292

Diogenes. Asked how someone might deal with power, he said: As with a fire, neither be too close, lest you be burned; nor too far, lest you freeze.

Of Cyrus. It is not fitting for anyone to rule, who is not better than those who are ruled.

Solon. First learn to be ruled, then rule; for having learned to be ruled, you will know how to rule.

Having been established in a position of authority, use no wicked person for administrative tasks. For whatever faults he might commit, they will lay the blame on you, the ruler.

Just as he who engages in politics in a democracy must court the multitude; so also he who lives in a monarchy ought to admire the king.

Chaeremon. Being superior in every way does not permit one to be arrogant.

Antigonus. Antigonus the king, to an old woman who was calling him blessed: "If you knew, mother," he said, pointing to his diadem, "of how many evils this rag is full, you would not pick it up even if it were lying on a dunghill."

Epaminondas. Epaminondas the Theban, seeing (781) a great and fine army that had no general, said: "What a great beast that has no head."

Of Philip. The king must remember that, being a man, he has received [taken] power equal to a god, so that he may choose what is noble and divine, but use human prudence.

If you wish your house to be well managed, imitate the Spartan Lycurgus. For in the same way that he did not enclose the city with walls, but fortified the inhabitants with virtue, and kept the city free for all time; so you too, do not surround it with a large enclosure and raise high walls, but strengthen the inhabitants with goodwill, and faith, and friendship, and nothing harmful will enter it, not even if the entire swarm of wickedness be arrayed against it.

Let no one who is wise be alienated from ruling. For it is both impious to withdraw oneself from being of service [gratitude] to those in need and ignoble to yield to the worthless. For it is foolish to choose to be ruled badly rather than to rule well.

It is a terrible and most difficult thing for the worse to rule over the better, and for the more foolish to command the more prudent.

Eumenes. Eumenes the king always said to his brothers: "If you treat me as a king, I will favor you as brothers; but if as a brother, I will treat you as a king."

Cotys. Cotys the king of the Thracians, when the Thebans were boasting that they had taken the lead from the Lacedaemonians, said: "I have seen winter torrents become greater than perennial rivers, but for a short time."

The same man, when asked, "To whom do you leave the kingdom?" said, "To the one who is able."

Philo. In the substance of his body, the king is equal to every man; but in the authority of his office, he is like the God who is over all. For he has no one higher than himself on earth. Therefore, he must not be puffed up as a mortal, and as a god, not be angry. For although he is honored with a divine image, yet he is also woven together with earthly dust, through which he is taught simplicity [likeness] towards all.

292

∆ιογένης. Ἐρωτηθείς πῶς ἄν τις πολιτεύηται ἐξουσίᾳ, ἔφη· Καθάπερ πυρί, μήτε λίαν ἐγγύς εἶναι, ἵνα μή κατακαῇ· μήτε πόῤῥω, ἵνα μή ῥιγώσῃ.

Κύρου. Ἄρχειν οὐδενί προσήκει, ὅς οὐ κρείττων ἐστί τῶν ἀρχομένων.

Σολ. Ἄρχε πρῶτον μαθών ἄρχεσθαι· ἄρχεσθαι γάρ μαθών, ἄρχειν ἐπιστήσῃ.

Εἰς ἀρχήν κατασταθείς, μηδενί χρῶ πονηρῷ πρός τάς διοικήσεις. Ὧν γάρ ἄν ἐκεῖνος ἁμάρτοι, σοί τάς αἰτίας τῷ ἄρχοντι ἐπιθήσουσιν.

Ὥσπερ τόν ἐν δημοκρατίᾳ πολιτευόμενον, τό πλῆθος δεῖ θεραπεύειν· οὕτω καί τόν ἐν μοναρχίᾳ κατοικοῦντα, τόν βασιλέα προσήκει θαυμάζειν.

Χαιρέμον. Ὅλως κρεῖσσον, οὐκ ἐᾷ φρονεῖν μέγα.

Ἀντίγον. Ἀντίγονος ὁ βασιλεύς, πρός τινα μακαρίζουσαν αὐτόν γραῦν· Εἰ ᾔδεις, ἔφη, ὦ μῆτερ, ὅσων κακῶν ἐστι τοῦτο τό ῥάκος, δείξας τό διάδημα, οὐκ ἄν ἐπί κοπρίας κείμενον ἐβάστασας.

