§5.1Καὶ ἀφικόμεθα εἰς Μακεδονίαν, ὦ βέλτιστε Κηφισοφῶν, τό τε σῶμα οὐ μοχθηρῶς διατεθέντες καὶ ὡς οἷόν τε μάλιστα ἦν ἐπιεικῶς κομιζόμενοι συντόμως, καὶ ἀπεδέξατο ἡμᾶς Ἀρχέλαος, ὡς εἰκός τε ἦν καὶ προσεδοκῶμεν ἡμεῖς, οὐ δωρεαῖς μόνον, ὧν οὐδὲν ἐχρήζομεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοφροσύναις, ὧν οὐδ’ ἂν εὔξαιτό τις μείζους παρὰ βασιλέων.
We have arrived in Macedonia, O best Kephisophon, in no poor state of body and having been conveyed as comfortably as possible and quickly; and Archelaus welcomed us, as was fitting and as we expected, not only with gifts, of which we had no need, but also with kindnesses, than which no one could pray for greater from kings.
καὶ κατελάβομεν Κλίτωνα ἐρρωμένον, καὶ ἔστιν ἡμῖν σὺν ἐκείνῳ τὰ πολλὰ καί, ὅταν τύχῃ, σὺν Ἀρχελάῳ ἄμεμπτος ἡ διαγωγή, πρός τε τοῖς ἔργοις οὐδὲν κωλυόμεθα τοῖς τούτων γίγνεσθαι.
And we found Cliton in good health, and our stay with him for the most part, and, when it arises, with Archelaus, is blameless; and we are in no way prevented from attending to their affairs.
ἀλλὰ πολὺς μὲν ἔγκειται ὁ Κλίτων, πολὺς δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀρχέλαος, ἑκάστοτε φροντίζειν τι καὶ ποιεῖν τῶν εἰωθότων ἀναγκάζοντες, ὥστε ἔμοιγε μισθὸν οὐκ ἀηδῆ μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ ἄπονον δοκεῖ Ἀρχέλαος ἀναπράσσεσθαι τῶν τε δωρεῶν, ὧν ἔδωκέ μοι εὐθὺς ἀφικομένῳ, καὶ ὅτι εἱστία με λαμπρότερον ἢ ἐμοὶ φίλον ἦν ἑκάστης ἡμέρας.
But Cliton is very pressing, and Archelaus too is very pressing, forcing us on each occasion to think about and do something of the customary things, so that to me at least Archelaus seems to demand a not unpleasant nor indeed effortless reward for the gifts which he gave me immediately upon my arrival, and because he entertained me each day more sumptuously than was pleasing to me.
§5.2(2) περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐπέστειλας ἡμῖν σὺ μὲν εὖ ποιεῖς ἐπιστέλλων ἃ δοκεῖς ἡμῖν εἰδέναι διαφέρειν· ἴσθι μέντοι μηδὲν μᾶλλον ἡμῖν ὧν νῦν Ἀγάθων ἢ Μέσατος λέγει μέλον ἢ τῶν Ἀριστοφάνους φληναφημάτων οἶσθά ποτε μέλον.
(2) Concerning the things about which you wrote to us, you indeed do well in writing what you think it makes a difference for us to know; know, however, that we care no more for what Agathon or Mesatos are now saying than you know we ever cared for the nonsense of Aristophanes.
καὶ τούτοις γε ἂν ἀδικήσαις ἡμᾶς εἰς τὰ μάλιστα ἀποκρινάμενός ποτε, κἂν ὅλως μὴ παυομένους τῆς ἀναγωγίας αὐτοὺς ὁρᾷς.
And you would wrong us to the utmost if you should ever answer them, even if you see them not ceasing at all from their insolence.
ἢν μέντοι τις τῶν ἀξίων περὶ Εὐριπίδου λέγειν τι ἢ ἀκούειν αἰτιᾶται ἡμᾶς τῆς πρὸς Ἀρχέλαον ὁδοῦ, ἃ μὲν τὸ πρόσθεν εἴπομεν περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν εἰς Μακεδονίαν ἡμᾶς ἀποδημεῖν ἐπιστάμενος, ἃ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἀπηνάγκασε βαδίσαι ἀγνοῶν, τοῦτον δὲ ἄξιον νόμιζε δηλοῦν αὐτῷ ἅπερ οἶσθα, ὦ Κηφισοφῶν, καὶ οὕτω πεπαύσεται ἀγνοῶν τὰς αἰτίας καὶ ἅμα, ὅπερ εἰκός ἐστι τὸν ἀγνοοῦντα πάσχειν, καταγινώσκων ἡμῶν ὡς φιλοχρημάτων γενομένων.
But if anyone of those worthy to say or hear something about Euripides blames us for our journey to Archelaus, knowing indeed what we said before about the necessity of our not traveling to Macedonia, but being ignorant of what forced us to go after these things, consider it worthy to make clear to this person, O Kephisophon, the very things you know; and thus he will cease to be ignorant of the causes and, at the same time, condemning us as having become lovers of money, which is what one who is ignorant is likely to experience.
§5.3(3) οὐ γάρ που δὴ πορφύραν καὶ σκῆπτρον φορεῖν ἢ φρούρια λαβόντας ἐν Τριβαλλοῖς ἡγεῖσθαι ὑπάρχους καλουμένους ὀρεχθῆναί τις ἂν φήσειεν ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δὴ στείλασθαι τὴν πρὸς Ἀρχέλαον ὁδόν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὅτι πλούτου ἕνεκα.
(3) For surely no one would say that we desired to wear purple and a scepter, or having received strongholds among the Triballians to rule as so-called lieutenants, and for this reason indeed undertook the journey to Archelaus, but clearly for the sake of wealth.
εἶτα πῶς ὃν ὅτε νέοι τε καὶ ὅτε μέσοι τὴν ἡλικίαν ἦμεν, καὶ ὃν ἔτι ζώσης ἡμῖν τῆς μητρός, ἧς ἕνεκα ἂν μόνης ἐβουλόμεθα πλουτεῖν, εἴπερ ἄλλως ἐβουλόμεθα, οὐχ ὅπως ἐδιώξαμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπεωσάμεθα ἐγκείμενον, τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦτον πλοῦτον ἤδη τηλικοῖσδε οὖσιν ἡμῖν ἱμερτὸν εἶναι εἰκότως ἄν τις νομίσειεν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τοῦτο ἄρα πολλὰ λαβεῖν σὺν ἀδοξίᾳ τέ τινι ἡμετέρᾳ καὶ οὐδὲ ἀπολαύσει ἔτι οὐδεμιᾷ ἐπεθυμήσαμεν, ἵνα ἐν βαρβάρῳ γῇ ἀποθάνωμεν, καὶ ἵνα πλείονα Ἀρχελάῳ καταλίπωμεν χρήματα;
Then how could anyone reasonably think that this very same wealth—which when we were both young and middle-aged, and when our mother was still living, for whose sake alone we would have wished to be rich, if indeed we wished it otherwise, we not only did not pursue but even rejected when it pressed upon us—is now desirable to us being of such an age, unless indeed we desired to receive many things along with some ill repute of ours and with no longer any enjoyment, in order that we might die in a barbarian land, and in order that we might leave more money to Archelaus?