§1.1πρῶτον μὲν θύοντα χρὴ αἰτεῖσθαι θεοὺς ταῦτα διδόναι καὶ νοεῖν καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν, ἀφʼ ὧν θεοῖς μὲν κεχαρισμενώτατα ἄρξαις ἄν, σαυτῷ δὲ καὶ φίλοις καὶ τῇ πόλει προσφιλέστατα καὶ εὐκλεέστατα καὶ πολυωφελέστατα.
First, while offering sacrifice, you must pray to the gods to grant you to think, speak, and act in such ways that you may rule in a manner most pleasing to the gods, and most beloved, most renowned, and most beneficial to yourself, your friends, and the city.
§1.2θεῶν δὲ ἵλεων ὄντων ἀναβιβαστέον μέν σοι ἱππέας, καὶ ὅπως ἀναπληρῶται ὁ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀριθμὸς καὶ ὅπως τὸ ὂν ἱππικὸν μὴ μειῶται.
If the gods are propitious, you must enroll horsemen, so that the number prescribed by law may be filled and the existing cavalry may not be diminished.
εἰ δὲ μὴ προσαναβήσονται ἱππεῖς, μείονες ἀεὶ ἔσονται. ἀνάγκη γὰρ τοὺς μὲν γήρᾳ ἀπαγορεύειν, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἐκλείπειν.
If new horsemen are not enrolled, their number will always decrease; for some must retire due to old age, and others must leave for various other reasons.
§1.3πληρουμένου γε μὴν τοῦ ἱππικοῦ ἐπιμελητέον μὲν ὅπως τρέφωνται οἱ ἵπποι ὡς ἂν δύνωνται πόνους ὑποφέρειν· οἱ γὰρ ἥττους τῶν πόνων οὔτε αἱρεῖν οὔτε ἀποφεύγειν δύναιντʼ ἄν.
While the cavalry is being filled, care must be taken that the horses are fed in such a way that they can endure labors; for those that are inferior to labors can neither pursue nor escape.
ἐπιμελητέον δὲ ὅπως εὔχρηστοι ὦσιν· οἱ γὰρ αὖ ἀπειθεῖς τοῖς πολεμίοις μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς φίλοις συμμαχοῦσι.
Care must also be taken that they are obedient; for, on the other hand, disobedient horses fight for the enemy rather than for their friends.
§1.4καὶ οἱ λακτίζοντες δὲ ἀναβεβαμένοι ἵπποι ἐκποδὼν ποιητέοι· οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι πολλάκις πλείω κακὰ ἢ οἱ πολέμιοι ποιοῦσι.
Also, horses that kick when mounted must be put away; for such horses often do more harm than the enemy.
δεῖ δὲ καὶ τῶν ποδῶν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, ὅπως δύνωνται καὶ ἐν τραχείᾳ χώρᾳ ἱππεύειν, εἰδότα ὅτι ὅπου ἂν ἀλγῶσιν ἐλαυνόμενοι, ἐνταῦθα οὐ χρήσιμοί εἰσι.
It is also necessary to take care of their feet, so that they can ride even on rough ground, knowing that wherever they feel pain when ridden, they are of no use.
§1.5τῶν γε μὴν ἵππων ὑπαρχόντων οἵων δεῖ τοὺς ἱππέας αὖ ἀσκητέον, πρῶτον μὲν ὅπως ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναπηδᾶν δύνωνται· πολλοῖς γὰρ ἤδη ἡ σωτηρία παρὰ τοῦτο ἐγένετο· δεύτερον δὲ ὅπως ἐν παντοίοις χωρίοις ἱππάζεσθαι δυνήσονται· καὶ γὰρ οἱ πόλεμοι ἄλλοτε ἐν ἀλλοίοις τόποις γίγνονται.
Since the horses are of the right kind, you must in turn train the horsemen: first, so that they can leap onto their horses; for to many, safety has already depended on this; second, so that they can ride on all kinds of ground; for wars occur at different times in different places.
