§12εἰκὸς δὲ πολλοὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἐναντία σοι φρονοῦντας καὶ ἄλλους ἀντὶ σοῦ τιθεμένους, ὧν ἕκαστος ὥσπερ ἐκ λόχου τοξεύων λέληθεν.
It is natural that there are many who hold opinions contrary to yours and support others instead of you, each of whom has been shooting arrows secretly as if from an ambush.
εἶτʼ ἐννόησον ἄνδρα ἐν βαθεῖ πώγωνι καὶ πολιᾷ τῇ κόμῃ ἐξεταζόμενον εἴ τι οἶδεν ὠφέλιμον, καὶ τοῖς μὲν δοκοῦντα εἰδέναι, τοῖς δὲ μή.
Then imagine a man with a thick beard and grey hair being examined as to whether he knows anything useful, appearing to some to know, and to others not.
μέσος ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνος, καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖταί σου ἅπας ὁ παρεληλυθὼς βίος, κἂν μέν τις ἢ πολίτης ὑπὸ φθόνου ἢ γείτων ἔκ τινος εὐτελοῦς αἰτίας προσκεκρουκὼς ἀνακρινόμενος εἴπῃ μοιχὸν ἢ παιδεραστήν, τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνο, ἐκ τῶν Διὸς δέλτων ὁ μάρτυς, ἂν δὲ πάντες ἅμα ἑξῆς ἐπαινῶσιν, ὕποπτοι καὶ ἀμφίβολοι καὶ δεδεκασμένοι.
Meanwhile, much time passes, and your entire past life is thoroughly investigated; and if some citizen out of envy, or a neighbor who has clashed with you for some trivial reason, when questioned, calls you an adulterer or a sodomite, there you have it—this is "the witness from the tablets of Zeus"! But if all together in succession praise you, they are suspected, deemed doubtful, and bribed.
χρὴ τοίνυν πολλὰ εὐτυχῆσαι καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως ἐναντιωθῆναι· μόνως γὰρ ἂν οὕτως κρατήσειας.
You must, therefore, be very lucky and meet no opposition at all; for only in this way could you prevail.
Εἶεν· καὶ δὴ εὐτύχηταί σοι πάντα εὐχῆς μειζόνως·
Well then, let us assume everything has turned out lucky for you, even beyond your prayers.
αὐτός τε γὰρ ἐπῄνεσε τοὺς λόγους καὶ τῶν φίλων οἱ ἐντιμότατοι καὶ οἷς μάλιστα πιστεύει τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐκ ἀπέτρεψαν· ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ βούλεται, οὐκ ἀντιλέγει δὲ οὔτε ὁ ἐπίτροπος οὔτε ὁ οἰκονόμος· οὐδέ τις ἐμέμψατό σου τὸν βίον, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἵλεω καὶ πανταχόθεν αἴσια τὰ ἱερά.
For he himself praised your speech, and the most honored of his friends, whom he trusts most in such matters, did not dissuade him; furthermore, his wife also wishes it, and neither the manager nor the steward objects; nor has anyone blamed your life, but the sacrifices are all propitious and favorable from every quarter.
§13κεκράτηκας οὖν, ὦ μακάριε, καὶ ἔστεψαι τὰ Ὀλύμπια, μᾶλλον δὲ Βαβυλῶνα εἴληφας ἢ τὴν Σάρδεων ἀκρόπολιν καθῄρηκας, καὶ ἕξεις τὸ τῆς Ἀμαλθείας κέρας καὶ ἀμέλξεις ὀρνίθων γάλα.
So you have prevailed, blessed man, and have been crowned at Olympia, or rather you have captured Babylon or demolished the citadel of Sardis; and you will have the horn of Amalthea and will milk bird's milk.
δεῖ δή σοι ἀντὶ τῶν τοσούτων πόνων μέγιστα ἡλίκα γενέσθαι τἀγαθά, ἵνα μὴ φύλλινος μόνον ὁ στέφανος ᾖ, καὶ τόν τε μισθὸν οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ὁρισθῆναι καὶ τοῦτον ἐν καιρῷ τῆς χρείας ἀπραγμόνως ἀποδίδοσθαι καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τιμὴν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ὑπάρχειν, πόνων δὲ ἐκείνων καὶ πηλοῦ καὶ δρόμων καὶ ἀγρυπνιῶν ἀναπεπαῦσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τῆς εὐχῆς, ἀποτείναντα τὼ πόδε καθεύδειν, μόνα ἐκεῖνα πράττοντα ὧν ἕνεκα τὴν ἀρχὴν παρελήφθης καὶ ὧν ἔμμισθος εἶ.
