§407οἷς ἂν τὰ τῆς αἰχμῆς ἀνακοπῇ, οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν ἵστασθαι, πολὺ δὲ ἔτι μᾶλλον, ἐπειδὰν ὅλως κατάξωσι τὰ δόρατα· ἀλλʼ ἀπέρχονται καταλιπόντες τὴν μάχην, οἰσόμενοι στερεώτερα.
—of whom those whose spear-point is broken back do not wish to stand their ground, and still much less when they have completely broken their spears; but they depart, abandoning the battle, to fetch firmer ones.
πάλιν αὐτὴν, εἰ βούλει, τὴν μάχην ποτέρως ἄμεινον ποιοῦνται, τὴν τάξιν φυλάττοντες καὶ συνεστηκότες καὶ ἀλλήλους τε ὡς δυνατὸν μάλιστα αἰδούμενοι καὶ τοῖς παραγγέλμασιν ἐμμένοντες, ἢ τούτων μὲν ἁπάντων ὑπεριδόντες, τοῦ δʼ ἐν τῷ παραχρῆμα δοκοῦντος γλυκέος εἶναι ἡττηθέντες, τὰς δὲ ἀσπίδας ὁμοῦ τῇ πρώτῃ σάλπιγγι ῥίψαντες, νόμον δὲ καὶ τάξιν καὶ κόσμον ὥσπερ ὕθλον τινὰ καὶ φλυαρίαν κρίναντες.
Again, if you please, in which of the two ways do they better wage battle itself: by keeping their formation, standing together, respecting one another as much as possible, and abiding by their orders, or by disregarding all these things, being defeated by what seems sweet at the moment, throwing away their shields at the first trumpet-sound, and judging law, order, and discipline to be like mere chatter and nonsense?
Ὅμηρος μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ λέγειν ἐᾷ τῶν αἰσχρῶν οὐδὲν τοὺς ὀρθῶς προσέχοντας μάχῃ.
For Homer does not even allow those who are rightly attentive to battle to speak of anything shameful.
ὃ καὶ θαυμάζω, εἰ πολεμοῦσι μὲν αἰσχύνη λέγειν ἃ μὴ καλὸν, λέγουσι δʼ ἅ γʼ αἰσχύνη λέγειν οὐ χεῖρον.
Which is also why I wonder that, while to those who are fighting it is a shame to say what is not honorable, these men speak what is indeed a shame to say, and think it no worse.
φέρε δὴ καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν στεφανιτῶν ἀγώνων σκεψώμεθα, οἷον τὸν Δωριέα τὸν Ῥόδιον καὶ Γλαῦκον τὸν Καρύστιον καὶ Μίλωνα δὴ καὶ Πολυδάμαντα, καὶ πάντας ὧν εἰκόνες χαλκαῖ, πότερον θρυπτομένους καὶ παροινοῦντας καὶ ταὐτὰ ταῖς ὀρχηστρίσι στρεφομένους ἐστεφάνουν οἱ τῷ Διὶ τῷ Ὀλυμπίῳ τὸν ἀγῶνα κοσμοῦντες, ἢ καρτερίαν θαυμαστήν τινα καὶ ῥώμην ὁμοῦ ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος παρασχομένους, ἃ τὰς μεγίστας καὶ βεβαιοτάτας ἡδονὰς καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἔχουσι καὶ τοῖς συνειδόσι προξενεῖ.
Come now, let us also consider those in the crown-contests, such as Dorieus the Rhodian, Glaucus the Carystian, and indeed Milo and Polydamas, and all those whose bronze statues exist: did those who organize the contest for Olympian Zeus crown them because they were pampered, behaved drunkenly, and twisted themselves in the same way as dancing girls, or because they displayed a certain wonderful endurance and strength of both soul and body, which procure the greatest and most secure pleasures both to those who possess them and to those who witness them?
πρὸς Διὸς, ἵπποι δὲ ἄριστοι καὶ θαυμασιώτατοι καὶ μάλιστα καθʼ ἡδονὴν τοῖς θεωροῦσιν ἆρʼ οὐχ οἵτινες ὡς ἐρρωμενέστατα καὶ διαρκέστατα καὶ μηδὲν ἔξω τοῦ δρόμου βάντες ἀπήνυσαν, πανταχοῦ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν σώζοντες;
By Zeus, are not the best and most wonderful horses, and those most of all to the pleasure of the spectators, those which have run their course most vigorously and enduringly, stepping not at all out of the track, everywhere preserving their own excellence?
καὶ φύσιν ταυτὸν ἄριστόν τε καὶ ἥδιστον εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χρείαν· ἐπεί τοι καὶ τὰ τῶν σωμάτων κάλλη τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ἐάν τε Γανυμήδην εἴπῃς ἐάν τε Πέλοπα ἐάν θʼ ὁντινοῦν, ἅμα τῇ λήξει τῆς τύχης καὶ τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἐφέλκεται· καὶ πάνυ γʼ εἰκότως.
And by nature, the same thing is both best and most pleasant for its own use; for indeed, the beauty of bodies is also of this manner: whether you speak of Ganymede or of Pelops or of anyone else, together with the assignment of their fortune, it draws the spectators to itself; and very reasonably so.
