§7.1ὥς γε μὴν φιλόπολις ἦν καθʼ ἓν μὲν ἕκαστον μακρὸν ἂν εἴη γράφειν· οἴομαι γὰρ οὐδὲν εἶναι τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῷ ὅ τι οὐκ εἰς τοῦτο συντείνει.
Indeed, as for how patriotic he was, it would be a long task to write about each single detail; for I think there is nothing of his deeds that does not contribute to this.
ὡς δʼ ἐν βραχεῖ εἰπεῖν, ἅπαντες ἐπιστάμεθα ὅτι Ἀγησίλαος, ὅπου ᾤετο τὴν πατρίδα τι ὠφελήσειν, οὐ πόνων ὑφίετο, οὐ κινδύνων ἀφίστατο, οὐ χρημάτων ἐφείδετο, οὐ σῶμα, οὐ γῆρας προὐφασίζετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλέως ἀγαθοῦ τοῦτο ἔργον ἐνόμιζε, τὸ τοὺς ἀρχομένους ὡς πλεῖστα ἀγαθὰ ποιεῖν.
To speak briefly, we all know that Agesilaus, wherever he thought he would benefit his country in some way, did not shrink from labors, did not stand aloof from dangers, did not spare money, did not plead his body or old age as an excuse, but also believed this to be the duty of a good king: to do as much good as possible to his subjects.
§7.2ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις δὲ ὠφελήμασι τῆς πατρίδος καὶ τόδε ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτοῦ, ὅτι δυνατώτατος ὢν ἐν τῇ πόλει φανερὸς ἦν μάλιστα τοῖς νόμοις λατρεύων.
And among the greatest benefits to his fatherland, I also place this of his: that, although he was the most powerful man in the city, he was clearly serving the laws most of all.
τίς γὰρ ἂν ἠθέλησεν ἀπειθεῖν ὁρῶν τὸν βασιλέα πειθόμενον;
For who would have wished to disobey, seeing the king obeying?
τίς δʼ ἂν ἡγούμενος μειονεκτεῖν νεώτερόν τι ἐπεχείρησε ποιεῖν εἰδὼς τὸν βασιλέα νομίμως καὶ τὸ κρατεῖσθαι φέροντα;
And who, thinking he was getting less than his share, would have attempted to make any revolution, knowing that the king was bearing even being ruled in accordance with the law?
§7.3ὃς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς διαφόρους ἐν τῇ πόλει ὥσπερ πατὴρ πρὸς παῖδας προσεφέρετο.
He behaved also towards his political opponents in the city just as a father towards his children.
ἐλοιδορεῖτο μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, ἐτίμα δʼ εἴ τι καλὸν πράττοιεν, παρίστατο δʼ εἴ τις συμφορὰ συμβαίνοι, ἐχθρὸν μὲν οὐδένα ἡγούμενος πολίτην, ἐπαινεῖν δὲ πάντας ἐθέλων, σῴζεσθαι δὲ πάντας κέρδος νομίζων, ζημίαν δὲ τιθεὶς εἰ καὶ ὁ μικροῦ ἄξιος ἀπόλοιτο·
For he would chide them for their errors, but would honor them if they did anything good, and would stand by them if any misfortune befell them, considering no citizen an enemy, wishing to praise all, thinking the preservation of all to be a gain, and counting it a loss if even one of little worth should perish.
εἰ δʼ ἐν τοῖς νόμοις ἠρεμοῦντες διαμένοιεν, δῆλος ἦν εὐδαίμονα μὲν αἰεὶ ἔσεσθαι τὴν πατρίδα λογιζόμενος, ἰσχυρὰν δὲ τότε ὅταν οἱ Ἕλληνες σωφρονῶσιν.
And if they continued to remain quiet under the laws, he was clear in calculating that his fatherland would always be happy, and would be strong at that time when the Greeks should be temperate.
§7.4εἴ γε μὴν αὖ καλὸν Ἕλληνα ὄντα φιλέλληνα εἶναι, τίνα τις οἶδεν ἄλλον στρατηγὸν ἢ πόλιν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα αἱρεῖν, ὅταν οἴηται πορθήσειν, ἢ συμφορὰν νομίζοντα τὸ νικᾶν ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ἕλληνας πολέμῳ;
If, on the other hand, it is a fine thing for one who is a Greek to be a friend of the Greeks, what other general or city does anyone know who is unwilling to capture a city when he thinks he will sack it, or who considers victory in a war against Greeks to be a disaster?