§1.6ὅταν δὲ ἤδη ἔποχοι ὦσι, δεῖ αὖ σκοπεῖσθαι ὅπως ἀκοντιοῦσί τε ὡς πλεῖστοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων καὶ τἆλλα δυνήσονται ποιεῖν ἃ δεῖ τοὺς ἱππικούς.
When they are already good riders, you must in turn see to it that as many as possible can throw javelins from their horses and do the other things required of cavalrymen.
μετὰ ταῦτα ὁπλιστέον καὶ ἵππους καὶ ἱππέας ὡς αὐτοὶ μὲν ἥκιστα τιτρώσκοιντʼ ἄν, βλάπτειν δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους μάλιστα δύναιντʼ ἄν.
After this, you must arm both horses and men so that they themselves may be least wounded, but may be able to damage the enemy most.
§1.7ἐκ τούτων παρασκευαστέον ὅπως εὐπειθεῖς οἱ ἄνδρες ὦσιν· ἄνευ γὰρ τούτου οὔθʼ ἵππων ἀγαθῶν οὔθʼ ἱππέων ἐπόχων οὔθʼ ὅπλων καλῶν ὄφελος οὐδέν.
Following these things, you must arrange that the men are obedient; for without this, there is no use in good horses, skilled riders, or beautiful arms.
προστατεύειν μὲν οὖν τούτων πάντων ὅπως καλῶς γίγνηται τὸν ἵππαρχον εἰκός ἐστιν.
To preside over all these things so that they are done well is naturally the duty of the commander.
§1.8ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ πόλις χαλεπὸν ἡγησαμένη πάντα ταῦτα τὸν ἵππαρχον μόνον ὄντα ἀπεργάζεσθαι προσαιρεῖται μὲν αὐτῷ συνεργοὺς φυλάρχους, προσέταξε δὲ τῇ βουλῇ συνεπιμελεῖσθαι τοῦ ἱππικοῦ, ἀγαθόν μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι τοὺς μὲν φυλάρχους παρασκευάζειν συνεπιθυμεῖν σοι τῶν καλῶν τῷ ἱππικῷ, ἐν δὲ τῇ βουλῇ ἔχειν ῥήτορας ἐπιτηδείους, ὅπως λέγοντες φοβῶσί τε τοὺς ἱππέας (βελτίονες γὰρ ἂν εἶεν φοβούμενοι), καταπραΰνωσί τε τὴν βουλήν, ἤν τι παρὰ καιρὸν χαλεπαίνῃ.
Since the city also, thinking it difficult for the commander alone to accomplish all these things, chooses phylarchs as helpers for him, and has ordered the Council to share in the care of the cavalry, it seems good to me that you should make the phylarchs desire with you what is honorable for the cavalry, and that you should have suitable speakers in the Council, so that by speaking they may both make the horsemen afraid (for they would be better if they were afraid) and pacify the Council if it should be angry out of season.
§1.9ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὑπομνήματα ὧν δεῖ σε ἐπιμελεῖσθαι· ὡς δʼ ἂν ἕκαστα τούτων βέλτιστα περαίνοιτο, τοῦτο δὴ πειράσομαι λέγειν.
These are reminders of what you must care for; but how each of these things may be accomplished in the best way, this I will now try to declare.
τοὺς μὲν τοίνυν ἱππέας δῆλον ὅτι καθιστάναι δεῖ κατὰ τὸν νόμον τοὺς δυνατωτάτους καὶ χρήμασι καὶ σώμασιν ἢ εἰσάγοντα εἰς δικαστήριον ἢ πείθοντα.
It is clear, then, that you must establish the horsemen according to the law from those who are most capable both in wealth and in body, either by bringing them before the court or by persuading them.
