§21οὕτω δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων καθεστώτων καὶ τῶν ἐκγόνων τῶν ἐκείνου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐχόντων Εὐαγόρας γίγνεται·
While matters were in this state, and the descendants of that man held the rule, Evagoras was born.
περὶ οὗ τὰς μὲν φήμας καὶ τὰς μαντείας καὶ τὰς ὄψεις τὰς ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις γενομένας, ἐξ ὧν μειζόνως ἂν φανείη γεγονὼς ἢ κατʼ ἄνθρωπον, αἱροῦμαι παραλιπεῖν, οὐκ ἀπιστῶν τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλʼ ἵνα πᾶσι ποιήσω φανερὸν ὅτι τοσούτου δέω πλασάμενος εἰπεῖν τι περὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ πεπραγμένων, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀφίημι τὰ τοιαῦτα περὶ ὧν ὀλίγοι τινὲς ἐπίστανται καὶ μὴ πάντες οἱ πολῖται συνίσασιν.
Concerning him, I choose to pass over the rumors, the oracles, and the visions that appeared in sleep—from which he might seem to have been born greater than according to human nature—not because I disbelieve what is said, but in order that I may make it clear to all that I am so far from fabricating anything about his deeds, that I even let pass such of the existing facts as only a few know and not all the citizens are aware of.
ἄρξομαι δʼ ἐκ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων λέγειν περὶ αὐτοῦ.
I shall begin to speak of him from the universally acknowledged facts.
§22παῖς μὲν γὰρ ὢν ἔσχε κάλλος καὶ ῥώμην καὶ σωφροσύνην, ἅπερ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πρεπωδέστατα τοῖς τηλικούτοις ἐστίν.
For while he was a boy, he possessed beauty, strength, and temperance, which are the qualities most fitting of good things for those of such an age.
καὶ τούτων μάρτυρας ἄν τις ποιήσαιτο, τῆς μὲν σωφροσύνης τοὺς συμπαιδευθέντας τῶν πολιτῶν, τοῦ δὲ κάλλους ἅπαντας τοὺς ἰδόντας, τῆς δὲ ῥώμης ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐν οἷς ἐκεῖνος τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν ἐκρατίστευσεν.
And as witnesses of these, one might produce: of his temperance, those of the citizens who were educated with him; of his beauty, all who saw him; and of his strength, all the contests in which he surpassed his equals in age.
§23ἀνδρὶ δὲ γενομένῳ ταῦτά τε πάντα συνηυξήθη καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἀνδρία προσεγένετο καὶ σοφία καὶ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ταῦτʼ οὐ μέσως οὐδʼ ὥσπερ ἑτέροις τισίν, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν εἰς ὑπερβολήν· τοσοῦτον γὰρ καὶ ταῖς τοῦ σώματος καὶ ταῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρεταῖς διήνεγκεν, §24ὥσθʼ ὁπότε μὲν αὐτὸν ὁρῷεν οἱ τότε βασιλεύοντες, ἐκπλήττεσθαι καὶ φοβεῖσθαι περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἡγουμένους οὐχ οἷόν τʼ εἶναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τὴν φύσιν ἐν ἰδιώτου μέρει διαγαγεῖν, ὁπότε δʼ εἰς τοὺς τρόπους ἀποβλέψειαν, οὕτω σφόδρα πιστεύειν, ὥστʼ εἰ καί τις ἄλλος τολμῴη περὶ αὐτοὺς ἐξαμαρτάνειν, νομίζειν Εὐαγόραν αὑτοῖς ἔσεσθαι βοηθόν.
And when he became a man, all these qualities grew along with him, and in addition to them, courage, wisdom, and justice were added, and these not in a moderate degree, nor like certain others, but each of them to excess; for he so excelled in the virtues both of body and of soul, that whenever those who were then ruling saw him, they were struck with amazement and feared for their rule, believing that it was impossible for one of such a nature to pass his life in the position of a private citizen; yet, whenever they looked upon his character, they trusted him so firmly that, even if anyone else should dare to offend against them, they believed Evagoras would be their helper.
§25καὶ τοσοῦτον τῆς δόξης παραλλαττούσης οὐδετέρου τούτων ἐψεύσθησαν· οὔτε γὰρ ἰδιώτης ὢν διετέλεσεν οὔτε περὶ ἐκείνους ἐξήμαρτεν, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην ὁ δαίμων ἔσχεν αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν, ὅπως καλῶς λήψεται τὴν βασιλείαν, ὥσθʼ ὅσα μὲν ἀναγκαῖον ἦν παρασκευασθῆναι διʼ ἀσεβείας, §26ταῦτα μὲν ἕτερος ἔπραξεν, ἐξ ὧν δʼ οἷόν τʼ ἦν ὁσίως καὶ δικαίως λαβεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν, Εὐαγόρᾳ διεφύλαξεν.
