§10ἐπεὶ δὲ πάσαις κορυδαλλίσι χρὴ λόφον ἐγγενέσθαι κατὰ τὸν Σιμωνίδην, καὶ πᾶσα φύσις ἀνθρώπου φέρει φιλονεικίαν καὶ ζηλοτυπίαν καὶ φθόνον, κενεοφρόνων ἀνδρῶν ἑταῖρον, ὥς φησι Πίνδαρος, οὐ μετρίως ἄν τις ὠφελοῖτο τῶν παθῶν τούτων ποιούμενος εἰς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀποκαθάρσεις καὶ ἀποστρέφων ὥσπερ ὀχετοὺς πορρωτάτω τῶν ἑταίρων καὶ οἰκείων.
Since, according to Simonides, every lark must have a crest on its head, and every human nature bears rivalry, jealousy, and envy, 'the companion of empty-minded men,' as Pindar says, one would benefit in no small measure by making purgations of these passions upon one's enemies, and turning them, like channels, as far as possible away from one's companions and relatives.
καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς ἔοικε, συνιδὼν πολιτικὸς ἀνὴρ Ὀνομάδημος, ἐν Χίῳ τῆς κρατούσης μερίδος ἐν στάσει γενόμενος, παρῄνει τοῖς ἑταίροις μὴ πάντας ἐξελάσαι τοὺς ἀντιστασιάσαντας, ἀλλʼ ὑπολιπέσθαι τινάς,
ὅπως
ἔφη
μὴ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους ἀρξώμεθα διαφέρεσθαι, τῶν ἐχθρῶν παντάπασιν ἀπαλλαγέντες. οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμῶν καταναλισκόμενα ταῦτα τὰ πάθη πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἧττον, ἐνοχλήσει τοῖς φίλοις.
And having understood this, as it seems, the statesman Onomademus, when in Chios a faction arose in which he belonged to the ruling party, advised his companions not to expel all the counter-factionists, but to leave some behind, so that, as he said, "we may not begin to quarrel with our friends, being altogether freed from our enemies." Therefore, if these passions of ours are consumed upon our enemies, they will annoy our friends less.
οὐ γὰρ
κεραμεῖ
δεῖ
κεραμέα φθονεῖν
οὐδʼ
ἀοιδὸν ἀοιδῷ
καθʼ Ἡσίοδον, οὐδὲ γείτονα ζηλοῦν οὐδʼ ἀνεψιὸν οὐδʼ ἀδελφὸν
εἰς ἄφενος σπεύδοντα
καὶ τυγχάνοντα χρηστῶν πραγμάτων.
For indeed, "potter must not envy potter, nor singer singer," according to Hesiod, nor must we be jealous of a neighbor, nor a cousin, nor a brother, who is hastening to wealth and meeting with good fortune.
ἀλλʼ εἰ μηδεὶς τρόπος ἐστὶν ἄλλος ἀπαλλαγῆς ἐρίδων καὶ φθόνων καὶ φιλονεικιῶν, ἔθιζε σεαυτὸν δάκνεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐημερούντων, καὶ παρόξυνε καὶ χάραττε τὸ φιλόνεικον ἐν ἐκείνοις θηγόμενον.
But if there is no other way of riddance from strifes, envies, and rivalries, accustom yourself to be stung when your enemies prosper, and provoke and sharpen your competitive spirit, as it is whetted upon them.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ χαρίεντες γεωργοὶ τὰ ῥόδα καὶ τὰ ἴα βελτίω ποιεῖν νομίζουσι σκόροδα καὶ κρόμμυα παραφυτεύοντες ἀποκρίνεται γὰρ εἰς ἐκεῖνα πᾶν ὅσον ἔνεστι τῇ τροφῇ δριμὺ καὶ δυσῶδες, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἀναλαμβάνων καὶ περιέπων τὸ κακόηθες καὶ βάσκανον, εὐμενέστερον παρέξει σε τοῖς φίλοις εὖ πράττουσι καὶ ἀλυπότερον.
For just as clever farmers think they make roses and violets better by planting garlic and onions beside them (for whatever is sharp and foul-smelling in the nourishment is separated into them), so also the enemy, by taking up and tending your malice and envy, will render you more benevolent and less vexatious to your prospering friends.
