[40,10] εὖ γὰρ ἴστε ὅτι καὶ τοῖς οἰκοδομήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ τῷ δικάζειν αὐτοὶ καὶ τῷ μὴ παρ´ ἑτέροις ἐξετάζεσθαι μηδὲ συντελεῖν ἄλλοις καθάπερ οἶμαι κώμην, πᾶσι τούτοις συναίρεσθαι πέφυκε τὸ φρόνημα τῶν πόλεων καὶ μεῖζον ἀξίωμα γίγνεσθαι τὸ τοῦ δήμου καὶ πλέονος τυγχάνειν τιμῆς καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐπιδημούντων ξένων καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων. ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς μὲν ἀγαπῶσι τὰς αὑτῶν πατρίδας καὶ μὴ φοβουμένοις μήποτε ἐλάττους αὐτῶν φανῶσι θαυμαστὴν ἔχει τὴν ἡδονήν· τοῖς δὲ ἐναντίως ἔχουσι καὶ βουλομένοις ἐν ἀσθενέσιν ἰσχύειν καὶ τὴν δόξαν τῆς πόλεως ἀδοξίαν αὑτῶν νομίζουσι δέοντως φέρει λύπην καὶ φθόνον. (40,11) καίτοι τὸ μὲν ὑπόδημα δεῖ πρὸς αὑτὸν ἁρμόττειν καὶ τὸν αὑτοῦ πόδα, καὶ ἂν δοκῇ μεῖζον, περιτεμεῖν· πόλιν δὲ οὐδέποτε δεῖ κολούειν οὐδὲ κατάγειν πρὸς αὑτὸν οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν μετρεῖν, ἐὰν τύχῃ σμικρὰν ἔχων καὶ ἀνελεύθερον, καὶ ταῦτα παραδειγμάτων ὄντων· λέγω δὲ τὸ τῶν Σμυρναίων, τὸ τῶν Ἐφεσίων, Ταρσεῖς ἐκείνους, Ἀντιοχέας. καὶ ταῦτα ἐπίσταμαι σαφῶς ὅτι καὶ πρότερόν τινες ἀκούοντες διερρήγνυντο καὶ χαλεπῶς ἔφερον, εἰ τοιούτων ἐθίζεσθε ἀκροᾶσθαι λόγων καὶ μετὰ τοιούτων πόλεων τολμᾷ τις ὀνομάζειν τὴν ὑμετέραν. (40,12) ὅμως δ´ ἐπὶ τούτοις σχετλιάζοντες καὶ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες καὶ διδόναι μηδένα ἐῶντες καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις ἐμποδὼν γιγνόμενοι, οὕτως ἐμὲ διέθηκαν, ὥστε ὀλίγου φυγὴν ἐμαυτοῦ καταψηφίσασθαι. καὶ γὰρ ἦν γελοῖον μετὰ φυγὴν οὕτως μακρὰν καὶ πράγματα τοσαῦτα καὶ τύραννον ἐχθρὸν δεῦρο ἀφικόμενον, ὥστε ἀναπαύσασθαι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπιλαθέσθαι τῶν πρότερον χαλεπῶν, οἷον ἐκ δεινοῦ καὶ ἀγρίου πελάγους καὶ χειμῶνος ἀδοκήτως σωθέντα μόλις δι´ εὔνοιαν θεοῦ τινος, ἔπειτα ἐνταῦθα ὥσπερ ἐν λιμένι ναυαγεῖν. (40,13) θαυμάζω δὲ μάλιστα ἐνίων ἀνθρώπων τὴν κακοήθειαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἄνοιαν, ὑπομιμνησκόμενος οἷα ἐλογοποίουν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον περὶ τῆς πρεσβείας, ἣν ἐπέμψατε εὐχαριστοῦντες. οὐ γὰρ ἡδέως αὐτὸν ἀποδέξασθαι τοὺς πρέσβεις, ἀλλὰ δυσχερᾶναι μᾶλλον, ὡς δέον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης ἀπηντηκέναι καὶ περιβαλεῖν τοὺς ἥκοντας ἢ τοὺς μηδέπω παρόντας ὀνομάζειν ἢ πυνθάνεσθαι περὶ τοῦδε καὶ τοῦδε, τί πράττουσιν ἢ διὰ τί πάντες οὐκ ἦλθον. (40,14) οἱ δὲ ἐλογοποίουν ὅτι τοῖς Σμυρναίοις παμπόλλας δωρεὰς δοίη καὶ χρήματα ἀμύθητα πέμψειε μετὰ τῶν Νεμέσεων, καὶ νὴ Δί´ ὡς ἄλλου τινὸς διαλεχθέντος μυρίους μὲν αὐτῷ συνεχώρησε βουλευτάς, χρυσίου δ´ ἐκέλευσε ποταμὸν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τραπῆναι καὶ μυριάδες ἄπειροί τινες ἐδόθησαν· ὧν οὐδὲν ἦν ἀληθές, ὡς ἐβουλόμην ἂν ἔγωγε. (40,15) τὸ γὰρ ἄλλους καλῶς πράττειν καὶ μεγάλων τυγχάνειν οὐκ ἂν οὐδέποτε λυπήσειε τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντα ἄλλως τε καὶ πρῶτον τυχόντα καὶ τὴν ἀφορμὴν ἴσως παρεσχηκότα. ὅμοιον γάρ, ὥσπερ εἴ τις αὑτῷ μόνον λάμπειν ἠξίου τὸν ἥλιον ἢ τὸν Δία ὕειν ἢ τοὺς ἀνέμους πνεῖν ἢ μηδένα ἄλλον ἀπὸ τῶν κρηνῶν δύνασθαι πιεῖν. ἀλλ´ ὁμοῦ φιλανθρωπότατος ὢν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ καὶ συνετώτατος ἁπάντων ἐμοί τε παρέσχεν (40,16) ὧν ἐγὼ ἐδεόμην καὶ ἄλλοις ὧν ἐκεῖνοι ἐδέοντο. τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν εἴρηκα πάντα τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, ὑπὲρ ἄλλων ὑμῶν