Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [131] since all the means for making friends are his. For instance, the ambitious are won over to friendliness by praise, those who have the gift of leadership by participation in the government, the warlike by performing some sort of military service, those having executive ability by the management of affairs, and, assuredly, those with a capacity for love, by intimacy.

  [127] ὁ ἄρχων ἁπάντων τούτων διαφέρει τῷ μὴ μάτην πονεῖν μηδὲ τὸ σῶμα μόνον αὔξειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἕνεκα πράξεων: ἢ γὰρ ἦλθε πρός τι τῶν δεομένων προνοίας ἢ ἔφθασεν ὅπου δεῖ τάχους ἢ κατήνυσέν τι τῶν οὐ ῥᾳδίων ἀνυσθῆναι ἢ στρατιὰν ἐξέταξεν ἢ χώραν ἡμέρωσεν ἢ πόλιν ᾤκισεν ἢ ποταμοὺς ἔζευξεν ἢ γῆν ὁδευτὴν ἐποίησεν.

  [132] Now, who is more able to appoint governors? Who needs more executives? Who has it in his power to give a part in greater enterprises? Who is in a better position to put a man in charge of military operations? Who can confer more illustrious honours? Whose table lends greater distinction? And if friendship could be bought, who has greater means to forestall every possible rival?

  [133] ἐπειδὴ ἄνθρωπον ὄντα φύσει τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ διαφερόντων καὶ τοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων τι ὥσπερ παραμύθιον ἔχειν δεῖ: ὅθεν δὴ πολλὰ πολλοῖς προσέπεσε νοσήματα ἀγεννῆ καὶ λυμαινόμενα τὰς ψυχάς, ἔτι δὲ καθαιροῦντα τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς βασιλείας:

  [133] Since nature made him a man, and man of exalted station in life, he too needs some distraction as it were to relieve his more serious duties; and it is this, alas! which for many has proved to be the source of many ignoble and soul-destroying vices — vices which also destroy the high esteem in which royalty is held.

  [134] ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ ᾠδῆς ἁλοὺς μινυρίζων διετέλει καὶ θρηνῶν ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις, ἀμελήσας δὲ τῆς αὑτοῦ βασιλείας, τοὺς παλαιοὺς ὑποκρινόμενος ἠγάπα βασιλέας: ὁ δὲ αὐλήσεως ἐραστὴς ἐγένετο:

  [134] One king, having become enamoured of singing, spent his time warbling and wailing in the theatres and so far forgot his royal dignity that he was content to impersonate the early kings upon the stage; another fell in love with flute-playing;

  [135] ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς βασιλεὺς τῶν μὲν τοιούτων οὐδέποτε ἀκροᾶται συνεχῶς: κάλλιστον δὲ εὕρεμα ἡγεῖται κυνηγεσίαν, καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα χαίρει: δἰ οὗ τὸ μὲν σῶμα γίγνεται ῥωμαλεώτερον, ἡ ψυχὴ δὲ ἀνδρειοτέρα,

  [135] but the good king never makes a practice even of listening to such things. He considers hunting the best recreation and finds his greatest delight therein. It makes his body stronger, his heart braver, and affords a field for the practice of every military activity.

  [136] τὰ πολεμικὰ δὲ ἅπαντα ἀσκεῖται. καὶ γὰρ ἱππεῦσαι καὶ δραμεῖν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ ὑφίστασθαι πολλὰ τῶν ἀλκίμων θηρίων καὶ καῦμα [p. 56] ἀνέχεσθαι καὶ ψῦχος ὑπομένειν, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ λιμοῦ καὶ δίψους πειραθῆναι, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐθίζοντα καρτερεῖν μεθ᾽ ἡδονῆς οὐ μέντοι τήν γε Περσικὴν θήραν.

  [136] For he must ride, run, in many cases meet the charge of the big game, endure heat and withstand cold, often be tortured by hunger and thirst, and he becomes habituated to enduring any hardship with pleasure through his passion for the chase. But he does not hold this opinion of the Persian chase.

  [137] ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ παραδείσοις περιλαβόντες, ὁπότε ἐπιθυμήσειαν, ὥσπερ ἐν εἱρκτῇ τὰ θηρία ἔκτεινον, ὡς μήτε ζητοῦντες πονεῖν μήτε αὖ κινδυνεύοντες, ἅτεἀσθενῆ καὶ δεδουλωμένα: ὁμοίως δὲ ἀφῃροῦντο τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ εὑρεῖν τε χαρὰν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ φθάσαι σπουδὴν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ συμβῆναι ἀγωνίαν.

