§70χρόνου κεκμηκυῖαν αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐποίησεν, ὥστʼ εἶναι λοιπὸν τὰ μὲν ἄλλα γένη τῆς πόλεως φάσκειν, τοῦδε δὲ τοῦ γένους τὴν πόλιν, καίτοι τοῦτό γε οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλʼ ἡ πόλις αὐτὴ συνομολογεῖ καὶ κέκραγεν ἐν τοῖς βουλευτηρίοις, ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις, ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, ἐν ᾧ μέρει καὶ φήσαις, ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶν ὑπʼ ἐκείνου κεκόσμηται.
by the passage of time, he restored to this very state in which it now is, so that henceforth other families claim to belong to the city, but the city to belong to this family; although this is not my word, but the city itself agrees and cries out in the council chambers, in the theaters, in the assemblies, and in whatever part you might name, since indeed everything has been adorned by him.
τούτων δὲ οὕτως ἐχόντων, ὅσα μὲν ἔκγονοί τε καὶ παῖδες ἐκείνου καὶ παίδων παῖδες, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ποιητικὸν, τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἑλόμενοι πολιτείαν λαμπροὶ λαμπρῶς διῆλθον ὀρθῶς ἄν μοι δοκῶ ποιῆσαι παραλιπών.
But these things being so, as for all the deeds that his descendants and children and children's children—to use this poetic phrase—having chosen Roman citizenship, gloriously passed through in a glorious manner, I think I would do rightly to pass over.
μικρῶν μέν γε ὄντων ἐμέμνητʼ ἄν τις ἀεὶ τὸ προστυχὸν τῷ λόγῳ σεμνύνων, μεγάλων δʼ ὄντων, οὐ μὲν οὖν ἐχόντων ὑπερβολὴν ὥστʼ ἔργον εἶναι μέρους μνησθέντα διελθεῖν ἀξίως μὴ σύν τινι λαμπρᾷ τύχῃ τοῦ λόγου, τί ἄν τις τά γʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἐγκαταλιπὼν, ἃ μηδʼ αὐτὰ μικρὰ, εἰ μὴ καὶ μείζω τῶν ἀρχαίων ἐκείνων ὄντα, εὐχῆς προσδεῖται, περὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἔτι πρὸς τοῖς προκειμένοις ἀποκινδυνεύοι;
For if they were small things, one would always have mentioned them, exalting whatever came to hand in the speech; but since they are great, or rather indeed hold no excess, so that it is a difficult task to go through them worthily by mentioning only a part, unless with some bright fortune of the speech, why should one, leaving behind the things in hand—which themselves are not small, but rather, if not even greater than those ancient deeds, require a prayer—risk speaking about the whole in addition to the tasks before us?
κράτιστον δʼ ἂν εἴη τοὺς διὰ μέσου προγόνους τοῦ πάντʼ ἀρίστου παιδὸς ἀφέντα τῶν γʼ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τρόπον τινὰ ὄντων μνησθῆναι βραχέα, καὶ τούτων ὅσα γε πρὸς τὸν παρόντα τείνει λόγον.
It would be best, having dismissed the intermediate ancestors of this all-excellent boy, to mention briefly those who are in a way before our eyes, and of these, only such as pertain to the present speech.
ὑποβάλλει δʼ αὐτὸ τοὔνομα τοῦ παιδὸς, ὥστʼ οἴκοθεν οἴκαδε γένους τε ὁμοίως καὶ λόγου τὴν ἀρχὴν δίδωσι.
The very name of the boy suggests this, so that it gives the beginning of both the family and the speech alike, from home to home.
γενναῖος μὲν δὴ καὶ καλὸς κἀγαθὸς καὶ πᾶσαν μετελθὼν ἀρετὴν, ὅσην ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις ἠξίωσε τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων, εἶτα γενόμενος πατὴρ τοῦδε τοῦ παιδὸς ὁ Φρόντων, περὶ οὗ τί ἂν λέγοιμεν, προληψομένων ἅ τις ἂν εἴποι τῶν ἀκροωμένων, ἅτʼ οἶμαι μὴ πάλαι μεταστάντος τἀνδρὸς εἰς τὴν καλλίω τε καὶ θεοφιλεστέραν λῆξιν, πλὴν εἴ τις Ὁμηρικῶς βραχείᾳ προσρήσει τὸ πᾶν δηλώσειεν εἰπὼν
"αἵματος εἶς ἀγαθοῖο φίλον τέκος. "
ἀλλʼ ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ πατὴρ, τούτῳ δὲ ὁμώνυμος Ἀπελλᾶς ἐκεῖνος, ἀρχὴν γὰρ οἶμαι ταύτην μικρῷ πρόσθεν §71ὁ λόγος ἐνεδίδου, ποῖός τις ἡμῖν;
Fronto, indeed, noble and beautiful and good, and having pursued every virtue that human nature deemed worthy of these names, and then having become the father of this boy—about whom what should we say, since the audience will anticipate whatever one might say, as the man, I think, not long ago departed to the more beautiful and more god-loved portion, unless one should reveal the whole in a brief Homeric address, saying: "You are of noble blood, dear child." But his father's father, and namesake to this boy, the famous Apellas—for I think the speech was giving this beginning a little while before— what sort of man was he to us?
