[36] καθάπερ οἶμαι τῶν πομπευόντων αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ὀφθῆναι ἐπιθυμῶν κατὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐσπούδακεν, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ, μικρὸν δὲ ἀποστὰς ἔλυσε τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἷς [p. 326] ἐστι καὶ ὅπως δήποτε ἄπεισιν. ἐχρῆν μέντοι τὸν μὲν πρυτανεύοντα τῆς ἀρχῆς τοὺς ἓξ μῆνας ἡγεῖσθαι μέτρον: τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ νόμος κελεύει: τὸν μέντοι γε πολιτευόμενον τῆς εὐνοίας τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν ἐπιμελείας καὶ σπουδῆς μὴ μὰ Δία καιρόν τινα ἐξαίρετον ἔχειν, καὶ ταῦτα βραχὺν οὕτως, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς
[36] It reminds me of a parade, in which each participant, eager to catch the public eye, exerts himself to that end until he has passed beyond the spectators, but when he gets a short distance away, he relaxes his pose and is just one of the many and goes home in happy-go-lucky style. However, while your president should regard his six months as the limit to his term of office — for so the law prescribes — still the statesman should not, by heaven, observe any set term for the exercise of benevolence toward you and of care and concern for the commonwealth — and that too a term so brief — nay, he should strip for action for that very purpose and hold himself in readiness for service constantly.
[37] αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἀποδύεσθαι καὶ ἀεὶ παραμένειν. νῦν δὲ ὥσπερ οἱ τοῖς ἀπογείοις, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν γνόφων πνεύμασι πλέοντες, οὕτως φέρεσθε, ἄνδρες Ταρσεῖς, οὔτε τῆς τοιαύτης πολιτείας οὔτ᾽ ἐκείνου τοῦ πλοῦ βέβαιον οὐδ᾽ ἀσφαλὲς ἔχοντος οὐδέν. διαρκέσαι μὲν γὰρ ἄχρι παντὸς ἢ διαστήματος οὐχ οἷαί τέ εἰσιν αἱτοιαῦται προσβολαί, πολλάκις δὲ κατέδυσαν ἀκαίρως προσπεσοῦσαι. ἔδει δὲ πόλιν οὕτως μεγάλην καὶ λαμπρὰν ἔχειν τοὺς ἀληθῶς προνοοῦντας. ταύτῃ δὲ ἴσως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐφημέρων τούτων καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον δημαγωγῶν οὐδὲν ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν παθεῖν.
[37] But at present, just like men who sail with offshore breezes — or rather with gusts from the storm-clouds — so are you swept along, men of Tarsus, though neither such statecraft nor such voyaging has aught of certainty or of safety in it. For such blasts are not the kind to last for ever or to blow devoid of interruption, but they often sink a ship by falling upon it with undiminished violence. And a city of such size and splendour as your own should have men who truly take thought on its behalf. But as things go now, I dare say, under these transitory, short-lived demagogues no good can come to you.
[38] περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων καὶ μυρίων ἄλλων πολλὰ ἂν ἔχοι τισλέγειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἐπεδήμησα ἡμέρας ὑμῖν γέγονα δημαγωγός, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπιτιμῶν τοῖς τοιούτοις, ὅμως εἰπεῖν ἅπερ ὑπεσχόμην, ἃ γιγνώσκω περὶ τῶν παρόντων. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὰ πρὸς τὸν στρατηγόν. ἔσται δέ μοι περὶ πάντων ὁ λόγος. φημὶ δὴ τοίνυν τοὺς ἐν τοιαύτῃ καταστάσει τυγχάνοντας, ὁποία δὴ τὰνῦν ἐστι παρὰ πᾶσιν, οὕτω προσήκειν φρονεῖν, ὡς μήτε πάντα ἀνεξομένους καὶ παρέξοντας αὑτοὺς ἁπλῶς χρῆσθαι τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας, ὅπως ἂν αὐτοὶ θέλωσι, κἂν εἰς ὁτιοῦν προΐωσιν ὕβρεως καὶ πλεονεξίας, μήτε ὡς ὅλως μηδὲν οἴσοντας διακεῖσθαι, μηδὲ προσδοκᾶν ὅτι Μίνως τις ὑμῶν ἀφίξεται νῦν ἢ Περσεὺς ἐπιμελησόμενος.
