§41κλῦτε φίλοι, θεῖός μοι ἐνύπνιον ἦλθεν ὄνειρος, ἔφη αὐτὸ τὸ ὄναρ.
"Hear me, friends, a divine dream-vision came to me in my sleep," said the dream itself.
ταύτην γὰρ δὴ ἐδόκουν ἀρχὴν ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ λόγου, ὡς ὕπαρ τὸ ὄναρ σκοπῶν ἐπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ·
For I resolved to make this the beginning of my speech, examining the dream on my own part as if it were a waking reality.
ἐχέτω δὴ καὶ τὸ ἐνύπνιον ὡς ὕπαρ, καὶ τὸ δρώμενον ὡς ἡ πρόρρησις εἶχεν.
Let, then, the dream also be as a waking reality, and what is done be as the prediction foretold.
ἦν δὲ ὁ νοῦς ἄρα ἐγκώμιον ποιῆσαι Ποδαλειρίῳ· τὸ μὲν πρῶτον Ποδαλειρίῳ, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ὑπήχθην εἰς Μαχάονα.
And the intent was, as it turned out, to compose an encomium for Podalirius; at first for Podalirius, but after this I was led on to Machaon.
ἀποροῦντι δέ μοι ὁπότερον χρὴ ἐπαινεῖν, τέλος ἔδοξεν ἀμφοτέρους.
And as I was at a loss which of the two I ought to praise, at last it seemed best to praise both.
οὔτε γὰρ ἔτι θεμιτὸν εἶναι παραλιπεῖν τὸν ἕτερον, ἐπειδή γε ἀμφοῖν ἔσχον ἔννοιαν, ὁπότερός τε εἴη ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ὀνείρατος, ἓν ἔσεσθαι πάντως ἀμφοῖν ἐπαινουμένων· καὶ ἐμοὶ πρός τε ἐκεῖνον καὶ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους ἕξειν καλῶς.
For it was no longer right to leave out the other, since indeed I had both of them in mind, and whichever of the two was the one from the dream, the result would in any case be one and the same if both were praised; and it would turn out well for me both towards that god and towards both of them.
εἶεν.
Well then.
θεοῦ δὴ προβαλόντος, πότερον δεδιέναι χρὴ μειζόνως ἢ θαρρεῖν, δεδιέναι μὲν ἀνάγκη, μὴ χεῖρον ἐπιδειξώμεθα ἐν τοσούτῳ κριτῇ, αἱ δὲ ἐλπίδες καλλίους· αὐτῷ γὰρ μελήσειν εἰκός.
Since a god has proposed the subject, whether we ought to fear more or to be of good courage—while to fear is necessary, lest we show ourselves worse before such a great judge—yet our hopes are better; for it is likely that he himself will care.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν προὔβαλεν, εἰ μὴ κατὰ νοῦν ἔμελλεν αὐτῷ γενήσεσθαι τὸ συμβαῖνον ἐκ τοῦ λόγου.
For he would not have proposed it, unless what results from the speech was going to turn out according to his mind.
πρὸς δὲ καὶ καλέσαι βοηθὸν τῷ λόγῳ θαυμαστῶς ὡς εἰς ἐπιτήδειον καθέστηκεν.
And besides, to call on him as a helper for the speech has established itself in a wonderfully fitting way.
εἰ γὰρ οἱ ποιηταὶ τὰ δοκοῦνθʼ ἑαυτοῖς ὥστʼ εἰπεῖν τὸν Ἀπόλλω καὶ τὰς Μούσας καλοῦσιν, ἦ που καλλίων ἡ κλῆσις ἡμῖν, ὅταν αὐτοῦ τοῦ προβαλόντος δεώμεθα μουσηγέτην ἅμα τῷ πατρὶ γενέσθαι.
For if the poets call on Apollo and the Muses for what seems good to them to speak, surely our calling is fairer, when we entreat the proposer himself to become our Muse-leader along with his father.
ἀλλʼ ὦ πολλὰ δὴ πολλάκις κληθεὶς, ἔχω δʼ εἰπεῖν ὅτι καὶ παραδείξας καὶ ἄλλα καὶ περὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς λόγους, ἔξαγε καὶ νῦν ὅπη σοι φίλον τὸν §42λόγον.
But, O you who have been called many a time indeed, and I can say that you have also pointed the way in other things and concerning speeches themselves, lead forth now too the speech where it is pleasing to you.
σχεδὸν δὲ οὐ πόρρω ἡ ἀρχὴ τῷ ἐγκωμίῳ, ἀλλʼ ὁ αὐτὸς πατὴρ τοῦ τε λόγου καὶ τῶν νεανίσκων.
And the beginning of the encomium is not far off, but the father of the speech and of the youths is the same.
τετραγονίαν γὰρ τοιάνδε οὐδείς πω Ἑλλήνων ἤκουσεν οὐδὲ διηγήσατο.
For no Greek has ever yet heard or related such a fourfold lineage.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ θεσμοθέται διὰ τεττάρων εἰσὶν εὐπατρίδαι, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς οὐδένες θεσμοθέται, οὐδʼ ἄλλο γε οὐδὲν γένος ἀνθρώπων.
