§19.18.1ἂν ταῦτα λέγοντες ἐκγράψωσί με τῆς βουλῆς καὶ μεταγάγωσιν εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀτίμων φυλάς, τί πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἕξω λέγειν δίκαιον ἢ ποιεῖν;
"If, speaking thus, they should remove me from the senate and transfer me to the tribes of the disenfranchised, what just thing shall I have to say or do to them?
τίνα τὸν μετὰ ταῦτα βίον ζήσομαι τηλικαύτῃ περιπεσὼν ἀτιμίᾳ §19.18.2καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ πάντας περιλαβών;
What kind of life shall I live hereafter, having fallen into such great disgrace and having involved all my descendants?
σοὶ δὲ αὐτῷ τί χρήσιμος ἔτι φανήσομαι τὸ δύνασθαί τι καὶ τιμᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῖς πολίταις ἀποβαλών, διʼ ἃ νῦν ἐσπούδακας περὶ ἐμοῦ;
And to you yourself, how shall I appear useful any longer, having lost the power to achieve anything and to be honored among my fellow citizens, on account of which you have now shown such eagerness for me?
λείπεται δὴ τὸν οὐδεμίαν ἔτι χώραν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι κατέχειν δυνάμενον ἀπιέναι πανοικεσίᾳ, τὰς ἀσχήμονας αὑτοῦ καταγνόντα φυγάς.
It remains, then, for one who can no longer occupy any place in his country to depart with his whole household, having condemned himself to shameful exile.
§19.18.3ἔπειτα ποῦ τὸν λοιπὸν ἔσομαι χρόνον;
Then where shall I be for the rest of my time?
ἢ τίς ὑποδέξεταί με τόπος ἀπαρρησίαστον γενόμενον ὥσπερ εἰκός;
Or what place will receive me, deprived of free speech, as is likely?
ἡ σὴ βασιλεία, νὴ Δία, καὶ παρέξεις μοι σὺ τὴν τυραννικὴν ἅπασαν εὐδαιμονίαν;
Your kingdom, by Zeus, and will you provide me with all your tyrannical happiness?
καὶ τί μοι τηλικοῦτο δώσεις ἀγαθόν, ὅσον ἀφελεῖ τὸ πάντων τιμιώτατον κτημάτων ἀφελόμενος, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν;
And what good so great will you give me, compared to what you will take away by depriving me of the most precious of all possessions, liberty?
§19.18.4πῶς δʼ ἂν ὑπομεῖναι δυναίμην ἐγὼ τοῦ βίου μεταβολὴν ὀψὲ δουλεύειν διδασκόμενος;
And how could I endure a change of life, being taught to serve in old age?
ὅπου γὰρ οἱ γεννηθέντες ἐν βασιλείαις καὶ τυραννίσιν, ὅταν εὐγενῶς ἔχωσι, τῆς ἐλευθερίας γλίχονται καὶ πάνθʼ ἡγοῦνται τἀγαθὰ ταύτης ἐλάττω, ἦ που οἱ ἐν ἐλευθέρᾳ καὶ ἑτέρων ἄρχειν μαθούσῃ πόλει βιώσαντες πρᾴως οἴσουσι τὴν ἐκ τῶν κρειττόνων ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω μεταβολήν, ἐξ ἐλευθέρων ὑπομείναντες δοῦλοι γενέσθαι, ἵνα λαμπρὰς παρατιθῶνται καθʼ ἡμέραν τραπέζας καὶ πολλοὺς θεράποντας περιάγωνται καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων εὐπρεπῶν ἀφειδεῖς ἀπολαύσεις λαμβάνωσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν τούτοις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης εὐδαιμονίας κειμένης, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐν ἀρετῇ;
For where those born in kingdoms and tyrannies, when they are of noble nature, long for liberty and consider all goods inferior to it, surely those who have lived in a free city accustomed to ruling over others will not bear gently the change from better to worse, having submitted to become slaves from being free men, just so they may have splendid tables set before them every day, lead about many servants, and enjoy lavishly comely women and boys, as if human happiness consisted in these things and not in virtue?
§19.18.5αὐτῶν δὲ τούτων, ἵνα συγχωρήσῃ τις αὐτὰ πολλῆς εἶναι σπουδῆς ἄξια, τίς γένοιτʼ ἂν ἱλαρὰ χρῆσις οὐκ ἔχουσα τὸ βέβαιον;
And of these very things, even if one should grant that they are worthy of great eagerness, what cheerful use could there be that does not possess stability?
ἐφʼ ὑμῖν γάρ ἐστι τοῖς παρέχουσι τὰς ἡδονὰς ταύτας, ὅταν αὐτοὶ θέλητε, πάλιν αὐτὰς ἀφαιρεῖσθαι.
For it depends upon you who provide these pleasures to take them away again whenever you wish.
ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν τοὺς φθόνους, τὰς διαβολάς, τὸ μηδένα χρόνον ἄνευ κινδύνου καὶ φόβου ζῆν, τἆλλα πολλά, ὅσα φέρει χαλεπὰ καὶ οὐκ ἄξια γενναίου φρονήματος ὁ παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι βίος.
