicule and lead back
this imposing force without striking a blow; so by the king’s express
command they charged at the wall and received a continuous fire of stones
and arrows, while some of the elephants were wounded, and perished by
sinking into the mud. Thereupon, in fear for the others also, they led
them back to the camp.)
Ὡς δὲ καὶ ταύτης ὁ Παρθυαῖος ἥμαρτε τῆς πείρας, τοὺς τοξότας διελὼν εἰς
μοίρας διαδέχεσθαί τε ἀλλήλους κελεύει καὶ συνεχῶς βάλλειν πρὸς τὸ
διερρηγμένον τοῦ τείχους, ὡς μὴ δυνηθεῖεν ἀποικοδομῆσαι καὶ ἔχειν ἀσφαλῶς
τὴν πόλιν· οὕτω γὰρ αἱρήσειν λαθὼν ἢ βιασάμενος τῷ πλήθει τους ἔνδον
ἤλπιζε. [B] ἀλλὰ μάταιον γὰρ(304) ἀπέφηνεν ἡ βασιλέως παρασκευὴ τοῦ
βαρβάρου τὸ διανόημα. κατὰ νώτου γὰρ τῶν ὁπλιτῶν ἕτερον τεῖχος εἰργάζετο·
ὁ δὲ ᾤετο τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἴχνεσιν ἐς τὰ θεμέλια χρωμένους μέλλειν ἔτι. ἡμέρᾳ
δὲ ὅληι καὶ νυκτὶ συνεχῶς ἐργασαμένων ἔστε ἐπὶ τέτταρας πήχεις ὕψους
ἠγείρετο, καὶ ἕωθεν ὤφθη λαμπρὸν καὶ νεουργές, ἐκείνων οὐδὲ ἀκαρῆ χρόνον
ἐνδιδόντων, διαδεχομένων δὲ ἀλλήλους καὶ ἀκοντιζόντων ἐς τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας τῷ
κειμένῳ τείχει, τοῦτο ἐξέπληξε δεινῶς τὸν βάρβαρον. [C] οὐ μὴν ἀπῆγεν
εὐθὺς τὴν στρατιάν, ἀλλ᾽ αὖθις τοῖς αὐτοῖς χρῆται παλαίσμασι. δράσας δὲ
οἶμαι καὶ παθὼν παραπλήσια ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιὰν ὀπίσω, πολλοὺς μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς
ἐνδείας δήμους ἀπολέσας, πολλὰ δὲ ἀναλώσας περὶ τοῖς χώμασι καὶ τῇ
πολιορκίᾳ σώματα, [D] σατράπας δὲ ἀνελὼν συχνούς, ἄλλον ἄλλο ἐπαιτιώμενος,
τὸν μὲν ὅτι μὴ καρτερῶς ἐπεποίητο τὰ χώματα, εἶξε δὲ καὶ ἐπεκλύσθη παρὰ
τῶν ποταμίων ῥευμάτων, τὸν δὲ ὡς φαύλως ἀγωνισάμενον ὑπὸ τοῖς τείχεσι, καὶ
ἄλλους ἄλλας ἐπάγων αἰτίας ἔκτεινεν. ἔστι γὰρ εὖ μάλα τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν
βαρβάροις σύνηθες ἐς τοὺς ὑπηκόους τὰς αἰτίας τῆς δυσπραγίας
ἀποσκευάζεσθαι, ὃ δὴ καὶ τότε δράσας ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο. καὶ ἄγει πρὸς ἡμᾶς
εἰρήνην ἐκ τούτου, καὶ οὔτε ὅρκων οὔτε συνθηκῶν ἐδέησεν, [67] ἀγαπᾷ δὲ
οἴκοι μένων, εἰ μὴ στρατεύοιτο βασιλεὺς ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν καὶ δίκην ἀπαιτοίη τοῦ
θράσους καὶ τῆς ἀπονοίας.
