[74,0] ΠΕΡΙ ΑΠΙΣΤΙΑΣ. (1) (Dion) Ἐπίστασαί τινας ἤδη βλαβέντας ὑπὸ ἐχθρῶν; (Interlocuteur) Πῶς γὰρ οὔ; (Dion) Τί δέ; ὑπὸ τῶν καλουμένων φίλων καὶ συνήθων ἢ καὶ ὑπὸ συγγενῶν τινων, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἔγγιστα, ἀδελφῶν ἢ υἱῶν ἢ πατέρων; (Interlocuteur) Ἔγωγε πολλούς. (Dion) Τίς οὖν ἡ αἰτία, δι´ ἣν οὐ μόνον οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀδικοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι φίλοι ἀλλήλους καὶ νὴ Δία πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν οὕτως ἀναγκαίων; (Interlocuteur) Δῆλον ὡς ἡ κακία τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὑφ´ ἧς ἕκαστος οἶμαι καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν αὑτῷ βλαβερός. (Dion) Πάντας ἄρα δεῖ {τοὺς φίλους} ἐπ´ ἴσης φυλάττεσθαι καὶ μὴ πιστεύειν μηδὲν μᾶλλον, κἂν φίλος ἢ συνήθης ἢ πρὸς αἵματος εἶναι δοκῇ; (Interlocuteur) Πάντας, ὡς ὁ λόγος οὗτός φησιν. (Dion) Οὐκοῦν ὀρθῶς ἔγραψεν ὁ τοῦτο γράψας τὸ ἔπος· νᾶφε καὶ μέμνας´ ἀπιστεῖν· ἄρθρα ταῦτα τᾶν φρενῶν; (2) (Interlocuteur) Ἴσως ὀρθῶς. (Dion) Καὶ μὴν δῆλος ὁ ποιητὴς οὐ πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ταῦτα ὑποτιθέμενος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς νομιζομένους φίλους. οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὑφ´ ὧν τις μισούμενος ἐπίσταται, τούτοις ἂν ἐξουσίαν δοίη καθ´ αὑτοῦ. πῶς ἂν οὖν διακελεύοιτο ἀπιστεῖν, οἷς μηδεὶς πιστεύει; φέρε τοίνυν κἀκεῖνο ἴδωμεν· ὑπὸ τίνων πλείους ἀπολώλασι, πότερον ὑπὸ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ἐχθρῶν ἢ τοὐναντίον ὑπὸ τῶν προσποιουμένων εἶναι φίλων; ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ὁρῶ καὶ τῶν πόλεων τῶν ἁλουσῶν πλείονας ὑπὸ τῶν προδοτῶν ἀπολομένας ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων εἰλημμένας κατὰ κράτος καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πλείους τῷ παντὶ τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς συνήθεσιν ἐγκαλοῦντας τῶν αἰτιωμένων (3) τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς συμφοραῖς· ἔτι δὲ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς πολεμίους ἅπασι τείχη καὶ φρούρια κατεσκευασμένα καὶ τούτων ἐνίοτε πολλῶν ἐτῶν μηδεμίαν χρείαν γενομένην· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς συμπολιτευομένους καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν κοινωνοῦντας ἱερῶν καὶ θυσιῶν καὶ γάμων καὶ φυλέτας ὄντας ἀλλήλων καὶ δημότας καὶ συγγενεῖς τὰ δικαστήρια καὶ τοὺς νόμους καὶ τὰ ἀρχεῖα. καὶ ταῦτα οὐδέποτε ἠρεμεῖ. μεσταὶ γοῦν αἱ πόλεις αἰεὶ κατηγορούντων, ἀπολογουμένων, δικαζόντων, δικαζομένων, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς ἱερομηνίαις ἢ ταῖς σπονδαῖς ἀλλήλων ἀπέχεσθαι δύνανται. τίθενται γοῦν ἑτέρους νόμους ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικημάτων τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ τούτους ἱεροὺς καλοῦσιν, ὥσπερ τὸ ὄνομα ὠφελοῦν. ὁ γὰρ τῆς κακίας πόλεμος διηνεκὴς ἅπασι πρὸς ἅπαντας, ἄσπονδος ὢν καὶ ἀκήρυκτος· μάλιστα δὲ οὗτος συνέστηκε τοῖς ἐγγὺς πρὸς ἀλλήλους. (4) τὸν μὲν οὖν ἐν εἰρήνῃ βουλόμενον βιοῦν καὶ μετ´ ἀσφαλείας τινὸς εὐλαβεῖσθαι δεῖ τὴν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους κοινωνίαν καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἐπίστασθαι τῶν πολλῶν ἑτοίμην οὖσαν πρὸς τὸ μεταδοῦναι κακίας τινός, καὶ μηδὲ ἂν μυριάκις λέγῃ φίλος εἶναι πιστεύειν. οὐ γάρ ἐστι παρ´ αὐτοῖς βέβαιον οὐθὲν οὐδὲ ἀληθές· ἀλλ´ ὃν ἂν ἁπάντων προτιμῶσιν ἤδη καὶ τοῦ ζῆν, ἐὰν οὕτω τύχῃ, μετὰ μικρὸν ἔχθιστον νομίζουσι καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ σώματος ἀπέχονται πολλάκις.

