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it is good both to examine a man's character and what sort of impulses of soul he has, neither paying attention to what is said about him from the outside, nor observing him by himself at times when it was not in his power to be able to carry his plans into effect, but rather when it is most possible for him to use his power. For if at that time he is seen to do nothing of the sort that one might suppose of him, such a man would hardly choose to change his ways afterwards. Therefore I too will speak with boldness about myself, that neither before did I desire to change my present state for the station of an emperor, 2.40 although I was often urged many times by that blessed emperor while he was still alive, nor do I desire it now. For if I happened to be captured by such unseemly desires, what was there to prevent me, when, the emperor having died, I myself took his children and held the palace under guard, with those within securely held, and of all those outside, some being well-disposed towards me, and others cowering before my power and not even daring to murmur, from bringing my home-kept wickedness to light, or rather fulfilling my desire in the great absence of anyone to prevent me? But as it is, not only do I appear to have done or planned nothing of the sort, but quite the contrary. For having kept both the emperor's children and you in all safety until the ninth day from the emperor's death, after that day I led away the guard from the palace, which I myself had installed, and having set up another, as large as I myself judged sufficient to check the impulses of any would-be conspirators, I returned home, attending to affairs just as when the emperor was alive, exhorting everyone, advising, intimidating with threats, to attempt no revolution, but to keep their loyalty and service pure and guileless both to you equally and to your children, and making it clear that I would inflict punishments on revolutionaries and would myself undertake the war on your behalf. What then would one say, that then, though able, I was unwilling, 2.41 and that now, being willing, I do not possess the same power? But no less than then I would both contend that I am able, and you would agree with me; so that neither before, nor now, did I abstain from evil because I was unable, but because I was most unwilling and thought such a change to be among the most worthless of things. If, then, neither before, nor now, although able to accomplish it very easily, have I been seen to have planned anything such as one might suspect, it is fitting also for the future to be confident about me and not to pay attention to the slanderers and rumor-mongers who will spring up in great numbers against me. For they will not slander me about small and contemptible things, but they will make your fear hang upon your very lives, or as a second choice, about living not nobly and as is fitting, but shamefully and servilely and as slaves to another, which for those accustomed to rule is in itself a matter of pain second to no death. And that many such men will spring up, it is not for us to conjecture, but to know most clearly. For an emperor, being himself master of affairs and suspecting no examination of his actions by anyone, could willingly grant favors to some, if he wished, and other things perhaps would be neglected. But now nothing of the sort will be permitted to anyone, but I will impose upon all the necessity of doing everything with reason and 2.42 with precision, not only for the sake of your welfare, that I may hand back the empire I received not diminished, but even greater and better, should the occasion call for it, but also for the sake of my own ambition and glory, and what is greater and more fearful to me than all these things, the examination of my deeds from on high and the accounts which I myself will be about to render at the fearful tribunal for what has been administered well or badly. But such things, for those accustomed to be negligent and to plunder public funds and to increase their own property from the ruin of those funds, it is clear to everyone that they will not be tolerable, so that it is likely they will earnestly endeavor to remove from their midst the one who has brought such necessity upon them. This

