[11] For in truth the infatuation of those fellows proved more than a match for the exertions of Aristotle, so that they did not permit the petty village to grow to the rank of a city, and to this day the spot is uninhabited. But let no one charge me with calling this city of ours a Stageira and a village; for I can declare on oath that no other city has appeared to me more excellent, even were it to possess only the smithy of So-and-so, which I, the “sacker of cities and citadels,” tore down.
[12] ἵνα δ̓ οὖν μὴ ἐπιλάθωμαι οὗ χάριν ἀνέστην, ἁμάρτημα ἴσως ἥμαρτον ἀνθρώπινον. νῦν οὖν τίνα με βούλεσθε ὑποσχεῖν ζημίαν ἀντὶ τούτου τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος ἢ τί ποιεῖν; ἀξιῶ συμβούλους ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι: πότερον καθελεῖν με τὸ ἔργον ταῖς ἐμαυτοῦ δαπάναις τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ ποιῆσαι πάντα ὁποῖα ἦν πρότερον; ἀλλὰ ἴσως οὐ
[12] However, that I may not forget the reason why I took the floor, perhaps I have been guilty of a human error. Well then, what penalty do you want me to suffer now in payment for this error, or what do you wish me to do? I ask you to give me your advice. Should I tear down at my own expense the work thus far accomplished and make everything just as it was before? But perhaps I shall not be able to do so.
[13] δυνήσομαι. ἢ τί πρὸς θεῶν; εἴπατέ μοι. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ᾤμην ὁρῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα πόλεις ἄλλας φιλοτιμουμένας, οὐ μόνον τὰς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν λέγω καὶ Συρίαν καὶ Κιλικίαν, ἀλλὰ ταύτας τὰς ἀστυγείτονας καὶ πλησίον, τὴν τῶν Νικομηδέων, τὴν τῶν Νικαέων, τοὺς Καισαρεῖς τούτους, εὐγενεῖς μὲν ἀνθρώπους καὶ σφόδρα Ἕλληνας, πολὺ δὲ μικροτέραν τῆς ἡμετέρας οἰκοῦντας πόλιν, καὶ τοὺς πολιτευομένους [p. 84] παῤ ἑκάστοις, ἐὰν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρωνται, τά γε τοιαῦτα ὁμοφρονοῦντας, καὶ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τοιαῦτα ἐπιστέλλοντα τύχῃ τινί, ὅτι βούλεται πάντα τρόπον αὔξεσθαι τὴν πόλιν ὑμῶν ῾ἐπιτρέψατε δὲ ἀναγνῶναι τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ἐπειδὴ τὴν τοῦ
[13] Or what shall I do, in Heaven’s name? Do tell me! For I thought as I perceived that other cities were ambitious in such matters — not merely the cities in Asia and Syria and Cilicia, but these neighbouring cities so close at hand, Nicomedia, Nicaea, and Caesarea yonder, well-born folk and very Greek, yet occupying a city much smaller than our own; — and that those who enjoyed the rights of citizenship in each of these cities, no matter if they differed concerning other matters, agreed on such matters as these; and that the Emperor, as luck would have it, was sending written instructions to this effect, stating that he wishes your city to be developed in every way — but just let me read you his letter, since it would take too long to read the letter of Aristotle and it would not be worth the trouble —
[14] Ἀριστοτέλους μακρὸν ἦν καὶ περίεργον: — ᾿ ᾤμην καὶ παῤ ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἔσεσθαι, καὶ μηδένα λυπήσεσθαι τῆς πόλεως κατασκευαζομένης. καὶ τοῦτό γε ἀπέβη τοιοῦτον: καὶ γὰρ ἔδοξεν ὑμῖν ταῦτα καὶ πολλὰ καὶ πολλάκις συνεισεφέρετε αὐτοὶ καὶ προεθυμεῖσθε. τί οὖν βούλεσθε; ἐγὼ γὰρ ὄμνυμι τοὺς θεοὺς ὑμῖν ἅπαντας, ἦ μὴν ἀντὶ τοῦ λυπεῖν ὑμᾶς ἤ τινας ὑμῶν ἢ δοκεῖν βαρὺς οὐκ ἂν ἑλοίμην ἴδιά μοι γενέσθαι τὰ Δαρείου βασίλεια ἢ τὰ Κροίσου ἢ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν πατρῴαν τὴν ἐμὴν χρυσῆν τῷ ὄντι, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὥσπερ
[14] I thought, as I was saying, that it would be this way with you people too, and that no one would be vexed because the city was being embellished. And so far as that is concerned it turned out as I had expected; for you approved these plans, and you yourselves made many and frequent contributions and showed yourselves enthusiastic.
