§1τὸ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγειν ὡς τι ὄντος ἢ δυναμένου πρὸς ἑτέρους, ὦ Ἥρκλανε, λόγῳ μὲν ἐπαχθὲς ἀποφαίνουσι πάντες καὶ ἀνελεύθερον, ἔργῳ δʼ οὐ πολλοὶ τὴν ἀηδίαν αὐτοῦ διαπεφεύγασιν οὐδὲ τῶν ψεγόντων.
To speak about oneself as if being someone of importance or power in relation to others, Herculanus, is declared by everyone in speech to be offensive and illiberal, but in deed not many have escaped its unpleasantness, not even of those who censure it.
ὁ γοῦν Εὐριπίδης εἰπών
"
εἰ δʼ ἦσαν ἀνθρώποισιν ὠνητοὶ λόγοι,
οὐδεὶς ἂν αὑτὸν εὖ λέγειν ἐβούλετο· νῦν δʼ, ἐκ βαθείας γὰρ πάρεστιν αἰθέρος
λαβεῖν ἀμισθί, πᾶς τις ἥδεται λέγων
τὰ τʼ ὄντα καὶ μή· ζημίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει
"
φορτικωτάτῃ κέχρηται μεγαλαυχίᾳ συγκαταπλέκων τοῖς τραγῳδουμένοις πάθεσι καὶ πράγμασι μηδὲν προσήκοντα τὸν περὶ αὑτοῦ λόγον.
At any rate, Euripides, having said: "If words could be bought by men, no one would have wished to speak well of himself; but now, since it is possible from the deep ether to get them for free, everyone delights in speaking both what is true and what is not; for it brings no loss "employs the most offensive boasting, weaving into the tragic sufferings and actions his own self-praise which is in no way relevant.
ὁμοίως ὁ Πίνδαρος φήσας
"
καὶ τὸ καυχᾶσθαι παρὰ καιρὸν
μανίαισιν ὑποκρέκει
"
οὐ παύεται μεγαληγορῶν περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως ἀξίας μὲν ἐγκωμίων οὔσης· τίς γὰρ οὔ φησιν; ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς στεφανουμένους ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἕτεροι νικῶντας ἀναγορεύουσι, τὴν ἀηδίαν τῆς περιαυτολογίας ἀφαιροῦντες.
Likewise Pindar, having said: "And to boast out of season accords with madness "does not cease speaking grandly about his own power, which indeed is worthy of praise—for who denies it?—but even those who are crowned in the games have others proclaim them as victors, thereby removing the unpleasantness of self-praise.
καὶ Τιμόθεον ἐπὶ τῇ κατὰ Φρύνιδος νίκῃ γράφοντα
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μακάριος ἦσθα, Τιμόθεε, κᾶρυξ ὅτʼ εἶπεν
νικᾷ Τιμόθεος Μιλήσιος
τὸν Κάμωνος τὸν ἰωνοκάμπταν
"
εἰκότως δυσχεραίνομεν ὡς ἀμούσως καὶ παρανόμως; ἀνακηρύττοντα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ νίκην.
And Timotheus, writing on his victory over Phrynis: "Happy wert thou, Timotheus, when the herald said, 'Timotheus of Miletus conquers the son of Camon, the bender of the Ionian style' "do we not reasonably dislike him as unmusically and lawlessly proclaiming his own victory?
αὐτῷ μὲν γὰρ ὁ παρʼ ἄλλων ἔπαινος ἥδιστον ἀκουσμάτων ἐστίν, ὥσπερ ὁ Ξενοφῶν εἴρηκεν· ἑτέροις δʼ ὁ περὶ αὑτοῦ λυπηρότατον.