(Having failed in this second attempt as well, the Parthian king divided
his archers into companies and ordered them to relieve one another and to
keep shooting at the breach in the wall, so that the beseiged could not
rebuild it and thus ensure the safety of the town. For he hoped by this
means either to take it by surprise, or by mere numbers to overwhelm the
garrison. But the preparations that had been made by the Emperor made it
clear that the barbarian’s plan was futile. For in the rear of the
hoplites a second wall was being built, and while he thought they were
using the old line of the wall for the foundations and that the work was
not yet in hand, they had laboured continuously for a whole day and night
till the wall had risen to a height of four cubits. And at daybreak it
became visible, a new and conspicuous piece of work. Moreover the besieged
did not for a moment yield their ground, but kept relieving one another
and shooting their javelins at those who were attacking the fallen wall,
and all this terribly dismayed the barbarian. Nevertheless he did not at
once lead off his army but employed the same efforts over again. But when
he had done as before, and as before suffered repulse, he did lead his
army back, having lost many whole tribes through famine, and squandered
many lives over the dykes and in the siege. He had also put to death many
satraps one after another, on various charges, blaming one of them because
the dykes had not been made strong enough, but gave way and were flooded
by the waters of the river, another because when fighting under the walls
he had not distinguished himself; and others he executed for one offence
or another. This is in fact the regular custom among the barbarians in
Asia, to shift the blame of their ill‐success on to their subjects. Thus
then the king acted on that occasion, and afterwards took himself off. And
from that time he has kept the peace with us and has never asked for any
covenant or treaty, but he stays at home and is thankful if only the
Emperor does not march against him and exact vengeance for his audacity
and folly.)
Ἆρά γε ἄξιον ταύτην παραβαλεῖν τὴν μάχην ταῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν νεῶν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν
καὶ τοῦ τείχους; ἀθρεῖτε δὲ ὧδε τὴν ὁμοιότητα καὶ τὸ διάφορον λογίζεσθε.
Ἑλλήνων μὲν Αἴαντε καὶ οἱ Λαπίθαι καὶ Μενεσθεὺς τοῦ τείχους εἶξαν καὶ
περιεῖδον τὰς πύλας συντριβομένας ὑφ᾽ Ἕκτορος καὶ τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἐπιβεβηκότα
τὸν Σαρπηδάνα. [B] οἱ δὲ οὐδὲ διαρραγέντος αὐτομάτως τοῦ τείχους ἐνέδοσαν,
ἀλλὰ ἐνίκων μαχόμενοι καὶ ἀπεκρούοντο Παρθυαίους ξὺν Ἰνδοῖς
ἐπιστρατεύσαντας. εἶτα ὁ μὲν ἐπιβὰς τῶν νεῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ἰκρίων ὥσπερ ἐρύματος
πεζὸς διαγωνίζεται, οἱ δὲ πρότερον ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀναυμάχουν, τέλος δὲ οἱ
μὲν τῶν ἐπάλξεων εἶξαν καὶ τῶν νεῶν, οἱ δὲ ἐνίκων ναυσὶ τε ἐπιόντας καὶ
πεζῇ τοὺς πολεμίους. ἀλλὰ γὰρ εὖ ποιῶν ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὸν Ἕκτορα καὶ τὸν
Σαρπηδόνα, οὐκ οἶδα ὅπως, [C] ὑπηνέχθη καὶ ἐπ᾽ αὐτό γέ φασι τῶν ἔργων τὸ
κεφάλαιον, τὴν καθαίρεσιν τοῦ τείχους, ὃ(305) μιᾷ πρότερον ἡμέρᾳ τοὺς
Ἀχαιούς φησι, τοῦ Πυλίου δημαγωγοῦ καὶ βασιλέως ξυμπείθοντος, ἄρρηκτον
νηῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν εἶλαρ κατασκευάσασθαι.
