§6.44.1γενομένης περὶ τὴν Θηβαίων πόλιν ἐπιφανείας.
[namely, of the] luster that arose around the city of the Thebans.
τὸ δὲ παραπλήσιον καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἀθηναίων πολιτείας διαληπτέον. §6.44.2καὶ γὰρ αὕτη πλεονάκις μὲν ἴσως, ἐκφανέστατα δὲ τῇ Θεμιστοκλέους ἀρετῇ συνανθήσασα ταχέως τῆς ἐναντίας μεταβολῆς ἔλαβε πεῖραν διὰ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τῆς φύσεως. §6.44.3ἀεὶ γάρ ποτε τὸν τῶν Ἀθηναίων δῆμον παραπλήσιον εἶναι συμβαίνει τοῖς ἀδεσπότοις σκάφεσι. §6.44.4καὶ γὰρ ἐπʼ ἐκείνων, ὅταν μὲν ἢ διὰ πελαγῶν φόβον ἢ διὰ περίστασιν χειμῶνος ὁρμὴ παραστῇ τοῖς ἐπιβάταις συμφρονεῖν καὶ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν τῷ κυβερνήτῃ, γίνεται τὸ δέον ἐξ αὐτῶν διαφερόντως· §6.44.5ὅταν δὲ θαρρήσαντες ἄρξωνται καταφρονεῖν τῶν προεστώτων καὶ στασιάζειν πρὸς ἀλλήλους διὰ τὸ μηκέτι δοκεῖν πᾶσι ταὐτά, §6.44.6τότε δὴ τῶν μὲν ἔτι πλεῖν προαιρουμένων, τῶν δὲ κατεπειγόντων ὁρμίζειν τὸν κυβερνήτην, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἐκσειόντων τοὺς κάλους, τῶν δʼ ἐπιλαμβανομένων καὶ στέλλεσθαι παρακελευομένων, αἰσχρὰ μὲν πρόσοψις γίνεται τοῖς ἔξωθεν θεωμένοις διὰ τὴν ἐν ἀλλήλοις διαφορὰν καὶ στάσιν, ἐπισφαλὴς δʼ ἡ διάθεσις τοῖς μετασχοῦσι καὶ κοινωνήσασι τοῦ πλοῦ· §6.44.7διὸ καὶ πολλάκις διαφυγόντες τὰ μέγιστα πελάγη καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους χειμῶνας ἐν τοῖς λιμέσι καὶ πρὸς τῇ γῇ ναυαγοῦσιν. §6.44.8ὃ δὴ καὶ τῇ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πολιτείᾳ πλεονάκις ἤδη συμβέβηκε· διωσαμένη γὰρ ἐνίοτε τὰς μεγίστας καὶ δεινοτάτας περιστάσεις διά τε τὴν τοῦ δήμου καὶ τὴν τῶν προεστώτων ἀρετὴν ἐν ταῖς ἀπεριστάτοις ῥᾳστώναις εἰκῇ πως καὶ ἀλόγως ἐνίοτε σφάλλεται. §6.44.9διὸ καὶ περὶ μὲν ταύτης τε καὶ τῆς τῶν Θηβαίων οὐδὲν δεῖ πλείω λέγειν, ἐν αἷς ὄχλος χειρίζει τὰ ὅλα κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ὁρμήν, ὁ μὲν ὀξύτητι καὶ πικρίᾳ διαφέρων, ὁ δὲ βίᾳ καὶ θυμῷ συμπεπαιδευμένος.
And we must entertain a very similar view concerning the constitution of the Athenians. For this state too, though perhaps more frequently, but most conspicuously flourishing together with the virtue of Themistocles, quickly experienced the opposite change because of the irregularity of its nature. For it always happens that the common people of the Athenians are very like ships without a master. For on those ships, when either through fear of the open seas or through the onset of a storm an impulse arises in the passengers to be of one mind and to give heed to the pilot, what is necessary is preeminently performed by them; but when, having grown bold, they begin to despise their leaders and to quarrel with one another because they no longer all agree on the same things, then indeed, while some prefer to continue sailing, and others press the pilot to anchor, and while some are letting go the sheets, and others are holding them back and ordering him to reef the sails, a shameful spectacle is presented to those looking on from without because of their disagreement and strife with one another, and the situation becomes perilous for those who share and participate in the voyage. Therefore they also often, after having escaped the greatest seas and the most conspicuous storms, suffer shipwreck in the harbors and close to the land. Which is just what has already happened many times to the constitution of the Athenians; for after having sometimes warded off the greatest and most terrible crises through the virtue of the people and that of their leaders, in times of trouble-free ease, they somehow randomly and unreasonably stumble at times. Therefore there is no need to say anything more concerning this constitution and that of the Thebans, in which the crowd manages everything according to its own impulse—the one group distinguished by hastiness and bitterness, the other trained in violence and passion.