Conquerors Enslaved versus Philosophers Independent

Notes

1. 8.3.1οἱ μὲν ... ἐκεῖ δέ — In this contrast, the former `οἱ μὲν` refers to the nearer antecedents (Diogenes, Heraclitus, Socrates), while the latter `ἐκεῖ δέ` ('but there' or 'in that other case') refers to the remoter antecedents (Alexander, Caesar, Pompey). Note that the reference order is opposite to the standard 'the former ... the latter' structure.
2. 8.3.1ταὐτά — A contracted form of `τὰ αὐτά` ('the same things'). Here it means that their 'ruling centers (hegemonika)' were 'self-consistent' or 'always identical with themselves,' remaining rational and unperturbed by external circumstances.
3. 8.3.1ὅσων πρόνοια καὶ δουλεία πόσων — An exclamatory clause with the verb `ἦν` omitted. The genitives `ὅσων` and `πόσων` function as objective genitives modifying the nouns `πρόνοια` ('forethought / care') and `δουλεία` ('slavery / servitude'). It depicts the contrasting state of the conquerors who had to care for so many worldly affairs and were simultaneously enslaved by them.