(And now am I justified in comparing this battle with those that were
fought in defence of the Greek ships and the wall? Observe the following
points of similarity, and note also the difference. Of the Greeks the two
Ajaxes, the Lapithae and Menestheus fell back from the wall and looked on
helplessly while the gates were battered down by Hector, and Sarpedon
scaled the battlements. But our garrison did not give way even when the
wall fell in of itself, but they fought and won, and repulsed the
Parthians, aided though these were by their Indian allies. Then again
Hector went up on to the ships and fought from their decks on foot, and as
though from behind a rampart, whereas our garrison first had to fight a
naval battle from the walls, and finally, while Hector and Sarpedon had to
retreat from the battlements and the ships, the garrison routed not only
the forces that brought ships to the attack but the land force as well.
Now it is appropriate that by some happy chance my speech should have
alluded to Hector and Sarpedon, and to what I may call the very crown of
their achievements, I mean the destruction of that wall which Homer tells
us the Achaeans built only the day before, on the advice of the princely
orator(306) of Pylos “to be an impregnable bulwark for the ships and the
army.”(307))
Σχεδὸν γάρ μοι τοῦτο φαίνεται τὸ γενναιότατον τῶν ἔργων Ἕκτορος, καὶ οὐχὶ
Γλαύκου τέχνης(308) συνεῖναι οὐδὲ σοφωτέρας ἐπινοίας δεῖται, Ὁμήρου σαφῶς
διδάσκοντος, ὡς Ἀχιλλέως μὲν φανέντος
(For that I think was almost the proudest of Hector’s achievements, and he
did not need the craft of Glaucus to help him, or any wiser plan, for
Homer says plainly that the moment Achilles appeared)
ἐδύσετο οὐλαμὸν ἀνδρῶν.
(“He shrank back into the crowd of men.”(309))
[D] Ἀγαμέμνονος δὲ τοῖς Τρωσὶν ἐπικειμένου καὶ ἐς τὸ τεῖχος καταδιώξαντος
Ἕκτορα ὕπαγε Ζεύς, ἵνα ἀποσώζοιτο καθ᾽ ἡσυχίαν. προσπαίζων δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ
ποιητὴς καὶ καταγελῶν τῆς δειλίας ὑπὸ τῇ φηγῷ καὶ πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις ἤδη
καθημένῳ τὴν Ἶριν ἥκειν ἔφη παρὰ τοῦ Διὸς φράζουσαν
(Again, when Agamemnon attacked the Trojans and pursued them to the wall,
Zeus stole away(310) Hector so that he might escape at his leisure. And
the poet is mocking him and ridiculing his cowardice when he says that as
he was sitting under the oak‐tree, being already near the gate, Iris came
to him with this message from Zeus:)
Ὄφρ᾽ ἂν μέν κεν ὁρᾷς Ἀγαμέμνονα ποιμένα λαῶν
Θύνοντ᾽ ἐν προμάχοισιν, ἐναίροντα στίχας ἀνδρῶν, [68]
Τόφρ᾽ ὑπόεικε μάχης.
(“So long as thou seest Agamemnon, shepherd of the host, raging
among the foremost fighters and cutting down the ranks of men, so
long do thou keep back from the fight.”(311))
πῶς γὰρ εἰκὸς οὕτως ἀγεννῆ καὶ δειλὰ παραινεῖν τὸν Δία, ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ
μαχομένῳ, ξὺν πολλῇ δὲ ἑστῶτι ῥᾳστώνῃ; καὶ ὁπηνίκα δὲ ὁ τοῦ Τυδέως, τῆς
ἀθηνᾶς πολλὴν ἐκ τοῦ κράνους ἀναπτούσης φλόγα, πολλοὺς μὲν ἔκτεινε,
φεύγειν δὲ ἠνάνκαζε τοὺς ὑπομένοντας, [B] πόρῥω τε ἀφειστήκει τοῦ πολέμου,
καὶ πολλὰ ὑπομένων ὀνείδη ἀπέγνω μὲν κρατοῦσι τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἀντιστῆναι,
εὐπρεπῆ δὲ ποιεῖται τὴν εἰς τὸ ἄστυ πορείαν, ὡς τῇ μητρὶ παραινέσων
ἐξιλεοῦσθαι τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν μετὰ τῶν Τρωάδων. καίτοι εἰ μὲν αὐτὸς ἱκέτευε πρὸ
τοῦ νεὼ ξὺν τῇ γερουσίᾳ, πολὺν ἂν(312) εἶχε λόγον· προσήκει γὰρ οἶμαι τὸν
στρατηγὸν ἢ βασιλέα καθάπερ ἱερέα καὶ προφήτην θεραπεύειν ἀεὶ ξὺν κόσμῳ
τὸν θεὸν καὶ μηδὲν ὀλιγωρεῖν [C] μηδὲ ἑτέρῳ μᾶλλον προσήκειν ἡγεῖσθαι μηδὲ
ἐπιτρέπειν, ἀνάξιον αὑτοῦ νομίζοντα τὸ διακόνημα.
