What ill or good has happened in my halls.
[5] ὅ, ττι μοι ἐν μεγάροισι κακόν τ̓ ἀγαθόν τε τέτυκται. πρότερον γὰρ οὐδ̓ ἐπ̓ ὀλίγον σχολὴν ἤγαγον ἴσως διὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πολυπραγμοσύνην, ὃς δέον ἐντυχεῖν ὑμῖν καὶ φιλοφρονήσασθαι τοσοῦτο μόνον καὶ θῦσαι τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ νὴ Δία ἀναγνῶναι τὰ γράμματα τὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ὅτι ἀναγκαῖον ἦν, ἔπειτα εὐθὺς ἀναχωρῆσαι καὶ τρέπεσθαι καθ̓ αὑτόν, λόγον τινὰ εἶπον ὑπὲρ ἔργου τινός, οὐκ αὐτὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἐσπουδακότων, ἴσως μὲν ὑμῖν, ἴσως δὲ κἀμοὶ χαρίζεσθαι βουλομένων καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἄμεινον κατασκευάζειν καὶ σεμνοτέραν ποιεῖν ἅπασαν. πρότερον γὰρ ἴστε δήπουθεν ὅτι τοῖς τοιούτοις καὶ τῶν
[5] The fact is that hitherto I had not had even a moment’s leisure, possibly because of my own officiousness, when I ought merely to have met you and given you friendly greetings and sacrificed to the gods, and, of course, read the letter from the Emperor, since that was a matter of necessity, and then to have retired immediately and turned to my own affairs, instead I made a speech in behalf of a certain undertaking, not on my own responsibility alone, but with the backing of the proconsuls as well, who possibly were minded to do you a favour, and perhaps me as well, and also to put the city into better shape and make it more impressive as a whole. For formerly, as you doubtless are aware, we were behind even our neighbours in such matters.
[6] ἀστυγειτόνων ἐλειπόμεθα. τοῦτον ἐμοῦ τότε εἰπόντος τὸν λόγον, ἐπήρθη τε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ δῆμος: οὐ γάρ ἐστε ἀγεννεῖς οὐδὲ ἀναίσθητοι τὰς φύσεις: καὶ πολλοὶ προετράπησαν φιλοτιμηθῆναι τῶν πολιτῶν. πάλιν δὲ ὕστερον ἐμοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐφ̓ ὑμῖν ποιουμένου πολλάκις μὲν ἐν τῷ βουλευτηρίῳ, πολλάκις δ̓ ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ, ἵνα, εἰ μὴ δοκιμάζοιτε μηδὲ βούλοισθε, μηδένα ἐνοχλῶ: τὴν γὰρ ἀσχολίαν τὴν ἐσομένην ὑπώπτευόν μοι περὶ ταῦτα: πολλάκις μὲν ὑφ̓ ὑμῶν ἐκυρώθη, πολλάκις δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων, οὐδενὸς ἀντειπόντος. [p. 48]
[6] Well, when I made that speech on the occasion referred to, not only was the Assembly aroused with enthusiasm for it — for you are not illiberal or insensible in your nature — but also many of the citizens were even moved to patriotic fervour in its support. And again, when later on I repeatedly laid the matter before you, now in the council chamber and now in the theatre, to make sure that I should not offend anyone in case you did not approve or desire the project — for I had my misgivings as to the hard work which would be connected with the enterprise — the proposal was repeatedly sanctioned by you and by the proconsuls too with not a dissenting voice.
