§59αἰτιασάμενοι τοὺς μὲν φυγαῖς, τοὺς δὲ θανάτοις ἐζημίωσαν, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ τὸν τρόπον μετέθετο, ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἐστὶ πάντων πόρρω τῶν τοιούτων καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχει τοῦ σφαγὰς καὶ θανάτους βούλεσθαι ποιεῖν, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων τινὰς καὶ τῶν φανερῶς ἐξελεγχομένων, καὶ τούτους περιεῖναι καὶ ζῆν τῇ τούτου φιλανθρωπίᾳ· καὶ ταῦτʼ οὐ μόνον πραότητός ἐστιν ἐπίδειγμα οὐδὲ τοῦ πρὸς πάντας ὁσίως ἔχειν αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ φθονερῶς διακεῖσθαι πρός τινας τῶν ἐντίμων καὶ ὑπερεχόντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ μὴ καταπεπλῆχθαι ὑπὸ φόβων τὴν ἀρχὴν, μηδὲ ταραχωδῶς ἔχειν πρὸς τὰ συμβαίνοντα, μηδὲ ὀξύρροπον εἶναι πρός τε ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν, ἀλλὰ βεβαίᾳ καὶ ἀκινήτῳ χρῆσθαι τῇ διανοίᾳ πρὸς ἅπαντας·
...having accused them, they punished some with exile and others with death, he did none of these things, nor did he change his way, but he is so far from all such things and so distant from wishing to cause slaughters and deaths, that even some of those who plotted against him and those who were clearly convicted, even these survive and live by his philanthropy; and these things are a demonstration not only of gentleness, nor only of his behaving piously toward all and not being enviously disposed toward any of the honored and outstanding men, but also of his authority not being struck with panic by fears, nor of his being troubled by what happens, nor of his being quick to incline toward anger and passion, but of his employing a firm and unmoved mind toward all; and naturally so.
εἰκότως. τὸν γὰρ μαθόντα ἃ χρὴ καὶ παιδευθέντα καὶ μηδενὸς τῶν καλῶν ἀμελήσαντα μηδὲ ἀμαθῆ γενόμενον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς μέρεσι κατακοσμήσαντα τὴν ψυχὴν, εἰκὸς ἦν πάσης ἔξω γενέσθαι ἁμαρτίας.
For it was likely that the one who has learned what is necessary and has been educated and has neglected none of the noble things nor become ignorant, but has adorned his soul with all the parts of virtue, should be outside of all error.
ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν παιδείαν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς παιδευθεὶς καὶ πάντων τῶν καλλίστων μετασχὼν τῶν μὲν καὶ ἀπὸ φύσεως ὑπαρξάντων αὐτῷ, τῶν δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ παιδείας γενομένων, οὐ μέσως οὐδʼ ὥσπερ ἄλλοις τισὶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὑπερβολὴν ἑκάστου, ἦν μὲν μέγα ὄφελος τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ πρὶν εἰς ταύτην καταστῆναι.
This education, then, the king also having been educated in, and having shared in all the most beautiful things—some belonging to him by nature, others having come from education—not moderately nor as some others, but to an excess of each, was a great benefit to the kingship even before he was established in it.
μόνῳ γὰρ δὴ καὶ τούτῳ βασιλέων ἢ ἐν ὀλίγοις διαφερόντως ὑπῆρξε, τί οὖν ἐστι τοῦτο;
For to him alone indeed of kings, or among few, this belonged in a distinguished way; what then is this?
ἐκεῖνοι τὸν μὲν ἄλλον χρόνον πράττουσι τὰ αὑτῶν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰσέλθωσιν εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν, τηνικαῦτα ἐπιμελεῖσθαι αὐτῆς ἄρχονται· ὁ δὲ οὕτω καθωσίωτο τῇ βασιλείᾳ ὥστε τὴν πρώτην τεταγμένος ὅπως ἔτυχε ταχθεὶς, ἀδήλου ὄντος τοῦ μέλλοντος, ὁρῶν πολλὰ τῆς βασιλείας οὐ καλῶς οὐδὲ ὁσίως διοικούμενα, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν αὐθάδειαν καὶ ὕβριν καὶ ἀκολασίαν ἐγγενομένην, οὐκ εἴα αὔξεσθαι οὐδὲ περαιτέρω χωρεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ μεγάλου σώματος καὶ οὐχ ὑγιαίνοντος ἰώμενος τὰ ὕπουλα καὶ νενοσηκότα αὐτοῦ, ἢ καθάπερ ἵππου χαλεποῦ καὶ βιαίου κατέχων τὸ ἄγριον καὶ
Those others for the rest of the time do their own business, but when they enter into the government, at that time they begin to care for it; but he was so consecrated to the kingship that, having been appointed in the first place in whatever way it happened, while the future was unclear, seeing many things of the kingship administered not beautifully nor piously, but much arrogance and insolence and licentiousness having arisen within it, he did not allow them to increase or to go further, but, just as healing the hidden and diseased parts of a great and unhealthy body, or just as holding back the wild and disobedient nature of a difficult and violent horse, being carried away by it indeed, but often holding back and checking its continuous, irrational, and violent impulses, he did what was advantageous for it and foresaw its interests.
