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Plutarch · Comparison of Philopoemen and Titus §3.1-3.3

Achievements as Private Citizen and Final Verdict

Passage 3 of 3 · Greek

Summary

The author describes how Philopoemen achieved great deeds and showed leadership even as a private citizen, and concludes the comparison by awarding the crown of military skill to the Greek and that of justice to the Roman.

§3.1καὶ μὴν Τίτῳ μὲν ἄρχοντι συνέβη καὶ πρεσβεύοντι πάντα πρᾶξαι τὰ καλά, Φιλοποίμην δὲ οὐ χείρονα παρέσχεν οὐδὲ ἀπρακτότερον ἑαυτὸν ἰδιώτην ἢ στρατηγὸν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς.
And indeed, it befell Titus to perform all his noble deeds while holding office and serving as ambassador, whereas Philopoemen showed himself no less capable or active as a private citizen than as a general for the Achaeans.
ἰδιώτης μὲν γὰρ ὢν Νάβιν ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ Μεσσήνης καὶ Μεσσηνίους ἠλευθέρωσεν, ἰδιώτης δὲ Διοφάνην τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ Τίτον ἐπερχομένους ἀπέκλεισε τῆς Σπάρτης καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους δι. ʼσωσεν.
For while he was a private citizen, he expelled Nabis from Messene and liberated the Messenians, and as a private citizen, he shut out the general Diophanes and Titus when they were advancing upon Sparta, and saved the Lacedaemonians.
§3.2οὕτως ἡγεμονικὴν φύσιν ἔχων οὐ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν νόμων ἄρχειν ἠπίστατο πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον, οὐ δεόμενος παρὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων λαβεῖν τὸ ἄρχειν, ἀλλὰ χρώμενος αὐτοῖς, ὅπου καιρὸς εἴη, τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν φρονοῦντα μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ᾑρημένον ἡγούμενοις στρατηγόν.
Possessing such a leading nature, he knew how to rule not only according to the laws, but also to rule the laws themselves for the common good, not needing to receive the office of ruler from those who were ruled, but employing them, whenever there was occasion, since they regarded the one who thought for them, rather than the one elected by them, as their general.
§3.3γενναῖα μὲν οὖν Τίτου τὰ πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐπιεικῆ καὶ φιλάνθρωπα, γενναιότερα δὲ Φιλοποίμενος τὰ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ὀχυρὰ καὶ φιλελεύθερα ῥᾷον γὰρ χαρίζεσθαι τοῖς δεομένοις ἢ λυπεῖν ἀντιτείνοντα τοὺς δυνατωτέρους.
Noble, then, was Titus's mildness and humanity towards the Greeks, but nobler was Philopoemen's firmness and love of freedom towards the Romans; for it is easier to gratify those who make requests than to vex the more powerful by resisting them.
ἐπεὶ. δὲ οὕτως ἐξεταζομένων δυσθεώρητος ἡ διαφορά, σκόπει, μὴ τῷ μὲν Ἕλληνι τὸν ἐμπειρίας πολεμικῆς καὶ στρατηγίας στέφανον, τῷ δὲ Ῥωμαίῳ τὸν δικαιοσύνης καὶ χρηστότητος ἀποδιδόντες οὐ φαύλως διαιτᾶν δόξομεν.
But since, when they are thus examined, the difference between them is hard to discern, consider whether we shall not seem to judge well if we award to the Greek the crown for military experience and generalship, and to the Roman that for justice and goodness.

Notes

  1. 3.2αὐτοῖς ... ἡγουμένοις — The dative participle phrase ἡγουμένοις agrees with the pronoun αὐτοῖς. It functions as a circumstantial clause modifying αὐτοῖς, the object of χρώμενος, meaning 'employing them, who regarded...'.
  2. 3.3σκόπει, μὴ ... δόξομεν — In the clause introduced by σκόπει, μὴ, the particle μὴ with the future indicative δόξομεν expresses a tentative assertion or an apprehension, meaning 'consider whether we shall not seem to...' (implying 'we probably shall').

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Comparison of Philopoemen and Titus §3.1-3.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg029.humanitext-grc2:3.1-3.3

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