Texte grec :
| [31,160] ἀλλ´ οἱ λίθοι μᾶλλον ἐμφαίνουσι τὴν σεμνότητα καὶ τὸ μέγεθος
τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ τὰ ἐρείπια τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων· ἐπεὶ αὐτούς γε τοὺς
ἐνοικοῦντας καὶ τοὺς πολιτευομένους οὐκ ἂν εἴποι τις οὐδὲ Μυσῶν
ἀπογόνους· ὥστε ἔμοιγε δοκοῦσι τῶν οὕτως οἰκουμένων αἱ τελέως
ἀνῃρημέναι πόλεις κρεῖττον ἀπαλλάττειν. ὑγιὴς γὰρ ἡ τούτων
μνήμη μένει, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα δι´ οὐθὲν ὑβρίζεται τῶν πρότερον
καλῶν· ὥσπερ οἶμαι καὶ τῶν τεθνεώτων τῷ παντὶ βέλτιον τὰ
σώματα ἀνῃρῆσθαι καὶ μηδένα ὁρᾶν ἢ φαίνεσθαι σηπόμενα. (31,161) καὶ
ταῦτα μὲν ἴσως πλείω τῶν εἰκότων ἐπῆλθέ μοι μνησθέντι τῆς
ὅλης καταστάσεως. ἐκεῖνο δ´ ὑμῖν ἐβουλόμην ποιῆσαι φανερόν, ὅτι
μόνοι καταλείπεσθε τῶν Ἑλλήνων, οἷς ἂν καὶ παραινέσαι τις καὶ
περὶ ὧν ἔστιν ἔτι λυπηθῆναι δοκούντων ἁμαρτάνειν.
εἰκότως ἂν οὖν πρόσχοιτε αὑτοῖς καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξετάζοιτε ἀκριβέστερον
τῶν προγόνων. ἐκείνοις μὲν γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖς
ὑπῆρχεν ἑτέροις ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπίδειξις, ἐν τῷ προεστάναι τῶν ἄλλων,
ἐν τῷ βοηθεῖν τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις, ἐν τῷ συμμάχους κτᾶσθαι, πόλεις
οἰκίζειν, νικᾶν πολεμοῦντας·
(31,162) ὑμῖν δὲ τοιοῦτον μὲν οὐθὲν πράττειν
ἔνεστι, καταλείπεται δ´ οἶμαι τὸ ἑαυτῶν προεστάναι καὶ τὴν πόλιν
διοικεῖν καὶ τὸ τιμῆσαί τινα καὶ κροταλίσαι μὴ τοῖς πολλοῖς ὁμοίως
καὶ τὸ βουλεύσασθαι καὶ τὸ δικάσαι καὶ τὸ τοῖς θεοῖς θῦσαι καὶ
τὸ ἄγειν ἑορτήν· ἐν οἷς ἅπασιν ἔστι βελτίους τῶν ἄλλων φαίνεσθαι. τοιγάρτοι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑμῶν ἐπαίνου τυγχάνει, καὶ
γιγνώσκεται παρὰ πᾶσιν οὐχ ὡς μικρά, τὸ βάδισμα, ἡ κουρά, τὸ
μηδένα σοβεῖν διὰ τῆς πόλεως, ἀναγκάζεσθαι δὲ διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν
συνήθειαν καὶ τοὺς ἐπιδημοῦντας ξένους καθεστώτως πορεύεσθαι·
καθάπερ οἶμαι καὶ τοὺς ἀγροίκους ἰδεῖν ἔστιν, ὅταν εἰς παλαίστραν ἢ
γυμνάσιον ἔλθωσιν, ἧττον ἀρρύθμως κινουμένους·
(31,163) ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις τῆς ἐσθῆτος ὁ τρόπος, τὸ ἴσως ἄν τινι γελοῖον φανέν,
τῆς πορφύρας τὸ μέτρον· τὰ φανερώτερα ἤδη, τὸ μεθ´ ἡσυχίας
θεωρεῖν, ὁ ποππυσμός· πάντα ταῦτα σεμνὴν τὴν πόλιν ποιεῖ, διὰ
ταῦτα τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρειν δοκεῖτε, ἐπὶ τούτοις ἅπασι θαυμάζεσθε, ἀγαπᾶσθε·
τῶν λιμένων, τῶν τειχῶν, τῶν νεωρίων μᾶλλον
ὑμᾶς κοσμεῖ τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἔθεσιν ἀρχαῖον καὶ Ἑλληνικόν, τὸ παρ´
ὑμῖν μὲν ὅταν τις γένηται, εὐθὺς αὐτὸν ἀποβάντα εἰδέναι, κἂν
τύχῃ βάρβαρος ὤν, ὅτι οὐ πάρεστιν εἴς τινα πόλιν τῆς Συρίας ἢ
τῆς Κιλικίας· παρ´ ἄλλοις δὲ ἂν μή τις ἀκούσῃ τοῦ τόπου τὸ
ὄνομα, φέρε εἰπεῖν ὅτι καλεῖται Λύκειον ἢ Ἀκαδήμεια, μηθὲν διαφέρειν.
