Texte grec :
| [18,10] Ἡροδότῳ μὲν οὖν, εἴ ποτε εὐφροσύνης σοι δεῖ,
μετὰ πολλῆς ἡσυχίας ἐντεύξῃ. τὸ γὰρ ἀνειμένον καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ τῆς
ἀπαγγελίας ὑπόνοιαν παρέξει μυθῶδες μᾶλλον ἢ ἱστορικὸν τὸ σύγγραμμα
εἶναι. τῶν δὲ ἄκρων Θουκυδίδης ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ τῶν δευτέρων
Θεόπομπος. καὶ γὰρ ῥητορικόν τι περὶ τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν τῶν
λόγων ἔχει, καὶ οὐκ ἀδύνατος οὐδὲ ὀλίγωρος περὶ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν, καὶ
τὸ {ῥᾴθυμον} περὶ τὰς λέξεις οὐχ οὕτω φαῦλον ὥστε σε λυπῆσαι.
Ἔφορος δὲ πολλὴν μὲν ἱστορίαν παραδίδωσι, τὸ δὲ ὕπτιον καὶ
ἀνειμένον τῆς ἀπαγγελίας σοι οὐκ ἐπιτήδειον.
(18,11) τῶν γε μὴν ῥητόρων
τοὺς ἀρίστους τίς οὐκ ἐπίσταται, Δημοσθένην μὲν δυνάμει
τε ἀπαγγελίας καὶ δεινότητι διανοίας καὶ πλήθει λόγων πάντας
τοὺς ῥήτορας ὑπερβεβληκότα, Λυσίαν δὲ βραχύτητι καὶ ἁπλότητι
καὶ συνεχείᾳ διανοίας καὶ τῷ λεληθέναι τὴν δεινότητα; πλὴν οὐκ
ἂν ἐγώ σοι συμβουλεύσαιμι τὰ πολλὰ τούτοις ἐντυγχάνειν, ἀλλ´
Ὑπερείδῃ τε μᾶλλον καὶ Αἰσχίνῃ. τούτων γὰρ ἁπλούστεραί τε αἱ
δυνάμεις καὶ εὐληπτότεραι αἱ κατασκευαὶ καὶ τὸ κάλλος τῶν ὀνομάτων
οὐδὲν ἐκείνων λειπόμενον. ἀλλὰ καὶ Λυκούργῳ συμβουλεύσαιμ´ ἂν
ἐντυγχάνειν σοι, ἐλαφροτέρῳ τούτων ὄντι καὶ ἐμφαίνοντί
τινα ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἁπλότητα καὶ γενναιότητα τοῦ τρόπου.
(18,12) ἐνταῦθα δή φημι δεῖν, κἂν εἴ τις ἐντυχὼν τῇ παραινέσει τῶν πάνυ
ἀκριβῶν αἰτιάσεται, μηδὲ τῶν νεωτέρων καὶ ὀλίγον πρὸ ἡμῶν ἀπείρως
ἔχειν· λέγω δὲ τῶν περὶ Ἀντίπατρον καὶ Θεόδωρον καὶ Πλουτίωνα
καὶ Κόνωνα καὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ὕλην. αἱ γὰρ τούτων δυνάμεις
καὶ ταύτῃ ἂν εἶεν ἡμῖν ὠφέλιμοι, ᾗ οὐκ ἂν ἐντυγχάνοιμεν
αὐτοῖς δεδουλωμένοι τὴν γνώμην, ὥσπερ τοῖς παλαιοῖς. ὑπὸ γὰρ
τοῦ δύνασθαί τι τῶν εἰρημένων αἰτιάσασθαι μάλιστα θαρροῦμεν
πρὸς τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρεῖν {ᾗ} καὶ ἥδιόν τις παραβάλλει αὑτὸν
ᾧ πείθεται συγκρινόμενος οὐ καταδεέστερος, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ βελτίων
ἂν φαίνεσθαι.
(18,13) τρέψομαι δὲ ἤδη ἐπὶ τοὺς Σωκρατικούς,
οὓς δὴ ἀναγκαιοτάτους εἶναί φημι παντὶ ἀνδρὶ λόγων ἐφιεμένῳ.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐδὲν ὄψον ἄνευ ἁλῶν γεύσει κεχαρισμένον, οὕτως λόγων
οὐδὲν εἶδος ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ ἀκοῇ προσηνὲς ἂν γενέσθαι χάριτος
Σωκρατικῆς ἄμοιρον. τοὺς μὲν δὴ ἄλλους μακρὸν ἂν εἴη ἔργον
ἐπαινεῖν καὶ ἐντυγχάνειν αὐτοῖς οὐ τὸ τυχόν.
