§10Οὕτω δὴ ἔχων ἐσκοπούμην ἤδη περὶ τῶν πρακτέων, καὶ τὸ μὲν δεῖξαι τῶν λόγων ὑμῖν πάλαι ἐδέδοκτο.
Being in this state of mind, I was already considering what was to be done, and indeed, to show you my speeches had long been decided upon.
τίσι γὰρ ἂν ἄλλοις ἔδειξα σιωπῇ παροδεύσας τηλικαύτην πόλιν;
For to whom else should I have shown them, having passed by so great a city in silence?
ἐζήτουν γάρ, οὐδὲ ἀποκρύψομαι τἀληθές, οἵτινες οἱ προὔχοντες εἶεν καὶ οἷς ἄν τις προσελθὼν καὶ ἐπιγραψάμενος προστάτας συναγωνισταῖς χρῷτο πρὸς τὰ ὅλα.
For I was seeking—nor will I conceal the truth—who the leading men were, and whom one might approach and register as patrons to use as fellow-combatants for the whole.
ἐνταῦθά μοι οὐχ εἶς, ὥσπερ τῷ Ἀναχάρσιδι, καὶ οὗτος βάρβαρος, ὁ Τόξαρις, ἀλλὰ πολλοί, μᾶλλον δὲ πάντες τὰ αὐτὰ μόνον οὐ ταῖς αὐταῖς συλλαβαῖς ἔλεγον· ὦ ξένε, πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι χρηστοὶ καὶ δεξιοὶ ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀλλαχόθι τοσούτους εὕροις ἄνδρας ἀγαθούς, δύο δὲ μάλιστά ἐστον ἡμῖν ἄνδρε ἀρίστω, γένει μὲν καὶ ἀξιώματι πολὺ προὔχοντε ἁπάντων, παιδείᾳ δὲ καὶ λόγων δυνάμει τῇ Ἀττικῇ δεκάδι παραβάλλοις ἄν.
Then, not just one man for me, as Toxaris was for Anacharsis—and he too a barbarian—but many, or rather all, said the same things in almost the same syllables: "O stranger, there are indeed many other good and clever men throughout the city, and you would not find so many excellent men elsewhere, but we have two especially who are the best of men, far excelling all in birth and dignity, and in education and the power of Attic eloquence you might compare them to the Attic Ten.
ἡ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ δήμου εὔνοια πάνυ ἐρωτικὴ πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ τουτὶ γίγνεται, ὅ τι ἂν οὗτοι ἐθέλωσιν.
And the goodwill of the people towards them is completely passionate, and whatever they wish, that comes to pass.
ἐθέλουσι γὰρ ὅ τι ἂν ἄριστον ᾖ τῇ πόλει.
For they wish whatever is best for the city.
τὴν μὲν γὰρ χρηστότητα καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ξένους φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τὸ ἐν μεγέθει τοσούτῳ ἀνεπίφθονον καὶ τὸ μετ' εὐνοίας αἰδέσιμον καὶ τὸ πρᾷον καὶ τὸ εὐπρόσοδον αὐτὸς ἂν ἄλλοις διηγήσαιο πειραθεὶς μικρὸν ὕστερον. §11Καὶ ὡς μᾶλλον θαυμάσῃς, μιᾶς καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οἰκίας ἐστόν, υἱὸς καὶ πατήρ, ὁ μέν, εἴ τινα Σόλωνα ἢ Περικλέα ἢ Ἀριστείδην ἐπινοεῖς, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς καὶ ὀφθεὶς μὲν αὐτίκα ἐπάξεταί σε, οὕτω μέγας ἐστὶ καὶ καλὸς ἀρρενωπήν τινα τὴν εὐμορφίαν·
For their kindness, their philanthropy towards strangers, their freedom from envy in so great a height, their respectability accompanied by goodwill, their gentleness, and their accessibility, you yourself will relate to others, having experienced them a little later." "And that you may wonder more, they are of one and the same house, a father and a son—the one, if you can imagine a Solon or Pericles or Aristides, is such a man; and the son, even by being seen, will immediately win you over, so great and handsome is he, with a certain manly beauty.
εἰ δὲ καὶ φθέγξαιτο μόνον, οἰχήσεταί σε ἀπὸ τῶν ὤτων ἀναδησάμενος, τοσαύτην Ἀφροδίτην ἐπὶ τῇ γλώττῃ ὁ νεανίσκος ἔχει.
And if he should even utter a sound, he will carry you off, bound by the ears, so much Aphrodite does the young man have upon his tongue.
ἥ γέ τοι πόλις ἅπασα κεχηνότες αὐτοῦ ἀκούουσιν, ὁπόταν δημηγορήσων παρέλθῃ, ὁποῖόν φασι τοὺς τότε Ἀθηναίους πρὸς τὸν τοῦ Κλεινίου πεπονθέναι, παρ' ὅσον τοῖς μὲν οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν μετεμέλησε τοῦ ἔρωτος, ὃν ἠράσθησαν τοῦ Ἀλκιβιάδου, τοῦτον δὲ ἡ πόλις οὐ φιλεῖ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰδεῖσθαι ἤδη ἀξιοῖ, καὶ ὅλως ἒν τοῦτο ἡμῖν δημόσιον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν καὶ μέγα ὄφελος ἅπασιν, ἁνὴρ οὗτος.
Indeed, the whole city listens to him with open mouths whenever he comes forward to speak in public, just as they say the Athenians of that time felt towards the son of Clinias, except that the former did not wait long to repent of their love which they conceived for Alcibiades, whereas the city not only loves this man but already thinks him worthy of respect; and in short, this man is our one public blessing and a great help to all.
εἰ δὴ αὐτός τε καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ δέξαιντό σε καὶ φίλον ποιήσαιντο, πᾶσαν ἔχεις τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἐπισεῖσαι χρὴ τὴν χεῖρα, τοῦτο μόνον, καὶ οὐκέτ' ἐνδοιάσιμα τὰ σά. ταῦτα νὴ τὸν Δί' ἅπαντες ἔλεγον (εἰ χρὴ καὶ ὅρκον ἐπάγειν τῷ λόγῳ), καί μοι ἤδη πειρωμένῳ τὸ πολλοστὸν τῶν προσόντων εἰρηκέναι ἔδοξαν.
If, then, he and his father should receive you and make you their friend, you have the whole city, and you need only shake your hand—this only—and your affairs are no longer doubtful." These things, by Zeus, everyone said (if one must even add an oath to the story), and to me, now experiencing them, they seemed to have spoken but a fraction of their qualities.
“οὐχ ἕδρας τοίνυν οὐδ’ ἀμβολᾶς ἔργον,” ὡς ὁ Κεῖός φησιν, ἀλλὰ χρὴ πάντα μὲν κάλων κινεῖν, πάντα δὲ πράττειν καὶ λέγειν, ὡς φίλοι ἡμῖν τοιοῦτοι γένοιντο· ἢν γὰρ τοῦτο ὑπάρξῃ, εὔδια πάντα καὶ πλοῦς οὔριος καὶ λειοκύμων ἡ θάλαττα καὶ ὁ λιμὴν πλησίον.
"It is not a matter for sitting then, nor for delay," as the Cean says, but we must set every sail and do and say everything, so that such men may become our friends; for if this is secured, all is calm, the voyage is favorable, the sea is smooth, and the harbor is near.