§11πάλιν ὁ Πλάτων Ἑλίκωνι τῷ Κυζικηνῷ διδοὺς πρὸς Διονύσιον ἐπιστολὴν ἐπῄνεσεν αὐτὸν ὡς ἐπιεικῆ καὶ μέτριον, εἶτα προσέγραψε τῇ ἐπιστολῇ τελευτώσῃ
γράφω δέ σοι ταῦτα περὶ ἀνθρώπου, ζῴου φύσει εὐμεταβόλου
Ξενοκράτης δὲ καίπερ αὐστηρὸς ὢν τὸν τρόπον ὅμως ὑπὸ δυσωπίας ἐκάμφθη, καὶ συνέστησε Πολυσπέρχοντι διʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἄνθρωπον οὐ χρηστόν, ὡς τὸ ἔργον ἔδειξε· δεξιωσαμένου δʼ αὐτὸν τοῦ Μακεδόνος καὶ πυθομένου μή τινος ἔχοι χρείαν, ᾔτησε τάλαντον· ὁ δʼ ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἔδωκε Ξενοκράτει δʼ ἔγραψε, παραινῶν ἐπιμελέστερον τὸ λοιπὸν ἐξετάζειν οὓς συνίστησιν.
Again, Plato, when giving Helicon of Cyzicus a letter to Dionysius, praised him as reasonable and moderate, but then added at the end of the letter: "I write these things to you about a man, an animal by nature changeable." And Xenocrates, although being austere in character, was nevertheless bent by compliance, and recommended a worthless man to Polysperchon by a letter, as the event showed; and when the Macedonian welcomed him and asked if he had need of anything, he asked for a talent; and he gave indeed to him, but wrote to Xenocrates, advising him for the future to examine more carefully those whom he recommends.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Ξενοκράτης ἠγνόησεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ πάνυ πολλάκις ἐπιστάμενοι τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ γράμματα καὶ χρήματα προϊέμεθα, βλάπτοντες ἑαυτούς, οὐ μεθʼ ἡδονῆς ὥσπερ οἱ ταῖς ἑταίραις χαριζόμενοι καὶ τοῖς κόλαξιν, ἀλλὰ δυσχεραίνοντες καὶ βαρυνόμενοι τὴν ἀναίδειαν ἀνατρέπουσαν ἡμῶν καὶ καταβιαζομένην τὸν λογισμόν.
Xenocrates indeed was ignorant, but we, even very often knowing that they are wicked, throw away both letters and money, harming ourselves, not with pleasure as those who gratify courtesans and flatterers, but being vexed and burdened by the impudence which subverts our reason and forces it.
εἰ γὰρ πρὸς ἄλλο τι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς δυσωποῦντας ἔξεστιν εἰπεῖν τὸ
"μανθάνω μὲν οἷα δρᾶν μέλλω κακά"
τὰ ψευδῆ μαρτυρῶν ἢ τὰ μὴ δίκαια κρίνων ἢ τὰ μὴ συμφέροντα χειροτονῶν ἢ δανειζόμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἀποδώσοντος.
For if to anything else, to those who make us compliant one can say: "I understand indeed what evils I am about to do," when bearing false witness, or judging unjust things, or voting for unprofitable things, or borrowing for one who will not pay back.
§12διὸ τῶν παθῶν μάλιστα τῷ δυσωπεῖσθαι τὸ μετανοεῖν οὐχ ὕστερον, ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς ἐν οἷς πράττει πάρεστι· καὶ γὰρ διδόντες ἀχθόμεθα καὶ μαρτυροῦντες αἰσχυνόμεθα καὶ συνηγοροῦντες ἀδοξοῦμεν καὶ μὴ παρέχοντες ἐλεγχόμεθα.
Therefore, of all the passions, repentance is present in being compliant, not afterwards, but immediately in the very actions one performs; for indeed while giving we are vexed, and while bearing witness we are ashamed, and while advocating we are discredited, and when we do not provide, we are exposed.
πολλὰ γὰρ ὑπʼ ἀσθενείας τοῦ ἀντιλέγειν καὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἡμῖν ὑπισχνούμεθα τοῖς λιπαροῦσιν ὡς συστάσεις ἐν αὐλαῖς καὶ πρὸς ἡγεμόνας ἐντεύξεις, μὴ βουλόμενοι μηδʼ εὐτονοῦντες εἰπεῖν
οὐκ οἶδεν ἡμᾶς ὁ βασιλεύς, ἀλλʼ ἑτέρους ὅρα μᾶλλον,
ὡς Λύσανδρος Ἀγησιλάῳ προσκεκρουκὼς ἀξιούμενος δὲ μέγιστον δύνασθαι παρʼ αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν δόξαν, οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο παραιτεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, ἀπιέναι πρὸς ἑτέρους κελεύων καὶ πειρᾶσθαι τῶν μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ δυναμένων. οὐ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν τὸ μὴ πάντα δύνασθαι·
For indeed, out of weakness in speaking against, we promise many even of the impossible things to those who importune us, such as recommendations in courts and audiences with governors, not wishing nor having the strength to say: "The king does not know us, but look rather to others," as Lysander, having clashed with Agesilaus, but being thought to have the greatest power with him because of his reputation, was not ashamed to excuse himself to those who approached him, ordering them to go to others and try those who had more power than he with the king.
