§8.1ἀλλὰ μὴν ἄξιόν γε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ εὔχαρι μὴ σιωπᾶσθαι· ᾧ γε ὑπαρχούσης μὲν τιμῆς, παρούσης δὲ δυνάμεως, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις βασιλείας, καὶ ταύτης οὐκ ἐπιβουλευομένης ἀλλʼ ἀγαπωμένης, τὸ μὲν μεγάλαυχον οὐκ εἶδέ τις, τὸ δὲ φιλόστοργον καὶ θεραπευτικὸν τῶν φίλων καὶ μὴ ζητῶν κατενόησεν ἄν.
And indeed, his pleasantness also deserves not to be passed over in silence; since, though honor belonged to him, power was present, and in addition to these, kingship—and that too not plotted against but beloved—no one saw any haughtiness, but his affection and attentiveness to his friends one would have perceived even without seeking.
§8.2καὶ μὴν μετεῖχε μὲν ἥδιστα παιδικῶν λόγων, συνεσπούδαζε δὲ πᾶν ὅ τι δέοι φίλοις.
And indeed, he joined most gladly in playful conversation, and joined in earnest in whatever was necessary for his friends.
διὰ δὲ τὸ εὔελπις καὶ εὔθυμος καὶ ἀεὶ ἱλαρὸς εἶναι πολλοὺς ἐποίει μὴ τοῦ διαπράξασθαί τι μόνον ἕνεκα πλησιάζειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἥδιον διημερεύειν.
And because of his being hopeful, cheerful, and always merry, he made many people associate with him not only for the sake of accomplishing something, but also for the sake of spending the day more pleasantly.
ἥκιστα δʼ ὢν οἷος μεγαληγορεῖν ὅμως τῶν ἐπαινούντων αὑτοὺς οὐ βαρέως ἤκουεν, ἡγούμενος βλάπτειν οὐδὲν αὐτούς, ὑπισχνεῖσθαι δὲ ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς ἔσεσθαι.
And although he was the least of a sort to talk big, yet he did not listen with displeasure to those who praised themselves, thinking that they did no harm, but were promising to be good men.
§8.3ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῇ μεγαλογνωμοσύνῃ γε ὡς εὐκαίρως ἐχρῆτο οὐ παραλειπτέον.
And indeed, how opportunely he used his magnanimity must also not be passed over.
ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὅτʼ ἦλθεν αὐτῷ ἐπιστολὴ παρὰ βασιλέως, ἣν ὁ μετὰ Καλλία τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίου Πέρσης ἤνεγκε, περὶ ξενίας τε καὶ φιλίας, ταύτην μὲν οὐκ ἐδέξατο, τῷ δὲ φέροντι εἶπεν ἀπαγγεῖλαι βασιλεῖ ὡς ἰδίᾳ μὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐδὲν δέοι ἐπιστολὰς πέμπειν, ἢν δὲ φίλος τῇ Λακεδαίμονι καὶ τῇ Ἑλλάδι εὔνους ὢν φαίνηται, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς φίλος ἀνὰ κράτος αὐτῷ ἔσοιτο· ἢν μέντοι, ἔφη, ἐπιβουλεύων ἁλίσκηται, μηδʼ ἂν πάνυ πολλὰς ἐπιστολὰς δέχωμαι, φίλον ἕξειν με οἰέσθω. §8.4ἐγὼ οὖν καὶ τοῦτο ἐπαινῶ Ἀγησιλάου τὸ πρὸς τὸ ἀρέσκειν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὑπεριδεῖν τὴν βασιλέως ξενίαν.
For when a letter came to him from the King, which the Persian who came with Callias the Lacedaemonian brought, concerning guest-friendship and friendship, he did not accept it, but told the bearer to report to the King that there was no need to send letters to him privately, but if he should show himself a friend to Lacedaemon and well-disposed to Greece, that he himself also would be his friend with all his might; "but if, however," he said, "he should be caught plotting, let him not think, even if I should receive very many letters, that he will have me as a friend." I therefore praise this also in Agesilaus: his looking down upon the King's guest-friendship for the sake of pleasing the Greeks.