  [137] Those people would enclose the game in parks and then, whenever they listed, slaughter it as if it were in a pen, showing that they neither sought hard work nor ran any risk since their quarry was weak and broken in spirit. But they robbed themselves alike of the joy of uncovering the game, of the excitement in running it down, and of the struggle on coming to close quarters.

  [138] ὅμοιον γὰρ ἐποίουν ὥσπερ εἰ πολεμικοὶ φάσκοντες εἶναι ἀφέντες τὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις μάχεσθαι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους οἴκοι λαβόντες ἔκτεινον.

  [138] It is just as if they had claimed to be fond of war and then, letting slip the chance to engage their enemy, had seized the prisoners at home and put them to death.

  THE FOURTH DISCOURSE ON KINGSHIP

  περὶ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ δ.

  THE FOURTH DISCOURSE ON KINGSHIP

  In the fourth Discourse Alexander the Great is represented as conversing with Diogenes, who tells him that the real king is a son of Zeus even as Homer says. Then he goes on to give the Cynic doctrine that this sonship is evidenced by qualities of mind and character, not by military power and wide dominion. He concludes by picturing graphically the spirit of avarice, the spirit of the love of pleasure, and the spirit of ambition, which rule the lives of ordinary men.

  The reference at the very end to the happy fortune of those who received a good daimon or genius at their birth has led to the reasonable conjecture that this address was delivered before Trajan on his birthday, September 18th in A.D. 103.

  [1] φασί ποτε Ἀλέξανδρον Διογένει συμβαλεῖν οὐ πάνυ τι σχολάζοντα πολλὴν ἄγοντι σχολήν. ἦν γὰρ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς Μακεδόνων τε καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν, ὁ δὲ φυγὰς ἐκ Σινώπης. ταῦτα δὲ λέγουσι καὶ γράφουσι πολλοί, τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον οὐχ ἧττον θαυμάζοντες καὶ ἐπαινοῦντες, ὅτι τοσούτων ἄρχων καὶ τῶν τότε μέγιστον δυνάμενοσοὐχ ὑπερεώρα πένητος ἀνθρώπου συνουσίαν νοῦν ἔχοντος καὶ δυναμένου καρτερεῖν.

  The Fourth Discourse on Kingship

  They tell us that once upon a time Alexander when not over busy met Diogenes, who had an abundance of time on his hands. For the one was king of Macedonia and many other countries beside, while there was an exile from Sinope; and there are many who in speaking and writing of this encounter give no less admiration and credit to Alexander than to Diogenes because, although he was ruler over so many people and had greater power than any other man of his day, he did not disdain to converse with a poor man who had intelligence and the power of endurance.

  [2] οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι χαίρουσι φύσει πάντες τιμωμένην ὁρῶντες φρόνησιν ὑπὸ τῆς μεγίστης ἐξουσίας τε καὶ δυνάμεως, ὥστε οὐ μόνον τἀληθῆ διηγοῦνται περὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ πλάττουσιν ὑπερβάλλοντες, προσέτι καὶ τἄλλαἀφαιρούμενοι τῶν φρονίμων, οἷον χρήματα καὶ τιμὰς καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος δύναμιν, ὅπως διὰ μόνην δόξωσι τιμᾶσθαι τὴν ξύνεσιν.

  [2] For all men without exception are naturally delighted when they
see wisdom honoured by the greatest power and might; hence they not only relate the facts in such cases but add extravagant embellishments of their own; nay more, they strip their wise men of all else, such as wealth, honours, and physical strength, so that the high regard in which they are held may appear to be due to their intelligence alone.

  [3] ὡς δὲ εἰκὸς ἐκείνοις γενέσθαι τὴν ξυνουσίαν ἐκείνην, εἴποιμ᾽ ἄν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τυγχάνομεν σχολὴν ἄγοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων. [p. 57]

  [3] And so I should like on this occasion to tell what in all likelihood was the nature of their conversation, since it happens too that I have nothing else that demands my attention.

  [4] ἦν μὲν γάρ, ὥς φασιν, ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ἀνθρώπων φιλοτιμότατος καὶ μάλιστα δόξης ἐραστὴς καὶ τοῦ καταλιπεῖν ὡς μέγιστον αὑτοῦ ὄνομα ἐν πᾶσιν Ἕλλησι καὶ βαρβάροις, καὶ ἐπεθύμει γε τιμᾶσθαι σχεδὸν οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μόνον πανταχοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ εἴ πως δυνατὸν ἦν, ὑπό τε τῶν ὀρνίθων καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι θηρίων.

  [4] Now it should be explained that Alexander was by common report the most ambitious of men and the greatest lover of glory. He was anxious to leave his name the greatest among the Greeks and barbarians and longed to be honoured, not only — as one might put it — by mankind the world over, but, if it were at all possible, by the birds of the air and the beasts of the mountains.

