§242ἔδει προελθεῖν κοινωνίαν·
Partnership ought to have advanced to that point.
ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας ἐλθόντες ὥστε πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλατταν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ καταλαβεῖν καὶ μηδὲν ἀκοινώνητον τῶν ὄντων αὐτοὺς ἐκφυγεῖν, ὡς ἀληθῶς καθʼ Ὅμηρον κοινὴν τὴν γῆν καταστήσαντες, τῇ προστασίᾳ μὲν αὑτῶν, τῇ δὲ χρείᾳ συμπάντων·
But they, having reached such a degree of high-mindedness as to encompass the whole land and sea with this word, and that nothing of existing things should escape them as unshared, made the earth truly common according to Homer, in their own protection indeed, but in its use for all.
ἃ πρόσθεν εὔξασθαι μὲν ἐξῆν ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης, ἐλπίσαι δʼ οὐδαμοῦ περιῆν, ἀλλʼ ὁ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ὅρος ὥσπερ εὐχή τις ἐφαίνετο.
These things, which previously it was possible to pray for on behalf of justice, but was nowhere possible to hope for, rather the limit of happiness appeared to be like a kind of prayer.
στρατηγοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἤδη στρατηγοὺς ἐν κινδύνοις προσείλοντο καὶ πόλεις ἀλλήλας ἐπὶ καιρῶν παρέλαβον καὶ βασιλεῖς πρὸς βασιλέας φιλίας καὶ συνθήκας ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ οὗτοι τῆς χρείας ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἡττηθέντες, καὶ μέχρι τούτου κοινωνίας ἴσμεν γενομένας·
For indeed generals already chose generals in dangers and cities received one another in critical times and kings made friendships and treaties with kings, and these mostly having been yielded to necessity, and up to this point we know of partnerships having occurred.
βασιλεὺς δὲ ἑκὼν βασιλέα νῦν δὴ πρῶτον προείλετο κοινωνὸν ἑαυτῷ τῶν ὅλων καὶ μόνος τῶν ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος οὐκ ἀρχὴν προσλαβεῖν μᾶλλον ἐζήτησεν ἢ βασιλέα προσλαβεῖν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἴσοις.
But a king voluntarily, now for the very first time, chose a king as a partner for himself in the whole, and he alone of those from all time sought not to acquire dominion more than to acquire a king on completely equal terms.
καὶ γάρ τοι καταθεὶς εἰς μέσον τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἐλάττω ἐποίησε τὸ αὑτοῦ μέρος, ἀλλʼ αὐτῷ τούτῳ μείζω τήν τε αὑτοῦ καὶ τὴν τοῦ συνάρξαντος κατέστησεν.
And indeed, by putting the dominion in the center, he did not make his own share less, but by this very thing he established both his own and that of his co-ruler as greater.
Ἀλέξανδρος μὲν γὰρ ἐξέπληξε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, οὐ δεξάμενος τὴν πρὸς Δαρεῖον κοινωνίαν, καὶ ἴσως καλῶς ποιῶν, ἅτε οὐ πρὸς ὁμότιμον τὴν Ἀσίαν μέλλων νέμεσθαι· ὅμως δʼ ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ μηδʼ εἰ πολλῷ τις ἦν Δαρείου βελτίων, μηδʼ ἂν οὕτω δέξασθαι σὺν ἄλλῳ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων κρατεῖν·
For Alexander astonished men by not accepting partnership with Darius, and perhaps doing well, since he was not about to divide Asia with one of equal honor; yet it seems to me that even if someone had been much better than Darius, not even so would he have accepted to rule over all other things with another.
οἱ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν δικαιοσύνης σύμβολον τῆς τελεωτάτης ἐποιήσαντο, ὥσπερ τούτου χάριν παραλαμβάνοντες τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματα, ἵνʼ εἶεν ἅπασιν ἀρετῆς διδάσκαλοι κοινοί.
But they made the kingship a symbol of the most perfect justice, as if receiving the affairs of men for this purpose, so that they might be common teachers of virtue to all.
τοῦτο ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μὲν Καυκάσου περίοδον, τοῦτο δʼ ὑπὲρ Ἰνδοὺς ἁλισκομένους καὶ Κασπίας πύλας, τοῦτο ὑπὲρ πάντα τἀνθρώπεια, τοῦτο τοῖς καλλίστοις ἐστὶ νικώντων καὶ ἃ προσήκει τῇ φύσει.
This, beyond all the circuit of Caucasus, and this beyond the conquered Indians and the Caspian gates, this beyond all human things, belongs to those who conquer with the most beautiful things and those which are fitting to nature.