What, then, do you wish? For I swear to you by all the gods, if it meant paining you, or any among you, or being thought a nuisance, I should not choose to have for my very own the palace of Dareius or of Croesus, or to have my own ancestral dwelling golden in very truth instead of in name alone like the house of Nero.
[15] ὀνόματι μόνον τὴν τοῦ Νέρωνος καλοῦσιν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ὄφελος οὐδὲν οἰκίας χρυσῆς, οὐ μᾶλλον ἢ χύτρας χρυσῆς ἢ τῆς πλατάνου τῆς ἐν Πέρσαις. πόλεως δὲ ὄφελος οὐδὲν εὐπρεποῦς γιγνομένης, ἀέρα πλείονα λαμβανούσης, εὐρυχωρίαν, τοῦ μὲν θέρους σκιάν, τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος ἥλιον ὑπὸ στέγῃ, ἀντὶ φαύλων καὶ ταπεινῶν ἐρειπίων οἰκήματα ὑψηλὰ καὶ μεγάλης πόλεως ἄξια: ἵνα ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν εὐγενῶν πώλων καὶ τῶν σκυλάκων τὸ ἐσόμενον μέγεθος εἰκάζουσιν οἱ ὁρῶντες, ἐὰν ᾖ τὰ κῶλα ὑψηλὰ καὶ μεγάλα, ἐὰν δὲ ταπεινὰ καὶ ἀναυξῆ, φασὶν ἀεί ποτε μενεῖν τοιαῦτα, οὕτως ἔχῃ
[15] For there is no advantage in a golden house any more than there is in a golden pot or in the Persian plane tree. On the other hand, there is advantage when a city becomes good-looking, when it gets more air, open space, shade in summer and in winter sunshine beneath the shelter of a roof, and when, in place of cheap, squat wrecks of houses, it gains stately edifices that are worthy of a great city, the purpose being that, just as with well-bred colts and puppies, those who see them can forecast their future height if the legs are long and sturdy, whereas if they are short and stunted men say they will always remain so, thus it may be also with our city.
[16] καὶ περὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν πόλιν. ἀλλὰ τί μοι περὶ τούτων νῦν λέγειν; καλῶς μέ τις ἀηδόνα ἔφη τῶν σοφιστῶν, λοιδορῆσαι βουλόμενος: διὰ τοῦτο, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ὅτι καὶ τὴν ἀηδόνα γλώσσαργόν φασιν οἱ ποιηταί. ἴσως δ̓ ἂν ὅμοιος εἴην τοῖς τέττιξι: καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον διψῶντες ᾄδουσιν ὑπὸ ἀνοίας οὐδὲν ὠφελούμενοι. πλὴν τοσοῦτό γε μόνον, οὐκ ἄξιον ἴσως παραλιπεῖν περὶ τῶν μνημάτων καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν, ὅτι τοὺς Ἀντιοχέας οὐκ εἰκός ἐστιν οὐδενὸς ἅψασθαι τοιούτου: πολὺ γὰρ ἐλάττω τόπον ἐποίουν τοῦ παῤ ἡμῖν, ὧν ἡ πόλις ἓξ καὶ τριάκοντα σταδίων ἐστὶ τὸ [p. 85] μῆκος καὶ στοὰς ἑκατέρωθεν πεποιήκασιν: οὐδὲ τοὺς Ταρσεῖς
[16] But what use is there in you speaking of these things now? One of the sophists did well to call me a nightingale, though he intended it as an insult; his reason, no doubt, was that the poets call the nightingale a tiresome chatterer. But perhaps I may be like the cicadae; for when parched with thirst from exposure of that sun, they sing out of sheer folly, since they are in no wise benefited thereby. Yet perhaps I should not fail to add this much at least on the subject of the tombs and shrines, namely, that it is not likely that the people of Antioch did not lay hands upon anything of this kind; the reason is that they were providing much more space than we are, for the
ir city is thirty-six stades in length and they have constructed colonnades on both sides; nor is it likely that the people of Tarsus did not either; nor indeed the people of Nicomedia, who passed a resolution to transfer their tombs.
