[40,0] ΕΝ ΤΗΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΑΠΑΜΕΙΣ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑΣ. (40,1) Ἐνόμιζον μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες πολῖται, νῦν γοῦν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, ἄξειν τὴν ἅπασαν ἡσυχίαν, δεῦρο ἀφικόμενος, καὶ μὴ προσάψεσθαι μήτε ἑκὼν μήτε ἄκων μηδενὸς κοινοῦ πράγματος, δι´ ἓν μὲν ὅτι καὶ πολλοὺς ὁρῶ σὺν τοῖς θεοῖς ἀεὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν νεωτέρων βουλομένους καὶ δυναμένους ἐπιτροπεύειν τὴν πόλιν καὶ προΐστασθαι τῶν ὑμετέρων ὀρθῶς οὔτε τοῦ λέγειν οὔτε τοῦ πράττειν ἐνδεῶς ἔχοντας, ἔτι δὲ τῆς παρ´ ὑμῖν πολιτείας ἐμπείρους ὄντας, ἐμὲ δὲ ὑπώπτευον· τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς εἰρήσεται· βαρύνεσθαί τινας ὡς ξένον καὶ περιττόν· (40,2) ἔπειτα οἶμαι καὶ τοῦ σώματος δέον ποιήσασθαί τινα πρόνοιαν, ἐκ πολλῆς καὶ συνεχοῦς ταλαιπωρίας ἀπειρηκότος, καὶ τῶν περὶ τὴν οἰκίαν, κομιδῇ φαύλως διακειμένων, ἃ τοσοῦτον ἀπολωλότα χρόνον οὐδεμιᾶς ἐπανορθώσεως τετύχηκεν. ὅπου γὰρ ἀποδημία δεσπότου χρονίσαντος ἱκανὴ διαφθεῖραι καὶ τὴν μεγίστην οὐσίαν, τί χρὴ προσδοκᾶν ἐν τοσούτοις ἔτεσι φυγῆς; ὅθεν οὐδεὶς ἂν προσεδόκησεν ἐμὲ σωθῆναι χωρὶς ὑμῶν δι´ εὐνοίας ὑπερβολήν. καίτοι μέχρι μὲν ὑπῆρχε πενίας κίνδυνος ἡμῖν, οὐδὲν ἦν δεινόν. οὐ γάρ εἰμι πρὸς τοῦτο ἀμελέτητος σχεδόν, τοσοῦτον χρόνον πλανηθεὶς οὐ μόνον ἄοικος καὶ ἀνέστιος, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἀκόλουθον ἕνα γοῦν ἐπαγόμενος. οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ τὸν υἱὸν ἤλπιζον χαλεπῶς ἂν ὑπομεῖναι πενίαν, οὐκ ὄντα ἐμοῦ χείρω τὴν φύσιν. (40,3) ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ψεύσασθαι τὴν πατρίδα μηδὲ ἀποστερῆσαι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὑμᾶς, ἣν ὑπεσχόμεθα μηδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος, οὐδαμῶς ῥᾳδίαν οὐδὲ ὀλίγων χρημάτων, τοῦτο οἶμαι χαλεπὸν καὶ πολλῆς φροντίδος ἄξιον· οὗ γε οὐδέν ἐστι βαρύτερον οὐδὲ ὀφειλόμενον ἐπὶ πλείονι τόκῳ χάριτος. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ‚ἀναίσχυντον δάνειον καὶ πικρόν‛, ὅταν οἶμαι τῷ βραδύνειν ἡ χάρις εἰς χρέος μεταστῇ· ὃ τῷ παντὶ χαλεπώτερον ἀπαιτοῦσιν οἱ σιωπῶντες τῶν βοώντων. (40,4) οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω δύναται τοὺς ὀφείλοντας ὑμῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπομιμνήσκειν, ὡς τὸ ὑμᾶς ἐκλελῆσθαι. διὰ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον ἐνόμιζον γενέσθαι πρὸς τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν κοινῶν προσιέναι μηδὲ μέχρι λόγου τέως, ἕως ἂν αἴσθωμαι τοῦτο δὴ τὸ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ λεγόμενον· (40,5) ὅ,ττι μοι ἐν μεγάροισι κακόν τ´ ἀγαθόν τε τέτυκται. πρότερον γὰρ οὐδ´ ἐπ´ ὀλίγον σχολὴν ἤγαγον ἴσως διὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πολυπραγμοσύνην, ὃς δέον ἐντυχεῖν ὑμῖν καὶ φιλοφρονήσασθαι τοσοῦτο μόνον καὶ θῦσαι τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ νὴ Δία ἀναγνῶναι τὰ γράμματα τὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ὅτι ἀναγκαῖον ἦν, ἔπειτα εὐθὺς ἀναχωρῆσαι καὶ τρέπεσθαι καθ´ αὑτόν, λόγον τινὰ εἶπον ὑπὲρ ἔργου τινός, οὐκ αὐτὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἐσπουδακότων, ἴσως μὲν ὑμῖν, ἴσως δὲ κἀμοὶ χαρίζεσθαι βουλομένων {καὶ} τὴν πόλιν ἄμεινον κατασκευάζειν καὶ σεμνοτέραν ποιεῖν ἅπασαν. πρότερον γὰρ ἴστε δήπουθεν ὅτι τοῖς τοιούτοις καὶ τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων ἐλειπόμεθα. (40,6) τοῦτον ἐμοῦ τότε εἰπόντος τὸν λόγον, ἐπήρθη τε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ δῆμος· οὐ γάρ ἐστε ἀγεννεῖς οὐδὲ ἀναίσθητοι τὰς φύσεις· καὶ πολλοὶ προετράπησαν φιλοτιμηθῆναι τῶν πολιτῶν. πάλιν δὲ ὕστερον ἐμοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐφ´ ὑμῖν ποιουμένου πολλάκις μὲν ἐν τῷ βουλευτηρίῳ, πολλάκις δ´ ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ, ἵνα, εἰ μὴ δοκιμάζοιτε μηδὲ βούλοισθε, μηδένα ἐνοχλῶ· τὴν γὰρ ἀσχολίαν τὴν ἐσομένην ὑπώπτευόν μοι περὶ ταῦτα· πολλάκις μὲν ὑφ´ ὑμῶν ἐκυρώθη, πολλάκις δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων, οὐδενὸς ἀντειπόντος. (40,7) ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν, ὅσα μὲν αὐτὸς ἔπαθον μετρῶν καὶ διαμετρῶν καὶ λογιζόμενος, ὅπως μὴ γένοιτο ἀπρεπὲς μηδὲ ἀχρεῖον, ὁποῖα ἔργα πολλὰ γέγονε παρ´ ἑτέροις μάτην ἀπολόμενα, καὶ τελευταῖον εἰς τὰ ὄρη φθειρόμενος, οὐκ ὢν ἔμπειρος τῶν τοιούτων οὐδενὸς οὐδὲ ἀπορῶν ἔργου τινός, ἀλλ´ ἕτερα μᾶλλον πράττειν δυνάμενος σπουδαιότερα ἴσως, ἀφ´ ὧν οὐ παρὰ μόνοις ὑμῖν εὐδοκιμεῖν ἔμελλον, ἐῶ νῦν ἐπεξιέναι. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐμοὶ βαρὺ δι´ ὑμᾶς ὑπομένοντι. (40,8) λόγοι δὲ ἐγίγνοντο πολλοὶ μέν, οὐ παρὰ πολλῶν δέ, καὶ σφόδρα ἀηδεῖς, ὡς κατασκάπτω τὴν πόλιν, ὡς ἀνάστατον πεποίηκα σχεδὸν ἐξελαύνων τοὺς πολίτας, ὡς ἀνῄρηται πάντα, συγκέχυται, λοιπὸν οὐδέν ἐστιν. καί τινες ἦσαν οἱ σφόδρα ὀδυρόμενοι τὸ χαλκεῖον τὸ τοῦ δεῖνος, χαλεπῶς ἔχοντες, εἰ μὴ μενεῖ ταῦτα τὰ ὑπομνήματα τῆς παλαιᾶς εὐδαιμονίας, ὥσπερ τῶν Ἀθήνησι Προπυλαίων κινουμένων ἢ τοῦ Παρθενῶνος ἢ τὸ Σαμίων Ἥραιον ἡμᾶς ἀνατρέποντας ἢ τὸ Μιλησίων Διδύμειον ἢ τὸν νεὼν τῆς Ἐφεσίας Ἀρτέμιδος, (40,9) ἀλλ´ οὐκ αἰσχρὰ καὶ καταγέλαστα ἐρείπια, πολὺ ταπεινότερα τῶν κλεισίων, οἷς ὑποδύεται τὰ πρόβατα, τῶν ποιμένων δὲ οὐδεὶς ἂν δύναιτο εἰσελθεῖν οὐδὲ τῶν γενναιοτέρων κυνῶν· ἐφ´ οἷς ὑμεῖς μὲν ἠρυθριᾶτε καὶ διετρέπεσθε τῶν ἡγεμόνων εἰσιόντων, οἱ δὲ ἀηδῶς ἔχοντες πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπέχαιρον καὶ ἐγέλων· ὅπου μηδὲ τοῖς χαλκεῦσιν ἐξῆν διάρασθαι σχεδόν, ἀλλὰ εἰργάζοντο κεκυφότες· καὶ ταῦτα πίπτοντα καὶ ὑπερηρεισμένα, ἃ πρὸς τὴν πληγὴν τοῦ ῥαιστῆρος ἔτρεμε καὶ διίστατο· ἀλλ´ ὅμως ἦσαν οἳ χαλεπῶς ἑώρων ἀφανιζόμενα τὰ σημεῖα τῆς ἔμπροσθεν πενίας καὶ ἀδοξίας, οὐχ ὅτι τῶν κιόνων ἔμελεν αὐτοῖς τῶν ἱσταμένων οὐδὲ τῶν γείσων, οὐ τῶν οἰκοδομουμένων ἐργαστηρίων ἄλλοσε, ἀλλ´ ἵνα μηδέποτε μεῖζον ὑμεῖς ἐκείνων φρονῆτε.