τῶν μὲν ἄλλων οὐδὲν εἴποιμʼ ἂν τῶν ᾀδομένων εἰς μέσον, οὐκ ἀνδρείαν, οὐ μεγαλοψυχίαν, οὐχ ὅσων ἐθνῶν ἐπῆρξεν, οὐδʼ ὅσας τιμὰς ἐκ βασιλέων ἐκαρπώσατο, τούτων οὐδέν·
Of the other things sung of among the public I would say nothing, neither of his courage, nor of his magnanimity, nor of how many nations he ruled over, nor of how many honors he reaped from emperors—none of these.
ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ εὔξασθαι δεῖ ποτʼ εἰπεῖν περὶ τοῦδε τοῦ νῦν ὄντος ἡμῖν, καὶ χρηστάς γʼ ἔχειν ἐλπίδας ὡς πατρὸς ἀμείνων οὐ μόνον οὗτός γε, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάππου, προσθήσω δʼ ὅτι καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προγόνων καθεστήξει, δοκοῦν τοῖς τε ἄλλοις θεοῖς καὶ τῷ Παιῶνι.
For these things one must pray to speak of some day concerning this boy who is now with us, and indeed to hold good hopes that he will establish himself as better than not only his father but also his grandfather, and I will add, than the rest of his ancestors, if it seems good to the other gods and to Paeon.
ἀλλʼ ὃ κοινὸν ἤδη θεωρῶ τούτῳ τε κἀκείνῳ καθάπερ τοὔνομα, τούτου μοι μνησθῆναι δοκῶ τὰ νῦν ἐν καιρῷ, καὶ μάλʼ ἀρχόμενος τοῦ λόγου τὸ πρόσω περαίνειν, ὑπερβῆναί θʼ ὑπὸ περιττῆς ἡδονῆς οὐκ ἔχων.
But that which I already see as common to both him and that man, just like the name, of this I think it is opportune for me to make mention now, especially as I begin to proceed further in the speech and am unable to bypass it because of exceeding joy.
ἀτὰρ, ὦ δέσποτʼ Ἀσκληπιὲ, μικρῷ μέν σε πρόσθεν ἐπὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἐκάλουν, παρείης δʼ ἐπὶ παντὶ, καὶ μάλιστʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς νυνὶ λεγομένοις.
But, O Lord Asclepius, a little while ago I called upon you in my prayers, and may you be present in all things, and especially in what is now being said.
ὦ δέσποτα, σὸν ἦν ἔργον ἄρα καὶ τοῦτο καὶ τῆς σῆς χάριτος σόφισμα.
O Lord, this then was your work and a device of your favor.
πρότερον μὲν γὰρ τὸν Ἀπελλᾶν ἐκεῖνον οὕτω σφόδρʼ ἐποιήσω φίλον ὥστʼ οὔτʼ ἀναπαυομένου σύ γε καὶ καθεύδοντος ἠμέλεις οὔτʼ ἐγρηγορότος καὶ πονοῦντος ἀφίστασο, ἀλλʼ ἡμέρα τε καὶ νὺξ ἐποίει ταυτὸν πάντα τρόπον ἐκ μέσου φασὶ πυρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σώζειν·
For formerly you made that famous Apellas so great a friend that you neither neglected him when he was resting and sleeping, nor departed from him when he was awake and working, but day and night did the same, saving the man, as they say, from the midst of the fire.
τίνα δʼ οὐκ ἂν οὗτός γε καὶ ἐκ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο βουληθεὶς ἀναρπάσειεν, ὅπου γε καὶ πυρὶ σώσειεν ἂν, εἰ τοῦτο βούλοιτο;
And whom would he not snatch away even from blazing fire if he wished, since indeed he could save even with fire, if he wished this?
νυνὶ δʼ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἡμῖν ἕτερον ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ τὸν θεράποντα σεαυτῷ τρέφεις, ὥσθʼ ὁμοῦ τοὔνομα τοῦ πάππου καὶ τὴν ἐκ σοῦ τιμὴν αὐτὸν διαδέχεσθαι.
But now, as it seems, you are rearing for us another servant for yourself in his place, so that he inherits at once the name of his grandfather and the honor from you.
καίτοι δοκῶ σέ τʼ ἂν φιλονεικῆσαι τῷ πατρὶ τῷ σῷ κἀμαυτὸν Ὁμήρῳ κατὰ τοῦτο· σοί τε γὰρ ἄμεινον τῷ παντὶ τοῦ Δηλίου παρὰ τοῖς βωμοῖς βλαστάνει τὸ φυτὸν, ἐμοί τʼ ἔξεστιν αὐτὸ φῆσαι σόν γʼ εἶναι φυτὸν, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ἑτέρῳ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ἀπεικάσαι.
And yet I think that you would rival your father, and I Homer, in this respect; for to you, a plant grows far better than that of the Delian beside the altars, and to me, it is possible to say that it is indeed your plant, and not to liken it to another as he did.
πῶς δʼ οὐχὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ τὸ πρέμνον, καὶ μάλʼ ἐν ἀκηράτοις Χαρίτων κήποις, ἐξ οὗ τῆς μακαρίας προῆλθε γαστρὸς ἐκτρεφόμενον·
And how is it not the very stem of the Savior himself, and that too in the pure gardens of the Graces, reared as it came forth from that blessed womb?
ἔξεστι δʼ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸ ταῖς ῥίζαις τοῦ γένους,
And it is possible not only by the roots of the family,