Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [4] πόλις; ποία δὲ τιμιωτέρα τοῖς ξένοις; ποία δὲ χρησιμωτέρα τοῖς φίλοις; τίς δὲ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς φοβερωτέρα; ὁ παρὰ τίνων μὲν ἔπαινος δοκεῖ πιστότερος, ὁ παρὰ τίνων δὲ ψόγος ἀληθέστερος; τίνες δὲ παρὰ τοῖς κρατοῦσι πλείονος αἰδοῦς τυγχάνουσι; τίνες μὲν ἰσοτιμότεροι τοῖς κρατοῦσιν; τίνας δὲ μᾶλλον οἱ κρατοῦντες αἰδοῦνται; τίνας μὲν οὕτως ἀγαπῶσιν οἱ χρηστοὶ ἄρχοντες; τίνων δὲ ἧττον καταφρονοῦσιν οἱ πονηροί; οὐ γὰρ δῆλον ὅτι τοῖς μὲν ὁμονοοῦσιν οὐ μόνον οἱ κρατοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ θεοὶ προσέχουσιν, οἱ δὲ στασιάζοντες οὐδ̓ αὑτῶν ἀκούουσιν; οὔτε γὰρ τῶν ἀσυμφώνων χορῶν οὐδεὶς ἀκούει ῥᾳδίως ὅ,τι λέγουσιν οὔτε τῶν διαφερομένων

  [4] What city is dearer to its people, more honoured by the stranger, more useful to its friends, more formidable to its foes? Whose praise is held more trustworthy, whose censure more truthful? Who are more nearly equal in honour to their rulers, and whom do the rulers more respect? Whom do good rulers so admire, and bad rulers less despise? Why, is it not manifest that not merely the rulers, but even the gods, pay heed to men who live in concord, while men who are torn by civil strife do not even hear one another? For no one readily hears the words either when choruses do not keep together or when cities are at variance.

  [5] πόλεων. ποῖα δὲ οἰκοδομήματα, πόση δὲ χώρα, πόσον δὲ πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ἰσχυρότερον δῆμον ἀποφαίνει τῆς πρὸς αὑτὸν ὁμονοίας; ὁπόσοι γὰρ ἂν ὦσι πολῖται τῆς ὁμονοούσης πόλεως, τοσοῦτοι μὲν ὀφθαλμοὶ ὁρῶσι τὸ ἐκείνης συμφέρον, τοσαῦται δὲ ἀκοαὶ ἀκούουσι, [p. 45] τοσαῦται δὲ γλῶτται παραινοῦσι, τοσαῦται δὲ διάνοιαι φροντίζουσιν. διαφέρει γὰρ οὐδὲν ἢ εἴ τις θεῶν οὕτως μεγάλης καὶ πολυανθρώπου πόλεως μίαν ψυχὴν ἐποίησεν. ὡς οὔτε χρημάτων πλῆθος οὔτε ἀνθρώπων οὔτε ἄλλη δύναμις ξυνήνεγκε τοῖς διαφερομένοις, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον πάντα ταῦτα πρὸς βλάβης μᾶλλόν ἐστι καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν πλείονα ὑπάρχῃ, τοσούτῳ μείζονος καὶ χαλεπωτέρας: ὥσπερ οἶμαι καὶ τῶν σωμάτων τῷ μὲν ὑγιαίνοντι συμφέρει τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν σαρκῶν, τῷ δὲ νοσοῦντι καὶ φαύλως ἔχοντι σφαλερωτάτη ἐστὶν ἡ τοιαύτη ἕξις καὶ ὀξύτατον

  [5] Again, what sort of edifices, what size of territory, what magnitude of population render a community stronger than does its domestic concord? For example, when a city has concord, as many citizens as there are, so many are the eyes with which to see that city’s interest, so many the ears with which to hear, so many the tongues to give advice, so many the minds concerned in its behalf; why, it is just as if some god had made a single soul for so great and populous a city. Conversely, neither abundance of riches nor number of men nor any other element of strength is of advantage to those who are divided, but all these things are rather on the side of loss, and the more abundant they are, so much the greater and more grievous the loss. Just so too, methinks, it is with human bodies — that body which is in sound health finds advantage in its height and bulk, while the body which is diseased and in poor condition finds a physical state of that kind to be most perilous and productive of severest risk.