[40,0] The Fortieth Discourse: Delivered in his Native City on Concord with the Apameians. 1 I used to think, fellow citizens, that now at least, if not before — now that I am home again — I could look forward to enjoying complete leisure, and that I was not going to engage in any public business, either voluntarily or otherwise. One reason was because I see that many older men, by the grace of God, and many younger men as well, are ever ready and able to direct the city and to defend your interests rightly, being deficient in neither speech nor action, and what is more, being thoroughly acquainted with your form of government, while, on the other hand, I suspected — for the truth will out — that some were vexed with me as being an outsider and a nuisance. 2 A second reason is that, in my opinion, I should take some thought, not only for my body, exhausted as it is from great and unremitting hardship, but also for my domestic affairs, now in thoroughly bad condition, affairs which, though so long in ruinous state, have met with no improvement. (p111) For when a proprietor's absence from home, if protracted, suffices to ruin even the greatest estate, what should one expect in the course of so many years of exile? From such an exile no one could have expected me to come home safe except yourselves — because of your extreme partiality for me. And yet as long as poverty was the only risk confronting me, that was nothing to be afraid of. For I am not unprepared, I may say, to cope with that, having wandered so long, not only without hearth and home, but even without a single servant to bear me company. Furthermore, I did not expect my son to find poverty a grievous thing to bear either, since his nature is not inferior to my own. 3 But since the question before us concerns my not proving false toward my native land and not defrauding you of the promise I made under no compulsion, a promise by no means easy to make good and involving no small outlay of money, this I conceive to be a difficult matter and one calling for much serious cogitation. For there is nothing more weighty, no debt bearing higher interest, than a favour promised. Moreover, this is the shameful and bitter kind of loan, when, as one might say, because of tardy payment the favour turns into an obligation, an obligation the settlement of which those who keep silent demand altogether more sternly than those who cry aloud. 4 For nothing has such power to remind those who owe you such obligations as your having utterly forgotten them. For these reasons, therefore, I felt it had become necessary for me to devote myself to my own affairs and not to any (p113) public business, not even to the extent of making a speech, until, as the poet says, I shall perceive "What ill or good has happened in my halls". 5 The fact is that hitherto I had not had even a moment's leisure, possibly because of my own officiousness, when I ought merely to have met you and given you friendly greetings and sacrificed to the gods, and, of course, read the letter from the Emperor, since that was a matter of necessity, and then to have retired immediately and turned to my own affairs, instead I made a speech in behalf of a certain undertaking, not on my own responsibility alone, but with the backing of the proconsuls as well, who possibly were minded to do you a favour, and perhaps me as well, and also to put the city into better shape and make it more impressive as a whole. For formerly, as you doubtless are aware, we were behind even our neighbours in such matters. 6 Well, when I made that speech on the occasion referred to, not only was the Assembly aroused with enthusiasm for it — for you are not illiberal or insensible in your nature — but also many of the citizens were even moved to patriotic fervour in its support. And again, when later on I repeatedly laid the matter before you, now in the council chamber and now (p115) in the theatre, to make sure that I should not offend anyone in case you did not approve or desire the project — for I had my misgivings as to the hard work which would be connected with the enterprise — the proposal was repeatedly sanctioned by you and by the proconsuls too with not a dissenting voice. 7 However, when the work was started, all the trouble to which I myself was put in taking measurements and allotting space and making computations, to insure that the project should not be unbecoming or useless — as in other cities many public works have been ruined for lack of planning — and finally in making a cursed excursion to the mountains, though I was not at all experienced in such matters and did not lack for something to do either, but might rather have occupied myself with other activities, possibly more important, from which I was likely to enjoy renown with others besides yourselves — all this I now refrain from narrating in detail; for nothing was too burdensome for me, seeing that I bore it for your sake. 8 But there was a lot of talk — though not on the part of many persons — and very unpleasant talk too, to the effect that I am dismantling the city; that I have laid it waste, virtually banishing the inhabitants; that everything has been destroyed, obliterated, nothing left. And there were some who were violent in their lamentations over the smithy of So-and-so, feeling bitter that these memorials of the good old days were not to be preserved. One might have supposed that the Propylaea at Athens were being tampered with, or the Parthenon, or that we were wrecking the Heraeum of the Samians, or the Didymeium of the Milesians, or the temple of (p117) Artemis at Ephesus, 9 instead of disgraceful, ridiculous ruins, much more lowly than the shed under which the flocks take shelter, but which no shepherd could enter nor any of the nobler breeds of dogs, structures that used to make you blush, aye, be utterly confounded when the proconsuls essayed to enter, while men who bore you malice would gloat over you and laugh at your discomfiture — hovels where even the blacksmiths were scarcely able to stand erect but worked with bowed head; shanties, moreover, in tumbledown condition, held up by props, so that at the stroke of the hammer they quivered and threatened to fall apart. And yet there were some who were distressed to see the signs of their former poverty and ill-repute disappearing, who, far from being interested in the columns which were rising, or in the eaves of the roof, or in the shops under construction in a different quarter, were interested only in preventing your ever feeling superior to that crew.