[33,15] ἀλλ´ ὅστις ἰδὼν ὅσα δεινὰ καὶ δυσχερῆ καὶ ὅτι μεστὰ πάντα πολεμίων καὶ ἐχθρῶν, ὅπου τρυφὴ καὶ ἀπάτη δυναστεύουσιν, αὐτόν μιν πληγῇσιν ἀεικελίῃσι δαμάσσας, σπεῖρα κάκ´ ἀμφ´ ὤμοισι βαλών, οἰκῆι ἐοικώς, ἀνδρῶν θρυπτομένων κατέδυ πόλιν εὐρυάγυιαν· ἐπ´ οὐδενὶ κακῷ τῶν πέλας, ὥσπερ Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν μνηστήρων ἧκε τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ζητῶν ἂν ἄρα τι δύνηται λαθὼν ἀγαθὸν ἐργάσασθαι· τί δὴ κινεῖτε τὸν τοιοῦτον ἢ τί προκαλεῖσθε δύσκολόν τινα καὶ ἄγριον ὑμῖν φανούμενον δημηγόρον; οὐ γὰρ ὑμῶν παρεσκεύασται τὰ ὦτα δέξασθαι τραχεῖς τε καὶ στερεοὺς λόγους· ἀλλ´ ὥσπερ ἀσθενεῖς ὁπλαὶ κτηνῶν τῶν ἐν μαλακοῖς τε καὶ λείοις τραφέντων χωρίοις, ὁμοίως ὦτα τρυφερὰ ἐν κολακείᾳ τραφέντα καὶ λόγοις ψευδέσι. (16) τί οὖν προθυμεῖσθε ἀκούειν ὧν οὐκ ἀνέξεσθε; ἀλλὰ μὴν τοιοῦτον πεπόνθατε οἷον Αἴσωπος ἔφη τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς παθεῖν, ἐπειδὴ ἑαυτοὺς μὲν ἐνόμιζον πλείστου εἶναι ἀξίους, τὸ στόμα δὲ ἑώρων ἀπολαῦον τῶν τε ἄλλων καὶ δὴ τοῦ μέλιτος ἡδίστου ὄντος. οὐκοῦν ἠγανάκτουν τε καὶ ἐμέμφοντο τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐνῆκε τοῦ μέλιτος, οἱ δὲ ἐδάκνοντό τε καὶ ἐδάκρυον καὶ δριμὺ καὶ ἀηδὲς αὐτὸ ἡγοῦντο. μὴ οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπιζητεῖτε γεύσασθαι τῶν ἐκ φιλοσοφίας λόγων, ὥσπερ ὀφθαλμοὶ μέλιτος· ἔπειτα οἶμαι καὶ δακνόμενοι δυσχερανεῖτε καὶ φήσετε ἴσως οὐδαμῶς φιλοσοφίαν εἶναι τὸ τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ λοιδορίαν καὶ βλάβην. (17) ἡγεῖσθε μὲν γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες, εὐδαίμονας ἑαυτοὺς καὶ μακαρίους, ἐπειδὴ πόλιν τε μεγάλην οἰκεῖτε καὶ χώραν ἀγαθὴν νέμεσθε καὶ πλεῖστα δὴ καὶ ἀφθονώτατα παρ´ αὑτοῖς ὁρᾶτε τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, καὶ ποταμὸς ὑμῖν οὗτος διὰ μέσης διαρρεῖ τῆς πόλεως, πρὸς τούτοις δὲ μητρόπολις ἡ Ταρσὸς τῶν κατὰ Κιλικίαν. ὁ δὲ Ἀρχίλοχος, ὅν φημι τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι ἀρέσαι, περὶ στρατηγοῦ λέγων οὕτω φησίν· οὐ φιλέω μέγαν στρατηγὸν οὐδὲ διαπεπλιγμένον οὐδὲ βοστρύχοισι γαῦρον οὐδ´ ὑπεξυρημένον· ἀλλά μοι, φησίν, εἴη ῥαιβός, ἀσφαλῶς βεβηκὼς καὶ ἐπὶ κνήμαισιν (18) δασύς. μὴ οὖν αὐτὸν οἴεσθε στρατηγὸν μὲν μὴ ἀγαπᾶν οἷον εἴρηκε, μηδ´ ἐν σώματος μεγέθει καὶ κόμῃ τίθεσθαι τὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ὄφελος, πόλιν δ´ ἂν ἐπαινέσαι ποτὲ εἰς ταῦτα ὁρῶντα, ποταμοὺς καὶ βαλανεῖα καὶ κρήνας καὶ στοὰς καὶ πλῆθος οἰκιῶν καὶ μέγεθος· κόμῃ γὰρ ἀτεχνῶς καὶ βοστρύχοις ταῦτα ἔοικεν· ἀλλ´ ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ μᾶλλον ἂν τούτων προκρῖναι σμικράν τε καὶ ὀλίγην (19) σωφρόνως οἰκουμένην κἂν ἐπὶ πέτρας. ἀλλὰ Ἀρχίλοχος μὲν οὕτως εἶπεν, Ὅμηρος δὲ πῶς; οὐχ ὁ μὲν Ὀδυσσεὺς νησιώτης ἦν οὐδὲ τῶν συμμέτρων νήσων· πόθεν; οὐδὲ τῶν ἐγκάρπων, ἀλλ´ ἣν μόνον ἐπαινέσαι θέλων αἰγίβοτον εἴρηκεν. ἀλλ´ ὅμως φησὶ τῇ τούτου βουλῇ τε καὶ γνώμῃ καὶ τὴν Τροίαν αἱρεθῆναι, τηλικαύτην πόλιν καὶ τοσούτων ἄρχουσαν, ὅσσον Λέσβος ἄνω μακάρων ἕδος ἐντὸς ἐέργει. καὶ Φρυγίη καθύπερθε καὶ Ἑλλήσποντος ἀπείρων· ἣν πάντας φησὶ μυθεῖσθαι πολύχρυσον, πολύχαλκον.

