[2,75] ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ οἱ θεοὶ καὶ ὁ δὴ μέγας βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, ἅτε κηδεμὼν καὶ πατὴρ κοινὸς ἀνθρώπων καὶ θεῶν, {Ζεύς} ὃς ἂν ἀνθρώπων γένηται βίαιος καὶ ἄδικος καὶ παράνομος ἄρχων, τὴν ἰσχὺν οὐ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνδεικνύμενος, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις καὶ τοῖς φίλοις, ἄπληστος μὲν ἡδονῶν, ἄπληστος δὲ χρημάτων, ὑπονοῆσαι ταχύς, ἀμείλικτος ὀργισθείς, ὀξὺς πρὸς διαβολάς, ἀπειθὴς λόγοις, πανοῦργος, ἐπίβουλος, ταπεινός, αὐθάδης, τοὺς κακοὺς αὔξων, τοῖς κρείττοσι φθονῶν, παιδείας ἀσύνετος, φίλον οὐδένα νομίζων οὐδ´ ἔχων, ὡς ἔλαττον αὑτοῦ τὸ κτῆμα, ἐκεῖνον ἐκποδὼν ἐποιήσατο καὶ μετέστησεν, (76) ὡς οὐκ ἄξιον ὄντα βασιλεύειν οὐδὲ κοινωνεῖν τῆς αὑτοῦ τιμῆς καὶ ἐπωνυμίας, μετά τε αἰσχύνης καὶ προπηλακισμοῦ, καθάπερ οἶμαι Φάλαρίν τε καὶ Ἀπολλόδωρον καὶ πολλοὺς ἄλλους τῶν ὁμοίων. (77) τὸν δέ γε ἀνδρεῖον καὶ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις εὔνουν καὶ τιμῶντα μὲν τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ συναγωνιῶντα μή τινος τῶν ἀγαθῶν δόξῃ φαυλότερος, τοὺς δὲ ἀδίκους μετανοεῖν ἀναγκάζοντα, τοῖς δὲ ἀσθενέσιν ἀρήγοντα, τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγάμενος ὡς τὸ πολὺ μὲν ἄγει πρὸς γῆρας, καθάπερ ἀκούομεν Κῦρόν τε καὶ Δηιόκην τὸν Μῆδον καὶ Ἰδάνθυρσον τὸν Σκύθην καὶ Λεύκωνα καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν Λακωνικῶν βασιλέων καὶ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πρότερόν τινας· (78) ἐὰν δὲ τὸ τῆς εἱμαρμένης ἀναγκαῖον ἐπείγῃ πρὸ τοῦ γήρως, ἀλλ´ οὖν μνήμης γε ἀγαθῆς καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν εὐφημίας εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον ἠξίωσε, καθάπερ, εἶπεν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος, τὸν ἡμέτερον πρόγονον, τὸν νομισθέντα τοῦ Διὸς διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν Ἡρακλέα. (79) ταῦτα δὲ ἀκούσας ὁ Φίλιππος, ἡσθείς, Οὐ μάτην, εἶπεν, Ἀλέξανδρε, περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμεθα τὸν Ἀριστοτέλη, καὶ τὴν πατρίδα αὐτῷ συνεχωρήσαμεν ἀνακτίζειν, Στάγειρα τῆς Ὀλυνθίας οὖσαν. ὁ γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἄξιος πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων δωρεῶν, εἰ τοιαῦτά σε διδάσκει περί τε ἀρχῆς καὶ βασιλείας εἴτε Ὅμηρον ἐξηγούμενος εἴτε ἄλλον τρόπον.

[2,75] In like manner do the gods act, and especially the great King of Kings, Zeus, who is the common protector and father of men and gods. If any man proves himself a violent, unjust and lawless ruler, visiting his strength, not upon the enemy, but upon his subjects and friends; if he is insatiate of pleasures, insatiate of wealth, quick to suspect, implacable in anger, keen for slander, deaf to reason, knavish, treacherous, degraded, wilful, exalting the wicked, envious of his superiors, too stupid for education, regarding no man as friend nor having one, as though such a possession were beneath him,— such a one Zeus thrusts aside and deposes as unworthy to be king or to participate in his own honour and titles, putting upon him shame and derision, as methinks he did with Phalaris and Apollodorus and many others like them. But the brave and humane king, who is kindly towards his subjects and, while honouring virtue and striving that he shall not be esteemed as inferior to any good man therein, yet forces the unrighteous to mend their ways and lends a helping hand to the weak—such a king Zeus admires for his virtue and, as a rule, brings to old age, as, for instance, according to tradition, Cyrus and Deïoces the Mede, Idanthyrsus the Scythian, Leucon, many of the Spartan kings, and some of the earlier kings of Egypt. But if the inevitable decree of fate snatches him away before reaching old age, yet Zeus vouchsafes unto him a goodly renown and praise among all men for ever and ever, as indeed," concluded Alexander, " he honoured our own ancestor, who, because of his virtue, was considered the son of Zeus—I mean Heracles." Now when Philip heard all this, he was delighted and said, " Alexander, it wasn't for naught that we esteemed Aristotle so highly, and permitted him to rebuild his home-town Stagira, which is in the domain of Olynthus. He is a man who merits many large gifts, if such are the lessons which he gives you in government and the duties of a king, be it as interpreter of Homer or in any other way."