[4,0] ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ Δ. (1) Φασί ποτε Ἀλέξανδρον Διογένει συμβαλεῖν οὐ πάνυ τι σχολάζοντα πολλὴν ἄγοντι σχολήν. ἦν γὰρ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς Μακεδόνων τε καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν, ὁ δὲ φυγὰς ἐκ Σινώπης. ταῦτα δὲ λέγουσι καὶ γράφουσι πολλοί*, τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον οὐχ ἧττον θαυμάζοντες καὶ ἐπαινοῦντες, ὅτι τοσούτων ἄρχων καὶ τῶν τότε μέγιστον δυνάμενος οὐχ ὑπερεώρα πένητος ἀνθρώπου συνουσίαν νοῦν ἔχοντος (2) καὶ δυναμένου καρτερεῖν. οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι χαίρουσι φύσει πάντες τιμωμένην ὁρῶντες φρόνησιν ὑπὸ τῆς μεγίστης ἐξουσίας τε καὶ δυνάμεως, ὥστε οὐ μόνον τἀληθῆ διηγοῦνται περὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ πλάττουσιν ὑπερβάλλοντες, προσέτι καὶ τἄλλα ἀφαιρούμενοι τῶν φρονίμων, οἷον χρήματα καὶ τιμὰς καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος δύναμιν, ὅπως διὰ μόνην δόξωσι τιμᾶσθαι τὴν ξύνεσιν. (3) ὡς δὲ εἰκὸς ἐκείνοις γενέσθαι τὴν ξυνουσίαν {ἐκείνην}, εἴποιμ´ ἄν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τυγχάνομεν σχολὴν ἄγοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων. ἦν μὲν γάρ, ὥς φασιν, ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ἀνθρώπων φιλοτιμότατος καὶ μάλιστα δόξης ἐραστὴς καὶ τοῦ καταλιπεῖν ὡς μέγιστον αὑτοῦ ὄνομα ἐν πᾶσιν Ἕλλησι καὶ βαρβάροις, καὶ ἐπεθύμει γε τιμᾶσθαι σχεδὸν οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μόνον πανταχοῦ, ἀλλ´ εἴ πως δυνατὸν ἦν, ὑπό τε τῶν ὀρνίθων καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι θηρίων.

[4,0] THE FOURTH DISCOURSE ON KINGSHIP. (1) THEY tell us that once upon a time Alexander when not over busy met Diogenes, who had an abundance of time on his hands. For the one was king of Macedonia and many other countries beside, while the other was an exile from Sinope ; and there are many who in speaking and writing of this encounter give no less admiration and credit to Alexander than to Diogenes because, although he was ruler over so many people and had greater power than any other man of his day, he did not disdain to converse with a poor man who had intelligence and the power of endurance. For all men without exception are naturally delighted when they see wisdom honoured by the greatest power and might ; hence they not only relate the facts in such cases but add extravagant embellishments of their own ; nay more, they strip their wise men of all else, such as wealth, honours, and physical strength, so that the high regard in which they are held may appear to be due to their intelligence alone. And so I should like on this occasion to tell what in all likelihood was the nature of their conversation, since it happens too that I have nothing else that demands my attention. (4) Now it should be explained that Alexander was by common report the most ambitious of men and the greatest lover of glory. He was anxious to leave his name the greatest among all the Greeks and barbarians and longed to be honoured, not only—as one might put it—by mankind the world over, but, if it were at all possible, by the birds of the air and the beasts of the mountains.