§2#1## Φιλίππῳ, 1
οἶδα μὲν ὅτι πάντες εἰώθασι πλείω χάριν ἔχειν τοῖς ἐπαινοῦσιν ἢ τοῖς συμβουλεύουσιν, ἄλλως τε κἂν μὴ κελευσθεὶς ἐπιχειρῇ τις τοῦτο ποιεῖν.
## To Philip, 1 I know, indeed, that all men are accustomed to feel more gratitude to those who praise them than to those who advise them, especially if one undertakes to do this without being asked.
ἐγὼ δ’ εἰ μὲν μὴ καὶ πρότερον ἐτύγχανόν σοι παρῃνεκὼς μετὰ πολλῆς εὐνοίας, ἐξ ὧν ἐδόκεις μοι τὰ πρέποντα μάλιστ’ ἂν σαυτῷ πράττειν, ἴσως οὐδ’ ἂν νῦν ἐπεχείρουν ἀποφαίνεσθαι περὶ τῶν σοὶ συμβεβηκότων·
And if I had not happened on a former occasion also to have advised you with great goodwill, concerning those things by which you seemed to me most likely to act in a manner most fitting for yourself, perhaps I would not even now have attempted to declare my views concerning what has happened to you.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ προειλόμην φροντίζειν τῶν σῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἕνεκα τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων, αἰσχυνθείην ἄν, εἰ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἧττον ἀναγκαίων φαινοίμην σοι συμβεβουλευκώς, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν μᾶλλον κατεπειγόντων μηδένα λόγον ποιόμην, καὶ ταῦτ’ εἰδὼς ἐκεῖνα μὲν ὑπὲρ δόξης ὄντα, ταῦτα δ’ ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας, ἧς ὀλιγωρεῖν ἅπασιν ἔδοξας τοῖς ἀκούσασι τὰς περὶ σοῦ ῥηθείσας βλασφημίας.
But since I chose to care for your affairs, both for the sake of my own city and for the other Greeks, I should be ashamed if, while appearing to have advised you on matters of less necessity, I made no account of those that are more urgent, especially knowing that those former matters concerned your glory, but these concern your preservation, which you seemed to neglect in the eyes of all who heard the reports spoken against you.
οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἔστιν, ὅστις οὐ κατέγνω προπετέστερόν σε κινδυνεύειν ἢ βασιλικώτερον, καὶ μᾶλλόν σοι μέλειν τῶν περὶ τὴν ἀνδρίαν ἐπαίνων ἢ τῶν ὅλων πραγμάτων.
For there is no one who did not condemn you for risking danger more rashly than is fitting for a king, and for caring more for praise regarding courage than for the general welfare of your affairs.
ἔστι δ’ ὁμοίως αἰσχρὸν περιστάντων τε τῶν πολεμίων μὴ διαφέροντα γενέσθαι τῶν ἄλλων, μηδεμιᾶς τε συμπεσούσης ἀνάγκης αὑτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τοιούτους ἀγῶνας, ἐν οἷς κατορθώσας μὲν οὐδὲν ἂν ἦσθα μέγα διαπεπραγμένος, τελευτήσας δὲ τὸν βίον ἅπασαν ἂν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν εὐδαιμονίαν συνανεῖλες.
It is equally shameful, when enemies are standing around, not to show yourself superior to others, and, when no necessity has arisen, to throw yourself into such struggles in which, if you succeeded, you would have accomplished nothing great, but if you died, you would have destroyed all your existing prosperity along with your life.
χρὴ δὲ μὴ καλὰς ἁπάσας ὑπολαμβάνειν τὰς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις τελευτάς, ἀλλὰ τὰς μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ τῶν γονέων καὶ τῶν παίδων ἐπαίνων ἀξίας, τὰς δὲ ταῦτα τε πάντα βλαπτούσας καὶ τὰς πράξεις τὰς πρότερον κατωρθωμένας καταρρυπαινούσας αἰσχρὰς νομίζειν καὶ φεύγειν ὡς αἰτίας πολλῆς ἀδοξίας γιγνομένας.
