[32,70] τεκμήριον δὲ τὰ τελευταῖα συμβάντα περὶ ὑμᾶς, ὅτε {γὰρ} καθ´ αὑτοὺς ἦτε. οὐχ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ὑμῶν περὶ αὔλησιν ἠσχολεῖτο καὶ μόνῳ τούτῳ προσεῖχεν, ὑμεῖς δὲ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἀπεχθῶς, πρὸς ἀλλήλους δὲ στασιαστικῶς διέκεισθε, χωρὶς ἕκαστοι καὶ καθ´ αὑτοὺς διαφθείροντες τὰ πράγματα, Σιμάριστοι καὶ τοιαῦθ´ ἕτερα ἑταιρειῶν ὀνόματα· ὥστε φυγεῖν αὐτὸν ἠναγκάσατε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κατιέναι πολέμῳ καὶ διὰ Ῥωμαίων; καὶ τέλος ἐκεῖνος μὲν αὐλῶν, ὑμεῖς δὲ ὀρχούμενοι τὴν πόλιν ἀπωλέσατε. καὶ νῦν οὕτως ἐπιεικεῖς ἔχοντες ἡγεμόνας εἰς ὑποψίαν αὐτοὺς καθ´ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἠγάγετε, ὥστε ἐπιμελεστέρας χρῆναι φυλακῆς ᾠήθησαν ἢ πρότερον· καὶ τοῦτο εἴργασθε δι´ ἀγερωχίαν, οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύοντες. ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἂν ἀποσταίητέ τινος; πολεμήσαιτε δ´ ἂν ὑμεῖς μίαν ἡμέραν; οὐκ ἐν τῇ γενομένῃ ταραχῇ μέχρι σκωμμάτων ἐθρασύνοντο οἱ πολλοί, τινὲς δὲ ὀλίγοι βάλλοντες ὅ,τι ἔτυχον ἅπαξ ἢ δίς, ὥσπερ οἱ καταχέοντες τῶν παριόντων, κατέκειντο εὐθὺς ᾄδοντες, οἱ δ´ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅρμους ᾔεσαν ὥσπερ ἐν ἑορτῇ πιούμενοι. καὶ μὴν ἐκεῖνο μέμνησθε τὸ γελοῖον ὡς ὁ βέλτιστος ὑμῖν Κόνων ἐχρήσατο προελθών, οὗ μάλιστα τὸ πλῆθος ὑμῶν συνειστήκει, καὶ δείξας τινὰ τόπον βραχὺν προηγόρευεν ὡς εἰ μὲν αὐτὸς ἐκεῖ προέλθοι, νενικηκὼς εἴη καὶ δέοι ὑμᾶς ἀπαλλάττεσθαι καθ´ αὑτοὺς καὶ παραχωρεῖν· εἰ δ´ ὑμεῖς, ἔφη, τέτταρα ἢ πέντε βήματα νικᾶτε, κἀγὼ βαδιοῦμαι· ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, φειδόμενος ὑμῶν καὶ καταγελῶν καὶ καθάπερ παισὶ προσπαίζων. ἐπεὶ τὸ στράτευμα ἐφειστήκει κἀκεῖνος οὐδένα εἴα ἅπτεσθαι, γυμνοὺς ἅπαντας ὁρῶν καὶ ἑτοίμους ἀπόλλυσθαι. τί οὖν; ἐβιάσαντο μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ προπετεῖς καὶ ἀκόλαστοι καὶ ἐπίτηδες ἀνατρέψαι καὶ συγχέαι πάντα ἐπιβουλεύσαντες, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ὑμᾶς ἀνῆκαν ἕως ἐγεύσασθε πολέμου καὶ τὸ δεινὸν ἄχρι πείρας προῆλθεν. τί δὴ καὶ τούτων ἐπεμνήσθην; ὅπως εἰδῆτε τὰ φυόμενα ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὸν βίον ταύτης ἀταξίας. οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τοὺς οὕτως ἐπτοημένους περὶ τὰ μικρὰ καὶ μηδενὸς ἄξια, φαύλως καὶ ἀκρατῶς ἔχοντας ἐν τούτοις ἃ πράττουσι καθ´ ἡμέραν, τἄλλα σωφρονεῖν καὶ περὶ τῶν μειζόνων ὀρθῶς βουλεύεσθαι. ἡ γὰρ τῶν τρόπων κουφότης καὶ τὸ ἀλόγιστον οὐκ ἐᾷ μένειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν οὐδ´ ἔχει μέτρον οὐδὲν ἡ ἄνοια τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλ´ ἐπὶ πᾶν ὁμοίως πρόεισι καὶ παντὸς ἅπτεται μετὰ τῆς ἴσης εὐχερείας. μὴ οὖν οἴεσθε περὶ μικρῶν εἶναι τὸν λόγον, ὅταν τις ὑμῖν διαλέγηται περὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις θορύβων. οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἡ πενία ταχὺ πέφυκε συμβαίνειν διὰ τὰς κατ´ ὀλίγον ζημίας, ὡς ἡ κακία πρόεισιν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ μέρος τούτων ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τελευταῖον ἐπ´ αὐτὸ τὸ πέρας καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον αὐξηθεῖσα ἤγαγεν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ τὰ περὶ τὸ θέατρον. ἀλλ´ ὅταν εἰς τὸ στάδιον ἔλθητε, τίς ἂν εἰπεῖν δύναιτο τὰς ἐκεῖ κραυγὰς καὶ θόρυβον καὶ ἀγωνίαν καὶ σχημάτων μεταβολὰς καὶ χρωμάτων καὶ βλασφημίας οἵας καὶ ὅσας ἀφίετε; εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοὺς ἵππους ἑωρᾶτε ἁμιλλωμένους καὶ τούτους συνήθεις, αὐτοὶ δ´ ὑπὸ μαστίγων ἠλαύνεσθε τῶν ἐν ταῖς τραγῳδίαις, οὐκ ἂν οὕτως χαλεπῶς διέκεισθε.