  [6] ἐπάγει κίνδυνον. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ναῦς ἥτις ἂν μετὰ ὁμονοίας πλέῃ τοῦ κυβερνήτου καὶ τῶν ναυτῶν, αὐτή τε σῴζεται καὶ σῴζει τοὺς ἐμπλέοντας: εἰ δὲ μή, ὅσῳ πλείω τὰ ἱστία, τοσούτῳ σφοδρότερον τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ τὴν ταραχὴν μείζω συμβαίνειν ἀνάγκη. τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐπὶ ἅρματος, ἂν μὲν ὅ θ̓ ἡνίοχος ἄρχειν ἐπίστηται κατὰ τρόπον οἵ τε ἵπποι ὁμοφρονοῦντες καὶ πειθόμενοι ὦσιν, ἐλπίς ἐστιν ἐν μὲν ἀγῶνι νικᾶν, ἐν δὲ πολέμῳ σῴζεσθαι τὸ τοιοῦτον ἅρμα: στάσεως δὲ καὶ ταραχῆς ἐνούσης, τοσούτῳ μείζων ὁ κίνδυνος, ὅσῳ ἂν ἰσχυρότεροι ὦσιν οἱ ἵπποι καὶ

  [6] Similarly too any ship which sails the sea with concord existing between the skipper and his crew not only is safe itself but also maintains in safety those on board; otherwise the more numerous the sails so much the more violent must be the impact of the storm and so much greater the confusion. This same thing is true in the case of a chariot — if the driver knows how to exercise proper control, and if at the same time the horses are not only in agreement with one another but also obedient to the driver, there is hope that in a race such a chariot will win the prize and in a war emerge in safety; but on the other hand, if strife and confusion are present, the danger increases in proportion to the strength and speed of the horses.

  [7] ταχύτεροι. παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ πόλει ὁμονοούσῃ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα χρήσιμά ἐστι, περιουσία χρημάτων καὶ πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων καὶ τιμαὶ καὶ δόξα καὶ δύναμις: εἰ δὲ μή, δύσχρηστα καὶ χαλεπά, οἷον ἐν ταὐτῷ τρεφομένων θηρίων πολλῶν ἢ βοσκημάτων, ἑνὸς εἴργοντος περιβόλου, κυριττόντων τε ἄλληλα καὶ πατούντων καὶ ἐπεμβαινόντων ἀλλήλοις. ἀλλ̓ εἰ μὲν ὑγιαίνων ἐτύγχανον, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέστην τοῦ λόγου, πρὶν ἱκανῶς αὐτὸν διελθεῖν κατὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ δύναμιν: νῦν δὲ ὑμεῖς τε ἴσως πρὸς ἑτέροις μᾶλλόν ἐστε κἀγὼ

  [7] In much the same way also when a city enjoys concord, all such things are useful — abundance of riches, size of population, honours, fame, and power; but otherwise they are hard to use well and vexatious, just as when, for example, many wild animals or cattle are kept in the same enclosure, penned within a single stockade, they go butting and trampling and leaping upon one another.

  Well now, if I were blessed with robust health, I should not have abandoned my theme before discussing it adequately to the best of my ability; but as it is, not only are you perhaps more intent upon other matters, but I myself am far too frail to match the importance of the occasion.

  [8] πολὺ καταδεέστερον ἔχω ἢ πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ἀγῶνος. τὸν οὖν βραχύτατον καὶ ἀνυσιμώτατον λόγον καταλείπεται εἰπεῖν τὸν πρὸς τοὺς θεούς. οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ τῶν μικρὸν φθεγγομένων ἃ διανοοῦνται ἴσασιν. ἴσως γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ σφόδρα εὐνοοῦντός ἐστιν: ὥσπερ οἱ χρηστοὶ πατέρες τοῖς παισὶν ἃ μὲν δύνανται παραινοῦσιν, [p. 46] ἃ δ̓ ἄν ἂν μὴ πείθωσιν, εὔχονται τοῖς θεοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. εὔχομαι δὴ τῷ τε Διονύσῳ τῷ προπάτορι τῆσδε τῆς πόλεως καὶ Ἡρακλεῖ τῷ κτίσαντι τήνδε τὴν πόλιν καὶ Διὶ Πολιεῖ καὶ Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ Ἀφροδίτῃ Φ�
�λίᾳ καὶ Ὁμονοίᾳ καὶ Νεμέσει καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις θεοῖς ἀπὸ τῆσδε τῆς ἡμέρας τῇδε τῇ πόλει πόθον ἑαυτῆς ἐμβαλεῖν καὶ ἔρωτα καὶ μίαν γνώμην καὶ ταὐτὰ βούλεσθαι καὶ φρονεῖν, στάσιν δὲ καὶ ἔριδα καὶ φιλονικίαν ἐκβαλεῖν, ὡς ἂν ἐν ταῖς εὐδαιμονεστάταις καὶ ἀρίσταις ᾖ πόλεσι τὸ λοιπόν.