οὔτε γὰρ εἴ τις ἔξω τοῦ Ἀτλαντικοῦ πελάγους ἐστὶ γῆ, ταύτην προσκτησάμενοι, οὔτε ὅσα ἀοίκητα τῶν εἴσω διʼ ὑπερβολὴν ψύχους ἢ §243καύματος, εἰ ταῦτα εὑρόμενοι κραθῆναι παρὰ τῶν θεῶν προσθήκην τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐποιήσαντο ἰδίαν καθʼ ἑαυτόν πως ἑκάτερος, οὐκ ἂν ἔμοιγε ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ τοσούτῳ παρελθεῖν ἅπαντας δοκοῦσιν, ὅσῳ περ νῦν τὰ ὄντα κοινὰ ποιησάμενοι καὶ περὶ πλείονος ἀλλήλους ποιησάμενοι τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων.
For neither if there is any land outside the Atlantic ocean, by acquiring this, nor as many uninhabitable places of the inner land because of excess of cold or heat, if finding these to be granted by the gods they made them a private addition to their rule, each one in some way by himself, would they seem to me to have surpassed all in virtue by so much as they have now done by making existing things common and by valuing each other more than all existing things.
ὢ θαυμαστοῦ μὲν τοῦ μηδὲν δεομένου βασιλεύειν, εἰ μὴ δοκοίη τῷ ἀδελφῷ, θαυμαστοῦ δὲ τοῦ μὴ δεχομένου βασιλεύειν, εἰ μὴ σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ.
O wondrous man who did not need to rule at all, unless it should seem good to his brother! O wondrous man who did not accept to rule, unless with his brother!
ὢ τοῖς ἴσοις ἀλλήλους ἀμειψάμενοι, μόνοι μὲν ἀλλήλοις ἐπὶ πλεῖστον παραπλήσιοι, μόνοι δʼ ἁπάντων πλεῖστον διαφέροντες, αὐτοὶ μὲν κοινωνοὶ τῶν μεγίστων, ἑτέρους δὲ οὐκ ἔχοντες τῶν ἴσων κοινωνούς.
O you who have requited each other on equal terms, alone most like to each other, and alone differing most from all, yourselves partners in the greatest things, but having no others as partners on equal terms!
ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς ἐδόκει τι διάφορον κεκτῆσθαι τὸν καλούμενον βασιλέως ὀφθαλμὸν καὶ βασιλέως ὦτα· καὶ τοῦτο ἴσως μὲν ἦν τινα καὶ χρείαν παρέχον, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἀλαζόνευμα, ἵνα δὴ διπλᾶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ὁρᾶν καὶ ἀκούειν δοκοίη.
For the king of the Persians was thought to possess something different, the so-called 'eye of the king' and 'ears of the king'; and this perhaps provided some utility, but for the most part, in my opinion, it was a boast, so that he might indeed seem to see and hear twice as much as other men.
οἱ δὲ τοῦτο δὴ κάλλιστον καὶ σοφώτατον εὗρον πρὸς ὑπερβολήν· ἀμφότεροι γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ὦτα καὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ κατέστησαν, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῆς φύσεως χρείαν ἐδιπλασίασαν, καὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τῆς ἀρχῆς οὐκ ἀλλοτρίαν, ἀλλʼ οἴκοθεν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐποιήσαντο, κοινώσαντες ἅπαντα.
But they found this most beautiful and wise thing to excess; for both established themselves as ears and eyes for each other, and they doubled the utility from nature, and made the defense of the empire not foreign, but truly from home, by sharing all.
καὶ οὐδέν γε μᾶλλον τὸ τῆς μοναρχίας ἀγαθὸν διέφθαρται, ἀλλʼ ἐστὶ μοναρχία θαυμαστὴ δυοῖν σώμασι καὶ δυοῖν ψυχαῖν μιᾶς γνώμης ἐνιδρυμένης, ὥσπερ τινὸς ἁρμονίας διὰ πασῶν τῶν χορδῶν διηκούσης.
And in no way has the good of monarchy been destroyed, but there is a wondrous monarchy established in two bodies and two souls with one mind, just like some harmony running through all the strings.
τίς οὖν γένοιτʼ ἂν ταύτης ἀμείνων μουσική;
What better music then could there be than this?
τίς συναυλία φιλτέρα τῷ τε Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ ταῖς Μούσαις;
What concert dearer to both Apollo and the Muses?
τίς ἁρμονία κοινοτέρα τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει;
What harmony more common to the race of men?
τὰ μὲν γὰρ Ἀμφίονος καὶ Ζήθου πρὸς τοσοῦτον ἦλθεν ὅσον πυργῶσαι Θήβας, κἀνταῦθά τινες τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου μουσικὴν αἰτιῶνται, οἱ δὲ ὑπὲρ πασῶν τῶν πόλεων καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων κοινωσάμενοι τὴν μουσικὴν ταυτὸν ᾁδουσι, πατρόθεν μέν που καὶ ἐκ προγόνων τὸ μέλος παραλαβόντες, ἔτι δὲ αὐτὸ τῷ παντὶ λαμπρότερον καταστήσαντες, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα ἐκείνων
For the deeds of Amphion and Zethus went only so far as to wall Thebes, and even there some blame the music of the other, but they, having shared music for all cities and all men, sing the same song, having received the melody from their father and from ancestors, and having made it altogether more brilliant, as if especially of those...