§6.54.1ἐνθυμούμενοί τε δὴ ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα δὴ ἕτερα ἡμῖν εἴρηται πρότερον, ἔτι δὲ τῶν παρακαλούντων ἐπὶ τὰς διαλλαγὰς ἀναμιμνησκόμενοι, ὅτι οὐ παρʼ ἡμῖν μόνοις ἤ πρώτοις πενία πρὸς πλοῦτον ἐστασίασε καὶ ταπεινότης πρὸς ἐπιφάνειαν, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἁπάσαις ὡς εἰπεῖν καὶ μικραῖς καὶ μεγάλαις πόλεσι πολέμιον ὡς τὰ πολλὰ τοῦ πλείονος τοὔλαττον καθίσταται· ἐν αἷς οἱ προεστηκότες τοῦ κοινοῦ μετριάσαντες μὲν ἔσωσαν τὰς πατρίδας, αὐθαδείᾳ δὲ χρησάμενοι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διώλεσαν· §6.54.2καὶ ὅτι πᾶν χρῆμα, ὃ ἂν ἐκ πολλῶν σύνθετον ᾖ, νοσεῖν πέφυκε κατά τι τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μορίων, καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ὡς οὔτε ἀνθρωπείου σώματος αἰεὶ τὸ κάμνον ἀποτεμεῖν χρὴ μέρος· αἰσχρά τε γὰρ ἡ ὄψις ἂν γίνοιτο τοῦ λειπομένου καὶ ἡ φύσις οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ διαρκής· οὔτε πολιτικῆς κοινωνίας τὴν νοσοῦσαν ἐξελαύνειν μοῖραν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν φθάνοι διὰ τῶν ἰδίων μερῶν τὸ σύμπαν ἀπολόμενον σὺν χρόνῳ· τῆς τʼ ἀνάγκης ἐνθυμηθέντες ὅσον τὸ κράτος, ᾗ καὶ θεοὶ εἴκουσι μόνῃ, μὴ χαλεπαίνετε πρὸς τὰς τύχας, μηδʼ ὡς ἁπάντων ἡμῖν κατʼ εὐχὴν ἐσομένων αὐθαδείας ἐμπίμπλασθε καὶ ἀμαθίας, ἀλλʼ ἐπικλάσθητε καὶ εἴξατε παραδείγμασι χρησάμενοι τῆς εὐβουλίας μὴ τοῖς ὀθνείοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἡμετέροις αὐτῶν ἔργοις.
Bearing in mind both these things and all the other things we have said before, and further remembering the words of those who exhort us to reconciliation, namely, that it is not with us alone or first that poverty has rebelled against wealth and lowliness against eminence, but that in almost all cities, both small and great, the fewer are usually made enemies of the more; and that in these cities those who stood at the head of the commonwealth, when they showed moderation, saved their fatherlands, but when they acted with stubbornness, destroyed themselves along with their other advantages; and that every object which is composed of many parts is by nature subject to disease in some of its members; and furthermore, that just as one ought not always to cut off the diseased part of a human body—for the appearance of what remains would become unsightly and its nature not lasting for long—so one ought not to expel the diseased portion of a political community, for the whole would not fail to perish in time through its own parts; and reflecting on how great is the power of necessity, to which alone even gods yield, do not be angry at fortune, nor be filled with stubbornness and ignorance as if everything would go according to our wish, but relent and yield, employing as examples of good counsel not foreign deeds, but our own.