  [8] Therefore, all that remains for me to do is to make the briefest and most efficacious appeal, I mean the appeal to the gods. For the gods know what men mean to say even when they speak in whispers. After all, possibly this too is typical of one who is especially well-intentioned; for instance, good fathers use admonition with their children where they can, but where persuasion fails they pray the gods on their behalf. Accordingly I pray to Dionysus the progenitor of this city, to Heracles its founder, to Zeus Guardian of Cities, to Athena, to Aphroditê Fosterer of Friendship, to Harmony, and Nemesis, and all the other gods, that from this day forth they may implant in this city a yearning for itself, a passionate love, a singleness of purpose, a unity of wish and thought; and, on the other hand, that they may cast out strife and contentiousness and jealousy, so that this city may be numbered among the most prosperous and the noblest for all time to come.

  THE FORTIETH DISCOURSE: DELIVERED IN HIS NATIVE CITY ON CONCORD WITH THE APAMEIANS

  ΕΝ ΤΗΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΑΠΑΜΕΙΣ

  THE FORTIETH DISCOURSE: DELIVERED IN HIS NATIVE CITY ON CONCORD WITH THE APAMEIANS

  As indicated by the title, the background of this Discourse is a quarrel between Prusa, the home of the speaker, and its near neighbour, Apameia. The precise nature of the quarrel remains in doubt, but it seems to have involved business relations, and possibly also property rights. The relations between the two cities were extremely intimate. Prusa used the port of Apameia, and Apameia looked to Prusa for its timber. There was constant intercourse of many kinds between the two, and citizens of the one not infrequently were citizens also of the other, sometimes even receiving a seat and vote in the Council of the second city. Dio’s own connexion with Apameia was especially close. As we learn from Or. , not only had he himself been honoured with citizenship there, but also his father before him; his mother and her father too had been awarded citizenship in Apameia along with the grant of Roman citizenship; and, finally, it would appear that Dio’s household had found a refuge in that city during his exile.

  Whatever the nature of the quarrel, it had lasted for some time prior to the date of our Discourse (A.D. 101), and it had been so bitter that Dio had feared to accept the invitation of Apameia to pay a visit joint upon his return from exile, lest by doing so he might offend the city of his birth, and for the same reason he had resisted a request to intervene in behalf of Apameia in its quarrel. He had, to be sure, urged upon his fellow citizens, as occasion offered, the desirability of reconciliation with Apameia, and negotiations to that end were actually in progress when Dio, responding with some reluctance to the summons of his fellow townsmen, appeared in town-meeting and pleaded afresh the cause of concord. It would appear that his words received a favourable hearing, for in the next Discourse in our collection, delivered at Apameia shortly afterwards, he speaks as a member of an official delegation to arrange terms of agreement.

  This Discourse, as well as several to follow, is valuable both as shedding light upon doings in Bithynia, doings about which we get supplementary information from the correspondence of Pliny the Younger written during his term as proconsul of that province, and also as supplying biographical data regarding the speaker.

  [1] ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑΣ. Ἐνόμιζον μέν, ὧ ἄνδρες πολῖται, νῦν γοῦν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, ἄξειν τὴν ἅπασαν ἡσυχίαν, δεῦρο ἀφικόμενος, καὶ μὴ προσάψεσθαι μήτε ἑκὼν μήτε ἄκων μηδενὸς κοινοῦ πράγματος, δἰ ἓν μὲν ὅτι καὶ πολλοὺς ὁρῶ σὺν τοῖς θεοῖς ἀεὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν νεωτέρων βουλομένους καὶ δυναμένους ἐπιτροπεύειν τὴν πόλιν καὶ προΐστασθαι τῶν ὑμετέρων ὀρθῶς οὔτε τοῦ λέγειν οὔτε τοῦ πράττειν ἐνδεῶς ἔχοντας, ἔτι δὲ τῆς παῤ ὑμῖν πολιτείας ἐμπείρους ὄντας, ἐμὲ δὲ ὑπώπτευον: τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς

  The Fortieth Discourse: Delivered in his Native City on Concord with the Apameians

  I used to think, fellow citizens, that now at least, if not before — now that I am home again — I could look forward to enjoying complete leisure, and that I was not going to engage in any public business, either voluntarily or otherwise. One reason was because I see that many older men, by the grace of God, and many younger men as well, are ever ready and able to direct the city and to defend your interests rightly, being deficient in neither speech nor action, and what is more, being thoroughly acquainted with your form of government, while, on the other hand, I suspected — for the truth will out — that some were vexed with me as being an outsider and a nuisance.

