Maxims, Rule, and Letters of Periander — Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers §1.7.98-1.7.100 (Diogenes Laertius) | Greek text & English translation

εὐτυχῶν μὲν μέτριος ἴσθι, δυστυχῶν δὲ φρόνιμος· φίλοις εὐτυχοῦσι καὶ ἀτυχοῦσιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἴσθι· ὃ ἂν ὁμολογήσῃς, διατήρει· λόγων ἀπορρήτων ἐκφορὰν μὴ ποιοῦ· μὴ μόνον τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας κόλαζε. Οὗτος πρῶτος δορυφόρους ἔσχε, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς τυραννίδα μετέστησε· καὶ οὐκ εἴα ἐν ἄστει ζῆν τοὺς βουλομένους, καθά φησιν Ἔφορος καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης, ἤκμαζε δὲ περὶ τὴν τριακοστὴν ὀγδόην Ὀλυμπιάδα, καὶ ἐτυράννησεν ἔτη τετταράκοντα. Σωτίων δὲ καὶ Ἡρακλείδης καὶ Παμφίλη ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ τῶν Ὑπομνημάτων δύο φασὶ Περιάνδρους γεγονέναι, τὸν μὲν τύραννον, τὸν δὲ σοφὸν καὶ Ἀμβρακιώτην.

“Be moderate in prosperity, and prudent in adversity. Be the same to your friends whether they are in good fortune or ill. Whatever you agree to, observe it strictly. Do not disclose secret words. Punish not only those who commit wrong, but also those who are about to do so.” He was the first to maintain a bodyguard and to transform the government into a tyranny; and, as Ephorus and Aristotle state, he did not allow anyone who wished to live in the city. He flourished about the thirty-eighth Olympiad, and ruled as tyrant for forty years. However, Sotion, Heraclides, and Pamphile in the fifth book of her Memoranda say that there were two Perianders: one the tyrant, and the other the wise man, a native of Ambracia.

τοῦτο καὶ Νεάνθης φησὶν ὁ Κυζικηνός, ἀνεψιούς τε εἶναι ἀλλήλοις. καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης μὲν τὸν Κορίνθιόν φησιν εἶναι τὸν σοφόν· Πλάτων δὲ οὔ φησι. Τούτου ἐστί· Μελέτη τὸ πᾶν. ἤθελε δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν διορύξαι. Φέρεται δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιστολή· Περίανδρος τοῖς σοφοῖς “Πολλὰ χάρις τῷ Πυθοῖ Ἀπόλλωνι τοῦ εἰς ἓν ἐλθόντας εὑρεῖν¹. ἀξοῦντί τε καὶ ἐς Κόρινθον ταὶ ἐμαὶ ἐπιστολαί. ἐγὼν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀποδέχομαι, ὡς ἴστε αὐτοί, ὅτι δαμοτικώτατα. πεύθομαι ὡς πέρυτι ἐγένετο ὑμῶν ἁλία παρὰ τὸν Λυδὸν ἐς Σάρδεις. ἤδη ὦν μὴ ὀκνεῖτε καὶ παρʼ ἐμὲ φοιτῆν τὸν Κορίνθου τύραννον. ὑμᾶς γὰρ καὶ ἄσμενοι ὄψονται Κορίνθιοι φοιτεῦντας ἐς οἶκον τὸν Περιάνδρου.

Neanthes of Cyzicus says this as well, adding that they were first cousins to each other. Aristotle indeed says that the Corinthian was the wise man, but Plato says he was not. To him belongs the saying: “Practice is everything.” He also wished to dig a canal through the Isthmus. A letter of his is also extant: Periander to the Wise Men “Great thanks to Pythian Apollo that my letters will find you having come together in one place. And they will also conduct you to Corinth. For my part, I shall receive you, as you yourselves know, in the most democratic manner. I learn that last year a gathering of you took place at Sardis before the Lydian king. Do not hesitate, then, to visit me as well, the tyrant of Corinth. For the Corinthians will gladly see you visiting the house of Periander.”

Περίανδρος Προκλεῖ “Ἐμὶν μὲν ἀκούσιον τᾶς δάμαρτος τὸ ἄγος· τὺ δὲ ἑκὼν τῷ παιδί με ἄπο θυμοῦ ποιήσαις² ἀδικεῖς. ἢ ὦν παῦσον τὰν ἀπήνειαν τῶ παιδός, ἢ ἐγὼν τὺ ἀμυνοῦμαι. καὶ γὰρ δὴν καὶ αὐτὸς ποινὰς ἔτισα τὶν τᾷ θυγατρί, συγκατακαύσαις αὐτᾷ τὰ πασᾶν Κορινθιᾶν εἵματα. Ἔγραψε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Θρασύβουλος οὕτω· Θρασύβουλος Περιάνδρῳ “Τῷ μὲν κήρυκι σεῦ οὐδὲν ὑπεκρινάμην· ἀγαγὼν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐς λήϊον, τοὺς ὑπερφυέας τῶν ἀσταχύων ῥάβδῳ παίων ἀπεθέριζον, ὁμαρτέοντος ἐκείνου. καί σοι ἀναγγελέει εἰ ἐπέροιο, ὅ τι μευ ἀκούσειεν ἢ ἴδοι. σὺ δὲ ποίει οὕτως, ἤν γʼ ἐθέλῃς καρτύνασθαι τὴν αἰσυμνητίην· τοὺς ἐξόχους τῶν πολιτέων ἐξαίρειν³, ἤν τέ τις ἐχθρός τοι φαίνηται, ἤν τε μή. ὕποπτος γὰρ ἀνδρὶ αἰσυμνήτῃ καὶ τῶν τις ἑτάρων.

Periander to Procles “On my part, the guilt concerning my wife was involuntary; but you do wrong in deliberately turning my son’s heart against me. Therefore, either put an end to the harshness of the boy, or I myself will take vengeance upon you. For indeed, I have also paid penalty to you for your daughter by burning with her the clothes of all the Corinthian women.” Thrasybulus also wrote to him as follows: Thrasybulus to Periander “I gave no answer to your herald; but having led him into a cornfield, while he accompanied me, I struck off with a staff and cropped the tallest of the ears of corn. And he will report to you, if you question him, whatever he heard or saw of me. You, too, act in this way, if at least you wish to strengthen your rule: remove the preeminent among the citizens, whether someone seems an enemy to you or not. For to a ruler, even one of his own companions is an object of suspicion.”

Syntax notes3 items

1.7.99τοῦ εἰς ἓν ἐλθόντας εὑρεῖν
An articular infinitive in the genitive (τοῦ εὑρεῖν) expressing the cause or ground for the preceding Πολλὰ χάρις ("great thanks"). The implicit subject of εὑρεῖν is "my letter(s)," while the accusative participle ἐλθόντας functions as its direct object referring to the Wise Men.
1.7.100ἄπο θυμοῦ ποιήσαις
ποιήσαις is the Doric masculine singular aorist active participle (equivalent to Attic ποιήσας). Combined with the prepositional phrase ἄπο θυμοῦ ("away from heart/affection," i.e., hostile or estranged), it expresses the means of the main verb ἀδικεῖς: "by turning [the boy's] heart against me."
1.7.100ἐξαίρειν
An infinitive used imperatively (infinitivus pro imperativo), also functioning in apposition to expand upon the preceding command "σὺ δὲ ποίει οὕτως" ("act in this way"), specifying the action: to cut off/remove the preeminent citizens.

Model: gemini-3.8-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0004.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.7.98-1.7.100