[33,15] But if a man, having seen how much there is that is dreadful and hateful in the world, and that everywhere are countless enemies, both public and private, with whom wantonness and deceit hold sway, "Subdues his body with injurious blows, Casts round his shoulders sorry rags, in guise A slave, steals into the wide-wayed town of those Who hold debauch, meaning no harm to his neighbours—such as Odysseus meant to the suitors when he came in that guise—but on the contrary seeking if perchance he may unobtrusively do them some good—if, I say, such a man connes among you, why do you stir him up, or why do you call upon one who will appear to you to be a churlish and savage person as a speaker ? For your ears have not been prepared for the reception of harsh and stubborn words; nay, as the hooves of cattle are tender when they are reared in soft, smooth country, so men's ears are dainty when reared in the midst of flattery and lying speech. (16) Why, then, are you eager to hear what you will not endure ? Something must have happened to you like what Aesop says happened to the eyes. They believed themselves to be the most important organs of the body, and yet they observed that it was the mouth that got the benefit of most things and in particular of honey, the sweetest thing of all. So they were angry and even found fault with their owner. But when he placed in them some of the honey, they smarted and wept and thought it a stinging, unpleasant substance. Therefore, do not you yourselves seek to taste the words that philosophy has to offer, as the eyes tasted honey; if you do, methinks, not only will you be vexed when they cause a smart, but perhaps you will even say that such a thing cannot possibly be philosophy, but rather abuse and mischief. (17) The fact is, my friends, that you consider yourselves fortunate and blessed because your home is in a great city and you occupy a fertile land, because you find the needs of life supplied for you in greatest abundance and profusion, because you have this river flowing through the heart of your city, and because, moreover, Tarsus is the capital of all the people of Cilicia. But Archilochus, who, as I have said, found favour in the eyes of Apollo, in speaking of a general thus expresses his opinion : "A general who is tall doth please me not, Who walks with legs apart, delights in curls, And shaves the hair that grows upon his calves". `Nay,' says he, `let me rather have one who is bandy-legged, stands firmly, and has hairy shins.' Therefore you must not think that if Archilochus had no love for the sort of general he has described and did not gauge the value of a general by his height or hair, he would ever have praised a city because he found in it such things as rivers and baths and fountains and porticoes and a multitude of houses and a wide extent of space, for such things are simply like hair and ringlets on a man; to me at least it appears that in place of these things he would have preferred a city that is both small and weak, even if perched upon a rock, provided it is wisely managed. (19) Well, there you have what Archilochus has to say, but how about Homer? Did not Odysseus come from an island, and not even from one of medium size—of course not—nor yet from a fertile one, but rather from one of which the poet could only say by way of praise that it `pastured goats'? But still Homer says that it was by that man's counsel and judgement that even Troy was taken, a city that was so great, and held sway over so many peoples, "Seaward as far as Lesbos, the abode Of gods, and, landward, Phrygia and the stream Of boundless Hellespont" ; a city which he declares all men call rich-in-gold, rich-in-copper'.