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that he needed nothing, and if he commanded anything; but he himself reported nothing. Are these examples enough for you, or do you wish us to mention others? For these men have become more illustrious not only than those who are illustrious in palaces, but than the emperor himself, having chosen a private and quiet life, and not wishing even to come near public affairs. And in public life itself you will see that the illustrious are not those in wealth and luxury and abundance, but also those in poverty, those in simplicity, those living a life without pride. Among the Athenians, Aristides, whom the city even buried after his death, although Alcibiades surpassed him in wealth and birth and luxury and power of speech and strength of body and noble birth and all other 47.340 things, was so much more illustrious, as an admirable philosopher is than some common child. Among the Thebans, Epaminondas, a man who was summoned to the assembly, and was unable to come for this reason, because his cloak happened to be being washed, and he did not have another to put on, was more distinguished than all the generals who had ever been there. Therefore do not speak to me of the wilderness, nor of palaces. For the things of illustriousness and the things of distinction are not in places, nor in clothes, nor in rank, nor in power, but in virtue of soul and philosophy alone. 6. But since examples do not have such great force, I will make the examination from your son himself. For we will find him not only more illustrious now, but also more honored for those things for which you say he is dishonored and common. For if you wish, having persuaded him to come down from the mountain, let us persuade him also to enter the marketplace, and you will see the whole city turning to look, and everyone pointing him out and admiring and being astonished, as if some angel had now come from heaven. Or does it seem to you that the things of glory are something else? For indeed he will be more distinguished not only than those in palaces, but than the one himself who wears the diadem, because of those simple and worn-out garments. For he would not so astonish everyone wearing gold, or rather even purple, and wearing the crown itself upon his head, and sitting on silken covers, and being drawn by mules, and having gold-bearing guards, as he does now, being dirty and unkempt and clothed in a coarse garment, and bringing no one following him, and being barefoot. For those things of the emperor are both defined by laws, and are a matter of custom; and for these reasons, even if someone should say in admiration of the emperor that he is clothed in a golden robe, not only do we not admire it, but we even laugh at what was said, as having nothing extraordinary in it; but concerning your child, if someone should come and report that, having scorned his father's wealth, and having trampled upon worldly ostentation, and having become superior to worldly hopes, he departed to the wilderness, and put on a rotten and shabby tunic, everyone will immediately run together and admire and applaud him for his magnanimity. And while countless things are alleged against emperors, their golden garments will avail them nothing, so far are they from showing them to be admirable; but this one has many reasons for being admired even from his garments. So that this robe has made him more looked at and distinguished than the royal one, if indeed for that one no one has admired an emperor, but for this one everyone will be astonished at the one wearing it. And what benefit to me, he says, is the opinion of the many and their praise? And yet glory is nothing other than these things. But I do not need this, he says, but I seek power and honor. But those who praise will surely also honor. But if you want power and leadership, we shall find that this exists among them no less than the former things; and we can make it clear from examples, but coming to the manner that most consoles you, let us examine this argument not concerning any others, but concerning your son himself. 47.341 For what do you say is proof of the greatest power? is it not to be able to defend oneself against those who cause grief, and to be able