(18,14) Ξενοφῶντα δὲ ἔγωγε
ἡγοῦμαι ἀνδρὶ πολιτικῷ καὶ μόνον τῶν παλαιῶν ἐξαρκεῖν δύνασθαι·
εἴτε ἐν πολέμῳ τις στρατηγῶν εἴτε πόλεως ἀφηγούμενος,
εἴτε ἐν δήμῳ λέγων εἴτε ἐν βουλευτηρίῳ, εἴτε καὶ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ
μὴ ὡς ῥήτωρ ἐθέλοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς πολιτικὸς καὶ βασιλικὸς
ἀνὴρ τὰ τῷ τοιούτῳ προσήκοντα ἐν δίκῃ εἰπεῖν· πάντων ἄριστος
ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ λυσιτελέστατος πρὸς ταῦτα πάντα Ξενοφῶν. τά
τε γὰρ διανοήματα σαφῆ καὶ ἁπλᾶ καὶ παντὶ ῥᾴδια φαινόμενα, τό
τε εἶδος τῆς ἀπαγγελίας προσηνὲς καὶ κεχαρισμένον καὶ πειστικόν,
πολλὴν μὲν ἔχον πιθανότητα, πολλὴν δὲ χάριν καὶ ἐπιβολήν, ὥστε
μὴ λόγων δεινότητι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γοητείᾳ ἐοικέναι τὴν δύναμιν.
(18,15) εἰ γοῦν ἐθελήσειας αὐτοῦ τῇ περὶ τὴν Ἀνάβασιν πραγματείᾳ
σφόδρα ἐπιμελῶς ἐντυχεῖν, οὐδένα λόγον εὑρήσεις τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ λεχθῆναι δυνησομένων, ὃν οὐ διείληπται καὶ κανόνος ἂν τρόπον ὑπόσχοι
τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπευθῦναι ἢ μιμήσασθαι βουλομένῳ. εἴτε γὰρ
θαρρῦναι τοὺς σφόδρα καταπεπτωκότας χρήσιμον πολιτικῷ ἀνδρί,
καὶ πολλάκις ὡς χρὴ τοῦτο ποιεῖν δείκνυσιν· εἴτε προτρέψαι καὶ
παρακαλέσαι, οὐδεὶς Ἑλληνικῆς φωνῆς ἐπαΐων οὐκ ἂν ἐπαρθείη
(18,16) τοῖς προτρεπτικοῖς Ξενοφῶντος λόγοις (ἐμοὶ γοῦν κινεῖται ἡ διάνοια
καὶ ἐνίοτε δακρύω μεταξὺ διὰ τοσούτων ἐτῶν τοῖς λόγοις
ἐντυγχάνων) εἴτε μέγα φρονοῦσι καὶ ἐπηρμένοις ὁμιλῆσαι φρονίμως
καὶ μήτε παθεῖν τι ὑπ´ αὐτῶν δυσχερανάντων μήτε ἀπρεπῶς δουλῶσαι
τὴν αὑτοῦ διάνοιαν καὶ τὸ ἐκείνοις κεχαρισμένον ἐκ παντὸς
ποιῆσαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἔνεστιν. καὶ ἀπορρήτοις δὲ λόγοις ὡς προσήκει
χρήσασθαι καὶ πρὸς στρατηγοὺς ἄνευ πλήθους καὶ πρὸς πλῆθος
οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὸ, καὶ βασιλικοῖς τίνα τρόπον διαλεχθῆναι, καὶ
ἐξαπατῆσαι ὅπως πολεμίους μὲν ἐπὶ βλάβῃ, φίλους δ´ ἐπὶ τῷ
συμφέροντι, καὶ μάτην ταραττομένοις ἀλύπως τἀληθὲς καὶ πιστῶς
εἰπεῖν, καὶ τὸ μὴ ῥᾳδίως πιστεύειν τοῖς ὑπερέχουσι, {καὶ οἷς ἐξαπατῶσιν
οἱ ὑπερέχοντες} καὶ οἷς καταστρατηγοῦσι καὶ καταστρατηγοῦνται
ἄνθρωποι, πάντα ταῦτα ἱκανῶς τὸ σύνταγμα περιέχει.
