§40οὔπω δὲ κεκριμένου τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτῇ συνοικήσειν ἀλλʼ ἔτι κοινῆς τῆς τύχης οὔσης οὕτω πρόδηλος ἦν ἅπασιν ἐσομένη περιμάχητος ὥστε συνελθόντες πίστεις ἔδοσαν ἀλλήλοις ἦ μὴν βοηθήσειν, εἴ τις ἀποστεροίη τὸν ἀξιωθέντα λαβεῖν αὐτήν, νομίζων ἕκαστος τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ταύτην αὑτῷ παρασκευάζειν.
While her future husband had not yet been decided and their fortune was still common to all, it was so manifest to everyone that she would be fought over, that they came together and gave pledges to one another that they would indeed help, if anyone should deprive the man deemed worthy to take her, each one thinking that he was preparing this assistance for himself.
§41τῆς μὲν οὖν ἰδίας ἐλπίδος πλὴν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἅπαντες ἐψεύσθησαν, τῆς δὲ κοινῆς δόξης ἧς ἔσχον περὶ ἐκείνης οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν διήμαρτεν.
All of them, therefore, except for one man, were deceived in their private hope, but not one of them fell short of the common opinion they held concerning her.
οὐ πολλοῦ γὰρ χρόνου διελθόντος, γενομένης ἐν θεοῖς περὶ κάλλους ἔριδος ἧς Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Πριάμου κατέστη κριτής, καὶ διδούσης Ἥρας μὲν ἁπάσης αὐτῷ τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλεύειν, Ἀθηνᾶς δὲ κρατεῖν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, §42Ἀφροδίτης δὲ τὸν γάμον τὸν Ἑλένης, τῶν μὲν σωμάτων οὐ δυνηθεὶς λαβεῖν διάγνωσιν ἀλλʼ ἡττηθεὶς τῆς τῶν θεῶν ὄψεως, τῶν δὲ δωρεῶν ἀναγκασθεὶς γενέσθαι κριτής, εἵλετο τὴν οἰκειότητα τὴν Ἑλένης ἀντὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, οὐ πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀποβλέψας, -- καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι πολλῶν αἱρετώτερόν ἐστιν, §43ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦθʼ ὥρμησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐπεθύμησε Διὸς γενέσθαι κηδεστής, νομίζων πολὺ μείζω καὶ καλλίω ταύτην εἶναι τὴν τιμὴν ἢ τὴν τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλείαν, καὶ μεγάλας μὲν ἀρχὰς καὶ δυναστείας καὶ φαύλοις ἀνθρώποις ποτὲ παραγίγνεσθαι, τοιαύτης δὲ γυναικὸς οὐδένα τῶν ἐπιγιγνομένων ἀξιωθήσεσθαι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οὐδὲν ἂν κτῆμα κάλλιον καταλιπεῖν τοῖς παισὶν ἢ παρασκευάσας αὐτοῖς ὅπως μὴ μόνον πρὸς πατρὸς ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς μητρὸς ἀπὸ Διὸς ἔσονται γεγονότες.
For when not much time had passed, a strife arose among the gods concerning beauty, of which Alexander, the son of Priam, was appointed judge; and Hera offering him the rule over all Asia, and Athena victory in wars, and Aphrodite the marriage of Helen, though he was not able to make a division of their bodies but was overcome by the sight of the goddesses, and was forced to become a judge of their gifts, he chose the kinship of Helen instead of all other things, not looking to pleasures—although even this is more desirable than many things to those who are wise— but nevertheless he did not rush toward this, but desired to become a relative of Zeus by marriage, believing that this honor was much greater and more beautiful than the kingdom of Asia, and that great empires and dominions sometimes fall to worthless men, but that no one of future generations would be deemed worthy of such a woman, and moreover, that he could leave no more beautiful possession to his children than by arranging for them that they should be descended from Zeus not only on their father's side but also on their mother's.
§44ἠπίστατο γὰρ τὰς μὲν ἄλλας εὐτυχίας ταχέως μεταπιπτούσας, τὴν δʼ εὐγένειαν ἀεὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς παραμένουσαν, ὥστε ταύτην μὲν τὴν αἵρεσιν ὑπὲρ ἅπαντος τοῦ γένους ἔσεσθαι, τὰς δʼ ἑτέρας δωρεὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρόνου μόνον τοῦ καθʼ αὑτόν.
For he knew that while other fortunes quickly shift, noble birth remains always with the same people, so that this choice would be on behalf of his whole race, while the other gifts would be only for the duration of his own life.
