§56ἀλλʼ ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ τῶν καλῶν εἶναι ἐν ἑορτῇ καὶ ἐν ἱερομηνίᾳ μεμνῆσθαί τι καὶ λέγειν περὶ τοῦ θείου καὶ φιλανθρώπου βασιλέως.
But to me at least, it seems to be one of those honorable things to remember and to say something about the divine and philanthropic king during a festival and a sacred month.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ δέος γε μὴ ἐπαινεῖν αὐτὸν προελόμενοι, ἔπειτα ἀπορήσαιμεν λόγων, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοιαῦτα ᾖ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα τῷ βασιλεῖ ὥστε μηδένα εἰπεῖν §57ἀξίως ἂν δυνηθῆναι περὶ αὐτῶν.
For indeed, there is no fear that, having chosen to praise him, we should then be at a loss for words, but rather that the qualities belonging to the king may be such that no one would be able to speak of them worthily.
ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ περὶ τἄλλα αὐτοῦ χρηστῇ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ τύχῃ ἐπαρθεὶς καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγοις ἐθάρρησα.
But I, encouraged by his excellent and philanthropic fortune in all other matters and emboldened by the accounts concerning him, have taken heart.
διόπερ τἄλλα πάντα ἀφεὶς, ἃ τοῖς προοιμιαζομένοις λέγειν ἔθος ἐστὶ καὶ προφασίζεσθαι, τοῖς μὲν τὸ μέγεθος τῶν πεπραγμένων, τοῖς δὲ τὸν χρόνον ὀλίγον ὄντα τῶν λόγων, οὐ προσδεηθεὶς δὲ οὐδὲ τῶν Μουσῶν, ὥσπερ τινὲς τῶν ποιητῶν, οὐδʼ ἄλλης οὐδεμιᾶς ἔξωθεν βοηθείας, ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τρέψομαι τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν ἔπαινον, οὐχ ὑπʼ αὐθαδείας οὐδὲ καταφρονῶν τοῦ πράγματος, ἀλλʼ ὁρῶν τοὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ καταπραΰνοντας καὶ παραιτουμένους τρόπον τινὰ αὐτοὺς καταφρονοῦντας τῶν ὑποθέσεων ἃς ποιοῦνται τῶν λόγων.
Therefore, setting aside all other things which those who make introductions are accustomed to say and use as excuses—some alleging the magnitude of the deeds, others the brevity of the time for their speeches—and having no need of the Muses, as some of the poets do, nor of any other external assistance, I shall turn to the praise of the king himself, not out of arrogance nor because I despise the matter, but because I see that those who at the beginning appease and make excuses are in a way themselves despising the subjects of the speeches they make.
ταῦτα γὰρ λέγοντες οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐνδείκνυσθαί μοι δοκοῦσιν ἢ τοῦτο μὲν ἐξ ὑπογυίου λέγοντες ὡς ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ φροντίσαντες καὶ παρασκευασάμενοι ἴσους ἂν τῷ μεγέθει τῶν ἔργων τοὺς λόγους παράσχοιεν, οἱ δὲ δόντες ἑαυτοῖς τὸ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων δύνασθαι λέγειν ἐπαγγέλλονται, καὶ ταύτην ὑπερβολὴν τῶν ἐπαίνων σφίσιν αὐτοῖς διδόασιν.
For by saying these things, they seem to me to demonstrate nothing other than this: on the one hand, those who speak on the spur of the moment imply that, if they had considered and prepared for a longer time, they would have provided speeches equal to the magnitude of the deeds; on the other hand, those who claim for themselves the ability to speak of the greatest matters make this promise and thus award to themselves an excess of praise.
ἐγὼ δʼ οὔτε χρόνου πλῆθος ἱκανὸν οὔτε λόγον οὐδένα ὁρῶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἄξιον, οὐδʼ ὅστις αὐτὸν ἱκανῶς ἐγκωμιάσαι δυνήσεται· ὅμως δὲ οὐκ ἀποδειλιατέον, ἀλλʼ ὅση δύναμις πειρατέον εἰπεῖν.
But I see neither a sufficient abundance of time, nor any speech worthy of the king, nor anyone who will be able to praise him sufficiently; nevertheless, one must not play the coward, but must attempt to speak to the best of one's ability.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν θύωμεν τοῖς θεοῖς, τὸ πρὸς ἀξίαν, οἶμαι, ὁρῶντες τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ ὅσον δυνατὸν ἡμῖν χάριν αὐτοῖς ταύτην ἐκτίνομεν·
For indeed, when we sacrifice to the gods, we do not do this, I think, looking to what is worthy of them, but we pay them this thanks to the extent of our ability.
διόπερ οὐδὲ τὸν βασιλέα δεῖ ὀκνεῖν μέλλοντας ἐπαινεῖν, ἀλλὰ θαρροῦντας ἰέναι ἐπὶ τὸν ἔπαινον αὐτοῦ.
Therefore, we must not hesitate when about to praise the king, but must go to his praise with confidence.
ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ ἴσως ἐνδεῶς τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν, ὑμῖν δὲ οὐκ ἐνδεῶς εἰρήσεται.
For to him, perhaps, our words will be spoken inadequately, but to you they will be spoken not inadequately.
ἓν μὲν οὖν τοῦτο πρῶτον καὶ μέγιστον ὑπάρχει λέγειν περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι καὶ πρότερον ἢ καταστῆναι εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄξιος τῆς βασιλείας ἦν.