One must not suppose that all deaths in war are noble, but rather think that those on behalf of country, parents, and children are worthy of praise, whereas those that harm all these and tarnish the deeds previously accomplished successfully are to be deemed shameful and avoided as being the causes of great infamy.
ἡγοῦμαι δέ σοι συμφέρειν μιμεῖσθαι τὰς πόλεις, ὃν τρόπον διοικοῦσι τὰ περὶ τοὺς πολέμους.
I think it is to your advantage to imitate the cities in the way they manage matters concerning wars.
ἅπασαι γάρ, ὅταν στρατόπεδον ἐκπέμπωσιν, εἰώθασι τὸ κοινὸν καὶ τὸ βουλευσόμενον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐνεστώτων εἰς ἀσφάλειαν καθιστάναι· διὸ δὴ συμβαίνει μὴ μιᾶς ἀτυχίας συμπεσούσης ἀνῃρῆσθαι καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ πολλὰς ὑποφέρειν δύνασθαι συμφορὰς καὶ πάλιν αὑτὰς ἐκ τούτων ἀναλαμβάνειν.
For all of them, when they send out an army, are accustomed to place the governing body and that which is to deliberate on the present crisis in safety; wherefore it happens that even if a single misfortune occurs, their power is not destroyed, but they are able to endure many disasters and recover themselves from them.
ὃ καὶ σὲ δεῖ σκοπεῖν, καὶ μηδὲν μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν τῆς σωτηρίας ὑπολαμβάνειν, ἵνα καὶ τὰς νίκας τὰς συμβαινούσας κατὰ τρόπον διοικῇς καὶ τὰς ἀτυχίας τὰς συμπιπτούσας ἐπανορθοῦν δύνῃ.
This is what you too must consider, and you must deem no good greater than your preservation, in order that you may both manage the victories that occur in a proper manner and be able to correct the misfortunes that fall upon you.
ἴδοις δ’ ἂν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους περὶ τῆς τῶν βασιλέων σωτηρίας πολλὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιουμένους καὶ τοὺς ἐνδοξοτάτους τῶν πολιτῶν φύλακας αὐτῶν καθιστάντας, οἷς αἴσχιόν ἐστιν ἐκείνους τελευτήσαντας περιιδεῖν ἢ τὰς ἀσπίδας ἀποβαλεῖν.
You may also see that the Lacedaemonians show great care for the safety of their kings and appoint the most illustrious of the citizens as their guardians, for whom it is more shameful to allow them to die than to throw away their shields.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνά σε λέληθεν ἃ Θέρξῃ τε τῷ καταδουλώσασθαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας βουληθέντι καὶ Κύρῳ τῷ τῆς βασιλείας ἀμφισβητήσαντι συνέπεσεν.
Moreover, those things have not escaped your notice which befell both Xerxes, who wished to enslave the Greeks, and Cyrus, who disputed the kingdom.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ τηλικαύταις ἥτταις καὶ συμφοραῖς περιπεσών, ἡλίκας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν ἄλλοις γενομένας, διὰ τὸ περιποιῆσαι τὴν αὑτοῦ ψυχὴν τήν τε βασιλείαν κατέσχε καὶ τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ παρέδωκε καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν οὕτω διῴκησεν ὥστε μηδὲν ἧττον αὐτὴν εἶναι φοβερὰν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἢ πρότερον·
For the former, having fallen into such defeats and disasters as no one knows to have happened to others, by preserving his own life, retained his kingdom, delivered it to his children, and so administered Asia that it was no less formidable to the Greeks than before.
Κῦρος δὲ νικήσας ἅπασαν τὴν βασιλέως δύναμιν καὶ κρατήσας ἂν τῶν πραγμάτων, εἰ μὴ διὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ προπέτειαν, οὐ μόνον αὑτὸν ἀπεστέρησε τηλικαύτης δυναστείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς συνακολουθήσαντας εἰς τὰς ἐσχάτας συμφορὰς κατέστησεν.