§45τῶν μὲν οὖν εὖ φρονούντων οὐδεὶς ἂν τοῖς λογισμοῖς τούτοις ἐπιτιμήσειεν, τῶν δὲ μηδὲν πρὸ τοῦ πράγματος ἐνθυμουμένων ἀλλὰ τὸ συμβαῖνον μόνον σκοπουμένων ἤδη τινὲς ἐλοιδόρησαν αὐτόν· ὧν τὴν ἄνοιαν ἐξ ὧν ἐβλασφήμησαν περὶ ἐκείνου ῥᾴδιον ἅπασι καταμαθεῖν.
None of those who are wise, therefore, would find fault with these calculations, but some of those who think of nothing before the deed but look only to the outcome have already slandered him; whose foolishness is easy for everyone to understand from the things they blasphemed against him.
§46πῶς γὰρ οὐ καταγέλαστον πεπόνθασιν, εἰ τὴν αὑτῶν φύσιν ἱκανωτέραν εἶναι νομίζουσι τῆς ὑπὸ τῶν θεῶν προκριθείσης;
For how have they not suffered a ridiculous fate, if they believe their own nature to be more competent than that which was preferred by the gods?
οὐ γὰρ δή που περὶ ὧν εἰς τοσαύτην ἔριν κατέστησαν τὸν τυχόντα διαγνῶναι κύριον ἐποίησαν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὅτι τοσαύτην ἔσχον σπουδὴν ἐκλέξασθαι, κριτὴν τὸν βέλτιστον, ὅσηνπερ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιήσαντο.
For surely they did not make an ordinary man sovereign to decide on things about which they entered into such a strife, but it is clear that they had as much eagerness to select the best judge as they took care for the matter itself.
§47χρὴ δὲ σκοπεῖν ὁποῖός τις ἦν καὶ δοκιμάζειν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς τῶν ἀποτυχουσῶν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧν ἅπασαι βουλευσάμεναι προείλοντο τὴν ἐκείνου διάνοιαν.
And it is necessary to consider what sort of man he was, and to judge him not from the anger of those who failed, but from the fact that all of them, having taken counsel, preferred his judgment.
κακῶς μὲν γὰρ παθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων οὐδὲν κωλύει καὶ τοὺς μηδὲν ἐξημαρτηκότας· τοιαύτης δὲ τιμῆς τυχεῖν ὥστε θνητὸν ὄντα θεῶν γενέσθαι κριτὴν, οὐχ οἷόν τε μὴ οὐ τὸν πολὺ τῇ γνώμῃ διαφέροντα.
For there is nothing to prevent even those who have committed no wrong from suffering ill at the hands of those who are stronger; but to attain such honor that, being mortal, he became a judge of gods, is impossible for one who does not far excel in judgment.
§48θαυμάζω δʼ εἴ τις οἴεται κακῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι τὸν μετὰ ταύτης ζῆν ἑλόμενον, ἧς ἕνεκα πολλοὶ τῶν ἡμιθέων ἀποθνῄσκειν ἠθέλησαν.
And I wonder if anyone thinks that he took bad counsel who chose to live with her, for whose sake many of the demigods were willing to die.
πῶς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἦν ἀνόητος, εἰ τοὺς θεοὺς εἰδὼς περὶ κάλλους φιλονικοῦντας αὐτὸς κάλλους κατεφρόνησε, καὶ μὴ ταύτην ἐνόμισε μεγίστην εἶναι τῶν δωρεῶν, περὶ ἧς κἀκείνας ἑώρα μάλιστα σπουδαζούσας;
And how would he not have been foolish, if knowing that the gods contended for beauty, he himself despised beauty, and did not believe this to be the greatest of gifts, about which he saw even those goddesses most of all concerned?
§49τίς δʼ ἂν τὸν γάμον τὸν Ἑλένης ὑπερεῖδεν, ἧς ἁρπασθείσης οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες οὕτως ἠγανάκτησαν ὥσπερ ὅλης τῆς Ἑλλάδος πεπορθημένης, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι τοσοῦτον ἐφρόνησαν, ὅσον περ ἂν εἰ πάντων ἡμῶν ἐκράτησαν.
And who would have looked down upon the marriage of Helen, at whose abduction the Greeks were so indignant as if all Greece had been plundered, while the barbarians were as proud as if they had conquered us all?
δῆλον δʼ ὡς ἑκάτεροι διετέθησαν· πολλῶν γὰρ αὐτοῖς πρότερον ἐγκλημάτων γενομένων περὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, ὑπὲρ δὲ ταύτης τηλικοῦτον συνεστήσαντο πόλεμον οὐ μόνον τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ὀργῆς ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν παρασκευῶν ὅσος οὐδεὶς πώποτε γέγονεν.
And it is clear how both sides were disposed; for although many complaints had arisen between them before, they kept quiet about the other things, but on her behalf they joined in a war so great, not only in the magnitude of its anger but also in the length of time and the abundance of preparations, as had never occurred before.