Ἐπαμιν. Ἐπαμινώνδας ὁ Θηβαῖος ἰδών (781) στρατόπεδον μέγα καί καλόν, στρατηγόν οὐκ ἔχον· Ἡλίκον, ἔφη, θηρίον κεφαλήν οὐκ ἔχει.

Φιλίππου. Τόν βασιλέαν δεῖ μνημονεύειν, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ὤν ἐξουσίαν εἵληφεν [ἔλαβεν] ἰσόθεον, ἵνα προαιρῆται μέν τά καλά καί θεῖα, φρονήσει δέ ἀνθρωπίνῃ χρῆται.

Εἰ βούλει τήν οἰκίαν εὖ οἰκεῖσθαι, μιμοῦ τόν Σπαρτιάτην Λυκοῦργον. Ὅν γάρ τρόπον οὐ τείχεσι τήν πόλιν ἔφραξεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀρετῇ τούς ἐνοικοῦντας ὠχύρωσεν, καί διαπαντός ἐτήρησεν ἐλευθέραν τήν πόλιν· οὕτως καί σύ, μή μεγάλην αὐτήν περίβαλε καί τοίχους ὑψηλούς ἀνίστα, ἀλλά τούς ἐνοικοῦντας εὐνοίᾳ, καί πίστει, καί φιλία στήριζε, καί οὐδέν εἰς αὐτήν εἰσελεύσεται βλαβερόν, οὐδ᾿ ἄν τό σύμπαν τῆς κακίας παρατάξηται στίφος.

Μηδείς τῶν φρονίμων τοῦ ἄρχειν ἀλλοτριούσθω. Καί γάρ ἀσεβές τό ἀποσπᾷν ἑαυτόν τῆς τῶν δεομένων εὐχρηστίας [εὐχαριστ.] καί ἀγενές τό τοῖς φαύλοις παραχωρεῖν. Ἀνόητον γάρ τό αἱρεῖσθαι κακῶς ἄρχεσθαι μᾶλλον, ἤ καλῶς ἄρχειν.

∆εινόν καί χαλεπώτατον τούς χείρους τῶν βελτιόνων ἄρχειν, καί τούς ἀνοητέρους τοῖς φρονιμωτέροις προστάττειν.

Εὐμένης. Εὐμένης ὁ βασιλεύς ἔλεγε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς διαπαντός· Ἐάν μέν ὡς βασιλεῖ προσφέρησθε, ὡς ἀδελφοῖς ὑμῖν χαρίσομαι· ἐάν δέ ὡς ἀδελφῷ, ἐγώ ὑμῖν ὡς βασιλεύς.

Κότυς. Κότυς ὁ τῶν Θρακῶν βασιλεύς, Θηβαίων σεμνυνομένων ὅτι Λακεδαιμονίων ἡγήσαντο· Ἐγώ, φησίν, ἑώρακα χειμάῤῥους ποταμῶν μείζους τῶν ἀεννάων γινομένους, ἀλλ᾿ ὀλίγον χρόνον.

Ὁ αὐτός ἐρωτηθείς, Τίνι καταλιμπάνεις τό βασίλειον; ἔφη· Τῷ δυναμένῳ.

Φίλων. Τῇ μέν οὐσίᾳ τοῦ σώματος, ἴσος παντός ἀνθρώπου ὁ βασιλεύς· τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ δέ τοῦ ἀξιώματος, ὅμοιός ἐστι τό ἐπί πάντων Θεῷ. Οὐκ ἔχει γάρ ἐπί γῆς αὐτοῦ ὑψηλότερον. Χρή τοίνυν καί ὡς θνητόν μή ἐπαίρεσθαι, καί ὡς Θεόν μή ὀργίζεσθαι. Εἰ γάρ καί εἰκόνι θεϊκῇ τετίμηται, ἀλλά καί κόνει χοϊκῇ συμπέπλεκται, δι᾿ ἧς ἐκδιδάσκεται τήν πρός πάντας ἁπλότητα [ὁμοιότητα].