[17] οὐδὲ νῦν Νικομηδεῖς, οἳ ἐψηφίσαντο τὰ μνήματα μεταίρειν. ὁ δὲ Μακρῖνος, ὃν εὐεργέτην ἀνεγράψατε τῆς πόλεως, τὸ Προυσίου τοῦ βασιλέως μνημεῖον μετήνεγκεν ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τὸν ἀνδριάντα. οὐδεὶς γάρ ἐστι παῤ ἐκείνοις φιλόπολις ἀνὴρ οὐδὲ ἐπιμελὴς περὶ τοὺς θεούς: ἀλλὰ παρά γε ἡμῖν ἦσαν πολλοί. πλὴν ταῦτα μὲν ὅπως ποτὲ δοκεῖ. τί γὰρ ἐμοὶ τῆς ἐνθάδε στοᾶς; ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔχοντά με ὅποι βούλομαι περιπατεῖν, τὴν Ποικίλην Ἀθήνησι, τὴν Περσικὴν ἐν Λακεδαίμονι, τὰς ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ τὰς χρυσᾶς, ἐν ταῖς τῶν Ἀντιοχέων, τῶν Ταρσέων, μετὰ πλείονος τιμῆς, ἢ μόνον ἕξοντά με καὶ περιπατήσοντα, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οὐδένα πολιτῶν. ἀλλ̓ οὔτε γυμνάσιον ἐν πόλει μόνος οὐδεὶς ἔχει γυμναζόμενος οὔτε στοὰν οὔτε βαλανεῖον
[17] And Macrinus, whom you have recorded as a benefactor of the city, removed from the market-place the tomb of King Prusias, and his statue as well. The explanation is that the cities I have named have no one who is public-spirited or scrupulous in religious matters; but we had many such!
However, just suit yourselves in these matters. For what concern of mine is the colonnade in this city? As if I could not promenade in any place I please — in the Painted Porch at Athens, in the Persian Porch at Sparta, in the golden colonnades in Rome, in those of Antioch and Tarsus — attended by marks of greater respect, or as if I expected that I alone should sally forth and promenade but no other citizen! Why, no one has either a municipal gymnasium all to himself where he exercises or a colonnade or a bath or any other public structure. Or else I have become demented or feeble-minded.
[18] οὔτε ἄλλο τῶν δημοσίων οὐδέν. ἢ ἐγὼ τετύφωμαι καὶ ἀνόητός εἰμι; πλὴν ὅ γε ἠξίωσα, συμβουλεύσατέ μοι. ὡς ἐγὼ βουλόμενος ὑμῖν ἀρέσκειν πάντα τρόπον ἀπορῶν. νῦν γὰρ ἐὰν ἅπτωμαι τοῦ πράγματος καὶ σπουδάζω γίγνεσθαι τὸ ἔργον, τυραννεῖν μέ φασί τινες καὶ κατασκάπτειν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ πάντα. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐνέπρησα τὸν νεὼν τοῦ Διὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀνδριάντας ἐκ τοῦ μυδῶνος ἐρρυσάμην, καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ φανερωτάτῳ κεῖνται τῆς πόλεως. ἐὰν δὲ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγω, μὴ βουλόμενος μηδένα στένειν μηδὲ προσκρούειν μηδενί, βοᾶτε ὑμεῖς, Γιγνέσθω τὸ ἔργον ἢ καθαιρείσθω τὸ γεγονός: ὥσπερ ἐμοὶ τοῦτο προφέροντες καὶ ὀνειδίζοντες.