[38] Well then, on these topics, as well as on countless others too, there is a great deal one might say. But since I myself also from the very day of my arrival here have played the demagogue for you, and that though I find fault with men of that sort, I must notwithstanding express my opinion regarding your present situation, as indeed I promised to do. And first of all, your dealings with the general — but what I have to say will cover everything. Very well then, I say that men who find themselves in such a situation as yours, which of course is the common situation everywhere today, should be so minded as not, on the one hand, to submit to any and every thing and allow those in authority to treat them simply as they please, no matter to what lengths of insolence and greed they may proceed; nor, on the other hand, to be disposed to put up with nothing disagreeable whatever, or to expect, as you might, that some Minos or Perseus will arrive in these days to take care of them.
[39] τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἅπαν ἀποστῆναι τοῦ βοηθεῖν αὑτοῖς ἀνδραπόδων ἐστί, καὶ δυσχερές, εἰ μηδεὶς ὄκνος μηδὲ ὑποψία καταλειφθήσεται [p. 327] τοῖς ἀγνωμονοῦσιν. τὸ δὲ πλῆθος ἀπεχθάνεσθαι καὶ πάντα ἐξετάζειν οὐχ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν. ἐὰν γὰρ ἀλόγως ἐνίοτε ἐγκαλεῖν δόξητε καί τις ὑμῶν περιγένηται: διὰ πολλὰς δ᾽ ἂν αἰτίας τοῦτο συμβαίη: δέδοικα μὴ τελέως ἀποβάλητε τὴν παρρησίαν. ὁρᾶτε δὲ τοὺς περὶ τὴν Ἰωνίαν, ὅτι μηδενὸς ἁπλῶς κατηγορεῖν ἐψηφίσαντο. δεῖ δὴ τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας ἅπαντα ταῦτα προορᾶσθαι, καὶ μὴ καθάπερ τοὺς ἀπείρους ἐν τῷ μάχεσθαι ῥᾳδίως ἀφέντας τὸ παρὸν αὐτοῖς ἀνόπλους εἶναι τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ μηδὲν ἔχειν ποιῆσαι,
[39] For to refrain entirely from coming to one’s own assistance is the conduct of slaves, and it is a serious matter if no remnant of hesitancy or distrust is to be left in the minds of those who deal unfairly. And yet for the populace to incur hatred and be constantly prying into everything is not to your advantage either. For if you get the reputation of making complaints now and then without good reason, and someone gets the better of you — and there are many reasons why this might happen — I fear that you may lose the right of free speech altogether. Pray consider what the people of Ionia have done. They have passed a decree prohibiting accusations against anyone at all. So men of sense should foresee all these contingencies and not, like men inexperienced in fighting, rashly abandoning the equipment they have, be defenceless from then on and unable to act at all, not even if an enemy threatens them with slaughter.
[40] μηδ᾽ ἂν ἀποσφάττῃ τις. ἐκεῖνο μέντοι καθόλου λέγω, τὴν τοιαύτην ἀνάτασιν μηδαμῶς συμφέρειν, καθ᾽ ἣν οὐδὲν ποιῆσαι διεγνωκότες εἰς ὑποψίαν ἔρχεσθε τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν: ἀλλ᾽ ὃν μὲν ἂν κρίνητε ἐξαιρήσεσθαι καὶ δοκῇ τοιαῦτα ἀδικεῖν, ὥστε παραπέμψαι μὴ συμφέρειν, τοῦτον ὡς ἐξελέγξοντες παρασκευάζεσθε, καὶ τὴν γνώμην εὐθὺς ἔχετε ὡς πρὸς ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐπιβουλεύοντα ὑμῖν. περὶ οὗ δ᾽ ἂν ἄλλως προνοῆτε μηδὲν ἢ μὴ μεγάλα ἁμαρτάνειν ἢ δι᾽ ἣν δήποτε αἰτίαν μὴ νομίζητε ἐπιτήδειον εἶναι, τοῦτον μηδὲ ἐρεθίζετε μηδὲ εἰς ὀργὴν κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἄγετε:
[40] Thi
s, however, I declare as a general principle: that so uncompromising a policy which, although you have no intention to proceed to active measures, nevertheless makes you incur the distrust of your superior officers; but on the contrary, when you decide that you are going to remove some one, and it is thought that he is guilty of such misdeeds that it is not expedient to ignore them, make yourselves ready to convict him and immediately behave toward him as toward a personal enemy, and one who is plotting against you. But regarding a man concerning whom you foresee a different outcome, if you believe him to be guilty of no misdeeds — or none of any importance — or if for whatever reason you do not believe him to deserve such treatment, do not irritate him or move him to anger against the city.