δεῖ γὰρ, §408οἶμαι, κάλλει μὲν χάριν εἶναι, χάριτος δὲ ἔρωτα ἐξηρτῆσθαι.
For it is necessary, I think, that beauty should have grace, and on grace love should depend.
ὅτῳ γὰρ ἄν τις χαίρῃ, τοῦτʼ ἀνάγκη ποθεῖν.
For whatever one rejoices in, this one must necessarily desire.
διὸ τῶν μὲν αἰσχρῶν οὔ φασιν ἔρωτα εἶναι, τῶν δὲ καλῶν κἀν θεοῖς εἶναι ποιηταὶ λέγουσιν.
Therefore they say there is no love for shameful things, but poets say that love for beautiful things exists even among the gods.
οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ τὸ τῶν λόγων κάλλος μετὰ τῆς ἁπάσης φύσεως καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔχει, κηλεῖν τοὺς ἀκούοντας.
In this way, then, the beauty of speeches also has this property, along with the whole of nature: to charm those who hear.
ὥστʼ οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πείθειν τὰ χείρω δεῖ λέγειν, ἀλλὰ πειρατέον ὡς κάλλιστα λέγειν, ἵνʼ ὡς πλείστους ἄγοιμεν.
So one must not speak the worse for the sake of persuading, but one must try to speak as beautifully as possible, in order that we may lead as many as possible.
ὥσπερ γὰρ τῶν ἐπῳδῶν αἱ κράτισται μάλιστα ἄγειν πεφύκασιν, οὕτως οἱ κράτιστοι τῶν λόγων μάλιστα πείθειν πεφύκασι.
For just as the strongest of incantations are by nature most able to lead, so the best of speeches are by nature most able to persuade.
τὸ δὲ ταῖς διαφθοραῖς ταύταις νομίζειν ἐνεῖναί τι χρηστὸν ἢ κεχαρισμένον παραπλήσιόν ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ κἀν τοῖς σώμασι τοὺς μὲν φθόῃ κάμνοντας καὶ τοὺς ὑδεριῶντας καὶ τοὺς ἀλφοῖς ἢ λέπρᾳ ποικίλους, τούτους μὲν ὡς ἥδιστα κατεσκευάσθαι φάσκοιμεν καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπιθυμητὰς ἔχειν, οἷς οὐδʼ ἀπαντῆσαι πρῶτον οὐδʼ ἂν εἷς δέξαιτο, τοὺς δʼ ὁμοῦ τῷ τῆς ὑγιείας ἀγαθῷ καὶ πρὸς ἔσχατα κάλλους τετιμημένους ἔλαττον ἔχειν τούτων πειθοίμεθα.
To think that there is something useful or pleasing in these corruptions is very much like as if, in the case of bodies, we should say that those suffering from consumption, those with dropsy, and those speckled with white spots or leprosy, are in the most pleasant condition and have many admirers—whom not even a single person would at first willingly meet—while we should believe that those who, along with the good of health, are honored with the utmost beauty, have less than these.
ἄνω μέντἂν ποταμῶν οὕτω γε πηγαὶ ῥέοιεν.
In that case, indeed, the springs of rivers would flow backward.
μὴ τοίνυν ὅτι ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν, ἀλλʼ ἐν τοῖς πλάσμασι καὶ τοῖς ἀγάλμασι ποῖʼ ἄττα μάλιστα χειροῦνται τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας;
Not to mention, then, what is in living bodies, but in models and statues, what kind of things most of all master those who encounter them?
ἆρʼ οὐ τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ μεγαλοπρεπέστατα καὶ πρὸς τοὔσχατον ἥκοντα τῆς εἰς ταῦτʼ ἀκριβείας;
Is it not the most beautiful, the most magnificent, and those which have reached the utmost precision in these arts?
ὁ Ζεὺς οὑλύμπιος, ἡ Ἀθήνησιν Ἀθηνᾶ, λέγω τοῦτο μὲν τὴν ἐλεφαντίνην, τοῦτο δʼ, εἰ βούλει, τὴν χαλκῆν καὶ νὴ Δία γʼ, εἰ βούλει, τὴν Λημνίαν, ἅπαντα ταῦτα ὑπερβολὴν μὲν ἀρετῆς τῷ δημιουργῷ, τοῖς δὲ θεαταῖς ἡδονῆς ἔχει.
The Olympian Zeus, the Athena at Athens—I mean on the one hand the ivory one, and on the other hand, if you please, the bronze one, and by Zeus, if you please, the Lemnian—all these possess an excess of excellence for the craftsman, and of pleasure for the spectators.
ταυτὸν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τῶν Ἀπελλοῦ φαίης ὂν, οἶμαι, γραμμάτων, κἂν εἴ τινʼ ἄλλον ἐθέλοις θαυμάζειν, ἡ γραμμὴ σωθεῖσα τὸ πᾶν ἔσωσεν.
And you would say this same thing is true, I think, of the paintings of Apelles, and if you should wish to admire anyone else: the line being preserved saved the whole.
εἶεν.
Well then.
νεὼς δʼ αὖ τοὺς ποίους καὶ τίνας μάλιστα ὁρῶντές τε χαίρομεν καὶ ἐκπληττόμεθα καὶ ἀπαλλαττόμεθα
And of ships, what kind and of what sort are they which we look at and rejoice, are struck with awe, and then depart?