βουλευομένων; ὅτι καὶ τούτου τοῦ πράγματος ἐγὼ πρότερος ἡψάμην καὶ πολλοὺς εἶπον ἐνθάδε λόγους ὑπὲρ ὁμονοίας, ἡγούμενος συμφέρειν τῇ πόλει τοῦτο καὶ κρεῖττον εἶναι μὴ διαφέρεσθαι πρὸς μηδένα ἀνθρώπων, ἥκιστα δὲ οἶμαι πρὸς τοὺς ἐγγὺς οὕτω καὶ ἀστυγείτονας. οὐ μέντοι πρὸς ἐκείνους γε ἦλθον οὐδὲ εἶπον φιλάνθρωπον οὐδὲν πρὸ τοῦ καταλλαγῆναι δημοσίᾳ τὴν πόλιν καὶ φίλους ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι. καίτοι ψήφισμά γε ἔπεμψαν εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ φιλοφρονούμενοι καὶ παρακαλοῦντες ἀφικέσθαι· καὶ πολλὰ δίκαιά μοι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὑπῆρχεν, ὥσπερ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν· ἀλλ´ ὅμως οὐχ ὑπέμενον φιλανθρωπεύεσθαι κατ´ ἐμαυτόν, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ μεθ´ ὑμῶν αὐτοῖς ἐβουλόμην γενέσθαι φίλος. (40,17) ὅθεν ὑφεωρῶντό με καὶ δυσχερῶς εἶχον. καὶ νῦν πυθόμενος τὰς διαλύσεις καὶ τὴν φιλίαν ταύτην πραττομένην, καὶ ψηφισαμένων ὑμῶν ἐμὲ καλεῖν, ἴσως καὶ ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς χρείας (τυχὸν γὰρ ἠλπίζετε κἀμοῦ μετασχόντος ῥᾷον μᾶλλον καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον ἔσεσθαι πάντα· καίτοι καὶ νῦν ἴσως οὐ τοῖς παροῦσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ κἀμοὶ νέμοντες τιμὴν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων, λογιζόμενοι κἀμὲ πολίτην ὑμέτερον, τυχὸν προθυμότεροι γεγόνασι πρὸς ὑμᾶς) ὅμως οὐ σφόδρα ἠπείχθην εὐλαβούμενος μὴ γένηται τοῦτο ἐμποδὼν οὐκ ἐκείνοις, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐντεῦθέν τισι. σχεδὸν γὰρ εἰώθασι πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ τοῖς πραττομένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πράττουσι φθονεῖν. (40,18) ἐπεὶ καὶ πέρυσι τοὺς λόγους τούτους πρὸς ἐμὲ ἔλεγον οἱ προεστῶτες αὐτῶν καὶ τότε ἐξῆν ὑμῖν ἀπηλλάχθαι πραγμάτων· ἀλλ´ ὑφεωρώμην ἐγὼ μή τισι τῶν ἐντεῦθεν πρόσαντες γένηται καὶ δυσκόλως φέρωσιν ἐμοῦ πράττοντος αὐτά. καὶ νῦν τρόπον τινὰ ἑκὼν ἐβράδυνα. ὅσα μὲν οὖν καὶ δι´ ἐμοῦ καὶ δι´ ἑτέρων δυνατὰ γίγνεσθαι τῇ πόλει, ταῦτα ἐκείνοις ἀξιῶ μᾶλλον ἐπιτρέπειν, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἀντιβαίνῃ μηδὲ λυπῆται βασκαίνων. ὅσα δ´ οὐ ῥᾴδιον ὑπ´ ἄλλου τῶν ἐντεῦθεν πραχθῆναι, τυχὸν δὲ καὶ λίαν χαλεπόν, ἡγεῖσθε πρὸς ἐκείνοις ἀεί με τὴν γνώμην ἔχειν μέχρις ἂν ἐμπνέω. (40,19) καὶ μὴν ὅστις ἂν προθυμῆται τὰ περὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ δύνηταί τι ποιεῖν ὑμῖν συμφέρον, ἐμὲ πρῶτον ἕξει τὸν μαρτυροῦντα καὶ συναγωνιζόμενον, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πρᾶγμα, ὃ γίγνεται ὀρθόν, πολὺ ἂν ἥδιον ἐπαινέσαιμι καὶ προθυμότερον ἄλλου πράττοντος ἢ αὐτὸς εἰσηγούμενος. οὐδὲ γὰρ εὐδοκιμεῖν βουλόμενος οὐδὲ τῶν ἐπαινούντων ἀπορῶν οὐδ´ ἐπιθυμίᾳ δόξης, ἀλλὰ τῇ πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὐνοίᾳ βούλομαι γίγνεσθαί τι τῶν δεόντων, καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς εὔχομαι πᾶσι γηρῶν ὡς πλείστους ἐπιδεῖν ἱκανωτέρους ἐμοῦ τὴν πόλιν ὠφελεῖν.

