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I myself bring the solution. For I myself will comfort your suffering, I myself will make the suffering of your misfortune lighter, having prepared and mixed for you a drink of consolation for comfort. There is a potion known in poetry, which Helen, daughter of Tyndareus, received as a gift from a certain Egyptian woman; "if someone should ever happen to drink this," he says, "on that day no sting of grief would pierce his heart, not even if his father or mother or brother lay dead before his eyes." Now, what such a potion might be, Homer would know, and those who are frenzied by his poems. But I, O Romans, knowing that you have all been thus swallowed up by the sea of the grievous event that has befallen you, and have been submerged or even swept away by the stream of grief, I myself would lead you out to relief and mix a potion for you, not one able for a single day to stop the heart-ache of those who drink it, according to the rhapsody, but for all time, and even for whole ages, measured along with the lives of each.

18 Perhaps you seek the potion and are turning over in your mind what this might be? It is a word. For rational beings, words are the medicines, as herbs are for bodies. And this is not a new word, nor unknown to you, even if it might be spoken in a newer way. You, O Romans, believe the emperor to be dead; but he has not died, but lives on again. Are you perhaps perplexed about this word and unable to comprehend how this can be? Truly our emperor lives. I do not mean the life inherent in the rational soul, according to which all we who have died do not die, but I mean the life here, the one visible to the eyes. Or do you not see the emperor himself when you behold his son? Is not this man he himself? Is he not made exactly like him in bodily features, in the qualities of his soul? Is he not a living image of him, a statue crafted by the same nature? Did he not rule with his father from birth, was he not at the same helm with the pilot of the cosmic ship, did he not take hold of the reins with him of the ecumenical chariot and complete the contests? He therefore is that emperor of ours, so that it is not only not necessary to mourn, but it is necessary to rejoice, paradoxically. For the fact that he thus set the affairs of his rule in order and led the measures of his domains to such an increase and was filled with good days, and that the separation of his soul was not violent, its harmony having been loosened by natural causes, and that he handed over the power and the rule to such a son, fair to behold, but fairer to contemplate, and simply put, most kingly in virtue, and that events thus transpired, so that the transfer of leadership was scarcely even noticed by the subjects, how would these things not be causes of pleasure rather than of grief? For even a man who has died, leaving a fine and good son, popular saying declares not to have died.

19 Rejoice, therefore, tribes of the Romans, rejoice and brighten your minds and gladden the recesses of your heart with sweeter words. For we have been blessed with such an emperor—I will say it boldly—as the Roman state has never before been fortunate enough to have. Now at least, if ever, there is hope for the Romans, that the blessings of prosperity may be increased and the things that delight may descend; now universal joy will come to be, as a deep peace takes its abode in the land, peace from foreigners, and peace from our own people, with all living their lives gently and being content with their own things; one will not wrong the other, he will not make a plunder of his neighbor; for each, to use the words of the prophecy, will rest under his own pine tree, nor will judgment be stolen away or dragged aside by the weight of gold from the balanced scale of justice. For he knows how to deliver incorruptible words in judgments, he will be a weight of righteous judgment, as an unswerving rule of good law, not broken by injustice. Not an agent

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αὐτὸς ἐγὼ προσεπάγω τὴν λύσιν. αὐτὸς γὰρ ὑμῖν τὸ πάθος παραμυθήσομαι, αὐτὸς τὸ πάθος τῆς συμφορᾶς κουφότερον ἀπεργάσομαι, ψυχαγω γίας πόμα ὑμῖν ἀρτύσας καὶ συγκεράσας πρὸς παρηγόρημα. ἔστι τῇ ποιήσει φάρμακον γινωσκόμενον, ὃ πρὸς Αἰγυπτίας τινὸς γυναικὸς ἡ Τυνδαρὶς Ἑλένη χάριν ἐδέξατο· «τοῦτό» φησιν «εἰ πιών τις τύχῃ ποτέ, οὐκ ἂν εἰς ἦμαρ ἐκεῖνο λύπης κέντρον τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ νύξει, οὐδ' ἂν πατὴρ ἢ μήτηρ ἢ ἀδελφὸς τεθνηκότες κεῖνται πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν». ὅ,τι μὲν οὖν τὸ τοιοῦτον φάρμακον βούλοιτο, εἰδοίη ἂν Ὅμηρος καὶ οἱ τοῖς ποιήμασιν αὐτοῦ βακχευόμενοι. ἔγωγε, ὦ Ῥωμαῖοι, οὕτω καταποθέντας πάντας εἰδὼς τῷ πελάγει τοῦ ἐπισυμβάντος ὑμῖν ἀνιαροῦ συναντήματος καὶ τῷ τῆς λύπης καταβαπτισ θέντας ἢ καὶ παρασυρέντας ῥεύματι, αὐτὸς ἐξάξαιμι πρὸς ἀναψυχὴν καὶ φάρμακον ὑμῖν ἐκκεράσαιμι οὐκ εἰς ἦμαρ ἐνδεδυνημένον παύειν τῆς θυμαλγίας κατὰ τὴν ῥαψῳδίαν τοὺς πίνοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς ἅπαντα χρόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς αἰῶνας ὅλους τοὺς ταῖς ἑκάστων συμπαραμετρουμένους βιώσεσι.

