§557εἰ μὲν οὕτως εἶχον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥόδιοι, τὸ σῶμα, ὡς ἐγώ τε ἂν ἐβουλόμην καὶ ὑμεῖς συνεύξεσθε, αὐτὸς ἂν ὑμῖν διαβὰς εἰς λόγους ἦλθον πολλῶν ἕνεκα·
If my physical condition were such, men of Rhodes, as I myself would wish and as you would join in praying for, I would have crossed over in person and entered into discussions with you for many reasons.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἴσως καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀφῖκται λόγος ὡς διακείμεθα, ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν τοῖς θεοῖς ἐπιτρέπω, διʼ οὓς καὶ εἰς τοῦτον ἐσώθην τὸν χρόνον·
But since, perhaps, word has also reached you as to how I am situated, I entrust my own affairs to the gods, thanks to whom I have been preserved up to this present time.
πρὸς δὲ ὑμᾶς ὑπόλοιπον ἦν πέμψαι τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον συγγενέσθαι τὴν πρώτην.
As for you, what remained was to send this letter, and in this manner to associate with you for the first time.
εἰκότως δʼ ἂν οὐ περίεργος νομιζοίμην ἐν πατρίδος μοίρᾳ τὴν πόλιν ὑμῶν ἄγων.
I would naturally not be considered busybody if I regard your city in the position of a homeland.
Ἑλλήνων τε γὰρ οὐκ εἰς ἐσχάτους δοκοῦντα τελεῖν παντὸς τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ κήδεσθαι νομίζειν αὑτῷ προσήκειν οὐ μάταιος ὁ λογισμὸς, τῶν τε πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἰδίᾳ μοι δικαίων ὑπαρχόντων οὐδʼ ὑμεῖς ἐπιλέλησθε· ἀνθʼ ὧν καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν ὁτιοῦν ἀξιῶν §558ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν δικαίως ἂν συγγνώμης τυγχάνοιμι.
For the reasoning is not vain that a man who is thought to be numbered not among the lowest of the Greeks should think it appropriate for him to care for the whole of the Greek world, and you yourselves have not forgotten the private rights and bonds that exist between me and you; in return for which, deeming it worthy to speak and act in any way, on your behalf, I would justly obtain your indulgence.
ὃν μὲν οὖν τρόπον διετέθην ἐπὶ τῇ περὶ τὸν σεισμὸν συμφορᾷ καὶ ὁποῖόν τινα ἐμαυτὸν παρέσχον τοῖς πρεσβεύσασιν ὑμῶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους, παρʼ αὐτῶν κάλλιστʼ ἂν πύθοισθε.
Now, in what manner I was affected by the disaster of the earthquake, and what kind of person I showed myself to be to your envoys to Egypt at that time, you would learn best from them.
ἀγγελλομένων δέ μοι πολλῷ δεινοτέρων, εἰ οἷόν τε εἰπεῖν, τῶν νῦν, ὅτι ἀπιστεῖτε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ διῄρησθε καὶ ταραχὰς οὐ προσηκούσας ὑμῖν ταράττεσθε, οὔθʼ ὅπως χρὴ πιστεύειν οὔθʼ ὅπως ἀπιστεῖν εἶχον.
But when news was brought to me of what is now happening, which is much more terrible, if it is permitted to say so—namely, that you distrust one another, are divided, and are stirred up by troubles that do not befit you—I did not know how I should believe it or how I should disbelieve it.
οἵ τε γὰρ ἀγγέλλοντες ὑμέτεροι πολῖται καὶ τἄλλα τῶν ἀξιοπίστων καὶ καθʼ ὑμῶν τὸ παραδέξασθαι ῥᾳδίως τοιαύτας αἰτίας οὐκ ἐνῆν.
For those who reported it were your fellow citizens and otherwise among those worthy of belief, and yet, on the other hand, it was not possible for me easily to accept such charges against you.
εἰ μὲν οὖν περιῆν Τέρπανδρος ὁ Λέσβιος, ἐκεῖνον ἂν ὑμῖν συνευξάμην ἐλθεῖν·
If, therefore, Terpander of Lesbos were still alive, I would have prayed that he should come to you.