(For is it likely that Zeus would give such base and cowardly advice,
especially to one who was not even fighting, but was standing there very
much at his ease? And while the son of Tydeus, on whose head Athene
kindled a mighty flame, was slaying many and forcing to flight all who
stayed to encounter him, Hector stood far away from the battle. Though he
had to endure many taunts, he despaired of making a stand against the
Achaeans, but made a specious excuse for going to the city to advise his
mother to propitiate Athene in company with the Trojan women. And yet if
in person he had besought the goddess before the temple, with the elders,
he would have had good reason for that, for it is only proper, in my
opinion, that a general or king should always serve the god with the
appointed ritual, like a priest or prophet, and not neglect this duty nor
think it more fitting for another, and depute it as though he thought such
a service beneath his own dignity.)
Οἶμαι γὰρ τὴν Πλάτωνος μικρὰ παρατρέψας λέξιν οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεσθαι, ὡς ὅτῳ
ἀνδρί, μᾶλλον δὲ βασιλεῖ, ἐς τὸν θεὸν ἀνήρτηται πάντα τὰ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν
φέροντα καὶ μὴ ἐν ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις αἰωρεῖται, ἐξ ὧν εὖ ἢ κακῶς πραξάντων
πλανᾶσθαι [D] ἀναγκάζεται αὐτὸς καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου πράγματα, τούτῳ ἄριστα
παρεσκεύασται πρὸς τὸ ζῆν. εἰ δὲ ἐπιτρέποι μηδεὶς μεταγράφειν(313) μηδὲ
ἐκτρέπειν μηδὲ μεταλαμβάνειν τοὔνομα, ἀλλὰ ὥσπερ ἱερὸν ἀρχαῖον κελεύοι
μένειν ἐᾶν ἀκίνητον, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἄλλο τι διανοεῖσθαι τὸν σοφὸν ἐροῦμεν. τὸ
γὰρ εἰς ἑαυτὸν(314) οὐ δήπου τὸ σῶμά φησιν οὐδὲ τὰ χρήματα οὐδὲ εὐγένειαν
καὶ δόξαν πατέρων· ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτοῦ μέν τινος οἰκεῖα κτήματα, οὐ μήν ἐστι
ταῦτα αὐτός· ἀλλὰ νοῦν καὶ φρόνησιν,(315) φησί, καὶ τὸ ὅλον τὸν ἐν ἡμῖν
θεόν·(316) ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς [69] ἑτέρωθι κυριώτατον ἐν ἡμῖν ψυχῆς εἶδος ἔφη,
καὶ ὡς ἄρα αὐτὸν δαίμονα θεὸς ἑκάστῳ δέδωκε, τοῦτο ὃ δή φαμεν οἰκεῖν μὲν
ἡμῶν ἐπ᾽ ἄκρῳ τῷ σώματι, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ ξυγγένειαν ἀπὸ γῆς ἡμᾶς
αἴρειν. ἐς τοῦτο γὰρ ἔοικεν ἐπιτάττειν ἀνηρτῆσθαι χρῆναι ἑκάστῳ ἀνδρί, καὶ
οὐκ εἰς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους, οἳ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα βλάπτειν καὶ κωλύειν ἐθέλοντες
πολλάκις ἐδυνήθησαν· ἤδη δέ τινες καὶ μὴ βουλόμενοι τῶν ἡμετέρων τινὰ
παρείλοντο. [B] τοῦτο δὲ ἀκώλυτον μόνον καὶ ἀπαθές ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ
θεμιτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ χείρονος τὸ κρεῖττον βλάπτεσθαι. ἔστι δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐκεῖθεν
ὁ λόγος. ἀλλ᾽ ἔοικα γὰρ καταφορτίζειν ὑμᾶς τοῖς τοῦ Πλάτωνος λόγοις μικρὰ
ἐπιπάττων τῶν ῥημάτων ὥσπερ ἁλῶν ἢ χρυσοῦ ψήγματος. τούτων δὲ οἱ μὲν(317)
ἡδίω τὴν τροφήν, ὁ δὲ εὐπρεπῆ μᾶλλον παρέχει τὴν θέαν. ἀμφότερα δὲ ἐν τοῖς
Πλάτωνος λόγοις· [C] καὶ γὰρ αἰσθέσθαι διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἡδίους τῶν ἁλῶν καὶ
θρέψαι ψυχὴν ξὺν ἡδονῇ καὶ καθῆραι θαυμαστοί· ὥστε οὐκ ἀποκνητέον οὐδὲ
εὐλαβητέον τὸν ψόγον, εἴ τις ἄρα καταμέμφοιτο τὴν ἀπληστίαν, καὶ ὅτι
