§4.1Καὶ τὰ περὶ τοὺς Πελλαίους, ὦ βέλτιστε Ἀρχέλαε, καὶ πολλὰ ἄλλα πεπολίτευταί σοι καλῶς καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους ἐπιεικεῖς τε καὶ σπουδῆς ἀξίους πολλούς, καὶ οὐχ ἧσσον αὐτά, εὖ ἴσθι, ὅσα πρὸς ἄλλους τινάς, ἢ ὅσα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἰδίᾳ πέπρακταί σοι καλῶς, ἐπιμελές μοι εἰδέναι, οὐ φιλοπράγμονι ὄντι, ἀλλὰ χαίροντι ἐφ’ οἷς εὐδοκιμοῦντα πυνθάνομαί σε, καὶ χάριν σοι οὐκ ἐλάττω ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἔχω·
And both the matters concerning the people of Pella, O best Archelaus, and many other things have been administered by you nobly both towards me and towards many other decent and worthy men, and know well that it is no less my care to know these things—as many as have been done by you nobly towards any others, as those which have been done towards us privately—not because I am a busybody, but because I rejoice at those things in which I learn you are well-esteemed, and I feel no less gratitude to you on their account.
οὐ γὰρ ἀφ’ ὧν αὐτὸς ἔπαθόν τι ἰδίᾳ δεῖν μᾶλλον ἡσθῆναι ἢ ὅτι σε τοιοῦτον ὄντα ἔγνων ἔγωγε νομίζω.
For I do not think that I ought to rejoice more from what I myself experienced privately, than because I came to know you to be such a person.
ταὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτό μοι περίεστιν ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔργου, ὅ τι ἂν εἰς ὁντινοῦν τῶν ἐπιεικῶν πυνθάνωμαί σε καλῶς πεπολιτευμένον.
Indeed, this same feeling results for me from every deed, whatever I learn you have administered nobly towards any of the decent men.
§4.2(2) καὶ μέμνησο τούτων, ὦ βέλτιστε Ἀρχέλαε, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα οὐδὲν πλέον ἢ πολλοὺς πόνους καὶ πολλὰς φροντίδας ἔδωκέ σοι ὁ θεός, ἓν δὲ ἔδωκεν ἀγαθὸν, δύνασθαι εὖ ποιεῖν οὓς ἂν ἐθέλῃς, θέλειν δὲ δεῖ τοὺς ἀξίους.
(2) And remember these things, O best Archelaus, that although God gave you nothing more in other respects than many labors and many cares, He gave you one good thing: the power to do good to whomsoever you wish; and you ought to wish to benefit those who are worthy.
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἐπ’ αὐτῷ βουλομένῳ ἐστὶν ἀφελέσθαι, ἓν δὲ οὐδὲ βουληθείς ποτε ἀφαιρήσεται, τὸ πολλοὺς εὖ πεποιηκέναι.
And while other things are in His power to take away if He wishes, there is one thing that He will never take away even if He wishes: the fact of having done good to many.
ὥστε εὖ ἴσθι, ὅτι οὐδεμία μείζων ἀνδρὶ γενομένῳ ποτὲ ἐν δυνάμει μεταμέλεια καὶ πολυωδυνία γίγνεται ἢ εἰ διδόντος τοῦ θεοῦ μηδένα ἔδρασεν ἀγαθὸν μηδὲ ἕν, βουλομένῳ δὲ δρᾶν πέπαυται διδοὺς ὁ θεός.
Therefore, know well that no greater regret and great pain comes to a man who has ever been in power than if, when God was giving, he did not do any good to anyone, but when he wished to do so, God stopped giving.
ἀλλ’ οὐ σύ γε ἂν τοῦτο πώποτε πάθοις, οὐδὲ ἀνιάσῃ ὅτι οἴχεται ὁ καιρὸς εἰς ἀνθρώπων εὐεργεσίαν ἀνεθεὶς φροῦδος ἤδη καὶ πέπαυται παρὼν ὁ θεός, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρέσται μὲν ἀεὶ καὶ στήσεται κατόπιν ἀξίῳ γε ὄντι καὶ χρωμένῳ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ χάρισι δεξιῶς.
But you would never suffer this, nor will you be grieved because the opportunity dedicated to the beneficence of men has already gone and vanished, and God, though present, has stopped; rather, He will both always be present and stand behind you, since you are indeed worthy and employ His favors skillfully.
§4.3(3) ἀλλὰ δῆτα, κἂν ἐπίσχῃ πνέων, πάντως ἤδη και πόλεις καὶ ἔθνη καὶ ἰδιῶται πολλοὶ καὶ ᾔσθοντο τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως οὐ σὺν κακῷ, καὶ ἔχουσιν ἀπόμοιραν τῆς σῆς εὐπραξίας.
(3) But indeed, even if He should stop breathing, certainly by now both cities and nations and many private individuals have perceived your power, not for evil, and they possess a portion of your prosperity.