[41] ὥσπερ οἶμαι τὰ βάρη ταῦτ᾽, ἂν μὲν σφόδρα πιέζῃ καὶ ἀνέχεσθαι μὴ δυνώμεθα, ζητοῦμεν ὡς τάχιστα ἀπορρῖψαι, μετρίως δὲ ἐνοχλούμενοι καὶ ὁρῶντες ἀνάγκην οὖσαν φέρειν ἢ τοῦτο ἢ μεῖζον ἕτερον, σκοποῦμεν ὡς κουφότατα ἐπέσται. ταῦτά ἐστι σωφρονούσης πόλεως. οὕτως καὶ ἀγαπήσουσιν ὑμᾶς οἱ πλείους καὶ φοβήσεταί τις ἀδικεῖν, καὶ οὐ μὴ πλῆθος ἄδικον μηδὲ ἀλόγιστον ὄχλον ὑμᾶς νομίσωσιν, ὁρμῇ τινι καὶ φορᾷ χρώμενον.
[41] In very much the same way, I fancy, if those burdens that we bear are very oppressive and we cannot endure them, we seek to cast them off as speedily as possible, whereas if we are only moderately inconvenienced by them and see that we must carry either the load we have or another that is greater, we consider how they may rest upon our shoulders as lightly as possible.
That is the policy of a prudent state. Under such a policy not only will most people be fond of you, but a man will fear to do you wrong, and men in general will not think you to be a wicked populace or an unreasoning mob, a mob that acts on a kind of impulse and in headlong fashion.
[42] τουτὶ μὲν γάρ, ὃ ποιεῖ νῦν ὁ πρύτανις, καὶ παντελῶς ἀνόητον ἦν ἄν, εἰ καὶ διεγνώκειτε κατηγορεῖν: μηδέπω μέντοι καιρὸς ᾖ φανερῶς οὕτως διαφέρεσθαι καὶ προλέγειν. ἀλλ᾽ [p. 328] ἐπειδή τις τῶν ὑμετέρων πολιτῶν ἐν καιροῖς ἀναγκαίοις τῇ πόλει παρέσχεν αὑτὸν καὶ λαμπρὸς ἔδοξε δυοῖν ἡγεμόνων κατηγορήσας ἐφεξῆς, οἱ πολλοὶ νομίζουσι τοιούτου τινὸς ἔργου δεῖν αὐτοῖς. τοῦτο δὲ ὅμοιόν ἐστιν, ὥσπερ εἴ τις ἰατρὸν ἰδὼν εἴς τι τῶν ὠφελίμων φαρμάκων ἐκ μέρους τι μιγνύντα καὶ θανάσιμον, μηδὲν ἄλλοεἰδώς, μήτε ὅπως συνετέθη μήτε ὁπόσον δεῖ λαβεῖν, μιμεῖσθαι βούλοιτο. τὸ μὲν οὖν αὐτοσχεδιάζειν τὰ μέγιστα καὶ προεστάναι πόλεως ἡγεῖσθαι παντὸς εἶναι τοῦ ἐλπίσαντος οὐ πολὺ τῶν τοιούτων ἀφέστηκεν.
[42] For this thing that your president is now doing would truly be altogether foolish, even if you were of a mind to bring accusations — though perhaps it may not yet be the proper moment to quarrel so openly and to make pronouncements; but remember that as soon as one of your fellow-citizens has in a moment of urgent need placed himself at the disposal of the state and gained a brilliant reputation by accusing two officials in quick succession, the masses think that they too must try some such exploit. But that is very much as if a man, on seeing a physician mix with some beneficent drug a small portion also of one that is deadly, and without any further knowledge as to how the medicine was compounded or how much to take, should wish to follow his example. Yet surely the belief that impromptu action in matters of highest moment and political leadership are within the competence of any one who has aspired to undertake it is not far removed from such behaviour.
[43] ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς Μαλλώτας καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεισεἰπὼν ἔτι παύσομαι. καὶ γὰρ ἱκανῶς ἀνέχεσθαι δοκεῖτέ μοι. πρὸς μὲν οὖν τούτους, λέγω δὲ Μαλλώτας, εἴ τι πεποιήκασιν ἀγωμόνως, ὥσπερ πεποιήκασι, τὴν ὀργὴν καταβαλόντες καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἣν ἐνομίζετε ὀφείλεσθαι ὑμῖν, αὐτοῖς χαρισάμενοι, περὶ τοῦ πράγματος διακρίθητε καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς χώρας, τὸ φέρειν τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶμὴ φιλονικεῖν, τοῦθ᾽, ὥσπερ ἐστίν, ἡγησάμενοι μέγα καὶ τῷ παντὶ κρειττόνων ἀνδρῶν, ἄλλως τε πρὸς τοσούτῳ καταδεεστέρους —
[43] However, when I have made a few more remarks regarding your dealing with the people of Mallus and with the other cities, I shall cease; for you seem to me to have displayed sufficient patience. Well then, with reference to the first — I mean the people of Mallus — if they have behaved at all senselessly, as indeed they have, lay aside your anger, graciously forgive them the revenge that you thought to be your due, and come to terms regarding your boundary dispute, believing that to endure such treatment and not to court a quarrel is, as in fact it is, a great achievement and one befitting men who are altogether superior, especially in relation to men so vastly inferior.
