§1.7τὸ δʼ ὅλον οἱ δῆμοι οὐκ ἐξετάζοντες ὁποῖός τις ὁ τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐφεστώς ἐστιν, εἴτε δίκαιος εἴτε ἄδικος, αὐτὸ ἁπλῶς τὸ τῆς τυραννίδος ὄνομα μισοῦσι καὶ τὸν τύραννον, κἂν Αἰακὸς ἢ Μίνως ἢ Ῥαδάμανθυς ᾖ, ὁμοίως ἐξ ἅπαντος ἀνελεῖν σπεύδουσιν, τοὺς μὲν πονηροὺς αὐτῶν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τιθέμενοι, τοὺς δὲ χρηστοὺς τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς προσηγορίας τῷ ὁμοίῳ μίσει συμπεριλαμβάνοντες.
In general, however, the common people, not examining what sort of person the one in charge of affairs is, whether just or unjust, simply hate the name of tyranny itself and the tyrant, and even if he were Aeacus, Minos, or Rhadamanthys, they hasten to destroy him equally and at all costs. While they place the wicked among them before their eyes, they encompass the good with the same hatred because of the sharing of the name.
ἐγὼ γοῦν ἀκούω καὶ παρʼ ὑμῖν τοῖς Ἕλλησι πολλοὺς γενέσθαι τυράννους σοφοὺς ὑπὸ φαύλῳ ὀνόματι δοκοῦντι χρηστὸν καὶ ἥμερον ἦθος ἐπιδεδειγμένους, ὧν ἐνίων καὶ λόγους εἶναι βραχεῖς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ὑμῶν ἀποκειμένους, ἀγάλματα καὶ ἀναθήματα τῷ Πυθίῳ.
At all events, I hear that among you Greeks, too, many wise tyrants have arisen who under a reputedly bad name displayed a good and gentle character, some of whose brief sayings are laid up in your temple as images and dedications to the Pythian god.
§1.8ὁρᾶτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς νομοθέτας τῷ κολαστικῷ εἴδει τὸ πλέον νέμοντας, ὡς τῶν γε ἄλλων οὐδὲν ὄφελος, εἰ μὴ ὁ φόβος προσείη καὶ ἐλπὶς τῆς κολάσεως.
And you see that the legislators also assign the greater part to the punitive element, as there is no use in the others if fear and the expectation of punishment are not present.
ἡμῖν δὲ τοῦτο πολλῷ ἀναγκαιότερον τοῖς τυράννοις, ὅσῳ πρὸς ἀνάγκην ἐξηγούμεθα καὶ μισοῦσί τε ἅμα καὶ ἐπιβουλεύουσιν ἀνθρώποις σύνεσμεν, ὅπου μηδὲ τῶν μορμολυκείων ὄφελός τι ἡμῖν γίγνεται, ἀλλὰ τῷ περὶ τῆς Ὕδρας μύθῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔοικεν· ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν ἐκκόπτωμεν, τοσῷδε πλείους ἡμῖν ἀναφύονται τοῦ κολάζειν ἀφορμαί.
And for us tyrants this is much more necessary, insofar as we rule by force and live among people who at the same time hate us and plot against us, where not even bogymen are of any use to us, but the matter resembles the myth of the Hydra; for the more we cut off, the more occasions for punishment grow upon us.
φέρειν δὲ ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸ ἀναφυόμενον ἐκκόπτειν ἀεὶ καὶ ἐπικαίειν νὴ Δία κατὰ τὸν Ἰόλεων, εἰ μέλλομεν ἐπικρατήσειν· τὸν γὰρ ἅπαξ εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐμπεσεῖν ἠναγκασμένον ὅμοιον χρὴ τῇ ὑποθέσει καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι, ἢ φειδόμενον τῶν πλησίον ἀπολωλέναι.
But it is necessary to endure and to always cut off what grows and indeed to burn it, by Zeus, in the manner of Iolaus, if we are to prevail; for one who has once been forced into such a situation must himself be like his premise, or perish through sparing his neighbors.
ὅλως δέ, τίνα οἴεσθε οὕτως ἄγριον ἢ ἀνήμερον ἄνθρωπον εἶναι ὡς ἥδεσθαι μαστιγοῦντα καὶ οἰμωγῶν ἀκούοντα καὶ σφαττομένους ὁρῶντα, εἰ μὴ ἔχοι τινὰ μεγάλην τοῦ κολάζειν αἰτίαν;
In short, who do you think is so wild or savage a man as to enjoy whipping, hearing groans, and seeing people slaughtered, unless he has some great reason for punishing?
ποσάκις γοῦν ἐδάκρυσα μαστιγουμένων ἄλλων, ποσάκις δὲ θρηνεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ τύχην ἀναγκάζομαι μείζω κόλασιν αὐτὸς καὶ χρονιωτέραν ὑπομένων;
How many times indeed have I wept when others were being whipped, and how many times am I forced to lament and bewail my own fortune, myself enduring a greater and more lasting punishment?