18 Τάχ' ἂν ζητεῖτε τὸ φάρμακον καὶ ὅ, τι ἂν εἴη τοῦτο κατὰ νοῦν ἀναστρέφετε; ἔστι δὲ λόγος. τοῖς λογικοῖς μὲν λόγοι τὰ φάρμακα ὡς αἱ βοτάναι τοῖς σώμασιν. ἔστι δὲ οὐ καινὸς οὗτος οὐδ' ὑμῖν ἀγνοούμενος, εἰ καὶ τρόπον ῥηθείη καινότερον. ὑμεῖς μέν, ὦ Ῥωμαῖοι, τεθνάναι ἡγεῖσθε τὸν βασιλέα· ὁ δέ γε οὐκ ἐτεθνήκει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλιν μένει βιῶν. μῶν ἀπορεῖτε περὶ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ὅπως ἂν πέφυκε τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχετε ξυμβαλεῖν; ἀληθῶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν ζῇ. οὐ λέγω ζωὴν τὴν τῇ νοερᾷ ψυχῇ σύμφυτον, καθ' ἣν ἅπαντες τεθνη κότες οὐ θνήσκομεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐνταῦθα λέγω ζωὴν τὴν φαινομένην τοῖς ὄμμασιν. ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὸν βασιλέα αὐτὸν τὸν υἱὸν ἐκείνου θεώμενοι; οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν οὑτοσί; οὐ χαρακτῆρσι σωματικοῖς, οὐκ ἰδιώμασι ψυχικοῖς ἐκείνῳ ἄντικρυς ἀφωμοίωται; οὐκ ἔμψυχος ἐκείνου εἰκών, οὐ φύσεως ἀγαλματούργημα τῆς αὐτῆς; οὐ τῷ πατρὶ συνῆρχεν ἐκ γενετῆς, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν οἰάκων συνῆν τῷ τῆς ὁλκάδος κυβερνήτῃ τῆς κοσμικῆς, οὐ τῶν ἡνιῶν συναντε λαμβάνετο τοῦ οἰκουμενικοῦ δίφρου καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας δι ήνυεν; αὐτὸς οὖν ἐκεῖνος ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ ἡμέτερος, ὥστε μόνον οὐ δέον πενθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαίρειν χρεών, τὸ παράδοξον. τὸ γὰρ οὑτωσὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκεῖνον διευθετίσασθαι καὶ εἰς αὔξην τὰ τῶν σφετέρων σχοινισμάτων τοιαύτην ἀπαγαγεῖν πλήρη τε γενέσθαι χρηστῶν ἡμερῶν, μὴ βιασθῆναι δὲ τὴν διάζευξιν τῆς ψυχῆς, φυσικοῖς λόγοις ὑποχαλασθείσης τῆς ἁρμονίας αὐτῶν, τοιούτῳ δὲ υἱῷ παραδοῦναι τὸ κράτος καὶ τὴν ἀρχήν, καλῷ μὲν ἰδέσθαι, νοῆσαι δέ γε καλλίονι, καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἀρχικωτάτῳ τὴν ἀρετήν, καὶ οὕτω δὴ συμβῆναι τὰ πράγματα, ὡς μηδὲ γνωσθῆναι σχεδὸν τὴν τῆς ἡγεμο νίας τοῖς ὑπηκόοις μετάθεσιν, πῶς οὐκ ἂν μᾶλλον ἡδονῆς ἢ λύπης ταῦτα παραίτια γένοιτο; ἄνδρα καὶ γὰρ τεθνηκότα ἐπὶ υἱῷ καλῷ τε καὶ ἀγαθῷ καὶ ὁ τοῦ δήμου λόγος οὐκ ἀποθανεῖν ἀποφαίνεται.

19 Χαίρετε γοῦν, φῦλα Ῥωμαίων, χαίρετε καὶ τὰς φρένας γανύσκεσθε καὶ λόγοις ἡδυτέροις τὰς τῆς καρδίας πτύχας εὐφραίνετε. τοιούτου γὰρ ηὐμοιρήκαμεν αὐτοκράτορος- θαρρούντως τὸν λόγον ἐρῶ-οἷον οὔποτ' ἂν τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ηὐτύχηκε. νῦν γοῦν εἴπερ ποτὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐλπίς, ὡς τὰ τῆς εὐετηρίας ἐπαυξηθῇ καὶ τὰ τῶν εὐφραι νόντων καταπτωθῇ· νῦν παγκόσμιος εὐφροσύνη γενή σεται εἰρήνης βαθείας ἐμφιλοχωρησάσης τῇ γῇ, εἰρήνης ἐξ ὀθνείων, εἰρήνης καὶ ἐξ ἰθανῶν, πάντων ἡμέρως ἐμβιο τευόντων καὶ ἀρκουμένων τοῖς ἑαυτῶν· οὐκ ἀδικήσει θάτερα ἕτερος, οὐχ ἅρπαγμα ποιήσει τοῦ πλησίον· ἕκαστος γὰρ ὑπὸ τὴν πίτυν αὐτοῦ τὸ τῆς προφητείας φάναι ἀναπαυθήσεται, οὐ κρίσιν παρακλαπήσεται ἢ παρελκυσθήσεται χρυσίνῳ βρίθει τοῦ ἰσορρόπου τῆς δίκης ζυγοῦ. οἶδε γὰρ οὗτος λόγους ἀδεκάστους προφέρειν ἐν κρίσεσι, στάθμου γενήσεται τῆς εὐθυδικίας ὡς ἀπαρέγκλιτος κανὼν τῆς εὐνομίας, τῇ ἀδικίᾳ μὴ ἀντικλώμενος. οὐ πρηκτὴρ