  [5] τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων πάντων κατεφρόνει καὶ οὐδένα ᾤετο ἀξιόμαχον αὑτῷ περὶ τούτου τοῦ πράγματος, οὔτε τὸν Πέρσην οὔτε τὸν Σκύθην οὔτε τὸν Ἰνδὸν οὔτε ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν οὐδένα οὔτε ἄνδρα οὔτε πόλιν.

  [5] Moreover, he looked down upon all other men and thought that no one was a dangerous rival in this matter — neither the Persian king nor the Scythian nor the Indian nor any man or city among the Greeks.

  [6] ᾐσθάνετο γὰρ ὅτι μικροῦ διεφθαρμένοι πάντες εἰσὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπὸ τρυφῆς καὶ ἀργίας καὶ τοῦ κερδαίνειν καὶ ἡδονῆς ἥττονες. περὶ Διογένους δὲ πυνθανόμενος τῶν τε λόγων οὓς ἔλεγεν καὶ τῶν ἔργων ἃ ἔπραττεν, καὶ ὅπως διήνεγκε τὴν φυγήν, ἐνίοτε μὲν κατεφρόνει τῆς τε πενίας τἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς εὐτελείας, ἅτε νέος ὢν καὶ τραφεὶς ἐν βασιλικῷ τύφῳ,

  [6] For he perceived that they had all been well-nigh ruined in soul by luxury and idleness and were the slaves of money and pleasure. But as to Diogenes, when Alexander heard of the words which this man spoke and of the deeds which he did and how he bore his exile, though at times he despised the man for his poverty and shabbiness, quite naturally, as he himself was young and had been reared in royal luxury,

  [7] πολλάκις δὲ ἐθαύμαζε καὶ ἐζηλοτύπει τῆς τε ἀνδρείας τοῦτον καὶ τῆς καρτερίας, καὶ μάλιστα τῆς δόξης, ὅτι τοιοῦτος ὢν πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησι γιγνώσκοιτο καὶ θαυμάζοιτο, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἠδύνατο τῶν ἄλλων οἷος ἐκεῖνος γενέσθαι τῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ:

  [7] yet often he would admire and envy the man for his courage and endurance, and especially for his great reputation, because all the Greeks knew and admired him for what he was, and no one else could match him in point of distinction.

  [8] καὶ ὅτι αὐτῷ μὲν ἔδει τῆς Μακεδόνων φάλαγγος καὶ τοῦ Θετταλῶν ἱππικοῦ καὶ Θρᾳκῶν καὶ Παιόνων καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν, εἰ μέλλοι βαδίζειν ὅποι βούλοιτο καὶ τυγχάνειν ὧν ἐπιθυμοῖ: ὁ δὲ μόνος ἀπῄει πάνυ ἀσφαλῶς οὐ μόνον ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ νυκτός, ἔνθα αὐτῷ ἐδόκει:

  [8] He himself needed his Macedonianº phalanx, his Thessalian cavalry, Thracians, Paeonians, and many others if he was to go where he wished and get what he desired; but Diogenes went forth unattended in perfect safety by night as well as by day whithersoever he cared to go.

  [9] καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου παμπόλλου ἐδεῖτο, ὥστε ἐπιτελέσαι τι ὧν ἐβούλετο: ἔτι δὲ εἰ μέλλοι πειθομένους ἕξειν Μακεδόνας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας, θεραπευτέον αὐτῷ τούς τε ἄρχοντας καὶ τὸν ἄλλον ὄχλον λόγοις τε καὶ δώροις πολλάκις:

  [9] Again, he himself required huge sums of gold and silver to carry out any of his projects; and what is more, if he expected to keep the Macedonians and the other Greeks submissive, must time and again curry the favour of their rulers and the general populace by words gifts;

  [10] ὁ δὲ οὐδένα ἀνθρώπων ὑπῄει θωπεύων, ἀλλὰ τἀληθῆ πρὸς ἅπαντας λέγων καὶ οὐδεμίαν δραχμὴν κεκτημένος ὡς ἐβούλετο ἔπραττε καὶ τῶν προκειμένων οὐδενὸς ἀπετύγχανε καὶ τὸν βίον ἔζη μόνος, ὃν ἡγεῖτο ἄριστον καὶ εὐδαιμονέστατον, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἠλλάξατο τὴν ἐκείνου βασιλείαν οὐδὲ τὸν τῶν Περσῶν τε καὶ Μήδων πλοῦτον ἀντὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πενίας.

