§7τοιοῦτοι δέ τινές εἰσι καὶ οἱ τὴν εὐγένειαν προβαλλόμενοι καὶ φρονοῦντες ἐπ’ αὐτῇ μέγα·
Such also are those who put forward their noble birth and think highly of themselves because of it.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι σπάνει τῶν ἰδίων ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ τὸ γένος ἥκουσιν, οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον γιγνώσκοντες ὅτι ἡ ἄρα εὐγένεια αὕτη ἐφ’ ᾗ σεμνύνονται τοῖς κατὰ πόλιν νομίσμασιν ἔοικεν, ἃ παρὰ τοῖς θεμένοις ἰσχύοντα παρ’ ἄλλοις ἐστὶ κίβδηλα· — οὐδ’ ηὑγένεια σ’ ἦρεν εἰς ὕψος μέγα;
For indeed, these too, from a lack of their own good qualities, resort to their lineage, not even knowing this much, that this noble birth, in which they pride themselves, is like the coins current in a city, which, while having value among those who established them, are counterfeit among others: "— Did not your noble birth raise you to a great height?
— κακὸν τὸ μὴ ἔχειν· τὸ γένος οὐκ ἔβοσκέ με. καλὸς οὖν, [ἧ] φησὶν ὁ Πλάτων, θησαυρὸς αἱ τῶν πατέρων ἀρεταί· κάλλιον δ’ ἀντιθεῖναι δύνασθαι τὸν τοῦ Σθενέλου λόγον ‘ἡμεῖς τοι πατέρων μέγ’ ἀμείνονες εὐχόμεθ’ εἶναι’. ταύτην γὰρ μόνην ἔχοιμεν ἄν, εἰ δή τίς ἐστιν εὐγενείας χρεία, πρὸς οἰκεῖον παράδειγμα τὸν ζῆλον ἡμῖν γίγνεσθαι· ὡς εἴ γε κατὰ πολὺ τῆς τῶν προγόνων ἀρετῆς ἀπολειπόμεθα, λύπη μὲν ἂν εἴη κἀκείνοις, εἴ τις αὐτοῖς ἐστιν αἴσθησις, αἰσχύνη δ’ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τοσῷδε μείζων ὅσῳ καὶ τὸ γένος περιφανέστερον.
— It is bad not to have it, but lineage did not feed me." Therefore, as Plato says, "the virtues of one's fathers are a beautiful treasure"; but it is more beautiful to be able to oppose to it the saying of Sthenelus: "We boast to be far better than our fathers." For this is the only use we might have for noble birth, if indeed there is any, that our emulation should be directed toward a domestic model; since, if we fall far short of the virtue of our ancestors, it would be a grief to them too, if they have any perception, and a shame to ourselves, so much the greater as our lineage is more illustrious.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ [ἀμαθεῖς] παντάπασιν ἄσημοι τῷ γένει τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ κερδαίνουσι τὸ μὴ γιγνώσκεσθαι τοῖς πολλοῖς ὁποῖοί τινές εἰσιν· ὅσοις δὲ τὸ λαμπρὸν καὶ διάσημον τοῦ γένους οὐδὲ τοῦ λαθεῖν ἐξουσίαν δίδωσι, τί ἄλλο ἢ περιφανέστερον οὗτοι δυστυχοῦσιν;
For those who are completely obscure in their lineage gain at least this very thing: not to be known by the multitude for what sort of people they are; but for those to whom the brilliance and distinction of their lineage does not even give the power to escape notice, what else do they do but suffer misfortune more conspicuously?
καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ καταγιγνώσκονται μᾶλλον οἱ ἀνάξιοι τοῦ γένους, ὥστ’ εἰ καί τις ἠλίθιος ὢν ὑπομιμνῄσκοι τὸ λαμπρὸν τοῦ γένους, ἀσυγγνωστότερον ἑαυτῷ τὸ κακὸν ἀποφαίνει.
And indeed, those unworthy of their lineage are condemned all the more, so that if someone, being foolish, should remind others of the brilliance of his lineage, he makes his own worthlessness more unpardonable.
οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίως ἐξετάζομέν τε καὶ βασανίζομεν τοὺς ἐπιτυχόντας ἀνθρώπους τοῖς ἐκ γένους λαμπροῦ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μέν, κἂν μέτριοί τινες ὦσιν, ἀποδεχόμεθα τῇ δυσγενείᾳ τῆς ἐνδείας τὴν αἰτίαν ἀναφέροντες, τοὺς δ’ εἰ μηδὲν τῶν προγόνων ἄξιον ἔχοιεν οὐδέπω θαυμάζομεν, ἂν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων πολὺ διαφέρωσιν.
For we do not examine and test ordinary men in the same way as those from an illustrious lineage, but the former, even if they are only moderate, we accept, attributing the cause of their deficiency to their low birth; whereas the latter, if they possess nothing worthy of their ancestors, we do not yet admire, even if they should far excel all others.