ἐπεὶ δὲ λόγῳ ψιλῷ δεῖ πείσαντα καταστήσασθαι τὰ πράγματα, ἐμαυτοῦ τὸ ἀγώνισμα ποιοῦμαι.
But since one must settle matters by convincing you with plain speech alone, I make this my own contest.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνο ἐνθυμήθητε ὅτι ὑπὲρ μὲν ἄλλου τινὸς πράγματος οἷόν τέ ἐστι καὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους λόγους διελθεῖν, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς ὁμονοίας οὐδεὶς πώποτε ἠμφισβήτησε τὸ μὴ οὐ μέγιστον εἶναι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ταῖς πόλεσιν.
First of all, then, bear this in mind, that while on any other matter it is possible even to run through opposing arguments, concerning concord no one has ever disputed that it is not the greatest of goods for cities.
ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν πολιτειῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς νομίμων χωρὶς ἕκαστοι φρονοῦσι, τὸ δʼ ἐν ἁπάσῃ τῇ πολιτείᾳ μηδὲν ἐναντιώτερον εἶναι στάσεως μηδʼ ὅ τι μᾶλλον τοῖς καθεστηκόσι λυμαίνεται, τουτὶ δʼ ὡσπερεὶ μιᾷ φωνῇ νενίκηκε.
But while on the subject of constitutions themselves and the laws within them people think separately, the view that in any constitution nothing is more contrary than faction, nor anything more destructive to the established order, has triumphed as if with one voice.
καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον περὶ αὐτοῦ μὲν τούτου πάντας συμφρονεῖν, ὡς καλὸν ἡ ὁμόνοια καὶ σωτήριον, ταύτης δὲ ἀμελήσαντας ἐρίζειν ἀλλήλοις ἀξιοῦν, καὶ ταῦτα ἀνήνυτα, καὶ τὰ μηδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ἢ βαρβάρων ἀγνοεῖν ἔχοντα καλῶς, ταῦτα ἐκφυγεῖν Ῥοδίους;
And yet, how is it not strange that, while all agree on this very point, that concord is honorable and saving, they should neglect it and think fit to quarrel with one another, and that endlessly, and that the Rhodians should escape noticing those things which none of the other Greeks or barbarians can fail to know well?
οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ εἰδέναι μὲν φάσκειν, ἑκόντας δὲ ὀλιγωρεῖν τῆς σωτηρίας ἀνθρώπινον.
Furthermore, to claim to know and yet voluntarily to neglect salvation is not human.
ἥδιστα δʼ ἄν μοι δοκῶ τοῦτʼ ἐπιτιμηθῆναι, ὡς ἀρχαῖα λέγων καὶ οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν καινὸν εὑρηκώς.
I think I would most gladly be censured for this, as speaking ancient things and having found nothing new.
πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον τῷ μὲν λέγοντι μέμφεσθαι ὡς λίαν γνώριμα καὶ παλαιὰ καὶ πᾶσι δοκοῦντα συμβουλεύει, αὐτοὺς δὲ μὴ τολμᾶν χρῆσθαι τοῖς οὕτω φανεροῖς, ἀλλὰ μὴ μόνον πρὸς αὑτοὺς στασιαστικῶς ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντὶ τῷ μέχρι τούτου χρόνῳ διαφέρεσθαι;
For how is it not strange to find fault with the speaker on the ground that he advises things too familiar, ancient, and approved by all, while they themselves do not dare to practice what is so manifest, but are not only factional toward themselves but also differ for all the time up to this point?
ἐγὼ δʼ οὔτε τὸν σύμβουλον οὔτε τοὺς χρωμένους ἡγοῦμαι τοῦτο δεῖν σκοπεῖν, τὸν μὲν ὅπως ἐρεῖ ταῦτα ἃ μηδεὶς,
But I think that neither the adviser nor those who use him should consider this, namely, how the former will say things that no one else has said,