[41,0] ΠΡΟΣ ΑΠΑΜΕΙΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑΣ. (41,1) Ὅτι μὲν ὑμεῖς, ὦ βουλὴ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οἱ παρόντες οἱ μετριώτατοι, πρᾴως πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ φιλικῶς ἔχετε, δοκῶ μοι τοῦτο γιγνώσκειν. αὐτός τε γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν οἶδα περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενον τὴν παρ´ ὑμῶν εὔνοιαν καὶ μηδέποτε μηδὲν ἐναντίον μήτε εἰπόντα μήτε πράξαντα, καὶ ὑμεῖς εὐθὺς ἐμὲ ἀφικόμενον ἐτιμήσατε δημοσίᾳ ψηφίσματι πέμψαντες, συνηδόμενοι τῆς καθόδου καὶ παρακαλοῦντες ἐπιδημῆσαι πρὸς αὑτούς. (41,2) καὶ ἴσως οὐδὲν ἐποιεῖτε θαυμαστόν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον αἱ λοιπαὶ πόλεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἰσοτίμων ὑμῖν αἱ πλεῖσται σχεδόν, ὅπου γέγονα, καὶ πολιτείας καὶ βουλῆς καὶ τῶν πρώτων τιμῶν οὐδὲν δεομένῳ μετέδωκαν, οὐκ ἀνωφελῆ σφισι νομίζοντες οὐδὲ ἀνάξιον τιμᾶσθαι. τὸ δὲ ὑμέτερον οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλότριον, ἀλλ´ ὡς ἂν εὐνοίᾳ καὶ χάριτι πατρίδος τιμώσης πολίτην αὑτῆς. τὸ δὲ εἶναί τινας, ὡς ἂν ἐν δήμῳ, τῶν ἐνθάδε ἐμοὶ σχεδὸν μὴ σφόδρα ἡδομένους οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσαιμι διὰ τὴν τῶν πόλεων φιλοτιμίαν. καίτοι ἐπίσταμαι σαφῶς οὐδὲ τοὺς ἐκεῖ πολίτας ἅπαντας ἀρέσαι δυνάμενος, ἀλλ´ ἐνίους δι´ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἀχθομένους ὅτι λίαν δοκῶ φιλόπολις καὶ πρόθυμος. (41,3) δεῖ δὲ τὸν ἐπιεικῆ καὶ μέτριον ἄνδρα καὶ ταύτην παρέχειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πολίταις. τὸ γὰρ μηδένα ἐν πόλει μήτε ἀντιλέγειν ἑνὶ μήτε μέμφεσθαι κἂν ἅπαντα φαίνηται ποιῶν καλῶς, οὐ δήμων ἐστὶν οὐδὲ ἐπιεικές, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον φιλεῖ τὸ τοιοῦτον συμβαίνειν τοῖς τυράννοις ἢ τοῖς εὐεργέταις. εἰ οὖν εἰσί τινες πρὸς ἐμὲ δυσκόλως διακείμενοι, τούτοις μάλιστα πιστεύω. δῆλον γὰρ ὡς νομίζοντές με ἀγαπᾶν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πατρίδα καὶ πάντα τρόπον αὔξειν οὕτως ἔχουσιν. ἐὰν οὖν πεισθῶσιν ὅτι καὶ ταύτην ἡγοῦμαι πατρίδα, καὶ πράττειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ὅ,τι ἂν δύνωμαι πρόθυμός εἰμι, ῥᾳδίως μεταβαλοῦνται καὶ ἀγαπήσουσί με τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁμοίως. (41,4) τὸ μὲν οὖν φιλεῖν τὴν πατρίδα μάλιστα πάντων οὐκ ἔξαρνός εἰμι. πυνθάνομαι δὲ αὐτῶν, εἰ τοῦτο ἀδίκου νομίζουσιν ἀνδρὸς εἶναι καὶ μοχθηροῦ, καὶ πολίτην τοιοῦτον οὐκ ἂν ἐθέλοιεν εἶναι παρ´ αὑτοῖς. οὐκοῦν ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν ἔχειν κἀμὲ πολίτην ἀνυπόπτως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς βελτίστους. καὶ τοίνυν δι´ αὐτό μοι τοῦτο πιστεύοιτε ἂν δικαιότερον. ὅστις μὲν γὰρ ἀγνώμων περὶ τοὺς φύσει γονέας, οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο ὅσιος οὐδὲ πρὸς τοὺς θεμένους αὐτόν. (41,5) ὁ δὲ τοὺς γεννήσαντας ἀγαπῶν οὐδέποτ´ ἂν ἀμελήσειε τῶν χάριτι γονέων γενομένων. τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς φύσεως αὐτόματόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ τῆς χάριτος ἑκούσιον. εἰμὶ μὲν οὖν πολίτης ἑκατέρων· ἀλλ´ ἐκείνοις μὲν οὐ δεῖ με περὶ τούτου χάριν εἰδέναι, ὑμᾶς δὲ ὡς εὐεργέτας ἀμείβεσθαι δίκαιον. διὰ γὰρ τὴν ὑμετέραν εὔνοιαν καὶ δωρεὰν μετέχω τῆς πόλεως. ἀλλ´ ὅσοι μὲν αὐτοὶ πολῖται γεγόνασι, τούτοις μόνον ὑπάρχει φιλάνθρωπον τὸ τῆς δωρεᾶς, τὸ δὲ τῆς φύσεως ἀναγκαῖον οὐ πρόσεστιν. ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀμφοτέρων μέτεστιν· (41,6) ὁ μὲν γὰρ πάππος ὁ ἐμὸς μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς παρὰ τοῦ τότε αὐτοκράτορος φίλου ὄντος ἅμα τῆς Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἔτυχεν, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ παρ´ ὑμῶν· ὥστε καὶ χάριτι καὶ γένει πολίτης ὑμέτερός εἰμι. τὸ γὰρ ἀπωτέρω δυοῖν βαθμοῖν ζητεῖν τὸ γένος οὐδαμῶς ἐπιεικές. οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτω τό γε ἀληθὲς ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς εὑρεθήσεται πόλεως. καὶ μὴν τῶν γε ἐμῶν τέκνων ἥδε πατρίς ἐστι μᾶλλον. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον συνακολουθεῖν τὰ τέκνα τῷ πατρί· πολὺ δὲ ἥδιον τὸν πατέρα τοῖς παισὶ συνέπεσθαι. (41,7) διὰ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα εὔνους ὢν ὑμῖν τυγχάνω καὶ πολίτου διάθεσιν ἔχω· καὶ φανερῶς δὲ ἐδήλωσα. τῆς γὰρ φιλονικίας ἐνεστώσης ταῖς πόλεσι, καὶ τῆς πατρίδος σφόδρα μὲν αἰδουμένης ἐμὲ ἄκοντα ἐνοχλῆσαι, σφόδρα δὲ ἐπιθυμούσης ἀναλαβεῖν τὸ πρᾶγμα, πολλάκις τῷ τιμᾶν προκαλουμένης οὐχ ὑπήκουσα πρὸς τοῦτο μόνον, οὐδὲν ἂν ὀκνήσας ἐκείνης ἕνεκεν ποιῆσαι, μηδενὸς ἔλαττον τυχὸν πρᾶξαι δυνάμενος, καὶ φίλων μοι ὄντων οὔτε ὀλίγων οὔτε ἀδυνάτων, ἵνα μηδὲν ἐπίφθονον εἴπω μηδὲ ὃ λυπήσει τινάς, ἔτι δὲ οὐκ ὀκνῶν τὴν ὁδόν, ὁπότε δεῖ με καὶ ἄλλως ἀπιέναι. (41,8) τούτων οὖν ὑπαρχόντων ἀπεσχόμην τοῦ πράγματος, οὐκ ἐκείνους προδιδούς, ἀλλ´ αἰδούμενος ὑμᾶς καὶ νομίζων χρησιμώτερος ἔσεσθαι κἀκείνοις καὶ ὑμῖν, ἐὰν δύνωμαι φίλας ποιῆσαι τὰς πόλεις τῶν τε πρότερον ζητημάτων ἀπαλλάξας καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν εἰς εὔνοιαν καὶ ὁμόνοιαν προτρεψάμενος. τοῦτο γὰρ ἁπάντων βέλτιστόν τε καὶ ἄριστον οὐ μόνον τοῖς ἴσοις πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς κρείττοσι πρὸς τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους. (41,9) ἐπίσταμαι μὲν οὖν ὡς χαλεπόν ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων ἐξελεῖν ἔριν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ τεθραμμένην, ὥσπερ νόσημα ἐκ πολλοῦ συμπεφυκὸς οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἀπαλλάξαι τοῦ σώματος, ἄλλως τε εἴ τις ἐθέλοι ἀνωδύνως ἰᾶσθαι. ὅμως δὲ πιστεύω τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἤθει, νομίζων οὐ σκληρὸν οὐδὲ ἀμαθές, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι γνήσιον ἐκείνων τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῆς μακαρίας πόλεως, ὑφ´ ἧς δεῦρο ἐπέμφθητε φίλοι δὴ παρὰ φίλους {δεῦρο} οἰκήσοντες· ἣ τοσοῦτον εὐτυχίᾳ διαφέρουσα τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων καὶ δυνάμει πλέον διενήνοχεν ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, τοῦτο μὲν ἀφθόνως μεταδιδοῦσα καὶ πολιτείας καὶ νόμων καὶ ἀρχῶν, οὐδέν´ ἀλλότριον ἡγουμένη τῶν ἀξίων, τοῦτο δὲ ὁμοίως ἅπασι φυλάττουσα τὸ δίκαιον.