τὸ δὲ μὴ δυναμένους ἢ μὴ πεφυκότας ἀναδέχεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ παραβιάζεσθαι, πρὸς τῷ αἰσχρῷ καὶ λυπηρότατόν ἐστιν.
For it is not shameful not to be able to do all things; but to undertake such things when not being able or not being naturally fitted, and to force oneself, is in addition to being shameful also most painful.
§13ἀπʼ ἄλλης δʼ ἀρχῆς· τὰ μὲν μέτρια καὶ πρέποντα δεῖ προθύμως ὑπουργεῖν τοῖς ἀξιοῦσι, μὴ δυσωπουμένους ἀλλʼ ἑκόντας· ἐν δὲ τοῖς βλαβεροῖς καὶ ἀτόποις τὸ τοῦ Ζήνωνος ἀεὶ πρόχειρον ἔχειν, ὃς ἀπαντήσας τινὶ νεανίσκῳ τῶν συνήθων παρὰ τὸ τεῖχος ἡσυχῆ βαδίζοντι, καὶ πυθόμενος ὅτι φεύγει φίλον ἀξιοῦντα μαρτυρεῖν αὐτῷ τὰ ψευδῆ
τί λέγεις
φησὶν
ἀβέλτερε;
From another beginning: one must readily perform moderate and fitting services for those who ask, not being compliant but willing; but in harmful and absurd matters, one must always have at hand the saying of Zeno, who, having met a certain young man of his acquaintances walking quietly along the wall, and having learned that he was fleeing a friend who was asking him to bear false witness for him, said: "What are you saying, you fool?
σὲ μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἀγνωμονῶν καὶ ἀδικῶν οὐ δέδιεν οὐδʼ αἰσχύνεται, σὺ δʼ ἐκεῖνον ὑπὲρ τῶν δικαίων οὐ θαρρεῖς ὑποστῆναι; ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἰπὼν
"ποτὶ πονηρὸν οὐκ ἄχρηστον ὅπλον ἁ πονηρία"
κακῶς ἐθίζει μιμούμενον ἀμύνεσθαι τὴν κακίαν· τὸ δὲ τοὺς ἀναιδῶς καὶ ἀδυσωπήτως ἐνοχλοῦντας ἀποτρίβεσθαι τῷ ἀδυσωπήτῳ καὶ μὴ χαρίζεσθαι τὰ αἰσχρὰ τοῖς ἀναισχύντοις αἰσχυνόμενον, ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως γιγνόμενόν ἐστιν ὑπὸ τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων.
That man, acting unreasonably and unjustly, does not fear or feel ashamed before you, and you do not have the courage to stand up to him for the sake of what is just?" For he who said "against a wicked man, wickedness is not a useless weapon" accustoms people badly to defend themselves by imitating vice; but to repel those who importunately and relentlessly trouble us by relentlessly refusing, and not to gratify the shameless with shameful things out of shame, is done rightly and justly by those who have sense.
§14ἔτι τοίνυν τῶν δυσωπούντων τοῖς μὲν ἀδόξοις καὶ ταπεινοῖς καὶ μηδενὸς ἀξίοις οὐ μέγʼ ἔργον ἀντισχεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ γέλωτος ἔνιοι καὶ σκώμματος ἐκκλίνουσι τοὺς τοιούτους ὡς Θεόκριτος, δυεῖν παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν βαλανείῳ στλεγγίδα κιχραμένων, τοῦ μὲν ξένου τοῦ δὲ γνωρίμου κλέπτου, μετὰ παιδιᾶς ἀμφοτέρους διεκρούσατʼ εἰπών
σὲ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα σὲ δʼ οἶδα
Λυσιμάχη δʼ Ἀθήνησιν, ἡ τῆς Πολιάδος; ἱέρεια, τῶν τὰ ἱερὰ προσαγαγόντων ὀρεωκόμων ἐγχέαι κελευόντων,
ἀλλʼ ὀκνῶ
εἶπε
μὴ καὶ τοῦτο πάτριον γένηται
καὶ Ἀντίγονος πρός τινα νεανίσκον, γεγονότα μὲν ἐκ λοχαγοῦ χαρίεντος αὐτὸν δʼ ἄτολμον ὄντα καὶ μαλακὸν ἀξιοῦντα δὲ προαχθῆναι,
παρʼ ἐμοί
φησὶν
ὦ μειράκιον, ἀνδραγαθίας εἰσὶν οὐ πατραγαθίας τιμαί.
Furthermore, of those who make us compliant, to resist those who are without reputation, humble, and worth nothing is no great task, but some even avoid such persons with laughter and jest, as Theocritus, when two persons were borrowing a strigil from him in the bath, one a stranger and the other a known thief, evaded both with a jest, saying: "You indeed I do not know, and you I know." And Lysimache at Athens, the priestess of Polias, when the mule-drivers who brought the sacred objects ordered her to pour for them, said: "But I hesitate lest this also become an ancestral custom." And Antigonus to a certain young man, born of an excellent officer but himself timid and soft, and asking to be promoted, said: "With me, young man, honors are for manly virtue, not for fatherly virtue."