[7] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν, ὅσα μὲν αὐτὸς ἔπαθον μετρῶν καὶ διαμετρῶν καὶ λογιζόμενος, ὅπως μὴ γένοιτο ἀπρεπὲς μηδὲ ἀχρεῖον, ὁποῖα ἔργα πολλὰ γέγονε παῤ ἑτέροις μάτην ἀπολόμενα, καὶ τελευταῖον εἰς τὰ ὄρη φθειρόμενος, οὐκ ὢν ἔμπειρος τῶν τοιούτων οὐδενὸς οὐδὲ ἀπορῶν ἔργου τινός, ἀλλ̓ ἕτερα μᾶλλον πράττειν δυνάμενος σπουδαιότερα ἴσως, ἀφ̓ ὧν οὐ παρὰ μόνοις ὑμῖν εὐδοκιμεῖν ἔμελλον, ἐῶ νῦν ἐπεξιέναι. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐμοὶ
[7] However, when the work was started, all the trouble to which I myself was put in taking measurements and allotting space and making computations, to insure that the project should not be unbecoming or useless — as in other cities many public works have been ruined for lack of planning — and finally in making a cursed excursion to the mountains, though I was not at all experienced in such matters and did not lack for something to do either, but might rather have occupied myself with other activities, possibly more important, from which I was likely to enjoy renown with others besides yourselves — all this I now refrain from narrating in detail; for nothing was too burdensome for me, seeing that I bore it for your sake.
[8] βαρὺ δἰ ὑμᾶς ὑπομένοντι. λόγοι δὲ ἐγίγνοντο πολλοὶ μέν, οὐ παρὰ πολλῶν δέ, καὶ σφόδρα ἀηδεῖς, ὡς κατασκάπτω τὴν πόλιν, ὡς ἀνάστατον πεποίηκα σχεδὸν ἐξελαύνων τοὺς πολίτας, ὡς ἀνῄρηται πάντα, συγκέχυται, λοιπὸν οὐδέν ἐστιν. καὶ τινες ἦσαν οἱ σφόδρα ὀδυρόμενοι τὸ χαλκεῖον τὸ τοῦ δεῖνος, χαλεπῶς ἔχοντες, εἰ μὴ μενεῖ ταῦτα τὰ ὑπομνήματα τῆς παλαιᾶς εὐδαιμονίας, ὥσπερ τῶν Ἀθήνησι Προπυλαίων κινουμένων ἢ τοῦ Παρθενῶνος ἢ τὸ Σαμίων Ἥραιον ἡμᾶς ἀνατρέποντας ἢ τὸ Μιλησίων Διδύμειον ἢ
[8] But there was a lot of talk — though not on the part of many persons — and very unpleasant talk too, to the effect that I am dismantling the city; that I have laid it waste, virtually banishing the inhabitants; that everything has been destroyed, obliterated, nothing left. And there were some who were violent in their lamentations over the smithy of So-and-so, feeling bitter that these memorials of the good old days were not to be preserved. One might have supposed that the Propylaea at Athens were being tampered with, or the Parthenon, or that we were wrecking the Heraeum of the Samians, or the Didymeium of the Milesians, or the temple of Artemis at Ephesus,
[9] τὸν νεὼν τῆς Ἐφεσίας Ἀρτέμιδος, ἀλλ̓ οὐκ αἰσχρὰ καὶ καταγέλαστα ἐρείπια, πολὺ ταπεινότερα τῶν κλεισίων, οἷς ὑποδύεται τὰ πρόβατα, τῶν ποιμένων δὲ οὐδεὶς ἂν δύναιτο εἰσελθεῖν οὐδὲ τῶν γενναιοτέρων κυνῶν: ἐφ̓ οἷς ὑμεῖς μὲν ἠρυθριᾶτε καὶ διετρέπεσθε τῶν ἡγεμόνων εἰσιόντων, οἱ δὲ ἀηδῶς ἔχοντες πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπέχαιρον καὶ ἐγέλων: ὅπου μηδὲ τοῖς χαλκεῦσιν ἐξῆν διάρασθαι σχεδόν, ἀλλὰ εἰργάζοντο κεκυφότες: καὶ ταῦτα πίπτοντα καὶ ὑπερηρεισμένα, ἃ πρὸς τὴν πληγὴν τοῦ ῥαιστῆρος ἔτρεμε καὶ διίστατο: ἀλλ̓ ὅμως ἦσαν οἵ χαλεπῶς ἑώρων ἀφανιζόμενα τὰ σημεῖα τῆ ἔμπροσθεν πενίας καὶ ἀδοξίας, οὐχ ὅτι τῶν κιόνων ἔμελεν αὐτοῖς τῶν ἱσταμένων οὐδὲ τῶν γείσων, οὐ τῶν οἰκοδομουμένων ἐργαστηρίων
[9] instead of disgraceful, ridiculous ruins, much more lowly than the shed under which the flocks take shelter, but which no shepherd could enter nor any of the nobler breeds of dogs, structures that used to make you blush, aye, be utterly confounded when the proconsuls essayed to enter, while men who bore you malice would gloat over you and laugh at your discomfiture — hovels where even the blacksmiths were scarcely able to stand erect but worked with bowed head; shanties, moreover, in tumbledown condition, held up by props, so that at the stroke of the hammer they quivered and threatened to fall apart. And yet there were some who were distressed to se
e the signs of their former poverty and ill-repute disappearing, who, far from being interested in the columns which were rising, or in the eaves of the roof, or in the shops under construction in a different quarter, were interested only in preventing your ever feeling superior to that crew.
