§68ὅσα μὲν δὴ θεοῖς γενεθλίοις τε καὶ πατρῴοις καὶ πρό γε τούτων καὶ μετὰ τούτους τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ τοῦ βίου καθηγεμόνι καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν εἴποι τις εἰκότα ἦν ἀφʼ ἑστίας ἀρξάμενα κατηῦκται πρεπόντως·
All such prayers as were fitting to be offered to the gods of birth and of the fathers, and indeed before these and after these to the Savior and Guide of life, and everything that one might say, starting from the hearth, have been appropriately prayed.
οἷς δʼ ἄν τις ἀγήλαι τήνδε τὴν ἡμέραν πρεσβεύων γε δὴ τὸν νόμον, ὃς ἐπὶ τούτοις νενίκηκεν, ἐκπληροῦται τὰ νῦν εἰς δύναμιν, πάντων πᾶσαν προθυμίαν εἰσφερομένων.
On the other hand, in those matters by which one might adorn this day, honoring indeed the law which has prevailed in these circumstances, they are now fulfilled to the best of our ability, while everyone contributes all their eagerness.
ὥστʼ οὐ μικρῷ τῷ παρεῖναι τεκμήρασθαι πρὸς εὐθυμίας ὁπόσον οὐκ ἰδίᾳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δημοσίᾳ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς πόλεως ἐπιδέδωκεν, ὥσπερ αἴσθησιν ἀθρόαν νῦν γε δὴ μάλιστα λαβούσης, ὅσῳ παραλλάττει τὰς λοιπὰς εὐδαιμονίᾳ, καθάπερ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐκρίθη πρωτεύειν δικαίοις καὶ τὴν τοῦδε γένεσιν ἔχουσα προσθεῖναι.
So that it is no small thing, by being present, to judge from the joy how much the condition of the city has advanced, not only in private but also in public, as if it had now especially received a collective awareness of how much it surpasses the rest in prosperity, being able to add the birth of this man, as it were, to all the privileges by which it was judged to hold the first place.
μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ κἀκείνων ἑκάστη, λέγω δʼ ὧν τις καὶ λόγος ἐστὶ καὶ μέγα τοὔνομα, οὐκ ἀπέχονται μὴ οὐ πολίτην τιθέναι καὶ τῷ προσρήματι τούτῳ καλεῖν, ὅπου γε καὶ προστάτην ἀτεχνῶς ὥσπερ τινὲς μητέρες ἀντιποιούμεναι παιδὸς, οἷον δὴ πάρεστιν ὁρᾶν τοῦτον, τὸ μὲν εἶναι μητρὶ διδοῦσαι τῇ φύσει λαχούσῃ, τὸ κεκλῆσθαι δὲ αὐτὰς οὐκ ἀφαιρούμεναι.
For indeed each of those cities—I mean those of which there is some talk and great name—does not refrain from making him a citizen and calling him by this title, inasmuch as they absolutely claim him as their champion, like certain mothers disputing over a child, such as we can see him now, yielding the actual motherhood to nature which obtained it by lot, but not allowing themselves to be deprived of being called so.
ὅσῳ δʼ ἐκείνας ἥδʼ ἡ πόλις θεᾶται τῇ γνώμῃ τὴν φύσιν παρελθεῖν βιαζομένας, διπλασιάζει τὸ φίλτρον.
And the more this city beholds them forcing themselves to surpass nature by their ambition, the more it doubles its affection.
ὥστʼ ἀγαθὴν μὲν τὴν ἔριν ταύτην μόνην μάλιστα καθʼ Ἡσίοδον προσειπεῖν ἐξεῖναι, νικᾶν δὲ ἀναμφισβητήτως ταύτην, ἐφʼ ἧς αἵ τε θυσίαι γίγνονται νῦν καὶ οἱ λόγοι·
So that it is permitted to call this rivalry alone "good" especially according to Hesiod, and that this city, upon which both the sacrifices and the speeches are now taking place, wins indisputably.
ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς λόγους ἥδε σοι δίδωσιν, ὦ φίλτατε παίδων, οὐ τουτουσὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ἑκάστης.
Since indeed this city gives you your speeches, O dearest of children, not only these present ones, but also those of each day.
ἐμὲ μέν γε σώσας θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἐσχάτων τῇ πόλει δέδωκε· σὺ δʼ ὅτου τυγχάνεις ἐξ ἐμοῦ, παρὰ τῆς λαβούσης διδούσης ἔχεις·
For me, at least, a god saved from the ultimate dangers and gave to the city; and what you happen to get from me, you hold from the one who received and gives.
ὥσθʼ ὁμοῦ σοι καὶ μητέρα τὴν πόλιν ἐξεῖναι καλεῖν καὶ φάσκειν ἐπὶ τῆς §69αὐτῆς γνησίως τετράφθαι.
So that it is possible for you at once to call the city mother and to claim that you have been genuinely reared on the same.
