§8.10.1ταύτην δὲ τήν τε πικρίαν καὶ τὴν ἀθυρογλωττίαν τοῦ συγγραφέως τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀποδοκιμάσειεν;
Who would not reject this bitterness and loose-tongued speech of the historian?
§8.10.2οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὅτι μαχόμενα λέγει πρὸς τὴν αὑτοῦ πρόθεσιν ἄξιός ἐστιν ἐπιτιμήσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ διότι κατέψευσται τοῦ τε βασιλέως καὶ τῶν φίλων, καὶ μάλιστα διότι τὸ ψεῦδος αἰσχρῶς καὶ ἀπρεπῶς διατέθειται.
For he is worthy of censure not only because he says things that conflict with his own purpose, but also because he has lied about both the king and his friends, and especially because he has set forth his falsehood in a shameful and unbecoming manner.
§8.10.3εἰ γὰρ περὶ Σαρδαναπάλλου τις ἢ τῶν ἐκείνου συμβιωτῶν ἐποιεῖτο τοὺς λόγους, μόλις ἂν ἐθάρρησε τῇ κακορρημοσύνῃ ταύτῃ χρήσασθαι· οὗ τὴν ἐν τῷ βίῳ προαίρεσιν καὶ τὴν ἀσέλγειαν διὰ τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ τάφου τεκμαιρόμεθα.
For if anyone were making these remarks about Sardanapalus or his companions, he would scarcely have dared to use such foul language; whose choice of life and licentiousness we estimate by the inscription upon his tomb.
§8.10.4λέγει γὰρ ἡ [ἐπι]γραφή,
ταῦτʼ ἔχω ὅσσʼ ἔφαγον καὶ ἐφύβρισα καὶ μετʼ ἔρωτος
τέρπνʼ ἔπαθον. §8.10.5περὶ δὲ Φιλίππου καὶ τῶν ἐκείνου φίλων εὐλαβηθείη τις ἂν οὐχ οἷον εἰς μαλακίαν καὶ ἀνανδρίαν, ἔτι δʼ ἀναισχυντίαν λέγειν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον μήποτʼ ἐγκωμιάζειν ἐπιβαλλόμενος οὐ δυνηθῇ καταξίως εἰπεῖν τῆς ἀνδρείας καὶ φιλοπονίας καὶ συλλήβδην τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν προειρημένων ἀνδρῶν· §8.10.6οἵ γε προφανῶς ταῖς σφετέραις φιλοπονίαις καὶ τόλμαις ἐξ ἐλαχίστης μὲν βασιλείας ἐνδοξοτάτην καὶ μεγίστην τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχὴν κατεσκεύασαν· §8.10.7χωρὶς δὲ τῶν ἐπὶ Φιλίππου πράξεων αἱ μετὰ τὸν ἐκείνου θάνατον ἐπιτελεσθεῖσαι μετʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου πᾶσιν ὁμολογουμένην τὴν ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ φήμην παραδεδώκασι περὶ αὐτῶν.
For the inscription says: "These things I have, which I ate and in which I wantoned, and the pleasures I experienced with love." But concerning Philip and his friends, one would be cautious, not to speak of attributing to them soft living and cowardice, and still more shamelessness, but on the contrary, lest, when undertaking to praise them, one might not be able to speak worthily of the courage, the industry, and in a word, the virtue of the aforementioned men; since they clearly, by their own industry and daring, constructed out of a very small kingdom the most glorious and greatest empire of the Macedonians; and, apart from the achievements under Philip, those accomplished with Alexander after Philip's death have transmitted a reputation for virtue concerning them that is acknowledged by all.
§8.10.8μεγάλην γὰρ ἴσως μερίδα θετέον τῷ προεστῶτι τῶν ὅλων Ἀλεξάνδρῳ, καίπερ ὄντι νέῳ παντελῶς, οὐκ ἐλάττω μέντοι γε τοῖς συνεργοῖς καὶ φίλοις, §8.10.9οἳ πολλαῖς μὲν καὶ παραδόξοις μάχαις ἐνίκησαν τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ παραβόλους ὑπέμειναν πόνους καὶ κινδύνους καὶ ταλαιπωρίας, πλείστης δὲ περιουσίας κυριεύσαντες καὶ πρὸς ἁπάσας τὰς ἐπιθυμίας πλείστης εὐπορήσαντες ἀπολαύσεως, οὔτε κατὰ τὴν σωματικὴν δύναμιν οὐδέποτε διὰ ταῦτʼ ἠλαττώθησαν, οὔτε κατὰ τὰς ψυχικὰς ὁρμὰς οὐδὲν ἄδικον οὐδʼ ἀσελγὲς ἐπετήδευσαν, §8.10.10ἅπαντες δʼ, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, βασιλικοὶ καὶ ταῖς μεγαλοψυχίαις καὶ ταῖς σωφροσύναις καὶ ταῖς τόλμαις ἀπέβησαν, Φιλίππῳ καὶ μετʼ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ συμβιώσαντες.
For while a large share must perhaps be assigned to Alexander as the leader of the whole, though he was entirely young, no less a share, however, must be assigned to his helpers and friends, who in many and extraordinary battles conquered their opponents, and endured many and hazardous labors, dangers, and hardships, and though they became masters of vast wealth and had abundant means for the enjoyment of all their desires, they were never on this account impaired in physical strength, nor did they commit any unjust or licentious act in their mental impulses, but they all became, so to speak, kingly in their greatness of soul, temperance, and daring, having lived with Philip and afterwards with Alexander.
ὧν οὐδὲν ἂν δέοι μνημονεύειν ἐπʼ ὀνόματος.
Of whom there would be no need to make mention by name.
§8.10.11μετὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀλεξάνδρου θάνατον οὕτω περὶ τῶν πλείστων μερῶν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀμφισβητήσαντες παραδόσιμον ἐποίησαν τὴν ἑαυτῶν δόξαν ἐν §8.10.12πλείστοις ὑπομνήμασιν ὥστε τὴν μὲν Τιμαίου τοῦ συγγραφέως πικρίαν, ᾗ κέχρηται κατʼ Ἀγαθοκλέους τοῦ Σικελίας δυνάστου, καίπερ ἀνυπέρβλητον εἶναι δοκοῦσαν, ὅμως λόγον ἔχειν — ὡς γὰρ κατʼ ἐχθροῦ καὶ πονηροῦ καὶ τυράννου διατίθεται τὴν κατηγορίαν — τὴν δὲ Θεοπόμπου μηδʼ ὑπὸ λόγον πίπτειν.
And after Alexander's death, having thus disputed over the greatest parts of the inhabited world, they made their own glory transmissible to posterity in very many records, so that while the bitterness of the historian Timaeus, which he used against Agathocles the ruler of Sicily, although it seems to be unsurpassable, nevertheless has some reason—for he delivers his accusation as against an enemy, a scoundrel, and a tyrant—that of Theopopmus does not even admit of any reason.