§3πρῶτον οὖν τοῦτο δεῖ πείθεσθαι τὸν ὑπὸ πολλῆς δυσωπίας βιαζόμενον, ὅτι πάθει βλαβερῷ συνέχεται·
Therefore, first of all, he who is constrained by excessive compliancy must be convinced of this: that he is possessed by a harmful passion; for nothing of harmful things is good.
καλὸν δὲ τῶν βλαβερῶν οὐδέν· οὐδὲ δεῖ τοῖς ἐπαίνοις κηλούμενον ἥδεσθαι κομψὸν καὶ ἱλαρὸν ἀντὶ σεμνοῦ καὶ μεγάλου καὶ δικαίου προσαγορευόμενον μηδʼ, ὥσπερ ὁ Εὐριπίδου Πήγασος
"ἔπτησσʼ ὑπείκων μᾶλλον εἱ μᾶλλον θέλοι"
τῷ Βελλεροφόντῃ, τοῖς δεομένοις ἑαυτὸν ἐκδιδόναι· , καὶ συνεκταπεινοῦν, φοβούμενον ἀκοῦσαι τὸ
σκληρὸς γε καὶ ἀπηνής. τῷ μὲν γὰρ Αἰγυπτίῳ Βοκχόριδι φύσει χαλεπῷ γενομένῳ τὴν ἀσπίδα λέγουσιν ὑπὸ τῆς Ἴσιδος ἐπιπεμφθεῖσαν καὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ περιελιχθεῖσαν ἄνωθεν ἐπισκιάζειν, ἵνα κρίνῃ δικαίως ἡ δέ γε δυσωπία τοῖς ἀτόνοις καὶ ἀνάνδροις ἐπικειμένη καὶ πρὸς μηδὲν ἀνανεῦσαι μηδʼ ἀντειπεῖν ἰσχύουσα, καὶ δικάζοντας ἀποτρέπει τοῦ δικαίου καὶ συμβουλεύοντας ἐπιστομίζει καὶ λέγειν πολλὰ καὶ πράττειν ἀναγκάζει τῶν ἀβουλήτων ὁ δʼ ἀγνωμονέστατος ἀεὶ τοῦ τοιούτου δεσπότης ἐστὶ καὶ κρατεῖ, τῷ μὴ αἰδεῖσθαι τὸ αἰδούμενον ἐκβιαζόμενος.
Nor must one, charmed by praises, be pleased to be addressed as "elegant" and "cheerful" instead of "revered," "great," and "just," nor, like Euripides’ Pegasus, who "shrank back, yielding the more, the more he wished," yield himself to those who make requests of him, and abase himself along with them, fearing to hear himself called "hard and harsh." For while they say that for the Egyptian Bocchoris, who was by nature harsh, an asp was sent by Isis and wound itself around his head, casting a shadow from above so that he might judge justly; compliancy, on the contrary, lying upon the spiritless and unmanly, and having no strength to refuse or speak against anything, both turns judges away from justice and silences counselors, and forces them to say and do many unwanted things. And the most unfeeling man is always the master of such a person and rules him, forcing the shamefaced to yield by his own shamelessness.
ὅθεν ὥσπερ χωρίον ὕπτιον καὶ μαλακὸν ἡ δυσωπία μηδεμίαν ἔντευξιν ἐξῶσαι μηδʼ ἀποστρέψαι δυναμένη τοῖς αἰσχίστοις βάσιμός ἐστι πάθεσι καὶ πράγμασι·
Hence, like a flat and soft piece of ground, compliancy, being unable to thrust out or turn away any encounter, is open to the passage of the most shameful passions and deeds.
κακὴ μὲν γὰρ αὕτη παιδικῆς φρουρὸς ἡλικίας, ὡς ἔλεγε Βροῦτος οὐ δοκεῖν αὐτῷ καλῶς τὴν ὥραν διατεθεῖσθαι τὸν πρὸς μηδὲν ἀρνούμενον κακὴ δὲ θαλάμου καὶ γυναικωνίτιδος ἐπίτροπος, ὥς φησιν ἡ παρὰ τῷ Σοφοκλεῖ μετανοοῦσα πρὸς τὸν μοιχὸν
"ἔπεισας, ἐξέθωψας. "
ὥστʼ· ἡ δυσωπία προδιαφθείρουσα τὸ ἀκόλαστον ἀνώχυρα πάντα καὶ ἄκλειστα καὶ κατάντη προδίδωσι τοῖς ἐπιτιθεμένοις.
For it is a bad guardian of youth, as Brutus used to say, that he did not think the prime of life was well disposed of by one who refused nothing; and it is a bad guardian of the bedchamber and the women’s quarters, as the repentant woman in Sophocles says to her adulterer: "You persuaded me, you flattered me." Thus compliancy, corrupting beforehand the undisciplined part of the soul, delivers everything up to its attackers, unfortified, unlocked, and sloping downwards.
καὶ διδόντες μὲν αἱροῦσι τὰς βδελυρωτάτας; τῶν φύσεων, τῷ δὲ πείθειν καὶ δυσωπεῖν πολλάκις κατεργάζονται καὶ τὰς ἐπιεικεῖς.
And while by giving they win over the most abominable natures, by persuading and causing compliancy they often subdue even the decent.
