Texte grec :
| [204] ἔδει δὲ ἀπολωλέναι (204) οὐ τὸν πλεῖστα ἀδικήσαντα, ἀλλὰ
τὸν πλεῖστα κεκτημένον. πόλεων δὲ ἀναιρέσεις καὶ κατασκαφαὶ τότε
πλείους ἢ νῦν ὀλίγου δέω λέγειν εἰσὶν οἰκισμοί. ῥᾷον δὲ
ἦν πολεμοῦντα ἢ ὑπακούοντα σωθῆναι, ἐν μὲν γὰρ ταῖς
μάχαις ῥᾳδίως ἡττῶντο, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις οὐ μετρίως
ὕβριζον· καὶ τοὺς μὲν θεραπεύοντας ὡς δούλους ὑπερεώρων,
τοὺς δὲ ἐλευθέρους ὡς ἐχθροὺς ἐκόλαζον, ἐξ ὧν μισοῦντές τε
καὶ μισούμενοι διῆγον. καὶ γὰρ οὖν πολλάκις
τοὺς ὑπηκόους μᾶλλον τῶν πολεμίων ἐδεδοίκεισαν, τὰ
πλείω διαλλακτῇ τῷ πολέμῳ χρώμενοι. αἴτιον δ´ ἦν, οὔτε
ἐκεῖνοι ἄρχειν ἠπίσταντο οὔτε οἱ ἀρχόμενοι τὸ ἀκόλουθον
ἀπεπλήρουν. οὐ γὰρ ἔνεστιν ἄρχεσθαι καλῶς, ὅταν κακῶς
οἱ ἄρχοντες ἄρχωσιν. οὔπω γὰρ ἥ τε ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ δεσπόζειν διῄρητο,
ἀλλ´ ἦν ἴσον βασιλεὺς καὶ δεσπότης. οὐκοῦν
εἰκότως οὐδ´ ἐπὶ μεγάλα προῆλθον, οὐ γὰρ πρόεισιν οἴκου
περαιτέρω τοῦτο τοὔνομα, ὅταν δ´ εἰς πόλεις τε καὶ ἔθνη
ἀφίκηται, ῥᾳδίως παύεται. Ἀλέξανδρος δ´ αὖ ὁ τὴν μεγάλην
ἀρχὴν μέχρι τῆς ὑμετέρας κτησάμενος καὶ καταδραμὼν τὴν γῆν
ὡς ἀληθῶς δὴ κτησαμένῳ βασιλείαν μᾶλλον
ἔοικεν ἢ βασιλεύσαντι. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἂν εἴ τις ἰδιώτης συγκτήσαιτο
μὲν γῆν πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν, πρὶν δὲ λαβεῖν
ἀπ´ αὐτῆς τοὺς καρποὺς τελευτήσειεν, ὣς δὲ κἀκείνῳ μοι
δοκεῖ συμβῆναι. προῆλθε μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῆς γῆς
καὶ τοὺς ἀντιστάντας ἅπαντας κατέστραπτο καὶ τῶν χαλεπῶν
ἁπάντων ἀκριβῶς ἀπέλαυσε· καταστήσασθαι δ´ οὐκ
ἠδυνήθη τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδ´ ἐπιθεῖναι πέρας τοῖς πεπονημένοις,
ἀλλ´ ἀπέθανεν ἐν μέσῃ τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων πορείᾳ.
ὥστ´ ἐκεῖνον μὲν μάχας ἄν τις φαίη πλείστας κατορθῶσαι,
βασιλεῦσαι δὲ ἐλάχιστα, καὶ γενέσθαι μὲν ἀγωνιστὴν μέγαν
περὶ βασιλείας, ἀπολαῦσαι δ´ οὐδὲν ἄξιον τῆς διανοίας
καὶ τῆς τέχνης, ἀλλὰ παθεῖν παραπλήσιον ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ
τις τὸν Ὀλυμπικὸν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνιζόμενος καὶ κρατήσας τοὺς
ἀντιπάλους, εἶτα ἐπαποθάνοι τῇ νίκῃ,
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Traduction française :
| [204] Not the greatest criminal but the greatest property-owner had to die.
More cities were sacked and uprooted then,
I might almost say, than are founded nowadays. It was
safer to fight than to submit, for the Persian kings were easily beaten in
battle, but when in control they were immeasurably brutal. Their servants
they despised as slaves; free men they chastised as enemies. So they
went on hating and being hated. Often they feared their subjects more
than their foreign adversaries, and generally made war the arbiter. The
reason was that they did not know how to govern, and the governed did
not live up to their part either, for it is impossible to be a good subject
when the rulers rule badly. Government was not yet distinguished from
slave-driving; king was identical with master. So the Persians naturally
did not get far, for the latter title will not go beyond a household; when
it extends to states and peoples, it is easily overthrown.
Next, Alexander conquered the biggest empire before yours, and swept
over the world; but in reality he was more like a conqueror than a king.
He had the same luck, it seems to me, as a private investor who boys
up plenty of good land and dies before harvesting the crops from it.
Alexander advanced over more of the earth than anyone else, crushed
all resistance, and tasted every hardship to the full. But he was unable
to organize his empire or finish his labors. He died in the middle of his
career. You might say he won the most battles but ruled the least.
He was an outstanding contender for royal power but got nothing
commensurate with his genius and ability. If an athlete at the Olympic
games were to beat his rivals but then died in the moment of victory
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