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thinking it an indifference to good things. One might say these things, then, and more things similar to these, trying to dissuade one from gaping too much at this glory that is lowly and trodden underfoot, which time can dissolve, as can a change of circumstances, and the villainy of wicked men, and countless other things; if, however, in addition to these things, God also from on high casts his vote and openly commands you to step down from power, will we not do everything that seems good to God with good judgment, but will we be contentious, either to rule for life, or if that is not possible, not even to live, nor to see this sun, but to choose to live under darkness? And yet if it were possible to know most clearly from some indubitable calculations that you will destroy the barbarians everywhere on earth and set up some brilliant and conspicuous trophies over all enemies and restore the ancient prosperity to the affairs of the Romans and show them to be masters of land and sea, as they were in former times, when their power was at its height, then your objection to the abdication of the empire would seem to have some reason. But if to dream of such successes, or even to soberly calculate them makes no difference, why must one be so contentious about things that will never be? And I am 3.353 completely at a loss as to what sort of sound reasoning one might use, to choose rather to live in a prison for life, than to lay aside the imperial dignity. For if you are not willing to yield now to the demand of the emperor, your son-in-law, one of two things is necessary: either to die in chains, or to try in some way to escape the prison and reclaim your power. Whether either of these things, then, will ever be possible, lies in uncertainty; but that if you should take up war again, you will need many toils and dangers and will stain your soul with the blood of many of your own people and will be seen as the cause of countless evils and enslavements for the Romans, is most clear from the very fact and needs not even a little argument for its proof. For no one would think it possible in any other way to try to depose him, who is master of all affairs, than by dividing the subjects and stirring up a civil war, or by bringing in some force from somewhere, either of Greeks or of barbarians, who will besiege the cities that resist and will kill some of those who are captured, and will enslave others and compel them by force to submit to you; each of which falls short of none of the most monstrous things in respect of ill repute. Since, therefore, to be well reputed, if ever things turn out according to your mind, has much uncertainty, but from the start the undertaking appears to be a matter of ill repute and of the worst kind, will you not choose things that lead to good 3.354 repute and are sure, rather than things that are uncertain? But if the emperor himself, using much fairness and magnanimity, will concede to you the imperial honor, as much as is in robes and titles, but will no longer accept you as a partner in power, nor will he provide any of the subject cities over which you yourself will rule—for no one would be forced to these things, unless he willingly wished it—nothing else is left than to seek another land and other cities, over which you may preside; from which anyone would abstain from even thinking about it, if he were of sound mind; or, remaining here, to possess only a name empty of substance, and to have the seeming honor as an occasion for dishonor. For just as the good repute that comes from deeds is preserved for men both when they fare well and when they fare ill—for it belongs to a soul adorned with virtues—so also that which comes from men's acclaim has something sure, unless realities also contribute; but just as it was established at first, so also it is dissolved by acclaim; about which one ought not to be especially zealous, not even if one has the diadem, or it will in no way differ from stones, some of which men hold in the highest honor, and others in the lowest—so it is with reputation; but they themselves by nature are in no way more honorable one than another, but courage and prudence and moderation and justice show not only that men are superior to the irrational animals, but also to one another, and so great is the difference shown between each 3.355 of these, that those