ἐῶ δὲ τὰς εἰς τὰ χρήματα βλάβας ὑπὸ τοῦ δυσωπεῖσθαι, δανειζόντων οἷς ἀπιστοῦσιν ἐγγυωμένων οἷς οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ἐπαινούντων μὲν τὸ
ἐγγύα πάρα δʼ ἄτα
χρῆσθαι δʼ αὐτῷ παρὰ τὰ πράγματα μὴ δυναμένων.
I pass over the damage to property caused by being compliant, of men lending to those whom they distrust and becoming guarantors for those whom they do not wish, praising indeed the saying "Give a pledge, and ruin is near," but being unable to use it when the circumstances demand.
§4ὅσους δʼ ἀνῄρηκε τοῦτο τὸ πάθος, οὐκ ἄν τις ἐξαριθμήσαιτο ῥᾳδίως.
And how many this passion has destroyed, no one could easily number.
καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κρέων πρὸς τὴν Μήδειαν εἰπὼν
"
κρεῖσσον δὲ μοι νῦν πρὸς σʼ ἀπέχθεσθαι, γύναι,
ἢ μαλθακισθένθʼ ὕστερον μέγα στένειν
"
ἄλλοις ἐγνωμολόγησεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς δυσωπίας ἥττων γενόμενος καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν αἰτουμένῃ δοὺς ἀπώλεσε τὸν οἶκον.
For Creon, having said to Medea, "It is better for me to be hated by you now, woman, than to grow soft and lament greatly hereafter," spoke wisely to others, but himself becoming a victim of compliancy and granting her the one day she asked for, he destroyed his house.
ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ σφαγὰς ὑφορώμενοι καὶ φαρμακείας, διετράπησαν.
And some, even while suspecting slaughter and poisoning, have been turned aside to their ruin.
οὕτω παραπώλετο Δίων, οὐκ ἀγνοήσας; ἐπιβουλεύοντα Κάλλιππον ἀλλʼ αἰσχυνθεὶς φυλάττεσθαι φίλον ὄντα καὶ ξένον.
Thus perished Dion, not being ignorant of Callippus plotting against him, but being ashamed to guard himself against one who was his friend and guest.
οὕτως Ἀντίπατρος ὁ Κασάνδρου Δημήτριον καλέσας ἐπὶ δεῖπνον εἶτα κληθεὶς τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ πρὸς αὐτὸν ᾐδέσθη πεπιστευμένος ἀπιστεῖν, καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐσφάγη μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον.
Thus Antipater, the son of Cassander, having invited Demetrius to dinner, and then being invited by him on the following day, was ashamed, because he had been trusted, to show distrust, and having gone, was slaughtered after the dinner.
Ἡρακλέα δὲ τὸν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ γενόμενον ἐκ Βαρσίνης ὡμολόγησε μὲν Κασάνδρῳ Πολυσπέρχων ἀναιρήσειν ἐπὶ ταλάντοις ἑκατὸν εἶτʼ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἐκάλει· τοῦ δὲ μειρακίου τὴν κλῆσιν ὑφορωμένου καὶ δεδοικότος ἄλλως δὲ προφασιζομένου μαλακώτερον ἔχειν, ἐλθὼν ὁ Πολυσπέρχων
πρῶτον
εἶπεν
ὦ παῖ, μιμοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ εὔκολον καὶ φιλέταιρον, εἰ μὴ νὴ Δία δέδοικας ἡμᾶς ὡς ἐπιβουλεύοντας. αἰδεσθεὶς; οὖν ἠκολούθησεν ὁ νεανίσκος, οἱ δὲ δειπνίσαντες αὐτὸν ἐστραγγάλισαν.
And Polysperchon, having agreed with Cassander to destroy Heracles, who was born to Alexander from Barsine, for a hundred talents, then invited him to dinner; and when the youth suspected the invitation and was afraid, and otherwise excused himself on the ground that he was somewhat unwell, Polysperchon went to him and said: "My child, imitate your father’s easy and companionable way, unless, by Zeus, you fear us as plotting against you." Ashamed, therefore, the youth followed him, and having feasted him, they strangled him.
οὐ γελοῖον οὖν, ὥς φασί τινες, οὐδʼ ἀβέλτερον ἀλλὰ σοφὸν τὸ τοῦ Ἡσιόδου
"τὸν φιλέοντʼ ἐπὶ δαῖτα καλεῖν τὸν δʼ ἐχθρὸν ἐᾶσαι. "
μὴ δυσωποῦ τὸν μισοῦντα μηδʼ ὑπαίκαλλε πιστεύειν δοκοῦντα· κληθήσῃ γὰρ καλέσας καὶ δειπνήσεις, ἂν δειπνίσῃς, ὥσπερ βαφὴν τὴν φυλάττουσαν ἀπιστίαν μαλαχθεῖσαν αἰσχύνῃ προέμενος.
Is it not then ridiculous, as some say, nor silly, but wise, that saying of Hesiod: "To invite a friend to a feast, but to let an enemy be." Do not be compliant towards him who hates you, nor flatter him under the appearance of believing him; for you will be invited if you invite, and you will dine if you feast him, throwing away, when softened by shame, the distrust which, like a tempering, protects you.