§343τε εὐθὺς ἐκπέμπει μοι ῥᾳστώνης ἕνεκα τῆς προσόδου· τουτὶ γὰρ πρόσθεν ᾐτηκὼς ἔτυχον αὐτόν· καὶ ἐπειδὴ παρῆλθον, ἅπασαν αἰδῶ καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ παρὰ τῶν συνέδρων, ὡσαύτως δὲ ῥητόρων τῶν προσεστηκότων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁπόσοι παρῆσαν, καὶ σχῆμα ἐπιδείξεως μᾶλλον ἦν ἢ δίκης· ἥ τε γὰρ εὔνοια θαυμαστὴ καὶ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς λόγους ὡρμηκὸς ἐπεσήμαινον τότε καὶ χειρὶ καὶ φωνῇ, καὶ πάντʼ ἦν ὥσπερ ἐπὶ σχολῆς ἀκροωμένων.
...(the lictors) immediately he sent to me for ease of my approach; for I happened to have requested this of him beforehand; and when I entered, there was every respect both from him and from the assessors, and likewise from the rhetoricians who stood by and all the others who were present, and the appearance was more of a declamation than of a trial; for their goodwill was wonderful, and they indicated their eagerness for my speeches then with both hand and voice, and everything was just as if they were listening in a lecture hall.
πέντε δὲ μέτρων ἐκπερανθέντων καὶ παρρησίᾳ μου χρησαμένου πλείονι καὶ παραδηλώσαντος ὁποῖός τις ἂν εἴην παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ, τούτους ποιούμενος τοὺς λόγους, τελευτῶν ὁ Σεβῆρος ἑνὸς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως συνδίκων μικρὰ καὶ μετʼ εὐφημίας ἀπαντήσαντος ἡμῖν, ἅμα καὶ τὴν βουλὴν τιμῶν κἀμοὶ ταυτὸν ἔσεσθαι νομίζων, καὶ ταύτην ἀρίστην εἶναι γνῶσιν, πέμπει με αὖθις εἰς τὴν βουλὴν μετὰ γραμμάτων ἐντίμων.
And when five measures of the water-clock had been finished and I had used greater freedom of speech and indicated what sort of person I was with the Emperor, making these speeches, in the end Severus, after one of the advocates from the city had answered us briefly and with good wishes, wishing at once to honor the council and thinking that this would be the same for me, and that this was the best decision, sent me again to the council with honorable letters.
καὶ συνέβη δή μοι οὐ μόνον τὴν ἀτέλειαν βεβαιώσασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τιμῆς τοσαύτης καὶ σχήματος, ὥστε μηδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων δοκεῖν περὶ ταῦτα κοινωνεῖν.
And indeed it happened to me not only to confirm my immunity, but also with such honor and status that no one of the others seemed to share in these things.
τῆς δʼ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς, ἐφʼ ἣν αὐτὸς ἦγέ με, οὐδʼ ἐμνήσθη πρὸς ἐμὲ, οὐδʼ οὖν ἡμεῖς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον· ἀλλʼ ἐπέστειλεν ἐφʼ αὑτοῦ τοῖς ἄρχουσι, κελεύων ἕτερον ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ καταστῆσαι.
Of the other office, to which he himself was leading me, he did not even make mention to me, nor indeed did we to him; but he wrote on his own initiative to the magistrates, ordering them to appoint another in my place.
εἰς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτησεν ἡ πρόρρησις τοῦ θεοῦ.
To this indeed ended the prediction of the god.
καί μοι λογιζομένῳ τὰ ἀνηλωμένα μισθόν τʼ ἀγοραίοις καὶ οἰκέταις ἐφόδια, εἴ τινάς ποι τούτων ἕνεκα ἀπέστειλα, αἱ πεντακόσιαι μάλιστά πως συνέβαινον δραχμαί.
And when I calculated the expenses incurred, both the fees to the advocates and the travel money for the servants, if I had sent any of them anywhere for this purpose, the five hundred drachmae came out almost exactly.
οἷον δʼ αὖ καὶ τὸ πρόσθεν τούτων ἐνιαυτῷ σχεδὸν γενόμενον ἐπὶ Πολλίωνος ἄρχοντος τῆς Ἀσίας.
And such also was the event that occurred almost a year before these things during the governorship of Pollio in Asia.
ἄρτι μὲν εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον παρεληλύθειν ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς ἡσυχίας, ὥσπερ ἔφην, τοῦ θεοῦ προαγαγόντος κατὰ τοὺς λόγους· ἅπαντες δʼ ἦσαν ἐπʼ ἐλπίδων ὡς καὶ δὴ συνεσοίμην τοῖς νέοις· ἀπωλώλεσαν δὲ οἱ δείλαιοι σοφισταὶ τῷ δέει, οὐχ ἅπαντες, ἀλλʼ οἷς ἀνιᾶσθαι ἐπιμελὲς ἦν, ᾑρέθην ἐκλογεύς.
I had just entered the council chamber from my long retirement, as I said, the god having led me forward to eloquence; and everyone was in hope that indeed I would associate with the young men; but the miserable sophists were dying of fear—not all, but those who cared to annoy me—and I was elected tax collector.
ἧκε τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπὶ τὸν πρεσβευτὴν, κυροῖ τὴν χειροτονίαν ἐν Φιλαδελφίᾳ δικαστηρίοις ἀπόντος ἐμοῦ.
The matter came to the legatus, who confirmed the election in Philadelphia at the law courts in my absence.
μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνεγιγνώσκετο ἐν τῇ βουλῇ ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ πρεσβευτοῦ.
After this, the decision of the legatus was read in the council.
