§1.70.1πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν βίον εἶχον οὐχ ὅμοιον τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς ἐν μοναρχικαῖς ἐξουσίαις οὖσι καὶ πάντα πράττουσι κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν προαίρεσιν ἀνυπευθύνως, ἀλλʼ ἦν ἅπαντα τεταγμένα νόμων ἐπιταγαῖς, οὐ μόνον τὰ περὶ τοὺς χρηματισμούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν καθʼ ἡμέραν διαγωγὴν καὶ δίαιταν.
First of all, then, their kings led a life not like that of others who are in monarchical power and do everything according to their own purpose without accountability, but all things were regulated by the prescriptions of laws, not only the matters concerning public business, but also those concerning daily conduct and diet.
§1.70.2περὶ μὲν γὰρ τὴν θεραπείαν αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς ἦν οὔτʼ ἀργυρώνητος οὔτʼ οἰκογενὴς δοῦλος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἱερέων υἱοὶ πάντες, ὑπὲρ εἴκοσι μὲν ἔτη γεγονότες, πεπαιδευμένοι δὲ κάλλιστα τῶν ὁμοεθνῶν, ἵνα τοὺς ἐπιμελησομένους τοῦ σώματος καὶ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα προσεδρεύοντας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔχων ἀρίστους μηδὲν ἐπιτηδεύῃ φαῦλον· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐπὶ πλέον κακίας προβαίνει δυνάστης, ἐὰν μὴ τοὺς ὑπηρετήσοντας ἔχῃ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις.
For concerning their personal service, there was no slave, either bought with money or born in the house, but all were sons of the most distinguished priests, who were over twenty years of age and had been educated best of their fellow countrymen, in order that the king, having the best men to take care of his body and to attend him day and night, might practice nothing base; for no ruler advances further in wickedness unless he has those who will minister to his desires.
§1.70.3διατεταγμέναι δʼ ἦσαν αἵ τε τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς ὧραι, καθʼ ἃς ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου καθῆκον ἦν τὸν βασιλέα πράττειν τὸ συντεταγμένον, οὐ τὸ δεδογμένον ἑαυτῷ.
And the hours of both the day and the night were regulated, during which it was by all means necessary for the king to do what was prescribed, and not what seemed good to himself.
§1.70.4ἕωθεν μὲν γὰρ ἐγερθέντα λαβεῖν αὐτὸν ἔδει πρῶτον τὰς πανταχόθεν ἀπεσταλμένας ἐπιστολάς, ἵνα δύνηται πάντα κατὰ τρόπον χρηματίζειν καὶ πράττειν, εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ἕκαστα τῶν κατὰ τὴν βασιλείαν συντελουμένων· ἔπειτα λουσάμενον καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀρχῆς συσσήμοις μετʼ ἐσθῆτος λαμπρᾶς κοσμήσαντα τὸ σῶμα §1.70.5θῦσαι τοῖς θεοῖς.
For having arisen at dawn, he had first to receive the letters sent from everywhere, so that he might be able to administer and do all things properly, knowing accurately each of the things being accomplished throughout the kingdom; then having bathed and having adorned his body with a splendid garment along with the symbols of office, he had to sacrifice to the gods.
τῷ τε βωμῷ προσαχθέντων τῶν θυμάτων ἔθος ἦν τὸν ἀρχιερέα στάντα πλησίον τοῦ βασιλέως εὔχεσθαι μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ, περιεστῶτος τοῦ πλήθους τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, δοῦναι τήν τε ὑγίειαν καὶ τἄλλα ἀγαθὰ πάντα τῷ βασιλεῖ διατηροῦντι τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ὑποτεταγμένους δίκαια.
And when the sacrificial victims had been brought to the altar, it was the custom for the high priest, standing near the king, to pray with a loud voice, while the multitude of the Egyptians stood around, that the gods might grant both health and all other good things to the king who preserved justice toward his subjects.
§1.70.6ἀνθομολογεῖσθαι δʼ ἦν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὰς κατὰ μέρος ἀρετὰς αὐτοῦ, λέγοντα διότι πρός τε τοὺς θεοὺς εὐσεβῶς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἡμερώτατα διάκειται· ἐγκρατής τε γάρ ἐστι καὶ δίκαιος καὶ μεγαλόψυχος, ἔτι δʼ ἀψευδὴς καὶ μεταδοτικὸς τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ καθόλου πάσης ἐπιθυμίας κρείττων, καὶ τὰς μὲν τιμωρίας ἐλάττους τῆς ἀξίας ἐπιτιθεὶς τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι, τὰς δὲ χάριτας μείζονας τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀποδιδοὺς τοῖς εὐεργετήσασι.
