§10.22.1Φιλοποίμην τοίνυν πρῶτον μὲν ἔφυ καλῶς· ἦν γὰρ ἐξ ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων κατʼ Ἀρκαδίαν, τραφεὶς δὲ καὶ παιδευθεὶς ὑπὸ Κλέανδρον τὸν Μαντινέα, πατρικὸν μὲν αὐτῷ ξένον ὑπάρχοντα, φυγαδεύοντα δὲ κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς καιρούς, ὄντα δὲ Μαντινέων ἐπιφανέστατον.
Philopoemen, then, in the first place was of a noble stock; for he was descended from one of the most illustrious families in Arcadia, and was reared and educated by Cleander of Mantinea, who was a hereditary guest-friend of his father, and happened to be an exile at that time, but was the most eminent of the Mantineans.
§10.22.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραγενόμενος εἰς ἡλικίαν ἐγένετο ζηλωτὴς Ἐκδήμου καὶ Δημοφάνους, οἳ τὸ μὲν γένος ἦσαν ἐκ Μεγάλης πόλεως, φεύγοντες δὲ τοὺς τυράννους καὶ συμβιώσαντες Ἀρκεσίλᾳ τῷ φιλοσόφῳ κατὰ τὴν φυγὴν ἠλευθέρωσαν μὲν τὴν αὑτῶν πατρίδα, συστησάμενοι κατʼ Ἀριστοδήμου τοῦ τυράννου πρᾶξιν,
After this, on reaching manhood, he became an emulator of Ecdemus and Demophanes. These men were by birth of Megalopolis, and having fled from the tyrants and lived with Arcesilaus the philosopher during their exile, they liberated their own native city by organizing a conspiracy against the tyrant Aristodemus.
§10.22.3συνεπελάβοντο δὲ καὶ τῆς καταλύσεως τοῦ Σικυωνίων τυράννου Νικοκλέους, κοινωνήσαντες Ἀράτῳ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς· ἔτι δὲ Κυρηναίων αὐτοὺς μεταπεμψαμένων ἐπιφανῶς προύστησαν καὶ διεφύλαξαν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν,
They also assisted in the overthrow of Nicocles, the tyrant of Sicyon, sharing in the enterprise with Aratus; and furthermore, being summoned by the Cyreneans, they led them with distinction and preserved their liberty for them.
§10.22.4οἷς κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν ἐπὶ πολὺ συμβιώσας διέφερε μὲν εὐθέως τῶν καθʼ αὑτὸν περί τε τὰς ἐν τοῖς κυνηγίοις κακοπαθείας καὶ τόλμας περί τε τὰς ἐν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς,
Having lived with them for a long time during his early youth, Philopoemen immediately excelled his contemporaries both in endurance and courage in hunting and in military exercises.
§10.22.5ἦν δὲ καὶ περὶ τὸν βίον ἐπιμελὴς καὶ λιτὸς κατὰ τὴν περικοπήν, παρειληφὼς παρὰ τῶν προειρημένων ἀνδρῶν τοιαύτας τινὰς δόξας ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε τῶν κοινῶν προστατεῖν καλῶς τὸν ὀλιγωροῦντα τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον βίον, οὔτε μὴν ἀποσχέσθαι τῶν τῆς πατρίδος, ὅστις πολυτελέστερον ζῇ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ὕπαρξιν χορηγίας.
He was also careful in his life and simple in his attire, having received from the aforementioned men such opinions as that it is impossible for one who neglects his private affairs to direct public ones well, and that it is not possible for one who lives more luxuriously than his private means permit to keep his hands off the property of his country.
§10.22.6πλὴν κατασταθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἱππάρχης ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις καιροῖς, καὶ παραλαβὼν τὰ συντάγματα τῶν ἱππέων παντὶ τρόπῳ κατεφθαρμένα καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἡττημένας, §10.22.7οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς ἑαυτῶν βελτίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑπεναντίων κρείττους ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ κατεσκεύασε, πάντας εἰς ἀληθινὴν ἄσκησιν καὶ ζῆλον ἐπιτευκτικὸν ἐμβιβάσας.
However, having been appointed cavalry commander by the Achaeans at the aforementioned times, and having taken over the squadrons of cavalry ruined in every way and the spirits of the men thoroughly broken, he made them in a short time not only better than their former selves but also superior to their adversaries, by leading them all to genuine training and successful emulation.
§10.22.8τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν καθισταμένων ἐπὶ τὴν προειρημένην ἀρχήν, οἱ μὲν διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀδυναμίαν ἐν τοῖς ἱππικοῖς οὐδὲ τοῖς πλησίον τολμῶσιν οὐδὲν ὧν καθήκει προστάττειν, §10.22.9οἱ δὲ τῆς στρατηγίας ὀρεγόμενοι διὰ ταύτης τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐξεριθεύονται τοὺς νέους καὶ παρασκευάζουσιν εὔνους συναγωνιστὰς εἰς τὸ μέλλον, οὐκ ἐπιτιμῶντες τῷ δεομένῳ, διʼ οὗ τρόπου σῴζεται τὰ κοινά, ἀλλὰ συμπεριστέλλοντες τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ μικρᾷ χάριτι μεγάλα βλάπτοντες τοὺς πιστεύοντας.
For most of the others who were appointed to the aforementioned office, some through their own incompetence in cavalry matters do not dare to order those under them to do any of their duties, while others, aiming at the generalship, court the young men through this office and make them favorable supporters for the future, not censuring those who need it, which is the way public affairs are saved, but rather concealing their errors and doing great harm to those who trust them for the sake of a small favor.
§10.22.10εἰ δέ ποτε γένοιντο τῶν ἀρχόντων τινὲς τῇ τε κατὰ σῶμα χρείᾳ δυνατοὶ πρός τε τὸ τῶν κοινῶν ἀπέχεσθαι πρόθυμοι, πλείω κατὰ τῶν ὀλιγωρούντων διὰ τὴν κακοζηλωσίαν ἀπεργάζονται τοὺς πεζούς, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἱππεῖς.
And if ever there are some leaders who are capable of physical service and eager to keep their hands off public funds, they, by their perverse zeal, do more harm to the infantry, and still more to the cavalry, in dealing with those who are negligent.