[2,50] τὸν γοῦν Κᾶρα τὸν χρυσῷ καλλωπιζόμενον εἰς τὸν πόλεμον μάλα ὑβριστικῶς ἐλοιδόρησεν, εἰπών, ὃς καὶ χρυσὸν ἔχων πόλεμόνδ´ ἴεν ἠύτε κούρη νήπιος, οὐδ´ ἄρα οἱ τό γ´ ἐπήρκεσε λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον ἀλλ´ ἐδάμη ὑπὸ χερσὶ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο ἐν ποταμῷ· χρυσὸν δ´ Ἀχιλεὺς ἐκόμισσε δαΐφρων· (51) καταγελῶν αὐτοῦ τῆς τρυφῆς ἅμα καὶ τῆς ἀφροσύνης, ὅτι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἆθλα ἐκόμιζε τοῦ θανάτου σχεδόν. οὔκουν φαίνεται χρυσοφορίας ἐπαινῶν {ὁ} Ὅμηρος, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς πόλεμον, ψελίων τε καὶ στρεπτῶν, ἔτι δὲ χρυσῶν φαλάρων καὶ χαλινῶν, ὁποῖα τοὺς Πέρσας φασὶν ἐπιτηδεύειν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσιν ἐπιτιμητὴν Ὅμηρον τῶν πολεμικῶν. (52) ἐκ δὲ τούτων τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τούς τε ἄρχοντας πεποίηκεν ἀγαθοὺς καὶ τὸ πλῆθος εὔτακτον. προΐασι γοῦν αὐτῷ σιγῇ, ‘δειδιότες σημάντορας’, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι μετὰ πολλοῦ θορύβου καὶ ἀταξίας, ταῖς γεράνοις ὁμοίως· ὡς τοῦτο μάλιστα σωτήριον ὂν καὶ νικηφόρον ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις, τὸ μὴ ἀδεεῖς εἶναι τῶν ἡγεμόνων τοὺς στρατιώτας. ὅσοι δ´ ἂν ὦσιν ἄφοβοι τῶν σφετέρων ἀρχόντων, οὗτοι τάχιστα ἂν φοβοῖντο τοὺς πολεμίους. (53) καὶ μέντοι καὶ νικῶντας τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καθ´ ἡσυχίαν φησὶ στρατοπεδεύειν· παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Τρωσὶν ἐπειδή τι πλεονεκτεῖν ἔδοξαν, εὐθὺς εἶναι δι´ ὅλης τῆς νυκτὸς αὐλῶν συρίγγων τ´ ἐνοπὴν ὅμαδόν τ´ ἀνθρώπων· ὡς καὶ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν ὂν σημεῖον ἀρετῆς ἢ κακίας, οἵτινες ἂν ἐγκρατῶς τὰς εὐτυχίας ἢ τοὐναντίον μεθ´ ὕβρεως φέρωσιν. (54) ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν, ὦ πάτερ, ἱκανώτατος σωφρονιστὴς Ὅμηρος καὶ ὁ τούτῳ πειρώμενος τὸν νοῦν προσέχειν εὐτυχέστατός τε καὶ ἄριστος βασιλεύς. αὐτὸς γὰρ σαφῶς ὑποτίθεται δύο τὰς βασιλικωτάτας ἀρετὰς τήν τε ἀνδρείαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ὅπου φησίν, ἀμφότερον, βασιλεύς τ´ ἀγαθὸς κρατερός τ´ αἰχμητής,

[2,50] He roundly rebuked the Carian, for instance, who decked himself out for the war in trappings of gold. These are his words : "who, madly vain, Went to the battle pranked like a young girl In golden ornaments. They spared him not The bitter doom of death; he fell beneath The hand of swift Aeacides within The river's Channel. These the great in war, Achilles, spoiled Nomion of his gold.' (51) Thus he ridicules him for his folly as well as his vanity in that he practically carried to the foemen a prize for slaying him. Homer, therefore, clearly does not approve the wearing of gold, particularly on going into a battle, whether bracelets and necklaces or even such golden head-gear and bridles for one's horses as the Persians are said to affect; for they have no Homer to be their censor in affairs of war. (52) "By inculcating such conduct as the following, he has made his officers good and his soldiers well disciplined. For instance, he has them advance `silently, fearing their leaders' whereas the barbarians advance with great noise and confusion, like cranes, thus showing that it is important for safety and victory in battle that the soldiers stand in awe of their commanders. For those who are without fear of their own officers would be the first to be afraid of the enemy. Furthermore, he says that even when they had won a victory the Achaeans kept quiet in their camp, but that among the Trojans, as soon as they thought they had gained any advantage, at once there were throughout the night 'the sound Of flutes and fifes, and tumult of the crowd.' implying that here also we have an excellent indication of virtue or vice according as men bear their successes with self-restraint, or, on the contrary, with reckless abandon. And so to me, father, Homer seems a most excellent disciplinarian, and he who tries to give heed to him will be a highly successful and exemplary king. For he clearly takes for granted himself that the pre-eminently kingly virtues are two—courage and justice. Mark what he says, 'An excellent king and warrior mighty withal.' as though all the other virtues followed in their train.