Surely, in return for such great labors, your rewards must be immense, so that the crown may not be of leaves only, and that your pay be fixed at no contemptible sum, and that this be paid without trouble in time of need, and that your other honors surpass the common crowd, and that you be rested from those labors, the mud, the runnings, and the sleepless nights, and—just as the prayer goes—stretch out your legs and sleep, doing only those things for which you were taken on in the first place and for which you are salaried.
ἐχρῆν μὲν οὕτως, ὦ Τιμόκλεις, καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν μέγα κακὸν ὑποκύψαντα φέρειν τὸν ζυγὸν ἐλαφρόν τε καὶ εὔφορον καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, ἐπίχρυσον ὄντα.
It ought to have been so, Timocles, and it would be no great evil to bow down and bear a yoke that is light, easy to carry, and, most of all, gilded.
ἀλλὰ πολλοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ παντὸς δεῖ· μυρία γάρ ἐστιν ἀφόρητα ἐλευθέρῳ ἀνδρὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἤδη ταῖς συνουσίαις γιγνόμενα.
But it is far from that, or rather, the very opposite; for there are ten thousand unbearable things happening to a free man in the actual associations themselves.
σκέψαι δὲ αὐτὸς ἑξῆς ἀκούων, εἴ τις ἂν αὐτὰ ὑπομεῖναι δύναιτο παιδείᾳ κἂν ἐπʼ ἐλάχιστον ὡμιληκώς.
Consider them yourself as you hear them in order, to see if anyone who has associated with education even in the slightest degree could endure them.
§14ἄρξομαι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου δείπνου, ἢν δοκῇ, ὅ σε εἰκὸς δειπνήσειν τὰ προτέλεια τῆς μελλούσης συνουσίας.
And I shall begin with the first dinner, if you please, which you are likely to eat as the preliminary rites of your future association.
εὐθὺς οὖν πρόσεισιν παραγγέλλων τις ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον, οὐκ ἀνομίλητος οἰκέτης, ὃν χρὴ πρῶτον ἵλεων ποιήσασθαι, παραβύσαντα εἰς τὴν χεῖρα, ὡς μὴ ἀδέξιος εἶναι δοκῇς, τοὐλάχιστον πέντε δραχμάς·
Straightway, then, someone comes to summon you to the dinner, a servant who is not unaccustomed to society, whom you must first make favorable by slipping into his hand—lest you seem ill-bred—at least five drachmas.
ὁ δὲ ἀκκισάμενος καί,
ἄπαγε, παρὰ σοῦ δὲ ἐγώ;
He, playing the coy game and whispering, "Go on, from you?
καί,
Ἡράκλεις, μὴ γένοιτο,
ὑπειπὼν τέλος ἐπείσθη, καὶ ἄπεισί σοι πλατὺ ἐγχανών.
For me?" and, "Heracles, forbid it!" is at last persuaded and departs, grinning broadly at you.
σὺ δὲ ἐσθῆτα καθαρὰν προχειρισάμενος καὶ σεαυτὸν ὡς κοσμιώτατα σχηματίσας λουσάμενος ἥκεις, δεδιὼς μὴ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφίκοιο· ἀπειρόκαλον γάρ, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ὕστατον ἥκειν φορτικόν.
You, having prepared clean clothes and arrayed yourself as decently as possible, having bathed, arrive, fearing lest you should come before the others; for to arrive too early is ill-bred, just as to come last is vulgar.
αὐτὸ οὖν τηρήσας τὸ μέσον τοῦ καιροῦ εἰσελήλυθας, καί σε πάνυ ἐντίμως ἐδέξατο, καὶ παραλαβών τις κατέκλινε μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλουσίου μετὰ δύο που σχεδὸν τῶν παλαιῶν φίλων.
Having therefore observed the middle of the occasion, you enter, and he receives you very honorably, and someone taking you in charge seats you a little above your rich host, next to about two of his old friends.