§7.5ἐκεῖνος τοίνυν, ἀγγελίας μὲν ἐλθούσης αὐτῷ ὡς ἐν τῇ ἐν Κορίνθῳ μάχῃ ὀκτὼ μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων, ἐγγὺς δὲ μύριοι τεθναῖεν τῶν πολεμίων, οὐκ ἐφησθεὶς φανερὸς ἐγένετο, ἀλλʼ εἶπεν ἄρα· φεῦ σου, ὦ Ἑλλάς, ὁπότε οἱ νῦν τεθνηκότες ἱκανοὶ ἦσαν ζῶντες νικᾶν μαχόμενοι πάντας τοὺς βαρβάρους. §7.6Κορινθίων γε μὴν τῶν φευγόντων λεγόντων ὅτι ἐνδιδοῖτο αὐτοῖς ἡ πόλις, καὶ μηχανὰς ἐπιδεικνύντων αἷς πάντως ἤλπιζον ἂν ἑλεῖν τὰ τείχη, οὐκ ἤθελε προσβάλλειν, λέγων ὅτι οὐκ ἀνδραποδίζεσθαι δέοι Ἑλληνίδας πόλεις ἀλλὰ σωφρονίζειν.
He indeed, when news came to him that in the battle at Corinth eight Lacedaemonians had died, but nearly ten thousand of the enemy, did not appear rejoiced, but said indeed: "Alas for you, O Greece, since those who have now died were capable, while alive, of conquering in battle all the barbarians." Indeed, when the Corinthian exiles said that the city was being betrayed to them, and showed siege engines by which they hoped they would by all means capture the walls, he was unwilling to attack, saying that it was not necessary to enslave Greek cities, but to bring them to their senses.
εἰ δὲ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἔφη, ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἀφανιοῦμεν, ὁρᾶν χρὴ μὴ οὐδʼ ἕξομεν μεθʼ ὅτου τῶν βαρβάρων κρατήσομεν. §7.7εἰ δʼ αὖ καλὸν καὶ μισοπέρσην εἶναι, ὅτι καὶ ὁ πάλαι ἐξεστράτευσεν ὡς δουλωσόμενος τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ ὁ νῦν συμμαχεῖ μὲν τούτοις μεθʼ ὁποτέρων ἂν οἴηται μείζω βλάψειν, δωρεῖται δʼ ἐκείνοις οὓς ἂν νομίζῃ λαβόντας πλεῖστα κακὰ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ποιήσειν, εἰρήνην δὲ συμπράττει ἐξ ἧς ἂν ἡγῆται μάλιστα ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις πολεμήσειν, ὁρῶσι μὲν οὖν ἅπαντες ταῦτα· ἐπεμελήθη δὲ τίς ἄλλος πώποτε πλὴν Ἀγησίλαος ἢ ὅπως φῦλόν τι ἀποστήσεται τοῦ Πέρσου ἢ ὅπως τὸ ἀποστὰν μὴ ἀπόληται ἢ τὸ παράπαν ὡς καὶ βασιλεὺς κακὰ ἔχων μὴ δυνήσεται τοῖς Ἕλλησι πράγματα παρέχειν;
"But if," he said, "we destroy those of ourselves who make mistakes, we must see to it lest we shall not even have anyone with whom we shall conquer the barbarians." If, on the other hand, it is also a fine thing to be a hater of Persians—since both the ancient king made an expedition intending to enslave Greece, and the present one allies himself with those of either side with whom he thinks he will do greater damage, and gives gifts to those whom he thinks will, upon receiving them, do the most harm to the Greeks, and helps negotiate a peace from which he believes we shall most of all wage war against each other (everyone indeed sees these things)—who else except Agesilaus ever made it his care either how some tribe should revolt from the Persian, or how the revolted tribe should not perish, or in general how the King, being in trouble, should not be able to cause trouble to the Greeks?
ὃς καὶ πολεμούσης τῆς πατρίδος πρὸς Ἕλληνας ὅμως τοῦ κοινοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τῇ Ἑλλάδι οὐκ ἠμέλησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐξέπλευσεν ὅ τι δύναιτο κακὸν ποιήσων τὸν βάρβαρον.
He who, even when his fatherland was at war with Greeks, nevertheless did not neglect the common good of Greece, but sailed out to do whatever harm he could to the barbarian.