[10] ἄλλοσε, ἀλλ̓ ἵνα μηδέποτε μεῖζον ὑμεῖς ἐκείνων φρονῆτε. εὖ γὰρ ἴστε ὅτι καὶ τοῖς οἰκοδομήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ τῷ δικάζειν αὐτοὶ καὶ τῷ μὴ παῤ ἑτέροις ἐξετάζεσθαι μηδὲ συντελεῖν ἄλλοις καθάπερ οἶμαι κώμην, πᾶσι τούτοις συναίρεσθαι πέφυκε [p. 49] τὸ φρόνημα τῶν πόλεων καὶ μεῖζον ἀξίωμα γίγνεσθαι τὸ τοῦ δήμου καὶ πλέονος τυγχάνειν τιμῆς καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐπιδημούντων ξένων καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων. ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς μὲν ἀγαπῶσι τὰς αὑτῶν πατρίδας καὶ μὴ φοβουμένοις μήποτε ἐλάττους αὐτῶν φανῶσι θαυμαστὴν ἔχει τὴν ἡδονήν: τοῖς δὲ ἐναντίως ἔχουσι καὶ βουλομένοις ἐν ἀσθενέσιν ἰσχύειν καὶ τὴν δόξαν τῆς πόλεως ἀδοξίαν
[10] For, let me assure you, buildings and festivals and independence in the administration of justice and exemption from standing trial away from home or from being grouped together with other communities like some village, if you will pardon the expression — all these things, I say, make it natural for the pride of the cities to be enhanced and the dignity of the community to be increased and for it to receive fuller honour both from the strangers within their gates and from the proconsuls as well. But while these things possess a wondrous degree of pleasure for those who love the city of their birth and are not afraid lest some day they may be found to be not good enough for it, to those who take the opposite stand and wish to wield authority over weak men and who deem the glory of the city to be their own ignominy, these things necessarily bring pain and jealousy.
[11] αὑτῶν νομίζουσι δέοντως φέρει λύπην καὶ φθόνον. καίτοι τὸ μὲν ὑπόδημα δεῖ πρὸς αὑτὸν ἁρμόττειν καὶ τὸν αὑτοῦ πόδα, καὶ ἂν δοκῇ μεῖζον, περιτεμεῖν: πόλιν δὲ οὐδέποτε δεῖ κολούειν οὐδὲ κατάγειν πρὸς αὑτὸν οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν μετρεῖν, ἐὰν τύχῃ σμικρὰν ἔχων καὶ ἀνελεύθερον, καὶ ταῦτα παραδειγμάτων ὄντων: λέγω δὲ τὸ τῶν Σμυρναίων, τὸ τῶν Ἐφεσίων, Ταρσεῖς ἐκείνους, Ἀντιοχέας. καὶ ταῦτα ἐπίσταμαι σαφῶς ὅτι καὶ πρότερόν τινες ἀκούοντες διερρήγνυντο καὶ χαλεπῶς ἔφερον, εἰ τοιούτων ἐθίζεσθε ἀκροᾶσθαι λόγων καὶ μετὰ τοιούτων πόλεων τολμᾷ
[11] And yet, while it is true that the shoe must fit the wearer and his own special foot, and if the shoe is judged to be too large it must be trimmed down, one must never curtail a city or reduce it to one’s own dimensions or measure it with regard to one’s own spirit, if one happens to have a small and servile spirit, particularly in the light of existing precedents — I mean the activities of the men of Smyrna, of the men of Ephesus, of those men of Tarsus, of the men of Antioch.
