§30.2.1τοιαύτης δʼ οὔσης τῆς διαθέσεως περὶ τὸν Ἄτταλον, ὀττευσάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ μέλλον ἐπιπέμπει Στρατίον τὸν ἰατρὸν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, ὃς μεγίστην παρʼ αὐτῷ πίστιν εἶχε, §30.2.2τὰ μὲν ὑποδείξας, τὰ δʼ ἐντειλάμενος πᾶσαν εἰσενέγκασθαι μηχανὴν πρὸς τὸ μὴ κατακολουθῆσαι τὸν Ἄτταλον τοῖς βουλομένοις λυμήνασθαι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῶν.
Such being the state of affairs concerning Attalus, the king, foreseeing the future, dispatched Stratius the physician to Rome, a man who possessed the greatest influence with him, having suggested some things and instructed him in others, to employ every device to prevent Attalus from following the lead of those who wished to ruin their kingdom.
§30.2.3ὁ δὲ παραγενόμενος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ λαβὼν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τὸν Ἄτταλον πολλοὺς μὲν καὶ ποικίλους διέθετο λόγους· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔχων τι νουνεχὲς καὶ πειστικόν·
On his arrival in Rome, Stratius got hold of Attalus and addressed many and varied arguments to him; for the man was of a sensible and persuasive character.
§30.2.4μόγις δὲ καθίκετο τῆς προθέσεως καὶ μετεκάλεσε τὸν Ἄτταλον ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλόγου φορᾶς, θεὶς ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν ὅτι κατὰ μὲν τὸ παρὸν συμβασιλεύει τἀδελφῷ, τούτῳ διαφέρων ἐκείνου τῷ μὴ διάδημα περιτίθεσθαι μηδὲ χρηματίζειν βασιλεύς, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν ἴσην καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχων ἐξουσίαν, §30.2.5εἰς δὲ τὸ μέλλον ὁμολογουμένως καταλείπεται διάδοχος τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐ μακρὰν ταύτης τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑπαρχούσης, ἅτε τοῦ βασιλέως διὰ μὲν τὴν σωματικὴν ἀσθένειαν αἰεὶ προσδοκῶντος τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βίου μετάστασιν, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀπαιδίαν οὐδʼ εἰ βουληθείη δυναμένου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄλλῳ καταλιπεῖν· §30.2.6οὐδέπω γὰρ ἀναδεδειγμένος ἐτύγχανεν κατὰ φύσιν υἱὸς ὢν αὐτῷ τις ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα διαδεξάμενος τὴν ἀρχήν.
He succeeded, though with difficulty, in attaining his purpose and recalled Attalus from his irrational impulse, by placing before his eyes the fact that for the present he was reigning jointly with his brother, differing from him only in not wearing the diadem or being styled king, while possessing all other authority equal and the same; and that for the future he was confessedly left as successor to the sovereignty, which hope was not far off, since the king, owing to his physical weakness, was constantly expecting his departure from life, and because of his childlessness was unable, even if he wished, to leave the sovereignty to anyone else; for the one who subsequently succeeded to the sovereignty had not yet been recognized as his natural son.
§30.2.7τὸ δὲ συνέχον, θαυμάζειν ἔφη πόσα βλάπτει τοὺς ἐνεστῶτας καιρούς.
But the chief point, he said, was that he wondered how much Attalus was injuring the present opportunities.
μεγάλην γὰρ δεῖν ἔχειν πᾶσι τοῖς θεοῖς χάριν, §30.2.8εἰ συμπνεύσαντες καὶ μιᾷ γνώμῃ χρώμενοι δύναιντο τὸν ἀπὸ Γαλατῶν φόβον ἀπώσασθαι καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τούτων ἐφεστῶτα κίνδυνον.
For they ought to feel great gratitude to all the gods, if, by acting in unison and being of one mind, they could repel the fear of the Galatians and the danger threatening from them.
§30.2.9εἰ δὲ νῦν εἰς στάσιν καὶ
διαφορὰν ἥξει πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφόν, πρόδηλον εἶναι διότι καταστρέψει τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ στερήσει μὲν αὑτὸν καὶ τῆς παρούσης ἐξουσίας καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐλπίδος, στερήσει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ δυναστείας.
But if he now entered into faction and difference with his brother, it was manifest that he would ruin the kingdom, and deprive himself of both his present power and his future hope, and also deprive his brothers of their sovereignty and the dominion in it.
§30.2.10ταῦτα δὴ καὶ τούτοις ἕτερα παραπλήσια διατιθέμενος ὁ Στρατίος ἔπεισε τὸν Ἄτταλον μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων.
By delivering these and other similar arguments, Stratius persuaded Attalus to remain true to the existing terms.