(31,164) τίνος οὖν χάριν ταῦτα παυόμενος ἤδη λέγω καὶ τί δηλῶσαι
βουλόμενος; ὅτι τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς φιλοτιμεῖσθαι δεῖ καὶ μηθὲν
παραπέμπειν τῶν γιγνομένων. κἂν οὕτως ἔχητε ἐν ἅπασιν οἷς
πράττετε, ἴσως οὐθὲν δόξετε κακίους εἶναι τῶν προγόνων. τὸ γὰρ
ἐν τοιαύτῃ καταστάσει διαφυλάττειν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ μένειν ἐπὶ τοῦ
τῆς ἀρετῆς σχήματος θαυμαστὸν ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ·
(31,165) καθάπερ οἶμαι
καὶ τῶν πλεόντων ἰδεῖν ἔστι χειμῶνος μὲν ἐπιπεσόντος ἢ σφοδροῦ
τοῦ πνεύματος μηδὲ τοὺς ἀσελγεστάτους αὐτῶν αἰσχρόν τι ποιοῦντας,
ἀλλὰ πρὸς μόνῳ τῷ πλεῖν ὄντας, ἐν δὲ τῇ γαλήνῃ καὶ τῶν
ναυτῶν καὶ τῶν ἐπιβατῶν ἐπιπολάζουσαν τὴν ὕβριν, κἂν μὴ ὦσιν
ἀκόλαστοι· τὸν αὐτὸν οἶμαι τρόπον ὁ μὲν πόλεμος εἴωθε καὶ τοὺς
φαυλοτέρους ἐγείρειν καὶ κρατεῖν, ἐν τοσαύτῃ δὲ εἰρήνῃ καὶ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ
τῶν ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν εἰς μηδεμίαν αἰσχύνην μηδὲ ἀταξίαν ὑπενεχθῆναι.
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Traduction française :
| [31,160] Nay, it is rather the stones which reveal the
grandeur and the greatness of Hellas, and the ruins of her buildings; her inhabitants
themselves and those who conduct her governments would not be called
descendants of even the Mysians. So to me, at least, it seems that the cities which
have been utterly destroyed have come off better than those which are inhabited as
they are now. For the memory of those men remains unimpaired, and the fame of
those noble men of the past suffers insult for naught; just as it is true, methinks, with
the bodies of the dead it is in every way better that they should have been utterly
destroyed and that no man should see them any more, than that they should rot in
the sight of all!
161 And although these thoughts, which have come to me as I have portrayed the
situation as a whole, have perhaps been more numerous than is usual, yet it was my
wish to make this point clear to you that you alone are left of the Hellenic peoples
to (p165) whom advice could be offered and regarding whom it is still possible to
grieve when they seem to err.
It would, therefore, be reasonable to expect you to give heed to yourselves and to
examine all such matters as these more carefully than did your ancestors. For
whereas they had many other ways in which to display their virtues in assuming
the leadership over the others, in lending succour to the victims of injustice, in
gaining allies, founding cities, winning wars for you it is not possible to do any of
these things. 162 But there is left for you, I think, the privilege of assuming the
leadership over yourselves, of administering your city, of honouring and supporting
by your cheers a distinguished man unlike that of the majority, of deliberating in
council, of sitting in judgement, of offering sacrifice to the gods, and of holding high
festival in all these matters it is possible for you to show yourselves better than the
rest of the world. That indeed is the reason why you are admired for such
characteristics as I shall mention and they are regarded by all the world as no
trifling matters your gait, the way you trim your hair, that no one struts
pompously through your city's streets, but that even foreigners sojourning here are
forced by your conventional manners to walk sedately; just as, I fancy, one may
see even the country clowns, when they enter a wrestling-school or a gymnasium,
move their limbs less clumsily than is their wont. 163 Then again, take the mode you
affect in dress which perhaps to some appears ridiculous the width of the
purple stripe; we come now to things still more noticeable your remaining silent
as you watch the games, (p167) your applauding by making a clucking sound with
your lips all these manners lend your city dignity, they all cause you to be
looked upon as superior to the others, for all these customs you are admired, you are
loved; more than by your harbours, your fortifications, your shipyards are you
honoured by that strain in your customs which is antique and Hellenic, so that
when anybody comes among you he recognizes instantly on disembarking, even if
he happens to be of barbarian race, that he has not come to some city of Syria or of
Cilicia. But in other cities, unless the stranger hears some one mention the name of
the place he sees, that it is called, let us say, 'Lyceum' or 'Academy,' they are all alike
to him!
164 What is my object, then, in mentioning these matters when I am about to
conclude, and what do I wish to make clear? It is that you ought to be all the more
jealous about your city and to be indifferent to nothing that takes place here. And if
you have this spirit in everything you do, perhaps men will think that you are no
whit worse than your ancestors. For that you do preserve your character in your
present situation, and hold fast to your rôle of moral excellence is, in my opinion at
least, an admirable thing. 165 An apt illustration is found, I think, in the conduct of
men on board a ship at sea: when a storm strikes them or a hurricane, not even the
most wanton of them is to be seen doing anything base; but they are all giving
undivided attention to the sailing; whereas in fair weather recklessness prevails
among both the sailors and the passengers, even if they do not indulge in
licentiousness. In (p169) the same way I believe that war is wont to arouse and to
sway even the meaner souls; but in such peaceful and quiet times as these, it is
the part of the best men not to drift into any shameful or disorderly practices.
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