And although their expectations were so different, they were disappointed in neither of them; for he neither continued to be a private citizen, nor did he offend against them, but the divinity had such forethought for him, so that he might take the kingship honorably, that all things which were necessary to be prepared through impiety, these indeed another performed, while those things by which it was possible to take the rule piously and justly, the divinity preserved for Evagoras.
εἷς γὰρ τῶν δυναστευόντων ἐπιβουλεύσας τόν τε τύραννον ἀπέκτεινε καὶ συλλαβεῖν Εὐαγόραν ἐπεχείρησεν, ἡγούμενος οὐ δυνήσεσθαι κατασχεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν, εἰ μὴ κἀκεῖνον ἐκποδὼν ποιήσαιτο.
For one of the powerful men, having conspired, killed the tyrant and attempted to seize Evagoras, believing that he would not be able to hold the rule unless he should put him also out of the way.
§27διαφυγὼν δὲ τὸν κίνδυνον καὶ σωθεὶς εἰς Σόλους τῆς Κιλικίας οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔσχε τοῖς ταῖς τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς περιπίπτουσιν.
But having escaped the danger and fled safely to Soli in Cilicia, he did not hold the same mind as those who fall into such misfortunes.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι, κἂν ἐκ τυραννίδος ἐκπέσωσι, διὰ τὰς παρούσας τύχας ταπεινοτέρας τὰς ψυχὰς ἔχουσιν· ἐκεῖνος δʼ εἰς τοσοῦτον μεγαλοφροσύνης ἦλθεν, ὥστε τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον ἰδιώτης ὤν, ἐπειδὴ φεύγειν ἠναγκάσθη, §28τυραννεῖν ᾠήθη δεῖν.
For others, even if they fall from a tyranny, have their souls made humbler because of their present fortunes; but he arrived at such a pitch of greatness of mind that, though he had been a private citizen all the rest of his life, when he was forced to flee, he thought he must rule as a tyrant.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν πλάνους τοὺς φυγαδικοὺς καὶ τὸ διʼ ἑτέρων ζητεῖν τὴν κάθοδον καὶ θεραπεύειν αὑτοῦ χείρους ὑπερεῖδεν, λαβὼν δὲ ταύτην ἀφορμήν, ἥνπερ χρὴ τοὺς εὐσεβεῖν βουλομένους, ἀμύνεσθαι καὶ μὴ προτέρους ὑπάρχειν, καὶ προελόμενος ἢ κατορθώσας τυραννεῖν ἢ διαμαρτὼν ἀποθανεῖν, παρακαλέσας ἀνθρώπους, ὡς οἱ τοὺς πλείστους λέγοντες, περὶ πεντήκοντα, μετὰ τούτων παρεσκευάζετο ποιεῖσθαι τὴν κάθοδον.
And he looked down upon the wanderings of exiles, seeking return through others, and flattering those inferior to himself; but taking this starting point, which is proper for those who wish to be pious—namely to defend oneself and not to be the first to aggress—and choosing either to rule as a tyrant by succeeding or to die if he failed, having summoned about fifty men, according to those who state the highest number, he prepared to make his return with them.
§29ὅθεν καὶ μάλιστʼ ἄν τις καὶ τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἐκείνου καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἣν εἶχε παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις θεωρήσειεν· μέλλοντος γὰρ πλεῖν μετὰ τοσούτων ἐπὶ τηλικαύτην πρᾶξιν τὸ μέγεθος καὶ πάντων τῶν δεινῶν πλησίον ὄντων οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνος ἠθύμησεν οὔτε τῶν παρακληθέντων οὐδεὶς ἀποστῆναι τῶν κινδύνων ἠξίωσεν, ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν ὥσπερ θεῷ συνακολουθοῦντες ἅπαντες ἐνέμειναν τοῖς ὡμολογημένοις, ὁ δʼ ὥσπερ ἢ στρατόπεδον ἔχων κρεῖττον τῶν ἀντιπάλων ἢ προειδὼς τὸ συμβησόμενον οὕτω διέκειτο τὴν γνώμην.
From this especially one might observe both his nature and the reputation he had among others; for when he was about to sail with so few for an enterprise of such great magnitude, and when all dangers were close at hand, neither did he lose heart, nor did any of those who had been summoned think fit to shrink from the dangers, but they all, as if following a god, remained faithful to their agreements, while he kept his mind in such a state as if he either possessed an army superior to his adversaries or knew beforehand what would happen.