ἄγαμαι δὲ κἀκεῖνο, ὅτι οὐχ ὁπότερος πλείω τε χρήματα ἔχοι καὶ πλειόνων ἄρχοι, τούτῳ ἡγήσατο μεῖζον φρονητέον εἶναι, ἀλλʼ ὁπότερος αὐτός τε ἀμείνων εἴη καὶ ἀμεινόνων ἡγοῖτο.
And I admire that also, that he did not think that whichever of the two had more money and ruled over more people should think more highly of himself, but whichever of the two was himself better and led better men.
§8.5ἐπαινῶ δὲ κἀκεῖνο τῆς προνοίας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι νομίζων ἀγαθὸν τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἀφίστασθαι τοῦ βασιλέως ὡς πλείστους σατράπας, οὐκ ἐκρατήθη οὔθʼ ὑπὸ δώρων οὔθʼ ὑπὸ τῆς βασιλέως ῥώμης ἐθελήσας ξενωθῆναι αὐτῷ, ἀλλʼ ἐφυλάξατο μὴ ἄπιστος γενέσθαι τοῖς ἀφίστασθαι βουλομένοις.
And I praise this also of his foresight, that, believing it to be good for Greece that as many satraps as possible should revolt from the King, he was not overcome either by gifts or by the King's power so as to wish to become his guest-friend, but guarded against becoming untrustworthy to those who wished to revolt.
§8.6ἐκεῖνό γε μὴν αὐτοῦ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀγασθείη;
And indeed, who would not admire this of his?
ὁ μὲν γὰρ Πέρσης, νομίζων, ἢν χρήματα πλεῖστα ἔχῃ, πάνθʼ ὑφʼ ἑαυτῷ ποιήσεσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο πᾶν μὲν τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις χρυσίον, πᾶν δὲ τὸ ἀργύριον, πάντα δὲ τὰ πολυτελέστατα ἐπειρᾶτο πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἁθροίζειν.
For the Persian, thinking that if he had the most money he would bring everything under his own power, for this reason tried to gather to himself all the gold among men, all the silver, and all the most costly things.
ὁ δὲ οὕτως ἀντεσκευάσατο τὸν οἶκον ὥστε τούτων μηδενὸς προσδεῖσθαι.
But he so equipped his household in contrast that he had no need of any of these things.
§8.7εἰ δέ τις ταῦτα ἀπιστεῖ, ἰδέτω μὲν οἵα οἰκία ἤρκει αὐτῷ, θεασάσθω δὲ τὰς θύρας αὐτοῦ· εἰκάσειε γὰρ ἄν τις ἔτι ταύτας ἐκείνας εἶναι ἅσπερ Ἀριστόδημος ὁ Ἡρακλέους ὅτε κατῆλθε λαβὼν ἐπεστήσατο· πειράσθω δὲ θεάσασθαι τὴν ἔνδον κατασκευήν, ἐννοησάτω δὲ ὡς ἐθοίναζεν ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις, ἀκουσάτω δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ πολιτικοῦ καννάθρου κατῄει εἰς Ἀμύκλας ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτοῦ.
And if anyone disbelieves this, let him see what sort of house was sufficient for him, and let him behold his doors; for one might guess that these are still those very ones which Aristodemus the descendant of Heracles set up when he returned; and let him try to behold the furnishings within, and let him consider how he feasted during the sacrifices, and let him hear how his daughter used to go down to Amyclae on a public wooden carriage.
§8.8τοιγαροῦν οὕτως ἐφαρμόσας τὰς δαπάνας ταῖς προσόδοις οὐδὲν ἠναγκάζετο χρημάτων ἕνεκα ἄδικον πράττειν.
Therefore, having thus fitted his expenses to his income, he was in no way compelled to do anything unjust for the sake of money.
καίτοι καλὸν μὲν δοκεῖ εἶναι τείχη ἀνάλωτα κτᾶσθαι ὑπὸ πολεμίων· πολὺ μέντοι ἔγωγε κάλλιον κρίνω τὸ τὴν αὑτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀνάλωτον κατασκευάσαι καὶ ὑπὸ χρημάτων καὶ ὑπὸ ἡδονῶν καὶ ὑπὸ φόβου.
And yet, while it seems to be a fine thing to acquire walls impregnable to enemies, I indeed judge it much finer to render one's own soul impregnable both to money and to pleasures and to fear.