[2,70] ἐνίοτέ γε μὴν ἄλλης ἀγέλης ἐπιφανείσης ἀγωνίζεται πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνης ἡγεμόνα νίκης ἕνεκα, ὡς κρείττω μὲν αὐτὸν δόξαι, κρείττω δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀγέλην. καὶ μὴν τό γε ἀνθρώποις μὴ πολεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀφρόνων ζῴων ἡγεμονικώτατόν τε καὶ ἄριστον πεφυκότα ὅμως προσίεσθαι τὴν τοῦ κρείττονος ἡγεμονίαν, ἰσχύι μὲν καὶ θυμῷ καὶ βίᾳ μηδενὸς ἡττώμενον μηδὲ ὑπείκοντα, λογισμῷ δὲ καὶ φρονήσει ἑκόντα ὑποταττόμενον, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ τοῦτο θείη τις ἂν (71) παίδευμα καὶ δίδαγμα βασιλικὸν τῶν σωφρόνων βασιλέων, τὸ δεῖν ἀνθρώπων μὲν τῶν ὁμοίων κρείττονα φαινόμενον ἄρχειν, δικαίως καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχοντα τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, καὶ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος σῴζειν τῶν ὑπηκόων, προβουλεύοντα καὶ προπολεμοῦντα, ὅταν δέῃ, καὶ φυλάττοντα ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγρίων καὶ παρανόμων τυράννων, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἄλλων βασιλέας, εἴ τινες ἄρα εἶεν, ἁμιλλᾶσθαι περὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ ζητεῖν, εἰ δυνατὸν εἴη, ἐπ´ ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ὅποι ποτὲ ἀνθρώπων κρατεῖν· (72) θεοῖς γε μὴν τοῖς ἀμείνοσιν ἕπεσθαι, καθάπερ οἶμαι νομεῦσιν ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ τὴν κρείττω καὶ μακαριωτέραν φύσιν προτιμᾶν, δεσπότας αὑτοῦ καὶ ἄρχοντας νομίζοντα ἐκείνους, καὶ τοῦ μεγίστου καὶ πρώτου βασιλέως θεοῦ κτῆμα ἀποφαίνοντα τιμιώτατον πρῶτον μὲν αὑτόν, ἔπειτα τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ὑπ´ αὐτῷ τεταγμένους. (73) καὶ γὰρ δὴ ὥσπερ οἱ σώφρονες νομεῖς, ἐπειδὰν χαλεπὸς καὶ ἄγριος ταῦρος γενόμενος ἄρχῃ ἀσελγῶς παρὰ φύσιν, τῆς μὲν αὑτοῦ καταφρονῶν ἀγέλης καὶ λυμαινόμενος, τοὺς δὲ ἔξωθεν ἐπιβουλεύοντας ὑποχωρῶν καὶ προβαλλόμενος τὸ ἀδύνατον πλῆθος, μηδενὸς δὲ χαλεποῦ παρόντος ὑβρίζων καὶ θρασυνόμενος, τοῦτο μὲν ὀξὺ καὶ ἀπειλητικὸν μυκώμενος, τοῦτο δὲ ὀρθοῖς τοῖς κέρασι παίων τὸν οὐκ ἀνθιστάμενον, ἐπιδεικνύμενος {δὲ} τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐν τοῖς ἥττοσι καὶ τοῖς οὐ μαχομένοις, τὸ δὲ τῶν βοῶν πλῆθος οὐκ ἐῶν νέμεσθαι καθ´ ἡσυχίαν δι´ ἔκπληξιν καὶ φόβον· τότε τοῦτον οἱ δεσπόται καὶ βουκόλοι μετέστησαν καὶ ἠφάνισαν, ὡς οὐκ ἐπιτήδειον οὐδὲ συμφέροντα ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς ἀγέλης· (74) τὸν δὲ πρᾷον μὲν ταῖς ἑπομέναις βουσίν, εὔψυχον δὲ καὶ ἄφοβον πρὸς τὰ θηρία, σεμνὸν δὲ καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῆ καὶ δυνατὸν φυλάττειν καὶ προηγεῖσθαι τῆς ἀγέλης, τοῖς δέ γε νομεῦσιν εἴκοντα καὶ πειθόμενον, ἐῶσι μέχρι γήρως ὑστάτου, κἂν ἤδη βαρύτερος τὸ σῶμα γένηται.

[2,70] Sometimes, it is true, when another herd appears upon the scene, he engages with its leader and strives for victory so that all may acknowledge his superiority and the superiority of his herd. Consider, again, the fact that the bull never makes war against man, but, notwithstanding that nature has made him of all unreasoning animals the best and best fitted to have dominion, he nevertheless accepts the dominion of his superior; and although he acknowledges his inferiority to none as regards strength, spirit, and might, yet he willingly subordinates himself to reason and intelligence. Why should we not count this a training and lesson in kingship for prudent kings, to teach them that while a king must rule over men, his own kind, because he is manifestly their superior, who justly and by nature's design exercises dominion over them ; and while he must save the multitude of his subjects, planning for them and, if need be, fighting for them and protecting them from savage and lawless tyrants, and as regards other kings, if any such there should be, must strive with them in rivalry of goodness, seeking if possible to prevail over them for the benefit of mankind at large; yet the gods, who are his superiors, he must follow, as being, I verily believe, good herdsmen, and must give full honour to their superior and more blessed natures, recognizing in them his own masters and rulers and showing that the most precious possession which God, the greatest and highest king, can have is, first himself and then those who have ben appointed to be his subjects ? (73) "Now we know how wise herdsmen deal with a bull. When he becomes savage and hard to handle, and rules outrageously in violation of the law of nature, when he treats his own herd with contempt and harms it, but gives ground before outsiders who plot against it and shields himself behind the helpless multitude, yet, when there is no peril at hand, waxes overbearing and insolent, now bellowing loudly in a menacing way, now goring with levelled horns any who cannot resist, thus making show of his strength upon the weaker who will not fight, while at the same time he will not permit the multitude of the cattle to graze in peace because of the consternation and panic he inspires—when the owners and the herdsmen, I say, have such a bull, they depose and kill him as not being fit to lead the herd nor salutary to it. That bull, on the other hand, which is gentle towards the kine of his following but valiant and fearless towards wild beasts, that is stately, proud, and competent to protect his herd and be its leader, while yet submissive and obedient to the herdsmen—him they leave in charge till extreme old age, even after he becomes too heavy of body.