(18,17) ἅτε γὰρ οἶμαι μιγνὺς ταῖς πράξεσι τοὺς λόγους, οὐκ ἐξ ἀκοῆς
παραλαβὼν οὐδὲ μιμησάμενος, ἀλλ´ αὐτὸς πράξας ἅμα καὶ εἰπών,
πιθανωτάτους ἐποίησεν ἐν ἅπασί τε τοῖς συντάγμασι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ
μάλιστα, οὗ ἐπιμνησθεὶς ἐτύγχανον. καὶ εὖ ἴσθι, οὐδένα σοι τρόπον
μεταμελήσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν βουλῇ καὶ ἐν δήμῳ ὀρέγοντός σοι
χεῖρα αἰσθήσῃ τοῦ ἀνδρός, εἰ αὐτῷ προθύμως καὶ φιλοτίμως
ἐντυγχάνοις.
(18,18) γράφειν μὲν οὖν οὐ συμβουλεύω σοι αὐτῷ ἀλλ´ ἢ σφόδρα
ἀραιῶς, ἐπιδιδόναι δὲ μᾶλλον. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὁμοιότερος τῷ
λέγοντι ὁ ὑπαγορεύων τοῦ γράφοντος· ἔπειτα ἐλάττονι πόνῳ γίγνεται·
ἔπειτα πρὸς δύναμιν μὲν ἧττον συλλαμβάνει τοῦ γράφειν,
πρὸς ἕξιν δὲ πλεῖον. καὶ γράφειν δὲ οὐ ταῦτά σε ἀξιῶ τὰ σχολικὰ
πλάσματα, ἀλλ´, εἴπερ ἄρα, τινὰ τῶν λόγων, οἷς ἂν ἡσθῇς
ἐντυγχάνων, μάλιστα τῶν Ξενοφωντείων, ἢ ἀντιλέγοντα τοῖς
εἰρημένοις ἢ τὰ αὐτὰ ἕτερον τρόπον ὑποβάλλοντα.
(18,19) {καὶ} ἀναλαμβάνειν μέντοι, εἴ σοι ῥᾴδιον μεμνῆσθαι, τὰ ἐκείνων
ἄμεινον. τῷ τε γὰρ τρόπῳ τῆς ἀπαγγελίας καὶ τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ τῶν διανοημάτων
πάνυ συνήθεις ποιεῖ. λέγω δὲ οὐχ ἵνα σύνταγμά τι
ὅλον, ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες, εἴρων συνάπτῃς, ἀλλ´ ἵνα, εἴ τί σοι σφόδρα
ἀρέσειε, τοῦτο κατάσχῃς. πλείονα περὶ τούτου μειρακίῳ ἂν ἔγραψα,
σοὶ δὲ ἀρκεῖ τοσαῦτα. καὶ γὰρ εἰ ἐλάχιστα ἀναλάβοις, πολὺ ὀνήσει·
καὶ εἰ δυσκόλως ἔχοις καὶ μετὰ ὀδύνης πράττοις, οὐκ ἐξ
ἅπαντος ἀναγκαῖον.
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Traduction française :
| [18,10] As for Herodotus, if you ever want real enjoyment, you will read him when quite at your ease, for the easy-going manner and charm of his narrative will give the impression that his work deals with stories rather than with actual history. But among the foremost historians I place Thucydides, and among those of second rank Theopompus; for not only is there a rhetorical quality in the narrative portion of his speeches, but he is not without eloquence nor negligent in expression, and the slovenliness of his diction is (p223) not so bad as to offend you. As for Ephorus, while he hands down to us a great deal of information about events, yet the tediousness and carelessness of his narrative style would not suit your purpose.
11 When it comes to the orators, however, who does not know which are the best Demosthenes for the vigour of his style, the impressiveness of his thought, and the copiousness of his vocabulary, qualities in which he surpasses all other orators; and Lysias for his brevity, the simplicity and coherence of his thought, and for his well concealed cleverness. However, I should not advise you to read these two chiefly, but Hypereides rather and Aeschines; for the faculties in which they excel are simpler, their rhetorical embellishments are easier to grasp, and the beauty of their diction is not one whit inferior to that of the two who are ranked first. But I should advise you to read Lycurgus as well, since he has a lighter touch than those others and reveals a certain simplicity and nobility of character in his speeches.