τοῦτο δʼ οὐ μικρόν ἐστιν εἰς τὸν τοῦ καλοῦ λόγον οἶμαι σοί τε καὶ ταύτῃ· σοὶ μέν γε, εἰ μὴ τὴν πατρίδα ἀτιμάσας ὡς οὐκ ἂν γενναίᾳ ψυχῇ πρὸς ἄσκησιν ἀρετῆς καὶ παιδείαν ἀρκέσουσαν ξένην εἵλου θεραπεύειν ἑστίαν, τῇ δʼ ὑπάρχει φιλοτιμεῖσθαι δήπουθεν οὐδενὸς ἧττον, ὅτι σὲ μὴ μόνον ἐνεγκεῖν ηὐτύχησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προϊόντα ἤδη τὴν ἡλικίαν παρʼ αὑτῇ κατέσχεν, ἔτι καὶ τῇ περὶ λόγους καὶ σοφίαν σπουδῇ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὧν ἔχει καλῶν σὺν ἐκείναις ἢ πρό γʼ ἐκείνων νικᾶν κριθεῖσα.
And this is no small thing, I think, for the account of honor both for you and for her; for you, indeed, if you did not dishonor your fatherland—as if it were not sufficient for a noble soul for the practice of virtue and education—and choose to serve a foreign hearth; and for her, it belongs to her to boast no less than anyone, surely, because she was fortunate not only to bear you, but also held you back at her side as you were already advancing in age, and was judged to win, along with her other beauties, in her zeal for speeches and wisdom, together with those or even before them.
ταῦτά τοι καὶ τῶν ἄθλων τῶν ἐπὶ τούτοις τῶν μὲν ἐγγύς ἐστι τοῦ τυχεῖν ἐλπίσι χρησταῖς, τὰ δʼ ἤδη κεκάρπωται παρὰ τοῦ σοῦ γένους· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτʼ οὐ μικρόν ἐστιν, οἶμαι, πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὑμῖν, τὸ μὴ σὲ φῦναι μόνον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ταυτησὶ τῆς πόλεως λέγω, προγόνους δʼ ἀλλαχόθεν ἀριθμεῖν ἔχειν, ἀλλʼ ἄνωθεν ἀρξαμένην διαδοχὴν, ὅθεν οὐδʼ εὑρεῖν ἦν ἂν διὰ χρόνου μῆκος, εἰ μὴ προέκειτο ἡ λαμπρότης, μέχρι σοῦ προχωρῆσαι, διὰ σοῦ πλήρη τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν ἑξῆς ἀναμένουσαν.
For these reasons indeed, of the prizes following upon these, some are near to being attained with good hopes, and others have already been harvested from your race; since this too is no small thing, I think, for your relation to each other: I mean, not that you yourself were merely born in this city, while having to count ancestors from elsewhere, but that a succession starting from above—which because of the length of time could not even have been found, if its splendor did not stand out—has proceeded down to you, waiting through you to fill the coming age completely.
ἀπὸ γάρ τοι Κοδράτου, δῆλον δʼ ἐστὶν, οἶμαι, καὶ φθεγξαμένου πᾶσιν ὁμοίως τοὔνομα, ἔξεστιν ἀριθμῷ κατιόντι τὸ γένος εἰς τοῦτον ὁρᾶν ἅπαν καθαρόν τε καὶ γνήσιον τῆσδε τῆς γῆς βλάστημα, ποιητὴς ἂν εἴποι, καὶ μάλʼ ἐπανθοῦν ἑαυτῷ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀνθῆσον, ὥσπερ ἀρχόμενον ἀεὶ καὶ μηδέποτε λῆγον, ἔστʼ ἂν ἡ τρέφουσα γῆ τουτονὶ τὸν καρπὸν ἀθάνατος μένῃ.
For from Codrus—and the name is clear, I think, and equally sounded to all—it is possible, as one goes down in number, to see the entire lineage in him as a pure and genuine offspring of this land, as a poet might say, and greatly flourishing in itself and bound to flourish even more, as if always beginning and never ending, so long as the nourishing earth remains immortal for this fruit.
κἄμοιγε κἀκεῖνο ἔπεισι θεωρεῖν πλεονέκτημα τοῦ γένους, ἀρτίως γάρ με εἰσῆλθε, τὸ μὲν γὰρ γνησίους πολίτας τοὺς ἀρχηγέτας ἔχειν εἰπεῖν κοινόν ἐστʼ ἴσως καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους ἀγαθὸν, τὸ δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Κοδράτου γεγονέναι χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐκείνῳ προσόντων ἀναστρέφει πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς τὸ πλεονέκτημα.
And to me, that other advantage of the lineage also comes to mind—for it just occurred to me—namely, that while to say that one has genuine citizens as ancestors is perhaps a common good also for others, to be descended from Codrus, quite apart from the other virtues belonging to him, reverses the advantage over the rest.
τοῖς μέν γε αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὑπάρχει φιλοτιμεῖσθαι τὸ πολίτας εἶναι, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς τὸ μέγιστον, ὥσπερ οὖν ἔστιν· ὁ δʼ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κληθεὶς ὡς ἀναληψόμενος τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ
For to others, this very thing belongs to them as a matter of pride, to be citizens, and this is the greatest thing for them, as indeed it is; but he who was called by the god to recover the city by