[40,10] For, let me assure you, buildings and festivals and independence in the administration of justice and exemption from standing trial away from home or from being grouped together with other communities like some village, if you will pardon the expression — all these things, I say, make it natural for the (p119) pride of the cities to be enhanced and the dignity of the community to be increased and for it to receive fuller honour both from the strangers within their gates and from the proconsuls as well. But while these things possess a wondrous degree of pleasure for those who love the city of their birth and are not afraid lest some day they may be found to be not good enough for it, to those who take the opposite stand and wish to wield authority over weak men and who deem the glory of the city to be their own ignominy, these things necessarily bring pain and jealousy. 11 And yet, while it is true that the shoe must fit the wearer and his own special foot, and if the shoe is judged to be too large it must be trimmed down, one must never curtail a city or reduce it to one's own dimensions or measure it with regard to one's own spirit, if one happens to have a small and servile spirit, particularly in the light of existing precedents — I mean the activities of the men of Smyrna, of the men of Ephesus, of those men of Tarsus, of the men of Antioch. Again, I know perfectly that on former occasions too certain persons were ready to burst with rage on hearing me talk this way and were incensed that you were growing accustomed to listening to such words, and that any one should presume to name your city in company with such distinguished cities. 12 But still, because of their angry protests at these proceedings, because of the things they say, because of their attempts to prevent any one's making a contribution, and because of their efforts to block operations, they have put me into such a frame of mind as almost to condemn myself to voluntary exile. For (p121) it really was ridiculous if, after having experienced so long an exile, so many tribulations, and so tyrannical a foe, after reaching home at last with the hope of finding respite and of being able to forget past hardships from then on — like a man who had through the kindness of some god unexpectedly and with difficulty been rescued from a dreadful, savage sea and tempest — I should then in port, so to speak, meet shipwreck here. 13 But I am especially amazed at the malevolence of sundry persons — or rather at their folly — as I call to mind what sort of tales they invented, first of all in connexion with the mission of congratulation which you sent. For they claimed that he was not glad to receive your envoys, but was vexed, as if it were incumbent upon him to meet at the gate and there embrace all arrivals, or to speak the names of those who had not yet arrived, or to inquire about this one and that one, wanting to know how they were or why they had not all come. 14 And others invented the tale that he gave the delegates from Smyrna very many presents, and that he sent untold riches along with the images of Nemesis, and, by Heaven, that after some one else had delivered an address he granted him ten thousand councillors and ordered a flood of gold to be turned in the direction (p123) of his city, and countless thousands of guineas were bestowed — not a word of which was true, though for my part I wish it were. 15 For to see many people meeting with success and gaining great favours would never disturb a man of discernment, especially a man who had been the first to encounter such good fortune, and had possibly furnished the precedent for it. For it is quite as if a man were to demand that for him alone the sun should shine, or Zeus send his rain, or the winds blow, or that no one else should be permitted to drink from the springs. On the contrary, being at once most benevolent and most sagacious of all men, the Emperor not only gave me what I asked, but also gave others what they asked. 