§1.309Πλάτων Διονυσίῳ εὖ πράττειν.
Plato to Dionysius, wishing him well.
διατρίψας ἐγὼ παρʼ ὑμῖν χρόνον τοσοῦτον καὶ διοικῶν τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀρχὴν πεπιστευμένος πάντων μάλιστα, τὰς ὠφελίας ὑμῶν λαμβανόντων, τὰς διαβολὰς δυσχερεῖς οὔσας ὑπέμενον· ᾔδη γὰρ ὅτι τῶν ὠμοτέρων οὐδὲν ἐμοῦ συνεθέλοντος ὑμῖν δόξει πεπρᾶχθαι·
When I had spent so much time with you and was managing your dominion, being trusted most of all, while you were receiving the benefits, I endured the difficult slanders; for I knew that none of the harsher measures would seem to have been done by you with my consent.
πάντες γὰρ οἱ συμπολιτευόμενοι μεθʼ ὑμῶν ὑπάρχουσί μοι μάρτυρες, ὧν ἐγὼ πολλοῖς συνηγωνισάμην, ἀπολύσας αὐτοὺς οὐ σμικρᾶς ζημίας.
For all those who take part in government with you are witnesses for me, many of whom I assisted, releasing them from no small penalty.
αὐτοκράτωρ δὲ πολλάκις τὴν ὑμετέραν πόλιν διαφυλάξας, ἀπεπέμφθην ἀτιμότερον ἢ πτωχὸν ὑμῶν ἀποστελλόντων προσήκει καὶ κελευόντων ἐκπλεῦσαι, τοσοῦτον παρʼ ὑμῖν διατρίψαντα χρόνον.
And though I had often protected your city as an absolute commander, I was sent away more dishonorably than is fitting when you dismiss a beggar and order him to sail away, after having spent so much time among you.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ βουλεύσομαι τὸ λοιπὸν τρόπον ἀπανθρωπότερον, σὺ δὲ τοιοῦτος ὢν τύραννος οἰκήσεις μόνος.
I, then, will deliberate concerning myself hereafter in a more unsociable manner, while you, being such a tyrant, will dwell alone.
τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τὸ λαμπρόν, ὅπερ ἔδωκας εἰς ἀποστολήν, ἄγει σοι Βακχεῖος ὁ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν φέρων· οὔτε γὰρ ἐφόδιον ἐκεῖνό γʼ ἦν ἱκανὸν οὔτε πρὸς τὸν ἄλλον βίον συμφέρον, ἀδοξίαν δὲ πλείστην τῷ διδόντι σοὶ παρασκευάζον, οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ἐλάττω κἀμοὶ λαμβάνοντι, διόπερ οὐ λαμβάνω.
As for the splendid gold which you gave for my departure, Baccheius, who brings this letter, is carrying it back to you; for that was neither sufficient for travel-money nor useful for the rest of life, but brought the greatest disgrace upon you who gave it, and not much less upon me if I accepted it, wherefore I do not accept it.
σοὶ δʼ οὐδὲν διαφέρει δῆλον ὅτι καὶ λαβεῖν καὶ δοῦναι τοσοῦτον, ὥστε κομισάμενος ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν ἑταίρων θεράπευσον ὥσπερ ἐμέ· κἀγὼ γὰρ ἱκανῶς ὑπὸ σοῦ τεθεράπευμαι.
But to you, clearly, it makes no difference either to receive or to give so much, so, having received it back, cultivate some other of your companions as you did me; for I too have been sufficiently "cultivated" by you.
καί μοι τὸ τοῦ Εὐριπίδου κατὰ καιρόν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι σοὶ πραγμάτων ἄλλων ποτὲ συμπεσόντων—
"
εὔξῃ τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα σοι παρεστάναι.
And it is timely for me to quote Euripides, that when some other circumstances fall upon you hereafter— "You will pray that such a man be present with you.
"
ὑπομνῆσαι δέ σε βούλομαι διότι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τραγῳδοποιῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι, ὅταν ὑπό τινος ἀποθνῄσκοντα τύραννον εἰσάγωσιν, ἀναβοῶντα ποιοῦσιν— §1.310"
φίλων ἔρημος, ὦ τάλας, ἀπόλλυμαι·
"And I want to remind you that most of the other tragic poets, when they introduce a tyrant being put to death by someone, make him cry out— "Bereft of friends, alas, I perish!
"
χρυσίου δὲ σπάνει ἀπολλύμενον οὐδεὶς πεποίηκεν.
"But no one has represented a tyrant perishing from lack of money.
κἀκεῖνο δὲ τὸ ποίημα τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσιν οὐ κακῶς ἔχειν δοκεῖ—
"
οὐ χρυσὸς ἀγλαὸς σπανιώτατος ἐν θνατῶν δυσελπίστῳ βίῳ,
οὐδʼ ἀδάμας οὐδʼ ἀργύρου κλῖναι πρὸς ἄνθρωπον
δοκιμαζόμενʼ ἀστράπτει πρὸς ὄψεις· οὐδὲ γαίας εὐρυπέδου γόνιμοι βρίθοντες αὐτάρκεις
γύαι,
ὡς ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ὁμοφράδμων νόησις.
And that poem too seems to those who have sense to be not bad: "It is not bright gold that is most rare in mortals' hopeless life, nor diamonds, nor silver couches, when tested against a human being, shine to the eyes; nor the fertile, heavy, self-sufficient fields of the wide earth, as the like-minded wisdom of good men.
"
ἔρρωσο, καὶ γίγνωσκε τοσοῦτον ἡμῶν διημαρτηκώς, ἵνα πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους βέλτιον προσφέρῃ.
"Farewell, and know that you have failed us in so great a measure, so that you may behave better toward others.