§2.1ἐν δὲ τοῖς πολεμικοῖς ὅτι μὲν ἀμφότεροι καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν ἀγαθοὶ γεγόνασιν ἀγωνισταί δῆλον ὥσπερ δὲ τῶν ἀθλητῶν τοὺς ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ πάλῃ καὶ παγκρατίῳ στεφανουμένους ἔθει τινὶ παραδοξονίκας καλοῦσιν, οὕτω Κίμων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ πεζομαχίας καὶ ναυμαχίας ἅμα τροπαίῳ στεφανώσας τὴν Ἑλλάδα δίκαιός ἐστιν ἔχειν τινὰ προεδρίαν ἐν τοῖς στρατηγοῖς.
In military affairs, indeed, it is clear that both became excellent competitors both by land and by sea. But just as among athletes, those who are crowned on a single day for wrestling and the pancratium are called by some custom "extraordinary victors," so Cimon, having on a single day crowned Greece with trophies of both a land battle and a sea battle at the same time, is justly entitled to have a certain precedence among generals.
§2.2καὶ μὴν Λουκούλλῳ μὲν ἡ πατρίς, Κίμων δὲ τῇ πατρίδι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν περιέθηκε.
And indeed, to Lucullus his country, but Cimon to his country, brought hegemony.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀρχούσῃ τῶν συμμάχων προσεκτήσατο τὰ τῶν πολεμίων, ὁ δʼ ἄλλοις ἑπομένην παραλαβών ἅμα καὶ τῶν συμμάχων ἄρχειν καὶ τῶν πολεμίων κρατεῖν ἐποίησε, Πέρσας μὲν ἀναγκάσας ἡττηθέντας ἐκβῆναι τῆς θαλάσσης, Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ πείσας ἑκόντας ἐκστῆναι.
And the former added the possessions of the enemies to a country already ruling over the allies, whereas the latter, taking over a country that was following others, made it at once rule over its allies and master its enemies, by forcing the defeated Persians to withdraw from the sea, and by persuading the Lacedaemonians to yield voluntarily.
§2.3εἰ τοίνυν μέγιστον ἔργον ἡγεμόνος εὐπείθειαν ἐργάσασθαι διʼ εὐνοίας, Λούκουλλος μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατεφρονήθη, Κίμων δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν συμμάχων ἐθαυμάσθη· παρʼ οὗ μὲν γὰρ ἀπέστησαν, πρὸς ὃν δὲ μετέστησαν.
If, then, the greatest work of a leader is to produce obedience through goodwill, Lucullus was despised by his soldiers, while Cimon was admired by the allies; for from the former they revolted, but to the latter they transferred their allegiance.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ὧν ἄρχων ἐξῆλθεν, ὑπὸ τούτων ἀπολειφθεὶς ἐπανῆλθεν, ὁ δὲ μεθʼ ὧν ἑτέροις ποιήσων τὸ προσταττόμενον ἐξεπέμφθη, τούτοις αὐτὸς διδοὺς τὸ παράγγελμα κατέπλευσε, τρία τὰ πάντων δυσκολώτατα διαπεπραγμένος ὁμοῦ τῇ πόλει, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς πολεμίους εἰρήνην, παρὰ δὲ τῶν συμμάχων ἡγεμονίαν, πρὸς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίους ὁμόνοιαν.
And the former, having gone out ruling those by whom he was abandoned, returned home; but the latter, having been sent out with those for whom he was to perform what was commanded by others, returned sailing home giving the orders himself to them, having accomplished at once for the city three of the most difficult things of all: peace with the enemies, hegemony from the allies, and concord with the Lacedaemonians.
§2.4μεγάλας τοίνυν ἐπιχειρήσαντες ἀμφότεροι καταλύειν ἡγεμονίας καὶ καταστρέφεσθαι τὴν Ἀσίαν πᾶσαν ἀτελεῖς ἐγένοντο τῶν πράξεων, ὁ μὲν καθάπαξ διὰ τὴν τύχην ἐτελεύτησε γὰρ στρατηγῶν καὶ εὐημερῶν τὸν δʼ οὐ παντελῶς ἄν τις ἐξέλοιτο τῆς παρʼ αὐτὸν αἰτίας, εἴτʼ ἠγνόησεν εἴτʼ οὐκ ἐθεράπευσε τὰς ἐν τῷ στρατιωτικῷ διαφορὰς καὶ μέμψεις, ἀφʼ ὧν εἰς τηλικαύτας ἀπεχθείας προῆλθεν.
Therefore, both having attempted to destroy great empires and to subdue the whole of Asia, they became incomplete in their actions; the one, indeed, entirely because of fortune, for he died while commanding as general and prospering; but the other one could not be entirely exempted from the blame on his own part, whether he ignored or did not remedy the differences and complaints in the army, from which he proceeded to such great hatreds.
§2.5ἢ τοῦτό γε καὶ πρὸς Κίμωνα κοινόν ἐστι· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον ὑπήγαγόν τε εἰς δίκας οἱ πολῖται καὶ τελευτῶντες ἐξωστράκισαν, ἵνʼ αὐτοῦ δέκα ἐτῶν, ὥς φησιν ὁ Πλάτων, τῆς φωνῆς μὴ ἀκούσωσιν.
Or rather, this indeed is common also to Cimon; for the citizens both brought him to trial and finally ostracized him, in order that they might not hear his voice for ten years, as Plato says.
αἱ γὰρ ἀριστοκρατικαὶ φύσεις ὀλίγα τοῖς πολλοῖς συνᾴδουσι καὶ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἔχουσι, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ προσβιαζόμεναι τῷ κατευθύνειν διαστρεφομένους ἀνιῶσιν, ὥσπερ οἱ τῶν ἰατρῶν δεσμοί, καίπερ εἰς τὰ κατὰ φύσιν ἄγοντες τὰς παραρθρήσεις.
For aristocratic natures harmonize little with the multitude and exist little for their pleasure, but for the most part, by forcing them to go straight when they are distorted, they cause pain, just as the bandages of physicians, although bringing the dislocations back to their natural state, cause pain.
ταύτης μὲν οὖν ἴσως ἀπαλλακτέον τῆς αἰτίας ἑκάτερον.
Therefore, from this blame, perhaps, each of them must be exempted.