§563στάσει δʼ ἢ συστῆναι τὸ πρῶτον ἢ συμμεῖναι πολιτείαν οὐδενὶ πώποτʼ ἔδοξεν ἐγχωρεῖν.
But for a constitution to be established in the first place, or to endure, by means of civil strife, has never seemed possible to anyone.
καὶ μὴν τυραννούμεναι μὲν τῶν πόλεων ἤδη τινὲς εἴς τε μέγεθος καὶ κατασκευὴν ἐπέδοσαν, στάσει δὲ οἵτινες οὐκ ἐφθάρησαν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμεν εὑρεῖν.
And indeed, some cities under tyranny have already advanced in greatness and resources, but we could not find any who were not ruined by civil strife.
καίτοι πῶς εἰκὸς τοῖς μὲν τοὺς τυράννους ἀποκτιννύουσι δωρεὰς προειρηκέναι, τοῖς δὲ τὰς στάσεις καταλύουσι μηδὲ ὅσον πείθεσθαι βούλεσθαι;
And yet how is it reasonable to have proclaimed rewards for those who kill tyrants, but to those who put down civil strife, not even to be willing to obey to that extent?
ὑμεῖς τοίνυν σεμνύνεσθε ὡς ὄντες ἐλεύθεροι καὶ τὴν δημοκρατίαν οὕτως ἐπαινεῖτε ὥστε μηδʼ ἂν ἀθάνατοι δέξαισθε γενέσθαι, εἰ μή τις ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ ταύτης ἐάσει μένειν τῆς πολιτείας.
You, then, pride yourselves on being free, and praise democracy to such an extent that you would not even accept to become immortal, unless someone allows you to remain under this constitution.
καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἄλογον αὐτὴν μὲν οὕτω τιμᾶν, ταύτῃ δʼ ἐπηρεάζοντας μὴ θέλειν συνεῖναι, καὶ μοναρχίαν μὲν εἴ τις κατασκευάζοιτο, πικρῶς ἂν ἔχειν, ὃ δὲ τούτου τοσούτοις ὅσοις εἶπον δέδεικται χαλεπώτερον, τοῦτʼ αὔξειν ἑκόντας, καὶ μηδʼ ἐκεῖνο δύνασθαι λογίσασθαι ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως, εἰ ταῦθʼ οὕτω πρόεισιν, οὐ κινδυνεύσετʼ ἀποστερηθῆναι τῆς δοκούσης ταύτης ἐλευθερίας· κἂν μὴ ἑκόντες ἐπιστρέψητε, ἄλλος ἀφίξεται ὅστις ὑμᾶς σώσει πρὸς βίαν.
And yet how is it not irrational, while honoring it so much, to be unwilling to live together in harmony, treating it with insolence, and if someone were to establish a monarchy, to be bitterly angry, but to foster willingly that which has been shown to be as much more difficult as I have said, and not even to be able to reason that it is impossible, if these things go on in this way, that you will not run the risk of being deprived of this apparent freedom; and if you do not turn back willingly, someone else will arrive who will save you by force.
ὡς οὔτʼ ἀγνοεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῖς ἄρχουσι θεσμὸς οὔτʼ ἐν μηδενὶ ποιεῖσθαι λόγῳ.
Since it is neither a law for those who rule to be ignorant of such things, nor to hold them in no account.
ὥστε εἰ μηδενὸς ἄλλου χάριν, τοῦ γʼ ὄντες ἐλεύθεροι ποιεῖν ὅ τι βούλεσθε, τῶν νυνὶ τούτων ἀπόστητε, ἵνα μὴ φοβῆσθε ἅμα ὅσον νῦν θαρρεῖτε καὶ μὴ φιλοτιμίαν ἀρχαίαν ἀποβάλητε.
Therefore, if for no other sake, at least for the sake of doing whatever you wish as free men, turn away from these present actions, so that you may not at the same time fear as much as you now feel confident, and may not lose your ancient pride.
ἔστι δὴ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος χρόνου τοῦτʼ ἀπολαύειν, παραδείγμασι τοῖς γνωριμωτάτοις χρωμένους εἰς τὰ παρόντα, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς μὲν ἄλλους τινὰς διεξιέναι μειρακιῶδες ἂν ἦν ἴσως, πρὸς δὲ ὑμᾶς καθαρῶς ὄντας Ἕλληνας καὶ τεθραμμένους ἐκ παίδων ἐν τούτοις οὐκ ἄχρηστον.
Indeed, it is possible to derive this benefit from past time, by using the most well-known examples for the present; and while to recount these things to some others would perhaps have been childish, to you who are purely Greeks and have been brought up in these matters from childhood, it is not useless.
τοῦτο μὲν τοίνυν εἰς τὴν τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων πόλιν ἀποβλέψατε, ὁμόφυλον ὑμῖν οὖσαν, ἣ μέχρι μὲν ἐστασίαζεν, οὐδεμιᾶς τῶν προσοίκων βελτίων ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολεμοῦσα ἡττᾶτο, ὡς λέγεται, τὰ πολλά·
First, then, look to the city of the Lacedaemonians, which is of the same stock as you; as long as it was in faction, it was no better than any of its neighbors, but even in war it was defeated, as they say, for the most part.
ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέστη διὰ τῶν Λυκούργου λόγων καὶ νόμων, ἡγεῖτο τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ κατὰ πόλεις καὶ κοινῇ.
But when it was established through the words and laws of Lycurgus, it led the Greeks both individually and collectively.
