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he will not glean from farmers, writs will not empty the houses of the poor; for he knows other writs, by which what is at hand will be saved. The protection of lands will not be given to the more audacious or foolish, but to the most reasonable, nor to the most savage, but to the most philanthropic; for a plunderer and destroyer of a man will not gain office, who has for his food the harm of men and for his drink their tears, who luxuriates in the evils of his neighbor and rejoices in plunder and outrages nature by abusing the occasion, but a venerable man, most reasonable and most affable, and having reverence for God, will be preferred for the office, he who is adorned with intelligence, he who is fortified with education, and he who holds fast to justice and truth.

20 For the emperor has not just now set forth from horsemanship or archery or from shooting an arrow well, or from brandishing a spear skilfully or from holding a shield dexterously, nor from certain swifter movements of small worth, which long ago have been considered by him as in the category of games, even if they have been perfected to the highest degree, but from arguments and books and philosophy itself, but from studies and from the highest knowledge of existing things. So there is every necessity that what is commonly said will come to pass. For one of the ancient wise men said that cities will then cease from evils and good things will prevail in them, when kings will philosophize or philosophers will be kings. In this case, both have happened; for being a king he has philosophized to the highest degree, and being about to become a philosopher he has ruled more mightily. Do you not see him more distinguished than the Homeric Agamemnon, whom that poet introduces as like in eyes and head to thunder-delighting Zeus, in waist to Ares, in chest to Poseidon? Nor would I say that he is like a kingly man, but rather, according to the Pythian oracle, I am in doubt whether to call him a god or a man; but it prevails rather that he should both be and be called a god. He from philosophy has been revealed as godlike, just as by birth a king, by nature strong, by virtue courageous, and by deeds the very best.

21 If then we should wish to weep for the emperor as a pillar for the Romans, raising their spirits to a height, behold, we have another pillar, and perhaps also a pillar of fire guiding the new Israel to the promised land, to a land flowing with streams of milk and honey, from which we have been badly cast out; if as a tower guarding all within and keeping it safe, behold a tower both more fortified and more secure. For permit me to speak the truth; for a father will not be indignant hearing the superior qualities of his son in words, whom he well knew to be greater in deeds; for it is a long time since the father declared this one to be greater than all men and himself. At any rate, both the emperor's declaration and the evidence of the facts persuade me to testify such things about the emperor; since, therefore, you have the sure word that you do not even misunderstand the prediction, let the train of my thought hold to the former things. If then we should seek for the departed one as a tree that gives thick shade all around, so as to shade those under him from painful things, behold, another tree more conspicuous, inasmuch as it is also luxuriant with greener leaves and heavy with fruit and being prepared for future fruit-bearing; in its shade we shall rest. If then we should long for him as a center holding together and supporting the things around it, behold, for us a clearer center, able to move greater circles upon circles, and others upon others to infinity. If we supposed him to be a worldly sun and knew that we were illumined by him, already there is another sun, both brighter and purer in the rays of knowledge, able to illuminate not only the land of the Romans but also all the ends of the inhabited world. If we mourn the departed one for his compassion, let us admire the survivor for his greater compassion. If we weep for him for his moderation and humility, let us long for this one for his greater moderation. of nothing

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καλαμήσεται γεωργούς, οὐ γραφαὶ τὰς οἰκίας τῶν πενήτων κενώσουσιν· οἶδε γὰρ οὗτος ἑτέρας γραφάς, δι' ἃς τὸ ὑπὸ χεῖρα σωθήσεται. οὐ προστασία χώρων τοῖς θρασυτέροις ἢ ἀβελτήροις δοθήσεται, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐπιεικεστάτοις, οὐδὲ τοῖς θηριωδεστέροις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς φιλανθρωποτάτοις· οὐ γὰρ ἀρχὴν ἁρπακτὴρ καὶ λυμεὼν χειρώσεται ἄνθρωπος, τροφὴν ἔχων ἀνθρώπων βλάβην καὶ πόμα τούτων τὰ δάκρυα, ὃς τρυφᾷ τοῖς τοῦ πλησίον κακοῖς καὶ ἁρπαγαῖς χαίρει καὶ ἐμπαροινεῖ τῇ φύσει τῷ καιρῷ καταχρώμενος, ἀλλ' αἰδοῖος ἀνὴρ ἐπιεικέστατός τε καὶ προσηνέστατος καὶ θεοῦ ὄπιν ἔχων τὸ τῆς ποιήσεως προκριθήσεται, ὁ συνέσει κεκοσμημένος, ὁ παιδείᾳ πεπυκασμένος, καὶ ὁ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἀντεχόμενος.

