Texte grec :
| [215] μέγιστοι καὶ δυνατώτατοι τὰς ἑαυτῶν πατρίδας ὑμῖν φυλάττουσι·
καὶ διπλῇ τὰς πόλεις ἔχετε, ἐνθένδε τε καὶ παρ´
αὐτῶν ἑκάστας. φθόνος δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαίνει τῆς ἀρχῆς· αὐτοὶ
γὰρ ὑπήρξατε τοῦ μὴ φθονεῖν, ἅπαντα εἰς τὸ μέσον καταθέντες καὶ
παρασχόντες τοῖς δυναμένοις μὴ ἄρχεσθαι μᾶλλον
ἢ ἄρχειν ἐν τῷ μέρει. οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ μῖσος ἐκ τῶν ἀπολειπομένων ὕπεισι·
διὰ γὰρ τὸ κοινὴν εἶναι τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ
οἷον πόλεως μιᾶς, εἰκότως οὐχ ὡς ἀλλοτρίων, ἀλλ´ ὡς
οἰκείων ἄρχοντες ἄρχουσιν. ἔτι δὲ καὶ μέτεστιν αὐτῇ
πᾶσιν ἄδεια τοῖς πλήθεσιν ἐκ τῶν παρ´ αὐτοῖς δυνατῶν,
ἡ παρ´ ὑμῶν ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς, ἐάν τι τολμῶσι παρακινεῖν,
εὐθὺς ἥξουσα ὀργή τε καὶ τιμωρία· οὕτω καὶ πένησι καὶ
πλουσίοις εἰκότως τὰ παρόντα καὶ ἀρέσκει καὶ συμφέρει,
καὶ ἄλλως οὐ λέλειπται ζῆν· καὶ γέγονε μία ἁρμονία
πολιτείας ἅπαντας συγκεκλεικυῖα. καὶ τὸ πρόσθεν δοκοῦν
οὐ δυνατὸν εἶναι συμβῆναι συνῆλθεν ἐφ´ ὑμῶν, κράτος
ἀρχῆς ἅμα καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ μεγάλης γε, καὶ οὐκ
ἐνὸν ἄρχειν ἐγκρατεῖς. οὕτω δὴ καθαραὶ μὲν φρουρῶν
πόλεις, μόραι δὲ καὶ ἶλαι ἀποχρῶσιν ἐθνῶν ὅλων εἶναι
φυλακὴ, καὶ οὐδ´ αὐταὶ κατὰ τὰς πόλεις ἑκάστῳ τῶν
γενῶν πολλαὶ ἱδρυμέναι, ἀλλ´ ἐν ἀριθμῷ τῶν ἄλλων
ἐνεσπαρμέναι ταῖς χώραις· ὥστε πολλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγνοεῖν
ὅπου ποτ´ ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς ἡ φρουρά. εἰ δέ που πόλις δι´
ὑπερβολὴν μεγέθους ὑπερῆρκε τὸ δύνασθαι σωφρονεῖν
καθ´ αὑτὴν, οὐδὲ τούτοις ἐφθονήσατε τῶν ἐπιστησομένων
τε καὶ διαφυλαξόντων. καὶ γάρ τοι ἥδιον μὲν ὑμῖν ἅπαντες
ἀποπέμπουσι τοὺς φόρους ἢ παρ´ ἄλλων ἄν τινες
αὐτῶν λαμβάνοιεν· εἰκότως. ἄρχειν μὲν γὰρ οἷς μὴ δύναμις
οὐ σωτήριον, ἄρχεσθαι δ´ ὑπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων ὁ
δεύτερος, φασὶ, πλοῦς, ὑπὸ δὲ ὑμῶν νῦν καὶ πρῶτος
ἀπεφάνθη. ἅπαντες οὖν ἀπρὶξ ἔχονται καὶ οὐ πρότερον
ἀξιώσαιεν ἂν ἀποστῆναι ἢ οἱ πλέοντες ἂν τοῦ κυβερνήτου·
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Traduction française :
| [215] the biggest and most influential men everywhere keep watch over their
own countries for you. You have a double hold upon those towns from right
here and through the Roman citizens in each.
No envy afflicts the empire. You have set an example free from envy
yourselves, by throwing open all doors and enabling qualified men to
play a ruler's part no less than a subject's. No hatred creeps in either,
from those who fall to qualify. Since the state is universal and like one
city, magistrates naturally treat the governed not as aliens but as their
own. Besides, the state imparts to all the people security from the men
in power over them. If those men presume to do anything irregular,
your wrath and punishment will promptly catch up with them. So of
course things as they are satisfy and benefit both poor and rich. No
other way of life remains. There is one pattern of society, embracing all.
Under you, what was formerly thought incapable of conjunction has
been united, an empire at once strong and {humane, mild rule without
oppression}. Towns are free of garrisons. Whole provinces are amply
guarded by battalions and cavalry platoons, which are not stationed in
force in the various cities of each people, but scattered through the
countryside among a multitude of civilians, so that many provinces do
not know where their garrison is. But if a city anywhere, through an
overdose of bigness, has outgrown its capacity to behave itself, you do
not withhold the men needed to take charge and safeguard it. All
people are happier to send in their tribute to you than anyone would
be to collect it for himself from others. Naturally, because to rule is not
safe if one lacks ability, while to be ruled by one's superiors is the second
best way, they say. By you, however, it has now been shown to be the
first. Everyone clings tight to you and would no sooner see fit to break
away than passengers would from their pilot.
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