αὖθις δὲ τὸ τῶν
And again, consider that of the...
§564Ἀθηναίων θεωρήσατε, οἳ στασιάζοντες μὲν οὔτε σφίσιν αὐτοῖς οὔτε ἑτέροις ἠδύναντʼ εἶναι χρήσιμοι, ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν τυράννων ἀπαλλαγέντες ὡμονόησαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, οὐ μόνον τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἠλευθέρωσαν ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις καιροῖς.
Athenians, who, while they were in faction, could be of use neither to themselves nor to others, but when they were freed from the tyrants and came to concord with one another, they liberated not only their own city, but also Greece in her greatest crises.
παραλαβόντες δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἕως μὲν μίαν γνώμην εἶχον, ἀντεῖχον μικροῦ δεῖν ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν, ἐπεὶ δὲ διέστησαν, τὰ μὲν τείχη κατέσκαψαν, τὰς δὲ ναῦς παρέδωκαν.
And having taken the leadership, as long as they had one mind, they held out against almost all mankind both by land and by sea; but when they fell into discord, they tore down their walls and surrendered their ships.
καὶ τοῦτο τοσοῦτον ἀτύχημα ἀτυχήσας ὁ δῆμος ἐκπεσὼν καὶ κατελθὼν αὖθις, ἐξὸν αὐτῷ τιμωρήσασθαι τοὺς ἐπαναστάντας καὶ πρὸς οὓς παρετάξαντο, ὁμονοεῖν εἵλετο, τὴν κοινὴν τῆς πόλεως σωτηρίαν προτέραν τῶν ἰδίων ἐγκλημάτων ποιησάμενος.
And having suffered this so great misfortune, the people, when they were exiled and returned again, although it was in their power to take vengeance on those who had risen against them and those against whom they had drawn up in battle, chose to be in concord, making the common safety of the city prior to their private grievances.
καὶ γάρ τοι πάλιν εἰς τὰ πράγματʼ εἰσῆλθε, καὶ προὔστη τῶν Ἑλλήνων σχεδὸν ἐν μέρει πάντων.
And therefore they returned again to power, and stood at the head of almost all the Greeks in turn.
τοσοῦτον κακὸν ἡ στάσις ταῖς πόλεσι καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀγαθὸν τὸ θέλειν ὡς τάχιστα παύσασθαι.
So great an evil is civil strife for cities, and so great a good is the desire to cease it as quickly as possible.
εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων προγόνων Ἀργείων ἀναμνησθῆναι, λέγεται καὶ τούτους ταραχθέντας ἐν ἀλλήλοις, Ἀθηναίων πρέσβεων ἀφικομένων ὡς αὐτοὺς καὶ διδαξάντων ὡς αὐτοὶ τὰ σφέτερʼ αὐτῶν ἔθεντο, ὑπακοῦσαι καὶ τὴν στάσιν ἐκποδὼν ἀνελόντας πάλιν εἰς ταυτὸν ἐλθεῖν.
And if it is necessary to remember also your ancestors, the Argives, it is said that they too, when they were in disorder among themselves, when Athenian ambassadors arrived to them and explained how they had settled their own affairs, obeyed them, and having removed the civil strife out of the way, came back to the same point.
νῦν τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥόδιοι, παρὰ πασῶν τῶν πόλεων τούτων χρὴ νομίζειν πρεσβείαν κοινὴν ἥκειν ὡς ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰς διαλύσεις προκαλουμένην, προηγορεῖν δὲ ἡμᾶς συνδεομένους ἃ νομίζομεν πάντη βέλτιστα ὑμῖν εἶναι.
Now therefore, men of Rhodes, you must believe that a common embassy has come to you from all these cities, calling you to reconciliations, and that we are speaking on their behalf, begging together for what we think is in every way best for you.
καὶ μὴν οὐ ταυτόν γε τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ὑμᾶς ποιῆσαι δεῖ οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς δανεισαμένοις συνεκτῖσαι τάλαντα ὅσα δὴ σημεῖον τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλʼ ἀζήμιος ἡ σωφροσύνη πρόκειται τούτων τε ὧν εἶπον ἐνθυμουμένοις καὶ μηκέτʼ εἰς πόλιν μίαν ἢ δευτέραν βλέπουσιν, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὰ κοινὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων πράγματα καὶ πάσας τὰς πόλεις τὰς Ἑλληνίδας, αἷς οὔτε φάλαγγες ὁπλιτῶν ἐναντίον οὔθʼ ἱππέων πλῆθος οὔτʼ ἄλλʼ οὐδὲν τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι φοβερῶν, ἀλλʼ ἡ κατʼ ἀλλήλων στάσις καὶ ἀπιστία καὶ τὸ μήτε κοινῇ ταυτὸν φρονεῖν μήτʼ αὖ καθʼ ἑκάστους ὑγιαίνειν αἴτιον τῆς τοσαύτης μεταβολῆς ἐγένετο.
And indeed, you must not do the same as the Athenians, nor pay together with those who borrowed against you as many talents as were indeed a sign of trust, but moderation is set before you without penalty, if you reflect on these things I have said and no longer look to one or two cities, but to the common affairs of the Greeks and all the Greek cities, to which neither phalanxes of hoplites opposed, nor a multitude of cavalry, nor any other of the things thought to be fearful, but civil strife and distrust against one another, and neither thinking the same in common nor again being healthy individually, became the cause of so great a change.
καὶ μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἐν ἀδείᾳ
And let no one of you, in security