20 Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἱπποσύνης ἢ τοξοσύνης ἢ τοῦ πέμπειν εὐστόχως βέλος ἢ κραδαίνειν εὐφυῶς δόρυ ἢ ἀσπίδα προβάλλεσθαι δεξιῶς οὐδ' ἐκ ταχυτέρων τινῶν κινημάτων τῶν μικρῶν ὄντων ἀξίων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀρτίως ἐξώρμηται, ἅπερ ὡς ἐν μέρει παιγνίων πάλαι τούτῳ νενόμισται, εἰ καὶ εἰς ἄκρον ἐξείργασται, ἀλλ' ἐκ λόγων καὶ βίβλων καὶ φιλοσοφίας αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκ μαθημάτων καὶ ἐξ ἀκροτάτης τῶν ὄντων γνώσεως. ἀνάγκη γοῦν πᾶσα γενήσεσθαι τὸ θρυλλούμενον. ἔφη καὶ γάρ τις τῶν παλαιτέρων ἐπιστημόνων ὡς τότε παύσουσι τῶν κακῶν αἱ πόλεις καὶ ἐμπεριπολεύσει ταύταις τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὅτε φιλοσοφήσουσι βασιλεῖς ἢ βασιλεύσουσιν οἱ φιλόσοφοι. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἄμφω συμβέβηκε· βασιλεὺς καὶ γὰρ ὢν εἰς ἄκρον πεφιλοσόφηκε καὶ φιλόσοφος γενησόμενος κραταιότερον βεβασίλευκεν. οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοῦτον ἀριπρεπέστερον τοῦ Ὁμηρικοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος, ὃν ἐκεῖνος εἰσάγει ἵκελον ὄμματα καὶ κεφαλὴν τερπικεραύνῳ ∆ιί, ζώνην δὲ Ἄρεϊ, στέρνον δὲ Ποσειδῶνι; οὐδ' ἂν βασιλῆι ἀνδρὶ ἐοικέναι αὐτὸν εἴποιμι, ἀλλά γε κατὰ τὴν Πυθίαν δίζω ἠὲ θεὸν ὀνομάσαι ἢ ἄνθρωπον· νικᾷ δὲ μᾶλλον θεὸν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶναί τε καὶ κικλήσκεσθαι. οὗτος ἐκ φιλοσοφίας θεοειδὴς ἀναπέφανται καθάπερ ἐκ γένους μὲν βασιλεύς, ἐκ δὲ φύσεως ἰσχυρός, ἐκ δ' ἀρετῆς ἀνδρεῖος, ἐκ δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων πανάριστος.

21 Ἂν οὖν ὡς στύλον ὄντα Ῥωμαίοις αὐτῶν εἰς ὕψος αἴροντα τὰ φρονήματα κλάειν τὸν αὐτοκράτορα βουληθείημεν, ἰδοὺ στύλος ἄλλος ἡμῖν, τάχα δὲ καὶ στύλος πυρὸς τὸν νέον καθοδηγῶν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς ἐπαγγελίας γῆν, εἰς γῆν γάλακτος κρουνοὺς καὶ μέλιτος ἀπορρέουσαν, ἐξ ἧς κακῶς ἀπερρίφημεν· ἂν ὡς πύργον ἐντὸς πάντα φρουροῦντα καὶ ἀκίνδυνα διασώζοντα, ἰδοὺ πύργος ἐρυμνότερός τε καὶ ἀσφαλέστερος. δότε γάρ μοι λέγειν τὸ ἀληθές· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀγανακτήσει πατὴρ τὰ κρείττω τοῦ υἱέως ἀκούοντος ἐν ὀνόμασιν, ὃν μείζω καλῶς ἐγνώρισεν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι· συχνὸς γὰρ χρόνος ἐξ ὅτου πάντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἑαυτοῦ κρείττω τοῦτον ὁ πατὴρ ἀπεφαίνετο. πείθει γοῦν με καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπόφανσις καὶ ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐνάργεια τοιαῦτα περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως διαμαρτύρεσθαι· ἐπεὶ γοῦν τὸν λόγον ἔχετε βέβαιον ὅτι μηδ' ἀμφαγνοεῖτε τὴν πρόρρησιν, ἐχέσθω τῶν προτέρων μοι ὁ εἱρμός. ἂν οὖν ὡς δένδρον πάντα περιπυκάζοντα τὸν παρελθόντα ζητήσωμεν, ὡς ἐκ τῶν λυπηρῶν τὰ ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον σκιάζοντα, ἰδοὺ δένδρον ἄλλο περιφανέστερον ὅσῳ καὶ χλωροτέροις φύλλοις κομῶν καὶ ἐπιβρῖθον καρποῖς καὶ πρὸς μέλλουσαν καρποδοσίαν εὐθετιζόμενον· τούτου ταῖς σκιαῖς ἡμεῖς ἀναπαυθησόμεθα. ἂν οὖν ὡς κέντρον ἐκεῖνον ποθήσωμεν τὰ κύκλῳ περικρατοῦντα καὶ φέροντα, ἰδοὺ ἡμῖν κέντρον τρανότερον, μείζους ἐπὶ κύκλοις περιάγειν κύκλους δεδυνημένον καὶ ἄλλους ἐπ' ἄλλοις κατὰ τὸ ἄπειρον. ἂν ὡς ἥλιον ἐκεῖνον κοσμικὸν ὑπειλήφειμεν καὶ ὑπ' ἐκείνου καταφωτίζεσθαι ἔγνωμεν, ἤδη καὶ ἕτερος ἥλιος φανότερός τε καὶ καθαρώτερος ταῖς τῆς γνώσεως ἀκτῖσιν οὐ Ῥωμαίων γῆν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα περιλάμπειν ἔχων τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα. ἂν τοῦ συμπαθοῦς τὸν ἀπιόντα πενθήσωμεν, τοῦ συμπαθεστέρου τὸν περιόντα θαυμάσωμεν. ἂν τοῦ μετρίου ἐκεῖνον καὶ ταπεινόφρονος ἀποκλαύσωμεν, τοῦ μετριωτέρου τοῦτον ποθήσωμεν. οὐδενὸς