§60τοσούτῳ δὲ μᾶλλον προτετίμηται τὸ κάλλος παρʼ ἐκείνοις ἢ παρʼ ἡμῖν ὥστε καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶ ταῖς αὑτῶν ὑπὸ τούτου κρατουμέναις συγγνώμην ἔχουσι, καὶ πολλὰς ἄν τις ἐπιδείξειε τῶν ἀθανάτων, αἳ θνητοῦ κάλλους ἡττήθησαν, ὧν οὐδεμία λαθεῖν τὸ γεγενημένον ὡς αἰσχύνην ἔχον ἐζήτησεν, ἀλλʼ ὡς καλῶν ὄντων τῶν πεπραγμένων ὑμνεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ σιωπᾶσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν ἠβουλήθησαν.
Beauty is preferred so much more among them than among us, that they even excuse their own wives when they are overcome by it, and one could point out many of the immortal female deities who were vanquished by mortal beauty, of whom not one sought to hide what had happened as if it involved shame, but rather wished that their deeds, as being beautiful, should be sung in praise rather than be kept in silence.
μέγιστον δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τεκμήριον. πλείους γὰρ ἂν εὕροιμεν διὰ τὸ κάλλος ἀθανάτους γεγενημένους ἢ διὰ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρετὰς ἁπάσας.
And this is the greatest proof of what has been said; for we should find more who have become immortal on account of beauty than on account of all other virtues combined.
§61ὧν Ἑλένη τοσούτῳ πλέον ἔσχεν, ὅσῳ περ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν αὐτῶν διήνεγκεν.
Of these Helen obtained so much more, by as much as she also excelled them in her appearance.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀθανασίας ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἰσόθεον λαβοῦσα πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἤδη κατεχομένους ὑπὸ τῆς πεπρωμένης εἰς θεοὺς ἀνήγαγε, βουλομένη δὲ πιστὴν ποιῆσαι τὴν μεταβολὴν οὕτως οὕτως αὐτοῖς τὰς τιμὰς ἐναργεῖς ἔδωκεν ὥσθʼ ὁρωμένους ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ κινδυνευόντων σῴζειν, οἵτινες ἂν αὐτοὺς εὐσεβῶς κατακαλέσωνται.
For she not only obtained immortality, but also, having received godlike power, she first raised her brothers, who were already held by fate, to the gods; and wishing to make their change credible, she gave them honors so manifest that they are seen by those in danger at sea and save them, whoever call upon them piously.
§62μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοσαύτην Μενελάω χάριν ἀπέδωκεν ὑπὲρ τῶν πόνων καὶ τῶν κινδύνων οὓς διʼ ἐκείνην ὑπέμεινεν, ὥστε τοῦ γένους ἅπαντος τοῦ Πελοπιδῶν διαφθαρέντος καὶ κακοῖς ἀνηκέστοις περιπεσόντος οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν τῶν συμφορῶν τούτων ἀπήλλαξεν ἀλλὰ καὶ θεὸν ἀντὶ θνητοῦ ποιήσασα σύνοικον αὑτῇ καὶ πάρεδρον εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα κατεστήσατο.
And after this, she returned such great gratitude to Menelaus for the labors and dangers which he endured on her account, that when the whole race of the Pelopidae had been destroyed and had fallen into incurable evils, she not only delivered him from these misfortunes, but also, having made him a god instead of a mortal, she established him as her companion and partner for all time.
§63καὶ τούτοις ἔχω τὴν πόλιν τὴν Σπαρτιατῶν τὴν μάλιστα τὰ παλαιὰ διασῴζουσαν ἔργῳ παρασχέσθαι μαρτυροῦσαν· ἔτι γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἐν Θεράπναις τῆς Λακωνικῆς θυσίας αὐτοῖς ἁγίας καὶ πατρίας ἀποτελοῦσιν οὐχ ὡς ἥρωσιν ἀλλʼ ὡς θεοῖς ἀμφοτέροις οὖσιν.
And for these things I can produce the city of the Spartans, which most of all preserves ancient things, as witnessing in deed; for even now in Therapnae in Laconia they perform holy and ancestral sacrifices to them, not as heroes, but as both being gods.
§64ἐνεδείξατο δὲ καὶ Στησιχόρῳ τῷ ποιητῇ τὴν αὑτῆς δύναμιν· ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ἀρχόμενος τῆς ᾠδῆς ἐβλασφήμησέ τι περὶ αὐτῆς, ἀνέστη τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐστερημένος, ἐπειδὴ δὲ γνοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συμφορᾶς τὴν καλουμένην παλινῳδίαν ἐποίησε, πάλιν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν φύσιν κατέστησεν.
And she also displayed her power to Stesichorus the poet; for when, at the beginning of his song, he spoke some blasphemy about her, he stood up deprived of his eyes, but when, having recognized the cause of his misfortune, he composed the so-called Palinode, she restored him again to his same condition.
