§9εἰ δὲ δεῖ συλλήβδην περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως ταύτης εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲν τῶν φρονίμως πραττομένων εὑρήσομεν ἀλόγως γιγνόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῶν διανοημάτων ἁπάντων ἡγεμόνα λόγον ὄντα, καὶ μάλιστα χρωμένους αὐτῷ τοὺς πλεῖστον νοῦν ἔχοντας· ὥστε τοὺς τολμῶντας βλασφημεῖν περὶ τῶν παιδευόντων καὶ φιλοσοφούντων ὁμοίως ἄξιον μισεῖν ὥσπερ τοὺς εἰς τὰ τῶν θεῶν ἐξαμαρτάνοντας.
And if it is necessary to speak summarily about this power, we shall find that nothing done wisely is done without discourse, but that discourse is the leader of all deeds and thoughts, and that those with the most intellect use it the most; so that those who dare to slander those who educate and study philosophy deserve to be hated just as much as those who commit offenses against the gods.
§10ἐγὼ δʼ ἀποδέχομαι μὲν ἅπαντας τοὺς λόγους τοὺς καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖν δυναμένους, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καλλίστους ἡγοῦμαι καὶ βασιλικωτάτους καὶ μάλιστα πρέποντας ἐμοὶ τοὺς περὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ τῶν πολιτειῶν παραινοῦντας, καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν ὅσοι διδάσκουσι τούς τε δυναστεύοντας ὡς δεῖ τῷ πλήθει χρῆσθαι, καὶ τοὺς ἰδιώτας ὡς χρὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας διακεῖσθαι· διὰ γὰρ τούτων ὁρῶ τὰς πόλεις εὐδαιμονεστάτας καὶ μεγίστας γιγνομένας.
I welcome all discourses that are able to benefit us even in a small way, but nevertheless, I consider those that advise on habits of life and forms of government to be the finest, most kingly, and most appropriate for me, and especially those among them that teach rulers how they ought to deal with the multitude, and private citizens how they should be disposed toward their rulers; for through these I see cities becoming most prosperous and greatest.
§11τὸν μὲν οὖν ἕτερον, ὡς χρὴ τυραννεῖν, Ἰσοκράτους ἠκούσατε, τὸν δʼ ἐχόμενον, ἃ δεῖ ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀρχομένους, ἐγὼ πειράσομαι διελθεῖν, οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖνον ὑπερβαλούμενος, ἀλλʼ ὡς προσῆκόν μοι περὶ τούτων μάλιστα διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
Now, one of these, how one ought to rule as a king, you have heard from Isocrates; the next, what those who are ruled ought to do, I will attempt to set forth, not as wishing to surpass him, but because it is most fitting for me to discuss these matters with you.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐμοῦ μὴ δηλώσαντος ἃ βούλομαι ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς διαμάρτοιτε τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης, οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως ὑμῖν ὀργιζοίμην· εἰ δὲ προειπόντος ἐμοῦ μηδὲν γίγνοιτο τούτων, δικαίως ἂν ἤδη τοῖς μὴ πειθομένοις μεμφοίμην.
For if, without my having made clear what I want you to do, you should miss my intention, I could not reasonably be angry with you; but if, after I have told you beforehand, none of these things should happen, I would then justly find fault with those who do not obey.
§12ἡγοῦμαι δʼ οὕτως ἂν μάλιστα παρακαλέσαι καὶ προτρέψαι πρὸς τὸ μνημονεύειν ὑμᾶς τὰ ῥηθέντα καὶ πειθαρχεῖν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ εἰ περὶ τὸ συμβουλεύειν μόνον γενοίμην καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀπαριθμήσας ἀπαλλαγείην, ἀλλʼ εἰ προεπιδείξαιμι πρῶτον μὲν τὴν πολιτείαν τὴν παροῦσαν ὡς ἄξιόν ἐστιν ἀγαπᾶν οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην, οὐδʼ ὅτι πάντα τὸν χρόνον μετὰ ταύτης οἰκοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι βελτίστη τῶν πολιτειῶν ἐστιν, §13ἔπειθʼ ὡς ἐγὼ ταύτην ἔχω τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐ παρανόμως οὐδʼ ἀλλοτρίαν, ἀλλʼ ὁσίως καὶ δικαίως καὶ διὰ τοὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς προγόνους καὶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα καὶ διʼ ἐμαυτόν.