καὶ παρʼ ἡμῶν ἔφεσις μὲν εἰς Ῥώμην ἐδίδοτο, §344ἐπιστολαὶ δʼ ἐπέμποντο παρά τε αὐτὸν Πολλίωνα καὶ τὸν πρεσβευτὴν οἷα εἰκὸς λέγουσαι.
And on our part an appeal to Rome was being made, and letters were sent both to Pollio himself and to the legatus, saying what was natural.
ὁ δὲ θεὸς τάδʼ ἐσήμαινεν· ἐδόκουν τὸν Ἄλκιμον τὸν διοικητὴν, ὃν ἔπεμψα τούτων ἕνεκα, ἐπανήκειν, κομίζοντά μοι λόγον Δημοσθένους τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ στεφάνου, ἔχοντα οὐχ ὡς νῦν, ἀλλʼ ἑτέρως γε καὶ καθʼ ἑτέραν σύνθεσιν.
But the god indicated these things: I dreamed that Alcimus the steward, whom I had sent for this purpose, had returned, bringing me the speech of Demosthenes "On the Crown," having it not as it is now, but otherwise and in another composition.
καὶ πάλιν ἦσαν ὑποσχέσεις, ὡς Γλαβρίωνος τοῦ πάνυ συγκαταστήσαντος τὸ πᾶν.
And again there were promises, as if Glabrio, the very influential man, had settled the whole matter together.
ὁ δʼ ἔτυχεν, οἶμαι, τότε ἐπιδημῶν.
And he happened, I believe, to be residing there then.
ἐγένοντο δέ μοι καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Σαράπιδος καὶ τῆς Ἴσιδος χρησμοὶ, ὡς πεπραξομένου τε τοῦ πράγματος καὶ ἐχθροῖς εἰς φιλίαν ἥξεις ἔφασαν. καὶ τὰ μὲν χρησθέντα καὶ φανθέντα ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίοις τοιαῦτα ἦν· εἰς δὲ τὴν Φιλαδελφίαν ἀφίκοντο οἱ πεμφθέντες, καὶ ἦν μὲν ἀφέσιμος, ὡς ἔφασαν, ἡμέρα, ᾗ τὰ γράμματα ἀπεδίδοσαν.
And there came to me also from Sarapis and Isis oracles, saying that the matter would be accomplished and "You will come into friendship with enemies." And the things prophesied and appeared in dreams were, to sum up, of this sort; and those sent arrived in Philadelphia, and it was, as they said, a day of vacation on which they delivered the letters.
ἀναγνοὺς δὲ ὁ Πολλίων, καί τινος καιροῦ γενομένου περὶ ἡμῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ προσρήσει παρόντων, γνοὺς τοῦ πρεσβευτοῦ τὴν ἀφέλειαν κελεύει πορευθέντα εὐθὺς καθίζεσθαι καὶ ἐπανορθώσασθαι τὴν γνῶσιν.
But Pollio having read them, and when some opportunity arose concerning us from those present at the audience, having recognized the negligence of the legatus, ordered him to go immediately and hold a session and correct his decision.
ποιεῖ ταῦτα ὁ πρεσβευτὴς καὶ καθίζει ἑνὸς ἕνεκα τούτου καὶ δίδωσι γράμματα ἕτερα πρὸς τὴν βουλήν.
The legatus did these things and held a session for this one purpose and gave other letters to the council.
κομισθέντων δʼ αὐτῶν ὁ ἄρχων, ὅσπερ προθυμότατα ἀνθειστήκει μοι καὶ τἀναντία τούτων ἀνεγνώκει πρότερον, θορυβούμενος ἤδη καὶ ἐν παντὶ ὢν ἔπεμψεν ὡς τοὺς ἡγεμόνας πυνθανόμενος περὶ αὐτῶν.
When they were delivered, the magistrate, who had most eagerly opposed me and had previously read the opposite of these, being now thrown into confusion and being at his wits' end, sent to the governors inquiring about them.
οἱ δʼ οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίναντο.
But they answered nothing.
ὁ δʼ ἐλθὼν ὡς ἐμὲ ἐδεῖτο συγγνώμην ἔχειν, καὶ παρῄειν εἰς τὴν βουλὴν, καὶ τῆς τε διακονίας ἀφείθην καὶ τῆς ἀτελείας ἔτυχον· πρῶτον τότε καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο φίλτατος μὲν ὁ ἄρχων, φίλτατος δὲ ὁ πρεσβευτὴς αὐτός.
And he came to me and begged to have forgiveness, and I entered the council, and was released from the service and obtained my immunity; first then and after this the magistrate was most dear, and most dear was the legatus himself.
φέρε δὴ καθάπερ κλίμακος ἀεὶ τῷ ἀνωτέρω προϊόντες ἑτέρου τῶν ὑπὲρ ταῦτα μνημονεύσωμεν.
Come now, as if always proceeding to a higher step of a ladder, let us mention another of the events beyond these.
ὁ σοφιστὴς, οὗ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθην, ἦρχεν.
The sophist, whom I mentioned a little before, was holding office as magistrate.
ἱσταμένου δὲ τοῦ ἔτους καὶ γιγνομένης ἐκκλησίας τῆς πρώτης ἧκον ἐκ δήμου καλοῦντές με, οἷα δὴ διὰ χρόνου τε ἀφιγμένον, καὶ ἅμα ἀπαγγέλλοντες ὅτι μέλλοιεν θύσειν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ δημοσίᾳ, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ πρότερον πολλάκις πεποιηκότες ἦσαν.
When the year was beginning and the first assembly was being held, some came from the people calling me, as indeed having arrived after a long time, and at the same time announcing that they were about to sacrifice on my behalf publicly, which indeed they had also done many times before.
ὡς δὲ παρῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ὁ δῆμος τὰ
And when I entered the assembly and the people...