καὶ οἱ μὲν πόνοι παύσαιντ’ ἂν ἐκστάντος σοῦ καὶ τὸ κινδυνεύειν καὶ αἱ φροντίδες, τὸ δὲ συνειδὸς ὧν τε ἔπαθον τοῖς παθοῦσι καὶ σοὶ τῷ πεποιηκότι ἀεὶ μενεῖ οὐ μικρὸν οὔτε κτῆμα οὔτε ἀπόλαυσμα, ἀλλὰ ἀρκοῦν τοῦτο καὶ ἐν δυσπραγίαις ἡδονὰς παρέχειν.
And the labors, the danger, and the cares would cease if you should step aside, but the consciousness of what they experienced on the part of those who received, and on your part who did it, will always remain as no small possession nor small enjoyment, but sufficient to provide pleasures even in adversities.
ταῦτα δὴ παρακελεύομαι πράσσειν τε ἀεὶ καὶ μὴ ἀποκάμνειν, ὥσπερ οὐδ’ ἀποκάμοις ἄν, οὐδ’ ἔστι τις τούτου κόρος, τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πράως ὁμοίως καὶ δεξιῶς χρῆσθαι τῇ παρούσῃ δυνάμει·
These things indeed I exhort you always to do and not to grow weary, just as you would not grow weary, nor is there any satiety of this; and in other matters to use your present power gently and skillfully in like manner.
καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτὸ οὐκ ἄλλον τινὰ ἀνθρώπων, οὐδ’ ὅστις τεθνήξεσθαι παραχρῆμα μέλλων σοῦ κελεύσαντος ἀφεθῇ, ἐκεῖνον μᾶλλον ἢ σεαυτὸν εὐφρανεῖ τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸν τρόπον.
For this very thing—to be of such a character—will gladden not any other of mankind, nor even him who, being about to die immediately, is released by your order, more than it will gladden yourself.
§4.4(4) ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ τὸ τοὺς ἁπανταχόθι τιμῆς καὶ λόγου τινὸς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀξίους καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς κατὰ τὰς τέχνας σπουδαζομένους καὶ πάλιν αὖ μάλιστα τούτων ἁπάντων τοὺς ποιεῖν ἢ λέγειν τι κατὰ παιδείαν δυναμένους μετακαλεῖσθαί σε πανταχόθεν καὶ χορηγίαις τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀφθόνοις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις φιλοφροσύναις τημελεῖν, ὅπως ἀπαλλαγέντες τῶν ἄλλων φροντίδων ἐπιδιδῶσιν ἀεὶ διὰ σὲ καὶ προίωσιν ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔκαστοι τέχναις, καὶ τούτων ἀναπιμπλάναι τὸν οἶκον, ἀλλὰ μὴ κολάκων καὶ βωμολόχων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τούτους θεραπεύειν αὐτόν, οὐχ ὑπ’ ἐκείνων θεραπεύεσθαι, μᾶλλον ὁμολογοῦντα, ὥσπερ ἔστι πυνθάνεσθαι πολλάκις, ὅτι ἐπ’ ἐκείνοις μᾶλλόν ἐστι τὸ σὲ εἶναι ὁποῖος εἶ καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτον ὄντα παρὰ τοῖς ἔπειτα ἀνθρώποις λόγου τυχεῖν, ἢ ἐπὶ σοὶ τὸ ἐκείνους εὐτυχεῖν·
(4) Moreover, indeed, there is also the fact of summoning from all sides those among the Greeks who are everywhere worthy of honor and some account, and especially those who are esteemed in the arts, and again, of all these, especially those who are able to do or say something according to education, and tending to them with abundant provisions of necessities and other kindnesses, so that, freed from other cares, they may always make progress through you and go forward, each in their own arts, and filling your house with these, but not with flatterers and buffoons, and honoring them yourself, not being honored by them, rather acknowledging, as it is possible to hear often, that it is more in their power that you are of what sort you are and that, being such, you obtain a reputation among future men, than it is in your power that they are fortunate; for to them, even if the gifts from you should fail, their arts are both sufficient wealth and glory and pleasure.
ἐκείνοις μέν γε, κὰν ὑπολίπωσιν αἱ παρὰ σοῦ δωρεαί, καὶ πλοῦτον αὐτάρκη καὶ δόξαν εἶναι καὶ ̔ἡδονὴν τὰς τέχνας. τίς σ’ οὐκ ἂν ἀγάσαιτο καὶ μακαρίσειε τούτων ἁπάντων, καὶ μάλιστα ὅτι ὁμολον ἤδη καὶ ἴσασι πάντες εἰς τοῦτό σε ἥκοντα τῆς πρὸς τοὺς συνόντας σοι φιλανθρωπίας, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ἰσχὺν καὶ πάνυ σοι συμβάλλεσθαι, τὸ δὲ ὄνομα μηδὲν ἀντιπράσσειν τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τὸ στέργεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων.
Who would not admire and call you blessed for all these things, and especially because all already know alike that you have reached such a point of benevolence toward those who associate with you, that while your power indeed contributes much to you, the name of king in no way opposes your being loved by your friends?