παντὸς ἐπιδραττόμεθα ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις οἱ λίχνοι τῶν ἐδωδίμων
ἁπάντων, οὐχ ὑπομένοντες τὸ μὴ τῶν προκειμένων ἅψασθαι. τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ
τρόπον τινὰ καὶ ἡμῖν ἔοικε συμβαίνειν, ἐπαίνους ἅμα καὶ δόγματα ᾄδειν καὶ
πρὶν ἢ μετρίως ἐφικέσθαι [D] τοῦ προτέρου λόγου μέσον ὑποτεμομένοις
φιλοσόφων ἐξηγεῖσθαι ῥήσεις. πρὸς δὴ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα καταμεμφομένους
εἴρηται μὲν ἤδη καὶ πρότερον καὶ αὖθις δὲ ἴσως λελέξεται.
(For here I think I may without offence adapt slightly Plato’s language
where he says that the man, and especially the king, best equipped for
this life is he who depends on God for all that relates to happiness, and
does not hang in suspense on other men, whose actions, whether good or
bad, are liable to force him and his affairs out of the straight
path.(318) And though no one should allow me to paraphrase or change that
passage or alter that word,(319) and though I should be told that I must
leave it undisturbed like something holy and consecrated by time, even in
that case I shall maintain that this is what that wise man meant. For when
he says “depends on himself,” assuredly he does not refer to a man’s body
or his property, or long descent, or distinguished ancestors. For these
are indeed his belongings, but they are not the man himself; his real self
is his mind, his intelligence, and, in a word, the god that is in us. As
to which, Plato elsewhere calls it “the supreme form of the soul that is
within us,” and says that “God has given it to each one of us as a guiding
genius, even that which we say dwells in the summit of our body and raises
us from earth towards our celestial affinity.”(320) It is on this that he
plainly says every man ought to depend, and not on other men, who have so
often succeeded when they wish to harm and hinder us in other respects.
Indeed it has happened before now that even without such a desire men have
deprived us of certain of our possessions. But this alone cannot be
hindered or harmed, since “Heaven does not permit the bad to injure what
is better than itself.”(321) This saying also is from Plato. But it may be
that I am wearying you with these doctrines of his with which I sprinkle
my own utterances in small quantities, as with salt or gold dust. For salt
makes our food more agreeable, and gold enhances an effect to the eye. But
Plato’s doctrines produce both effects. For as we listen to them they give
more pleasure than salt to the sense, and they have a wonderful power of
sweetly nourishing and cleansing the soul. So that I must not hesitate or
be cautious of criticism if someone reproaches me with being insatiable
and grasping at everything, like persons at a banquet who, in their greed
to taste every dish, cannot keep their hands from what is set before
them.(322) For something of this sort seems to happen in my case when, in
the same breath, I utter panegyric and philosophic theories, and, before I
have done justice to my original theme, break off in the middle to expound
the sayings of philosophers. I have had occasion before now to reply to
those who make such criticisms as these, and perhaps I shall have to do so
again.)