διὸ καὶ τὰς ἁμίλλας πρὸς ἐκείνους ἐστὶ ποιητέον ὑπὲρ δόξης ἢ ἀρχῆς ἢ πορισμῶν δικαίων, μὴ δακνομένους μόνον, ἄν τι πλέον ἡμῶν ἔχωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα παραφυλάττοντας ἐξ ὧν πλέον ἔχουσι, καὶ πειρωμένους ὑπερβαλέσθαι ταῖς ἐπιμελείαις καὶ φιλοπονίαις καὶ τῷ σωφρονεῖν καὶ προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς, ὡς Θεμιστοκλῆς ἔλεγεν οὐκ ἐᾶν αὐτὸν καθεύδειν τὴν ἐν Μαραθῶνι Μιλτιάδου νίκην. ὁ μὲν γὰρ εὐτυχίᾳ διαφέρειν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡγούμενος ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἢ συνηγορίαις ἢ πολιτείαις ἢ παρὰ φίλοις καὶ ἡγεμόσιν, ἐκ τοῦ πράττειν τι καὶ ζηλοῦν εἰς τὸ βασκαίνειν παντάπασι καὶ ἀθυμεῖν καταδυόμενος, ἀργῷ τῷ φθόνῳ καὶ ἀπράκτῳ σύνεστιν· ὁ δὲ μὴ τυφλούμενος περὶ τὸ μισούμενον ἀλλὰ καὶ βίου καὶ ἤθους καὶ λόγων καὶ ἔργων γιγνόμενος θεατὴς; δίκαιος τὰ πλεῖστα κατόψεται τῶν ζηλουμένων, ἐξ ἐπιμελείας καὶ προνοίας καὶ πράξεων χρηστῶν περιγιγνόμενα τοῖς κεκτημένοις, καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα συντείνων ἐπασκήσει τὸ φιλότιμον αὑτοῦ καὶ φιλόκαλον, τὸ δὲ χασμῶδες ἐκκόψει καὶ ῥᾴθυμον.
Therefore, also, rivalries against them must be made for the sake of glory, or office, or just acquisitions, not merely being stung if they have any advantage over us, but also watching closely everything by which they have the advantage, and trying to surpass them in diligence, industry, self-control, and attention to themselves, as Themistocles used to say that "the trophy of Miltiades at Marathon would not let him sleep." For he who thinks his enemy excels him in good fortune in offices, or advocacies, or statesmanship, or with friends and rulers, sinking down from active effort and emulation into complete envy and despondency, lives with an inactive and useless envy; whereas he who is not blinded regarding the object of his hatred, but becomes a fair observer of life, character, words, and deeds, will perceive that most of the things envied accrue to their possessors through diligence, foresight, and noble deeds; and by straining towards these, he will train his own love of honor and love of beauty, and will cut away his yawning and careless disposition.
§11εἰ δέ τινας οἱ ἐχθροὶ κολακεύοντες ἢ πανουργοῦντες ἢ δεκάζοντες ἢ μισθαρνοῦντες αἰσχρὰς καὶ ἀνελευθέρους δοκοῦσι καρποῦσθαι δυνάμεις ἐν αὐλαῖς ἢ πολιτείαις, οὐκ ἐνοχλήσουσιν ἡμᾶς ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐφρανοῦσι, τὴν αὑτῶν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ τὸ καθαρὸν τοῦ βίου καὶ ἀνύβριστον ἀντιτιθέντας· ἅπας
γὰρ
ὁ ὑπὲρ γῆς καὶ ὑπὸ γῆς χρυσὸς ἀρετῆς οὐκ ἀντάξιος
κατὰ Πλάτωνα, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Σόλωνος; ἔχειν ἀεὶ δεῖ πρόχειρον
"
ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς αὐτοῖς οὐ διαμειψόμεθα
τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν πλοῦτον
"
οὐδέ γε βοὰς δεδειπνισμένων θεάτρων οὐδὲ τιμὰς καὶ προεδρίας παρʼ εὐνούχοις καὶ παλλακαῖς καὶ σατράπαις βασιλέων· ζηλωτὸν γὰρ οὐδὲν οὐδὲ καλὸν ἐξ αἰσχροῦ φυόμενον.
And if our enemies, by flattering, or acting with cunning, or bribing, or taking pay, seem to enjoy shameful and illiberal powers in courts or politics, they will not annoy us, but rather please us, when we contrast our own freedom and the pure and uninjured character of our life; for "all the gold upon the earth and under the earth is not equivalent to virtue," according to Plato, and we must always have ready at hand the saying of Solon: "But we will not exchange with them the wealth of virtue," nor indeed the shouts of theatres that have been banqueted, nor honors and front seats with eunuchs and concubines and satraps of kings; for nothing is enviable or beautiful which grows out of shamefulness.
ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ τυφλοῦται τὸ φιλοῦν περὶ τὸ φιλούμενον, ὥς φησιν ὁ Πλάτων, καὶ μᾶλλον ἡμῖν οἱ ἐχθροὶ παρέχουσιν αἴσθησιν ἀσχημονοῦντες, δεῖ μήτε τὸ χαῖρον ἐφʼ οἷς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἀργὸν εἶναι μήτε τὸ λυπούμενον ἐφʼ οἷς κατορθοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ ἐπιλογίζεσθαι διʼ ἀμφοτέρων ὅπως τὰ μὲν φυλαττόμενοι βελτίονες ὦμεν αὐτῶν, τὰ δὲ μιμούμενοι μὴ χείρονες.
But since "the lover is blinded regarding the loved object," as Plato says, and our enemies rather provide us with perception when they behave disgracefully, we must allow neither our joy at their errors to be idle, nor our grief at their successes, but must reason from both in order that, by guarding against the former, we may be better than they, and by imitating the latter, we may not be worse.