12 At this point I say it is advisable even if some one, after reading my recommendation of the consummate masters of oratory, is going to find fault also not to remain unacquainted with the more recent orators, those who lived a little before our time; I refer to the works of such men as Antipater, Theodorus, Plution, and Conon, and to similar (p225) material. For the powers they display can be more useful to us because, when we read them, our judgment is not fettered and enslaved, as it is when we approach the ancients. For when we find that we are able to criticize what has been said, we are most encouraged to attempt the same things ourselves, and we find more pleasure in comparing ourselves with others 13 when we are convinced that in the comparison we should be found to be not inferior to them, with the chance, occasionally, of being even superior.
I shall now turn to the Socratics writers who, I affirm, are quite indispensable to every man who aspires to become an orator. For just as no meat without salt will be gratifying to the taste, so no branch of literature, as it seems to me, could possibly be pleasing to the ear if it lacked the Socratic grace.
It would be a long task to eulogize the others; even to read them is no light thing. 14 But it is my own opinion that Xenophon, and he alone of the ancients, can satisfy all the requirements of a man in public life. Whether one is commanding an army in time of war, or is guiding the affairs of a state, or is addressing a popular assembly or a senate, or even if he were addressing a court of law and desired, not as a professional master of eloquence merely, but as a statesman or a royal prince, to utter sentiments appropriate to such a character at the bar of justice, the best exemplar of all, it seems to me, and the most profitable for all these purposes is Xenophon. For not only (p227) are his ideas clear and simple and easy for everyone to grasp, but the character of his narrative style is attractive, pleasing, and convincing, being in a high degree true to life in the representation of character, with much charm also and effectiveness, so that his power suggests not cleverness but actual wizardry. 15 If, for instance, you should be willing to read his work on the March Inland very carefully, you will find no speech, such as you will one day possess the ability to make, whose subject matter he has not dealt with and can offer as a kind of norm to any man who wishes to steer his course by him or imitate him. If it is needful for the statesman to encourage those who are in the depths of despondency, time and again our writer shows how to do this; or if the need is to incite and exhort, no one who understands the Greek language could fail to be aroused by Xenophon's hortatory speeches. 16 My own heart, at any rate, is deeply moved and at times I weep even as I read his account of all those deeds of valour. Or, if it is necessary to deal prudently with those who are proud and conceited and to avoid, on the one hand, being affected in any way by their displeasure, or, on the other, enslaving one's own spirit to them in unseemly fashion and doing their will in everything, guidance in this also is to be found in him. And also how to hold secret conferences both with generals apart from the common soldiers and with the soldiers in the same way; the proper manner of conversing with kings and princes; how to deceive enemies to their hurt and friends for their own benefit; how to tell the plain truth to (p229) those who are needlessly disturbed without giving offence, and to make them believe it; how not to trust too readily those in authority over you, and the means by which such persons deceive their inferiors, and the way in which men outwit and are outwitted 17 on all these points Xenophon's treatise gives adequate information. For I imagine that it is because he combines deeds with words, because he did not learn by hearsay nor by copying, but by doing deeds himself as well as telling of them, that he made his speeches most convincingly true to life in all his works and especially in this one which I chanced to mention. And be well assured that you will have no occasion to repent, but that both in the senate and before the people you will find this great man reaching out a hand to you if you earnestly and diligently read him.
18 Writing, however, I do not advise you to engage in with your own hand, or only very rarely, but rather to dictate to a secretary. For, in the first place, the one who utters his thoughts aloud is more nearly in the mood of a man addressing an audience than is one who writes, and, in the second place, less labour is involved. Again, while it contributes less to effectiveness in delivery than writing does, it contributes more to your habit of readiness. But when you do write, I do not think it best for you to write these made-up school exercises; yet if you must write, take one of the speeches that you enjoy reading, preferably one of Xenophon's, and either oppose what he said, or advance the same arguments in a different way. 19 And yet repeating what his speeches contain is better still if you have a good memory for it. For this makes one thoroughly (p231) familiar with both the way he expresses his thoughts and the accuracy with which his thoughts are conceived. I say this, not to encourage you to string together line for line an entire treatise, as schoolboys do, but that you may thoroughly master anything that happens to please you especially. I should have written at great length about this to a lad, but for you, thus much is sufficient. For if you call to memory only very small portions, you will derive great benefit; whereas if you should feel disinclined and find the effort painful, this work is not absolutely necessary.
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