  [10] whereas Diogenes cajoled no men by flattery, but told everybody the truth and, even though he possessed not a single drachma, succeeded in doing as he pleased, failed in nothing he set before himself, was the only man who lived the life he considered the best and happiest, and would not have accepted Alexander’s throne or the wealth of the Medes and Persians in exchange for his own poverty.

  [11] διὰ ταῦτα δὴ δακνόμενος, εἴ τις αὐτοῦ [p. 58] διοίσει ῥᾳδίως οὕτως καὶ ἀπραγμόνως ζῶν, καὶ προσέτι οὐχ ἧττον ὀνομαστὸς ἔσοιτο, τυχὸν δέ τι καὶ ὠφεληθήσεσθαι νομίζων ἀπὸ τῆς συνουσίας τἀνδρός, πάλαι μὲν ἐπεθύμει θεάσασθαι τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ συγγενέσθαι αὐτῷ:

  [11] Therefore Alexander, being nettled to think that anyone living so easy and care-free a life was going to surpass himself and in addition should be no less famous, and thinking perhaps too that he would receive some benefit from an interview with the man, had long desired to behold him and converse with him;

  [12] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἧκεν εἰς Κόρινθον καὶ τάς τε πρεσβείας ἀπεδέξατο τὰς παρὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τἄλλα τὰ τῶνξυμμάχων διῴκησεν, ἔφη τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν ὅτι σχολάσαι τι βούλοιτο, καὶ ᾤχετο, οὐκ ἐπὶ θύρας τοῦ Διογένους: οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν αὐτῷ θύραι οὔτε μείζους οὔτε ἐλάττους, οὐδὲ οἶκος ἴδιος οὐδὲ ἑστία, καθάπερ τοῖς μακαρίοις, ἀλλὰ οἴκοις μὲν ἐχρῆτο ταῖς πόλεσι,

  [12] and when he had come to Corinth and had received the Greek embassies and regulated the affairs of the allies as well, he told his attendants that he wished to have a little leisure and went off — I will not say to the court of Diogenes, for he had no court either great or small, nor house nor hearth of his own as the well-to-do have,

  [13] καὶ ἐνταῦθα διέτριβεν ἐν τοῖς κοινο
ῖς τε καὶ ἱεροῖς, ἅπερ ἵδρυται τοῖς θεοῖς, ἑστίαν δὲ ἐνόμιζε τὴν γῆν ἅπασαν, ἥπερ ἐστὶ κοινὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑστία καὶ τροφός.

  [13] but he made the cities his home and used to live there in the public buildings and in the shrines, which are dedicated to the gods, and took for his hearth-stone the wide world, which after all is man’s common hearth and nourisher.

  [14] καὶ τότε ἐτύγχανεν ἐν τῷ Κρανείῳ διατρίβων μόνος: οὐδὲ γὰρ μαθητάς τινας οὐδὲ τοιοῦτον ὄχλον περὶ αὑτὸν εἶχεν, ὥσπερ οἱ σοφισταὶ καὶ αὐληταὶ καὶ οἱ διδάσκαλοι τῶν χορῶν. προσῆλθεν οὖν αὐτῷ καθημένῳ καὶ ἠσπάσατο. καὶ ὃς ἀνέβλεψεπρὸς αὐτὸν γοργόν, ὥσπερ οἱ λέοντες, καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ἀποστῆναι σμικρόν: ἐτύγχανε γὰρ ἀλεαινόμενος πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.

  [14] On that day it happened that Diogenes was all alone in the Craneion, for he had no pupils at all nor any such crowd about him as the sophists and flue-players and choral masters have. So the king came up to him as he sat there and greeted him, whereat the other looked up at him with terrible glare like that of a lion and ordered him to step aside a little, for Diogenes happened to be warming himself in the sun.

  [15] ὁ οὖν Ἀλέξανδρος εὐθὺς ἠγάσθη τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὸ θάρσος καὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν, ὅτι οὐ κατεπλάγη ἐπιστάντος αὐτῷ. καὶ γάρ πως πεφύκασιν οἱ μὲν θαρραλέοι τοὺς θαρραλέους φιλεῖν, οἱ δὲ δειλοὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑφορῶνταικαὶ μισοῦσιν ὡς ἐχθρούς, τοὺς δὲ ἀγεννεῖς προσίενται καὶ ἀγαπῶσιν. ὅθεν τοῖς μὲν ἀλήθεια καὶ παρρησία πάντων ἐστὶν ἥδιστον, τοῖς δὲ κολακεία καὶ ψεῦδος, καὶ ἀκούουσιν ἡδέως οἱ μὲν τῶν πρὸς χάριν ὁμιλούντων, οἱ δὲ τῶν πρὸς ἀλήθειαν.