§431ὡμολόγησας αὐτῇ περὶ τῆς ἀμείνονος μοίρας, πάλιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἕτερος γενήσει, καὶ τότε μὲν καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς σαυτοῦ πλείονος ἄξιον ἡγοῦ τὸ στρατόπεδον, νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ τῆς κόρης ἀντάξιον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἑνὸς τῶν περὶ τὴν κόρην συμβάντων.
you agreed with her concerning the better fate, will you again from the beginning become another person? At that time, you deemed the camp to be worth more than even your own life, but now not even equivalent to the girl, or rather, not even to a single event that occurred concerning the girl.
οὕτως μέντἂν ἀμφοτέρων δόξαις τὴν παῖδα τιμιωτέραν ἡγεῖσθαι, καὶ σαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν.
In this way, indeed, you would seem to consider the girl more precious than both, both yourself and the Achaeans.
πῶς γὰρ οὐ καὶ σαυτοῦ, εἰ τοῦ μὲν σώζεσθαι κρεῖττον τὸ εὐδοξεῖν, τοῦ δὲ εὐδοξεῖν ἡ κόρη;
For how indeed would she not be more precious than even yourself, if to have a good reputation is better than to be saved, and the girl is better than having a good reputation?
δόξαις δʼ ἂν οὕτως καὶ τὴν μητέρα ἐψεῦσθαι, καὶ σαυτὸν ἐξελέγχειν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενον λογίζεσθαι.
And in this way you would also seem to make your mother a liar, and to prove that you yourself do not know how to reason.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς εὐθὺς ἑλέσθαι πλεῖν οἴκαδε καὶ ζῆν ἡσυχῇ γνώμης κρίσις ἦν, τὸ δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς στρατείας κινδύνους ἑλόμενον μεταβαλέσθαι περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν οὐ ταὐτὰ γιγνώσκειν ἐστίν· ὃ σοὶ τῶν πάντων ἥκιστα προσήκει, ὅσῳπερ ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα ἀρετὴν ἀσκεῖς καὶ τὸ μὴ ψεύδεσθαι.
For to choose straightway from the beginning to sail home and live in quiet was a judgment of mind, but to change one's mind about the same things after choosing the dangers of the campaign is not to have the same understanding; which least of all befits you, inasmuch as you of all men especially practice virtue and not being false.
οὐ γὰρ δή που τοὺς μὲν ἄλλα λέγοντας, ἄλλα δὲ γιγνώσκοντας αἰτιάσει, τοὺς δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν ἄλλοτε ἄλλως βουλευομένους καὶ μὴ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ὄντας ἐπαινέσει.
For surely you will not blame those who say one thing but think another, yet praise those who deliberate differently at different times about the same things and are not the same.
σκέψαι δὲ ὅτι κἀν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις μέχρι μὲν μὴ συνάγουσιν οἱ στρατηγοὶ πᾶς τις ὡς εἰπεῖν αὐτοκράτωρ ἐστὶν αὑτοῦ, ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰς τάξιν καταστῇ, ταύτην δεῖ σώζειν, ἢ φαῦλον νομίζεσθαι·
And consider that even in camps, as long as the generals do not draw them together, everyone, so to speak, is his own master; but when one is placed in rank, it is necessary to preserve this, or be deemed base.
σὺ δʼ οὐ βουλεύεσθαι δόξεις περὶ ὧν αἵρεσίς ἐστί σοι, ἀλλʼ ἀναχωρεῖν ἀπὸ τούτων ἃ προὔκρινας αὐτὸς καὶ μονονοὺ λιπεῖν τὴν τάξιν· ὃ καὶ ὄναρ μοι δοκεῖς σύ γε ἰδὼν εἰκότως ἂν αἰσχυνθῆναι.
But you will seem not to be deliberating about things in which you have a choice, but to be retreating from those things which you yourself chose, and all but abandoning your post; which even in a dream, it seems to me, you at least would reasonably be ashamed to see.
δίκαια καὶ καλὰ ταῦτα ἐγίγνωσκες, ὡς οὐχ αἱρετὸς βίος ἀνθρώπῳ μακρὸς, εἰ μὴ προσέσται τὸ πράττειν τὰ δέοντα.
You used to judge these things to be just and noble: that a long life is not desirable for a man unless the doing of necessary duties is added.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν παῖδα οἱ κήρυκες ἄγοντες ᾤχοντο, καὶ δὴ διὰ τοῦτο ἑτέρως ἔχει τὰ τῆς φύσεως.
But since the heralds have gone carrying off the girl, has the nature of things now indeed become different because of this?
οὐ παύσει δύο τῶν χειρίστων ὀνειδῶν ἀμφισβητῶν, δειλίας καὶ ἀπιστίας· ὃ τῶν ἐχθρῶν οὐδεὶς πώποτε ὠνείδισε.
Will you not cease contending with two of the worst reproaches, cowardice and untrustworthiness, which none of your enemies ever yet reproached you with?
