[13,0] ΕΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΦΥΓΗΣ. (1) Ὅτε φεύγειν συνέβη με φιλίας ἕνεκεν λεγομένης ἀνδρὸς οὐ πονηροῦ, τῶν δὲ τότε εὐδαιμόνων τε καὶ ἀρχόντων ἐγγύτατα ὄντος, διὰ ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἀποθανόντος, δί´ ἃ πολλοῖς καὶ σχεδὸν πᾶσιν ἐδόκει μακάριος, διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων οἰκειότητα καὶ ξυγγένειαν, ταύτης ἐνεχθείσης ἐπ´ ἐμὲ τῆς αἰτίας, ὡς δὴ τἀνδρὶ φίλον ὄντα καὶ σύμβουλον· ἔθος γάρ τι τοῦτό ἐστι τῶν τυράννων, ὥσπερ ἐν Σκύθαις τοῖς βασιλεῦσι συνθάπτειν οἰνοχόους καὶ μαγείρους καὶ παλλακάς, οὕτως τοῖς ὑπ´ αὐτῶν ἀποθνήσκουσιν ἑτέρους προστιθέναι πλείους (2) ἀπ´ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας· τότε δ´ οὖν, ἐπεί με φεύγειν ἔδοξεν, ἐσκόπουν πότερον ὄντως χαλεπόν τι καὶ δυστυχὲς εἴη τὸ τῆς φυγῆς κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν δόξαν, ἢ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ἕτερον πέπονθεν, ὁποῖον λεγόμενόν ἐστι περὶ τὴν μαντείαν τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς. ἐκεῖναι γὰρ βῶλόν τινα ἢ λίθον αἴρουσαι σκοποῦσιν ἐν τούτῳ περὶ τοῦ πράγματος οὗ πυνθάνονται. καὶ δὴ ταῖς μὲν αὐτῶν φασι γίγνεσθαι κοῦφον, ταῖς δὲ βαρύν, ὡς μηδὲ κινῆσαι (3) δύνασθαι ῥᾳδίως. μὴ ἄρα καὶ τὸ φεύγειν καὶ τὸ πένεσθαι καὶ γῆρας δὴ καὶ νόσος καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῖς μὲν βαρέα φαίνεται καὶ χαλεπά, τοῖς δ´ ἐλαφρά τε καὶ εὔκολα· ἐκεῖ μὲν ἴσως κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πράγματος διαφορὰν ἐλαφρύνοντος τοῦ δαιμονίου τὸ βάρος, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οἶμαι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ χρωμένου δύναμιν καὶ γνώμην. (4) καὶ δὴ ἀνεμιμνησκόμην Ὀδυσσέως τε παρ´ Ὁμήρῳ κατοδυρομένου πολλάκις αὑτόν, ἀνδρὸς ἥρωος οὐδαμῶς τε ἀδυνάτου καρτερεῖν, πολλὰ ὅμως ἀνάξια λέγοντος καὶ θρηνοῦντος ἑκάστοτε παρὰ τῇ θαλάττῃ διὰ πόθον τῆς πατρίδος· τέλος δέ, ὥς φησιν ὁ ποιητής, ἐπεθύμει καπνὸν ἰδεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς αὑτοῦ γῆς ἀνιόντα, εἰ καὶ δέοι παραχρῆμα ἀποθνῄσκειν, καὶ οὔτε τὰ πρότερον ἔργα παρεμυθεῖτο αὐτὸν οὔτε θεὸς μάλα καλὴ καὶ ἀγαθὴ περὶ πολλοῦ ποιουμένη, ὥστε ὑποσχέσθαι ποιήσειν αὐτὸν ἀθάνατον, ἀλλὰ πάντων τούτων κατίσχυεν ὁ τῆς πατρίδος πόθος τε καὶ ἔρως·

[13,0] THE THIRTEENTH DISCOURSE: IN ATHENS, ABOUT HIS BANISHMENT. (1) WHEN it fell to my lot to be exiled on account of my reputed friendship with a man of good character and very closely connected with those who at that time were Fortune's favourites and indeed high officials, a man who lost his life on account of the very things which made him seem fortunate to many men, and indeed to practically everyone, I mean his connection by marriage and blood with these officials ; the charge brought against me being that I was that man's friend and adviser—for just as among the Scythians it is the practice to bury cupbearers and cooks and concubines with their kings, so it is the custom of despots to throw in several others for no reason whatever with those who are being executed by them—so, at the time when my banishment was decreed, I began to consider whether this matter of banishment was really a grievous thing and a misfortune, as it is in the view of the majority, or whether such experiences merely furnish another instance of what we are told happens in connection with the divinations of the women in the sacred places. For they pick up a chance clod of earth or a stone, and try to see in it the answer to their enquiry. And, so the story goes, some find their clod light, while others find theirs so heavy that they are not able even to move it easily. (3) "May not exile after all," I thought, "and poverty, yes, and old age too and sickness, and all such things, appear heavy to some and grievous, but to others light and easy ? For in the first case perhaps God lightens the weight according to the importance of the matter in question, and in the second case, I imagine, to suit the strength and willpower of the afflicted one." (4) And then I recalled Homer's Odysseus, who is always bewailing his lot, although he was a hero and quite able to endure. Yet he for all that says many unworthy things, and forever sits lamenting on the shore of the sea because he yearns for his native land ; and finally, so the poet says, the longing came upon him to see smoke ascending from his own country, even if he should have to die straightway, and neither his former exploits could solace him nor a goddess very beautiful and good who cherished him, going so far as to promise to make him immortal ; but all these things were outweighed by his yearning and love for his native land.