[7] For indeed it would be shocking if human beings are to prove more unjust than bees. For no bee ever abandons its own hive and shifts to another which is larger or more thriving, but it rounds out and strengthens its own swarm, no matter if the district be colder, the pasturage be poorer, the nectar scantier, the work connected with the honeycomb more difficult, and the farmer more neglectful. But, according to report, so great is their love for one another and of each for its own hive, that when they are caught outside the hive in winter and a great wind springs up, they each seize with their feet a pebble as if for ballast before beginning to fly, so that they may not be borne astray by the gale or miss their hive.
[8] ὅταν δὲ δὴ καὶ πρόθυμον οὕτως καὶ ἀγαθὴν ἔχῃ τις πατρίδα, πῶς οὐ χρὴ πάντα τἄλλα περὶ ἐλάττονος ποιεῖσθαι ταύτης; ἃ ἐγὼ λογιζόμενος χαίρω, ὁρῶν καὶ τὸν υἱέα τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους νεανίσκους ῾πολλοὺς δὲ ὁρῶ σὺν θεῷ καὶ ἅπαντας ἀγαθῶν γονέων καὶ τό γε εἶδος ἀγαθοῖς ὁμοίους᾿ οὕτως διανοουμένους ὡς φιλονικήσοντας ἀλλήλοις ἄνευ φθόνου καὶ ζηλοτυπίας καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς καὶ εὐδοξίας τῆς τε αὑτῶν καὶ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ ὅπως πρωτεύσῃ ἕκαστος ἐν τῇ πατρίδι τῷ δίκαιός τε εἶναι καὶ φιλόπολις καὶ μὴ ἀδύνατος ἀγαθόν
[8] But when a man has a country which is both so devoted and so fine, why should he not regard all else as of minor importance? Taking all this into account, I rejoice to see my own son, my nephew, and the other young men too — and by God’s grace I see many who one and all are both of goodly lineage and, at least in personal appearance, resemble goodly men — I rejoice, I say, to see them aiming without envy and jealousy to vie with one another, and with all other men as well, concerning character and good repute both their own and that of their country too, and also striving that each may gain first rank in his fatherland for being just and patriotic and not incapable of promoting his country’s welfare.
[9] τι ποιεῖν καὶ αὔξειν τὴν πατρίδα. εὖ γὰρ ἴστε ὅτι οὐ μεγίστη τῶν πόλεων οὖσα οὐδὲ πλεῖστον χρόνον οἰκουμένη πολλῶν γνωριμωτέρα ἐστὶ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις, καὶ σχεδόν τι πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀγωνιουμένους τοὺς Ἕλληνας πάλαι παρέχει τοὺς αὑτῆς πολίτας οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ὑστάτοις οὐδ̓ ἐν τοῖς τρίτοις ἢ δευτέροις ἀριθμουμένους. λέγω δὲ οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων, ὧν οἱ μὲν ἀποδημήσαντες καὶ πλείοσι φανεροὶ γενόμενοι φανερὰν τὴν δόξαν ἐκτήσαντο, οἱ δὲ ἐνθάδε πολιτευόμενοι καὶ μένοντες οὐδὲν χείρους ἐκείνων εἰσὶν οὔτε περὶ τοὺς
[9] For you may rest assured that, although Prusa is not the largest of our cities and has not been settled for the longest time, it is more illustrious than many, even in the estimation of the outside world, and that it has long caused its citizens to rank, not last, or even third or second, in competition with virtually all Greeks everywhere. And I say this, not for my own sake, but rather for the sake of the others, some of whom through foreign travel and through becoming notable men in a number of countries have gained a notable renown, while others through performing their civic duties here and remaining at home are not inferior to those just mentioned in either speech or action.