καίτοι τίς ἂν ἦσθα πρὸς θεῶν, εἴ σοι ταῦτα §432Ἀγαμέμνων ἀνετίθει;
And yet, by the gods, who would you have been if Agamemnon had imposed these things upon you?
ἐγὼ δʼ ἡγοῦμαι τὸ μὲν τέλος πάντων πραγμάτων τῷ θεῷ χρῆναι καταλιπεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἅπαντας ὁρᾷς περὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν βεβουλευμένους.
But I think that the end of all matters must be left to the god, just as you see all of us having deliberated about ourselves.
οὐ γὰρ ποικίλης δεῖται τοῦτό γε μούσης, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν εὔδηλον ὅτι εἰρήνη πολέμου γέρας συμφορώτερον καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μαχομένους καὶ κινδυνεύοντας ἀναιμωτὶ τὸν αἰῶνα διελθεῖν.
For this indeed does not require a complex Muse, but it is clear to all that peace is a more beneficial prize than war, and that it is not possible for those who fight and risk danger to pass through life without shedding blood.
ἀλλʼ οὐ τούτου χάριν τὰς πίστεις παραβαίνομεν· ἀλλʼ ὧν μὲν ὁ δαίμων κύριος, αὐτῷ καταλείπομεν, ὅσα δὲ εἰς λογισμοὺς ἥκει καὶ τὸ βουλεύσασθαι, μηδαμοῦ τῶν χειρόνων ἑαυτῷ τιμᾶν ἀνδρός. νὴ Διʼ ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἄξιά σου τὰ δῶρα οὐδʼ ἐκπλήξει σε ὑπισχνούμενος, οὐδʼ ἂν τὴν ψάμμον καὶ τὴν κόνιν παρέλθῃ τῷ πλήθει. ἄριστά γε, ὦ γενναῖε, καὶ γνωρίζω τούτους ἤδη τοὺς λόγους.
But we do not transgress our pledges for the sake of this; rather, what the divinity is master of, we leave to him, but as many things as come to reasoning and deliberating, we must in no way value for ourselves the part of a worse man. “But by Zeus, the gifts are not worthy of you, nor will he astound you with what he promises, even if they exceed the sand and dust in multitude.” Nobly said indeed, noble friend, and I already know these words.
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ τῶν χρημάτων ἕνεκα συμβουλεύω σοι βοηθεῖν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς· πόθεν;
But I do not advise you to help the Achaeans for the sake of money—how so?
μηδέποθʼ οὕτω σμικρῶς ἴδοιμι τὰ σά· ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τοῦ προσήκειν οὕτω ποιεῖν.
May I never view your affairs so meanly!—but for the sake of justice itself and because it is fitting to do so.
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν χρήματα φιλίας τινὶ συμβόλῳ δέξασθαι εἴτε καὶ χαίρειν ἐᾷς, οὐχὶ διοίσομαι· καὶ περὶ τῆς κηδείας ταύτης ἐπὶ σχολῆς βουλεύσασθαι, μηδὲ γὰρ ἂν τοῦτό σε ἁρπάσαι.
But whether you accept the money as some token of friendship or let it bid farewell, I will not differ; and as for this marriage connection, deliberate at leisure, for not even this would he snatch away from you.
παῖς γὰρ ἂν εἴην, εἰ ταῦτα συμβουλεύοιμι, ἡγεῖσθαι μὲν ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἀνελεύθερον εἶναι τῇ δόσει καὶ τοῖς ἐπαγγέλμασι, σαυτῷ δὲ ἕτερα εἶναι τὰ ποιοῦντα τὴν ἔξοδον.
For I would be a child if I should advise these things: to deem indeed that he is not ungenerous in his giving and promises, but that for yourself there are other things that cause your departure.
ποῖα ταῦτα;
What sort of things are these?
ἃ μικρῷ πρόσθεν αὐτὸς ἀπηρίθμεις, πολλῷ χρημάτων καλλίω πράγματα.
The very things you yourself enumerated a little earlier, deeds far nobler than money.
πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον καὶ ὑπερφυὲς, εἰ πρότερον μὲν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν τούτων ἡγούμενος δώδεκα μὲν πόλεις κατὰ θάλατταν, ἕνδεκα δʼ εἷλες κατʼ ἤπειρον οὐδὲν τῶν ἰδίων ὑπολογιζόμενος, οὐ πόνον, οὐ κίνδυνον, οὐκ ἀσχολίαν, οὐχ ἣν φιλτάτην εἶναι φῂς σαυτῷ ψυχὴν εἰ προήσει, καὶ τοσούτων εὐποριῶν καὶ τοσαύτης εὐδαιμονίας ἀπέδειξας κυρίους· νῦν δʼ οὐδʼ εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν
For how is it not strange and monstrous, if previously, leading these Achaeans, you captured twelve cities by sea and eleven on land, taking no account of your private concerns—neither labor, nor danger, nor lack of leisure, nor your own life which you say is dearest to you if you should abandon it—and showed them to be masters of so many resources and so much happiness; but now, not even for...