Again, I know perfectly that on former occasions too certain persons were ready to burst with rage on hearing me talk this way and were incensed that you were growing accustomed to listening to such words, and that any one should presume to name your city in company with such distinguished cities.
[12] τις ὀνομάζειν τὴν ὑμετέραν. ὅμως δ̓ ἐπὶ τούτοις σχετλιάζοντες καὶ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες καὶ διδόναι μηδένα ἐῶντες καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις ἐμποδὼν γιγνόμενοι, οὕτως ἐμὲ διέθηκαν, ὥστε ὀλίγου φυγὴν ἐμαυτοῦ καταψηφίσασθαι. καὶ γὰρ ἦν γελοῖον μετὰ φυγὴν οὕτως μακρὰν καὶ πράγματα τοσαῦτα καὶ τύραννον ἐχθρὸν δεῦρο ἀφικόμενον, ὥστε ἀναπαύσασθαι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπιλαθέσθαι τῶν πρότερον χαλεπῶν, οἷον ἐκ δεινοῦ καὶ ἀγρίου πελάγους καὶ χειμῶνος ἀδοκήτως σωθέντα μόλις δἰ εὔνοιαν θεοῦ τινος, ἔπειτα ἐνταῦθα
[12] But still, because of their angry protests at these proceedings, because of the things they say, because of their attempts to prevent any one’s making a contribution, and because of their efforts to block operations, they have put me into such a frame of mind as almost to condemn myself to voluntary exile. For it really was ridiculous if, after having experienced so long an exile, so many tribulations, and so tyrannical a foe, after reaching home at last with the hope of finding respite and of being able to forget past hardships from then on — like a man who had through the kindness of some god unexpectedly and with difficulty been rescued from a dreadful, savage sea and tempest — I should then in port, so to speak, meet shipwreck here.
[13] ὥσπερ ἐν λιμένι ναυαγεῖν. θαυμάζω δὲ μάλιστα ἐνίων ἀνθρώπων τὴν κακοήθειαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἄνοιαν, ὑπομιμνησκόμενος οἷα ἐλογοποίουν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον περὶ τῆς πρεσβείας, ἣν ἐπέμψατε εὐχαριστοῦντες. οὐ γὰρ ἡδέως αὐτὸν ἀποδέξασθαι τοὺς πρέσβεις, ἀλλὰ δυσχερᾶναι μᾶλλον, ὡς δέον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης ἀπηντηκέναι καὶ περιβαλεῖν τοὺς ἥκοντας ἢ τοὺς μηδέπω παρόντας ὀνομάζειν ἢ πυνθάνεσθαι περὶ τοῦδε καὶ τοῦδε, τί πράττουσιν ἢ διὰ
[13] But I am especially amazed at the malevolence of sundry persons — or rather at their folly — as I call to mind what sort of tales they invented, first of all in connexion with the mission of congratulation which you sent. For they claimed that he was not glad to receive your envoys, but was vexed, as if it were incumbent upon him to meet at the gate and there embrace all arrivals, or to speak the names of those who had not yet arrived, or to inquire about this one and that one, wanting to know how they were or why they had not all come.