[41,0] The Forty-first Discourse: To the Apameians on Concord. 1 Members of the Council and you other most fair-minded gentlemen here present, I believe I know for a fact that you are kindly and amiably disposed toward me. For I am sure I myself esteem highly your favourable regard and have never said or done anything against you, and besides, immediately on my reaching home you honoured me officially with a resolution which you sent me, expressing your joy over my return and inviting me to pay you a visit. 2 And perhaps there was nothing remarkable in what you did; for wherever I have been, not only cities in general, but even, I may say, most of those which are of equal rank with yourselves, have presented me with citizenship, with membership in the Council, and with highest honours without my asking it, believing me to be not unserviceable to themselves or unworthy of being honoured. And your action is not that of strangers but rather, as it were, of a fatherland honouring its own son in token of goodwill and of gratitude. Yet that there should be some here — as is natural in a democracy — who, if I may say so, are not too pleased with me would not surprise me, because of the rivalry between our two (p153) cities. Though I am aware that I cannot please even all the citizens of Prusa, but, on the contrary, that some of them are vexed with me for the very reason that I seem to be too patriotic and enthusiastic. 3 However, a man who is reasonable and fair- minded must allow his fellow citizens this licence too. For it is not to be expected of democracies, nor is it reasonable, that they should not allow anyone in a city either to raise his voice against a single person or to find fault with him, even when that person shows himself to be behaving well in all respects, but such immunity from criticism is more likely to be accorded to dictators than to benefactors. Therefore, if there are some who are ill disposed toward me, it is they in whom I have the most confidence. For it is clear that they feel as they do because they believe I love my fatherland and try to foster it in every way. Therefore, if they become convinced that I regard this city too as my fatherland and am eager to do in its behalf all in my power, they will readily change and come to love me as the others do. 4 Now love of native land is a thing which, above all, I do not disclaim. But I ask them whether they regard this as the mark of an unjust man and one who is base, and whether they would not care to have that kind of citizen in their state. Well then, you have the opportunity to have as a citizen above suspicion not only me but the best of the other Prusans as well. And furthermore, you might more justly feel confidence in me for this very reason; for whoever is inconsiderate toward his natural parents would never be a dutiful son to his parents by adoption; 5 whereas he who cherishes those to whom he owes his being would never neglect those who have (p155) become parents as an act of grace. For Nature operates without our choice, whereas grace is an act of freewill. Now then, I am a citizen of each of our two cities; but while I need not feel grateful to the men of Prusa in that connexion, it is only fair that I should requite you as benefactors. For it is through your kindness and generosity that I am a member of your city. However, for all who have gained citizenship by themselves there is only the benevolence inspired by the grant, and the compulsion which Nature imposes is not attached to it. 6 But as for me, I partake of both; for my grandfather, along with my mother, acquired from the emperor of that day, who was his friend, not only Roman citizenship, but along with it citizenship in Apameia too, while my father got citizenship here from you; consequently I am your fellow townsman by both grace and birth. Again, to my children at least this is fatherland rather than Prusa. While, therefore, necessity dictates that the children follow the father, it is much more pleasant for this father to follow his children. 7 These, then, are the reasons why I happen to be well disposed toward you and have a citizen's state of mind; and, moreover, I have shown it openly too. For when strife had broken out between our cities and the city of my birth very considerately disliked to trouble me against my wishes, though it was (p157) very eager to take up the problem, often inviting my support by the honours it bestowed upon me, I did not give heed to this inducement alone — not that I should have had any reluctance about acting in behalf of Prusa, since I might possibly have accomplished as much as any one and had not a few friends, and friends, too, not lacking in influence, not to say anything invidious or likely to hurt some persons' feelings; furthermore, it was not because I shrank from the journey, since I had to go abroad in any case. 8 Well then, in spite of these considerations I held off from the affair, not as a traitor to the men of Prusa, but out of consideration for you, and because I believed I should be more serviceable to both sides if I could make the cities friends, not alone by ridding them of their past subjects of dispute, but also by turning them toward friendship and concord for the future. For this is the best course of all and the most expedient, not only in dealings between equals, but also in dealings between superiors and inferiors. 9 Now I understand how difficult it is to eradicate strife from human beings, especially when it has been nurtured for a fairly long period of time, just as it is not easy to rid the body of a disease that has long since become a part of it, especially in case one should wish to effect a painless cure. But still I have confidence in the character of your city, believing it to be, not rough and boorish, but in very truth the genuine character of those distinguished men and that blessed city by which you were sent (p159) here as friends indeed to dwell with friends. That city, while so superior to the rest of mankind in good fortune and power, has proved to be even more superior in fairness and benevolence, bestowing ungrudgingly both citizenship and legal rights and offices, believing no man of worth to be an alien, and at the same time safeguarding justice for all alike.