And I think I can best exhort and encourage you to remember what has been said and to obey it, not if I should engage only in giving advice and, having enumerated these things, depart, but if I should first demonstrate that the present government is worthy of being cherished, not only out of necessity, nor because we have lived under it all our lives, but because it is the best of governments, and secondly, that I hold this power not unlawfully, nor as belonging to another, but holily and justly, both because of our ancestors from the beginning, and because of my father, and because of myself.
τούτων γὰρ προαποδειχθέντων τίς οὐκ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ καταγνώσεται τὴν μεγίστην ζημίαν, ἂν μὴ πειθαρχῇ τοῖς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ συμβουλευθεῖσι καὶ προσταχθεῖσιν;
For if these things are demonstrated beforehand, who will not condemn himself to the greatest punishment if he does not obey what has been advised and commanded by me?
§14περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν πολιτειῶν (ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ὑποτιθέμενος ἠρξάμην) οἶμαι πᾶσι δοκεῖν δεινότατον μὲν εἶναι τὸ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦσθαι τοὺς χρηστοὺς καὶ τοὺς πονηρούς, δικαιότατον δὲ τὸ διωρίσθαι περὶ τούτων καὶ μὴ τοὺς ἀνομοίους τῶν ὁμοίων τυγχάνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πράττειν καὶ τιμᾶσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἑκάστους.
Now concerning forms of government (for I began with this as my premise), I think it seems to all that it is most terrible for the good and the bad to be held worthy of the same things, and most just for a distinction to be made in these matters, and for those who are unlike not to obtain the same things, but for each to act and be honored according to their worth.
§15αἱ μὲν τοίνυν ὀλιγαρχίαι καὶ δημοκρατίαι τὰς ἰσότητας τοῖς μετέχουσι τῶν πολιτειῶν ζητοῦσι, καὶ τοῦτʼ εὐδοκιμεῖ παρʼ αὐταῖς, ἢν μηδὲν ἕτερος ἑτέρου δύνηται πλέον ἔχειν·
Therefore, oligarchies and democracies seek equality for those who share in the government, and this is highly approved of among them, if no one is able to have more than another; which is advantageous to the bad.
ὃ τοῖς πονηροῖς συμφέρον ἐστίν· αἱ δὲ μοναρχίαι πλεῖστον μὲν νέμουσι τῷ βελτίστῳ, δεύτερον δὲ τῷ μετʼ ἐκεῖνον, τρίτον δὲ καὶ τέταρτον τοῖς ἄλλοις κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον.
But monarchies award the most to the best, the second most to the next, and the third and fourth to the others according to the same ratio.
καὶ ταῦτʼ εἰ μὴ πανταχοῦ καθέστηκεν, ἀλλὰ τό γε βούλημα τῆς πολιτείας τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν.
And even if this is not established everywhere, at least the intent of the government is of this nature.
§16καὶ μὲν δὴ διορᾶν καὶ τὰς φύσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὰς πράξεις ἅπαντες ἂν τὰς τυραννίδας μᾶλλον ὁμολογήσαιεν.
And indeed, everyone would agree that monarchies are better at discerning both the natures and the actions of men.
καίτοι τίς οὐκ ἂν δέξαιτο τῶν εὖ φρονούντων τοιαύτης πολιτείας μετέχειν ἐν ᾗ μὴ διαλήσει χρηστὸς ὤν, μᾶλλον ἢ φέρεσθαι μετὰ τοῦ πλήθους μὴ γιγνωσκόμενος ὁποῖός τίς ἐστιν;
And yet, who of those of sound mind would not prefer to share in a government in which his merit will not pass unnoticed, rather than to be swept along with the multitude, unrecognized as to what kind of person he is?
ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ πραοτέραν τοσούτῳ δικαίως ἂν αὐτὴν εἶναι κρίνοιμεν, ὅσῳ περ ῥᾷόν ἐστιν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γνώμῃ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν μᾶλλον ἢ πολλαῖς καὶ παντοδαπαῖς διανοίαις ζητεῖν ἀρέσκειν.
Moreover, we should justly judge it to be so much milder, in as much as it is easier to pay attention to the mind of one man than to seek to please many and diverse intellects.