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μή τινος δέοιτο, καὶ εἴ τι κελεύοι· αὐτὸν δὲ οὐδὲν ἀπαγγεῖλαι. Ἆρά σοι τῶν παραδειγμάτων ἅλις, ἢ βούλει καὶ ἑτέρων ἐπιμνησθῶμεν; Οὗτοι γὰρ οὐχὶ τῶν ἐν βασιλείοις μόνον λαμπρῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος γεγόνασι λαμπρότεροι, τὸν ἰδιωτικὸν ἑλόμενοι βίον καὶ ἀπράγμονα, καὶ πολιτείας οὐδὲ ἐγγὺς βουληθέντες ἐλθεῖν. Καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ πολιτείᾳ οὐκ ἐκείνους ὄψει λαμπροὺς τοὺς ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ τρυφῇ καὶ περιουσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ, τοὺς ἐν εὐτελείᾳ, τοὺς ἐν ἀτύφῳ ζῶντας βίῳ. Παρὰ μὲν Ἀθηναίοις Ἀριστείδης, ὃν καὶ τελευτήσανταἡ πόλις ἔθαψε, καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ γένει καὶ τρυφῇ καὶ δυνάμει λόγων καὶ ῥώμῃ σώματος καὶ εὐγενείᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλ47.340 λοις πᾶσιν Ἀλκιβιάδου κρατοῦντος τοσοῦτον λαμπρότερος ἦν, ὅσον παιδίου τινὸς εὐτελοῦς φιλόσοφος θαυμαστός. Παρὰ Θηβαίοις Ἐπαμεινώνδας, ἄνθρωπος εἰς ἐκκλησίαν καλούμενος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ δυνάμενος ἐλθεῖν, ἐπειδὴ αὐτῷ τὸ ἱμάτιον ἔτυχε πλυνόμενον, καὶ ἕτερον περιθέσθαι οὐκ εἶχε, πάντων τῶν γενομένων αὐτόθι στρατηγῶν ἐπισημότερος ἦν. Μὴ τοίνυν μοι τὴν ἐρημίαν εἴπῃς, μηδὲ τὰ βασίλεια. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τόποις τὰ τῆς λαμπρότητος, καὶ τὰ τῆς περιφανείας, οὐδὲ ἐν ἱματίοις, οὐδὲ ἐν ἀξιώματι, οὐδὲ ἐν δυναστείᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀρετῇ ψυχῆς καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ μόνον. ςʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὰ παραδείγματα οὐ τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ἰσχὺν, ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ σοῦ παιδὸς ποιήσομαι τὴν ἐξέτασιν. Εὑρήσομεν γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον λαμπρότερον ὄντα νῦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἐκεῖνα τιμιώτερον, δι' ἄπερ ἄτιμον εἶναι φῂς καὶ εὐτελῆ. Εἰ γὰρ βούλει πείσαντες αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους κατελθεῖν, πείσωμεν καὶ εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβαλεῖν, καὶ ὄψει πᾶσαν ἐπιστρεφομένην τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ὑποδεικνύντας αὐτὸν ἅπαντας καὶ θαυμάζοντας καὶ ἐκπληττομένους, ὡς ἀγγέλου τινὸς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παραγενομένου νῦν. Ἢ ἕτερόν σοι τὰ τῆς δόξης τι εἶναι δοκεῖ; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῶν ἐν βασιλείοις ἔσται περιφανέστερος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὸ διάδημα περικειμένου, διὰ τὰ ἱμάτια ἐκεῖνα τὰ εὐτελῆ καὶ κατατετριμμένα. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὕτως ἅπαντας ἐξέπληττε χρυσοφορῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἁλουργίδα, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν στέφανον περικείμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, καὶ τοῖς σηρικοῖς ἐπικαθήμενος στρώμασι, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἡμιόνων ἑλκόμενος, καὶ τοὺς χρυσοφοροῦντας δορυφόρους ἔχων, ὡς νῦν ῥυπῶν καὶ αὐχμῶν καὶ παχὺ περιβεβλημένος ἱμάτιον, καὶ μηδένα ἀκολουθοῦντα ἐπαγόμενος, καὶ ἀνυπόδετος ὤν. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως νόμοις τε ὥρισται, καὶ τῆς συνηθείας ἐστί· καὶ διὰ ταῦτα κἂν εἴποι τις θαυμάζων τὸν βασιλέα, ὅτι στολὴν περιβέβληται χρυσῆν, οὐ μόνον οὐ θαυμάζομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γελῶμεν τὸ λεχθὲν, ὡς οὐδὲν ἔχον παράδοξον· περὶ δὲ τοῦ παιδίου τοῦ σοῦ ἂν ἐλθών τις ἀπαγγείλῃ, ὅτι πλούτου καταγελάσας τοῦ πατρικοῦ, καὶ τὴν βιωτικὴν καταπατήσας φαντασίαν, καὶ τῶν κοσμικῶν ἐλπίδων ἀνώτερος γενόμενος, πρὸς τὴν ἐρημίαν μετέστη, καὶ χιτωνίσκον σαπρὸν ἐνέδυ καὶ φαῦλον, πάντες εὐθέως συνδραμοῦνται καὶ θαυμάσουσι καὶ κροτήσουσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας αὐτόν. Καὶ τῶν μὲν βασιλέων μυρία κατηγορουμένων, οὐδὲν τὰ ἱμάτια προστήσεται τὰ χρυσᾶ, τοσοῦτον ἀπέχει θαυμαστοὺς δεῖξαι ὄντας αὐτούς· οὗτος δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἱματίων πολλὰς ἔχει τοῦ θαυμάζεσθαι τὰς ἀφορμάς. Ὥστε αὕτη ἡ στολὴ τῆς βασιλικῆς μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἀπόβλεπτον ἀπέφηνε καὶ περιφανῆ, εἴ γε δι' ἐκείνην μὲν οὐδεὶς βασιλέα ἐθαύμασε, διὰ δὲ ταύτην ἅπαντες τὸν περικείμενον ἐκπλαγήσονται. Καὶ τί μοι, φησὶ, τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ὑπονοίας ὄφελος καὶ τῶν ἐπαίνων; Καὶ μὴν δόξα οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ ταῦτα. Ἀλλ' οὐ δέομαι, φησὶ, ταύτης, δυναστείαν δὲ ζητῶ καὶ τιμήν. Ἀλλ' οἱ ἐπαινοῦντες καὶ τιμήσουσι πάντως. Εἰ δὲ δυναστείαν βούλει καὶ προστασίαν, καὶ ταύτην οὐχ ἧττον τῶν προτέρων παρὰ τούτοις οὖσαν μᾶλλον εὑρήσομεν· καὶ ἔχομεν μὲν αὐτὸ καὶ ἐκ παραδειγμάτων ποιεῖν φανερὸν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν μάλιστά σε παραμυθούμενον τρόπον ἐλθόντες, οὐκ ἐπ' ἄλλων τινῶν, ἀλλ' ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ σοῦ παιδὸς τὸν λόγον 47.341 ἐξετάσωμεν τοῦτον. Τί γὰρ δυνάμεως τῆς μεγίστης τεκμήριον εἶναι φῄς; οὐ τὸ δύνασθαι μὲν ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς λυποῦντας, δύνασθαι δὲ