For I refrain from speaking of the envies, the slanders, the living at no time without danger and fear, and the many other troubles that life with kings brings, which are painful and unworthy of a noble mind.
§19.18.6μὴ τοσαύτη μανία κατάσχοι Φαβρίκιον, ὥστε τὴν περιβόητον καταλιπόντα Ῥώμην τὸν ἐν Ἠπείρῳ προελέσθαι βίον, καὶ ἐξὸν ἡγεμόνος ἡγεῖσθαι πόλεως ὑφʼ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἄρχεσθαι μηθὲν ἴσον τοῖς ἄλλοις φρονοῦντος καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἀκούειν παρὰ πάντων ἐθισθέντος.
May no such madness possess Fabricius that, leaving renowned Rome, he should choose life in Epirus, and, when it is possible to lead a ruling city, choose to be ruled by a single man who thinks nothing on equal terms with others and is accustomed to hearing words of pleasure from all.
§19.18.7ἀλλάξαι μέν γε τὸ φρόνημα καὶ ταπεινὸν ἐμαυτὸν ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος, ἵνα μηδὲν ὑποπτεύῃς ἐξ ἐμοῦ κακόν, οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην· διαμένων δὲ τοιοῦτος, οἷον ἡ φύσις καὶ τὰ ἔθη πεποίηκέ με, βαρὺς φανήσομαί σοι καὶ περισπᾶν δόξω τὴν ἡγεμονίαν εἰς ἐμαυτόν.
For to change my mind and make myself humble, so that you may suspect no evil from me, I should not be able; but remaining such as nature and habit have made me, I shall appear burdensome to you and seem to draw the rule to myself.
τὸ δʼ ὅλον ἔχω σοι παραινεῖν, μὴ ὅτι Φαβρίκιον, ἀλλὰ μηδʼ ἄλλον μηδένα δέχεσθαι τῇ βασιλείᾳ μήτε κρείττονα μήτε ἴσον σεαυτῷ, μηδὲ ὅλως ἄνδρα ἐν ἐλευθέροις ἤθεσι τραφέντα καὶ φρόνημα μεῖζον ἢ κατʼ ἰδιώτην ἔχοντα.
In short, I can advise you to receive into your kingdom neither Fabricius nor anyone else, whether better or equal to yourself, nor indeed any man reared in free habits and having a spirit greater than that of a private citizen.
§19.18.8οὔτε γὰρ ἀσφαλὴς βασιλεῖ σύνοικος ἀνὴρ μεγαλόφρων οὔτε ἡδύς.
For a high-minded man is neither a safe nor a pleasant companion for a king.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἰδίων συμφερόντων, ἅ σοι πρακτέον ἐστίν, αὐτὸς διαγνώσῃ, περὶ δὲ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐπιεικές τι βουλευσάμενος ἄφες ἡμᾶς ἀπιέναι. ὡς δὲ ἐπαύσατο λέγων, ἀγασθεὶς αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐγένειαν τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δεξιᾶς λαμβάνεται καί φησιν· οὐκέτι θαυμάζειν ἐπέρχεταί μοι, διὰ τί περιβόητος ἡ πόλις ὑμῶν ἐστι καὶ τοσοῦτον ἡγεμονίας περιβέβληται μέγεθος, τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν οὖσα τροφός·
But as for your own interests, what you ought to do, you yourself will judge; but having made some equitable decision regarding the prisoners, let us depart." When he had finished speaking, the king, admiring the nobility of his soul, took him by the right hand and said: "It no longer occurs to me to wonder why your city is famous and has achieved such greatness of dominion, being the nurse of such men.
καὶ μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ἐβουλόμην ἂν ἐξ ἀρχῆς μηδεμίαν συμβῆναί μοι πρὸς ὑμᾶς διαφοράν, ἐπεὶ δὲ συνέβη, καὶ θεῶν τις ἐβούλετο πειραθέντας ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀλλήλων δυνάμεως καὶ ἀρετῆς τότε συναγαγεῖν, ἕτοιμός εἰμι διαλύεσθαι, καὶ ἵνα πρῶτος ἄρξω τῶν φιλανθρώπων, ἐφʼ ἃ παρακαλεῖτέ με, χαρίζομαι τῇ πόλει τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἅπαντας ἄνευ λύτρων.
Therefore, I would have wished above all that no dispute had arisen between us from the beginning; but since it has happened, and one of the gods wished us to test each other’s power and virtue and then bring us together, I am ready to make terms.
Λιβύην χειρωσάμενος μέχρι καὶ τῶν προσωκεανίων ἐθνῶν.
And so that I may be the first to begin the acts of humanity for which you appeal to me, I grant all the prisoners to the city without ransom." Having subdued Libya as far as the tribes near the ocean...
στεπη. βψζ. ς. ϝ. Ὠκεανός.
Oceanus.