§3## Φιλίππῳ, 2
ἐγὼ διελέχθην μὲν καὶ πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον περί τε τῶν τῇ πόλει καὶ τῶν σοὶ συμφερόντων ἐξαρκούντως, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν ἔπειθον, ἠβουλήθην δὲ καὶ πρὸς σὲ γράψαι περὶ ὧν μοι δοκεῖ πρακτέον εἶναι μετὰ τὴν εἰρήνην, παραπλήσια μὲν τοῖς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ γεγραμμένοις, πολὺ δ’ ἐκείνων συντομώτερα.
## To Philip, II I have discussed sufficiently, as I was persuading myself, both with Antipater regarding the interests of our city and of yours, and I wished also to write to you concerning what I think ought to be done after the peace, similar indeed to what was written in my speech, but much shorter than those things.
κατ’ ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ τὸν χρόνον συνεβούλευον ὡς χρὴ διαλλάξαντά σε τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἡμετέραν καὶ τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ τὴν Θηβαίων καὶ τὴν Ἀργείων εἰς ὁμόνοιαν καταστῆσαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ἡγούμενος, ἂν τὰς προεστώσας πόλεις πείσῃς οὕτω φρονεῖν, ταχέως καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἐπακολουθήσειν.
For at that time I was advising that you, having reconciled our city, and that of the Lacedaemonians, of the Thebans, and of the Argives, should bring the Greeks into harmony, thinking that if you persuaded the leading cities to be of this mind, the others also would quickly follow.
τότε μὲν οὖν ἄλλος ἦν καιρός, νῦν δὲ συμβέβηκε μηκέτι δεῖν πείθειν· διὰ γὰρ τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν γεγενημένον ἠναγκασμένοι πάντες εἰσὶν εὖ φρονεῖν καὶ τούτων ἐπιθυμεῖν ὧν ὑπονοοῦσί σε βούλεσθαι πράττειν καὶ λέγειν, ὡς δεῖ παυσαμένους τῆς μανίας καὶ τῆς πλεονεξίας, ἣν ἐποιοῦντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους, εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν τὸν πόλεμον ἐξενεγκεῖν.
At that time, then, the occasion was different, but now it has happened that there is no longer a need to persuade; for because of the battle that has taken place, all have been compelled to be wise and to desire these things which they suspect you wish to do and say, namely, that having ceased from the madness and greed which they showed toward one another, they should carry the war into Asia.
καὶ πολλοὶ πυνθάνονται παρ’ ἐμοῦ πότερον ἐγώ σοι παρῄνεσα ποιεῖσθαι τὴν στρατείαν τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἢ σοῦ διανοηθέντος συνεῖπον· ἐγὼ δ’ οὐκ εἰδέναι μέν φημι τὸ σαφές, οὐ γὰρ συγγεγενῆσθαί σοι πρότερον, οὐ μὴν ἀλλ’ οἴεσθαι σὲ μὲν ἐγνωκέναι περὶ τούτων, ἐμὲ δὲ συνειρηκέναι ταῖς σαῖς ἐπιθυμίαις.
And many ask of me whether I advised you to make the campaign against the barbarians, or whether, after you had planned it, I spoke in support of it; and I say that I do not know for certain, for I had not met you before, but nevertheless I think that you had decided on these things, and that I had spoken in support of your desires.
ταῦτα δ’ ἀκούοντες ἐδέοντό μου πάντες παρακελεύεσθαί σοι καὶ προτρέπειν ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων μένειν, ὡς οὐδέποτ’ ἂν γενομένων οὔτε καλλιόνων ἔργων οὔτ’ ὠφελιμωτέρων τοῖς Ἕλλησιν οὔτ’ ἐν καιρῷ μᾶλλον πραχθησομένων.
Hearing this, they all begged me to encourage you and to exhort you to abide by these very purposes, as such deeds would never have been more beautiful, or more beneficial to the Greeks, or performed more opportunely.
εἰ μὲν οὖν εἶχον τὴν αὐτὴν δύναμιν ἥνπερ πρότερον, καὶ μὴ παντάπασιν ἦν ἀπειρηκώς, οὐκ ἂν δι’ ἐπιστολῆς διελεγόμην, ἀλλὰ παρὼν αὐτὸς παρώξυνον ἄν σε καὶ παρεκάλουν ἐπὶ τὰς πράξεις ταύτας.
If, then, I had the same strength as before, and were not altogether worn out, I would not be conversing with you through a letter, but being present myself I would have urged you on and exhorted you to these deeds.
νῦν δ’ ὡς δύναμαι παρακελεύομαί σοι μὴ καταμελῆσαι τούτων, πρὶν ἂν τέλος ἐπιθῇς αὐτοῖς.
But now, as I am able, I exhort you not to neglect these things until you have put an end to them.
ἔστι δὲ πρὸς μὲν ἄλλο τι τῶν ὄντων ἀπλήστως ἔχειν οὐ καλόν, αἱ γὰρ μετριότητες παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς εὐδοκιμοῦσι, δόξης δὲ μεγάλης καὶ καλῆς ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ μηδέποτ’ ἐμπίπλασθαι προσήκει τοῖς πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων διενεγκοῦσιν· ὅπερ σοὶ συμβέβηκεν.
For while to be insatiable toward any other of the things that exist is not noble, since moderation is highly esteemed among the many, yet to desire great and noble glory and never to be satisfied with it is fitting for those who far excel others; and this is what has happened to you.
ἡγοῦ δὲ τόθ’ ἕξειν ἀνυπέρβλητον αὐτὴν καὶ τῶν σοὶ πεπραγμένων ἀξίαν, ὅταν τοὺς μὲν βαρβάρους ἀναγκάσῃς εἱλωτεύειν τοῖς Ἕλλησι πλὴν τῶν σοὶ συναγωνισαμένων, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τὸν νῦν μέγαν προσαγορευόμενον ποιήσῃς τοῦτο πράττειν ὅ τι ἂν σὺ προστάττῃς.
And consider that you will have it unsurpassable and worthy of what you have achieved when you compel the barbarians to serve as slaves to the Greeks, except those who have fought alongside you, and when you make the king who is now called Great do whatever you command.
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔσται λοιπὸν ἔτι πλὴν θεὸν γενέσθαι.
For nothing else will be left except to become a god.
ταῦτα δὲ κατεργάσασθαι πολὺ ῥᾷόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν παρόντων ἢ προελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἣν νῦν ἔχεις, ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑμῖν ὑπαρξάσης.
To accomplish these things from your present position is much easier than to have advanced to the power and glory you now possess from the kingdom that belonged to you from the beginning.
χάριν δ’ ἔχω τῷ γήρᾳ ταύτην μόνην, ὅτι προήγαγεν εἰς τοῦτό μου τὸν βίον, ὥσθ’ ἃ νέος ὢν διενοούμην καὶ γράφειν ἐπεχείρουν ἔν τε τῷ πανηγυρικῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ πρὸς σὲ πεμφθέντι, ταῦτα νῦν τὰ μὲν ἤδη γιγνόμενα διὰ τῶν σῶν ἐφορῶ πράξεων, τὰ δ’ ἐλπίζω γενήσεσθαι.
And I am grateful to old age for this alone, because it has brought my life to this point, so that what I planned when I was young and attempted to write both in the Panegyricus and in the speech sent to you, I now look upon, some as already coming to pass through your deeds, and others I hope will come to pass.