16 Well, why have I made all this harangue, when you were considering other matters? Because previously I not only had touched upon this matter, but had also in this place made many speeches in behalf of concord, believing that this was advantageous for the city, and that it was better not to quarrel with any man at all, but least of all, in my opinion, with those who are so close, yes, real neighbours. However, I did not go to them or speak any word of human kindness in anticipation of the official reconciliation of the city and the establishment of your friendship with them. And yet at the very outset they sent me an official resolution expressing their friendship toward me and inviting me to pay them a visit. Furthermore, I had many obligations (p125) toward them, like any other citizen of Prusa; but still I did not undertake to show my goodwill toward them independently, but preferred rather to make friends with them along with you. So they looked upon me with distrust and were displeased. 17 Besides, at the present moment, although I had heard of the breaking off of hostilities, and that this compact of friendship was being negotiated, and although you had voted to summon me, possibly even for this very business — for you may have expected that everything would be easier to achieve and surer if I participated in it; and in fact even now by their honouring, not only those who are already in Apameia, but me too along with the others, taking into account that I too am a citizen of yours, they may conceivably have become better disposed toward you — still, for all that, I was in no great haste to come before you, being wary lest my coming might prove a stumbling-block, not to the Apameians, but to some of the men from here. For, it is safe to say, many persons are wont to look with disfavour, not on the business under consideration, but rather on the negotiators. 18 Why, even a year ago the leaders in Apameia were making these proposals to me, and you might at that time have been freed from trouble; yet I had misgivings lest the proposal might prove repugnant to some from here and they might be irritated if I acted in the matter. And so now too I have, as one might say, delayed intentionally. Accordingly, whatever can be accomplished for the city through others as well as through myself I ask to have entrusted to others (p127) preferably, so that no one may make opposition or be offended because of malice toward me. On the other hand, anything which cannot easily be achieved by any one else from here, but which is possibly very difficult to achieve at all, you may be sure always has my lively interest as long as I draw the breath of life. 19 Nay more, whoever is enthusiastic in matters concerning the city and has the ability to accomplish anything to your advantage will find me the first to bear him witness and to lend a hand in his endeavour, and I would much more gladly, yes, more eagerly, praise the same enterprise, provided it be upright, if some one else were active in it than if I myself were its moving spirit. For it is not from a desire to be popular or because I lack men to praise me or because of a craving for notoriety, but rather because of my goodwill toward you, that I wish whatever is needful to come to pass, and I pray to all the gods that, as I grow old, I may behold the greatest possible number of men more competent than myself to benefit the city.