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καλῶς καὶ ἦθος κατασκέπτεσθαι ἀνδρὸς καὶ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ὁρμὰς ὁποίας ἔχει, μήτε τοῖς ἔξωθεν περὶ αὐτοῦ προσέχειν λεγομένοις, μήτ' αὐτὸν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ σκοπεῖν ἐν οἷς καιροῖς οὐκ ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ ἦν τὸ τὰ βεβουλευμένα δύνασθαι εἰς ἔργα ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἔξεστι μάλιστα χρῆσθαι τῇ δυνάμει. εἰ γὰρ τότε μηδέν τι φαίνεται τοιοῦτον δρῶν, οἷον αὐτὸν ἄν τις οἰηθείη, σχολῇ γ' ἂν εἰσέπειτα μεταβαλεῖν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἕλοιτ' ἄν. τοίνυν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρῶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ὡς οὔτε πρότερον ἐπεθύμησα εἰς βασιλέως σχῆμα μεταμεῖψαι τὸ παρὸν, καίτοι 2.40 πολλὰ πολλάκις ὑπὸ περιόντος ἔτι τοῦ μακαρίτου βασιλέως ἐκείνου παρακληθεὶς, οὔτε νῦν ἐρῶ. εἰ γὰρ τοιούτοις ἔρωσιν ἀτόποις συνέβαινεν ἁλῶναι, τί τὸ κωλῦον ἦν, ὅτε, βασιλέως τετελευτηκότος, αὐτὸς παραλαβὼν τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐκείνου, τὰ βασίλεια κατέσχον ἐν φρουρᾷ, τῶν τε ἔνδον ἀσφαλῶς κατεχομένων, καὶ τῶν ἔξω πάντων, τῶν μὲν εὐνοϊκῶς ἐμοὶ διακειμένων, τῶν δὲ ὑποπτησσόντων τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἐμὴν καὶ οὐδὲ τολμώντων ἀντιγρύζειν, τὴν οἰκουροῦσαν ἄγειν εἰς φῶς κακίαν ἢ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν μᾶλλον κατὰ πολλὴν τοῦ κωλύσοντος τὴν ἐρημίαν ἐκπληροῦν; νυνὶ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον δεδρακὼς ἢ βεβουλευμένος φαίνομαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον πᾶν. ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ γὰρ πάσῃ καὶ τοὺς βασιλέως παῖδας καὶ σὲ ἄχρις ἐνάτης ἡμέρας ἐκ τῆς βασιλέως τελευτῆς διατηρήσας, μετ' ἐκείνην τήν τε φρουρὰν ἀπήγαγον τῶν βασιλείων, ἣν αὐτὸς ἐγκαθιδρύσας ἦν, καὶ ἄλλην καταστήσας, ὅσην πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἐπιβουλευσόντων ἴσως ἐπέχειν τὰς ὁρμὰς ἔκρινα αὐτὸς ἀρκεῖν, οἴκαδε ἀνεχώρουν, τῶν πραγμάτων ἐχόμενος ὥσπερ καὶ ζῶντος βασιλέως, πᾶσι παραινῶν, συμβουλεύων, δεδιττόμενος ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς, μηδὲν νεωτερίζειν, ἀλλὰ καθαρὰν καὶ ἄδολον τηρεῖν καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν καὶ τὴν δουλείαν σοί τε ὁμοίως καὶ παισὶ τοῖς σοῖς, καὶ δῆλος ὢν ὡς δίκας ἐπιθήσων τοῖς νεωτεριοῦσι καὶ τὸν πόλεμον αὐτὸς ἀναδεξόμενος ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. τί οὖν ἄν τις εἴποι, τότε μὲν μὴ βουληθῆναι 2.41 δεδυνημένον, νυνὶ δὲ βουλόμενον, μὴ τῆς ἴσης δυνάμεως εὐπορεῖν; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἧττον ὥσπερ καὶ τότε αὐτός τε ἂν δύνασθαι ἰσχυρισαίμην καὶ ὑμεῖς συνομολογήσαιτε ἐμοί· ὥστε οὔτε πρότερον, οὔτε νῦν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι ἀπεσχόμην τῶν κακῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ μάλιστα μὴ βούλεσθαι καὶ τῶν φαυλοτάτων τὴν τοιαύτην οἴεσθαι μεταβολήν. εἰ οὖν οὔτε πρότερον, οὔτε νῦν, καίτοι ῥᾷστα καταπράξασθαι δυνάμενος, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἄν τις ὑποπτεύσειε, βεβουλευμένος ὤφθην, προσῆκον καὶ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐμοὶ θαῤῥεῖν καὶ μὴ τοῖς συκοφάνταις προσέχειν καὶ λογοποιοῖς πολλοῖς κατ' ἐμοῦ φυησομένοις. οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ μικρῶν τινων καὶ εὐκαταφρονήτων διαβαλοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ ζῇν ὑμῖν ἐξαρτήσουσι τὸν φόβον, ἢ τά γε δεύτερα, περὶ τοῦ μὴ καλῶς καὶ ὡς προσῆκον, ἀλλ' αἰσχρῶς καὶ ἀνελευθέρως καὶ δουλεύοντας ἑτέρῳ ζῇν, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῖς εἰθισμένοις ἄρχειν οὐδενὸς θανάτου δεύτερον εἰς ἀλγηδόνος λόγον. ὅτι δὲ τοιοῦτοι φυήσονται πολλοὶ, οὐ στοχάζεσθαι ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σαφέστατα εἰδέναι. βασιλεὺς μὲν γὰρ κύριος αὐτὸς τῶν πραγμάτων ὢν καὶ μηδεμίαν μηδ' ὑφ' ἑνὸς τῶν πραττομένων ὑφορώμενος ἐξέτασιν, τὰ μὲν αὐτὸς ἑκὼν εἶναι, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο, χαρίζεσθαί τισιν ἠδύνατο, τὰ δ' ἴσως ἂν καὶ ἠμελεῖτο. νυνὶ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐξέσται οὐδενὶ, ἀλλὰ πάντα σὺν λόγῳ καὶ 2.42 μετὰ ἀκριβείας πράττειν ἀνάγκην πᾶσιν ἐπιθήσω, οὐ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἕνεκα κηδεμονίας μόνον, ἵνα μὴ ἐλάττω τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἣν παρέλαβον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζω καὶ βελτίω, καιροῦ καλοῦντος, ἀποδῶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοτιμίας καὶ δόξης ἕνεκα ἐμῆς, τὸ δέ γε τούτων πάντων καὶ μεῖζον καὶ φοβερώτερον ἐμοὶ, τῆς ἐκεῖθεν τῶν πραττομένων ἐξετάσεως καὶ τῶν εὐθυνῶν, ἃς αὐτὸς ὑφέξειν ἐπὶ τοῦ φοβεροῦ δικαστηρίου ὑπὲρ τῶν εὖ ἢ κακῶς διῳκημένων μέλλω. τὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα τοῖς εἰθισμένοις ἀμελεῖν καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι τοῖς δημοσίοις καὶ τὰ ἴδια ἐκ τῆς φθορᾶς ἐκείνων αὔξειν, παντί τῳ δῆλον, ὡς οὐκ ἔσται ἀνεκτὰ, ὥστε αὐτοὺς εἰκὸς τὸν τὴν τοιαύτην ἀνάγκην αὐτοῖς ἐπαγαγόντα ἐκ μέσου ποιεῖν τίθεσθαι διὰ σπουδῆς. τοῦτο