Texte grec :
| [1,15] οὐκοῦν λέγωμεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ καθ´ Ὅμηρόν τε καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ βασιλέως·
οὗτος γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἁπλῶς λεγόμενος ἄνευ πάσης κολακείας ἢ λοιδορίας
αὐτὸς ἀφ´ αὑτοῦ τὸν μὲν ὅμοιον τῷ ἀγαθῷ γνωρίζει τε καὶ
ἐπαινεῖ, καθ´ ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐκείνῳ ὅμοιος, τὸν δὲ ἀνόμοιον ἐξελέγχει τε
καὶ ὀνειδίζει. ἔστι δὴ πρῶτον μὲν θεῶν ἐπιμελὴς καὶ τὸ δαιμόνιον
προτιμῶν· οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν ἄλλῳ τινὶ πεποιθέναι μᾶλλον τὸν δίκαιον
ἄνδρα καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἢ τοῖς δικαιοτάτοις τε καὶ ἀρίστοις θεοῖς.
(16) ὅστις δὲ κακὸς ὢν ἡγεῖταί ποτε θεοὺς ἀρέσκειν, κατ´ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πρῶτον
οὐχ ὅσιός ἐστιν· ἢ γὰρ ἀνόητον ἢ πονηρὸν νενόμικε τὸ θεῖον. μετὰ
δὲ τοὺς θεοὺς ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελεῖται,
(17) τιμῶν μὲν καὶ ἀγαπῶν τοὺς ἀγαθούς, κηδόμενος δὲ πάντων.
τίς μὲν γὰρ ἀγέλης βοῶν κήδεται μᾶλλον τοῦ νέμοντος; τίς δὲ ποιμνίοις
ὠφελιμώτερός τε καὶ ἀμείνων ποιμένος; τίς δὲ μᾶλλον φίλιππος τοῦ πλείστων
μὲν ἄρχοντος ἵππων, πλεῖστα δὲ ἀφ´ ἵππων ὠφελουμένου;
(18) τίνα δὲ εἰκὸς οὕτως εἶναι φιλάνθρωπον ἢ ὅστις πλείστων μὲν ἀνθρώπων
ἐγκρατής ἐστι, μάλιστα δὲ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων θαυμάζεται; δεινὸν γάρ, εἰ
οἱ ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἀγρίων ἄρχοντες θηρίων εὐνούστεροι εἶεν τοῖς
ἀρχομένοις τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἀνθρώπων ἡμέρων καὶ ὁμοφύλων.
(19) καὶ μέντοι καὶ φιλοῦσι καὶ ἀνέχονται μάλιστα πάντων ἀγέλαι μὲν
νομεῖς, ἵπποι δὲ ἡνιόχους· κυνηγέται δὲ ὑπὸ κυνῶν φυλάσσονται
καὶ ἀγαπῶνται, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα οὕτως ἀγαπᾷ τὰ ἀρχόμενα τοὺς ἄρχοντας.
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Traduction française :
| [1,15] Let me speak, then, of the king as Homer conceives
him, of him who is in very truth a king ; for
this discourse of mine, delivered in all simplicity
without any flattery or abuse, of itself discerns the
king that is like the good one, and commends him
in so far as he is like him, while the one who is
unlike him it exposes and rebukes. Such a king is,
in the first place, regardful of the gods and holds
the divine in honour. For it is impossible that the
just and good man should repose greater confidence
in any other being than in the supremely just and
good—the gods. He, however, who, being wicked,
imagines that he at any time pleases the gods, in
that very assumption lacks piety, for he has assumed
that the deity is either foolish or evil. Next after the
gods the good king has regard for his fellow-men;
he honours and loves the good, yet extends his care
to all. Now who takes better care of a herd of cattle
than does the herdsman? Who is more helpful and
better to flocks of sheep than a shepherd? Who is
a truer lover of horses than he who controls the
greatest number of horses and derives the greatest
benefit from horses ? And so who is presumably as
great a lover of his fellow-man as he who exercises
authority over the greatest number of men and enjoys
the highest admiration of men? For it would be
strange if men governing beasts, wild and of another
blood than theirs, prove more kindly to these their
dependants than a monarch to civilized men who are
of the same flesh and blood as himself. And further,
cattle love their keepers best and are most submissive
to them ; the same is true of horses and their
drivers ; hunters are protected and loved by their
dogs, and in the same way other subject creatures
love their masters.
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