[14] τί πάντες οὐκ ἦλθον. οἱ δὲ ἐλογοποίουν ὅτι τοῖς Σμυρναίοις παμπόλλας [p. 50] δωρεὰς δοίη καὶ χρήματα ἀμύθητα πέμψειε μετὰ τῶν Νεμέσεων, καὶ νὴ Δἴ ὡς ἄλλου τινὸς διαλεχθέντος μυρίους μὲν αὐτῷ συνεχώρησε βουλευτάς, χρυσίου δ̓ ἐκέλευσε ποταμὸν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τραπῆναι καὶ μυριάδες ἄπειροί τινες ἐδόθησαν: ὧν
[14] And others invented the tale that he gave the delegates from Smyrna very many presents, and that he sent untold riches along with the images of Nemesis, and, by Heaven, that after some one else had delivered an address he granted him ten thousand councillors and ordered a flood of gold to be turned in the direction of his city, and countless thousands of guineas were bestowed — not a word of which was true, though for my part I wish it were.
[15] οὐδὲν ἦν ἀληθές, ὡς ἐβουλόμην ἂν ἔγωγε. τὸ γὰρ ἄλλους καλῶς πράττειν καὶ μεγάλων τυγχάνειν οὐκ ἂν οὐδέποτε λυπήσειε τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντα ἄλλως τε καὶ πρῶτον τυχόντα καὶ τὴν ἀφορμὴν ἴσως παρεσχηκότα. ὅμοιον γάρ, �
�σπερ εἴ τις αὑτῷ μόνον λάμπειν ἠξίου τὸν ἥλιον ἢ τὸν Δία ὕειν ἢ τοὺς ἀνέμους πνεῖν ἢ μηδένα ἄλλον ἀπὸ τῶν κρηνῶν δύνασθαι πιεῖν. ἀλλ̓ ὁμοῦ φιλανθρωπότατος ὢν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ καὶ συνετώτατος ἁπάντων ἐμοί τε παρέσχεν
[15] For to see many people meeting with success and gaining great favours would never disturb a man of discernment, especially a man who had been the first to encounter such good fortune, and had possibly furnished the precedent for it. For it is quite as if a man were to demand that for him alone the sun should shine, or Zeus send his rain, or the winds blow, or that no one else should be permitted to drink from the springs. On the contrary, being at once most benevolent and most sagacious of all men, the Emperor not only gave me what I asked, but also gave others what they asked.
[16] ὧν ἐγὼ ἐδεόμην καὶ ἄλλοις ὧν ἐκεῖνοι ἐδέοντο. τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν εἴρηκα πάντα τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, ὑπὲρ ἄλλων ὑμῶν βουλευομένων; ὅτι καὶ τούτου τοῦ πράγματος ἐγὼ πρότερος ἡψάμην καὶ πολλοὺς εἶπον ἐνθάδε λόγους ὑπὲρ ὁμονοίας, ἡγούμενος συμφέρειν τῇ πόλει τοῦτο καὶ κρεῖττον εἶναι μὴ διαφέρεσθαι πρὸς μηδένα ἀνθρώπων, ἥκιστα δὲ οἶμαι πρὸς τοὺς ἐγγὺς οὕτω καὶ ἀστυγείτονας. οὐ μέντοι πρὸς ἐκείνους γε ἦλθον οὐδὲ εἶπον φιλάνθρωπον οὐδὲν πρὸ τοῦ καταλλαγῆναι δημοσίᾳ τὴν πόλιν καὶ φίλους ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι. καίτοι ψήφισμά γε ἔπεμψαν εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ φιλοφρονούμενοι καὶ παρακαλοῦντες ἀφικέσθαι: καὶ πολλὰ δίκαιά μοι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὑπῆρχεν, ὥσπερ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν: ἀλλ̓ ὅμως οὐχ ὑπέμενον φιλανθρωπεύεσθαι κατ̓ ἐμαυτόν, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ μεθ̓ ὑμῶν
Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom Page 313