For to himself, praise from others is the sweetest of sounds, as Xenophon has said, but to others, praise of oneself is the most painful.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀναισχύντους ἡγούμεθα τοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπαινοῦντας, αἰδεῖσθαι προσῆκον αὐτοῖς κἂν ὑπʼ ἄλλων ἐπαινῶνται δεύτερον δʼ ἀδίκους, ἃ λαμβάνειν ἔδει παρʼ ἑτέρων αὑτοῖς διδόντας· τρίτον ἢ σιωπῶντες ἄχθεσθαι καὶ φθονεῖν δοκοῦμεν, ἢ τοῦτο δεδοικότες ἀναγκαζόμεθα συνεφάπτεσθαι παρὰ γνώμην τῶν ἐπαίνων καὶ συνεπιμαρτυρεῖν, πρᾶγμα κολακείᾳ μᾶλλον ἀνελευθέρῳ προσῆκον ἢ τιμῇ, τὸ ἐπαινεῖν παρόντας ὑπομένοντες.
For first, we consider those who praise themselves to be shameless, whereas it is fitting for them to show modesty even if they are praised by others; second, unjust, because they give to themselves what they ought to receive from others; third, we either seem to be vexed and envious if we remain silent, or, fearing this, we are forced to join in the praises against our judgment and bear witness with them, enduring to praise them in their presence, a practice fitting for servile flattery rather than honor.
§2οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καίπερ οὕτω τούτων ἐχόντων, ἔστιν ᾗ παρακινδυνεύσειεν ἂν ὁ πολιτικὸς ἀνὴρ ἅψασθαι τῆς καλουμένης; περιαυτολογίας πρὸς οὐδεμίαν αὑτοῦ δόξαν ἢ χάριν, ἀλλὰ καιροῦ καὶ πράξεως ἀπαιτούσης, ὡς περὶ ἄλλου λεχθῆναι καὶ περὶ αὑτοῦ τι τῶν ἀληθινῶν μάλιστα δʼ ὅταν ᾖ, τὰ πεπραγμένα καὶ προσόντα χρηστὰ αὑτῷ μὴ φεισάμενον εἰπεῖν, διαπράξασθαί τι τῶν ὁμοίων.
Nevertheless, although these things are so, is there a way in which the statesman might venture to touch upon the so-called self-praise, not for any glory or favor for himself, but because the occasion and the action demand it, so that some of the truths about himself may be spoken as if about another, and especially when, by not sparing to speak of his own good deeds and qualities, he might achieve something similar?
καλὸν γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἔπαινος ἐκφέρει καρπόν, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ σπέρματος πλειόνων ἑτέρων ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ κρειττόνων φυομένων ἐπαίνων.
For such praise bears good fruit, just as from a seed many other and better praises grow from it.
καὶ γὰρ τὴν δόξαν ὁ πολιτικὸς ἀνὴρ οὐχ ὥς τινα μισθὸν ἢ παραμυθίαν τῆς· ἀρετῆς ἀπαιτεῖ καὶ ἀγαπᾷ ταῖς πράξεσι παροῦσαν ἀλλʼ ὅτι τὸ πιστεύεσθαι καὶ δοκεῖν χρηστὸν εἶναι πλειόνων καὶ καλλιόνων πράξεων ἀφορμὰς δίδωσι.
For indeed, the statesman does not demand or love glory as a kind of reward or consolation for virtue when it is present in actions, but because being trusted and thought to be good gives opportunities for more and nobler actions.
πειθομένους γὰρ ἅμα καὶ φιλοῦντας ἡδὺ καὶ ῥᾴδιον ὠφελεῖν πρὸς δʼ ὑποψίαν καὶ διαβολὴν οὐκ ἔστι χρήσασθαι τῇ ἀρετῇ, φεύγοντας εὖ παθεῖν προσβιαζόμενον.
For it is pleasant and easy to benefit those who are at the same time persuaded and loving, but against suspicion and slander, it is not possible to make use of virtue, forcing those who avoid it to be well-treated.
εἰ δὲ καὶ διʼ ἑτέρας αἰτίας τινὰς ὁ πολιτικὸς αὑτὸν ἐπαινέσειε, σκεπτέον τίνες εἰσὶν αὗται, ὅπως ἐξευλαβούμενοι τὸ κενὸν καὶ δυσχεραινόμενον, εἴ τι χρήσιμον ἔχει, μὴ παραλίπωμεν.
But if, for some other reasons as well, the statesman should praise himself, we must consider what these are, so that, while carefully avoiding what is empty and offensive, if it contains anything useful, we may not pass it by.