But Cyrus, having defeated all the forces of the king and being about to master affairs, had it not been for his own rashness, not only deprived himself of so great a dominion, but also brought those who had followed him into the ultimate disasters.
ἔχοιμι δ’ ἂν παμπληθεῖς εἰπεῖν οἳ μεγάλων στρατοπέδων ἡγεμόνες γενόμενοι διὰ τὸ προδιαφθαρῆναι πολλὰς μυριάδας αὑτοῖς συναπώλεσαν.
I could mention very many who, having become leaders of great armies, by being destroyed beforehand, brought ruin upon many tens of thousands along with themselves.
ὧν ἐνθυμούμενον χρὴ μὴ τιμᾶν τὴν ἀνδρίαν τὴν μετ’ ἀνοίας ἀλογίστου καὶ φιλοτιμίας ἀκαίρου γιγνομένην, μηδὲ πολλῶν κινδύνων ἰδίων ὑπαρχόντων ταῖς μοναρχίαις ἑτέρους ἀδόξους καὶ στρατιωτικοὺς αὑτῷ προσεξευρίσκειν, μηδ’ ἁμιλλᾶσθαι τοῖς ἢ βίου δυστυχοῦς ἀπαλλαγῆναι βουλομένοις ἢ μισθοφορᾶς ἕνεκα μείζονος εἰκῇ τοὺς κινδύνους προαιρουμένοις, μηδ’ ἐπιθυμεῖν τοιαύτης δόξης, ἧς πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς τηλικαύτης τὸ μέγεθος, ἣν μόνος ἂν τῶν νῦν ὄντων κτήσασθαι δυνηθείης· μηδ’ ἀγαπᾶν λίαν τὰς τοιαύτας ἀρετὰς ὧν καὶ τοῖς φαύλοις μέτεστιν, ἀλλ’ ἐκείνας ὧν οὐδεὶς ἂν πονηρὸς κοινωνήσειεν· μηδὲ ποιεῖσθαι πολέμους ἀδόξους καὶ χαλεπούς, ἐξὸν ἐντίμους καὶ ῥᾳδίους, μηδ’ ἐξ ὧν τοὺς μὲν οἰκειοτάτους εἰς λύπας καὶ φροντίδας καταστήσεις, τοὺς δ’ ἐχθροὺς ἐν ἐλπίσι μεγάλαις ποιήσεις, οἵας καὶ νῦν αὐτοῖς παρέσχες·
Reflecting on these things, you must not honor the courage that coexists with senseless folly and untimely ambition, nor, when many dangers peculiar to monarchies already exist, go on to find other shameful and soldier-like dangers for yourself, nor compete with those who wish to be rid of a miserable life or who choose dangers at random for the sake of a larger mercenary pay, nor desire such glory as many of both the Greeks and the barbarians attain, but rather that greatness of glory which you alone of those now living could be able to acquire; nor love excessively those virtues in which even the base have a share, but rather those of which no wicked man could partake; nor make wars that are shameful and difficult when it is possible to make those that are honorable and easy, nor those by which you will bring your closest associates into grief and anxiety, and put your enemies in great hopes, such as you have even now provided for them.
ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν βαρβάρων, πρὸς οὓς νῦν πολεμεῖς, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξαρκέσει σοι κρατεῖν, ὅσον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστῆσαι τὴν σαυτοῦ χώραν, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τὸν νῦν μέγαν προσαγορευόμενον καταλύειν ἐπιχειρήσεις, ἵνα τήν τε σαυτοῦ δόξαν μείζω ποιήσῃς καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὑποδείξῃς πρὸς ὃν χρὴ πολεμεῖν.
Rather, as for the barbarians against whom you are now fighting, it will be sufficient for you to master them so far as to put your own land in safety, and you should attempt to overthrow the king who is now called Great, in order that you may both make your own glory greater and point out to the Greeks against whom they ought to wage war.