§33ἀβάτου δὲ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἡμῖν οὔσης διὰ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν γεγενημένον, καὶ πανταχοῦ συλωμένων ἡμῶν, τὰ πλεῖστα τούτων διέλυσα, τοῖς μὲν ἅπαντʼ ἀποτίνων, τοῖς δὲ μέρη, τῶν δʼ ἀναβαλέσθαι δεόμενος, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ὅπως ἠδυνάμην περὶ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων διαλλαττόμενος.
And when Greece was inaccessible to us because of the war that had occurred, and we were plundered everywhere, I settled most of these debts, paying some in full, others in part, asking others to postpone, and reconciling with others as I was able concerning their complaints.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν νῆσον οἰκούντων δυσκόλως πρὸς ἡμᾶς διακειμένων, καὶ βασιλέως τῷ μὲν λόγῳ διηλλαγμένου τῇ δʼ ἀληθεία τραχέως ἔχοντος, §34ἀμφότερα ταῦτα κατεπράϋνα, τῷ μὲν προθύμως ὑπηρετῶν, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς δίκαιον ἐμαυτὸν παρέχων.
Furthermore, although those inhabiting the island were ill-disposed toward us, and the King was reconciled in word but in truth remained hostile, I appeased both of these, by eagerly serving the one, and by showing myself just toward the others.
τοσούτου γὰρ δέω τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυμεῖν, ὥσθʼ ἕτεροι μέν, ἢν καὶ μικρῷ μείζω τῶν ὁμόρων δύναμιν ἔχωσιν, ἀποτέμνονται τῆς γῆς καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ζητοῦσιν, ἐγὼ δʼ οὐδὲ τὴν διδομένην χώραν ἠξίωσα λαβεῖν, ἀλλʼ αἱροῦμαι μετὰ δικαιοσύνης τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ μόνον ἔχειν μᾶλλον ἢ μετὰ κακίας πολλαπλασίαν τῆς ὑπαρχούσης κτήσασθαι.
For I am so far from desiring what belongs to others that, while others, if they have a power even slightly greater than their neighbors, cut off a part of their land and seek to take advantage, I did not even deign to accept the land that was offered to me, but prefer to hold only my own with justice rather than to acquire many times my existing property with wickedness.
§35καὶ τί δεῖ καθʼ ἓν ἕκαστον λέγοντα διατρίβειν, ἄλλως τε καὶ συντόμως ἔχοντα δηλῶσαι περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ;
And why is it necessary for me to waste time speaking of each detail, especially since I can declare the truth about myself briefly?
φανήσομαι γὰρ οὐδένα μὲν πώποτʼ ἀδικήσας, πλείους δὲ καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων εὖ πεποιηκὼς καὶ μείζους δωρεὰς ἑκατέροις δεδωκὼς ἢ σύμπαντες οἱ πρὸ ἐμοῦ βασιλεύσαντες.
For I shall be seen to have wronged no one ever, but to have benefited more of both the citizens and the other Greeks, and to have given greater gifts to both, than all those who reigned before me.
καίτοι χρὴ τοὺς μέγα φρονοῦντας ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ προσποιουμένους χρημάτων εἶναι κρείττους τοιαύτας ὑπερβολὰς ἔχειν εἰπεῖν περὶ αὑτῶν.
And yet, those who pride themselves on justice and pretend to be superior to money ought to be able to say such outstanding things about themselves.
§36καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ περὶ σωφροσύνης ἔτι μείζω τούτων ἔχω διελθεῖν.
And indeed, concerning temperance as well, I have still greater things than these to relate.
