§25καίτοι πῶς ἄν τις σαφέστερον ἐπιδείξειεν ἢ διὰ τοιούτων παραδειγμάτων πλείστου τὰς μοναρχίας ἀξίας οὔσας;
And yet, how could anyone show more clearly than through such examples that monarchies are of the highest value?
φαίνονται γὰρ οἵ τε διὰ τέλους τυραννευόμενοι μεγίστας δυνάμεις ἔχοντες, οἵ τε καλῶς ὀλιγαρχούμενοι, περὶ ἃ μάλιστα σπουδάζουσιν, οἱ μὲν ἕνα μόνον στρατηγὸν οἱ δὲ βασιλέα τῶν στρατοπέδων κύριον καθιστάντες, οἵ τε μισοῦντες τὰς τυραννίδας, ὁπόταν πολλοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐκπέμψωσιν, §26οὐδὲν τῶν δεόντων πράττοντες.
For both those who are continuously ruled by tyrants are seen to possess the greatest power, and those who are well governed by oligarchy, in those matters which they care about most, some appoint a single general, others a king as master of their armies, and those who hate tyrannies, whenever they send out many commanders, do nothing of what is necessary.
εἰ δὲ δεῖ τι καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων εἰπεῖν, λέγεται καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς ὑπὸ Διὸς βασιλεύεσθαι.
And if one must also mention ancient matters, even the gods are said to be ruled by Zeus as king.
περὶ ὧν εἰ μὲν ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος ἐστί, δῆλον ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι ταύτην τὴν κατάστασιν προκρίνουσιν, εἰ δὲ τὸ μὲν σαφὲς μηδεὶς οἶδεν, αὐτοὶ δʼ εἰκάζοντες οὕτω περὶ αὐτῶν ὑπειλήφαμεν, σημεῖον ὅτι πάντες τὴν μοναρχίαν προτιμῶμεν· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτʼ αὐτῇ χρῆσθαι τοὺς θεοὺς ἔφαμεν, εἰ μὴ πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων αὐτὴν προέχειν ἐνομίζομεν.
Concerning which, if the story is true, it is clear that they too prefer this constitution, but if no one knows the certain truth, and we ourselves, guessing, have conceived of them in this way, it is a sign that we all prefer monarchy; for we would never have said that the gods use it, if we did not believe that it far excels the others.
§27περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν πολιτειῶν, ὅσον ἀλλήλων διαφέρουσιν, ἅπαντα μὲν οὔθʼ εὑρεῖν οὔτʼ εἰπεῖν δυνατόν ἐστιν· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ πρός γε τὸ παρὸν ἀποχρώντως καὶ νῦν εἴρηται περὶ αὐτῶν.
Now, concerning forms of government, how much they differ from one another, it is impossible either to find out or to express everything; nevertheless, for the present occasion at least, enough has been said about them even now.
ὡς δὲ προσηκόντως τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν, πολὺ τούτου συντομώτερος καὶ μᾶλλον ὁμολογούμενος ὁ λόγος ἐστίν.
But that we hold the rule rightfully, the argument is much shorter and more generally agreed upon than this.
§28τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι Τεῦκρος μὲν ὁ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἀρχηγός, παραλαβὼν τοὺς τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν προγόνους, πλεύσας δεῦρο καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτοῖς ἔκτισε καὶ τὴν χώραν κατένειμεν, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ Εὐαγόρας ἀπολεσάντων ἑτέρων τὴν ἀρχὴν πάλιν ἀνέλαβεν, ὑποστὰς τοὺς μεγίστους κινδύνους, καὶ τοσοῦτον μετέστησεν ὥστε μηκέτι Φοίνικας Σαλαμινίων τυραννεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὧνπερ ἦν τὴν ἀρχήν, τούτους καὶ νῦν ἔχειν τὴν βασιλείαν;
For who does not know that, on the one hand, Teucer, the founder of our race, having taken with him the ancestors of the other citizens, sailed here, founded the city for them, and distributed the territory; on the other hand, my father Evagoras, when others had lost the rule, recovered it again, having undergone the greatest dangers, and changed matters so much that Phoenicians no longer rule over Salaminians, but those very people to whom the rule originally belonged also now hold the kingship?