Νῦν δὲ τὸ συνεχὲς ἀποδόντες τῷ παρόντι λόγῳ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπανάγωμεν
ὥσπερ οἱ προεκθέοντες ἐν τοῖς δρόμοις. ἐλέγετο δ᾽ οὖν ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν ὡς
αὐτὸν μέν τινά φησι Πλάτων τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν ψυχήν, [70] αὐτοῦ δὲ τὸ σῶμα
καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν. ταῦτα δὲ ἐν τοῖς θαυμασίοις διώρισται νόμοις. ὥσπερ οὖν,
εἴ τις ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀναλαβὼν λέγοι· “Ὅτῳ ἀνδρὶ ἐς νοῦν καὶ φρόνησιν ἀνήρτηται
πάντα τὰ ἐς εὐδαιμονίαν φέροντα καὶ μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἐκτός, ἐξ ὧν εὖ ἢ κακῶς
πραξάντων ἢ καὶ πασχόντων πλανᾶσθαι ἀναγκάζεται, τούτῳ ἄριστα
παρεσκεύασται πρὸς τὸ ζῆν,” οὐ παρατρέπει τὴν λέξιν οὐδὲ παραποιεῖ,
ἐξηγεῖται δὲ ὀρθῶς καὶ ἑρμηνεύει· [B] οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὅστις ἀντὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ
λέξεως τὸν θεὸν παραλαμβάνει οὐκ ἀδικεῖ. εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἐν ἡμῖν δαίμονα, ὄντα
μὲν ἀπαθῆ τῇ φύσει καὶ θεῷ ξυγγενῆ, πολλὰ δὲ ἀνατλάντα καὶ ὑπομείναντα διὰ
τὴν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα κοινωνίαν καὶ τοῦ πάσχειν τε καὶ φθείρεσθαι φαντασίαν
τοῖς πολλοῖς(323) παρασχόντα, τοῦ παντὸς ἐκεῖνος προïσταται βίου τῷ γε
εὐδαιμονήσειν μέλλοντι, τί χρὴ προσδοκᾶν αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ καθαροῦ καὶ
ἀμιγοῦς γηίνῳ σώματι διανοηθῆναι νοῦ, [C] ὅν δὴ καὶ θεὸν εἶναί φαμεν καὶ
αὐτῷ τὰς ἡνίας ἐπιτρέπειν τοῦ βίου χρῆναι παραινοῦμεν πάντα ἰδιώτην
τε(324) καὶ βασιλέα, τόν γε ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄξιον τῆς ἐπικλήσεως καὺ οὐ νόθον
οὐδὲ ψευδώνυμον, συνιέντα μὲν αὐτοῦ καὶ αἰσθανόμενον διὰ συγγένειαν,
ὑφιέμενον δὲ αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ ὑποχωροῦντα τῆς ἐπιμελείας ὡς ἔμφρονα;
ἀνόητον γὰρ καὶ μάλα αὔθαδες τὸ μὴ καθάπαξ ἐς δύναμιν πείθεσθαι [D] τῷ θεῷ
ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελομένους· τούτῳ γὰρ μάλιστα χαίρειν ὑποληπτέον τὸν θεόν. οὐ
μὴν οὐδὲ τῆς ἐννόμου θεραπείας ἀποστατέον οὐδὲ τὴν τοιαύτην τιμὴν
ὑπεροπτέον τοῦ κρείττονος, θετέον δὲ ἐν ἀρετῆς μοίρᾳ τὴν εὐσέβειαν τὴν
κρατίστην. ἔστι γὰρ ὁσιότης τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἔκγονος· αὕτη δὲ ὅτι τοῦ
θειοτέρου ψυχῆς εἴδους ἐστίν, οὐδένα λέληθε τῶν ὅσοι τὰ τοιαῦτα
μεταχειρίζονται.
