§4#1## Ἀντιπάτρῳ
ἐγώ, καίπερ ἐπικινδύνου παρ’ ἡμῖν ὄντος εἰς Μακεδονίαν πέμπειν ἐπιστολήν, οὐ μόνον νῦν ὅτε πολεμοῦμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης οὔσης, ὅμως γράψαι πρὸς σὲ προειλόμην περὶ Διοδότου, δίκαιον εἶναι νομίζων ἅπαντας μὲν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐμαυτῷ πεπλησιακότας καὶ γεγενημένους ἀξίους ἡμῶν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ τοῦτον καὶ διὰ τὴν εὔνοιαν τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄλλην ἐπιείκειαν.
**To Antipater** I, although it is dangerous among us to send a letter to Macedonia, not only now when we are at war with you, but also when there was peace, nevertheless chose to write to you about Diodotus, thinking it just to value highly all those who have associated with me and have shown themselves worthy of us, and not least this man, both because of his goodwill toward us and because of his general decency.
μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ἠβουλόμην ἂν αὐτὸν συσταθῆναί σοι δι’ ἡμῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ δι’ ἑτέρων ἐντετύχηκέ σοι, λοιπόν ἐστί μοι μαρτυρῆσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ βεβαιῶσαι τὴν γεγενημένην αὐτῷ πρὸς σὲ γνῶσιν.
Most of all, indeed, I should have wished that he be introduced to you through us; but since he has met you through others, it remains for me to testify concerning him and to confirm the opinion which has been formed of him toward you.
ἐμοὶ γὰρ πολλῶν καὶ παντοδαπῶν συγγεγενημένων ἀνδρῶν καὶ δόξας ἐνίων μεγάλας ἐχόντων, τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἁπάντων οἱ μέν τινες περὶ αὐτὸν τὸν λόγον, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸ διανοηθῆναι καὶ πρᾶξαι δεινοὶ γεγόνασιν, οἱ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ βίου σώφρονες καὶ χαρίεντες, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἄλλας χρήσεις καὶ διαγωγὰς ἀφυεῖς παντάπασιν· οὗτος δ’ οὕτως εὐάρμοστον τὴν φύσιν ἔσχηκεν ὥστ’ ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς εἰρημένοις τελειότατος εἶναι.
For, although many and various men have associated with me, some of whom possessed great reputations, of all the others, some indeed have become clever in speech itself, others in thinking and acting, while some have been temperate and agreeable in their life, but altogether unsuited for other transactions and ways of living; but this man has acquired a nature so well-balanced that he is most perfect in all the things mentioned.
καὶ ταῦτ’ οὐκ ἂν ἐτόλμων λέγειν, εἰ μὴ τὴν ἀκριβεστάτην πεῖραν αὐτός τ’ εἶχον αὐτοῦ καὶ σὲ λήψεσθαι προσεδόκων, τὰ μὲν αὐτὸν χρώμενον αὐτῷ, τὰ δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐμπείρων αὐτοῦ πυνθανόμενον, ὧν οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐκ ἂν ὁμολογήσειεν, εἰ μὴ λίαν εἴη φθονερός, καὶ εἰπεῖν καὶ βουλεύσασθαι μηδενὸς ἧττον αὐτὸν δύνασθαι καὶ δικαιότατον καὶ σωφρονέστατον εἶναι καὶ χρημάτων ἐγκρατέστατον, ἔτι δὲ συνημερεῦσαι καὶ συμβιῶναι πάντων ἥδιστον καὶ λιγυρώτατον, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις πλείστην ἔχειν παρρησίαν, οὐχ ἣν οὐ προσῆκεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν εἰκότως ἂν μέγιστον γιγνομένην σημεῖον τῆς εὐνοίας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς φίλους· ἣν τῶν δυναστῶν οἱ μὲν ἀξιόχρεων τὸν ὄγκον τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἔχοντες τιμῶσιν ὡς χρησίμην οὖσαν, οἱ δ’ ἀσθενέστεροι τὰς φύσεις ὄντες ἢ κατὰ τὰς ὑπαρχούσας ἐξουσίας δυσχεραίνουσιν, ὡς ὧν οὐ προαιροῦνταί τι ποιεῖν βιαζομένην αὑτούς, οὐκ εἰδότες ὡς οἱ μάλιστα περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἀντιλέγειν τολμῶντες, οὗτοι πλείστην ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῖς τοῦ πράττειν ἃ βούλονται παρασκευάζουσιν.
And I should not have dared to say these things, if I myself did not have the most accurate trial of him and if I did not expect that you too would obtain it, partly by associating with him yourself, and partly by learning from others who have experience of him, of whom there is no one who would not agree, unless he were exceedingly envious, that he is able to speak and to take counsel second to no one, and that he is most just, most temperate, and most self-controlled with respect to money, and furthermore most pleasant and agreeable to spend the day with and live with, and in addition to these, that he possesses the greatest frankness of speech—not that which is unseemly, but that which would naturally become the greatest sign of goodwill toward friends; which, among rulers, those who possess a worthy dignity of soul honor as being useful, but those who are weaker in nature than corresponds to their existing power find troublesome, as forcing them to do things they do not choose, not knowing that those who dare most of all to speak against them regarding their interest, these are the ones who provide them with the greatest power to do what they wish.
εἰκὸς γὰρ διὰ μὲν τοὺς ἀεὶ πρὸς ἡδονὴν λέγειν προαιρουμένους οὐχ ὅπως τὰς μοναρχίας δύνασθαι διαμένειν, αἳ πολλοὺς τοὺς ἀναγκαίους ἐφέλκονται κινδύνους, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὰς πολιτείας, αἳ μετὰ πλείονος ἀσφαλείας εἰσί, διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ βελτίστῳ παρρησιαζομένους πολλὰ σῴζεσθαι καὶ τῶν ἐπιδόξων διαφθαρήσεσθαι πραγμάτων.
For it is likely that, because of those who choose always to speak for pleasure, not only can monarchies not endure, which drag many unavoidable dangers with them, but not even republics, which exist with greater safety; whereas, because of those who speak frankly for the best, many things are saved even of those affairs which are expected to perish.
ὧν ἕνεκα προσῆκε μὲν παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς μονάρχοις πλέον φέρεσθαι τοὺς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀποφαινομένους τῶν ἅπαντα μὲν πρὸς χάριν, μηδὲν δὲ χάριτος ἄξιον λεγόντων· συμβαίνει δ’ ἔλαττον ἔχειν αὐτοὺς παρ’ ἐνίοις αὐτῶν.
For these reasons, it would be fitting for those who declare the truth to be more highly valued by all monarchs than those who say everything to please but nothing worthy of favor; but it happens that they have less influence with some of them.
ὃ καὶ Διοδότῳ παθεῖν συνέπεσε παρά τισι τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν δυναστῶν, οἷς περὶ πολλὰ χρήσιμος γενόμενος οὐ μόνον τῷ συμβουλεύειν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πράττειν καὶ κινδυνεύειν, διὰ τὸ παρρησιάζεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς περὶ ὧν ἐκείνοις συνέφερε, καὶ τῶν οἴκοι τιμῶν ἀπεστέρηται καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων ἐλπίδων, καὶ μεῖζον ἴσχυσαν αἱ τῶν τυχόντων ἀνθρώπων κολακεῖαι τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τῶν τούτου.
Which also happened to be the fate of Diodotus with some of the rulers around Asia, to whom, although he had become useful in many things not only by advising but also by acting and running risks, because of his speaking frankly to them about what was of advantage to them, he was both deprived of his honors at home and of many other hopes, and the flatteries of ordinary men prevailed over his benefactions.