[18] However, as I have requested, give me your advice. For though it is my desire to please you in every way possible, I am at a loss. For as things are now, if I take the business in hand and try go get the work done, some persons say I am acting the tyrant and tearing down the city and all its shrines. For of course it was I who set fire to the temple of Zeus! Yet I saved the statues from the scrap-pile, and now they are placed in the most conspicuous spot in the city. But if, on the contrary, I hold my peace, not wishing to make any one groan or to give offence to any one, you cry out, “Let the work proceed, or else let what has been accomplished to date be torn down!” — as if by this you were taunting and reproaching me.
[19] τί οὖν βούλεσθέ με ποιεῖν; ὃ γὰρ ἂν εἴπητε, τοῦτο ποιήσω καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων οὐδὲν ἐρῶ, οὐδὲ ἂν ᾖ τις ἔργον πεποιηκὼς ὑπὲρ οὗ λόγον μὴ δέδωκεν, οὐδ̓ ἂν ἔτι ποιῶν καὶ χρήματα λαμβάνων ἀεὶ παρὰ τῶν κατ̓ ἔτος ἀρχόντων, ὥσπερ εἰς τὸν ἄπληστον πίθον τάδε ληψόμενος, οὐδὲ ἂν ἄλλο τι γίγνηται: τί γὰρ ἐμοὶ τούτων; διὰ μὲν γὰρ τῆς στοᾶς οὐ διελεύσομαι, σαφῶς ἴστε. ἀλλὰ πονεῖν [p. 86] καὶ προσιέναι καὶ παρακαλεῖν τὸν ἀνθύπατον, ὅπως πρᾴως καὶ πρὸς δύναμιν εἰσπράττῃ τοὺς ὑπεσχημένους; καὶ τοῦτο ἕτοιμος ποιεῖν οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς συμβάλλεσθαι μέρος τῆς ὑποσχέσεως, ὥστε κουφίζεσθαι τοὺς ἄλλους. μόνον ἕν τι προστάξατε:
[19] Well, what do you wish me to do? For I will do whatever you say, and as to everything essential I will raise no objection, no matter if some one has done a job for which he has rendered no accounting, no matter if he is still at work and receiving funds regularly from the annual officials, just as if he were destined to continue receiving these funds for the jar that never fills, no matter what else may take place — for what have I to do with these matters? For I shall not go walking through your colonnade, you may be sure. But do you wish me to go ahead with the work, and to visit the proconsul and beg him to collect the subscriptions, gently and with regard to ability to pay, from those who have promised them? you ready to do even this; not only so, but even to contribute a portion of what has been subscribed myself, so as to lighten the burden of the rest.
[20] εἰ δὲ μή, τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἕξω βοώντων ὑμῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἄπειμι. οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἡ ἀλώπηξ καταφαγοῦσα τὰ κρέα οὐκ ἐδύνατο ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς δρυὸς διὰ τὸ ἐμπλησθῆναι, κἀμοὶ ἐξελθεῖν διὰ τοῦτο χαλεπόν. πολὺ γὰρ γέγονα λεπτότερος ἢ ὅτε εἰσῆλθον. καὶ πρὸς θεῶν μή μοι νομίζετε χαρίζεσθαι περὶ τῆς στοᾶς ἐπιβοῶντες. ἐμοὶ γὰρ εἷς ἀνήρ ἐστιν ὁ χαριζόμενος ἐν τῇ πόλει σχεδόν, ὡς ἐγὼ ἀκούω, καὶ μάλιστα προνοῶν τῶν ἐμοὶ συμφερόντων: καὶ οὔτε φίλος οὔτε συγγενὴς οὕτως οὐδεὶς ἐμοῦ κήδεται. σκοπεῖτε
[20] Only do give me some instructions; otherwise I shall hold my peace and let you shout — or rather I shall go away. For unlike the fox who ate the meat and could not get out of the oak because she had stuffed herself, I shall find no difficulty in getting out on that score, for I have grown much thinner than I was when I came in.