This, then, is the first and greatest thing to be said about him: that even before being established in the government, he was worthy of the kingship.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ διʼ ἑτέρων κτώμενοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἢ παρὰ τῶν πρὸ αὑτῶν παραλαβόντες οἱ μὲν ἰσχὺν ἀντὶ τοῦ δικαίου προθέμενοι, οἱ δʼ ὥσπερ τινὸς γένους §58ἀκολουθίαν καὶ διαδοχὴν σώζοντες οὕτως τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκτήσαντο· ὅστις δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν οὔτε παραγγείλας οὔτε δεηθεὶς, δεηθέντων δὲ ἁπάντων αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, ἔδωκε τοῖς δεηθεῖσιν ἑαυτὸν καὶ παρακαλέσασι, πάλαι τούτῳ καὶ διʼ ἀρετὴν τοῦτο τὸ γέρας ὠφείλετο.
For those who acquire power through others or receive it from those before them—some putting forward force instead of justice, others, as if preserving the sequence and succession of some lineage, and thus acquired the kingship; but as for him who, without himself making any announcement or request, but because all requested him to become king, gave himself to those who requested and summoned him, to this man this reward had long been due because of his virtue.
καὶ γάρ τοι ἐκείνοις μὲν περὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀμφισβητοῦσι πολλοὶ, τούτῳ δὲ οὐδείς.
And indeed, while many dispute with those others concerning the kingship, no one disputes with him.
καίτοι εἴτε φόβῳ τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἴτε αἰδοῖ τοῦ κρείττονος εἴθʼ, ὅπερ ἔφην, γνώμῃ τῇ βελτίστῃ καὶ δικαιοτάτῃ συγχωρεῖν οἴονται δεῖν, πῶς οὐκ ἐξ ἁπάντων τούτων φανερὸν ὅντινʼ ἐχρῆν εἶναι τὸν βασιλέα;
And yet, whether they think they ought to yield because of fear of him, or because of respect for a superior, or, as I said, because of the best and most just judgment, is it not clear from all these things who ought to have been the king?
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς βασιλεύσασι πρὸ αὐτοῦ τεκμαίρεσθαι πάρεστι περὶ αὐτῶν ὅσον εὐθὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς τουτοισὶ πρῶτον διήνεγκεν αὐτῶν.
Nay, more, it is also possible to judge from those who ruled before him, how much he immediately excelled them in these very first things.
ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ μετὰ πολέμων καὶ φόνων πολλῶν εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὰ πράγματα, πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν ἐν τάξει ἀπολέσαντες, πολλοῖς δὲ ἀνηκέστων συμφορῶν αἴτιοι γενηθέντες, ὥστε πολλὰς μὲν ἐρημωθῆναι πόλεις ὑπηκόους, πολλὴν δὲ χώραν ἀνάστατον γενέσθαι, πλεῖστα δὲ ἀναλωθῆναι σώματα, ὥστε μὴ πάντα ὁσίως αὐτοῖς συμβῆναι μηδʼ ἂν αὐτοὺς τοῦτʼ εἰπεῖν ἔχειν περὶ αὑτῶν· ὁ δὲ οὕτως ὁσίως καὶ καλῶς ἐπέστη τοῖς πράγμασιν ὥστε οὔτε καθιστάμενος οὔτε ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς βασιλείας οὐδενὸς φόνου προσεδεήθη·
For they entered into affairs with wars and many slaughters, having destroyed many of those in high positions, and having been the cause of incurable disasters to many, so that many subject cities were desolated, and much land was laid waste, and very many lives were consumed, so that not everything turned out piously for them, nor would they themselves be able to say this of themselves; but he established himself over affairs so piously and beautifully that neither when he was being established nor at the beginning of his kingship did he have need of any slaughter.
οὐδὲ ὥσπερ ἐν μεταβολῇ καὶ καταστάσει πραγμάτων οὐδεὶς οὐδενὸς ἐπειράθη χαλεποῦ, οὐδʼ ἔστιν ἃ πολλὰ εἴωθε καὶ ἀναγκαῖα ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις συμβαίνειν, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπράχθη· οὐδʼ ἔπαθον ἀνήκεστον οὐδὲ δεινὸν οὐδὲν, οὐκ ἄνδρες, οὐ πόλεις, οὐκ ἔθνος.
Nor did anyone experience anything harsh, as is usual in a transition and establishment of affairs, nor of those things which are accustomed and necessary to happen in such circumstances was any done; neither men, nor cities, nor nations suffered anything incurable or terrible.
ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἐμέλησεν αὐτοῦ τοῖς θεοῖς, ὅπως ὁσίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ἐπιστήσεται τοῖς πράγμασιν, ὥστε ἃ μὲν τῆς μανίας καὶ ἀπονοίας ἔργα ἦν ἑτέροις ἀνέθηκαν, ἃ δὲ τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης εὐσεβείας, τούτῳ διεφύλαξαν.
But the gods cared for him in such a way, so that he should establish himself over affairs piously and devoutly, that they assigned the deeds of madness and folly to others, but preserved those of justice, philanthropy, and all other piety for him.
καὶ μὴν οὐδʼ ὡς ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὐδὲν ἔπραξε σκυθρωπὸν οὐδὲ ἐμιμήσατο, οὐδὲ ἐζήλωσε τούτων οὐδὲν, οὐδὲ ὥσπερ ἄλλοι τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων τῶν ἐν τέλει τινὰς φοβηθέντες ἐπιβουλεύειν αὑτοῖς
And indeed, when he obtained the government, he did nothing gloomy, nor did he imitate nor emulate any of these things, nor, as did others of the kings before him, who feared some of those in office as plotting against them...