§1.10ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι εἰς μὲν τὸ δικαστήριον τούτους εἰσακτέον εἶναι οὓς μὴ εἰσάγων διὰ κέρδος ἄν τις δοκοίη τοῦτο ποιεῖν· καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἧττον δυναμένοις εὐθὺς ἂν εἴη ἀποστροφή, εἰ μὴ τοὺς δυνατωτάτους πρώτους ἀναγκάζοις.
But I think those should be brought before the court whom, if you did not bring them, you would be thought to do so for personal gain; for there would immediately be an excuse for those who are less capable, if you did not first compel the most capable.
§1.11ἔστι δὲ καὶ οὓς ἄν μοι δοκεῖ τις νέους μὲν τὰ ἐν ἱππικῇ λαμπρὰ λέγων εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν καθιστάναι τοῦ ἱππεύειν, τοὺς δὲ κυρίους αὐτῶν ἧττον ἀντιτείνοντας ἔχειν, τάδε διδάσκων ὡς ἀναγκασθήσονται μὲν ἱπποτροφεῖν, ἢν μὴ ὑπὸ σοῦ, ὑπʼ ἄλλου γε διὰ τὰ χρήματα· §1.12ἢν δʼ ἐπὶ σοῦ ἀναβῶσιν, ὡς ἀποτρέψεις μὲν τοὺς παῖδας αὐτῶν τῶν πολυτελῶν τε καὶ μανικῶν ἱππωνιῶν, ἐπιμελήσῃ δὲ ὡς ἂν ταχὺ ἱππικοὶ γίγνοιντο· λέγοντα δὲ οὕτω καὶ ποιεῖν ταῦτα πειρατέον.
And there are some whom, it seems to me, one might inspire with a desire for riding by speaking of the glorious things in horsemanship, and make their guardians less resistant by teaching them this: that they will be compelled to keep horses, if not by you, at least by someone else on account of their wealth; and that if they mount under your command, you will deter their sons from expensive and mad horse-buying, and will take care that they quickly become skilled in horsemanship; and speaking thus, you must also try to do these things.
§1.13τούς γε μὴν ὄντας ἱππέας ἡ βουλὴ ἄν μοι δοκεῖ προειποῦσα ὡς τὸ λοιπὸν δεήσει διπλάσια ἱππάζεσθαι καὶ ὡς τὸν μὴ δυνάμενον ἵππον ἀκολουθεῖν ἀποδοκιμάσει ἐπιτεῖναι ἂν τρέφειν τε ἄμεινον καὶ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι μᾶλλον τῶν ἵππων.
As for those who are already horsemen, it seems to me that the Council, by proclaiming beforehand that in the future it will be necessary to ride twice as much and that it will reject any horse unable to keep up, would urge them to feed their horses better and take more care of them.
§1.14καὶ τοὺς βιαίους δὲ ἵππους ἀγαθόν μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι προρρηθῆναι ὅτι ἀποδοκιμασθήσονται. αὕτη γὰρ ἡ ἀπειλὴ πωλεύειν ἂν τοὺς τοιούτους μᾶλλον παρορμήσειε καὶ ἱππωνεῖν σωφρονέστερον.
It also seems good to me that it should be proclaimed beforehand that violent horses will be rejected; for this threat would rather encourage them to break in such horses and to buy horses more prudently.
§1.15ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἱππασίαις λακτίζοντας ἵππους προρρηθῆναι ὅτι ἀποδοκιμασθήσονται· οὐδὲ γὰρ συντάττειν τοὺς τοιούτους δυνατόν, ἀλλʼ ἀνάγκη, ἄν ποι ἐπὶ πολεμίους δέῃ ἐλαύνειν, ὑστάτους αὐτοὺς ἕπεσθαι, ὥστε διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἵππου κακουργίαν ἄχρηστος καὶ ὁ ἱππεὺς καθίσταται.
It is also good to proclaim beforehand that horses that kick during rides will be rejected; for it is not even possible to align such horses in rank, but if it is necessary to ride against the enemy anywhere, they must follow last, so that due to the badness of the horse, the rider also is rendered useless.