§29λοιπὸν οὖν ἐστιν ὧν προεθέμην περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ διελθεῖν ἵνʼ ἐπίστησθʼ ὅτι τοιοῦτός ἐστιν ὑμῶν ὁ βασιλεύων, ὃς οὐ μόνον διὰ τοὺς προγόνους ἀλλὰ καὶ διʼ ἐμαυτὸν δικαίως ἂν καὶ μείζονος τιμῆς ἢ τηλικαύτης ἠξιώθην.
It remains, then, of the things I proposed, to go through those concerning myself, so that you may know that such is your ruler, who not only on account of my ancestors but also on account of myself might justly be deemed worthy of even greater honor than this.
οἶμαι γὰρ ἐγὼ πάντας ἂν ὁμολογῆσαι πλείστου τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀξίας εἶναι τήν τε σωφροσύνην καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην.
For I think that everyone would agree that temperance and justice are of the highest value among the virtues.
§30οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἡμᾶς τὸ καθʼ αὑτὰς ὠφελοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ εἰ ʼθέλοιμεν σκοπεῖν καὶ τὰς φύσεις καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς χρήσεις τῶν πραγμάτων, εὑρήσομεν τὰς μὲν μὴ μετεχούσας τούτων τῶν ἰδεῶν μεγάλων κακῶν αἰτίας οὔσας, τὰς δὲ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης καὶ σωφροσύνης γιγνομένας πολλὰ τὸν βίον τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὠφελούσας.
For not only do they benefit us by themselves, but if we should wish to examine both the natures, the powers, and the uses of things, we shall find that those which do not share in these forms are the causes of great evils, while those which come about with justice and temperance greatly benefit the life of men.
εἰ δή τινες τῶν προγεγενημένων ἐπὶ ταύταις ταῖς ἀρεταῖς εὐδοκίμησαν, ἡγοῦμαι κἀμοὶ προσήκειν τῆς αὐτῆς δόξης ἐκείνοις τυγχάνειν.
If, then, some of those of the past won renown for these virtues, I think it is proper also for me to obtain the same glory as they.
§31τὴν μὲν οὖν δικαιοσύνην ἐκεῖθεν ἂν μάλιστα κατίδοιτε.
My justice, then, you could best perceive from this.
παραλαβὼν γάρ, ὅτʼ εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν καθιστάμην, τὰ μὲν βασίλεια χρημάτων κενὰ καὶ πάντα κατηναλωμένα, τὰ δὲ πράγματα ταραχῆς μεστὰ καὶ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας δεόμενα καὶ φυλακῆς καὶ δαπάνης, εἰδὼς ἑτέρους ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις καιροῖς ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τὰ σφέτερʼ αὐτῶν διορθουμένους καὶ πολλὰ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν τὴν αὑτῶν πράττειν ἀναγκαζομένους, ὅμως οὐδʼ ὑφʼ ἑνὸς τούτων διεφθάρην, §32ἀλλʼ ὁσίως καὶ καλῶς ἐπεμελήθην τῶν πραγμάτων, ὥστε μηδὲν ἐλλείπειν ἐξ ὧν οἷόν τʼ ἦν αὐξηθῆναι καὶ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν ἐπιδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν.
For having taken over, when I was established in the rule, the palace empty of money and everything consumed, and affairs full of confusion and requiring much care, guarding, and expense, although I knew that others in such crises restore their own affairs by every means and are compelled to do many things contrary to their own nature, nevertheless I was not corrupted by any of these things, but piously and honorably took care of affairs, so that nothing was lacking of those things by which the city was able to grow and advance toward prosperity.
πρός τε γὰρ τοὺς πολίτας μετὰ τοιαύτης πραότητος προσηνέχθην, ὥστε μήτε φυγὰς μήτε θανάτους μήτε χρημάτων ἀποβολὰς μήτʼ ἄλλην μηδεμίαν τοιαύτην συμφορὰν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς γεγενῆσθαι βασιλείας.
For toward the citizens I behaved with such mildness, that neither banishments, nor executions, nor confiscations of property, nor any other such misfortune has occurred during my reign.