[10] λόγους οὔτε περὶ τὰ ἔργα. ὁρῶ δὲ οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ λόγων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ φιλοσοφίας ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς καὶ ἀξιολόγους γιγνομένους ἐν τῇ πόλει: ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐγὼ καὶ ἰδίᾳ τοὺς νέους καὶ κοινῇ, ὅταν ᾖ καιρός, οὐκ ὀκνήσω παρακαλεῖν. καὶ τὸν δῆμον ὑμᾶς ἀξιῶ, ἃ μὲν ἔστι παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων, ταῦτα ἐλπίζειν ὡς ἐσόμενα καὶ εὔχεσθαι συμβαίνειν τινὰ τιμὴν ἢ δόξαν ἢ εὐπορίαν χρημάτων: ἃ δὲ ἔστι παῤ αὐτῶν, ἔχειν, εὐταξίᾳ τῶν ἄλλων δήμων διαφέροντας, αἰδοῖ, τῷ πείθεσθαι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδράσι, φιλεργίᾳ, σωφροσύνῃ τῇ περὶ τὸν καθ̓ ἡμέραν βίον, τῷ μήτε τῶν σωμάτων ἀμελεῖν μήτε τῆς ψυχῆς, καθ̓ ὅσον ἑκάστῳ σχολὴν δίδωσι τὰ αὑτοῦ πράγματα, [p. 70] τῷ προθύμως ἐκτρέφειν τέκνα καὶ παιδεύειν, τῷ παρέχειν Ἑλληνικὴν τῷ ὄντι καὶ ἀθόρυβον καὶ καθεστῶσαν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ δριμὺ καὶ τὸ ἀνδρεῖον τῆς φύσεως καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν ἐπὶ τὰ μείζω καὶ καλλίω τρέπειν, διχοφροσύνης δὲ καὶ ταραχῆς καὶ τοῦ προσκρούειν
[10] But I observe that it is not from the pursuit of eloquence alone but also from the pursuit of wisdom that men of character and distinction are being produced here in Prusa; and I shall not hesitate to exhort our young men in behalf of these things both in private and in public whenever there is opportunity. And I ask of you the people that, as to privileges which must come from our rulers, you cherish the hope of their realization and pray that some measure of honour or fame or affluence may accrue; but that, on the other hand, as regards the blessings which must come from yourselves, you possess them by being superior to the other self-governed communities in orderly behaviour, in respect for others, in obedience to your men of character, in industry, in temperance in your daily lives, in neglecting neither your bodies nor your souls, insofar as each man’s private circumstances grant him leisure, in devotion to the task of rearing and educating your children, in making your city truly Hellenic, free from turmoil, and stable, and in devoting your native shrewdness and courage and intelligence to greater and finer things, while refraining from discord and confusion and conflict with one another so far as possible.
[11] ἀλλήλοις ὡς οἷόν τε ἀπέχεσθαι. ἔστι γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες, καὶ δήμου παιδεία καὶ πόλεως ἦθος φιλόσοφον καὶ ἐπιεικές. καὶ οὐ μόνον Λακεδαιμονίοις οὐδὲ Ἀθηναίοις τὸ παλαιὸν καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ συνέβη διὰ τὸ κοσμίως πολιτεύεσθαι μεγάλας καὶ ἐπιφανεῖς καὶ ἐκ πάνυ μικρῶν καὶ ἀσθενῶν ἀποδεῖξαι τὰς πόλεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν νῦν ἔξεστι τὸ τοιοῦτον τοῖς βουλομένοις. ταῦτα γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐπιτηδεύοντας πλέον ὀνήσει καὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν βουλευτῶν καὶ τοῦ παῤ ὑμῖν τὰ πράγματα ἄγεσθαι καὶ τοῦ πρόσοδόν τινα χρημάτων ἔξωθεν ὑμῖν ὑπάρξαι καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας αὐτῆς, ἐὰν ἄρα
[11] For, my friends, education can be predicated of a people also and morality of a state, a morality based upon love of learning and fair-dealing. Moreover, not only did the Spartans and the Athenians in ancient days — and certain other peoples too — through orderly behaviour in civic matters have the good fortune to make their cities great and illustrious even out of very small and weak beginnings, but such an achievement as that is possible also for those to-day who wish it. For if y
ou follow the practices I have mentioned, they will benefit you more than either the size of your Council, or the right to settle your disputes at home, or the gaining of some revenue from without, or even than independence itself, should you be so fortunate as to obtain that too some day.
[12] καὶ τούτου τύχητέ ποτε. εὖ γὰρ ἴστε ὅτι τὴν μὲν λεγομένην ἐλευθερίαν καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦθ̓, ὃ παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων καὶ δυναμένων γίγνεται, ἐνίοτε οὐ δυνατὸν κτήσασθαι: τὴν δὲ ἀληθῆ ἐλευθερίαν καὶ ἔργῳ περιγιγνομένην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἀνὴρ καὶ πόλις ἑκάστη παῤ αὑτῆς λαμβάνει, μεγαλοφρόνως καὶ μὴ ταπεινῶς μηδ̓ ἀνελευθέρως διοικοῦσα τὸ καθ̓ αὑτήν. ἵνα δὲ καὶ ἀλλαχόθεν εἰδῆτε τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην, ἀναγνώσομαι ὑμῖν ἐπιστολὴν ἥν τε αὐτὸς ἐπέστειλα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, ὅτε ἐκλήθην, ὅτι ἐν ἐκείνῃ παρεκάλουν ἀφεθῆναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἀντέγραψεν.