ὥστ’ εἴ τις εὗ φρονεῖ, τέχνης ἀσκήσει προσίτω, δι’ ἣν κἂν εὐγενὴς ᾗ τοῦ γένους οὐκ ἀνάξιος φανεῖται, κἂν μὴ τοιοῦτος ὑπάρχῃ τὸ γένος αὐτὸς ἐπικοσμήσει, μιμησάμενος τὸν παλαιὸν ἐκεῖνον Θεμιστοκλέα, ὃς ὀνειδιζόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ γένει ‘ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ τοῖς ἀπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἔφη, τοῦ γένους ἄρξω, καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐμὸν ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ γένος ἄρξεται, τὸ δὲ σὸν εἰς σὲ τελευτήσει’. ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐδὲν κωλύει τὸν Σκύθην Ἀνάχαρσιν καὶ θαυμάζεσθαί τε καὶ σοφὸν ὀνομάζεσθαι·
So that if anyone is wise, let him apply himself to the practice of an art, through which, even if he is of noble birth, he will appear not unworthy of his lineage, and if he is not of such birth, he will himself adorn his lineage, imitating that famous Themistocles of old, who, when reproached for his birth, said, "But I shall begin the lineage for those who come after me, and my lineage will begin with me, whereas yours will end with you." You see that nothing prevents the Scythian Anacharsis from being both admired and called wise, although he was a barbarian by birth.
καίτοι βάρβαρος ἦν τὸ γένος. οὗτός ποτε πρός τινος ὀνειδιζόμενος ὅτι βάρβαρος εἴη καὶ Σκύθης ‘ἐμοὶ μέν, 〈εἶπεν〉, ἡ πατρὶς ὄνειδος, σὺ δὲ τῇ πατρίδι’, πάνυ καλῶς ἐπιπλήξας τῷ μηδενὸς ἀξίῳ λόγου, μόνον δ’ ἐπὶ τῇ πατρίδι σεμνυνομένῳ.
This man, once reproached by someone because he was a barbarian and a Scythian, said, "To me indeed my country is a reproach, but you are a reproach to your country," very beautifully rebuking the man who was worth nothing in speech and prided himself only on his country.
εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστήσαις τοῖς πράγμασι τὸν νοῦν, οὐ διὰ τὰς πόλεις εὕροις ἂν ἐν δόξῃ τοὺς πολίτας γιγνομένους, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸ δὴ τοὐναντίον διὰ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας [ἐν ταῖς τέχναις] καὶ τὰς πατρίδας αὐτῶν μνημονευομένας.
For if you should apply your mind to the facts, you would find that citizens do not become famous because of their cities, but on the very contrary, their homelands are remembered because of good men.
τίς γὰρ 〈ἂν〉 ἦν Σταγίρων λόγος, εἰ μὴ δι’ Ἀριστοτέλην, τίς δ’ ἂν Σόλων, εἰ μὴ δι’ Ἄρατόν τε καὶ Χρύσιππον·
For what mention would there be of Stageira, were it not for Aristotle, or what of Soloi, were it not for Aratus and Chrysippus?
ὅπου καὶ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν αὐτῶν μέχρι πόρρω τοὔνομα πεφοίτηκεν οὐ διὰ τὴν τῆς γῆς ἀρετήν — λεπτόγεως γάρ — ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ φύντας, οἳ πλεῖστοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι γενόμενοι μετέδοσάν τι καὶ τῇ πατρίδι τοῦ σφετέρου κλέους.
Seeing that even the name of Athens itself has traveled far, not because of the fertility of its land—for it is thin-soiled—but because of those born in it, who, becoming most numerous and excellent, shared some of their own glory with their homeland.
μάθοις δ’ ἂν ἐναργέστατα τὸ τοιοῦτον ἀληθὲς ὄν, εἰ τὸν Ὑπέρβολον ἢ τὸν Κλέωνα λογίσαιο, τοσοῦτον ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν κερδήσαντας ὅσον ἄν τις εἰς περιφάνειαν κακὸς ὢν ἐπικτήσαιτο.
And you would learn most clearly that such a thing is true, if you were to consider Hyperbolus or Cleon, who gained from Athens only as much as an evil man might acquire for notoriety.
‘ἦν ὅτε σύας Βοιώτιον ἔθνος ἔνεπον’ ὁ Πίνδαρός φησι, καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ‘εἰ φεύγομεν Βοιωτίαν ὗν’, ἀξιῶν ὅλου σχεδὸν ἔθνους τὸν ἐπ’ ἀμαθείᾳ ψόγον ἀπολύεσθαι διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μουσικήν.
"There was a time when they called the Boeotian nation pigs," says Pindar, and again the same poet, "if we escape the Boeotian pig," claiming that the reproach for ignorance of almost an entire nation was dispelled because of his own musical art.