§1.2.1καθόλου δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐκ ταύτης ἐπʼ ἀγαθῷ μνήμην οἱ μὲν κτίσται πόλεων γενέσθαι προεκλήθησαν, οἱ δὲ νόμους εἰσηγήσασθαι περιέχοντας τῷ κοινῷ βίω τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, πολλοὶ δʼ ἐπιστήμας καὶ τέχνας ἐξευρεῖν ἐφιλοτιμήθησαν πρὸς εὐεργεσίαν τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
In general, because of the memory for good arising from history, some have been urged to become founders of cities, others to introduce laws securing safety for common life, and many have aspired to discover sciences and arts for the benefit of the human race.
ἐξ ἁπάντων δὲ συμπληρουμένης τῆς εὐδαιμονίας, ἀποδοτέον τῶν ἐπαίνων τὸ πρωτεῖον τῇ τούτων μάλιστʼ αἰτίᾳ ἱστορίᾳ.
And since happiness is filled from all of these, one must assign the prize of praises to history, which is the chief cause of these things.
§1.2.2ἡγητέον γὰρ εἶναι ταύτην φύλακα μὲν τῆς τῶν ἀξιολόγων ἀρετῆς, μάρτυρα δὲ τῆς τῶν φαύλων κακίας, εὐεργέτιν δὲ τοῦ κοινοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
For we must consider history to be the guardian of the virtue of the noteworthy, the witness of the vice of the wicked, and the benefactor of the common race of men.
εἰ γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου μυθολογία τὴν ὑπόθεσιν πεπλασμένην ἔχουσα πολλὰ συμβάλλεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πρὸς εὐσέβειαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑποληπτέον τὴν προφῆτιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἱστορίαν, τῆς ὅλης φιλοσοφίας οἱονεὶ μητρόπολιν οὖσαν, ἐπισκευάσαι δύνασθαι τὰ ἤθη μᾶλλον πρὸς καλοκἀγαθίαν;
For if the mythology concerning those in Hades, though having a fabricated premise, contributes much to piety and justice for men, how much more must we suppose that history, the prophetess of truth and as it were the metropolis of all philosophy, is able to reform our characters still more toward virtue?
§1.2.3πάντες γὰρ ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένειαν βιοῦσι μὲν ἀκαριαῖόν τι μέρος τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος, τετελευτήκασι δὲ πάντα τὸν ὕστερον χρόνον, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐν τῷ ζῆν μηδὲν ἀξιόλογον πράξασιν ἅμα ταῖς τῶν σωμάτων τελευταῖς συναποθνήσκει καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν βίον, τοῖς δὲ διʼ ἀρετὴν περιποιησαμένοις δόξαν αἱ πράξεις ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα μνημονεύονται, διαβοώμεναι τῷ θειοτάτῳ τῆς ἱστορίας στόματι.
For all men, because of the weakness of their nature, live for only a momentary part of all eternity, and are dead for all the time that follows; and for those who have done nothing noteworthy in life, all other things of their life die along with the end of their bodies, whereas for those who have acquired fame through virtue, their deeds are remembered for all eternity, celebrated by the most divine mouth of history.
§1.2.4καλὸν δʼ, οἶμαι, τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι θνητῶν πόνων ἀντικαταλλάξασθαι τὴν ἀθάνατον εὐφημίαν.
And it is a noble thing, I think, for those who are wise to exchange mortal labors for immortal fame.
Ἡρακλῆς μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογεῖται πάντα τὸν γενόμενον αὐτῷ κατʼ ἀνθρώπους χρόνον ὑπομεῖναι μεγάλους καὶ συνεχεῖς πόνους καὶ κινδύνους ἑκουσίως, ἵνα τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐεργετήσας τύχῃ τῆς ἀθανασίας· τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν οἱ μὲν ἡρωικῶν, οἱ δὲ ἰσοθέων τιμῶν ἔτυχον, πάντες δὲ μεγάλων ἐπαίνων ἠξιώθησαν, τὰς ἀρετὰς αὐτῶν τῆς ἱστορίας ἀπαθανατιζούσης.
For Heracles is universally agreed to have voluntarily endured great and continuous labors and dangers throughout all his time among men, in order that, by benefiting the human race, he might attain immortality; and of the other good men, some obtained heroic and others godlike honors, and all were deemed worthy of great praises, since history immortalizes their virtues.
§1.2.5τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα μνημεῖα διαμένει χρόνον ὀλίγον, ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἀναιρούμενα περιστάσεων, ἡ δὲ τῆς ἱστορίας δύναμις ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διήκουσα τὸν πάντα τἄλλα λυμαινόμενον χρόνον ἔχει φύλακα τῆς αἰωνίου παραδόσεως τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις.
For other monuments remain only for a short time, being destroyed by many circumstances, but the power of history, extending over the entire inhabited world, has time, which ruins all other things, as the guardian of its eternal tradition for posterity.
συμβάλλεται δʼ αὕτη καὶ πρὸς λόγου δύναμιν, οὗ κάλλιον ἕτερον οὐκ ἄν τις ῥᾳδίως εὕροι.
And history also contributes to the power of speech, than which one would not easily find another thing more beautiful.
§1.2.6τούτῳ γὰρ οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες τῶν βαρβάρων, οἱ δὲ πεπαιδευμένοι τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων προέχουσι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις διὰ μόνου τούτου δυνατόν ἐστιν ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν περιγενέσθαι·
For by this the Greeks excel the barbarians, and the educated excel the uneducated; and furthermore, through this alone is it possible for one man to surpass the many.
καθόλου δὲ φαίνεται πᾶν τὸ προτεθὲν τοιοῦτον ὁποῖον ἄν ἡ τοῦ λέγοντος δύναμις παραστήσῃ, καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας ἀξίους λόγου προσαγορεύομεν, ὡς τοῦτο τὸ πρωτεῖον τῆς ἀρετῆς περιπεποιημένους.
In general, whatever is put forward appears to be of such a kind as the power of the speaker represents it; and we call good men "worthy of speech," as having acquired this prize of virtue.
§1.2.7εἰς πλείω δὲ μέρη τούτου διῃρημένου, συμβαίνει τὴν μὲν ποιητικὴν τέρπειν μᾶλλον ἤπερ ὠφελεῖν, τὴν δὲ νομοθεσίαν κολάζειν, οὐ διδάσκειν, παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τἄλλα μέρη τὰ μὲν μηδὲν συμβάλλεσθαι πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν, τὰ δὲ μεμιγμένην ἔχειν τῷ συμφέροντι τὴν βλάβην, ἔνια δὲ κατεψεῦσθαι τῆς ἀληθείας, μόνην δὲ τὴν ἱστορίαν, συμφωνούντων ἐν αὐτῇ τῶν λόγων τοῖς ἔργοις, ἅπαντα τἄλλα χρήσιμα τῇ γραφῇ περιειληφέναι.
But when this power is divided into several parts, it happens that poetry pleases rather than benefits, and legislation punishes but does not teach, and similarly with the other parts, some contribute nothing to happiness, others have damage mixed with what is useful, and some lie about the truth; but history alone, since in it words harmonize with deeds, has embraced all other useful things in its writing.
§1.2.8ὁρᾶσθαι γὰρ αὐτὴν προτρεπομένην ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην, κατηγοροῦσαν τῶν φαύλων, ἐγκωμιάζουσαν τοὺς ἀγαθούς, τὸ σύνολον ἐμπειρίαν μεγίστην περιποιοῦσαν τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι.
For it is seen to encourage toward justice, to accuse the wicked, to praise the good, and, in short, to provide the greatest experience to those who read it.