ἀνδρὶ γὰρ φύσει μὲν ἀγαθῷ, διὰ δὲ ἀνάγκην πικρῷ, πολὺ τοῦ κολάζεσθαι τὸ κολάζειν χαλεπώτερον.
For to a man good by nature, but bitter through necessity, punishing is much harder than being punished.
§1.9εἰ δὲ δεῖ μετὰ παρρησίας εἰπεῖν, ἐγὼ μέν, εἰ αἵρεσίς μοι προτεθείη, πότερα βούλομαι κολάζειν τινὰς ἀδίκως ἢ αὐτὸς ἀποθανεῖν, εὖ ἴστε ὡς οὐδὲν μελλήσας ἑλοίμην ἂν τεθνάναι μᾶλλον ἢ μηδὲν ἀδικοῦντας κολάζειν.
But if I must speak with frankness, if a choice were offered to me, whether I wish to punish some unjustly or die myself, know well that without any hesitation I would choose to die rather than punish those who do no wrong.
εἰ δέ τις φαίη, Βούλει, ὦ Φάλαρι, τεθνάναι αὐτὸς ἀδίκως ἢ δικαίως κολάζειν τοὺς ἐπιβούλους; τοῦτο βουλοίμην ἄν·
But if someone should say, "Do you wish, Phalaris, to die unjustly yourself or to punish the plotters justly?" I would wish the latter.
αὖθις γὰρ ὑμᾶς, ὦ Δελφοί, συμβούλους καλῶ, πότερον ἄμεινον εἶναι ἀδίκως ἀποθανεῖν ἢ ἀδίκως σώζειν τὸν ἐπιβεβουλευκότα;
For again I call upon you, O Delphians, as advisers: is it better to die unjustly or to save unjustly the one who plotted?
οὐδεὶς οὕτως, οἶμαι, ἀνόητός ἐστιν ὃς οὐκ ἂν προτιμήσειε ζῆν μᾶλλον ἢ σώζων τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀπολωλέναι.
No one, I think, is so foolish as not to prefer to live rather than perish while saving his enemies.
καίτοι πόσους ἐγὼ καὶ τῶν ἐπιχειρησάντων μοι καὶ φανερῶς ἐληλεγμένων ὅμως ἔσωσα;
And yet, how many of those who set upon me and were clearly convicted have I nevertheless saved?
οἷον Ἄκανθον τουτονὶ καὶ Τιμοκράτη καὶ Λεωγόραν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, παλαιᾶς συνηθείας τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς μνημονεύσας.
Such as Acanthas here, and Timocrates, and Leogoras his brother, because I remembered my ancient familiarity with them.
§1.10ὅταν δὲ βουληθῆτε τοὐμὸν εἰδέναι, τοὺς εἰσφοιτῶντας εἰς Ἀκράγαντα ξένους ἐρωτήσατε ὁποῖος ἐγὼ περὶ αὐτούς εἰμι καὶ εἰ φιλανθρώπως προσφέρομαι τοῖς καταίρουσιν, ὅς γε καὶ σκοποὺς ἐπὶ τῶν λιμένων ἔχω καὶ πευθῆνας, τίνες ὅθεν καταπεπλεύκασιν, ὡς κατʼ ἀξίαν τιμῶν ἀποπέμποιμι αὐτούς.
And when you wish to know my character, ask the strangers who come to Acragas what kind of person I am toward them, and whether I treat those who land with benevolence, since indeed I have scouts and questioners at the harbors to find out who has sailed in and from where, so that I might send them away honoring them according to their worth.
ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ ἐξεπίτηδες φοιτῶσι παρʼ ἐμέ, οἱ σοφώτατοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων, καὶ οὐ φεύγουσι τὴν συνουσίαν τὴν ἐμήν, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ πρῴην ὁ σοφὸς Πυθαγόρας ἧκεν ὡς ἡμᾶς, ἄλλα μὲν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ ἀκηκοώς· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπειράθη, ἀπῆλθεν ἐπαινῶν με τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐλεῶν τῆς ἀναγκαίας ὠμότητος.
And some even visit me on purpose, the wisest of the Greeks, and do not avoid my company, just as indeed lately the wise Pythagoras came to us, having heard other things about me; but when he had made trial, he went away praising me for my justice and pitying me for my necessary cruelty.
εἶτα οἴεσθε τὸν πρὸς τοὺς ὀθνείους φιλάνθρωπον οὕτως ἂν πικρῶς τοῖς οἰκείοις προσφέρεσθαι, εἰ μή τι διαφερόντως ἠδίκητο;
Do you then think that one so benevolent toward strangers would behave so bitterly toward his own people, unless he had been exceptionally wronged?