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ῥᾳθυμίαν νομίζοντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἄν τις φαίη καὶ τὰ πλείω τούτων παραπλήσια, πειρώμενος ἀποτρέπειν τοῦ μὴ σφόδρα κεχηνέναι πρὸς τὴν δόξαν ταύτην τὴν κάτω καὶ πατουμένην, ἣν καὶ χρόνος διαλύειν δύναιτ' ἂν καὶ μεταβολὴ πραγμάτων καὶ μοχθηρία πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ μυρία ἕτερά τινα· ἂν μέντοι πρὸς τούτοις καὶ θεὸς ἄνωθεν ἐπιψηφίζηται καὶ κελεύῃ φανερῶς ἐξίστασθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐ πάντα πράξομεν τὰ θεῷ δοκοῦντα μετ' εὐγνωμοσύνης, ἀλλὰ φιλονεικήσομεν, ἢ διὰ βίου βασιλεύειν, ἢ εἰ μὴ παρείη μηδὲ ζῇν, μηδὲ τὸν ἥλιον ὁρᾷν τουτονὶ, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ ζόφον βιοῦν αἱρεῖσθαι; καίτοι εἰ μὲν ἔκ τινων λογισμῶν ἀναμφιβόλων σαφέστατα ἐξῆν εἰδέναι, ὅτι τοὺς ἁπανταχοῦ βαρβάρους γῆς διαφθερεῖς καὶ τρόπαια λαμπρά τινα καὶ περιφανῆ στήσεις ἀπὸ πάντων πολεμίων καὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν εὐδαιμονίαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίων ἀνασώσεις πράγμασι καὶ κυρίους γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἀποδείξεις, ὥσπερ ἦσαν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις, ὅτε ἤκμαζεν αὐτῶν ἡ δύναμις, λόγον ἄν τινα ἐδόκει ἔχειν ἡ πρὸς τὴν παραίτησιν τῆς βασιλείας ἔνστασις. εἰ δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα εὐτυχήματα ὀνειρώττειν, ἢ καὶ νήφοντα ἀναλογίζεσθαι διενήνοχεν οὐδέν, τί δεῖ τοσαῦτα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐσομένων μηδέποτε φιλονεικεῖν; ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπορῶ 3.353 παντάπασιν ὁποίοις ἄν τισι χρησάμενος σώφροσι λογισμοῖς, μᾶλλον αἱρήσῃ διὰ βίου δεσμωτήριον οἰκεῖν, ἢ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀξίαν ἀποθέσθαι. εἰ γὰρ μὴ νῦν ὑπείκειν ἐθελήσεις πρὸς τὴν βασιλέως τοῦ γαμβροῦ ἀξίωσιν, δυοῖν θάτερον ἀνάγκη, ἢ δεσμοῖς ἐναποθνήσκειν, ἢ πειρᾶσθαι τρόπῳ δή τινι τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀποδράντα, τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνακαλεῖσθαι. τούτων μὲν οὖν ἑκάτερον εἴ ποτε ἐξέσται, ἐν ἀδήλῳ κεῖται· ὅτι δὲ, εἰ κατασταίης αὖθις πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, πολλῶν δεήσῃ πόνων καὶ κινδύνων καὶ πολλοῖς τῶν ὁμοφύλων αἵμασι τὴν ψυχὴν καταχρανεῖς καὶ μυρίων κακῶν καὶ ἀνδραποδισμῶν Ῥωμαίοις αἴτιος ὀφθήσῃ, δῆλον μάλιστα αὐτόθεν καὶ οὐδὲ ὀλίγου λόγου πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν δεόμενον. τὸ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον συμπάντων ὄντα πραγμάτων κύριον πειρᾶσθαι παραλύειν τῆς ἀρχῆς οὐδαμῶς τις ἑτέρως ἂν ἐξεῖναι οἰηθείη, ἢ διαστήσαντα τοὺς ὑπηκόους καὶ πόλεμον ἐμφύλιον κεκινηκότα, ἢ δύναμίν ποθεν ἐπαγαγόντα ἢ Ἑλλήνων ἢ βαρβάρων, οἳ τὰς πόλεις ἐκπολιορκήσουσιν ἀνθισταμένας καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀποκτενοῦσι τῶν ἁλισκομένων, τοὺς δὲ καταδουλώσονται καὶ ἀναγκάσουσι πρὸς βίαν σοι προσέχειν· ὧν ἑκάτερον οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀτοπωτάτων ἀποδεῖ πρὸς ἀδοξίας λόγον. ὁπότε οὖν τὸ μὲν εὐδοκιμεῖν, εἴ ποτε καὶ κατὰ γνώμην τὰ πραττόμενα ἀποβαίη, πολλὴν τὴν ἀδηλίαν ἔχει, ἡ ἀδοξία δὲ ἐξαρχῆς καὶ τῶν χειρίστων ἀναφαίνεται ἡ ἐπιχείρησις, οὐ τὰ πρὸς εὐ 3.354 δοξίαν μᾶλλον ἄγοντα καὶ βέβαια τῶν ἀδήλων ἀνθαιρήσῃ; οὐ μὴν ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς πολλῇ χρησάμενος ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ, τὴν μὲν τιμήν σοι συγχωρήσει τὴν βασιλικὴν, ὅσην ἐν ἐνδύμασι καὶ λόγοις, οὐκέτι δὲ προσήσεται κοινωνὸν καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐδέ τινας παρέξεται τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων, ἐφ' αἷς βασιλεύσεις καὶ αὐτὸς, οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν βιάσαιτο πρὸς ταῦτα, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο ἑκὼν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο λείπεται, ἢ γῆν ζητεῖν ἑτέραν καὶ πόλεις, ὧν προστήσῃ· οὗ καὶ μόνον ἐννοῆσαι πᾶς τις ἂν ἀπόσχοιτο, εἰ σωφρονοίη· ἢ μένοντα ἐνταῦθα, ὄνομα κεκτῆσθαι μόνον ἔρημον πραγμάτων, καὶ τὴν δοκοῦσαν τιμὴν ἀδοξίας ἔχειν ἀφορμήν. οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων εὐδοξία εὖ τε φερομένοις καὶ δυσπραγοῦσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις περισώζεται, ψυχῆς γάρ ἐστιν ἀρεταῖς κεκοσμημένης, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ συνθήματος γινομένη τῶν ἀνθρώπων βέβαιον ἔχει τι, μὴ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων συναιρομένων, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ συνέστη τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ διαλύεται ἀπὸ συνθήματος· περὶ ἣν οὐ μάλιστα σπουδάζειν χρὴ, οὐδ' ἂν τὸ διάδημά τις ἔχῃ, ἢ οὐδὲν διοίσει λίθων, ὧν τοὺς μὲν ἐν τοῖς τιμιωτάτοις ἄγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τοὺς δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀτιμοτάτοις, οὕτω δόξαν· αὐτοὶ δὲ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἕτερός ἐστιν ἑτέρου τιμιώτερος, ἀνδρία δὲ καὶ φρόνησις καὶ σωφροσύνη καὶ δικαιοσύνη οὐ τῶν ἀλόγων μόνων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὑπερέχειν ἀποφαίνουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀλλήλων, καὶ τοσοῦτον τούτων ἑκα 3.355 τέρων ἀποδείκνυται τὸ μέσον, ὡς τοὺς