[12] For rest assured that what is called independence, that nominal possession which comes into being at the pleasure of those who have control and authority, is sometimes impossible to acquire, but the true independence, the kind which men actually achieve, both the individual and the state obtain, each from its own self, if they administer their own affairs in a high-minded and not in a servile and easy-going manner. But that you may know my opinion from another source as well, I will read you a letter which I myself sent to the Emperor in answer to his invitation to visit him, because in that letter I begged to be excused in favour of you, and also the letter which he wrote in reply.
THE FORTY-FIFTH DISCOURSE: IN DEFENCE OF HIS RELATIONS WITH HIS NATIVE CITY
ΑΠΟΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΣ ΟΠΩΣ ΕΣΧΗΚΕ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΑ.
THE FORTY-FIFTH DISCOURSE: IN DEFENCE OF HIS RELATIONS WITH HIS NATIVE CITY
This Discourse seems to have been delivered in A.D. 101 or 102 in a meeting of the popular assembly at Prusa (§§ and ). We do not know for certain the reason for the meeting, but, since Dio concludes his address with a vigorous defence of his programme to enhance the beauty and dignity of his city, that programme may have been the main item of business on the agenda.
As suggested by its title, the speech covers Dio’s relations with the city of Prusa. It is unusually rich in details, but unfortunately the language employed is sometimes so allusive and vague as to leave the modern reader in doubt as to the actual facts involved.
Dio begins by referring briefly to the period of his exile, speaking with bitterness of Domitian, who had sent him into exile, and recalling with pride the courage he had displayed in opposing the Emperor. After a brief reference to the friendship which had existed between the speaker and Nerva and to the loss which he and his city had sustained through Nerva’s untimely death, Dio passes to a discussion of a recent visit which he had made at the court of Trajan, from which he had brought back certain concessions which had long been sought after by Prusa. It appears that Dio’s enemies had been critical of what he had accomplished, and he takes pains to point out, not only that he had sacrificed his own personal advantage to further the welfare of Prusa, but that the concessions he had won were such as had been granted to only one other city, “the most illustrious city in all Asia.”
Although Dio does not specify what those concessions were, we may infer that they included a revision of finances (§§ and ) and either the establishment or the enlargement of the Council at Prusa (§ 7). It would appear that Dio’s enemies had accused him of wire-pulling in connexion with the election of the hundred members of this new Council, and he is at some pains to establish his innocence in the matter.
The last topic to be discussed is his programme for municipal improvements. He devotes much space to explaining that, although he was ambitious to make far-reaching improvements and had possibly allowed his enthusiasm to lead him into indiscreet remarks upon that theme, what he was then undertaking was relatively conservative in its scope. His concluding sentences contain a most interesting recital of the manner in which his project had been ratified — the proconsul had called a meeting of the Assembly without the previous knowledge of Dio and had himself read to the members in attendance either a motion to approve the plan or some statement in support of it; Dio had made an extempore speech advocating its adoption and explaining what it involved; and, if we may believe his words, not only was the vote in favour of the measure unanimous, but all promised to lend it their financial support.