§65λέγουσι δέ τινες καὶ τῶν Ὁμηριδῶν ὡς ἐπιστᾶσα τῆς νυκτὸς Ὁμήρῳ προσέταξε ποιεῖν περὶ τῶν στρατευσαμένων ἐπὶ Τροίαν, βουλομένη τὸν ἐκείνων θάνατον ζηλωτότερον ἢ τὸν βίον τὸν τῶν ἄλλων καταστῆσαι· καὶ μέρος μέν τι καὶ διὰ τὴν Ὁμήρου τέχνην, μάλιστα δὲ διὰ ταύτην οὕτως ἐπαφρόδιτον καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὀνομαστὴν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν ποίησιν.
And some of the Homeridae say also that she, having appeared by night to Homer, commanded him to write poetry about those who campaigned against Troy, wishing to render their death more enviable than the life of others; and they say that partly through Homer's art, but most of all through her, his poetry became so lovely and famous among all.
§66ὡς οὖν καὶ δίκην λαβεῖν καὶ χάριν ἀποδοῦναι δυναμένην, τοὺς μὲν τοῖς χρήμασι προέχοντας ἀναθήμασι καὶ θυσίαις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις προσόδοις ἱλάσκεσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν αὐτὴν χρή, τοὺς δὲ φιλοσόφους πειρᾶσθαί τι λέγειν περὶ αὐτῆς ἄξιον τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐκείνῃ· τοῖς γὰρ πεπαιδευμένοις πρέπει τοιαύτας ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἀπαρχάς.
Therefore, since she is able both to exact punishment and to return gratitude, those who excel in wealth ought to propitiate and honor her with offerings, sacrifices, and other dues, while philosophers should try to say something about her worthy of what belongs to her; for it is fitting for educated people to make such first-fruit offerings.
§67πολὺ δὲ πλείω τὰ παραλελειμμένα τῶν εἰρημένων ἐστίν.
But the things omitted are far more than those mentioned.
χωρὶς γὰρ τεχνῶν καὶ φιλοσοφιῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὠφελειῶν, ἃς ἔχοι τις ἂν εἰς ἐκείνην καὶ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν Τρωϊκὸν ἀνενεγκεῖν, δικαίως ἂν καὶ τοῦ μὴ δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς βαρβάροις Ἑλένην αἰτίαν εἶναι νομίζοιμεν.
For apart from arts and philosophies and the other benefits, which one might attribute to her and the Trojan War, we might justly consider Helen to be the cause also of our not being enslaved to the barbarians.
εὑρήσομεν γὰρ τοὺς Ἕλληνας διʼ αὐτὴν ὁμονοήσαντας καὶ κοινὴν στρατείαν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβὰρους ποιησαμένους, καὶ τότε πρῶτον τὴν Εὐρώπην τῆς Ἀσίας τρόπαιον στήσασαν· §68ἐξ ὧν τοσαύτης μεταβολῆς ἐτύχομεν ὥστε τὸν μὲν ἐπέκεινα χρόνον οἱ δυστυχοῦντες ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων ἄρχειν ἠξίουν, καὶ Δαναὸς μὲν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου φυγὼν Ἄργος κατέσχε, Κάδμος δὲ Σιδώνιος Θηβῶν ἐβασίλευσε, Κᾶρες δὲ τὰς νήσους κατῴκουν, Πελοποννήσου δὲ συμπάσης ὁ Ταντάλου Πέλοψ ἐκράτησεν, μετὰ δʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν πόλεμον τοσαύτην ἐπίδοσιν τὸ γένος ἡμῶν ἔλαβεν ὥστε καὶ πόλεις μεγάλας καὶ χώραν πολλὴν ἀφελέσθαι τῶν βαρβάρων.
For we shall find that through her the Greeks achieved unity of mind and made a common campaign against the barbarians, and then for the first time Europe set up a trophy over Asia; from which we obtained such a great change that, while in the time before, those who met with misfortune among the barbarians deemed themselves worthy to rule over Greek cities—and Danaus, fleeing from Egypt, seized Argos, Cadmus the Sidonian ruled over Thebes, the Carians inhabited the islands, and Pelops the son of Tantalus ruled over the whole Peloponnese—but after that war, our race received such great advancement that we took away both great cities and much land from the barbarians.
§69ἢν οὖν τινὲς βούλωνται ταῦτα διεργάζεσθαι καὶ μηκύνειν, οὐκ ἀπορήσουσιν ἀφορμῆς, ὅθεν Ἑλένην ἔξω τῶν εἰρημένων ἕξουσιν ἐπαινεῖν, ἀλλὰ πολλοῖς καὶ καινοῖς λόγοις ἐντεύξονται περὶ αὐτῆς.
If, therefore, some wish to elaborate and dwell on these matters, they will not lack a starting point from which they will be able to praise Helen beyond what has been said, but they will find many and novel arguments concerning her.