And in Heaven’s name don’t imagine you are showing me kindness when you shout about the colonnade, for there is, I may say, only one man in the city, so I hear, who is showing me kindness and taking special thought for my welfare; moreover, no one, whether friend or kinsman, shows concern for me in that way. But consider whether you will think he reasons well in my behalf and is devoted to me,
[21] δὲ εἰ δόξει καλῶς ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ λογίζεσθαι καί με ἀγαπᾶν, ὃς πρῶτον οἴεταί με δεῖν πολλὰ κινδυνεύσαντα καὶ πονήσαντα τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἐνθάδε ἄγειν καὶ τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ προσέχειν καὶ μήτε ἡγεμόνας θεραπεύειν μήτε ἄλλην ἀσχολίαν μηδεμίαν ἔχειν: ἔπειτα σμικρόν τι μέρος εὑρηκότα τῆς οὐσίας, καὶ πρὸς ταῖς πρότερον βλάβαις ἔτ
ι καὶ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἀποθανούσης ὠφεληθέντα μὲν μηδέν, ἀπολέσαντα δὲ πάντα, ὅσα τῶν ἐμῶν εἶχε, δανεισάμενόν τε, ὥστε τὰ χωρία πρίασθαι, τοῦτο ἀποδοῦναι τὸ χρέος καὶ τὰ πρότερον ὀφειλόμενα, καὶ μὴ στοὰν οἰκοδομεῖν μηδὲ ἀναλίσκειν παρὰ δύναμιν:
[21] seeing that, in the first place, he believes that after all my perils and hardships I should live here quietly and devote myself to my private affairs and neither cultivate proconsuls nor have any other occupation; also, since I have recovered only a small part of my property, and since, on top of my earlier losses, when my sister died I not only derived no profit from her estate but even lost everything of mine that she controlled and had to make a loan for the purchase my farm, he argues that I should repay this obligation, as well as the earlier debts, and not be building a colonnade or incurring expenses beyond my ability to carry;
[22] ἔπειτα συνηθείας οὔσης μοι πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, ἴσως δὲ καὶ φιλίας, καὶ πρὸς ἄλλους πολλοὺς τοὺς δυνατωτάτους σχεδόν τι Ῥωμαίων, ἐκείνοις συνεῖναι τιμώμενον καὶ θαυμαζόμενον: ἀλλὰ μὴ παῤ ὑμῖν πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα ἢ τὸν δεῖνα ἐξεταζόμενον: εἰ δὲ ἄρα ἀποδημῶν ἥδομαι, τὰς μεγίστας πόλεις ἐπιέναι μετὰ πολλοῦ ζήλου καὶ φιλοτιμίας παραπεμπόμενον, χάριν εἰδότων μοι παῤ οὓς ἂν ἀφίκωμαι καὶ δεομένων λέγειν καὶ συμβουλεύειν καὶ περὶ τὰς ἐμὰς θύρας ἰόντων ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ, μηδὲν ἀναλώσαντα μηδὲ προστιθέντα, ὥστε θαυμάζειν ἅπαντας καὶ τυχὸν ἂν εἰπεῖν τινας, ὦ πόποι, ὡς ὅδε πᾶσι φίλος καὶ τίμιός ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις, ὅτεών κε πόλιν καὶ δῆμον ἵκηται: [p. 87]
Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom Page 325