Humanitext Reader

Xenophon · Agesilaus §4.1-4.6

Justice and Self-Control Concerning Money

Passage 10 of 18 · Greek

Summary

This section discusses Agesilaus' justice and self-control regarding money, highlighting his refusal to deprive others, his insistence on returning favors generously, and his sharing of inherited wealth with his poor half-siblings.

§4.1περί γε μὴν τῆς εἰς χρήματα δικαιοσύνης ποῖα ἄν τις μείζω τεκμήρια ἔχοι τῶνδε;
Now, concerning his justice in matters of money, what greater proofs could anyone have than these?
ὑπὸ γὰρ Ἀγησιλάου στέρεσθαι μὲν οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν πώποτε ἐνεκάλεσεν, εὖ δὲ πεπονθέναι πολλοὶ πολλὰ ὡμολόγουν.
For no one ever complained of being deprived of anything by Agesilaus, but many acknowledged that they had received many benefits.
ὅτῳ δὲ ἡδὺ τὰ αὑτοῦ διδόναι ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ ἀνθρώπων, πῶς ἂν οὗτος ἐθέλοι τὰ ἀλλότρια ἀποστερεῖν ἐφʼ ᾧ κακόδοξος εἶναι;
How could a man who found it pleasant to give his own property for the benefit of mankind wish to deprive others of theirs on condition of being ill-reputed?
εἰ γὰρ χρημάτων ἐπιθυμοίη, πολὺ ἀπραγμονέστερον τὰ αὑτοῦ φυλάττειν ἢ τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα λαμβάνειν.
For if he had desired money, it would have been much less troublesome to guard his own than to take what did not belong to him.
§4.2ὃς δὲ δὴ καὶ χάριτας ἀποστερεῖν μὴ ἐθέλοι, ὧν οὐκ εἰσὶ δίκαι πρὸς τὸν μὴ ἀποδιδόντα, πῶς ἅ γε καὶ νόμος κωλύει ἐθέλοι ἂν ἀποστερεῖν;
And how could one who would not wish to withhold even favors, for the non-return of which there are no lawsuits against the ungrateful, wish to deprive others of what the law actually forbids?
Ἀγησίλαος δὲ οὐ μόνον τὸ μὴ ἀποδιδόναι χάριτας ἄδικον ἔκρινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ πολὺ μείζους τὸν μείζω δυνάμενον.
Agesilaus judged it unjust not only not to return favors, but also, for one who was more able, not to return them much greater.
§4.3τά γε μὴν τῆς πόλεως κλέπτειν πῇ ἄν τις αὐτὸν εἰκότως αἰτιάσαιτο, ὃς καὶ τὰς αὐτῷ χάριτας ὀφειλομένας τῇ πατρίδι καρποῦσθαι παρεδίδου;
And how could anyone reasonably accuse him of stealing the property of the state, who even handed over the favors owed to himself for his country to enjoy?
τὸ δʼ, ὁπότε βούλοιτο εὖ ποιεῖν ἢ πόλιν ἢ φίλους χρήμασι, δύνασθαι παρʼ ἑτέρων λαμβάνοντα ὠφελεῖν, οὐ καὶ τοῦτο μέγα τεκμήριον ἐγκρατείας χρημάτων;
And is not this also a great proof of his self-control regarding money, that whenever he wished to benefit either his city or his friends with money, he was able to help them by receiving from others?
§4.4εἰ γὰρ ἐπώλει τὰς χάριτας ἢ μισθοῦ εὐεργέτει, οὐδεὶς ἂν οὐδὲν ὀφείλειν αὐτῷ ἐνόμισεν· ἀλλʼ οἱ προῖκα εὖ πεπονθότες, οὗτοι ἀεὶ ἡδέως ὑπηρετοῦσι τῷ εὐεργέτῃ, καὶ διότι εὖ ἔπαθον καὶ διότι προεπιστεύθησαν ἄξιοι εἶναι παρακαταθήκην χάριτος φυλάττειν.
For if he had sold his favors or done good for a reward, no one would have thought they owed him anything; but those who have received benefits for nothing, these always gladly serve their benefactor, both because they received benefits and because they were trusted beforehand to be worthy of guarding a deposit of gratitude.
§4.5ὅστις δʼ ᾑρεῖτο καὶ σὺν τῷ γενναίῳ μειονεκτεῖν ἢ σὺν τῷ ἀδίκῳ πλέον ἔχειν, πῶς οὗτος οὐκ ἂν πολὺ τὴν αἰσχροκέρδειαν ἀποφεύγοι;
And how could one who chose even to be at a disadvantage with honor rather than to have more with injustice not avoid shameful gain by far?
ἐκεῖνος τοίνυν κριθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἅπαντα ἔχειν τὰ Ἄγιδος τὰ ἡμίσεα τοῖς ἀπὸ μητρὸς αὐτῷ ὁμογόνοις μετέδωκεν, ὅτι πενομένους αὐτοὺς ἑώρα.
He, therefore, having been judged by the city to possess all the property of Agis, shared half of it with his siblings from the same mother, because he saw they were poor.
ὡς δὲ ταῦτα ἀληθῆ πᾶσα μάρτυς ἡ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων πόλις.
That this is true, the whole city of the Lacedaemonians is witness.
§4.6διδόντος δʼ αὐτῷ πάμπολλα δῶρα Τιθραύστου, εἰ ἀπέλθοι ἐκ τῆς χώρας, ἀπεκρίνατο ὁ Ἀγησίλαος· ὦ Τιθραύστα, νομίζεται παρʼ ἡμῖν τῷ ἄρχοντι κάλλιον εἶναι τὴν στρατιὰν ἢ ἑαυτὸν πλουτίζειν, καὶ παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων λάφυρα μᾶλλον πειρᾶσθαι ἢ δῶρα λαμβάνειν.
And when Tithraustes offered him very many gifts if he would depart from the country, Agesilaus replied, "Tithraustes, it is considered among us more honorable for a ruler to enrich his army than himself, and to try to take spoils from the enemy rather than gifts."

