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you have rather used deceit and perjuries, by which you have deceived many of even the more prudent men and persuaded them to heed you, having abandoned the truth, whom you, doing well, have most worthily rewarded for both your inherent wickedness and their folly. But that you both intend and do everything, not out of enmity for me, nor for me to suffer ill or even die, if it were possible, I do not know whether you yourself have come to such a degree of insensibility that, after so many clear proofs from the facts by which you have shown yourself most hostile to me, you think yourself to be a moderate 2.364 and fair man, or whether you think you have used such great wickedness and deceptions of the eyes and impostures, as to think you escape everyone’s notice while perpetrating so many and such great evil deeds. Concerning such things, indeed, there is another tribunal and an incorruptible and fearful judge and angel witnesses, who know clearly all things done by men, even if they are covered by ten thousand walls or curtains or dark gloom or deep mist, before whom we shall be judged for our injustices toward one another. But this about your wondrous strategy occurs to me to laugh at, that surpassing all those long-famed for their generalship, you have found some new and wonderful device befitting you, by which it will be possible for you, with little effort, to conquer your enemies, which if Scipio Africanus and Pompey the Great and Sulla and any other celebrated Roman general had known, they would not have toiled so much and endured many labors and dangers while subjugating great and populous nations. For if it will be possible for you to learn the mind of the enemy from themselves, you yourself will both remain invincible forever and in no long time you will show the Roman empire to be something great and wonderful, just as you are indeed doing. Therefore, one ought to make no argument against such folly. But I, maintaining my former position and indulging you in all things, should I be about to receive again returns for my kindness similar to the former ones, 2.365 will make my own mind clear. I think that nothing is more serious to you and more worthy of much account, than the war against me. But there being three things, which one might attempt, of these I think none is advantageous to you. For it is necessary either to return to Byzantium, or to remain in Thessalonica, or to come against me to fight. For one who has spent so much money and has boasted much and acted rashly and thrown the whole Roman dominion into confusion to come so near the enemy, then, as if forgetting his former boasts, to return with empty hands, not even having endured the sight of the enemy, and this while leading an army that is large and good and many times larger than the enemy's, nothing could be more ridiculous, nor would it bring disgrace more, not upon the Romans, for they are always noble in battle and lack nothing in daring and courage, but upon you, the general. And everyone will immediately say the thing of Chabrias the Athenian general, that an army of stags led by a lion is more formidable than an army of lions led by a stag. But if you intend to remain in Thessalonica, first, I do not see the advantage of the delay. Then, there is a need for great expenditures for so large an army, and a naval one at that, which must be supported from the public funds. And of the land army too, it will be necessary to support those from Byzantium and the rest of Thrace, both the mercenaries, 2.366 being not a few, and the others, if they spend a long time away from their homes; either they will rise up against you, as one willingly wishing to destroy them, or at the very least, if they decide to act moderately, they will depart and leave, showing their empty purses and pleading their poverty. And not only that, but also all those from Macedonia and Thessalonica will ask for money and other gifts, which it is right for the one who leads the Roman dominion to provide. In addition to this, there will also be a need for many gifts and funds for Kralj, so as to persuade him to take up war against me. For the cities, which you will have given up, will not suffice. All of which I think you see, unless you are completely out of your mind, not

