§7#2εἰ μὲν ἐρᾷς χρημάτων καὶ μείζονος δυναστείας καὶ κινδύνων δι’ ὧν αἱ κτήσεις τούτων εἰσίν, ἑτέρους σοι συμβούλους παρακλητέον· εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὲν ἱκανῶς ἔχεις, ἀρετῆς δὲ καὶ δόξης καλῆς καὶ τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν εὐνοίας ἐπιθυμεῖς, τοῖς τε λόγοις τοῖς ἐμοῖς προσεκτέον τὸν νοῦν ἐστὶ καὶ τοῖς καλῶς τὰς πόλεις τὰς αὑτῶν διοικοῦσιν ἁμιλλητέον καὶ πειρατέον αὐτῶν διενεγκεῖν.
If you lust after wealth and greater power, and the dangers through which these are acquired, you must call upon others as advisers; but if you have enough of these, and desire virtue and a good reputation and the goodwill of the multitude, you must pay attention to my words, and emulate those who govern their own cities well, and try to excel them.
ἀκούω δὲ Κλέομμιν τὸν ἐν Μηθύμνῃ ταύτην ἔχοντα τὴν δυναστείαν περί τε τὰς ἄλλας πράξεις καλὸν κἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ φρόνιμον, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχειν τοῦ τῶν πολιτῶν τινας ἀποκτείνειν ἢ φυγαδεύειν ἢ δημεύειν τὰς οὐσίας ἢ ποιεῖν ἄλλο τι κακόν, ὥστε πολλὴν μὲν ἀσφάλειαν παρέχειν τοῖς συμπολιτευομένοις, κατάγειν δὲ τοὺς φεύγοντας, ἀποδιδόναι δὲ τοῖς μὲν κατιοῦσι τὰς κτήσεις ἐξ ὧν ἐξέπεσον, τοῖς δὲ πριαμένοις τὰς τιμὰς τὰς ἑκάστοις γιγνομένας, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καθοπλίζειν ἅπαντας τοὺς πολίτας, ὡς οὐδενὸς μὲν ἐπιχειρήσοντος περὶ αὐτὸν νεωτερίζειν, ἢν δ’ ἄρα τινὲς τολμήσωσιν, ἡγούμενον λυσιτελεῖν αὑτῷ τεθνάναι τοιαύτην ἀρετὴν ἐνδειξαμένῳ τοῖς πολίταις μᾶλλον ἢ ζῆν πλείω χρόνον τῇ πόλει τῶν μεγίστων κακῶν αἴτιον γενόμενον.
And I hear that Cleommis, who holds this power in Methymna, is a noble and wise man in his other actions as well, and is so far from putting any of the citizens to death, or banishing them, or confiscating their property, or doing them any other harm, that he provides great security for his fellow-citizens, and recalls the exiles, and restores to those who return the possessions from which they were expelled, and to those who had bought them, the purchase prices due to each, and in addition to this, he arms all the citizens, as he is confident that no one will attempt to make a revolution against him, and if any should dare to do so, he considers that it is better for him to die after having shown such virtue to the citizens, than to live a longer time after becoming the cause of the greatest evils to the state.
ἔτι δ’ ἂν πλείω σοι περὶ τούτων διελέχθην, ἴσως δ’ ἂν καὶ χαριέστερον, εἰ μὴ παντάπασιν ἔδει με διὰ ταχέων γράψαι τὴν ἐπιστολήν.
I would have spoken to you at greater length about these things, and perhaps also more agreeably, if I had not been obliged to write this letter in absolute haste.
νῦν δὲ σοὶ μὲν αὖθις συμβουλεύσομεν, ἂν μὴ κωλύσῃ με τὸ γῆρας, ἐν δὲ τῷ παρόντι περὶ τῶν ἰδίων δηλώσομεν.
As it is, we shall advise you again at another time, if old age does not prevent me, but for the present we shall declare our private affairs.
αὐτοκράτωρ γὰρ ὁ τὰ γράμματα φέρων οἰκείως ἡμῖν ἔχει· περί τε γὰρ τὰς διατριβὰς τὰς αὐτὰς γεγόναμεν καὶ τῇ τέχνῃ πολλάκις αὐτοῦ κέχρημαι καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον περὶ τῆς ἀποδημίας τῆς ὡς σὲ σύμβουλος ἐγενόμην αὐτῷ.
For Autocrator, the bearer of this letter, is intimately associated with us; for we have been occupied with the same pursuits, and I have often made use of his skill, and finally, I became his adviser concerning his journey to you.
διὰ δὴ ταῦτα πάντα βουλοίμην ἄν σε καλῶς αὐτῷ χρήσασθαι καὶ συμφερόντως ἀμφοτέροις ἡμῖν, καὶ γενέσθαι φανερόν, ὅτι μέρος τι καὶ δι’ ἐμὲ γίγνεταί τι τῶν δεόντων αὐτῷ.
For all these reasons, I should like you to treat him well and in a manner advantageous to both of us, and to let it be clear that through my influence also something of what he needs is being done for him.
καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ σοὶ μὲν οὕτως ἐπιστέλλω προθύμως, Κλεάρχου δὲ μηδὲν πώποτ’ ἐδεήθην.
And do not wonder if I write to you so zealously, whereas I have never asked anything of Clearchus.
σχεδὸν γὰρ ἅπαντες οἱ παρ’ ὑμῶν καταπλέοντες σὲ μὲν ὅμοιόν φασιν εἶναι τοῖς βελτίστοις τῶν ἐμοὶ πεπλησιακότων, Κλέαρχον δὲ κατὰ μὲν ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον, ὅτ’ ἦν παρ’ ἡμῖν, ὡμολόγουν, ὅσοι περ ἐνέτυχον, ἐλευθεριώτατον εἶναι καὶ πραότατον καὶ φιλανθρωπότατον τῶν μετεχόντων τῆς διατριβῆς· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν ἔλαβε, τοσοῦτον ἔδοξε μεταπεσεῖν ὥστε πάντας θαυμάζειν τοὺς πρότερον αὐτὸν γιγνώσκοντας.
For almost all who sail down from your region say that you are like the best of those who have associated with me, whereas of Clearchus, at that time when he was with us, all who met him agreed that he was the most liberal, gentle, and humane of those who shared our study; but after he obtained power, he seemed to have changed so much that all who knew him before were astonished.
πρὸς μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνον διὰ ταύτας τὰς αἰτίας ἀπηλλοτριώθην· σὲ δ’ ἀποδέχομαι καὶ πρὸ πολλοῦ ποιησαίμην ἂν οἰκείως διατεθῆναι πρὸς ἡμᾶς.
For these reasons, then, I became estranged from him; but you I welcome, and I would highly prize your being cordially disposed toward us.
δηλώσεις δὲ καὶ σὺ διὰ ταχέων, εἰ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔχεις ἡμῖν· αὐτοκράτορός τε γὰρ ἐπιμελήσει καὶ πέμψεις ἐπιστολὴν ὡς ἡμᾶς, ἀνανεούμενος τὴν φιλίαν καὶ ξενίαν τὴν πρότερον ὑπάρχουσαν.
And you too will soon show if you hold the same opinion as we do; for you will take care of Autocrator and will send a letter to us, renewing the friendship and guest-friendship that previously existed.
ἔρρωσο, κἄν του δέῃ τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν, ἐπίστελλε.
Farewell, and if you have need of anything from our side, write to us.