Notes

  1. §4.1ἐφʼ ᾧ κακόδοξος εἶναι — The structure of the preposition ἐπί with the dative relative pronoun ᾧ and the infinitive (εἶναι) expresses a condition or purpose ('on condition of being...' or 'with the result of being...'). Here, it indicates that depriving others of their property carries the condition or consequence of gaining a bad reputation (κακόδοξος).
  2. §4.2ὧν οὐκ εἰσὶ δίκαι πρὸς τὸν μὴ ἀποδιδόντα — A relative clause modifying the antecedent χάριτας (favors, gratitude). Here, δίκαι means 'lawsuits' or 'legal actions,' and πρός means 'against.' The whole clause means '(favors) for the non-return of which there are no lawsuits against the ungrateful (τὸν μὴ ἀποδιδόντα),' emphasizing that Agesilaus respected justice even in the realm of voluntary virtue where no legal compulsion existed.
  3. §4.2τὸ μὴ πολὺ μείζους τὸν μείζω δυνάμενον — A concise accusative-with-infinitive construction involving ellipsis. The verb phrase ἀποδιδόναι χάριτας (to return favors) is supplied from the preceding clause τὸ μὴ ἀποδιδόναι χάριτας. Here, μείζους is the accusative plural comparative adjective modifying the omitted χάριτας ('much greater favors'), and τὸν μείζω δυνάμενον ('one who has greater power', a substantival participle) is the subject accusative of the infinitive. The whole phrase means 'that one who has greater power should not return much greater favors.'
  4. §4.3τὸ δʼ ... δύνασθαι — The infinitive δύνασθαι (to be able) is nominalized with the article τό, serving as the subject of the sentence. It encapsulates the iterative conditional clause ὁπότε βούλοιτο εὖ ποιεῖν... (whenever he wished to do good...) and governs the participle λαμβάνοντα (receiving). This nominalized clause leads to the predicate οὐ καὶ τοῦτο μέγα τεκμήριον... (is not this also a great proof...?).
  5. §4.5κριθεὶς ... ἅπαντα ἔχειν τὰ Ἄγιδος — The passive participle κριθείς (having been judged) governs the accusative-with-infinitive clause ἅπαντα ἔχειν τὰ Ἄγιδος (to possess all the property of Agis, i.e., to inherit it). The verb ἔχειν is used here in the legal sense of 'to inherit' or 'to possess as heir,' referring to Agesilaus being officially recognized not merely as a co-heir but as the sole rightful successor to the entire estate.

Cite this passage

Xenophon, Agesilaus §4.1-4.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0032.tlg009.humanitext-grc2:4.1-4.6

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