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κέχρησαι μᾶλλον, ἢ ψεύδει καὶ ἐπιορκίαις, αἷς καὶ τῶν συνετωτέρων ἐξηπάτησας πολλοὺς καὶ σοὶ παρέπεισας προσέχειν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποστάντας, οὓς καλῶς ποιῶν τῆς τε σοὶ προσούσης πονηρίας καὶ τῆς ἐκείνοις ἀβελτηρίας ἀξιώτατα ἠμείψω. ὅτι δὲ οὔτε πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν ἐμοὶ, οὔτε πρὸς τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν ἢ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν, εἰ οἷόντε, πάντα καὶ διανοῇ καὶ πράττεις, οὐκ οἶδα εἴτ' αὐτὸς εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀναισθησίας ἥκεις, ὡς μετὰ τοσαύτας ἐναργεῖς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποδείξεις, δι' ὧν ἐμοὶ πολεμιώτατος ἐφάνης, οἴεσθαι καὶ μέ 2.364 τριός τις εἶναι καὶ ἐπιεικὴς, εἴτε τοσαύτῃ νομίζεις κεχρῆσθαι πονηρίᾳ καὶ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀπάταις καὶ φενακισμοῖς, ὡς πάντας οἴεσθαι λανθάνειν τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα κακουργῶν. περὶ μὲν δὴ τῶν τοιούτων ἔστι δικαστήριον ἕτερον καὶ κριτὴς ἀδέκαστος καὶ φοβερὸς καὶ μάρτυρες ἄγγελοι, πάντα τὰ πραττόμενα ἀνθρώποις εἰδότες φανερῶς, κἂν μυρίοις τοίχοις ἢ παραπετάσμασιν ἢ ζόφῳ σκοτεινῷ ἢ βαθείᾳ περικαλύπτωνται ὁμίχλῃ, ἐφ' ὧν ὑπὲρ τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικασόμεθα ἀδικημάτων. ἐκεῖνο δέ μοι τῆς θαυμαστῆς σου στρατηγίας ἔπεισι γελᾷν, ὅτι πάντας καὶ τοὺς πάλαι βεβοημένους ἐπὶ στρατηγίαις παριὼν καινήν τινα καὶ θαυμασίαν καὶ σοὶ προσήκουσαν ἐπίνοιαν ἐξεῦρες, δι' ἧς σοι τῶν πολεμίων ὀλίγα πονήσαντι κρατεῖν ἐξέσται, ἣν εἰ Σκηπίων Ἀφρικανὸς καὶ Πομπήϊος ὁ μάγνος καὶ Σύλλας καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ὑμνεῖται στρατηγὸς ᾔδεσαν Ῥωμαίων, οὐκ ἂν ἐκόπτοντο τοσαῦτα καὶ πολλοὺς ὑπέμενον πόνους καὶ κινδύνους, ἔθνη μεγάλα καὶ πολυάνθρωπα καταδουλούμενοι. εἰ γὰρ ἐξέσται σοι τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν πολεμίων ἐξ αὐτῶν καταμανθάνειν, αὐτός τε ἀήττητος μέχρι παντὸς διαμενεῖς καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείαν οὐκ ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ μεγάλην τινὰ καὶ θαυμασίαν ἀποδείξεις, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ ποιεῖς. ἔδει μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοσαύτην ἄνοιαν μηδένα ποιεῖσθαι λόγον. ἐγὼ δέ σοι τὴν ἀρχαίαν τάξιν τηρῶν καὶ χαριζόμενος ἐν πᾶσιν, εἰ μέλλοιμι καὶ αὖθις τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀμοιβὰς ταῖς πρότερον ὁμοίας δέ 2.365 χεσθαι, τὴν ἐμὴν διάνοιαν ποιήσω φανεράν. ἐγὼ νομίζω οὐδὲν εἶναί σοι σπουδαιότερον καὶ λόγου ἀξιώτερον πολλοῦ, ἢ τοῦ πρὸς ἐμὲ πολέμου. τριῶν δὲ ὄντων, οἷς ἄν τις ἐπιχειρήσειε, τούτων οὐδὲν οἴομαι σοὶ λυσιτελεῖν. ἢ γὰρ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀνάγκη ἀναστρέφειν, ἢ μένειν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, ἢ ἥκειν πρὸς ἐμὲ μαχούμενον. τοῦ μὲν οὖν τοσαῦτα χρήματα ἀναλωκότα καὶ πολλὰ φυσήσαντα καὶ νεανιευσάμενον καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων πᾶσαν ἡγεμονίαν συγκυκήσαντα παρὰ τοσοῦτον ἐγγὺς ἐλθεῖν τῶν πολεμίων, ἔπειτα ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενον τῶν κόμπων τῶν προτέρων, κεναῖς ἐπανέρχεσθαι χερσὶ, μηδὲ θέαν γοῦν τῶν πολεμίων ὑπομείναντα, καὶ ταῦτα στρατιὰν ἄγοντα πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν καὶ τῶν πολεμίων πολλαπλασίω, οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη καταγελαστότερον, οὐδὲ μᾶλλον ἀδοξίαν οὐ Ῥωμαίοις οἶσον, ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἀεὶ γενναῖοι πρὸς τὰς μάχας καὶ τόλμης καὶ εὐψυχίας οὐδὲν ἐλλείποντες, ἀλλὰ σοὶ τῷ στρατηγῷ. καὶ πάντες εὐθὺς τὸ Χαβρίου τοῦ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγοῦ ἐροῦσιν, ὡς φοβερώτερόν ἐστιν ἐλάφων στρατόπεδον ἡγουμένου λέοντος, ἢ λεόντων ἡγουμένου ἐλάφου. εἰ δὲ μένειν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ διανοήσῃ, πρῶτον μὲν τὸ κέρδος οὐχ ὁρῶ τῆς διατριβῆς. ἔπειτα μεγάλων ἀναλωμάτων χρεία πρὸς τοσαύτην στρατιὰν, καὶ ταῦτα ναυτικὴν, ἣν ἐκ τῶν δημοσίων τρέφεσθαι ἀνάγκη. καὶ τῆς ἠπειρώτιδος δὲ στρατιᾶς τοὺς ἐκ Βυζαντίου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Θρᾴκης τρέφειν δεήσει μισθοφό 2.366 ρους τε οὐκ ὀλίγους ὄντας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, ἂν τῶν οἰκιῶν ἔξω χρόνον διατρίβωσι πολύν· ἢ κατεξαναστήσονταί σου, ὡς ἑκοντὶ βουλομένου διαφθείρειν, ἢ τά γε δεύτερα, ἂν μέτρια δοκιμάζωσι ποιεῖν, οἰχήσονται ἀπολιπόντες, βαλάντια κενὰ ἐπιδεικνύντες καὶ τὴν ἀπορίαν προβαλλόμενοι. οὐ μὴν δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐκ Μακεδονίας καὶ Θεσσαλονίκης πάντες χρήματα αἰτήσουσι καὶ ἄλλας δωρεὰς, ἃς δίκαιον παρέχειν τὸν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἄγοντα ἡγεμονίαν. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ πρὸς Κράλην πολλῶν δεήσει δώρων καὶ χρημάτων, ὥστε πείθειν πόλεμον αἴρεσθαι ἐμοί. οὐ γὰρ ἀρκέσουσιν αἱ πόλεις, ἃς προήσῃ. ἃ πάντα οἴομαι συνορῶντα, εἰ μὴ παντάπασιν ἔξω καθέστηκας φρενῶν, οὐκ