And it was necessary also to acknowledge his virtues one by one, the priest saying that the king was piously disposed toward the gods and most gently toward men; for he is self-controlled, just, magnanimous, and furthermore free from falsehood, sharing his goods, and in general superior to every desire, imposing punishments lighter than what is deserved upon offences, and returning favors greater than the benefit to those who have done him good.
§1.70.7πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα παραπλήσια τούτοις διελθὼν ὁ κατευχόμενος τὸ τελευταῖον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀγνοουμένων ἀρὰν ἐποιεῖτο, τὸν μὲν βασιλέα τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἐξαιρούμενος, εἰς δὲ τοὺς ὑπηρετοῦντας καὶ διδάξαντας τὰ φαῦλα καὶ τὴν βλάβην καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀξιῶν ἀποσκῆψαι.
And having gone through many other things similar to these, the one who was praying made in the end a curse concerning errors committed in ignorance, exempting the king from the accusations, but demanding that the harm and the punishment should fall upon those who served him and taught him base things.
§1.70.8ταῦτα δʼ ἔπραττεν ἅμα μὲν εἰς δεισιδαιμονίαν καὶ θεοφιλῆ βίον τὸν βασιλέα προτρεπόμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ κατὰ τρόπον ζῆν ἐθίζων οὐ διὰ πικρᾶς νουθετήσεως, ἀλλὰ διʼ ἐπαίνων κεχαρισμένων καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν μάλιστʼ ἀνηκόντων.
And he did these things, on the one hand, encouraging the king to piety and a life beloved of God, and on the other hand, accustoming him to live in a proper manner, not through bitter admonition, but through pleasing praises that were most conducive to virtue.
§1.70.9μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ βασιλέως ἱεροσκοπησαμένου μόσχῳ καὶ καλλιερήσαντος, ὁ μὲν ἱερογραμματεὺς παρανεγίνωσκέ τινας συμβουλίας συμφερούσας καὶ πράξεις ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν βίβλων τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἀνδρῶν, ὅπως ὁ τῶν ὅλων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχων τὰς καλλίστας προαιρέσεις τῇ διανοίᾳ θεωρήσας οὕτω πρὸς τὴν τεταγμένην τῶν κατὰ μέρος τρέπηται διοίκησιν.
And after these things, when the king had inspected the entrails of a calf and had obtained favorable omens, the sacred scribe read aloud certain useful counsels and deeds from the sacred books of the most distinguished men, so that the one holding the leadership of all things, having contemplated the most noble purposes in his mind, might thus turn himself to the prescribed administration of individual matters.
§1.70.10οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοῦ χρηματίζειν ἢ κρίνειν ἦν καιρὸς ὡρισμένος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ περιπατῆσαι καὶ λούσασθαι καὶ κοιμηθῆναι μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ καθόλου τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον πραττομένων ἁπάντων.
For there was an appointed time not only for administering public business or rendering judgment, but also for walking, bathing, sleeping with his wife, and in general for all the things done in life.
§1.70.11τροφαῖς δʼ ἔθος ἦν αὐτοῖς ἁπαλαῖς χρῆσθαι, κρέα μὲν μόσχων καὶ χηνῶν μόνων προσφερομένους, οἴνου δὲ τακτόν τι μέτρον πίνοντας μὴ δυνάμενον πλησμονὴν ἄκαιρον ἢ μέθην περιποιῆσαι.
And it was their custom to make use of simple foods, taking the meat of calves and geese only, and drinking a certain prescribed measure of wine that was not capable of producing untimely surfeit or drunkenness.
§1.70.12καθόλου δὲ τὰ περὶ τὴν δίαιταν οὕτως ὑπῆρχε συμμέτρως διατεταγμένα ὥστε δοκεῖν μὴ νομοθέτην, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἄριστον τῶν ἰατρῶν συντεταχέναι τῆς ὑγιείας στοχαζόμενον.
And in general, the matters concerning diet were so moderately regulated that they seemed to have been prescribed not by a lawgiver, but by the best of physicians aiming at health.