For just as the law-recorders are nobles through four generations, or rather as no law-recorders, nor indeed any other race of men.
τέταρτοι γάρ εἰσιν ἐκ Διὸς διὰ πάντων ἄκρων.
For they are fourth from Zeus through all the highest characters.
Ἀπόλλων μὲν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ Διὸς, Ἀσκληπιὸς δὲ ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος, οἱ δὲ ἐξ Ἀσκληπιοῦ διὰ πάσης τῆς κρατίστης φύσεως τὴν εὐγένειαν ἀνῃρημένοι.
For Apollo is from Zeus himself, and Asclepius from Apollo, and they from Asclepius, having inherited their noble birth through the entirety of the most excellent nature.
Ἀχιλλεὺς μὲν γὰρ τέταρτος ἀπὸ Διὸς διὰ Πηλέως καὶ Αἰακοῦ, Μίνως δὲ καὶ Ῥαδάμανθυς Διὸς παῖδες καὶ Θησεὺς Ποσειδῶνος, οὐδέτεροι μόνοι ὁποτέρου, ἀλλὰ σὺν πολλοῖς καὶ θεοῖς καὶ ἥρωσιν, ὧν τῶν μὲν ἡττῶνται, τοῖς δʼ εἰς ἴσον καθίστανται.
For Achilles is fourth from Zeus through Peleus and Aeacus, and Minos and Rhadamanthys are sons of Zeus, and Theseus of Poseidon, yet neither are the only ones of either father, but are along with many gods and heroes, to some of whom they are inferior, and to others they are equal.
μόνοι δὲ οὗτοι πλήθει καὶ ἀρετῇ προγόνων εἰσὶν ἀνανταγώνιστοι, τοὺς ἐκ Διός τε καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος Ἀσκληπιοῦ προσθήκῃ νικῶντες, ὅσοι γε ἥρωες αὐτῶν· γενομένους δʼ αὐτοὺς τρέφει ὁ πατὴρ ἐν Ὑγιείας κήποις.
But these alone are rivals to none in the number and virtue of their ancestors, surpassing those from Zeus and Apollo by the addition of Asclepius, at least as many as are heroes among them; and when they were born, their father nourished them in the gardens of Health.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐδέχετο ἡ ἡλικία, οὐκ ἐδιδάξατο τὴν τέχνην τὴν ἰατρικὴν, ἀλλʼ ἐδίδαξεν αὐτός.
And when their age permitted, he did not have them taught the medical art, but taught them himself.
οὐ γὰρ ἔτι εἰς Χείρωνος ἔδει βαδίζειν ἔχοντας οἴκοι τὸν ἐπιστάτην, οὗ πολὺ δὴ κατʼ ἐπωνυμίαν ὁ Χείρων ἤδη ἦν δεύτερος.
For they no longer needed to go to Chiron's school when they had the master at home, compared to whom Chiron, quite in accordance with his name, was already far inferior.
οὕτω δὴ φύντες καὶ τραφέντες καὶ παιδευθέντες μέχρι μὲν ἡσύχαζε τὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, οἵδʼ ἐν Θετταλίᾳ τε ἦσαν κόσμος πολὺ λιμνῶν τε καὶ πεδίων καὶ ποταμῶν ἐπιφανέστερος καὶ τοὺς ταύτῃ Ἕλληνας ὤρθουν, εἴς τε τὸ κοινὸν πολιτευόμενοι τὰ ἐκείνοις πρέποντα καὶ τὰς ἰδίας ἑκάστου συμφορὰς ἐπανορθοῦντες, οὐδʼ ἦν νοσεῖν ὅπου φανείη Μαχάων ἢ Ποδαλείριος.
Having been thus born, nourished, and educated, as long as the affairs of the Achaeans remained quiet, they were in Thessaly a glory far more conspicuous than its lakes, plains, and rivers, and they kept the Greeks of that region upright, governing for the common good in ways fitting for them and correcting the private misfortunes of each, nor was it possible to be sick wherever Machaon or Podalirius appeared.
κινηθέντων δὲ Ἑλλήνων διὰ τὴν τῶν Τρώων ἀδικίαν οὔτε ἐξωνεῖσθαι τὴν οἴκοι μονὴν ἠξίουν οὔτε ἀπέκρυπτον ἑαυτοὺς ὥσπερ ἄλλοι τινες, ἀλλὰ γνόντες ὡς αὐτῶν ὁ καιρὸς εἴη καὶ προειδόμενοι τὰς τοῦ πολέμου τύχας προὔστησαν ἑκόντες τῆς ἁπάντων σωτηρίας.
But when the Greeks were set in motion because of the injustice of the Trojans, they neither deemed it worthy to buy off their staying at home, nor did they hide themselves like some others, but knowing that their time had come and anticipating the fortunes of the war, they willingly stood at the head of everyone's salvation.
ἀφικόμενοι δʼ εἰς Τροίαν διπλῆν χρείαν
And having arrived at Troy, a double service...