[1] Ἄνδρες πολῖται, βούλομαι ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι λόγον τῆς ἐπιδημίας ταύτης, ἐπειδὴ καὶ βραχὺν οἴομαι τὸν λοιπὸν ἔσεσθαί μοι χρόνον. τὴν μὲν γὰρ φυγὴν ὅπως διήνεγκα, μὴ φίλων ἐρημίας [p. 71] ἡττηθείς, μὴ χρημάτων ἀπορίας, μὴ σώματος ἀσθενείας, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐχθρὸν ἀνεχόμενος οὐ τὸν δεῖνα οὐδὲ τὸν δεῖνα τῶν ἴσων τινὰ καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων ἐνίοτε φθεγγομένων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἰσχυρότατον καὶ βαρύτατον καὶ δεσπότην ὀνομαζόμενον καὶ θεὸν παρὰ πᾶσιν Ἕλλησι καὶ βαρβάροις, τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς ὄντα δαίμονα πονηρόν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ θωπεύων αὐτὸν οὐδὲ τὴν ἔχθραν παραιτούμενος, ἀλλὰ ἐρεθίζων ἄντικρυς καὶ τὰ προσόντα κακὰ μὰ Δἴ οὐ μέλλων νῦν ἐρεῖν ἢ γράψειν, ἀλλὰ εἰρηκὼς ἤδη καὶ γεγραφώς, καὶ τούτων πανταχῇ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων ὄντων, οὐχ ὑπὸ μανίας καὶ ἀπονοίας ταῦτα πράττειν ἐπαιρόμενος, ἀλλὰ κρείττονι πεποιθὼς δυνάμει καὶ βοηθείᾳ τῇ παρὰ τῶν θεῶν, ἧς καταφρονοῦσιν
The Forty-fifth Discourse: In Defence of his Relations with his Native City
Fellow citizens, I want to render you an account of this sojourn of mine, since I believe that the time remaining to me is going to be very brief. Well, how I bore my exile, not succumbing to loss of friends or lack of means or physical infirmity; and, besides all this, bearing up under the hatred, not of this or that one among my equals, or peers as they are sometimes called, but rather of the most powerful, stern man, who was called by all Greeks and barbarians both master and god, but who was in reality an evil demon; and this too without fawning upon him or trying to avert his hatred by entreaty but challenging him openly, and not putting off until now, God knows, to speak or write about the evils which afflicted us, but having done both already, and that too in speeches and writings broadcast to the world, not being goaded by madness or desperation to do these things, but trusting in a greater power and source of aid, that which proceeds from the gods, though most men scorn it and deem it useless —
[2] οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ ἀνωφελῆ νομίζουσιν. τὸ δὲ περὶ τούτων καθ̓ ἕκαστον λέγειν ἡγοῦμαι εἶναι περιττόν. παῤ ἄλλοις γὰρ μᾶλλον γιγνώσκεται ταῦτα καὶ τυγχάνει δόξης καὶ τιμῆς τῆς προσηκούσης. παῤ ὑμῖν δὲ ἂν διεξίω τὸν τῆς φυγῆς χρόνον, οὐκ ὀδύρεσθαί με φήσει τις, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον ἀλαζονεύεσθαι. τελευτήσαντος δὲ ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς μεταβολῆς γενομένης ἀνῄειν μὲν πρὸς τὸν βέλτιστον Νέρβαν. ὑπὸ δὲ νόσου χαλεπῆς κατασχεθεὶς ὅλον ἐκεῖνο�
� ἐζημιώθην τὸν καιρόν, ἀφαιρεθεὶς αὐτοκράτορος φιλανθρώπου κἀμὲ ἀγαπῶντος καὶ πάλαι φίλου. καὶ ὀμνύω τοὺς θεοὺς ὑμῖν ἅπαντας, οὐκ ἐφ̓ οἷς ἂν εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ἢ τῶν ἐμῶν τινα ἔλαβον, οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἄχθομαι διαμαρτών, ἀλλ̓ ἐφ̓ οἷς ὑμῖν καὶ δημοσίᾳ τῇ πόλει παρασχεῖν ἐδυνάμην, ταύτην ἐγὼ μεγάλην ἀριθμῶ βλάβην
[2] but to speak of these things in detail I think is superfluous, for these matters are better known among other men and enjoy a renown and honour which is their due, whereas if I narrate in Prusa the course of my exile, men will say, not that I am lamenting, but far rather that I am boasting.
However that may be, when that man had died and the change of administration had been effected, I was on the point of going to visit the most noble Nerva; but, having been prevented by a serious illness, I lost that opportunity completely, being robbed of an emperor who was humane and fond of me and an old-time friend. And I swear to you by all the gods, it is not because of what I might have obtained for myself or for some member of my family that I am distressed at having missed it, no, because of what I might have achieved for you and for the state at large; for this I count a great injury and loss.
[3] καὶ ζημίαν. ὧν γὰρ νῦν ἐτύχομεν, τότε ἐξῆν ταῦτα ἔχειν καὶ τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ πρὸς ἑτέρας κεχρῆσθαι δωρεάς. ἐπεὶ δ̓ οὖν ὑπῆρξε παρὰ τούτου φιλανθρωπία καὶ σπουδὴ τοσαύτη περὶ ἡμᾶς ὅσην ἐπίστανται μὲν οἱ παρατυχόντες, ἐγὼ δὲ ἂν λέγω νῦν, σφόδρα λυπήσω τινάς: ἴσως δὲ οὐδὲ φανεῖται πιστὸς ὁ λόγος τὸ τηλικαύτης τιμῆς τυγχάνοντα καὶ συνηθείας καὶ φιλίας ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἐᾶσαι καὶ παριδεῖν, ἐπιθυμήσαντα τῆς ἐνταῦθα ταραχῆς καὶ τῆς ἀσχολίας, ἵνα μηδὲν εἴπω πλέον: ὅμως δ̓ εἰς οὐδὲν τῶν ἰδίων [p. 72] κατεθέμην τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον οὐδὲ τὴν τοῦ κρατοῦντος εὔνοιαν οὐδὲ ἀπὸ μέρους, οἷον τὰ τῆς οὐσίας ἐπανορθώσας διεφθαρμένης ἢ προσλαβών τινα ἀρχὴν ἢ δύναμιν, ἀλλ̓ ἅπαν ὅσον ποτὲ ἦν εἰς
Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom Page 320