[32,70] As evidence I cite the most recent chapters in your history. For instance, when you were still independent, did not your king busy himself with piping and concentrate on that alone ; and were you not on hostile terms with him and torn with faction among yourselves, each faction separately and independently working the ruin of the state—Simaristoi and other parties of like names—in consequence of which you forced your king to flee, and later on to obtain his return by means of war, and with the aid of Romans, too ? And finally he with his piping and you with your dancing destroyed the state. And though you now have such reasonable men as governors, you have brought them to a feeling of suspicion toward yourselves, and so they have come to believe that there is need of more careful watchfulness than formerly ; and this you have brought about through arrogance and not through plotting. For would you revolt from anybody ? Would you wage war a single day ? Is it not true that in the disturbance which took place the majority went only as far as jeering in their show of courage, while only a few, after one or two shots with anything at hand, like people drenching passers by with slops, quickly lay down and began to sing, and some went to fetch garlands, as if on their way to a drinking party at some festival ? And surely you recall that comical incident—how the excellent Conon treated you when, advancing to the place where your forces were most concentrated and pointing out a little stretch of ground, he declared : " If I can get there by myself, I am the victor, and you must depart by yourselves and leave the field; but if you," said he, " can win your way as much as four or five steps, I will take a walk myself." This he said out of a desire to spare you, laughing at you and playing with you as if you were children; since the army had halted and he would not permit a single soldier to lay hands on you, seeing, as he did, that you all were unarmed and faced with destruction. What then? Force was next employed by the headstrong and unruly spirits, who purposely aimed at a complete overthrow and utter chaos, and they did not let you go until you had had a taste of warfare, and what you formerly had dreaded had become a matter of bitter experience. Why, then, have I mentioned these events also? Because I wanted you to understand the natural outcome of this disorderliness that rules your lives. For it is not possible that those who get so excited over trifles and things of no importance, those who behave so thoughtlessly and with such lack of self-control in these matters of daily life, should be temperate in other matters and competent to plan wisely regarding things of greater moment. For the frivolity of your conduct and your lack of reason do not permit you to call a halt at things of minor importance, and the folly of your misconduct knows no bounds, but instead goes right on to any length without discrimination, and touches everything with equal recklessness. So do not think that a man is dealing with trifles when he speaks to you about your disorders in the theatre. For poverty follows quickly enough from gradual losses, but not as quickly as wickedness progresses from these successive errors, until finally, having attained its growth, it brings men to the very end—destruction. So much, then, on the subject of the theatre. However, when you enter the stadium, who could describe the shouts you utter there, and your hubbub and anguish and bodily contortions and change of colour, and the many awful curses that you emit ? For if you were not merely watching the horses race —and horses, too, that are used to racing—but were yourselves being driven by the whips of tragedy, you would not exhibit the agony you do.