εἰδὼς γὰρ ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους περὶ πλείστου ποιουμένους τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς αὑτῶν καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας, καὶ μάλιστʼ ὀργιζομένους τοῖς εἰς ταῦτʼ ἐξαμαρτάνουσι, καὶ τὴν ὕβριν τὴν περὶ ταῦτα μεγίστων κακῶν αἰτίαν γιγνομένην, καὶ πολλοὺς ἤδη καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν καὶ τῶν δυναστευσάντων διὰ ταύτην ἀπολομένους, οὕτως ἔφυγον τὰς αἰτίας ταύτας, ὥστʼ ἐξ οὗ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔλαβον, οὐδενὶ φανήσομαι σώματι πεπλησιακὼς πλὴν τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ γυναικός, §37οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς εὐδοκιμοῦσιν, ὅσοι περὶ μὲν τὰ τῶν πολιτῶν δίκαιοι τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, ἄλλοθεν δέ ποθεν αὑτοῖς ἐπορίσαντο τὰς ἡδονάς, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος ἅμα μὲν ἐμαυτὸν ὡς πορρωτάτω ποιῆσαι τῶν τοιούτων ὑποψιῶν, ἅμα δὲ παράδειγμα καταστῆσαι τὸν τρόπον τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ τοῖς ἄλλοις πολίταις, γιγνώσκων ὅτι φιλεῖ τὸ πλῆθος ἐν τούτοις τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι τὸν βίον διάγειν, ἐν οἷς ἂν τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοὺς αὑτῶν ὁρῶσι διατρίβοντας.
For, knowing that all men value most highly their own children and wives, and are most angry with those who offend against them, and that insolence concerning these things becomes the cause of the greatest evils, and that many both of private citizens and of rulers have already perished on account of this, I so avoided these accusations that, since I received the kingship, I shall be seen to have approached no body except that of my own wife, not being ignorant that those too win favor with the multitude who, while being just in matters concerning the citizens, procure their pleasures from some other source, but wishing at the same time to put myself as far as possible from such suspicions, and at the same time to set my own character as an example to the other citizens, knowing that the multitude is accustomed to spend their lives in those practices in which they see their own rulers occupied.
§38ἔπειτα καὶ προσήκειν ἡγησάμην τοσούτῳ τοὺς βασιλεῖς βελτίους εἶναι τῶν ἰδιωτῶν, ὅσῳ περ καὶ τὰς τιμὰς μείζους αὐτῶν ἔχουσι, καὶ δεινὰ ποιεῖν ὅσοι τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους κοσμίως ζῆν ἀναγκάζουσιν, αὐτοὶ δʼ αὑτοὺς μὴ σωφρονεστέρους τῶν ἀρχομένων παρέχουσιν.
Furthermore, I also thought that kings ought to be better than private individuals by as much as they hold greater honors than they, and that those act outrageously who compel others to live orderly lives, but do not show themselves more temperate than their subjects.
§39πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τῶν μὲν ἄλλων πράξεων ἑώρων ἐγκρατεῖς τοὺς πολλοὺς γιγνομένους, τῶν δʼ ἐπιθυμιῶν τῶν περὶ τοὺς παῖδας καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς βελτίστους ἡττωμένους· ἐβουλήθην οὖν ἐν τούτοις ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι καρτερεῖν δυνάμενον, ἐν οἷς ἔμελλον οὐ μόνον τῶν ἄλλων διοίσειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ μέγα φρονούντων.
In addition to these things, I saw that while most men become self-controlled in other actions, even the best of them are overcome by desires concerning children and women; I wished, therefore, to show myself capable of endurance in those very things in which I was likely to excel not only ordinary men, but also those who pride themselves on virtue.
§40ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων πολλὴν κακίαν κατεγίγνωσκον, ὅσοι γυναῖκας λαβόντες καὶ κοινωνίαν ποιησάμενοι παντὸς τοῦ βίου μὴ στέργουσιν οἷς ἔπραξαν, ἀλλὰ ταῖς αὑτῶν ἡδοναῖς λυποῦσι ταύτας ὑφʼ ὧν αὐτοὶ μηδὲν ἀξιοῦσι λυπεῖσθαι, καὶ περὶ μὲν ἄλλας τινὰς κοινωνίας ἐπιεικεῖς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς παρέχουσιν, ἐν δὲ ταῖς πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας ἐξαμαρτάνουσιν· ἃς ἔδει τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον διαφυλάττειν, ὅσῳ περ οἰκειότεραι καὶ μείζους οὖσαι τῶν ἄλλων τυγχάνουσιν.
And further, I also condemned the great wickedness of those who, having taken wives and made a partnership of their whole life, do not remain content with what they have done, but grieve by their own pleasures those by whom they themselves expect not to be grieved at all, and while showing themselves fair in certain other partnerships, offend in those toward their wives; whom they ought to preserve all the more, by as much as these partnerships happen to be closer and greater than the others.