§60ἀπειθὲς, ἐκφερόμενος μὲν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, πολλάκις δὲ κατέχων καὶ ἀνακόπτων τὰς συνεχεῖς καὶ ἀλόγους καὶ βιαίους ὁρμὰς, ἔπραττεν αὐτῷ καὶ προεώρα τὰ συμφέροντα. τοιοῦτος μὲν δὴ πρὸ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι ἦν.
Such indeed he was before ruling.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τὰ πάντα διοικοῦσα πρόνοια καὶ διατάττουσα καὶ τοῦτον ἐκάθισεν εἰς τὸν βασίλειον θρόνον τὸν δικαιότατον καὶ ὁσιώτατον βασιλέων, τί ἄν τις πρῶτον καὶ μέγιστον εἰπεῖν ἔχοι ὧν τῆς ἀγαθῆς αὐτοῦ τύχης καὶ προνοίας ἀπολαύομεν;
But when the providence which administers and orders all things also seated him on the royal throne, the most just and pious of kings, what could anyone say first and greatest of those things which we enjoy from his good fortune and providence?
ὃς ἁπάντων μὲν κεκινημένων καὶ μεθισταμένων, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, εἰς ἑτέραν γῆν, σαλευούσης δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὥσπερ ἐν μεγάλῳ χειμῶνι ἢ σεισμῷ, κᾆτα ὥσπερ νεὼς καταδύεσθαι μελλούσης ἀποφερομένης πρὸς ἔσχατα γῆς, οὗ καὶ πρότερον ἀπεπλανήθησάν τινες τῶν ἐν ἀρχαῖς καὶ βασιλείαις γενομένων, κἄπειτα ὥσπερ ἐν λαβυρίνθῳ πολλαῖς καὶ χαλεπαῖς ἀπορίαις ἐντυχόντες, τελευτῶντες αὑτοὺς ἀπεῖπον ἀποκλεισθέντες τῆς ὀπίσω ὁδοῦ ἐπανελθεῖν μὴ δυνηθέντες, ταῦτα ὁρῶν οὐχ ὡς ἄπειρος κυβερνήτης εἴασεν ὅπως ἔτυχε φέρεσθαι οὐδὲ κινδυνεύειν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἂν ἐμπειρότατος βασιλέων καὶ γνώμῃ προέχων πρῶτον μὲν ἐπέσχε καὶ ἔπαυσε τῆς ἐκεῖσε ὁρμῆς, ἔπειτα κατέστησεν εἰς ὅρμον ἄγων.
Who, when all things were shaken and shifted, so to speak, to another land, and the government was tossing as if in a great storm or earthquake, and then as if a ship about to sink were being carried off to the ends of the earth, where some of those who had been in authorities and kingships had previously gone astray, and then as if in a labyrinth having encountered many and difficult perplexities, finally lost heart, shut out from the way back and unable to return—seeing these things, not like an inexperienced pilot did he allow it to be carried as it happened, nor to run risks, but as the most experienced of kings and excelling in judgment, first he restrained and stopped the rush in that direction, then he established it, leading it to a harbor.
καὶ νῦν ἡ μὲν ἐν ἀσφαλεστάτῳ ὁρμεῖ, ὥσπερ ναῦς ἐκ πολλοῦ καταστᾶσα χειμῶνος, ὁ δὲ οὕτως ἐξηγεῖται καὶ διέπει τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὅνπερ χρὴ τρόπον, τὴν εὐσέβειαν μὲν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ἔτι δὲ σωφροσύνην καὶ ἐγκράτειαν καὶ φρόνησιν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην * * κόσμου γε ἀρετήν.
And now it rides at anchor in the safest place, like a ship established after a great storm, and he thus leads and manages the affairs of the government in the manner that is necessary, with piety and justice, and furthermore temperance and self-control and wisdom and the other * * virtue of order.
ἤρξατο μὲν γὰρ, ὥσπερ προσήκει, ἀπὸ εὐσεβείας, διεξῆλθε δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς.
For he began, as is fitting, from piety, and went through the other parts of virtue.
τίς μὲν γὰρ δικαιοσύνης, τίς δὲ φιλανθρωπίας, τίς δὲ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς τοσαῦτα δείγματα καὶ τοιαῦτα ὅσα καὶ οἷα ὁ βασιλεὺς οὗτος ἐξήνεγκε;
For who has displayed so many and such proofs of justice, of philanthropy, of other virtue, as this king has brought forward?
καὶ πρῶτόν γε τὴν εἰς χρήματα δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ θεασώμεθα.
And first indeed let us behold his justice regarding money.
τῆς γὰρ συντάξεως ὑπερβαλλούσης τῆς εἰς τὴν διοίκησεν συντεταγμένης καὶ φόρων ἐπιταχθέντων
For when the contribution ordered for the administration was excessive, and taxes had been imposed...