  [2] εἰρήσεται: βαρύνεσθαί τινας ὡς ξένον καὶ περιττόν: ἔπειτα οἶμαι καὶ τοῦ σώματος δέον ποιήσασθαί τινα πρόνοιαν, ἐκ πολλῆς καὶ συνεχοῦς ταλαιπωρίας ἀπειρηκότος, καὶ τῶν περὶ τὴν οἰκίαν, κομιδῇ φαύλως διακειμένων, ἃ τοσοῦτον ἀπολωλότα χρόνον οὐδεμιᾶς ἐπανορθώσεως τετύχηκεν. ὅπου γὰρ ἀποδημία δεσπότου χρονίσαντος ἱκανὴ διαφθεῖραι καὶ τὴν μεγίστην οὐσίαν, τί χρὴ προσδοκᾶν ἐν τοσούτοις ἔτεσι φυγῆς; ὅθεν οὐδεὶς ἂν προσεδόκησεν ἐμὲ σωθῆναι χωρὶς ὑμῶν δἰ εὐνοίας ὑπερβολήν. καίτοι μέχρι μὲν ὑπῆρχε πενίας κίνδυνος ἡμῖν, οὐδὲν ἦν δεινόν. οὐ γάρ εἰμι πρὸς τοῦτο ἀμελέτητος σχεδόν, τοσοῦτον χρόνον πλανηθεὶς οὐ μόνον ἄοικος καὶ ἀνέστιος, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἀκόλουθον ἕνα γοῦν ἐπαγόμενος. οὐ τοίνυν [p. 47] οὐδὲ τὸν υἱὸν ἤλπιζον χαλεπῶς ἂν ὑπομεῖναι πενίαν, οὐκ ὄντα

  [2] A second reason is that, in my opinion, I should take some thought, not only for my body, exhausted as it is from great and unremitting hardship, but also for my domestic affairs, now in thoroughly bad condition, affairs which, though so long in ruinous state, have met with no improvement. For when a proprietor’s absence from home, if protracted, suffices to ruin even the greatest estate, what should one expect in the course of so many years of exile? From such an exile no one could have expected me to come home safe except yourselves — because of your extreme partiality for me. And yet as long as poverty was the only risk confronting me, that was nothing to be afraid of. For I am not unprepared, I may say, to cope with that, having wandered so long, not only without hearth and home, but even without a single servant to bear me company. Furthermore, I did not expect my son to find poverty a grievous thing to bear either, since his nature is not inferior to my own.

  [3] ἐμοῦ χείρω τὴν φύσιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ψεύσασθαι τὴν πατρίδα μηδὲ ἀποστερῆσαι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὑμᾶς, ἣν ὑπεσχόμεθα μηδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος, οὐδαμῶς ῥᾳδίαν οὐδὲ ὀλίγων χρημάτων, τοῦτο οἶμαι χαλεπὸν καὶ πολλῆς φροντίδος ἄξιον: οὗ γε οὐδέν ἐστι βαρύτερον οὐδὲ ὀφειλό
μενον ἐπὶ πλείονι τόκῳ χάριτος. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ, ἀναίσχυντον δάνειον καὶ πικρόν̔, ὅταν οἶμαι τῷ βραδύνειν ἡ χάρις εἰς χρέος μεταστῇ: ὃ τῷ παντὶ χαλεπώτερον

  [3] But since the question before us concerns my not proving false toward my native land and not defrauding you of the promise I made under no compulsion, a promise by no means easy to make good and involving no small outlay of money, this I conceive to be a difficult matter and one calling for much serious cogitation. For there is nothing more weighty, no debt bearing higher interest, than a favour promised. Moreover, this is the shameful and bitter kind of loan, when, as one might say, because of tardy payment the favour turns into an obligation, an obligation the settlement of which those who keep silent demand altogether more sternly than those who cry aloud.

  [4] ἀπαιτοῦσιν οἱ σιωπῶντες τῶν βοώντων. οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω δύναται τοὺς ὀφείλοντας ὑμῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπομιμνήσκειν, ὡς τὸ ὑμᾶς ἐκλελῆσθαι. διὰ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον ἐνόμιζον γενέσθαι πρὸς τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν κοινῶν προσιέναι μηδὲ μέχρι λόγου τέως, ἕως ἂν αἴσθωμαι τοῦτο δὴ τὸ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ λεγόμενον:

  [4] For nothing has such power to remind those who owe you such obligations as your having utterly forgotten them. For these reasons, therefore, I felt it had become necessary for me to devote myself to my own affairs and not to any public business, not even to the extent of making a speech, until, as the poet says, I shall perceive