[228] καὶ Δίκῃ δὲ καὶ Αἰδοῖ τότ´ ἂν ἀποδοθῆναι κάθοδον εἰς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ οἰκτεῖραι τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν γενομένους. Ἀεὶ μὲν οὖν τά γε δὴ παρ´ ὑμῖν τίμια εἰσαχθέντα ὡς ἀληθῶς ὑφ´ ὑμῶν καὶ ἑξῆς ἀεὶ μᾶλλον βεβαιούμενα, ὅ γε μὴν νῦν ἄρχων μέγας οἷον ἀγωνιστὴς καθαρὸς τοσοῦτον ὑπεραίρει τοῖς παρ´ αὑτοῦ τὸν πατέρα ὅσον, οὐδ´ εἰπεῖν ῥᾴδιον, ἑτέρους αὐτὸς ὑπεραίρει. καὶ δὴ φαίη τις ἂν δικαιοσύνην καὶ νόμιμον εἶναι τοῦτο ὡς ἀληθῶς ὅ τι κρίνειεν οὗτος. τί δ´ οὐ καὶ τοῦτο πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων εἴη σαφῶς, ὅτι τοὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς κοινωνοὺς ὡς οἰκείους ἔχει παῖδας ὁμοίους ἑαυτῷ πλείους ἢ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ τις; Ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀγώνισμα παντὸς μεῖζον, παρισῶσαι τῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς μεγέθει τὸν λόγον, καὶ σχεδὸν τοῦ ἴσου χρόνου δεόμενον ὅσοσπερ ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς· εἴη δ´ ἂν οὗτος ὁ πᾶς αἰών. κράτιστον οὖν, ὥσπερ οἱ τῶν διθυράμβων τε καὶ παιάνων ποιηταὶ, εὐχήν τινα προσθέντα οὕτω κατακλεῖσαι τὸν λόγον. καὶ δὴ κεκλήσθων θεοὶ πάντες καὶ θεῶν παῖδες καὶ διδόντων τὴν ἀρχὴν τήνδε καὶ πόλιν τήνδε θάλλειν δι´ αἰῶνος καὶ μὴ παύσασθαι πρὶν ἂν μύδροι τε ὑπὲρ θαλάττης πέσοιεν καὶ δένδρα ἦρι θάλλοντα παύσηται· ἄρχοντά τε τὸν μέγαν καὶ παῖδας τούτου σῶς τε εἶναι καὶ πρυτανεύειν πᾶσι τἀγαθά. ἐκτετέλεσταί μοι τὸ τόλμημα· εἴτε δὲ χεῖρον εἴτε βέλτιον ἔξεστιν ἤδη φέρειν τὴν ψῆφον.

[228] To that epoch he would have assigned the return of Justice and Reverence to mankind, and he would have pitied those born before your time. Your magistracies are eternal. They were indeed founded by you and are always being strengthened. The present emperor, like a great athlete, vaults so high over his predecessors {his father} that it is not easy to express how high he is over the rest of us. You might say that truly justice and law are whatsoever he decrees. And is he not clearly ahead of the other emperors in having in the government more associates enough like him to be his own children than anyone had before him? My original aspiration was all-surpassing, to make my address equal to the greatness of the empire; and it would practically take time equal to the time of the empire — that is, all eternity. So I had better conclude my address, as authors of dithyrambs and paeans do, by adding a prayer. I call upon all gods and sons of gods to grant that this empire and this city may bloom forever and not cease until lumps of iron {float} upon the sea and trees cease to bloom in spring. And may the great ruler and his sons be well and deal out blessings to all. My rash scheme is fulfilled — whether badly or well, you may now pass judgment.