§12.1Ἀθηναίοις δὲ Τεγεᾶται περὶ τάξεως ἐρίσαντες ἠξίουν, ὥσπερ ἀεί, Λακεδαιμονίων τὸ δεξιὸν ἐχόντων κέρας, αὐτοὶ τὸ εὐώνυμον ἔχειν, πολλὰ τοὺς αὑτῶν προγόνους ἐγκωμιάζοντες.
But the Tegeans, disputing with the Athenians about the post in the line, demanded that, just as always, while the Lacedaemonians held the right wing, they themselves should hold the left, praising their own ancestors at great length.
ἀγανακτούντων δὲ τῶν Ἀθηναίων παρελθὼν ὁ Ἀριστείδης εἶπε· Τεγεάταις μὲν ἀντειπεῖν περὶ εὐγενείας καὶ ἀνδραγαθίας ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς οὐ δίδωσι, πρὸς δʼ ὑμᾶς, ὦ Σπαρτιᾶται, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας λέγομεν, ὅτι τὴν ἀρετὴν οὐκ ἀφαιρεῖται τόπος οὐδὲ δίδωσιν·
While the Athenians were indignant, Aristeides came forward and said: "The present occasion does not allow us to reply to the Tegeans regarding noble birth and bravery; but to you, O Spartans, and to the other Greeks, we say that place neither takes away virtue nor gives it.
ἣν δʼ ἂν ὑμεῖς ἡμῖν τάξιν ἀποδῶτε πειρασόμεθα κοσμοῦντες καὶ φυλάττοντες μὴ καταισχύνειν τοὺς προηγωνισμένους ἀγῶνας.
Whatever post you may assign to us, we shall endeavor, by adorning and guarding it, not to disgrace our past struggles.
§12.2ἥκομεν γὰρ οὐ τοῖς συμμάχοις στασιάσοντες, ἀλλὰ μαχούμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις, οὐδʼ ἐπαινεσόμενοι τοὺς πατέρας, ἀλλʼ αὑτοὺς ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς τῇ Ἑλλάδι παρέξοντες· ὡς οὗτος ὁ ἀγὼν δείξει καὶ πόλιν καὶ ἄρχοντα καὶ ἰδιώτην ὁπόσου τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἄξιός ἐστι. ταῦτʼ ἀκούσαντες οἱ σύνεδροι καὶ ἡγεμόνες ἀπεδέξαντο τοὺς Ἀθηναίους καὶ θάτερον αὐτοῖς κέρας ἀπέδοσαν.
For we have come not to quarrel with our allies, but to fight with our enemies, nor to praise our fathers, but to show ourselves to Greece as brave men; since this struggle will show how much both city, and commander, and private citizen is worth to the Greeks." On hearing this, the councillors and leaders accepted the Athenians and assigned to them the other wing.