§28.21.1ὅτι Εὐλαῖος ὁ εὐνοῦχος ἔπεισε Πτολεμαῖον ἀναλαβόντα τὰ χρήματα, τὴν βασιλείαν προιέμενον τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, ὑποχωρεῖν εἰς Σαμοθρᾴκην· §28.21.2ἐφʼ ἃ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐπιστήσας ὁμολογήσειεν ὅτι μέγιστα κακὰ ποιοῦσιν αἱ κακαὶ συντροφίαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους;
That Eulaeus the eunuch persuaded Ptolemy to take his money, abandon his kingdom to his enemies, and withdraw to Samothrace; on reflecting upon this, who would not agree that bad companionships do the greatest evils to men?
§28.21.3τὸ γὰρ μηδʼ, ἐκτὸς γενόμενον τῶν δεινῶν καὶ τοσοῦτον τόπον ἀποστάντα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὁρμῆσαι πρός τι τῶν καθηκόντων, ἄλλως τε καὶ τηλικαύτας ἀφορμὰς ἔχοντα καὶ τοιούτων τόπων κυριεύοντα καὶ τοσούτων πληθῶν, ἀλλʼ εὐθέως αὐτόθεν ἀκονιτὶ παραχωρῆσαι βασιλείας τῆς ἐπιφανεστάτης καὶ μακαριωτάτης, πῶς οὐκ ἄν τις εἶναι φήσειε ψυχῆς ἐκτεθηλυμμένης καὶ διεφθαρμένης ὁλοσχερῶς; ἣν εἰ μὲν συνέβαινε φύσει περὶ Πτολεμαῖον ὑπάρχειν,
For when one is out of danger and at so great a distance from the enemy, not even to make a start toward any of one's duties—especially when possessing such great resources, ruling over such territories, and commanding such multitudes—but straightway, on the spot, and without a struggle, to surrender a kingdom most illustrious and most blessed, how could anyone deny that this is the mark of a soul utterly effeminate and ruined?
§28.21.4τὴν φύσιν ἔδει καταμέμψασθαι καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς αἰτίαν ἐπιφέρειν· §28.21.5ἐπειδὴ δὲ διὰ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα πράξεων ἡ φύσις ὑπὲρ αὑτῆς ἀπελογήθη, δείξασα τὸν Πτολεμαῖον καὶ στάσιμον ἱκανῶς καὶ γενναῖον ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις ὑπάρχοντα, δῆλον ὡς εἰκότως ἄν τις τῆς τότε περὶ αὐτὸν γενομένης ἀγεννίας καὶ τῆς ὁρμῆς τῆς εἰς τὴν Σαμοθρᾴκην τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπὶ τὸν σπάδωνα καὶ τὴν τούτου συντροφίαν ἀναφέροι. —
And if this quality indeed happened to belong by nature to Ptolemy, it would be necessary to blame his nature and to lay the blame on none of the external circumstances; but since, through his subsequent actions, his nature defended itself, showing that Ptolemy was both sufficiently steadfast and noble in times of danger, it is clear that one would reasonably attribute the cause of his ignobility at that time and of his flight to Samothrace to the eunuch and his companionship.