[57,0] ΝΕΣΤΩΡ. (1) Διὰ τί ποτε δοκεῖ ὑμῖν Νέστορος Ὅμηρος ποιῆσαι τάδε τὰ ἔπη πρὸς Ἀγαμέμνονα καὶ Ἀχιλλέα, παραμυθούμενον αὐτοὺς καὶ διδάσκοντα μὴ διαφέρεσθαι ἀλλήλοις· ἤδη γάρ ποτ´ ἐγὼ καὶ ἀρείοσιν ἠέπερ ὑμῖν ἀνδράσιν ὡμίλησα, καὶ οὔποτέ μ´ οἵ γ´ ἀθέριζον. οὐ γάρ πω τοίους ἴδον ἀνέρας οὐδὲ ἴδωμαι, οἷον Πειρίθοόν τε Δρύαντά τε ποιμένα λαῶν, Καινέα τ´ Ἐξάδιόν τε καὶ ἀντίθεον Πολύφημον, Θησέα τ´ Αἰγείδην ἐπιείκελον ἀθανάτοισι. κάρτιστοι δὴ κεῖνοι ἐπιχθονίων τράφεν ἀνδρῶν· {κάρτιστοι μὲν ἔσαν καὶ καρτίστοις ἐμάχοντο φηρσὶν ὀρεσκῴοισι, καὶ ἐκπάγλως ἀπόλεσσαν.} καὶ μέν μευ βουλέων ξύνιον πείθοντό τε μύθῳ. ἀλλὰ πίθεσθε καὶ ὔμμες, ἐπεὶ πείθεσθαι ἄμεινον. (2) ἆρα μὴ ἀλαζόνα πεποίηκε τὸν Νέστορα λέγοντα περὶ τοῦ Πειρίθου καὶ Δρύαντος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὅτι θαυμαστοί τε φύσει ὄντες καὶ πολὺ κρείττους ἐκείνων προσεδέοντο τῆς αὐτοῦ διανοίας, καὶ ἧκε μετάπεμπτος εἰς Θετταλίαν ἐκ Πύλου δεομένων ξυνεῖναι καὶ διαλέγεσθαι αὐτῷ; ἔτι γὰρ εἰπὼν ὅτι κράτιστοι ἀνθρώπων ἦσαν, ὡς μέγα τι μαρτυρεῖν ἔοικεν αὐτοῖς τὸ ξυνιέναι τῆς αὑτοῦ γνώμης καὶ πείθεσθαι τοῖς λόγοις. ἢ τοῦτο μὲν σχεδὸν οὗ ἕνεκά φαμεν· πᾶσι τοῖς ὀρθῶς λέγουσιν οὐδέποτε οὐδεὶς ἀπειθεῖ τῶν ξυνιέντων· (3) ἀλλ´ ἔστιν ἡ ἀπείθεια ταὐτὸν ἀξυνεσίᾳ; φέρε δὴ καὶ τἄλλα σκεψώμεθα, πότερον ὀρθῶς εἴρηκεν ἢ δι´ ἀλαζονείαν. οὐκοῦν οἱ ἀνόητοι πάντες καταφρονοῦσι τῶν ἀδόξων ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐδὲν προσέχουσι τούτοις, οὐδ´ ἂν τύχωσι τὰ ἄριστα συμβουλεύοντες· οὓς δ´ ἂν ἴδωσι τιμωμένους ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους ἢ τῶν μέγιστα δυναμένων, οὐκ ἀπαξιοῦσι πείθεσθαι αὐτοῖς. ἑνὸς μὲν οὖν τούτου χάριν ὁ Νέστωρ συνίστησιν αὑτόν, ὅτι πολλοὺς καὶ δυνατοὺς πρότερον ἠδυνήθη πεῖσαι καὶ ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι κατὰ τὴν αὐτῶν ἀφροσύνην καὶ ἀναισθησίαν ἀπειθήσουσιν, ἂν ἀπειθῶσιν, οὐχ ὡς ἀδυνάτου ὄντος αὐτοῦ συμβουλεῦσαι περὶ τῶν μεγίστων. (4) ὥσπερ οὖν εἰ λοιδορῶν αὑτὸν καὶ λέγων ὅτι μηδέποτε μηδεὶς ἠξίωσεν αὐτῷ συμβουλεύσασθαι περὶ μηδενὸς ἔμελλε προτρέπειν τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα καὶ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα πείθεσθαι τοῖς λόγοις, οὐκ ἂν ὤκνησε λοιδορεῖν· οὕτως εἰ τὸν ἔπαινον ᾤετο παρορμήσειν πρὸς τοῦτο, εἰκότως ἐπῄνει. ἢ οὐκ ἀνοήτου ἀνθρώπου ἐστὶν αἰσχύνεσθαι αὑτὸν ἐπαινεῖν μέλλοντα τὰ μέγιστα ὀνήσειν; ὥσπερ οἶμαι καὶ τοὐναντίον σεμνύνεσθαι καὶ λέγειν ὑπὲρ αὑτοῦ πολλάκις, εἰ κίνδυνός τις ἢ βλάβη προσείη.

[57,0] THE FIFTY-SEVENTH DISCOURSE : NESTOR. (1) Why in the world do you suppose Homer caused Nestor to speak the following verses to Agamemnon and Achilles when he was trying to pacify them and teach them not to quarrel with one another ? "For once in bygone days I dealt with men Still braver than ye are, yet they did ne'er Make light of me. Such men I had not seen, Nor ever shall, as were Peirithoüs And Dryas, shepherd of the soldiery, And Caeneus and Exadius, Polypheme Divine and Theseus son of Aegeus, like The deathless gods. Aye, they were reared most strong Of earthly men ; most strong were they and with The strongest strove, wild creatures of the hills, And slew them ruthlessly. They understood My counsels and they hearkened to my word. And so should ye, since hearkening is best." (2) Can it be that Homer has made a braggart of Nestor when he says of Peirithoüs and Dryas and the others that, though they were not only marvellous by nature, but also far superior to Agamemnon and Achilles, still they wanted his opinion too, gong on to say that he had come from Pylus to Thessaly by invitation, since they wanted to enjoy his company and to converse with him ? For why, after having said that they were the strongest of men, does Nestor seem to offer as a weighty testimonial in their favour, that they understood his mind and hearkened to his words ? Or do we say his purpose was virtually this—that no man of understanding ever disobeys those whose words are right ; nay, disobedience is tantamount to lack of understanding ? (3) Come then, let us examine also the other aspects of the case, to see if Nestor has spoken rightly or as a braggart. Certainly foolish persons universally scorn men of no reputation and pay no heed to them, even though they may chance to be giving most excellent advice ; but, on the other hand, when they see men being honoured by the multitude or by persons of greatest power, they do not disdain to be guided by them. This is one count, therefore, on which Nestor commends himself, namely, that in days gone by he has been able to persuade many men of influence, and that Agamemnon and Achilles will refuse to obey, if they do refuse, because of their own folly and lack of perception, and not because Nestor is incompetent to give advice about things of highest importance. Accordingly, just as Nestor would not have hesitated to disparage himself, if by disparaging and saying that no one ever deigned to consult him about anything he were likely to move Agamemnon and Achilles to obey his words, so, if he thought his self-praise would move them to this, it was reasonable for him to resort to praise. Or is it not the mark of a foolish person to be ashamed to praise himself when by praise he is likely to confer the greatest benefits ; just as it is also, I fancy, to do the opposite—put on airs and talk about oneself a great deal, in case some risk or loss should be involved ?