[44] οὐ γάρ ἐστι κίνδυνος μὴ Μαλλωτῶν ἐσομένων ἀσθενέστεροι δόξετε — μηδὲ τοὺς παροξυνοῦντας ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν αὐτοὶ δικασταὶ γενόμενοι καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπιμελῶς ἐξετάσαντες ἄνευ πάσης ἀπεχθείασκαὶ τῆς πρὸς αὑτοὺς χάριτος καταθέσθαι, μὴ μόνον ἀποστάντες τῆς ἔριδος καὶ τοῦ ζητεῖν ἐξ ἅπαντος πλέον ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ συγχωροῦντές τε καὶ παριέντες αὐτοῖς ὅ, τι ἂν ᾖ μέτριον. ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν ἐπαινεῖτε τοὺς εὐγνώμονας καὶ βλαβῆναί τινας μᾶλλον αἱρουμένους ἢ διαφέρεσθαι πρός τινας, οὕτω καὶ
[44] For there is no danger that you will be thought weaker than any men of Mallus that the future may produce. And do not listen to those who try to stir you up, but, if at all possible, act as your own judges, and, examining the matter with care apart from all malice or partiality for your own interests, make a settlement of the trouble; do not merely refrain from strife and from seeking to gain the advantage by any and all means, but concede and yield to them anything within reason. For just as you have words of praise for those in private life who are reasonable and prefer occasionally to submit to wrong rather than to quarrel with people, so also in public relations we find that cities of that sort are in good repute.
[45] κοινῇ συμβαίνει τὰς τοιαύτας πόλεις εὐδοκιμεῖν. αἱ μὲν οὖν θῖνες καὶ τὸ πρὸς τῇ λίμνῃ χωρίον οὐδενὸς ἄξια. τίς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τούτων πρόσοδος ἢ λυσιτέλεια; τὸ μέντοι χρηστοὺς φαίνεσθαι καὶ μεγαλόφρονας οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅσου νομίζεται δικαίως ἄξια. τὸ [p. 329] μὲν γὰρ ἁμιλλᾶσθαι πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ τὸ φιλίας καὶ ὁμονοίας ἄρχειν καὶ τούτοις περιεῖναι τῶν ἄλλων καὶ κρατεῖν ἡ καλλίστη πασῶν νίκη καὶ ἀσφαλεστάτη. τὸ δ᾽ ἐξ ἅπ
αντος τρόπου ζητεῖν μαχομένους ὑπερέχειν ἀλεκτρυόνων ἐστὶ μᾶλλον γενναίων ἤπερ ἀνδρῶν.
[45] No, sand-dunes and swamp-land are of no value — for what revenue is derived from them or what advantage? — yet to show one’s self to be honourable and magnanimous is rightly regarded as inexpressibly valuable. For to vie with the whole world in behalf of justice and virtue, and to take the initiative in friendship and harmony, and in these respects to surpass and prevail over all others, is the noblest of all victories and the safest too. But to seek by any and every means to maintain ascendancy in a conflict befits blooded game-cocks rather than men.
[46] εἰ μὲν οὖν παρὰ τὰς θῖνας ἔμελλε Μαλλὸς μείζων ἔσεσθαι τῆς Ταρσοῦ καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς ψάμμου νομήν, τάχα ἔδει σπουδάζειν ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον. νυνὶ δὲ αἰσχύνη καὶ γέλως ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ ὧν διαφέρεσθε. τί οὖν οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι κατεφρόνησαν; ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ βελτίους ὑμῶν. ὑμεῖς δέ γε βούλεσθε πρὸς τοῦ Διός. ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε ἠξίουν ἐπιτιμῆσαι λόγῳ πέμψαντας αὐτούς. τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ὑπερεχόντων καὶ φρονούντων. τὸ δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος κεκινῆσθαι καὶ καταφεύγειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν εὐθὺς καὶ νομίζειν ὑβρίζεσθαι μικροπολιτῶν μᾶλλον ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν.
Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom Page 294