(I will now, however, resume the thread of my discourse and go back to my
starting‐point, like those who, when a race is being started, run ahead
out of the line. Well, I was saying, a moment ago, that Plato declares
that a man’s real self is his mind and soul, whereas his body and his
estate are but his possessions. This is the distinction made in that
marvellous work, the Laws. And so if one were to go back to the beginning
and say “That man is best equipped for life who makes everything that
relates to happiness depend on his mind and intelligence and not on those
outside himself who, by doing or faring well or ill force him out of the
straight path,” he is not changing or perverting the sense of the words,
but expounds and interprets them correctly. And if for Plato’s word
“genius”(325) he substitutes the word “God” he has a perfect right to do
so. For if Plato gives the control of our whole life to the presiding
“genius” within us which is by nature unaffected by sensation and akin to
God, but must endure and suffer much because of its association with the
body, and therefore gives the impression to the crowd that it also is
subject to sensation and death; and if he says that this is true of every
man who wishes to be happy, what must we suppose is his opinion about pure
intelligence unmixed with earthly substance, which is indeed synonymous
with God? To this I say every man, whether he be a private citizen or a
king, ought to entrust the reins of his life, and by a king I mean one who
is really worthy of the name, and not counterfeit or falsely so called,
but one who is aware of God and discerns his nature because of his
affinity with him, and being truly wise bows to the divine authority and
yields the supremacy to God. For it is senseless and arrogant indeed for
those who cultivate virtue not to submit to God once and for all, as far
as possible. For we must believe that this above all else is what God
approves. Again, no man must neglect the traditional form of worship or
lightly regard this method of paying honour to the higher power, but
rather consider that to be virtuous is to be scrupulously devout. For
Piety is the child of Justice, and that justice is a characteristic of the
more divine type of soul is obvious to all who discuss such matters.)
Ταῦτά τοι καὶ ἐπαινοῦμεν τὸν Ἕκτορα σπένδειν μὲν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα διὰ τὸν ἐπὶ
τῶν χειρῶν λύθρον· [71] ἠξιοῦμεν δὲ μηδὲ ἐς ἄστυ ἰίναι μηδὲ ἀπολείπειν τὴν
μάχην μέλλοντά γε οὐ στρατηγοῦ καὶ βασιλέως ἐπιτελεῖν ἔργον, διακόνου δὲ
καὶ ὑπηρέτου, Ἰδαίου τινὸς ἢ Ταλθυβίου τάξιν ἀναληψόμενον. ἀλλ᾽ ἔοικε γάρ,
ὅπερ ἔφαμεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, πρόφασις εὐπρεπὴς(326) εἶναι φυγῆς τοῦτο. καὶ γὰρ
ὁπότε τῷ Τελαμωνίῳ ξυνίστατο πεισθεὶς τῷ φήμῃ τοῦ μάντεως, ἀσπασίως
διελύθη καὶ ἔδωκε δῶρα, τὸν θάνατον ἐκφυγὼν ἄσμενος·(327) [B] καθόλου δὲ
εἰπεῖν, φεύγουσιν ἕπεται θρασέως, αἴτιος δέ ἐστιν οὐδαμοῦ νίκης καὶ
τροπῆς, πλὴν ὅτε
(For this reason, then, while I applaud Hector for refusing to make a
libation because of the blood‐stains on his hands, he had, as I said, no
right to go back to the city or forsake the battle, seeing that the task
he was about to perform was not that of a general or of a king, but of a
messenger and underling, and that he was ready to take on himself the
office of an Idaeus or Talthybius. However, as I said at first, this seems
to have been simply a specious excuse for flight. And indeed when he
obeyed the bidding of the seer and fought a duel with the son of
Telamon,(328) he was very ready to make terms and to give presents, and
rejoiced to have escaped death. In short, as a rule, he is brave when in
pursuit of the retreating foe, but in no case has he the credit of a
victory or of turning the tide of battle, except when)
πρῶτος ἐσήλατο τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν
(“He was the first to leap within the wall of the Achaeans”(329))