[74,0] THE SEVENTY-FOURTH DISCOURSE : ON DISTRUST. (1) (Dion) Are you aware that in the past there have been persons who have been harmed by enemies ? (Interlocuteur) Why, of course. (Dion) Well then, have they been harmed by so-called friends and close acquaintances, or even by certain kinsmen, some even by the very closest, brothers or sons or fathers ? (Interlocuteur) Yes indeed, many have been. (Dion) What is the reason, then, that not only do enemies injure their enemies but also the so-called friends injure one another, and, by Heaven, that many even of those who are so closely related act so ? (Interlocuteur) Clearly the reason is found in the depravity of mankind, because of which each, I imagine, is also himself harmful to himself. (Dion) Toward all men, then, one should be equally on his guard, and not be one whit more trustful even if a person is held to be a friend or a close acquaintance or a blood-relative ? (Interlocuteur) Toward all, as this statement of yours declares. (Dion) Then was the author of this verse right when he wrote, "Keep sober and remember to distrust ; These are the joints essential to the mind ?" (2) (Interlocuteur) Probably he was. (Dion) Furthermore, manifestly the poet is giving this advice, not to his enemies, but rather to those whom he considers friends. For surely those by whom one knows himself to be hated one would not entrust with power against himself. How, then, could the poet be urging those to be distrustful whom he does not himself trust ? Well then, let us consider the following question also. By whom have more persons been ruined — by those who are admittedly enemies, or, on the contrary, by those who profess to be friends ? As for myself, I observe that of the cities which have been captured those which have been destroyed by traitors are more numerous than those which have been forcibly seized by the foe, and also that with human beings those who lodge complaints against their friends and close acquaintances are altogether more numerous than those who blame their enemies for their misfortunes ; and, furthermore, that whereas against the foe walls and fortresses have been provided for all—though sometimes no use has been made of these for many years—yet against their fellow citizens, against men who have a common share in the same sanctuaries and sacrifices and marriage rites, men who are fellow tribesmen with one another, fellow demesmen and kinsmen, the courts, the laws, and the magistracies have been provided. Furthermore, these institutions are never idle. At any rate the cities are always crowded with plaintifs and defendants, with juries and litigants, and not even during their solemn festivals or in times of truce can men keep their hands off one another. At least they pass special laws regarding crimes committed during festivals, and they call these " holy laws," as if the name did any good ! Yes, the war against depravity is unremitting for all against all, a war without truce and without herald ; (4) but above all this war is joined between those who are close to one another. Accordingly those who wish to live at peace and with some degree of security must beware of fellowship with human beings, must recognize that the average man is by nature prone to let others have a share in any evil, and that, no matter if one claims a thousand times to be a friend, he is not to be trusted. For with human beings there is no constancy or truthfulness at all ; on the contrary, any man whom at the moment they prize above everything, even, it may be, above life itself, after a brief interval they deem their bitterest foe, and often they cannot refrain even from attacking his body.